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Post by Lionel Waterman on Apr 22, 2010 1:00:12 GMT -5
USE YOUR HEAD. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[/size][/font][/center] His time in Kyoto was a breath of fresh air, free from the screaming rush of people and the pushing and shoving, free from the choking gray and the decay in the shadows of towering skyscrapers. Here, the wind was clean and whistled through the treetops, and the stars winked overhead, thousands of stars opened over a black canvas. Lionel took a shallow breath and strode along into the night, his visage illuminated only temporarily by the headlights of passing cars. He crossed a short bridge and passed a flickering lamppost out of town. Lanterns hung over tree branches, accompanied by streaks of red and gold tissue paper, fluttering in the breeze. He pulled his cell halfway out of his jacket pocket to check the time. 11:23 PM. The air was a little brisk, but it was a pleasant, enjoyable wind that parted his bangs and tousled his hair. Out of habit, he let his left arm droop to his side and snapped his fingers; a small spark ran over his knuckles and disappeared into the middle of his palm. He continued to walk until he reached a set of worn stone stairs. The climb to the temple was a bit longer than he expected. At the top of the stairs was another set of stairs, and there was another set of stairs on top of that set, but when as he made his way up the last few steps, the temple grounds opened up before his eyes. A red gate, stripped of paint along the wooden borders, stood guard over the walkway; behind the trees, blossoming with spring, sat a two-tiered temple, the roofs lined in gold. There were a handful of tents just outside the gate, and a few leftover visitors cleaning up. Perhaps there was some sort of festival that evening. He wished that he spoke a bit of Japanese, so that he could ask someone. But he didn't, and so he stood still at the top step, gazing up at the temple behind the shroud of leaved trees. [/blockquote] |
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Ninon Vulpes
Half-breed
La Renard Noir[M:0]
Imaginary Roses
Posts: 44
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Post by Ninon Vulpes on Apr 22, 2010 16:49:17 GMT -5
 She lives in a fairy tale
Somewhere too far for us to find[/size][/font][/i][/center] ------------------------------------------------------------- She was lost. Wait. No, she wasn't. She just didn't know where she was or where she was going. She preferred to look at it like that. If she were to admit that she was lost, she would give up hope of every finding her way back to where she came from. Though, it would probably help if she knew exactly where she had come from. However, she didn't. She had forgotten, which wasn't very surprising. She was lucky she could remember how old she was.
Silence hung heavy around her. Well, as heavy as silence could while she was chomping away at some gum she had saved from a couple days earlier. It had been a while since she'd seen a lot of people crowded in one space like it was in Tokyo. She was both thankful and upset about this. Thankful that she didn't have to worry about paranoia when it came to someone kidnapping her or worse. Upset because she was alone and she wasn't a big fan of solitude. Though, the major bright side was that she was able to lose dump her jacket and beanie hat off somewhere else. Since there was no people, as far as she could see anyway, she didn't have to worry about questioning glances or anything. Stupid humans and their weird looks. So she had a few extra appendages. So what? That didn't mean she was a freak. Actually, yes it did. And it wasn't fair.
Her two black fox ears twitched as she continued on, her fluffy tail swaying behind her. She sighed softly, her eyes gazing up at the sky. She should have stayed in that one hotel she visited. There was quite a nice man she was able to talk to. Why didn't she stay? She didn't remember. Big surprise there.
A sudden spark caught the attention of her golden eyes. What had that been? A lightning bug, maybe? She couldn't make out how far away the spark had been. She couldn't see a source for it, either. She had excellent sight but it was dark and she hadn't been paying too much attention to it so she couldn't tell what it was. This ignited her curiosity.
Her pace quickened and her soft foot-falls echoed around her. It was still quite quiet, though. After a long moment, she slowed. She could hear people now and she didn't know what to do. Her black ears flattened against her head, trying to hide within her pink hair. Her black tail stilled and she looked around. Stairs. A lot of stairs. Her eyes followed them until she saw a man climbing up them. A soft breeze carried down the scents of the people and one wasn't human. Was it him?
Whoever wasn't the human must have created that spark she saw, right? It wasn't fire, she knew. It was quick. Flash and then poof. gone. Unlike fire that dances. So it couldn't have been a lighter from a smoker.
Her curiosity gnawed at her and made her ignore the protests inside her worried little mind. Her ears perked up (she would claim them to be fake if anyone asked; what were they called? Cosplayers?). She started ascending the steps after the man. Though, she was rather quick about it, skipping a couple of steps and giggling. It was rather fun and she was able to exert some pent-up energy from that.
Suddenly, she was at his side upon the top of the stairs. He was so much taller than the small girl. With her ears perked, she must have only come up to the middle of his torso - if not then his waist. She didn't say a thing, wondering if he noticed her. She wasn't exactly quiet about climbing up the stairs with all the giggling and such. ------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten the taste and smell
Of a world that she's left behind [/size][/font][/i][/center] roll the credits! [/size][/font][/color][/i] Tags: Lionel~
Lyrics: Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore [/size] |
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Post by Lionel Waterman on Apr 27, 2010 23:05:15 GMT -5
USE YOUR HEAD. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[/size][/font][/center] The sound of the wind gave way to a light giggle that rose in volume; Lionel glanced over his right shoulder and there stood a little girl with the appearance of no more than ten. Her small frame trembled with light, ebullient laughter. Lionel's lips creased into a warm smile. "What's so funny?" he asked, though more to himself, a chuckle rippling across his voice. The small girl gave off a radiant glow; her shoulder-length hair shimmered with a startled pink, and her golden eyes sparkled with youth. For some reason, his amusement gave way to a slight sense of apprehension. He blinked and pushed his glasses up. It was probably just her appearance. He was taken aback by how foreign she appeared. Two flat, fuzzy hair clips sat on both sides of her head – or were they ribbons – rustling in the breeze amidst a flurry of locks. "Where are your parents?" he asked. He looked up and saw men carrying away the rolled up tarpaulin canvases and steel poles, their backs covered in white cloth and bands knotted around their heads. All that remained were the lanterns and the girl, the breeze still moving through the trees. He looked down the other path, but saw no sign of other people. "I think the festival is over. You should…" He paused, and placed a hand on the back of his neck. He'd forgotten he was in Kyoto. Regret momentarily pitted in his stomach; if only he knew some Japanese, he could help her out, but… "Can you speak English?" [/blockquote] |
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Ninon Vulpes
Half-breed
La Renard Noir[M:0]
Imaginary Roses
Posts: 44
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Post by Ninon Vulpes on Apr 30, 2010 14:24:23 GMT -5
She lives in a fairy tale
Somewhere too far for us to find [/size][/font][/i][/center] ------------------------------------------------------------- Ninon's head tilted slightly to the side as the other people left, leaving her and the tall man all alone. Her smile faded and her expression was blank though life still glittered in her eyes. It didn't take long for that childish smile to splay back on her face and she tilted her head back to look up at the man. One of her black fox ears twitched and another giggle bubbled up. Nothing was particularly funny but she didn't say this. She just gazed up at him, unblinkingly as he wondered aloud to himself. Where were her parents? She didn't know. Then he said something about a festival. A festival! She wanted to go to a festival! But it was over, this made her ears flatten against her head slightly like a wounded pup. He got her hopes up for no reason.
Though, a devilish smirk appeared as he asked if she could speak English. She could. But did she have to tell him this? Nope. This was payback for him telling her about a festival.
Sadly, she shook her head before spouting off random words in Japanese. She really couldn't speak it but she knew bits of words. Like dream or angel. And thank you along with greetings. Basic things to get you through Japan. However, her fun was soon ended when she ran out of words to say. Her lips pursed for a second before she gave up and sighed, "I'm just joking. I can speak perfect English! Well, maybe not perfect but you get the gist!" Another giggle bubbled up from her, what she thought to be, clever joke.
A bright smile light up her features hoping he wouldn't be displeased with her little joke. He had gotten her hopes up after all. Her mind started to wander. Did he even realize her ears? What about her tail that was swishing behind her oh so enthusiastically. If he didn't, it was a wonder he even noticed her at all. Were those glasses of his even working? ------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten the taste and smell
Of a world that she's left behind [/size][/font][/i][/center] roll the credits! [/size][/font][/color][/i] Tags: Lionel
Lyrics: Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore [/size] |
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Post by Lionel Waterman on May 9, 2010 0:30:43 GMT -5
USE YOUR HEAD. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[/size][/font][/center] Lionel blinked, dumbfounded, as the pink-haired girl exploded into a trail of disjointed Japanese; he heard some fragments of "hello" and "goodbye" in there, probably some of the only words he could understand. He tried to think of how to apologize; he'd been wrong after all. As he mulled over her thoughts, the girl trailed off and then spoke in giggling English. "I can speak perfect English!" she exclaimed, and Lionel let out a sigh of disbelief. "You really got me, you know," he said. She broke out into a smile so wide that he couldn't help but laugh. "A bit of a troublemaker, aren't you? You know..." But his words trailed off when a flip of black caught his eye. His eyes trailed behind the girl's back, and sure enough, a thin tail bobbed back and forth behind her. Then, her hairclips stood up on end, like ears, and flopped up and down against her head in discord. Lionel forced a smile and met the girl's eyes again; what an elaborate costume, to be sure. But the way they moved... no, it was just his imagination. And it was still windy, too. He inwardly cursed his lack of sleep and wishful thinking. "Are you a cat?" he asked, his tone level. She was a child; she wouldn't dismiss him for asking such a question, and children did enjoy playing pretend, and so... Mere speculation of something supernatural jumbled his thought process immensely, but he kept up a calm, friendly demeanor, separating his mind and body. [/blockquote] |
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Ninon Vulpes
Half-breed
La Renard Noir[M:0]
Imaginary Roses
Posts: 44
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Post by Ninon Vulpes on May 11, 2010 17:22:40 GMT -5
She lives in a fairy tale
Somewhere too far for us to find [/size][/font][/i][/center] ------------------------------------------------------------- The look on his face was classic. It made her smile spread wider and her giggle extra bubbly. She was glad she had been able to fool him like that - it had been a while since she did something like that. And then he added the comment of her being a trouble maker and her happy smile became blessed with innocence as she looked up at him, the sweetest sparkle shining within the golden sunsets. She was definitely over doing it with the innocence because, obviously, she was a trouble maker. But this cute look basically summed up most of the young halfling. Those that didn't naturally despise the deformed breed usually loved her.
When his eyes moved behind her, she immediately spun on her heels to try and look at what he had spotted. Her black tail swinging behind her before rising up slightly in excitement. "What? What is it? I spy~" she said hyperly before whirling around against at his question. Are you a cat?
Was she a cat?
She stared at him as if he had just slapped her in the face. Her mouth agape in shock, her tail had completely stopped moving. How dare he confuse her for a cat! "No! I'm not a cat! she cried out and pointed up at her ears. "These are too narrow and long to be cat ears, mister! And this, she grabbed her slightly fluffy, black tail and pulled it around her waist slightly so he could get a better look, "Is too fluffy for a kitty! I, kind sir, am a fox! A renard noir to be exact!" she turned to the side slightly, crossing her arms over her chest childishly and sticking her nose in the air. Her ears remained perked on her head and her tail swished lightly behind her.
Slowly, she peeked one eye open and leaned toward him, whispering as if she didn't want anyone but him to hear her, "That means black fox. It's french.~" She giggled a little and smiled wide. She could never remain mad. Or remain pretending to be mad. Again, she turned back to face him, clapping her hands in front of her as she rocked back on her heels skillfully.
All thoughts of him being human escaped her mind. She wasn't worried about what he thought of her at the moment. She was sure he thought that her extra appendages were fake. Whatever floats his boat. ------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten the taste and smell
Of a world that she's left behind [/size][/font][/i][/center] roll the credits! [/size][/font][/color][/i] Tags: Lionel
Lyrics: Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore [/size] |
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Post by Lionel Waterman on May 15, 2010 16:40:52 GMT -5
USE YOUR HEAD. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[/size][/font][/center] The way she swung around, like a dog chasing its own tail... Like a dog. Oh. "Fox!" she cried, and he placed a fist to his lips, barely restraining his laughter at her sudden outburst. Her small fists pounded the air and she hoisted her tail, still swishing back and forth of its own accord, up for him to see. Her ears perked up with dramatic indignation, small tufts of hair frayed around them. A renard noir? 'Noir' was the word for 'black' in French... so did that make 'renard' the word for 'fox'? Her loud harrumph cut into his analysis and she folded up with disapproval. Of course, this didn't last either. "It's French," she added, flashing a kittenish grin, and Lionel laughed. "I know, I know," he said, smiling. "Sorry about that. Your tail is more fox-like than cat-like." That bushy tail, the way it swayed; the way the ears flipped and flopped like the sandaled feet of a child; his mind swarmed with thoughts of supernatural beings again. Halflings, hybrids. Animal people. He closed his eyes and swallowed hard, as if to drown out the shouts of his conscience. "You shouldn't be out here alone, anyway. C'mon, let's go find your parents," he said, offering his hand. He looked over his left shoulder, and then his right; not a single person was anywhere in sight. In the distance, the lanterns lining the trees went out, the power lines cut. "... If they're around here. Don't tell me you came out here alone?" [/blockquote] |
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Ninon Vulpes
Half-breed
La Renard Noir[M:0]
Imaginary Roses
Posts: 44
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Post by Ninon Vulpes on May 17, 2010 16:33:03 GMT -5
She lives in a fairy tale
Somewhere too far for us to find [/size][/font][/i][/center] ------------------------------------------------------------- She couldn't believe that he didn't know she was a fox. She thought it was quite obvious. However, the little misunderstanding didn't stop the waves of happiness to wash from her features or attitude. It took quite a lot to upset her (though not a lot to scare her; in fact, she was afraid of everyone).
Though, she loved that he was amused by her outburst. Making people laugh was always a plus, no matter what. And since it was usually attention directed at herself, it just tickled her pink. She absolutely loved attention and would just about do anything for it. Though, she has her limits.
Though, what ticked her even more was that he knew her little name for herself was french! How cool was that? A lot of people didn't know it was french. Golden Ninon Point for him! she thought enthusiastically. She started to wonder if he spoke french and decided to ask - in french. "Parlez-vous francais?" She didn't really know a lot of French. It was kind of like with her Japanese. She knew enough to spout out random things and maybe enough to form a coherent sentence. But that was about it.
Though, when he brought up her parents again, her smile faded into a neutral line. Bringing her right index up to her chin, she tapped it gently in thought. She could do a lot with this. She could either tell him that her parents weren't in this realm or wander around all over with him in search of people that weren't here.
I think I'll go with plan B.
Timidly, she reached up and took his hand adding in a quick and cute, "My mommy told me not to talk to strangers but I'm glad I got to talk to you!" She offered him a bright, childish smile, her eyes closing it was so wide and sincere. She really was glad she got to talk to him. Even though her constant fear and worry of Is he gonna hurt me? resided in the back of mind as it did with every other person she could ever come in contact with on this planet.
How should she respond to his question on if she came out alone? Yes, I was bored.
Maybe a No, they left without me, I guess.
She just nodded her head, her eyes falling to the ground like a child that was being punished did.
Ninon loved games. ------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten the taste and smell
Of a world that she's left behind [/size][/font][/i][/center] roll the credits! [/size][/font][/color][/i] Tags: Lionel
Lyrics: Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore [/size] |
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Post by Lionel Waterman on May 23, 2010 20:23:22 GMT -5
USE YOUR HEAD. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[/size][/font][/center] "I don't know that much," he said in response to her question. "Just the tourist stuff. Some bits and pieces." He saw her smile fade when he brought up her parents and tried to force a concerned, adult-like expression when she begrudgingly admitted to sneaking away. In truth, his chest twisted with empathy; he recalled nights where he'd snuck out of his parents' house, wandering the streets in a jacket over gray pajamas. But something about the way she brought her hand up to her chin, as if she had to concoct an answer, made him second guess her motives. Kids, he thought, but he knew that he didn't believe it; he wasn't old enough to express that kind of wistfulness. The only answer he gave to her admission was another "C'mon", and as she placed her warm hand in his, a reassuring nod. The responsible thing to do would be to take her home. He held her small fingers loosely and turned to take her back down the stairs. "Are your parents in town? I'm staying down there myself, so we can head back that way." He hesitated, his steps slowing. "Or... if you want to hang out a bit longer, you can do that too." He was slightly disgusted with himself for even suggesting such a thing so flippantly, but he was even more disgusted with playing the conventional, fun-killing parent role. But before he could say another word, an involuntary spark ran down his fingers and flashed with heat. "Ah!" he hissed, withdrawing his hand from hers. He flicked his wrist and bit the inside of his cheek. What the hell -- was there some leftover current in his hand? His head snapped up to the girl's palm. "Are you okay? Sorry about that." It was just a little shock was all; he tried to convince himself of that. Happened all the time. All the time... [/blockquote] |
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Ninon Vulpes
Half-breed
La Renard Noir[M:0]
Imaginary Roses
Posts: 44
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Post by Ninon Vulpes on May 27, 2010 19:40:48 GMT -5
She lives in a fairy tale
Somewhere too far for us to find [/size][/font][/i][/center] ------------------------------------------------------------- She nodded a little. so he didn't know that much french? Oh well, she'd live. It would be a stupid thing to cry about yet she couldn't help but feel a little let down that she still hadn't found someone to speak that language with. Oh well.
However, finding someone to speak in a different language with was the least of her worries. She found herself skipping down a golden road to Liarsville when he asked her if her parents were in town. She kind of felt bad for lying about such a stupid thing though. This little adventure she started to could end one of three ways.
One: she could go ahead and tell him the truth. Her parents weren't in town or even in this realm and he could find out she lied about something so minor and that she was a halfling. Then he could either hate her because she tired to play a mind game or hate her because she was a freak of nature.
Two: she could continue this game and then break it to him at the end. Which, he would probably hate her even more afterwards.
Or three: she could say her parents weren't in town and risk severe questioning and improving the answers from him.
She really didn't want to go down road number two. Number three seemed hard. Yet number one seemed pretty harsh. And she'd rather not have him hate her quite yet. But she was soon pulled from her thoughts as he offered that she could hang out with him. She had been mindlessly and mechanically following him, amazingly without falling. One thought came to mind as he made the offer. And she couldn't stop herself from blurting it out. "Are you a creeper, mister?" she asked in what sounded to be complete innocence. As if, no matter how she looked it, she couldn't find a single thing in that question that could possibly mean any offense to anyone. And, to her, that question was completely innocent. She meant absolutely no offense. And it showed on her curious expression, her wide eyes gazing up at the tall man. The only reason she thought of such a question was that he was a man and, even though she was fifteen she only looked about eight or nine. A late bloomer.
Her curious expression didn't last too long, though. Out of the blue, a pain shot up her arm from her hand and she jerked back, squeaking like a newborn pup. Her hand flew to her mouth as she kissed her hurt hand, pink eyes starting to water from the sudden shock and surprise. The fur on her tail and ears stood on edge, bristled from the sudden electricity.
She hadn't expected him to shock her like that. She was just about to ask him why he had done that but his expression was almost as surprised as her own was. And what was that in his eyes? Worry? Guilt? Did he feel guilty for, what she could only guess to be accidentally, shocking her?
She forced a soft giggle to bubble up though she was on edge. This certainly didn't help with her slight irrational fear of people. She didn't think she had to be afraid of him. "I-It's okay! I'm fine. It just surprised me is all..." she said, attempting to sound reassuring though she really didn't know how it sounded. "See?" she added as she raised her hand up for him to inspect to prove that she was fine. ------------------------------------------------------------- Forgotten the taste and smell
Of a world that she's left behind [/size][/font][/i][/center] roll the credits! [/size][/font][/color][/i] Tags: Lionel
Lyrics: Brick by Boring Brick by Paramore [/size] |
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Post by Lionel Waterman on Jun 4, 2010 14:46:17 GMT -5
USE YOUR HEAD. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
[/size][/font][/center] "A creeper?" He supposed he should've seen this question coming. It wasn't an entirely unwarranted question, either. The ingenuous curiosity on her face, mixed with the bluntness of the question, was certainly something strange to behold. "No," he answered, "but even if I say so, you shouldn't take my word for it. I'm still a stranger to you." But he still needed to get her home, and so he took her hand, and then... "I'm fine," she said, almost whimpered. She leaked nervous laughter that made Lionel's throat tighten. He leaned over and observed her extended hand; his shoulders unwound slowly when he saw that no visible damage had been done, aside from a shade of pink. He saw the tears swelling in her wide eyes and knelt down to meet her gaze. "I'm sorry for hurting you. You don't have to trust me. Maybe you shouldn't." He paused in thought and nodded slowly to himself, deciding on an action. "Actually, we shouldn't hang out together in this kind of weather. Let's just get you home and out of this wind. The last thing you need is to wake up and find out that you've caught a cold." He stood again and straightened his collar; he shoved his hands in his pockets. Inside of his closed lips, his jaw clenched, but he strained for a smile. "Anyway, we need to get moving before they put all the lights out." He didn't extend another hand; instead, he walked slowly towards the steps, towards town. Inside of his pocket, his fist curled into a ball, muscles tensing. [/blockquote] |
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