[FIN] Of Heros and Vampires (Earako and Keanu)

[lithle]

The day was hot, almost uncomfortably so, and Kyle couldn't help but wonder if it might be a good time to reconsider his fashion sense. Black just wasn't a summer colour. Still, he was determained to enjoy the day, sunlight or not, and certainly determained to make sure that Earako did the same.

It'd been too long since they'd gone out together, just the two of them. Oh, he saw her almost nightly when he babysat, but now that he had Isabel, the two girls usually played together. But Isabel was at the 030 center, and Michael had... things... to attend to, which left Earako with him.

They albino bat girl held his hand as they approached the park, one of those huge wooden sorts, made to at least abstractly resemble a castle. She'd grown so much, and he couldn't help but be proud of the hand he'd had in her development. The perfect little gothic angel, with her dark wings, her ruffled black dress, and her matching black and blue lace parasol, which shaded her delicate skin from the rather intense rays of the sun.

Certainly, they made a pair, he had his red bondage pants, his fishnet shirt and black tank top with a picture of a vampire goldfish on the front. She was quite the beauty, and he quite the beast, or at least it seemed that way to an incredibly biast uncle.

For her part, Earako was anxious to get to playing, if not vocal about it. She'd never been to this park before, and she liked the colourful little flapping flags on the top of the 'castle'. And the long curly metal slide looked like it might be fun. It was a good day, though the sun made her a bit dizzy. Maybe next time, they'd go to a water park.

For today, she was content to explore the giant wooden castle.

"I'm gonna go down the slide!" She announced, as they entered the park proper. Half dragging Kyle with her as she neared the stairs, she looked over her shoulder at him. "You'll go down too, right?"  

[Raja]

"Five... Four... Three... Two... On- HEY NOT STARTING EARLY!" The yell did little good though, for the leopard's over eager dragon was already darting ahead while giving his chirping grunt laugh. Certainly it was all a game, but games had rules too. Too bad though, Keanu wasn't about to let his dragon beat him in a race.

Moments earlier the currently patched up boy had joked that his dragon couldn't keep up with him even withe the recent injury. Ymir had taken the challenge, and they'd decided to make a game out of it.

Keanu normally would have been at one of his martial arts classes at the moment, but he'd been told to go home and rest. They hadn't wished to have an accidental hit to the eye make the whole situation worse. Seeing as he couldn't practice in class, he'd gone to the next best thing he could think of. The park, open with a lot of space to practice. Of course that had only lasted a moment.

Frankly put, the leopard was off balance due to the recent loss of sight in one eye. It would heal in time, but for now he midjudged how close he was to things, when he needed to put his foot down. It was all very aggravating to the boy, seeing as his entire interest was on training at this point. It didn't bode well for the active habits the boy had at all. He kept brushing into things on that side by misjudging the space. Which shuold have been something he considered before bursting off at full speed after the dragon.

"YMIR YOU CHEATER!" Anyone around likely heard the boy's yell as he leapt straight after the white, and silver form ahead of him. The dragon was heading straight for the castle like structure, in toward the supports.

Now, we can assume Ymir didn't mean it, and wasn't thinking about this when they went in there, but it only took two dodges before Keanu's newfound blind splot took effect.

'WHAM!' His shoulder collided with one of the strong wooden structure support and lost his balance. Which sent him tumbling, into a summersault on the ground until he hit another one. That ended that. He lay still on the ground, rather dizzy and most definitely regretting this game. His back was slightly curled as it was pressed against the piling. Legs bent on either side.

Really, he was alright, maybe a few bruises. But the main reason he didn't get up was due to dizziness. "Hnn..?"

Ymir had glanced back in time to see his keeper's rather... Interesting display, and scurried back to see if the boy was still alive.

Well, that didn't usually happen.  

[lithle]

Earako was half way down the slide when she heard the yelling, and thus at the bottom before should could actually try and figure out where it was coming from. A dragon? Was that a dragon? Then the boy behind it must be a D-corp kid. Delighted to find one of her own at the park, Earako stood, shaded by her parasol, and watched the two race toward the castle.

They both seemed pretty quick until the thunk. Ouch. Earako winced in sympathy, her wings closing around her in an automatic defensive gesture. The boy wasn't getting up, either. That couldn't be good, could it? That couldn't be good at all.

She just hoped the dragon was friendly.

"Kyle?" He was still up at the top of the structure, so she waved toward him. "Kyle I gotta see if the boy is ok!" Her voice, whispery as ever, was tense with worry, and she didn't wait for an ok before heading toward the pair. He was a D-corp kid after all, and she was pretty sure that meant she had to help him. Either way, she just couldn't leave him there.

"Umm... hello?" Her voice was a bit hesitant, and she approached carefully, her attention going back and forth between the boy and the dragon. She'd been raised on the idea of them, of course, but that didn't mean she wasn't cautious. The dragon had bigger teeth than she did, after all. "Are you alright?" She was prepared to kneel next to the boy, and never mind the dress, so long as the beautiful silver and white creature didn't show any objections.  

[Raja]

'Um... hello?' Keanu might have tried to pry open the one uncovered eye if he wasn't still catching his breath. Another thing from the sudden fall was having the wind knocked out of him. It was like when he'd gotten thrown onhis back in Aikido classes. An interesting feeling indeed. 'Are you alright?' He opened the one unbandaged eye, staring up at the slightly blurry picture a moment. Then it stopped spinning and came into focus. A girl, blond hair, red eyes, and... Glasses. Her ears where long too. He hadn't seen her ever before.

Ymir on the other hand was beside himself, as soon as Earako came closer he was wagging his tail in the always friendly manner he had. He took not time to worry about if Keanu would live after the eye was opened, before nudging the girl's arm to beg for a few loving strokes, pets... Anything! He wasn't one to object to any attention. Let's just hope she didn't mind that he wasn't exactly soft, rather his was more spikey, like running your hand over ice. Though he wasn't cold. On the contrary, the sun was a bit too warm for his liking today. Which had to do why he'd darted under the structure, it was cooler in the shade.

Keanu shared the dragon's sentiments on the sun. He'd shed the long sleeved shirt for a tank top that day, and jean shorts instead of the longer pants. There weren't even rips in this particular set, which suggested he'd never worn it before. Likely because the shirt was a pale silver. Easily stained, probably already covered in dirt, or a rip by now. Well, that just went to show you how Keanu was, didn't it? Clothing stood no chance against the boy.

"Hnn? Yea... I'm ok..." He finally croaked, rubbing his head with one hand to shove a few bangs back out of the way. The goggles weren't fullproof, but they did a lot of good. He turned his attention back from the dull throb in one shoulder to the girl, soon noticing the dress. "WOW! Are oyu a princess?" Was what came out net. Yes, he was definitely going to live.

She looked like a little princess, frills, hair so neatly kept. Delicate pale skin. Yes, she had to be. The only thing out of place was that she was actually on a playground among commoners. He Shifted to try to untangle himself from the pole, and sit up to get a better look at the girl. "Yeah, you're pretty like one! You gotta be one!" Ok, so he might have been half blind for the time being, but he could see that well enough. Yes, he had to be right!  

[lithle]

Earako was relieved by the dragon's friendly nature, and petted him willingly while kneeling next to the boy. One of his eyes was bandaged. Was he a pirate, then? No, pirates had black patches, and skulls, right? Besides, he was a D-corp kid. He had to be. And she was pretty sure none of them were pirates.

Relieved to hear him say he was ok, but not entirely sure that she believed him, Earako stayed where she was, tilting her head to one side as she tried to get a beter look at him. She didn't think she saw any blood, so that was a good thing. Maybe she should have taken her Da' more seriously when he talked about teaching her first aid. She hadn't thought it important at the time, but now... now she thought it might come in handy.

A princess? The question threw her off guard, it was so unexpected, so sudden. What was he talking about? Was he playing pretend games? It seemed like a crazy time for it, what with him laying down all dizzy like.

Pretty? Oh, now he was making her blush. And when Earako blushed, it showed up rather dramatically on her fair skin. Again, her wings came around, wrapping protectively about her shoulders. They could be a dark cloak on her dark dress, almost. "No. I'm-- I'm just Earako. I'm an albino vampire bat." And that wasn't like a princess at all, was it?

"Are you sure you're ok? My Da' says that if you hit your head, you might get a 'cussion." Now she wasn't exactly sure what one of those was, but it hadn't sounded good.  

[Raja]

Ymir gave a happy chirp at the feeling of fingers running over his head, turning his head from time to time to get just the right spot stroked at. Friendly wasn't even enough of a tem for him, be was harmless to anything that proved no harm to himself, or the boy. Though he didn't exactlylike that one teacher... The pink haired one with the whip. Nope, she liked picking on him.

Keanu blinked at the girls reply, tilting his head. Not a princes? But she just had to be. "Earako huh?" He recognized the word vampire, and what a bat was. He hadn't known there where vampire bats though. Wait... couldn't vampires turn INTO bats? Didn't that make her a bad vampire? No, that couldn't be right either, because those things couldn't come out durring the day. Which left him back at square one. Well that train of thought didn't do him much good.

"I still think ya look like a princess." He added, grinning, and finally sitting up right, both ears perking. The bandage on his head wrapped around under his hair mostly, though it went over his forehead above his right eye as well. That was about where the only points that held it showed. Everything else was lost in the long multicolored locks of his, which where tied back as usual.

"Well, I'm Keanu. And who says you can't be a princess just because you're a bat? Doesn't mean anything." He replied, oblivious that it was his comment that had made the girl blush so, and hide hrself. Polite like that made her even more like a princess. Shy at times. Just like the ones from books. "If people said I couldn't be a knight just because I'm a snow leopard I'd have to show them wrong." He added, grinning, and nodding a few times. "And I'm showing them one day at a time! Even if they haven't said it yet!"

Oh sure he was as ok as he ever was really. Keanu never had been exactly... Normal? Was that the wor.d "Mm'hmm... I've taken bigger falls than that before." He lifted a hand to where his eye was covered with the bandage. "Was practicing swords with Ikurai, and there was an accident, so I gotta keep this covered till it's all better, or it could get infected. That's what Tai-Yun said. If it get's infected I won't be able to see from that eye anymore." Obviously he was taken the news well.

But that reminded him. He glanced down at his side, checking the scabbard he kept there. Yes, he insisted on bringing THAT with him too. It was still securely sheathed where it had been. Good, he might have really been hurt if it had come loose while he was rolling. Well, no worrying about what had already happened.  

[lithle]

Earako enjoyed the dragon's obvious willingness to be petted, and continued to do so with ready enthusiasm. She wondered if her red dragon would be so friendly. All the dragons she'd met so far certainly had been. Maybe that was a good sign that she could make her dragon be her friend.

He was a knight? Wow. She hadn't thought knights were real, more like they were something that happened in stories and movies. But, she didn't think he would lie to her. And he seemed pretty certain, so she wasn't about to argue.

"I umm... don't think a knight is like a princess." She said her soft voice thoughtful. "Knights get trained and stuff. But to be a princess you got to be the child of a queen, don't you?" At least, she was pretty sure that was how it worked. "I've just got my Da', and he's not a queen at all."

Laughter from the background at that, and she looked over to see her Uncle Kyle watching them. But he didn't say anything, so she figured that was alright.

"It's nice to meet you Keanu." Usually, she tried to curtsy at meetings, but crouching made it hard. She did her best, bobbing a bit in place, but the attempt was admittedly clumsy. "And what about your name?" She asked the dragon directly, but looked toward Keanu for the answer.  

[Raja]

Ymir would have happily rolled on his belly if she'd asked. He was a real sucker for girls it seemed, well anything that pet him, but ESPECIALLY female attention. Maybe he was just a flirt. Then again, he was still young, how could that be? Yet anyway. The dragon was grinning, or trying to. It was more like a scowl with the way his teeth looked, but the happy little chrips suggested otherwise. What an odd picture he must have made.

He shook his head. She was right, but... "But your 'da isn't a girl. Queen's are girls you know. I bet your mum was a queen!" He'd found the one loophole that might break that good logic of her's. Keanu rarely gave up on anything, and he was rather certain. Which mean he could be stubborn about this idea she even tried to courtsey! See, that was what a princess would do. She definitely had to be one.

Though Keanu's attention was torn to the person who'd laughed momentarily, it quickly moved back. It was entirely too rude to ignore royalty when graced with their pressence. "His name is Ymir, like the ancient frost giant of Asgard." Keanu replied, starting to push himself to his feet. "He's a mixture of a frost dragon, and a silver dragon. So since he's part frost dragon I thought he'd like it. And he does, right?" Keanu glanced at the dragon, he pried an eye open at him for a moment. Obviously he'd rather just stick with the attention he was getting.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Princess Earako." Oh dear, now she had a nickname too. At least it wasn't ad bad as him jokingly calling Nero, and Indigo monsters. If anyway he was acting his part as a good knight even ifhe was still a littl eunsteady from his fall. One hand extended, notably the one that hadn't hit the wooden support earlier, toward Earako. "May I help you up, your highness?"  

[lithle]

"I... umm... sure." Earako extended the hand not still clinging to her now closed parasol, and allowed herself to be helped up. Keanu felt strong, like Da'. Actually, he reminded her of Da' a lot, with the way he was treating her. Though she'd never seen her Da' fall down. It made her feel a little more comfortable, her shy insecurity retreating a bit while she talked to her new friend. "Thank you."

"My cousins' Da' is a girl... but you're right, mine's a boy." A pause, to keep herself from babbling, before she continued. "I'm actually pretty sure D-corp is my mom... kinda." She frowned, chewing at her bottom lip as she considered the fact. It always bothered her a little, that she'd come from there. Not because she didn't like D-corp, but because she did. She didn't want to let them down... and if she did, there went her whole purpose for existing. The whole reason for her creation. Thus the reason she was so polite to techs and teachers.

Now standing, she continued to stroak Ymir, nodding at the introduction, though she really had no idea what Asgard was. Best not to ask though. She didn't want to lose Keanu's good opinion of her. "That's a nice name. I'm gonna have a red dragon, when the egg hatches."  

[Raja]

And there was no further argument against the fact she was a princess. Or so Keanu thought as he lightly helped her to her feet. Keanu was rather sturdy for a kid naturally, but his tendency to always be active had made him hardier than ever. Resistant to the freezing cold due to his dense coat. Even somewhat oblivious to sharp things that might attack him. He really was built for this harder existance. He'd have never fit into the lifestyle that Earako had built for herself, perhaps that was why such things interested him. Why he treated them with such a delicate nature that was unlike his usual approach to life. Certainly his mother was never helped up, and as much as he respected teachers, they too did not get this special treatment.

It was reserved for those dainty creatures he could only be curious about. For fear that if he asked to much they would break like the glass they seemed made of. Hmm.. No, not glass. Procelain. Yes that fit this girl better, finely polished porcelain. Pearly white. Very fitting for a little princess.

"Mm, I got a mum for a da." He'd origionally assumed that Da' was short for dad. But maybe it just meant any parent. He wasn't sure. It didn't really matter though, now did it? "Well my Da' is D-Corp then." He replied, grinning. "Cause mum is my only mum, and I don't have any da' at the house." Sure there was Tai, and the others. But no one was his father so to speak. Just the orange feline who was his mum, and that was that. "So it's fine to be from D-Corp, don't you think?" He added, obviously the idea of letting them down had never once crossed his mind.

Keanu wasn't the biggest thinker, usually when he did understand something it ended up rounding about in a circle. It just confused him to think on things too much, so he usually made snap decisions. Worrying was for people who didn't want to have any fun. That was what he saw it as. Still, he didn't like anyone being upset... So when others frowned he tended to think of how to fix it. The question was if his means to get that result worked or not. Usually they didn't do much good.

Oh well, he could at least make people smile when he got the chance.

"A red dragon? Those are neat, I saw them in a book once when I borrowed it from Haruki." Ah yes, the red-head had moved out, but he still had those facts memorized. He'd loved reading about such things, one of the few things he DID read. Facts about heros, dragons, the unknown... Those where what could bring him in from practicing to sit still for a while. Other than that, look out below here comes a flying leopard ready to run around. "I bet it'll be a really good dragon! Ymir's a bit funny, but he's my best friend. Right?" He turned looking at the dragon, who chirped again. "That means yes."  

[lithle]

Keanu's words had her all mixed up again. Da' did indeed mean dad, but Savius called Lithle, a woman, Dad. But he didn't call her mom too. She wasn't sure exactly how one could have a mom for a dad. But she guessed anything was ok, really. Did it matter what you called your parent?

"I've got my Da', and I've got Kyle." She pointed toward the man, who stood just with in ear shot, watching them, hands shoved in his pockets. "And Lithle too. Da' says they're as good as family."

Now that she was standing, she took a moment to straighten her dress, and opened her parasol again. Sure she didn't need it in the shade, but it was fun to hold, she liked to twirl the handle and watch it spin. The lace went all blurry when she did it.

"Yeah. It's nice. 'cuz we get dragons, and some of us look really neat. Like Indigo, she's got extra arms." She smiled as she thought of the brightly coloured girl who'd helped her decorate her skin one day before school. The expression faded quickly, as the thought reminded her of her own insecurities. "'course, not all of us are that special. I just burn, mostly." Thus the parasol. And the high strength sun block as well. Sure, she always smelled mildly of coconuts, but it only took one bad burn for her to learn her lesson.

She let her gaze fall to Ymir, and a mild smile returned. She was looking forward to the hatching of her own dragon, even if it made her nervous. She hoped it liked her. She really hoped it liked her. If it didn't... but she wasn't going to think about that. "The teacher said that red dragons like treasure."  

[Raja]

Keanu had himself confused. So it was nothing new really. He simple nodded to the explaination. "Ya, I've got Raja mum, and everyone at the house too. Naito comes to visit form time to time, that's Paxton's mum." He paused slightly at the mentio of the bird. His face darkened momentarily before brightenign with a smile once more. Depression didn't suite the leopard one bit, and so it rarely lasted. He couldn't find a good reason to frown most of the time, so he didn't. Besides, frowning made people sad, and he didn't wish for anyone to be sad. Certainly not because of him.

Keanu looked at the now open parasol for a second, noting it's simply extravance with awe. That just proved it more didn't it? Needing to shield her dainty skin from the sun with such a thing. Not at all like him. He needed the shade so he didn't end up with heatstroke. Not that he took the time to realize that. He'd figure it out one of these days when he flopped over panting from it being too warm. It worked well enough.

"Yea, Miss Monster is nice! And she's fun!" He called, remembering the purple skinned girl. "Her dragon knocked down the door at my house when she came to visit." He added, grinning. Obviously he found that note more amusing than startling. "Citrine's a really strong dragon, Ymir could only rattle that thing when he ran into it." And he didn't worry about injuries much. Well, considering his 'profession' it made sense. Or enough anyway. "But I've only seen one other girl with such pale skin like yours. It's really pretty, so white like the snow." He added. "Ya'know the snows really mysterious, and wonderful. I like it a lot more than the grass when it's warm." He looked up at the light peeking between the wooden planks. "It's too warm out when the sun is around, so I like the cold that comes with snow." He shrugged, tilting his head to one side. "So everyones really unique cause they're different. Indigo's got spots like th' sun, and you're pale like the snow. Very different."

Indeed that statement went beyond appearances. Indigo was well... Very noticeable, loud. Not like a princess. Earako was definitely a princess. That was all there was to it. Plus she smelled frilly too. Like some food... He couldn't put his finger on which one, but she smelled nice. Kind of sweet.

"I don't like the sun much either. It's too hot." He replied, rubbing ne of his arms as if to point out the long coat. It was thinner than usual from shedding for summer. But he was still never meant for warm climates. "Mum said it's cause I'm supposed to be in cold places though, she also says the house is freezing at night. So I guess she's right. But I really wish it was less sunny."

He glanced up at the mention of the dragon, completely oblivious the the girl might be nervous. He'd been eager to meet Ymir, he'd known that the dragon had to be his best friend. "Dragons like keeping things. Ymir likes the shiny gem I got in the class for him. He hides it under my bed." At this the dragon jerked his head up startled. Apparently he hadn't known that Keanu knew where it was, and so would need to rehide it once that got home. "I should get hima new present I guess. Maybe something blue like his eyes? What do you think, princess?" He glanced at her.

Yes, a princess would know exactly what a dragon might want. Or at least what a good gift was. Keanu hadn't the faintest idea beyond another shiny rock like the first.  

[lithle]

Miss Monster? Confused again, Earako quickly realized that he could only mean Indigo. It didn't seem like a very nice nickname, but maybe it was more to do with the knight thing. Maybe if he needed a princess, he needed a monster too. And since he wasn't saying any bad stuff about her, she guessed it was ok.

The comment about her being pretty brought another blush, turning her red enough to briefly mar the connection with snow. She really wasn't pretty. Just plain and white. Even if everyone was unique, she wasn't as unique as everyone else. "I like it when it snows." She responded, shifting toward the safer subject. "Everything looks so different, it's like the whole world changes. But I guess my dragon is supposed to like hot, because its egg is kept in fire. And caves too. My Da's buildin' a cave in the backyard so we can play."

As the subject turned to dragons and what they liked, she grew more animated. Sure, she was nervous and afraid of what the dragon might think of her. That didn't mean she wasn't anxious for the hatching. And as long as she gave it shiny things, she thought maybe they'd be alright. "You should make him something he can wear." She advised, giving the dragon a thoughtful look. "Blue would be good. On a dark chain. Like my parasol."

Of course, a look at her outfit might show that she was biased toward the colours, but who didn't have their favorites? Patting Ymir gently, she lowered her parasol, holding it against him. "See, it won't blend in, so it'll be real noticable. And the blue would match his eyes."

Apparently, she'd given up on the whole princess issue. She wasn't above flattery, after all.  

[Raja]

Keanu didn't mean it as flattery, he just tended to say the first thing that came to mind. Thus why Indigo and Nero earned their titles, and why blurted out that Earako had to be a princess. Still, he did notice the girls brilliant red face, but what didn't register was why. Unless? "I think you need to hold the parasol up better, looks like you're getting a sunburn." And there it went again. No, the connection between pretty and the blushing didn't exist in his head. Oh well, one of these days maybe. "You should be careful, you have really light skin, like Tai. So the sun's not exactly nice to you." Hadn't she said something about that already? Well, restating things did sometimes happen with him. Another thing one could only hope he'd get over with time.

"It is like a different world. Everythings new, and fresh. No color at all." He added in agreement, crossing his arms behind his back. "It's like the world decided that everything was unclean, so it covered it to wash away all the bad." An image he quite liked. He would be like the snow too. He'd make everything clean and pure again. "But I guess I'm lucky. Ymir likes the snow like me. He doesn't like the warmth too much, right?" He glanced down at the dragon, he nodded along with another one of his chirps. Something that only Keanu seemed to understand. In truth he didn't really know what was being told either, he just... Assumed. And that seemed to work well enough. "But that's neat. Ymir was kept in snow before he hatched, now he's gotta deal with the sun, and he doesn't like it much. So I'm sure your dragon would be able to be in snow, right?" Ok, so the connection wasn't as solid. The sunlight, and fire where not the same strength, but in Keanu's mind, it was close enough.

"My mum wouldn't make something for Ymir though, so it's really neat that your Da' is building something for you two. Mum just tells Ymir, and I not to break anything usually." Which of course was logical, when was the last time Keanu's games didn't end up in either himself, or something paying the price? There was always at least a small bruise, or something like that. Raja wouldn't build the thing because it would be ruined within a week. Either trampled by an excited dragon, or bulldozed by a rampaging leopard child. The feline lived with this kid, she knew him too well when it came to his ability in creating chaos.

"Hmm... That makes sense." He was watching her make the comparison. "Ymir's so light the black does match better, and blue like his eyes would be very pretty." He rubbed Ymir on the head. "You like the Princess' suggestion?"

Ymir would have liked anything that shined like his orange stone, so at long as it shined he liked it. "Cherah!" Escaped him, along with a wag of his tail as he ran around them in a circle. Yes, he liked the idea of a new gift. Something he could take with him to guard too. Excellent.  

[lithle]

Having finished showing off her colour ideas, Earako raised the parasol again, as instructed. Keanu didn't make the connection between his words and her blushing, and she didn't make the connection between her blushing and the comment on a possible sunburn. After all, it was a fairly common occurance.

"I like making things pretty. I'm gonna make my dragon some treasure, since Da' says we can't afford to buy any. And Da' says that I can paint the walls of the cave." Her expression brightened as she spoke, encouraged by thoughts of things she could do, instead of brooding on those she was afraid she wasn't going to succeed at. "I like to draw, a lot. And I want to learn how to sew... but no one seems to know how, so it's kinda hard. I'm gonna make my own clothes some day."

Realizing she was prattling again, the young bat cut herself off, glancing around the castle like structure thoughtfully. "Maybe you'd like to play?" She asked, a hopeful note in her soft voice. "The slide is fun, and there's swings..."