Tessera 8th, 81381. Jude had been flying as a massive gyrfalcon for the past few hours. Near the Black Market was a giant tumble of rocks that screened a small area. Behind the rocks, amid shoulder-high weeds, she landed. A harsh scream ripped from her vicious beak, but it turned to a moan at the first ripple in her bones. She tensed her muscles to will on the change, and beat the air fervently as arms sprouted from her wings. The flesh under her feathers bubbled and her legs buckled to a new shape. She doubled over as the muscles her abdomen went into a brief spasm, then grimaced as her face changed into a muzzle and her ears, hair and fur sprouted. She felt the momentary pain of her spine lengthening, and then came sweet release. Readjusting her clothes, Jude walked into the Black Market, her blue eyes scanning her eyes for the booth she needed to head towards. Once her eyes locked on the correct spot, she walked fowards to it, her arms crossed at the elbow on the edge of the booth. "Six sheets," she said, referring to her one and only addiction - acid.
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td>*pokes at* Timestamp :p</td></tr></table> Leaning against a wall in the Black Market wasnÂ’t always the most entertaining thing in the world, or the safest, but over the past year Maeanu had started to call the place home. Even with the time she spent traveling between here and Watani life had started to fall into a stable pattern. Hearing the distinct cry of a bird of prey somewhere in the distance her large years perked up, the sound always re-minder her of the freedom of flight, it was a painful yet calming train of thought at the same time, bittersweet. Sighing she looked up from staring at her feet and contemplating whether she wanted to tie the shoelace on her right sneaker, but before she could make up her mind, something in the passing crowd caught her eye. That hair, she knew those colour combinations, but from where? The Gravedigger, one of her first few night there, and that hair belonged to the scientist she had tried to chat up. Fingers clenching in her jacket pocket she realized that they closed around the small piece of paper that still had her number on it from that night. All of a sudden she felt guilty, she hadnÂ’t called, she hadnÂ’t had the courage, but of course, she convince herself that it was because she hadnÂ’t had the time. Before giving it another thought she started to trail her, Jude was her name, she remembered now. She didnÂ’t have to follow for long; Jude had stopped at a stalls, one of the many attractions of The Market. She didnÂ’t check to see what they were selling, she didnÂ’t have too. Taking a few steps forward she was going to tap the other thill on the shoulder, but she couldnÂ’t do it, what should she say? Her second thought was to back out and hind in the nearest possible spot, but she didnÂ’t do that either. It seemed that as soon as she was no longer behind a bar, her casual nature didnÂ’t come so naturally.
ooc. I am so dumb. ;_______; This post is all over the place. Sorry. ic. The Black Market was dark, not including natural light courtesy of the night sky, and mischievous moonlight had begun playing tricks on Jude’s eyes. No amount of squinting could dispel the light-footed bearers of a thousand soulless faces she saw lined up like crosses in a field of nameless dead, staring at the area around them. They were the exaggerations, the denials and reality – she knew that, but a one-man-army never stands a chance against his foggy entourage when its numbers are infinite, so why bother trying? She mirrored their dead, hollow gaze and said nothing – not until the dealer’s words finally permeated her ears. “Sometimes, I think about running away from the drugs." “Tsch," Jude spat, rather belated, and turned dark, mocking eyes on the dealer, named Zion. “Think that’ll help?" she snapped coldly, jabbing a thumb at the pane of glass that separated them, through which she could still see the foggy outlines of every single nightmare she’d ever endured, lined up in order of occurrence. Zion slid the sheets under the glass as Jude slid her money in “Give it a while and you’ll see what they look like. You’ll see what they." Jab. “Turn." Jab. “You." Jab. “Into." Her palm hit the shatterproof glass and the smile turned to something less alive than stone. “I don’t even know what the fuck I’m talking about anymore, Zi. ‘They’. The trademark word of the common psycho. An – “ She broke off, staring away as though Satan himself had emerged. Suddenly she was tense, turning around. "I see someone. Thanks." "What?" She shook her head and walked towards Maenu. "Hey, pretty," she said quietly, a half-grin licking up one side of her muzzle.
Mae couldn’t hear the exchange between the dealer and Jude, but by the way she prodded at the glass divider it seemed like something had irked her. Realizing that she had been spotted she stayed where she was, a little nervous by the fact that Jude had recognized her, it wasn’t often that she had second encounters with ‘dragons, it was actually something she tried to avoid. The ‘pretty’ comment suckered her in though; she never expected compliments when she was wondering around in an old green blazer with patches on the elbows. “Hey back at ch’a gorgeous." A smirk also spread across her face as she relaxed into her stance, arms crossed in front of her. “Not somewhere I would expect to find you, but surprises…well, they can be pleasant." She wasn’t a fan of the jumping out from behind a box kind of surprise, this qualified as something different. The street light over head flickered a few times before returning to a steady flow of light, to Mae it was almost an eerie flashback to the evening at the bar.“Do you have somewhere to be right now? Or do you have time to… hang out?" She wasn’t found of the term ‘hang out’, unless it involved literally hanging somewhere. But feeling rather shy again, her brain wasn’t working up to her normal standards.
<blockquote>"Mmm..." Jude purred, a lopsided smile stuccoed over her face. "Ah... I have things I need to buy. Sometimes I wish I didn't need them, but..." Her smile turned downwards into a frown, and her brow crinkled with disdain. "Anyways." Thumbing the edge of her hoodie, she flashed her usual million-watt grin at Mae, one forefinger gently tracing the other thill's jawline. "I'd be glad to hang out. Anwhere you have in mind?" Her head tilted back as she traced the contours of the stuttering lamp that stood above them. Three shrill bursts of sound exploded in her ears, fighting against the confines of her pants. A faint blue glow revealed its source, but before JudeÂ’s trembling fingers could grasp the phone in his pocket itÂ’d gone quiet again. "Ungh... my boss wants me. But y'know what? Screw him. I want to hang with you."</blockquote>
Seeing Jude’s smile fade secretly gave Mae hope, she hated to see people fall into the downward spiral of drugs, she had barely escaped the corruption of the dark stuff when first arriving in the Market. The fact that she showed regret lead to a chance of recovery. When that would have a chance of happening was anyone’s guess, but the chance was all she needed to see. The bright smile that followed whipped away her thoughts, and she felt her check warm with blush as Jude’s finger ran across her face. Did she have anywhere in mind, certainly not her place, she didn’t even life spending much time there, it wasn’t at all ready for guest. Her eyes darted to Jude’s pocket, following the sound of her cell phone. “Scientist don’t work on call then? What if you’re missing a giant break through? You won’t be able to follow in the water cooler conversation tomorrow." She said this jokingly, she was happy that she had decided to ignore the call. She tried to think of some place interesting where they could go, there were a few places that came to mind, but none of them really sounded exciting enough to her.“Hmm, well if you don’t mind a bit of a climb, I know a roof top with some fairly simple access that provides a rare few of the city." She had taken to exploring some of the less used areas of Bhim in hopes of finding inspiration for paintings and had found a few so far that had tickled her fancy. She had never had the chance to share her discoveries with anyone else.
<blockquote>"AhÂ… I work there 90.7 percent of my time. They can live without me for once." A slow smile spread across her face like a new streak of oil paint on canvas. Jude had been living life like a ghost. She was all numb and dazed and caught in a big fucking poetic mess of one-night-stands, getting stoned, and working in the lab. She constantly craved the comfort of female attention, but the chances of getting a real girlfriend, one who loved her and really wanted to with her, seemed as likely as any of the myths sheÂ’d learned as a niotie. "Oh, thatÂ’d be awesome!" Jude exclaimed, her eyes brightening to a deeper shade of ocean-blue. "IÂ’ll follow you anywhereÂ…" she said, grinning. </blockquote>
“You work way too much then babe. Just saying they can live without you doesn’t mean that you can’t live without them. You need more in your life then a job." 'I’ll follow you anywhere…'That's what she said, did she mean that she trusted her, because half of the time Maeanu didn't even feel like she trusted herself. But she couldn't deny the light and bubbly feeling that had arising at the pit of her stomach. Glancing over her shouldered in habitual paranoia she decided it was safe to go, even if she never really knew what she was checking for. She then did something that surprised even herself. Taking her hands out of her pockets she reached over and grabbed hold of one of Jude’s, leading her off towards the destination. They passed through the crowds of the Black Market that gathered at that time of night, if anything this was the time the market started to come alive and the people became more lively, so they were lucky to move without any incidents. Pulling her into a less used ally off of the main road she stopped at an old fire escape ladder, leading up to a platform with a staircase leading further upwards towards the roof. She glanced up, judging the distance to the first rung of the ladder, knowing she could reach it with a little jump, being taller then Jude. So letting go of Jude’s hand she interlaced her own fingers in front of her creating a steady platform. “Step on my hands and I’ll boost you up, then just follow the stairs all the way, I’ll be right behind you." She looked at Jude and wondered if she was going to second guess her tactics on reaching the roof. “I won’t let you fall." She added softly, hoping it would reassure her in some way.
<blockquote>"Ah... but I love my job. But... I'll take your advice, Mae." Once the area was provably clear of crowds, JudeÂ’s expression shifted to one that even her usual dark make-up couldnÂ’t possibly enhance. She wasn't afraid of heights, but climbing up such a steep clime was hard for her to do. A whimpering noise eased out of her muzzle and she balled up a fist of her shirt material, periodically tightening her grip on it. "If you say so..." she said. "Then I trust you." Jude lifted one booted foot to push of of Maenu's hands, and then pushed off with the other, her foot catching on the bottom rung of the ladder before her white-painted hands firmly clasped around the ladder's sides. She began to climb up, and finally arrived on the top of the roof, awaiting her friend.</blockquote>
It pulled at her heartstrings to hear Jude whimper at the climb, but it also filled her with a sort of pride to have her trust her. With a grunt Mae pulled her own way up onto the ladder and followed behind Jude, thinking about what she had said on the way up. She loved her job, it was strange for Mae to hear. She was so used to giving an open ear at the bar to listen to the drunks ramble about how much they hated their jobs, but Jude here, the workaholic, loved it. Pulling herself up the last part she placed her feet on the gravel roof top and looked around, it was nearly exactly the same as how she had first seen it, but the view of the city certainly had changed. At night it gave off a glow from the electrical lights in the streets, but not as much as the larger more technological cities, it was more peaceful in a strange way. Looking up she could see two of the planets three moons, Cussla and Lelres. Rather silently she walked over to the nearest edge of the building and stood there looking over the heads of the ‘dragons rushing around on the streets below. It made her feel powerful to watch them, oblivious to her presence above them. And with someone who said she trusted her…did she deserve to be trusted? “Are you happy Jude?" She hadn’t really meant to say it out loud, but it was what she was thinking about. Just the idea of having a job you loved and spending all your time on it, there must be some kind of emotional reward for that kind of dedication. “I’m sorry, it was rude of me to ask…" She turned her head to look at Jude’s face hoping that she hadn’t offended her too much.
<blockquote>Jude looked out on the scratchy skyline painted like a stattaco melody on the horizon. 'Am I happy' followed by a '?', emerged in her mind like the answers in one of those black, water-filled billiard balls. Jude hated asking those things anything, because she seemed to attract negative answers for everything until, out of sheer desperation, she asked it a question that begged the answer 'no', bold and capitalized. "Yeah, I am... 'specially now that I'm up here with you." A half-smile curled up one side of her oblong muzzle. "Thanks for taking me here, Mae. It's beautiful." Slowly, she reached out to touch the other girl's face. </blockquote>
Mae turned around completely to face Jude has her hand reached out. She wasn’t sure when they had become so close together, but somehow they had. Maybe it was because she had sweet talked her, maybe she was feeling particularly daring, maybe she even thought that Jude was mess playing with her head and leading her on. But there was also the chance that she actually liked her, and she liked to believe that that was the reason why she did what she did next. Reaching up with one hand and placing it right below her jaw and drew her face in closer. Without a moment of hesitation she kissed her, not passionately nor roughly, just gently lingering on her lips. “You’re welcome." She said with a smile and a soft laugh at her own giddiness that was rising in her stomach.
<blockquote>Everything about it made her weak, and the words with such heartfelt meaning made her weaker. It was a good job she was pressed against a concrete wall as her knees knocked together, buckling and trembling as she tried to force some semblance of composure, of distance into her eyes. And then Mae kissed her. Their eyes met again and the electricity almost shocked her, sending a thousand fierce volts through her body as their lips collided, and her whole system failed to compute. "Thank you," she said softly.</blockquote>
She lowered her had from Jude’s neck down to her hip, but it didn’t make much of a difference since her arms and legs had gone numb, making things feel different than what they really where. Looking into Jude’s vibrant eyes made all the colour around them pale in comparison, she couldn’t bring herself to look away. “Well you didn’t need to thank me twice." She finally said quietly with a smirk. Truthfully a part of her was happy she had said it again, it meant she hadn’t offended her by kissing her, hadn’t crossed that invisible line. Suddenly feeling a little embarrassed by the whole thing she slow took a step back, suddenly feeling like the temperature had dropped a few degrees. She had never found herself in this situation before, she had forgotten to think, she had been running on instinct. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, mimicking a fish out of water, trying to say something. “I’m sorry I never called." She said, finally finding control of her tongue once again. She wasn’t sure why she decided to make this confession now, but it had been something she had wanted to say all night but it had slipped her mind up to that point, as she had grasp for something to say.
<blockquote>A dimple blossomed in her right cheek; Jude could already feel herself softening. This was exactly why she'd hesitated at first to be with another girl like Maenu - when she was with her, she felt herself evaporating. When Mae's hand moved to her hip, she imagined herself vanishing in a puff of steam. She kissed the hollow of her throat. She tasted like apologies. "It's just that... no one's touched me like that in a long time. I forgot what it felt like." An awkward grin curled up one side of her muzzle. I'm lucky, she told herself, the world streaming like a silver ribbon through her mind. At that moment, she could not remember anything but what it felt like to be adored. Lucky, lucky, lucky. "Don't say that," she said quietly, her gaze slipping to her feet. "There's no need for an apology, Mae."</blockquote>
She shook her head lightly, causing her blue hair to fall over part of her face. “There are so many times that I never had the chance to apologize for things I regretted. And if I didn’t apologize to you I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this." She pulled Jude close, putting and hand under her chin to raise her face and kissed her again. She didn’t want to feel weighed down by guilt and regret, if anything being on the roof with Jude made her feel light and weightless now. Breaking the brief kiss Mae looked down into Jude’s face. “Are you saying I need to make up for lost time?" Mae asked teasingly. She held Jude by the elbows down, one hand running up and down between her shoulder and the joint in her arm. “Do you want to go grab a coffee or something?" Her voice was a nearly whisper now, no need to talk any louder with their faces being so close together. It was pretty late already, but it was easy to find open building in Bhim at pretty much any time of day.
<blockquote>A contented smile shone weakly through Jude's faded make-up – once neat eye-shadow smudged to give her that distinct rock-chick wannabe look. A grin hooked on the corners of her lips and pulled before she shook her head. "No. Not at all." She kissed her again with a smile so warm it could've caused global warming all on its own. "Coffee sounds awesome," she said quietly. Jude licked her lips like a cat fed on expensive cream, her white-tipped fingers intertwining with Mae's. She playfully licked Maenu's cheek before she moved close so their sides were flush. She got around, slept on the bad side of town.</blockquote>
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td>Hope you don’t mind the fast forward.</td></tr></table> In a story book, it would say that Jude’s smile warmed the cockles of Mae’s heart, but Mae found the term ‘cockles’ to be disturbing, and terrible to describe what she was feeling in her heart. Going to get coffee would mean clamoring back down off the roof, and Mae was reluctant to move away from Jude so soon. So she lead the way back down the ladder then re-entwined their fingers once they were both once again on solid ground. She led them along the shortest paths she knew of to get to their destination, she had a coffee shop in mind that was usual pretty quiet at this time of day. She pushed the old wooden door open with her free hand letting a screech reverberate through the small coffee shop. The door had done that since she had starting coming there, she had pointed it out too the owner a few times. Since he had done nothing to fix it she was starting to think that he just liked how it notified him when someone came through his door. She motioned for Jude to take a seat somewhere while she went up to the counter and ordered two coffees for them. “Would ya like a little something something added Mae?" “No thank you Frankie, not tonight." Even with her refusal, and the fact that they were on pretty good terms, she watched his hands as he poured the drinks, she knew how simple it was to add something without a customer noticing. “Suit yerself." He said, handing her the mugs. She paid then took both drinks and returned to Jude.
<blockquote> ooc. Not at all. And I'm so sorry this took so long. ic. She wasn't a saint, no matter how ofter her mother had once dreamed of her that way. She was Tanastlasei at her ablutions, all the more beautiful in her allure because of her ignorance. She was sleek as a cyojyt oiled before the games of wrestling in the old empires, in which sculptures hd memorialized to emblemize draconic potential. The air had an unnatural, ethereal quality as she followed Mae to the coffee shop, unknowingly swamped by love. She gingerly sipped at her mug before shyly smiling across the table at Mae. "Shumc iyo," she said softly.</blockquote>
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class='ooc'><tr><td>Ugh, I didn’t see your reply until today, my bad D:</td></tr></table> Sliding into the chair opposite of her, Mae cupped the mug between her hands and blew on it lightly to cool it off, causing the rising steam to spread across her hands. “ Pym's namseym es." She replied, hoping that her Ramathian hadn’t gotten too rusty in the last few years of not speaking it at all. She finally lifted the cup to her lips and took a slow sip, letting the strong bitter taste wake her up completely. “I’m assuming that you don’t live around here, just, um, passing though." Oh simple conversation, why did she find it so much easier to talk in the dark, where small hints of character were left unseen.
