11-16-2017, 09:44 PM
Quote:If you're from Ashen DD you can drop in whenever, if you want - even you Kuzuru. Anyone else, just shoot me (or whoever) a heads up before jumping in. Eb didn't really get to interact with the blades much, so Clappy and Miranda, if you're game to meet up IC, shoot me a PM or something. As a side not, me and Summer are thinking of doing "The Ashen Walk", so we might jump to a new thread after a few rounds. Dunno if Morene is coming with if we do go, but she's welcome to.
Orange-red sunlight glared through the crack in the curtains, lapping at the peak of the tower. Much of the land below was left in shadow by the craggy rocks, illuminated by streams of lava, yet still left shady by the thick layers of ash. Dust was scattered through the air of the room, guiding the rays down towards the head of the bed.
Prior, the room had remained stagnant, from dusk till dawn. Faint breaths from Summer caused his chest to rise and fall as he slept, and a certain black haired mage had fallen forwards from her chair, head and hands pressed against his ribs. She snored gently, subconsciously nuzzling her face deeper with every small shiver.
As they'd slept, the faint glow dark purple rippled from the wounds on Ebony's chest as the Omnilium sewed them shut, eventually stopping not long before the sunrise. Summer's injuries stitched themselves up more naturally, although one hand still remained as a stump. There had been few noises throughout the castle, and they'd both slept well despite their respective positions.
Yet, now, with the sun's distorted rays focused towards Summer's face, it was only a matter of time before the light poked through his eyelids. First, it was a sniff - his nose scrunched, mouth still agape. Then his eyelashes fluttered, blinking the dust away. A few seconds later, his head jerked up causing his chest to rise slightly. Ebony's head was brought up with it and, if not for her grip, would have been pushed off. She mumbled, fists reactively clenching tighter onto his shirt and keeping herself steady as he fell back once again.
He shuffled slightly, experimentally trying to wake the mage, but all attempts yielded nought beside more weak groans and protests.
"Enjoying your nap?" Raising an eyebrow, he spoke. It wasn't loud, but over the comparative silence, it seemed otherwise.
Reaching out with his good hand, he ruffled her hair. Unlike usual, there was so little consistency that the action actually added more order to the style.
She mumbled, turning to face the oppressor while pressing her ear downwards.
Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.
The steady beating of his heart filled her eardrums. Reluctantly, she opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. "Huuuh..."
Her view was still blocked by her splayed arms, but she felt his hand continuing to move, steadily playing with her hair.
She reached up, grabbing his wrist quizzically and moving his arm away. Slowly, she pushed herself upright, still gripping his arm and not really comprehending the situation. Ebony was not a morning person, but neither was she a night owl.
"W-w-whaa..." Her voice trailed off; her eyes finally met Summer's. Subconsciously, her other hand played with his fingers, linking hers through the gaps between them. Given that it was two hands against one, he made no physical effort to reclaim it.
Swiftly, her neck jerked down, flicking her hair in front of her face and hiding the growing tinge of red. "Y-you looked hurt. I w-wanted to check that you were okay." And because she found his silly hair and stupid face amusing, but that was beside the point.
Summer sat up, and she pulled the stolen arm closer. "It takes a lot more than that to kill me! But... thanks for your concern."
"Y-you're my f-friend. It's what friends do!" Shaking hair to the side of her face, Ebony looked up, a faint blush visible on her pale cheeks. She looked bare without her cloak; and to some, the plain black top might have looked more like pyjamas than proper clothing.
"Right... friends." He muttered, experimentally clenching his hand. Smooth fingers gripped back, while others drifted around his wrist. "Can I have that back please, I've only got one." He raised his stump for emphasis, forcing a smile.
"O-oh. S-sorry. I didn't m-mean to-" Despite the stuttering, Ebony made no attempt to release the limb, being more focused on trying to apologise.
"Nevermind." He pointed the stump towards Ebony's head, but it fell short by a small distance. Yet, almost instantly, a new hand grew out of the damaged arm, landing right on top of her head.
"H-how?"
Summer didn't try to answer, instead offering the biggest, smuggest, grin Ebony had ever seen.
Suddenly, out from nowhere, one of the pillows found itself covering the man's smile. "I was w-worried about you." Sticking out her lower lip, Ebony pouted.
He pulled the pillow off, dropping it to the side of the bed, only to find it instantly replaced with another. He laughed, plying that one off as well, but it was shortly substituted for two more. "...where are you finding all of these?"
Ebony tugged his arm, dragging him out of the pile while he shifted his legs off the bed. Summer rose to his feet, awkwardly shuffling between the two. "I'm g-glad you're okay though," she mumbled, hugging his arm to pull herself upright.
"I'm happy you're okay too."
She yawned, releasing him and walking independently towards the door, magic already starting to open it. She'd already started to work on her hair telekinetically as well, smoothing out the knots and letting it curl down her back.
"I was thinking about getting you- about meeting Omni. We could check the library, there might be some information there." Ebony wasn't the best at playing this game yet, but she thought that comment came from Sonny. After pondering that for a moment, she perked up.
"Really? Where is it?"
"I dunno. This place can't be that big, we'll find it eventually."
"L-let's get started then!" Her voice jumped, cracking with excitement. Although the cold rocky flooring of the hallway quickly evoked a chill in her feet - the thin fabric of her socks did little to buffer it. She shuddered, hopping back, landing on the tips of her toes, and falling into Summer; he caught her effortlessly. "It's c-cold." Summer was cold as well, but not like the ground. The hallway might as well have been made of ice.
He chuckled. "Go get your clothes, kiddo. Then we'll be off to the library."
"I'm not a kid. I'm-"
"Almost nineteen. I know. How close are you, anyway? Not that it really matters much here."
Ebony paused. Back home, they'd always considered her birthday to be just after midnight, and it was dawn here, but more than six hours had definitely passed. Maybe one and a bit days. "T-ten days. What about you?"
"Iunno."
Ebony spun around, placing both palms on his chest. "How could you not know! You get presents and eat cake!"
"I guess I never really bothered with it, so I kinda forgot."
"Oh." She was about to open her mouth to reply further when an idea came to mind. Gradually, the corners of her mouth perked up - she hid the expression behind her hair.
"So... are we going to go now?" Summer idly prodded, trying to guide Ebony out of the door.
"But it's c-cold." She made a display of mock shivering. "C-c-carry me." The room was enclosed and had a wooden floor, so it was relatively warm. The hallway, however, had a stone floor and was left open to breezes. The ground of the Steppes might have been hot, but that heat didn't travel to the higher levels of the castle, especially at night.
"I... sure." The storm incarnate shook his head before presenting his back, miffed. "Hop on."
Tentatively, Ebony climbed up onto his cool back - yet a few moments after he walked into the hall, it's temperature dropped drastically. She shuddered, trying to move away and touch him as little as she could while still avoiding the floor, but with his arms holding her legs she made. "T-t-t-t... T-that's m-mean."
Luckily, Summer's body shortly returned to normal - well, normal for him. Carefully, he let Ebony down in her room, choosing to wait outside. He wasn't left alone for long - after a short collection of jangling sounds, clicking, and a quiet thump, she emerged, donned in her full attire. The grime from before was gone, yet some tears remained.
"Well then, let's get a move on. I trust I won't have to carry you again?"
Ebony glared, lower lip sticking out slightly. With barely any thought, she wrapped her magic around Summer, picked him up, and dragged him along beside her as he idly floated in the air.