<h4>Out of Character</h4>Who: http://shadowlack.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=373Stormwing</a> and whomever else (all welcome, up to two or three people). What: Skating in the courtyard. Where: The Janardan courtyard and grounds. When: Just after daybreak, Tessera, Day 26, Year 81378 (4). Rated: PG, because Okkie's trying to be a relatively good girl these days. <h4>In Character</h4>The morning had dawned crisp and cool, and as Okkie sank onto a stone bench on the outskirts of the courtyard, she winced at the chill that shot from her rear end clear up her spine. She waited a moment, frozen like an ice statue, until the slab of rock beneath her became at least mildly warm. Then, she sat back a bit, and cocked her ears, looking around at the vacant area around her. It was just after the break of day, and the first panes of sunshine were sliding over the frosty, grassy academy grounds. The view from this particular bench was fairly vast, and the youthful Stormwing could see for many leagues, over the stretches of rolling terra firma. It was a grandiose view, marred only by the silvery vapor which floated up from her own maw, clouding just in front of her face. With a low chuckle, she tried to wave it away, and then she leaned forward again, to finger the lapel of a bag at her feet. It was her backpack, but today was a weekend day, so there were no books crowded within the folds of cloth and zippers. Instead, when she opened the sack, what was revealed was nothing short of a brand new pair of rollerblades. She gingerly tugged them free of the bag's confines, and set them tenderly on the cement next to it. What filled her eyes was a look of happiness and determination. The purchase of these skates was meaningful to her on many levels — not only were they gorgeous to behold, and the finest brand she could find, but just buying them was a major improvement in her fixer-upper life. It was her first big purchase since her dormitory room, and it conspicuously lacked the involvement of illegal substances or the black market. Hence, she was quite proud of these babies, and her tender, perhaps a little odd, sentiments were exemplified as she ran a thumb lovingly over the shiny black contours of the left. After her reverant moment, it did not take Okkie long to get into motion. Defying the stiffness the cold air wanted her to feel, she stretched her arms and legs, then plugged her feet into those rollerblades, strapping them tightly abover her ankles. When they felt secure, she then stood, albeit a bit wobbly. Of course, she'd skated before, but it had been a long time. Thus, it was with utmost care and caution that she leaned down, collected her pack, and then began to glide up the walk, away from the bench. Her movements were hesitant and mild — at first. When she'd been warming up for a good quarter hour, the banded female tapped into a well of fun and daring. Dashing her lingering bits of wariness, she sought out a well-known hill just a half-mile or so east of the courtyard. Once she had gained the crest, she looked down the sheer drop on the other side, very different from the gradual slope she'd used to get up. She knew students loved this place, and skaters from all the dormitories would walk up to a mile just to soar down its thrilling slope. Now, tugging her backpack close against her spine, and leaning forward, she braced herself for the ride of the lifetime. There was only a second's brief pause, and then she kicked forward, momentum picking up instantly as the descent came, as the ground fell away in an angle beneath her wheels. The feelings that now coursed through her were nothing short of bliss, as the cold morning wind whipped at her and shrieked past her ears. Okkie let out a resounding whoop and tucked even moreso into herself, her speeds reaching breakneck as she flew down the hill. It was indeed a joyride, and as the ground finally began to level, she stood up straight, and pumped her fists into the air. Not only for the ecstatic, intensity of speeding down a hill like that, but for the freshness that was coming into her life — this whole new, whole different, lifestyle of daring.
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class=ooc><tr><td> Hope you don't mind me popping in. :] </td></tr></table> Dys trudged across the lawn of the courtyard, the toes of her sneakers becoming damp from the dew that still clung to the blades of grass. The multi-colored femme was in a pleasant mood, despite being up so early. The time, and the fact that there were no classes, meant she could explore the academy further, without being pestered by staff or students. A couple days ago, just as she was filing out of her art class along with her classmates, she had overheard someone mention a certain hill, and, even though it was a fair distance from the school, anyone who stood at it’s peak could see nearly the entire school grounds. This fleeting comment inspired the chimera to make the early morning trek to said location. It was a more work than a simple sightseeing trip was worth, but she’d woken up early, and was bored. She knew no one else in the school, having only transferred a few days ago. What better way to occupy oneself than gallivanting across a chilly yard, obviously lost, and gnawing on a charred piece of toast? Dys crunched noisily on the overcooked bread grasped between her teeth and sighed loudly in annoyance. She hadn’t bothered to ask anyone for directions and now she was wandering aimlessly towards the spot she guessed it might be. Although for all she knew it could be in the opposite direction… Meh, it was part of the adventure. The morning was brisk, but not quite cold enough to deter the colorful girl, and had dressed for the weather. Dark jeans hung from her hips, and a faded yellow hooded sweater hid her upper body, the worn logo of her former school, Honnemdrejp, emblazoned on the back. As she shuffled along, a faint tinkling accompanied her movements. The multitude of studs, rings, chains and other ornaments adorning her ears created their own quiet music in the still air. A small shiver ran down her spine, and the soft fur covering her long tail fluffed up on end, not a reaction from the cold, but to the seeming desolation of the area. It seemed she was the only on up and about, but that wasn’t really surprising. Heck, it was a weekend, why would anyone in his or her right mind get up early? Unless, thought Dys, You aren’t in your ‘right mind’. Dys was semi-pleased when she came across a concrete path going in the same direction she was. At least her feet wouldn’t get soaked. She continued doggedly onwards, determined to find the elusive hill. She had been walking from nearly half an hour when she caught sight of a large hill. Unfortunately, it seemed she had ended up on the steep side of her target, and was now in for a work out. Or would be, if it hadn’t been for a blur rocketing down the path towards her. A cry, presumably from the approaching creature was all that gave Dys warning, making the rainbow banged female look up sharply and she quickly sidestepped out of the way, and watched the streak, now identifiable as a female pendragon on blades, barely slowing dowb as they reached flat ground. Dye couldn’t help but grin at the sight. The unknown 'dragon certainly appeared to be having fun. Someone’s enjoying themselves… She muttered, wondering if the female had even seen her.
Her pace gradually lessened, as the concrete beneath her 'blades evened out to a fair 180° or so. The chilled wind stopped shrilling in her ears, biting at her nose, and cracking against her clothes. Stormwing almost missed it as she eventually slowed down enough to curve her feet in such a way as to make her suddenly twist and skid in a backwards semicircle. This abrupt movement completely stalled her forward momentum, and she rolled to a stop at the foot of the large hill, now facing back up its sheer length. She expected to see an unblemished landscape, the dewy grass heaving upwards, a concrete gray snake folding down over it — the path she had just skated. She wanted to stare up at it in wonder, and drink in her accomplishment. However, even as her mismatched eyes flicked over the scenery, her gaze was stolen by a blur of vibrant colors. Just to the side of the winding trail, there was a pendragon ruining the clean, vast view. Well, perhaps not ruining it, but certainly distracting the panorama with her brightly hued bodice. "Hey there..." Okkie leaned forwards, putting weight so that velocity could be gained. She then lifted first her right foot, then her left, and began to glide towards the rainbow-tinctured stranger. She had a feeling, because of how the other female was standing, with a somewhat startled expression on her face, beside the pathway, that perhaps she had nearly run the poor thing over on her way down the slope. Though her ride had been incredible, she felt chagrined knowing that she might have nearly harmed a fellow student. Thus, as she skated up close to the colored femme, she held out her milky white palms in a gesture of shame and apology. "Did I nearly hit you? I'm sorry. I wasn't paying enough attention. Got too caught up in the moment." A bashful grid slid over her mocha maw, and Okkie's studded tongue slipped out to lick her lips nervously. If she truly had nearly collided with this other teenager, she wouldn't be surprised if the other had some certain swear words to cast her way. Thus, she braced for a verbal attack. Her hands she folded back towards her body, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Though she was wearing a long-sleeved baby blue shirt with a hoodie (it looked perfect with her baggy black "skater" cargo pants), a shiver went through her, and she suddenly seemed to feel very cold. And she wasn't sure it was the Tessera weather, exactly, either. Mostly, she was afraid that this stranger might attack. And though she could certainly defend herself (she didn't wear the "toujours prêt" arm band around her elbow at all times just to look tough), Stormwing feared what that could lead to. Certainly not to a newer, fresher life.
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class=ooc><tr><td> Eep, shortish, hopefully this counts as quality over quantity ^^; </td></tr></table> Dyslexia tensed when the caramel female slowed, and turned back. Could she have upset the other femme? There was a brief moment as the unfamiliar ‘dragon began to slowly glide back towards her, when Dys thought she might me in physical danger. It wasn’t until the approacher raised her hands in an apologetic gesture, that she breathed a tiny sigh of relief. She laughed nervously, a tiny grin tugging at the corners of her lips. Dys rubbed the back of her neck, delicate white claws picking at red fabric. “Heh, sorry about that, it was totally my fault. I should have been watching where I was going." She said quickly. Dys fell back into old habits, automatically trying to transfer the blame to herself. Violet and lavender ocular’s glinted playfully, and her grin slowly widened. “Looked like you were going for quite a ride there, I completely understand." She rolled her shoulders in a dismissive manner, as if shrugging off the whole matter. Dys stuck out the tip off her rainbow tongue, catching it between her teeth, a silly smile plastered on her tie-dyed features. The ground abruptly took on a new angle as she tilted her head to one side, inspecting the femme with the inquisitive gaze of a kitten. Although still rather bashful from the possible collision, her natural curiosity took over. “You come out here just to skate?" she chirped, her mind already shifting focus. Her tail slowly swept the ground behind her, the yellow and lime tuft of feathers at the end stirring in the breeze. The chimera had no idea who she was talking to, for all she knew she was about to get her butt kicked from here to kingdom-come, but then again, she really didn’t know anyone these days. There was only one, maybe two people she had actually talked to since she had arrived, and only then in an academic situation. Some how ‘Can I borrow a pencil sharpener?’ and ‘Which questions were we supposed to do?’ didn’t qualify as socializing.
It soon became apparent that Stormwing did not have to fear bodily harm of any sort from this dyed stranger. In fact, it seemed that the brightly colored female was not angry at all, but instead desiring to take the blame for the near-accident. The eyebrow over her Kanji-marked eye lifted for the briefest of moments, before Okkie shook away her skeptical expression. She replaced it with a genuine smile, and then chugged forward again on her rollerblades, being careful not to skid over the stranger's sneaker clad toes. "Hm. I don't think it was entirely anyone's fault. Not that there's actually anything to be at fault for? Seems we're both in one piece, so we should just get past this," the banded pendragon chuffled as she neared the other femme. She reached out a porcelain hand, offering it to the chimera with the intention to shake. "I'm Stormwing, by the way. It's actually my last name, but I've taken to it quite a bit recently. If you want, you can call me Stormie." Steadying herself on her new skates, she continued to hold out her right hand to the beautifully hued stranger. At the same time, her milk-tipped ears pricked as another query was put forth from the other's lips. "You come out here just to skate?" "Yes, yes, I do," she chortled in response, her tail flicking behind her. "Well, from now on, anyway..."
Dyslexia bobbed her head in response, extending her own pale blue hand to shake Stormwing’s firmly. “I’m Dyslexia," she said warmly, “But it’s just a nickname, my real one’s Telesh." She explained. “Nice to meet you Stormie." She grinned, pulling back her hand and tucking it into her hoodie pocket. It was surprisingly reassuring to know that she hadn’t been the only one wander the grounds so early. Made it feel less… improper, more normal. Her free hand brushed lightly across her brow, tucking loose strands back into the shadowy recesses of her hood. Although it seemed rather odd to travel so far just for skating, Dys still approved. They were kids, they didn’t need reasons to explain the drive to have fun. After all, she had walked all this way just to stand at the top of a stupid hill. Dys’ gaze swept down to the affairs strapped around Stormwing’s feet. The blades appeared barely used, obviously new from the lack of scuffs and scraps that skates usually acquired over time. “Nice skates." She complimented, “They new?" she asked, although it was mostly to make conversation. Dys ran her pointed tongue over her teeth, cleaning them of particles of toast that had decided to cling to the surface of her gums. Twin studs clicked dully against her molars, sending subtle jolts through her jaw.
<h4>Out of Character</h4>My apologies for the delay. Hectic week, you know. Hehe. Not my best post, either. <h4>In Character</h4> Okkie pumped the other's — Dyslexia's — hand up and down twice, keeping her grip firm but not overly so. She then released her hand, and let both white palms fall to her sides as she tottered a bit on her wheels. For a moment, she simply looked at this new acquaintance, scrutinizing her, albeit with a hospitable smile on her maw all the while. She was quite beautiful to behold, more colorful than any entity the young Stormwing had ever come in contact with. She had a vibrant personalityy to match her outer shell, too, and Okkie pricked her ears again as Dys asked another question, this time about the state of her skates. Her friendly but vague smile grew into a full-blown grin, and her eyes twinkled as she nodded her sharp cranium up and down. "Yep. Brand spankin' new. Nice little suckers, too, aren't they?" To demonstrate her words, Okkie kicked up one of her feet, allowing Dyslexia a good view of the rollerblade's pitch black glimmer, the wheels rotating idly in the air. She then put the 'blade back against the pavement, and leaned forwards, pumping her hamstrings in order to jet forth a few feet. She skidded past Dyslexia, grazing her arm as she whisked by. The cinnamon pendragon then stood upright, putting an almost abrupt stop to her momentum, as she cackled at her little endeavor. She waited for the brightly-hued femme to turn around, before winking and offering up a teasing joke. "Gotta be careful. 'Toujours prêt,' as they say." And she gestured idly to the band around her arm.
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class=ooc><tr><td>Would you two mind if I joined?</td></tr></table> Koyota sat huddled under the looming branches of a thick willow tree. The first rays of the morning sun wrapped themselves around the ancient tree seeming to reach for the small mass of pendragon still recovering from the nightÂ’s restless sleep. Finding its efforts vain, the light left her in the shadow and illuminated the dewy grass around her. Each blade seemed to hold a rainbow of its own in the small orbs of water, making a rather delightful effect that would reward any early risers this morning. But the effect was lost on Koyota, for she had her own beads of dew before her eyes, through which everything seemed bleak, lifeless, and meaningless. She had a few layers of clothing on to protect her from the slithering cold that seemed to find even the tiniest of spaces to creep through. She had a white tank top that she had worn to sleep last night below a dark plum and black knitted sweater. Her final layer was a heavy down turquoise jacket. She also wore a single pair of black sweat pants with two blue stripes down the sides. The ends where tucked into two brown heavy steal-toed boots fitted on her chilled feet. She could admit it was a bit much, especially since the coldest time of the year was yet to even begin. Despite the layers of clothing, she was still shivering, and she tucked her head further into her jacket and tightened her tailÂ’s grip on her pant leg. She let out a small sob, barely audible but echoing loudly in her ears flattened against her head. With a small sniff and sigh she lifted her paw and wiped away the tears that threatened to fall over the rim of her eyes. She let out another shaky sigh, releasing a bit of her tension. It did not seem to help for another knot rose in her throat and she let out a choked sob again. This time she took several deep breaths and sat there quietly, unmoving and staring strait ahead into nothing. She had woken up in the middle of the night; frightened by the nightmare she had been having since as long as she could remember. She had thrown on some layers and walked out of the dorm and down to the courtyard. It was just going to be a short walk but she had gone a little further than she had thought she would go. By then she was too tired to go on any further so she decided to rest there till morning. Now here she was with the morning coming up on her to urge her back to into her normal routine. With a great effort of her stiff limbs and the help of the sheltering tree behind her she stood up. She dusted herself off and was about to walk back to the school when she heard voices. It was a moment before her senses could tell her where they were coming from. She moved slightly around the tree and there a couple hundred feet away were two pendragons. From a quick glance she could tell they were a bit older than her, which immediately sparked a feeling of foreboding within her. She stayed behind her tree and listened to what snippets of conversation came her way. She was going to wait until they left. She did not want anyone, even if they had no clue who she was, to know she had slept outside. In her experience, such things led to many stares and questions aimed her way, which was very unwanted attention.
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class=ooc><tr><td> pardon for the short post, just don't want to hold up this thread :] </td></tr></table> "Aye, they're beautiful, must have cost an arm and a leg." Dys chirped, resting her weight on her right leg. Dyslexia watched the mocha femme with a combination of admiration and envy, whirling around as Stormwing brushed past. Toujours prêt?… It took a moment before her brain called up information that had been stored in her cranium for years, becoming ‘rusty’ with disuse. “'Always ready'?" she said aloud, grinning widely. A tiny laugh welled up from her throat, the amiable sound carrying far on the still air. Large ears hung low from the weigh of dozens of silver adornments, swivelling around as always, on the patrol for the slightest sound. For a second Dys though she might have heard a soft sound in the distance, but she paid no attention to it. It was probably a result of the noise being caused by Stormie’s blades as they navigated the pathway. Even if it was caused by someone, or something, else Dys didn’t really care as long as it wasn’t her brother out looking for her.
One frost-tipped ear flicked, and it wasn't due to Dys' newest query about the cost of the rollerblades. The smallest of resonances had been picked up by her acute sense of hearing, and she now tuned out the more local clamor of the other female's voice and focused on distant noises and disturbances. When she concentrated this intently on sounds, small things she usually tuned out came sharply into focus: the snapping of a cool breeze through a nearby copse of naked trees, a distant thud of what she could only assume was a machina of some sort, and even the ultralow whispering of voices, the echo of an echo of an echo from far off. These were normal noises, however, Okkie noted as she turned her head slightly to the right in order to aim her ear canal better. And the alarms in her mind had been set off by something that had seemed unusual, a whimper, or a cry of some sort, she was thinking. Now, completely engrossed by her searching for the origin of the sound, Stormwing leaned forwards, and began to glide along the pavement. She brushed by Dyslexia again, motioning to the other femme to stand still and wait. Onyx 'blades then carried the banded pendragon up the path quite a ways, closer and closer to the niche of leafless trees. As she neared the eerie looking glade, her ears leaned forwards a bit, tuning in once more to local sounds. There was definitely a vibration in the air, yet it was airy, and barely there. Breathing, Okkie noted, and she smiled at her discovery. She'd been born with these big ears, and this incredible ability to hear, but it'd taken training and honing to catalogue and identify the exact resonances and rhythms in particular noises. Brushing away thoughts of her skills, she easily skated up along the pathway until she was even with the small group of trees. She stared, now letting her sparkling eyes take over the hunt. Okkie soon saw a small swath of cloth, peeking from around one of the trunks. It seemed that whomever's breath she could hear was trying to hide. Perhaps he or she just wanted to be left alone. Stormwing hesitated, casting a wary glance back at Dyslexia, before tilting her head and scrutinizing the situation again. She was just about to depart, 'blading back to Dys' side to continue their disrupted conversation. But even as she lifted a foot to turn away, she heard the muted choking that was characteristic of a being stifling the urge to sob. And though she had never been particularly sensitive to others' feelings, a sentiment of concern welled up inside her breast, and she spoke aloud: "Hey... hey, I know you're back there, and I know you're upset. Can I help you? I promise I'm not here to upset you any further. I'm just curious, and hoping I can help, if you need some. And my... my friend here, she's nice and just wants to offer a hand, too," she tagged onto the end, once more glancing at Dyslexia, with a light shrug. Now they just had to wait, to see what would happen.
Koyota was as silent as she could gather herself up to be in her current situation. She pressed against the opposite side of the tree, waiting until the pendragonsÂ’ voices faded away. Her jacket ruffled slightly against its bark, an almost inaudible sound, though in KoyotaÂ’s mind a sheet of foil would have made less noise. As she stood there she noticed that the voices had not faded as she had hoped, they had completely stopped. She knew the two pendragons had not left. She would have certainly known for, one of the pendragons, as Koyota had recently noticed, wore rollerblades. The sound of the rollerblades on the pavement was still close, though their wearer had slowed down. Koyota listened a moment longer, her ears still flat against her head and her tail lying motionless at her side. Then she noticed the sound of the blades coming closer to her hiding spot. She looked up at the sky, for what reason she did not know, but it did not help. She was tense and ready to spring if need be. I can take them on, and if I canÂ’t, I CAN run. As these thoughts of possible counter actions passed her mind, she noticed the sound had stopped again. For a fleeting moment she was urged to look once again around the tree to see who was there, to see if they had found her. She shook this urge from her and was still. For a moment she thought the pendragons had decided to leave her be and she relaxed. Just as she did a voice cut the silence. Koyota jumped up, a horrified look on her face and her entire body shaking. JumpyÂ… She thought as she steadied herself. She perked an ear to listen to what the pendragon was saying. Help. She found herself repeating this word in her head. For a moment she was silent, denying whoever had spoken the satisfaction of having found Koyota. She shook her head, it was an absurd and selfish thought, Besides, they already know IÂ’m here. She paused another moment. Finally, she wiped her eyes, reliving her small lashes of the droplets nestled on them. She took a couple deep breaths, as if she was about to dive into extremely cold water. She did not like the idea of coming out from behind the tree, away from her hiding spot. She did not particularly like the idea of letting them know she had indeed been crying either. But to deny the truth on both these facts would be meaningless and stupid so she took a plunge. With hesitation in her steps, she walked out from behind the tree into plain view, her thin tail dragging in the grass behind her. She head was drooped to the ground, her pupiless eyes gazing up at the strangers. She felt guilty for some reason. She lifted a paw behind her neck and rubbed it a little before speaking. "Thanks. But I um...I think IÂ’m fine now." She said, her voice a little weaker than she would have hoped. Koyota knew this was a flat out lie. Of course she was not fine. She had been through this same thing countless times before and it would happen countless times again. She knew this all too well, but they don't need to know. She thought to herself. She took a tentative step forward, now that they knew what she had been doing, it would not hurt to have a little company for a while. "Im a...I'm Koyota. Those are nice rollerblades."
<span style='width:100%;font-weight:bold; font-size:10px'>Out of Character</span> <table class=ooc><tr><td> sil = has writer's block x.x Apologies for the short/crappy post</td></tr></table> Dys winced slightly, it was obvious the younger girl was upset, or had been recently. "Um... hi. I'm Dys..." she started slowly, "It's nice to meet you Koyota." She took a quick breath, before blurting out the question that was nagging her in the back of her mind. "What are you doing out here so early? Dyslexia fiddled with the edge of her hoodie, suddenly feeling rather shy. She could handle one person, but anymore than that and her brain started to go into red-alert. She shut her jaw firmly, lest she blurt out something that might offend the other two.
<h4>Out of Character</h4>Just letting you guys know that I haven't forgotten about this thread; I just haven't had the time or the wish, really, to reply. I've been busy with irl stuff, and other things, and I'm also considering going through a character reformat. Chances are, Stormwing 'ere might be retired from role play for a bit, so I'm going to have to drop out of this thread. I'm sorry for wasting your time. :(
