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 Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 2:28 pm
Warmth.
That was the first thing Kepi's foggy mind was aware of. Then of course, came the fact that the light that filtered from somewhere up above, to her right, was horribly annoying. A mumbled protest was offered to the world before the girl uncurled one arm from her pillow, feeling blindly about for the covers of the bed so she could bring them over her head; perhaps like that, she'd be able to escape the land of the wake and living for a while longer. Her hand finally curled around the fabric of the sheets, somewhere beside her, and she gave them a tug till they gave in. Then she moved them to cover her head slightly, blocking out the light that had been frustrating her.
This done, the koshka girl turned and grabbed a firm hold of her pillow once more, rubbing her head against it. It never occurred to her that the fact her pillow was breathing was... out of the ordinary. Hell, it didn't even seem to register that her caravan was faced in a way that light did not filter through the top right, and thus that something wasn't... quite right. A soft mewling from her side made one of her ears perk, the fog in her mind registering that she hadn't been aware of owning a cat, however, the thought was pushed aside in favour of the warmth that was creeping up her limbs once more, sleep seemingly ready to claim her once more from that place between awake and asleep that she seemed to be dwelling at the moment.
Letting out a small sigh of a breath, the girl curled up around her pillow and simply prepared sleep to take her; she was sure Anja wouldn't come in to drag her out till a couple of hours anyhow. They knew she liked to sleep in, and made up for her missing daylight hours during the night anyhow. The mewl resounded again, almost amused, but Kepi paid it no notice, instead choosing to move her tail to curl around her pillow too, the bells chiming in the silence of the caravan.
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 3:36 pm
Light.
That was the first thing that rolled through his mind as he felt the covers snatched off of his body and away from where he had already pulled them up over his head, as per his usual morning ritual. He had grown quit used to the light flooding into his caravan in such a way that it usually hit his face and he no longer woke up to pull the covers up, he simply did it as a habit while still in the depths of slumber. One could imagine the surprise when his eyes blinked open to the early morning light, a groan spilling past his lips as he fumbled over his body grab covers that were no longer there. He brought up an arm with a soft mutter, covering his eyes with shadow as he opened them, attempting to look around and figure out why the cover that had been doing so well to keep him warm and block out the light were no longer doing either.
It was when he felt those arms curling around him and the furred face of his little friend rubbing against his bare chest that he remembered, in a rush of thoughts, exactly who had fallen asleep with him the night before. He frowned down at her with narrowed eyes as he realized all of a sudden that she was a cover hog, and he reached out to grab ahold of the blanket to at least pull them back over his body a little, even if he couldn't bring himself to drag them off of her and subject her to the light again. He muttered to himself irritably and flopped his head back down with his arm still covering his face. He couldn't exactly be described as a good morning person, and for what it was worth, he was handling the fact that she was stealing his covers fairly well. The only thing he could do was curl his free arm, the one on the side she was curled against, around her and hold her against him. It wasn't a bad feeling, persay, as her body was certainly making up for the lack of warmth he was getting from the covers, but he was still.. grumpy.
At the sound of the mewl, he glanced towards the cat that was sitting on the other side of the girl curled up against him. "Be quiet, Owen," he muttered, narrowing his eyes on the cat that he was almost sure was.. amused. He knew cats couldn't really smirk, but he would have sworn up and down that the damn thing was doing nothing else. It was at that point that he felt her tail curling up around his leg and he jerked, eyes shifting away from the cat and his arm over his eyes dropping down to the bed. It had surprised him, and with a muttered sigh, he ran a hand over his face. "I said be quiet, Owen," he said again, at the second mewl, shifting his arm around Kepi. He hoped she woke up soon, because now he knew he wasn't getting back to sleep.
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:53 pm
Her pillow was moving.
The realisation came through the fog of her mind as mildly surprising, and the girl made a small noise in the back of her throat; somewhere between a moan and a whimper. She didn't want to deal with moving pillows this early in the morning. So thus, the solution that instantly present itself was to grip the pillow further in hopes it'd stop rebelling against her. Blinking her eyes open on briefly, she squirmed herself up slightly so that her leg could come over the pillow.
Content with the position, she slacked her hold just so and closed her eyes again, allowing her breathing to even out once more. It was only when she was on the verge of sleep that a voice cut through her mind. Meowing... she could perhaps understand, but a voice? It wasn't Anja; the voice was distinctly male. Making another small noise, the girl pushed herself into the realm of the wake; though her tail and arms remain around her so called 'pillow', her head lifted up from where she'd nestled it to take a look around. A frown flashed across her features briefly as she took in her surroundings, little by little, till her gaze, still drowsy from sleep, fell upon Owen, whom mewled at her again, and then upon Karan. Kepi looked vaguely disorientated for a few more seconds, however, the more time that passed, the more awake she was becoming, her eyes slowly regaining the feline gleam.
Noticing the position she was in didn't quite surprise her, however, she did pause slightly, "I..." reaching out, she pulled on the blanket so it'd cover him again, "I move a lot, sorry," after a moment's thought she smile, "Good morning though, did I wake you?" it was clear that despite not being someone that liked getting out of bed early, mornings didn't make her particularly grumpy. Disentangling herself slightly, so she was no longer partially over him, she allowed herself to flop on his side, still curled up against him though. Making a small motion she coaxed the cat towards her. The feline however, cocked it's head to one side and meowed loudly, as if to signal that no, it was rather content where it was, thank you very much, "You're a poppy head," she told the cat, whom simply blinked back at her, his head tilting to one side; it did look like it was mildly amused.
After a moment of staring at the creature, she finally turned to face Karan, "He looks amused; where's the joke? I don't get it," oh, she knew the animal was hardly sentient enough, but still, Owen's eyes were highly expressive.
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:04 pm
He frowned visibly as he felt her stirring against him, his eyes drifting down to her. He sighed, hoping against hope that she was staying asleep, because he would have felt terrible if she were waking up just because he was being grumpy and fussing at Owen - or if Owen's meowing itself had done it, for that would just make him even more irritated with the smug little furball. It wasn't long, however, before he realized that that was what that stirring did indeed entail, for she lifted her head up to look around rather confusedly. He supposed she didn't remember at first any better than he did that she had slept here, so he simply let her adjust to it at her own pace, keeping his arm in place around her until she shifted of her own accord.
He shook his head at her words, though used his free hand to tuck the blanket around him again more comfortably. "Don't worry about it," he said with a soft sigh. He hadn't even noticed that she was moving around at all until she'd taken the blanket, had probably been content with her being so close while he was in the depths of slumber. At her next question, he shrugged a little, the arm around her still holding her close as he found that he didn't want to be separated from her warmth anymore than she did him. He shamelessly loved the warmth of his bed, and she was a big part of that right now - he supposed he hadn't remembered the feeling. "Sort of, it was more the light than anything," which was the total truth. She had woken him up by dragging of the sheets, but it had actually been the light that came once they were gone that had truly done him in.
He couldn't help but laugh under his breath at her silly insult at the cat, glancing over at the furball where he sat. "He's.. just being a cat," he muttered, really not wanting to explain to her what he thought the stupid thing was so amused about. That meant actually admitting to her that it had been mostly her fault he had woken up and thus why he was in such a grumpy mood.
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:43 pm
Idly, she wondered what time it was; the light that filtered into the caravan was disorientating, for the girl was used to her own, almost pitch black one, "Mmmmm...." frowning slightly, she shifted, then leaned over his body, stretching out a hand to reach for a small hand watch that lay on the table on the other side of the bed. Finally grasping the chain, she pulled back to her original position, poking the gadget open to peek within; it read 9am. Making a face (for she was used to getting up well past noon), she closed the lid of the watch and paused to ponder, "Anja won't come to fetch me till noon at least," she seemed to be thinking out loud, more than anything, "...I refuse to be productive this early in the morning," and that was that.
Reaching out, she placed his watch back on the table to his side, this time taking the time to grab a book that was laying just within reach before flopping back down against him; shifting, she lay with her back to the mattress, allowing her head to rest on the crook of his neck and shoulder. "Well, I'm a cat too, sort of, and I don't get it," the book was lifted into the air then, her eyes trailing over the cover; she soon enough recognised it as the one she'd ruined and later replaced. Without a second's thought, or eve a question, the girl opened it, peering within the pages. After a couple of minutes and a few paragraphs read from the page she'd randomly opened the tome to, her golden eyes slid up to face him, almost in silent question. Her mouth opened, then closed as she seemed to think twice about what she was going to say, obviously deciding against it.
It was a romance novel.
For some odd reason, it surprised her. It shouldn't have, really, what with the fact he seemed to favour tragic love stories for his musical inspiration and yet... she couldn't help but feel... well, she wasn't quite sure what the word she was looking for was. After a moment, she closed the book, a finger stuck between the pages, as if to signal a place, "You know, you're like... this..." she seemed at a loss for words, her usual energy missing (perhaps it was only later on in the day when she was energetic?), her free hand making elaborated moves, a flourish, "Big ball of fluff," she decided, "Except you hide hide it with that... grumpy face; I knew better but still. You like romance novels?" there was no accusation in her tone. Not even a tease, but rather, merely curious as she shifted her position again, this time so that she was laying on her stomach, her arms over his chest, and her head over her arms in turn so she might regard him easily. The book discarded on the mattress to her, and still the cat remain to the side, looking faintly amused, like all cats usually do when they know some thing's going on. Tilting her head, she watched him on, obviously expecting an answer.
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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 10:22 pm
He frowned as she reached out across him to grab for the watch, pinned down beneath her weight as she did so. If she had simply asked, he would have handed his watch to her, or look at the time if that was what she was after. At the face she made, a gleam of amusement danced behind his dark eyes, a flicker of a smirk turning up one corner of his mouth before it faded. He knew it was early from the orientation of light inside the caravan (he had been here long enough to grow used to it) but he couldn't pin the exact time by any means. "Well, it'll probably be a little longer than that, because she still has to find you to boot," he said with a little shake of his head, though he realized that if she wasn't in her caravan, Anja would most likely look for her wherever he happened to be. All it took was locating him, and if he wasn't out and about, she'd probably come here. Still, it did give her a little extra time. Her last comment simply made him laugh, even without realizing it, it seemed, and his head flopped back down onto the pillow behind him as he closed his eyes.
He felt her shifting again, and with his eyes closed, he could only assume that it was to set his watch back on the table. As her head came to rest in the crook of his neck, he rolled his own in that direction, pressing his cheek against her hair with a contented sigh. He still wasn't sure why he was so apt to snuggle with her like this, or to be so happy about doing so, but at this point (so early in the morning) he was just.. doing it because he felt like it. "I don't think that's even remotely the same thing," he said with that same, small glimmer of smirking smile, his eyes creaking open to land on her - and widen as he noticed just what she was reading. He opened his mouth to say something, and then shut again as he felt his cheeks heating up from his own embarrassment. As soon as she looked up at him, with that silent question in her eyes, and that working of her mouth that obviously said she was thinking of saying something, he let out a groan. He really didn't want her to realize what it was, but her expression said it all.
He muttered something to himself and brought up a hand to rub over his face, eyes peeking out between his fingers as she started to speak to him. He looked.. horrified, as he had a right to be, by all means. He heard her words, thinking that the way she described him was a little odd, to say the least. He had never really thought of himself as a big ball of fluff (it wasn't something one really wanted to think about when trying to not be a Koshka), but he knew that he hid his emotions away behind a 'grumpy' face, for lack of better terms. It hadn't been so bad before everything happened, but he had never really been expressive, he was sure. As she shifted to prop her arms on him, he dropped his own, and glanced down at her with a slight frown on his lips. Embarrassed or not, she was expecting an answer. He brought up a hand to run through her hair, curling his finger in the long locks in a gesture that was probably used to calm his nerves.
"Yes, I like romance novels," he said slowly, his eyes now watching his hand as he played with her hair, not even really considering the motion. She was always invading his personal space and, really, it had become kind of natural. "They're personal and.. romantic. I'm not cold, I enjoy those things like everyone else, I've just got some problems with expressing it. It's easier to read about it than to do it, for me." He swallowed, frowned slightly at the thought of his only attempt at actually being close to someone like that, and let his head fall back comfortably onto the pillow beneath him, his eyes rolling up to the ceiling again.
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 11:33 am
Oh, but honestly; simply asking for the watch seemed to be too easy. The girl went through horrible means to accomplish almost anything without help, and only when she was stuck irremediably (like when she'd found herself utterly unable to come down from the damned tree) did she ask for help. The watch had been within reach, and seeing as how Kepi honestly seemed to not mind bursting others' personal bubbles, reaching over him and across (twice, to boot), hadn't seemed like a bad idea, whatsoever! At his words, her ears perked, "Hey, you're right!" that meant she actually did have a little longer than usual, seeing as how she wasn't in her caravan; it was like playing hide-and-seek! Except Anja had no idea where she was! Of course... then again, the woman was bound to come looking for her here shortly after visiting her caravan; it seemed to be a law of physics, if Kepi wasn't in her room, she was with Karan, and seeing as how the boy liked to hole himself away, the choices were limited to the places he lurked.
His laughter perked her attention though, a brow arching, her mouth curling into a smile that seemed to indicate she was amused as she tilted her head enough so that she could watch him out the corner of an eye, "That the first time I've seen you laugh at anything I've said or done," for a sheer moment, the girl looked almost as if she'd found some secret way into the cookie jar, however, she didn't pursue the issue. When his head came to rest on her own, her tail curled up in a contented fashion, a small almost purr like sound vibrating through her throat before her attention was once more refocused on the book.
His reaction was vaguely amusing, if anything because she'd never really seen him that embarrassed. Specially not over something so trivial as a book; it was just a love story, what was so... strange about it? Then again, she'd not opened the book onto the ahh... later chapters, and thus had no clue what else rested within the pages of the innocent looking book (needless to say though, that with her natural bursts of curiosity, she was bound to figure it out sooner or later - probably sooner than later). Having shifted her position to prop herself over him, she tilted her head, her ears twitching slightly under the mass of hair. His hand coming to reach out towards her was vaguely surprising, as indicated by the way her brows shot up to hide into her bangs. The boy usually never initiated contact; it was swiftly welcomed though as she leaned her head against his wandering hand, her eyes lidding visibly. The same purr like sound vibrated through her as he answered her, her tail swishing about contently before simply coming to curl around his leg again.
"MMmmmm..." it was clear it was vaguely hard for her to respond to him when he was doing that, her ears perking forward against his fingers, as if demanding attention, however, even despite this, she smiled as he flopped back onto the bed, "I recall calling you passionate, not cold, right?" pushing herself up a bit so she was nearer to his face, she reached out again, pressing a hand to his cheek, making a small face that betrayed the fact she was amused and she actually thought the whole thing was horribly cute, even if she was sparing him from voicing it, "I think its just fine that you're a romantic; I'm happily surprised," her hand then lifted off his skin to move into his hair, returning the favour he was offering her rather innocently.
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:18 pm
It was odd to him how such simple things seemed to please her. Like, for one, the fact that she would have a little extra time to evade Anja's grasp today simply because she had fallen asleep in a caravan other than her own. Or, for another, the fact that he had laughed. He knew he didn't laugh, or smile for that matter, very often but he could tell just by that small smile and the strange look on her face that she was really quite pleased with it even if she didn't pursue the issue. He didn't know what it was about her that made her so easily pleased, so happy over such simple matters, matters that he would have found trivial at best, but it did make him smile inwardly. Something about her was just light-hearted, being around her made everything seem happier, brighter, and he was sure no one could deny that - not even the cruelest, gruffest brute on the planet, at least not if they spent enough time around her. It was sort of like having sunshine in a box, only, she embodied it instead.
Her reaction to his stroking through her hair didn't surprise him in the least, however, not after how easy it had been to put her into a sleepy mood the night before by simply brushing it. He saw the swishing of her tail and the lidding eyes, but in his current state of mind he was truly in no mood to comment upon either. He shifted his leg a little as she wrapped her tail around it, but didn't pull away, as it had become a fairly.. common practice for her to do. "Yes, you called me passionate, not cold, but that's what most people think and I guess that's why it seems odd that.. I'd like something like romance novels, I don't know," he muttered out, furrowing his brows as he said it. He was startled, though, as he felt her hand coming up to his face the soft fingers brushing over his cheeks a little more than he had bargained for at that particular moment.
Talking about romance and then having her that close was unsettling, especially as she slipped her fingers up to run through his hair, a contact that he had to admit he was shamelessly fond of. His eyes lidded slightly, though not entirely, afraid to give in to whatever feeling was sweeping over him. Although, perhaps he should have, because with that feeling bubbling in the pit of his stomach, staring up at her like that was sending odd feelings through him. The light was shining down into the caravan, playing off of her hair and showering her in light in a manner that was.. oddly entrancing. He could smell the scent of her hair, her body, and her face was much closer to him than it had been originally. Words failed him, his brown eyes staring up at her from where he was laying back on the bed, though still drooping slightly from where she stroked. With his hand running through her own hair, he suddenly found he was resisting the urge to curl it into her locks and draw her down to his lips. He wanted to kiss her, and the notion was.. surprising. He was having trouble thinking of anything else, and trouble trying to figure out why he wanted to in the first place. The confusion on his face was obvious, his brows furrowing slightly and a frown creasing his lips. He was lost.
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 2:15 pm
It was easy to see that the larger pleasures of life were lost on her; wealth was not needed, nor were big houses, or power. They were useless as far as Kepi was concerned. It was no doubt, the smaller things that could be achieved by anyone and everyone that the girl truly treasured. Something as simple as a smile, of a few minutes spent in good company; it was all that what truly mattered, for what good was wealth if one was alone? What good was power if one was sad? They were useless, and even the poorest of person could be happy and satisfied if he or she had the right company; she'd not been born into a poor family, by any means, and yet had decided to join the troupe, seeking to see the world and practice the music she loved, rather than staying back home, holed away. If she'd been able to bottle away that laughter into a container, she would've; happy to open the lid to listen to it, whenever she felt the need to smile.
Simple notions, and yet, as far as Kepi was concerned, they were the thoughts that truly mattered; the ones she was sure people would enjoy if they'd paused long enough to notice them. Her eyes opened slightly as his words reached her, and she smiled, something about the curling of her lips almost teasing, cat-like indeed, "I'm not most people though," she offered back, arching a brow just slightly, even as her smile widened, as if to point out it was an obvious notion, "And you're not cold anyhow; someone cold wouldn't have spread their arms out upon a stranger's request," the mirth shone in her eyes as she retrieved her hand from his hair, her arms spreading, reminiscent of the way she'd done the day they'd met. Lowering her hands back down onto his chest, she blinked; he looked utterly confused, and she couldn't for the life of her figure out why.
Allowing her ears to flop back, even as he still worked away at her hair, the girl paused to ponder over what she'd said, in case she'd uttered something confusion, as if in hopes of clearing whatever doubts he had. However, going over what they'd been talking about, Kepi couldn't understand what he looked so lost over. She had no way of knowing what thoughts were going through his head however, for where as she HAD told him his eyes looked like a storm... they still looked just like that; like the tossing and turning of the waves that she'd seen from the docks many a times. It was hard to interpret much within them, other than the fact he looked surprised and confused. After a moment, her hand reached back out to his hair, a vague attempt to comfort him; whenever she was sad (she remembered a time she'd been horribly worked up over the death of a stray cat that she'd seen mauled by dogs), Anja would take her and sooth her back into calm by stroking her hair and ears.
Still though, she tried to read his eyes, leaning in briefly to press her forehead against his, checking his temperature before pulling it away, "You look troubled, but I don't think you have a fever," she was no doubt, referring to the fact he'd stayed within a damp shirt far longer than she had the previous night. Shifting her hand, she paused briefly before stroking his ears with a frown, then retreating her hand to trace the line of his brows, before lowering to trace his lips, "You're frowning," she stated, as if it weren't already obvious, her ears perked forward, no doubt still trying to figure him out, "Are you okay?"
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 5:06 pm
She certainly wasn't most people, he knew that, could attest to it easily. The things she wanted, the things that made her happy, were enough to set her apart from everyone else. The fact that she made him smile and made him want to see the kindness and beauty left in the world, even in the midst of this war and fighting was enough to tell him that she was unlike everyone else he had known. He wanted to trust her, wanted to find whatever it was she saw in people like him, wanted to see that and know it. Something about her was so carefree, unlike everything else, and even if he had mistaken it for annoying when he first met her, he knew now that it was what made her one of the few truly free souls left in the world.
He knew though that something about wanting all of that, wanting to be close to her and wanting to trust her was what was lulling him into the moment, that combined with the situation they were in. He couldn't do that to her, not without telling her what had happened, letting her know what she was getting herself into. He wasn't ready to do that yet, not even as much as he wanted to, because he wasn't sure she even wanted.. the same thing he did. Sure, she wanted to obviously be his friend, but he didn't want to push this onto her until he knew for sure that it was alright, that it was something that she reciprocated. She was making it hard, though, heaven knew she was making this hard for him.
He frowned even more visibly as she leaned down to press her forehead against his, filling his head with her scent to an even stronger degree, making him groan lightly under his breath. "I'm not sick," he muttered, though he knew that was probably the most logical conclusion for someone looking at him right now and trying to figure out just what was going on in his head. The fact that he had been in a cold, damp shirt for a long time was probably what aided that suspicion. He opened his mouth to say something to her, just as she reached up to stroke across his ears, and it shut immediately once more. His eyes closed, his lungs drawing a deep breath as he felt her fingers tracing down over his brows, and then across his lips. He knew it was perfectly innocent, but if she had been anyone else right now, he would have thought she was doing that to him on purpose.
"I'm.. fine," he finally managed, forcing his eyes open and reaching his hands up to take her by the wrists gently. Sitting up slowly (so as not to throw her over), he offered her a weak nod, swallowing and looking away from her. "I'm alright, okay? Why don't we.. go walk, or something?" Walking sounded good, it meant he didn't have to be this close to her, this.. tempted.
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 6:34 pm
She could see the struggle written across his features, and again she felt more than faintly confused, running the course of events through her mind. Still, nothing stood out with sufficient force to be warranting such a reaction in him (in her opinion, anyhow). Temptation was not an answer that so much as crossed her mind; not even once, and thus, when the boy sat up, grabbing her wrists, Kepi blinked, "O....kay?" her ears flopped back, but it was clear she didn't look convinced with his words; something was wrong, she just didn't know what, and if his reaction was any indication, he was far from 'fine'. Despite her obvious worry, she let it slips in favour of doing what he was proposing; she was perfectly awake now, and a walk sounded perfectly fine, as far as she was concerned. Pushing herself up and off him, even if her wrists still remain in his grasp, she uncurled her tail in order to wag it slightly, more reminiscent of a dog's than a cat's really, "Walk sounds good!" the chirp was back in her voice as fast as it'd left, her ears perking right on up.
After a moment, she pulled away from him and shifted her position so she might roll up the trousers she was wearing (they were, in fact, his, and something told her that trying to walk in them without rolling them up was going to land her face first on the floor within a few steps). That done, she followed suit with the sleeves, rolling them just slightly up, so that they no longer hung over her hands when she lowered the, "You should put on a shirt though before you go out, even if you say you're not sick," she'd turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, and concern flashed briefly over her features before she slid off the bed, passing by the side of the table, her hand reaching out to pat Owen over the head. Reaching the side of the room, she took her clothes and shook them out, making a small tsk like sound by clicking her tongue over her teeth; she'd put the clothes to dry as soon as they went out for that walk, she figured.
That in mind, she tossed over a shirt for him to catch before opening the door and stepping out, allowing herself to hang the clothes off to the side of his caravan, where the sun hit the most. Waiting for him to join her, she offered him a smile and started padding along, her hands coming to rest behind her as she chattered away over this or that rock or tree, this or that bird, and oh, that cloud, the one RIGHT there, it looked like a cat didn't it? He usually allowed her to chatter away as they walked, simply opting for listening, and thus, the girl kept herself strictly by his side, grabbing his arm, pulling on him mildly to show him this or that flower or this or that thing. It was routine, and it felt comfortable, if not calmingly familiar.
Kepi was unprepared to be interrupted by the slight cough that originated somewhere to their right. Turning her head, she was greeted by the sight of a tall, raven haired girl whom was looking at them curiously, almost as if torn between horrified and surprised, if not shocked. Her clothes seemed to signal the fact she came from a wealthy family, as did her pose and the way she seemed to hesitate before approaching them. Sensing something was off, Kepi released her grip upon the boy's arm, and she couldn't, for the life of her, shake off the notion that the girl approaching them vaguely reminded me of a snake. Beautiful, yet sharp and deadly.
"Karan?" the girl in question paused, green eyes seeking his, however, even though her gaze did slip towards the koshka girl once, she ignored her otherwise, "I..." a frown crossed her features then, "I came to apologize for what I did; my behavior was out of place and it's been eating at me since. Would you forgive me?" Kepi felt that a bomb had been dropped with those few words, and refrained herself from grabbing the boy's arm; something was keeping her from doing it, yet at the same time, she felt the need to do so tugging at her more than ever, even if she didn't quite understand what was going on.
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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 7:23 pm
He had to say that her compliance with his wishes was more than appreciated at this point. He had simply grabbed the shirt she tossed at him and walked after her through the door, eyes squinting against the even brighter light that met him from the outside. The fresh air was welcome, washing over his body as he pulled the shirt onto his torso and fell into step at her side after quickly tugging the door shut behind the both of them. He was pleased as she fell into her normal chatter, buttoning up the shirt and tucking it in quickly before he let his mind fall onto what she was actually saying. He followed the conversation contentedly, though as was often common with him, his input was minimal at best. He was more happy to just walk along beside her than anything else, listening to her chirp about this and that, because, well, she had a way of seeing things that just made him want to smile.
He paused as he heard that same cough, the hairs on the back of his neck standing up as a feeling of unease swept over him, even before he turned to look at the person that stood there. He didn't even have to take a good look before he realized who it was, and that feeling of unease swept up and over him, battling between pure anger and a feeling of utter horror. He swallowed, watching her, and he couldn't deny anymore than he could have a year ago that she was beautiful. Although a snake seemed fitting for her, especially now, when he met those bright eyes. A wicked, terrible snake who had bit him and spread her poison throughout his life. For a few moments, after she spoke, he could only stare at her in silence, no words coming to mind, lost to the emotions in his mind though they showed little past his eyes.
Then, as if caught in a sudden whirlwind, he seemed to.. snap. "Apologize? You want me to forgive you, Cerys, as simple as that?" He sounded hurt, which was surprising for someone that never tried to let his emotions get the better of him. "Look at me," he said, the tone calmed a little (he had likely realized that he was starting to sound upset), though he spread his arms out for emphasis with the motion, "look where I am, Cerys." He swallowed, gritting his teeth a little and shook his head, staring down at the ground. He didn't know why she was here, how she had found him, what in the hell had brought her out of the cushion of her Mensch-only city, but this wasn't what he had wanted from their morning stroll. Things were just starting to look up for him and here she was, dragging him through the mud again. He could feel Kepi's presence at his side, and in some way, he thought that was the only reason he even found the courage to look back up at those poisonous eyes. "I can never go home, Cerys, and you want me to forgive you for doing that to me on purpose?"
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 11:36 am
Still vaguely stuck in trying to shake off the fear that spread across the pit of her stomach, Kepi watched the scene. She was reminded, indeed, of the one time she'd seen a snake out in the open; the creature had reared up, threatening to bit her, and the small koshka girl could not recall a time she'd felt more scared in her life, than during those seconds before her brother had swooped down to save her. The fear she was experiencing now was somewhat akeen to the same one, and it was not helping her regard Cerys in any better light. Specially not when she felt the boy beside her stiffen and then audibly snap; Kepi had never seen him snap. He'd not even offered more than a scowl when she'd dropped on him from that tree, during their meeting, and yet now, she could see him shaking; it was a vague motions, a small movement, but since she was standing beside him, she could practically feel the way Karan was reigning himself in.
The raven haired girl seemed to hesitate again, a frown creasing her features, "Well, yes, I do want that," a bit of temper flared within her green eyes as she took a step forward, gesturing towards him, "I was mad, Karan, I can't be held entirely responsible for my actions. You know that; I didn't mean it. It slipped in a rage. Anger makes everyone act like idiots," placing her hands ajar on her hips, the girl seemed to have no problem whatsoever in showing off that she was getting frustrated, "I AM looking at you and..." her eyes slipped towards Kepi, the frown intensifying before they refocused on the boy; it was clear she was vaguely disgusted, at least, "Yet here I am. I came all the way here, sucked in my pride, and came to find you. Lord knows how many damned places I've seeked you out in; you hide like a damned cockroach, yet here I am, seeking you out, because I wanted to apologise," for a moment, it looked like she was refraining from stomping her foot in a childish rage, but managed to catch herself before doing so.
Kepi wasn't even sure what was going on; not entirely anyhow... however, thanks to the two and two she'd added up the previous night, she'd swiftly come to the conclusion that it was this girl's fault that he'd been forced to leave his home. Ultimately, it meant that the haunted look he reserved for whenever he thought Kepi wasn't looking, was also this girl's fault. The conversation was distressing her mildly though, so mostly instinctively, she finally lifted a hand, reaching out to clutch the fabric of the boy's shirt; though she offered no words of input to the conversation, her expression was haunted, sad, scared almost, for the first time since Karan had met her no doubt. He'd said only just yesterday that he wasn't leaving, right? Did this mean he was going to leave? It'd been that realisation that had caused Kepi to clutch onto the clothes, as if by doing so she could retain him there.
It was such a selfish notion, she realised, that she felt vaguely ashamed only moments later; she'd rather clutch him and keep him there, with her, where he wasn't entirely happy, rather than watch him leave with this girl back home, where she was sure he would be happy? Shamed forced her gaze down to the ground, her hand releasing him, and though the scared look had vanished from her features, she did still look distressed.
"Well?" Cerys had either ignored the koshka's small gesture, or hadn't even noticed it; it was hard to say. Her eyes were trained on Karan, her arms ajar against her hips still; it was clear she was not used to not having her way, and it was likely that had been the fact that had triggered the whole thing off to begin with.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 12:28 pm
He could see the anger in that simply seemed to radiate from Cerys, and for a moment, he couldn't believe her. She had no right in the world to be mad at him, no right in the world to be upset at him because he wasn't reacting to her with hugs and kisses. She had gotten him thrown out of his home, out of the only city he had ever known, kicked down quite a few pegs in social standing, and forced him to realize just what he actually was. Even if she wanted defend herself by saying she was angry, that he couldn't blame her, he was having a hard time seeing her as anything but a terrible, selfish brat at that moment in time. He angry, hurt, and lost and all she could think about was getting her way.
"You can't be held responsible for your actions?" he said slowly, softly, narrowing his eyes on her. "You might not have meant it, Cerys, it might have just slipped out, but you did it to hurt me and you got what you wanted. I'm stuck here, I can't go home, and you did that to me." He gritted his teeth, though, watching her as those words washed over him. She really had come to find him, for she wouldn't have left the shelter of their pure Mensch home for anything else in the world. Something in her must have cared about him, must have truly been sorry, because she had come all this way and actually, truly searched for him. He knew she wouldn't have done it for anyone else, and for a moment, a solitary moment, something in his eyes actually shifted and he seemed like he might actually forgive her. He ached for something from his home, wanted that life, and she had been such a big part of it. He knew her temper, her tendency to do things on a whim when she was enraged, and he could almost forgive that.
Almost, when he felt that clutch on his clothing.
Her disgusted look at Kepi had not gone unnoticed, and as soon as he felt that tugging he let his eyes fall to his feet, drawing in a deep breath. He didn't belong back home - if there was one thing that being here had taught him, it was that. He belonged here, even it it lacked the grandeur of home, this was where he was meant to be. He had promised Kepi he wouldn't leave, and he would keep that promise, mostly because he didn't want to leave her. Cerys was beautiful, dangerous, and such a large part of his life that it ached to think of the betrayal, where Kepi was innocent, but no less beautiful for it. He didn't want to admit that was what he had been coming to think, but being here with the both of them, he was forced to compare, forced to realize.
"What would you do with me, Cerys? If I forgave you, if I forgot what you had done, what would you?" he swallowed, forcing himself to look up at her dangerous eyes, narrowing his darker ones on them, though his face was strangely devoid of most emotion. "I am a Koshka," he said, the stoic face growing somewhat stony as he admitted aloud, for the first time since he had been forced from his home, what he truly was - what he had come to realize. "I am a Koshka, Cerys, and you are Mensch, and you wouldn't give up that life for anything. I know, because I wouldn't have either if I hadn't been forced to." He shook his head, stepping slowly to the side, reaching out to put an arm around Kepi, seeking her out himself as she let go. "I belong here, now, but I thank you for showing me what it's like to not have to look over my shoulder every day in fear." He wouldn't leave, not for Cerys, not for anyone. He knew where he belonged now, even if it hurt to turn away the one piece of home that had come to find him.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2008 1:26 pm
Cerys had seen the change that had come over his eyes; she'd recognised it from other times. After all, the girl hadn't practically grown up with him for nothing; it was obvious she knew his mannerisms even better than Kepi herself, for not only had she known how to go about asking for what she wanted, but she would've gotten it, too. Had it not been for that small gesture from the lithe koshka by his side, Cerys knew he'd have given in, like he'd down countless other times before. The frown on her face showed her displeasure when she saw the boy hesitate and then steady himself right into his previous position. Shooting a look full of hatred at Kepi, no doubt for interfering, the raven haired girl paused to recollect her thoughts, "I do not know," she told him bluntly, "However, what we'd have thought out would have no doubt... have been better than... than... this," she gestured at their surroundings before she motioned faintly at Kepi, "Anything is better than this, and I was willing to work it out."
Meanwhile, Kepi found herself more and more distressed as the situation advanced, to the point she found her ears flattening back against her skull till they vanished, hidden amongst her hair. The looks of sheer hatred she was receiving were making her fidgety; never before had a look someone else had offered bothered her so. She'd received disdain from Mench before, and even from halfbreed that were too in denial to know what was right from wrong... it'd never bothered her, and yet this girl's eyes on her were making her wish she could hide her ears from view, make her tail, her pelt vanish just so she'd stop looking at her like that. The way she was being glared at was no longer something trivial; it was personal, as if the girl personally hated her, over others. The smaller girl was just about ready to take a step back, as if forcing herself to retreat, to leave the two of them alone so that they might somehow work things out when she felt the small tug of Karan's arm.
Her position and the way she'd almost turned around (as if to leave), made her lose her balance slightly, enough that she was forced to grab hold of the boy as he tugged her towards him. Her arms went around his waist then, clinging herself to him to steady herself out, in time to hear his words. Those few words forced her ears to come out of hiding, perked fully atop her head, twitching at the single word she'd noticed he kept avoiding, ever since she'd found out his 'secret', per say. She felt herself curl her fingers into the fabric of his shirt again, no longer scared or even haunted by the conversation; it was a small gesture, done subconsciously, as if to tell him that yes, she wanted him to stay, please, please oh please. She could not bring herself to interrupt them, to voice out her need, so instead she clutched onto his shirt in an attempt to convey it in some way or form.
The frown on Cerys' features was even further pronounced as she watched the scene, however, it had soon enough become clear to her that she was fighting a lost battle. The fact he'd admitted to what he 'was', made her sneer, looking away with narrowed eyes, "You were above that," was her final set of words before she stepped away from them, her feet carrying her away from the pair, "Whatever," stepping out of the Troupe ground, she went to the carriage that was no doubt, waiting for her, telling the driver something before it drove off.
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