smash_logs | What time is it?

Entry tags:

What time is it?

Who: Kieran, Blake
What: What is this "valentines" thing again?
Where: The school rooftop
When: Evening, Valentine's Day

[The rituals of this realm were confusing ones. Apparently, today was another festival of some kind, if the sharp increase in PDA in the hallways was any indication. There weren't any mistletoe plants present to explain it away, though, meaning today was mostly spent being thoroughly bemused. Even after all this time among hem, the spirits never ceased to be surprising!

For want of an explanation, Kieran took to exploring, hoping to maybe stumble onto something that'd shed a little light onto the inexplicable jump in romance. Not an especially fruitful search, admittedly, but still a rewarding one. His wandering had lead him to a staircase he'd never gone up before, so with eager inquisitiveness he followed it up to its end: the roof of the school.]

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[Luckily, Blake had not taken to practicing the Black Flute that night. The wild Pokemon encounter rate remained unreduced.

With the library closed for the evening, he had relocated himself to one of his favoured vantage points over the school - it was particularly soothing to take his readings under the last of the sun's rays and the moon, and it often offered him a bit of privacy as well.

Well, perhaps not this night. His ears twitched as the the door opened, and he perked up, instinctively on guard.]

[What a nice discovery: the bright chill of winter air, the sunset's colours, and a view of the divine realm! Better yet, it looked like Kieran wasn't alone up here. What a welcome thing, to run into a familiar face!]

Oh... hello!

[With a typical lack of restraint, he trotted over, moving to the edge of the building to see just how far he could see.]

I was hoping for some company; it seems like everyone's moving in pairs today. Do you mind if I join you?

I would not. [Blake relaxed a bit at the sight of Kieran's face, and placed his open book down on his lap. Though he didn't stand to join him, the Mightyena cast a glance over towards the sun's dying rays, counting the minutes before nightfall.]

Have you been without? I believe today was Saint Valentine's Day.

[It was a pretty view, for what it was worth: he'd never been able to see so much of the divine realm all at once. It looked smaller than the forest. He wasn't sure what he thought about that.]

I've been wondering what was going on all day, to be honest! I'm not familiar with this ritual at all. What are Saint Valentines, if you don't mind me asking?

From what I understand, it is a day of open devotion towards your mate, or those you wish to mate. Though many have adopted the holiday to also express affection to friends, as well. Traditionally, there is also the exchange of hearts and sweets for the intended.

I believe the day was marked in honour of a man named Valentine, whose deeds elevated him to spiritual holiness.

Ah, like the mistletoes! So it's a little bit like a very short rut, then. It seems a bit peculiar to do so in the cruel season of the year, but that sounds like a very noble reason to do it.

[He turned away from the railing, directing his attention back over to Blake.]

You're up here by yourself... does that mean you don't have a mate to celebrate with?

[Blake's eyes trailed towards the ground, and his fingers idly traced the grain of bookpaper still in his hands.]

Ah, I... I have no mate to claim me, no. My Mistress normally divides favours to those of my clan, but she has been indisposed. I have not found her yet this day - but for my part, I spent it mostly sleeping.

Edited 2013-02-16 10:59 (UTC)

Well... the day's not over yet, is it?

[Kieran moved over to Blake, kneeling down in front of him. He rested his hands on the edge of the book Blake was toying with, though he didn't pay it much more mind than that -- he understood nothing of those strange objects with the odd patterns all over their insides. He was just trying to seek out Blake's eyes, nothing more.]

I don't believe I can measure up to a mistress, but I think I'd like to do as the spirits do! Would you celebrate with me?

[When Kieran kneeled before him, Blake's gaze shied away from the ground and lingered instead on the Sawsbuck's hands. Possibly they were not so different from his own, if they both preferred to swathe what normally would be their forelegs in human gloves.

The offer was quickly tinting the Mightyena's face with blush, brought to a glow by the red of sunset.]

A-are you so certain of your choice?

I am. I try not to ask for things I don't want.

[He leaned in a fraction of an inch more, still hoping to coax out a little eye contact. Blake's face was interesting enough on its own -- those almost-Sawsbuck face marks, and oh, what striking eyes! -- but the redness creeping in was especially fascinating. Was that a good sign, when spirits went autumn-red? He'd seen it before, but still wasn't certain.]

[Blake did not doubt that the other boy spoke truthfully, but there was still the suspicion that Kieran also did not know everything about what he wanted. That being the case, were his words still true? Courtship among hyenakind was a dangerous thing, when females were involved - where that left two males, he hadn't considered. But in Blake's mind, it was likely much the same.

The Mightyena had to steel himself before he could let his eyes wander slowly upwards, and when he spoke it was in a mumble.

Ah, exposed neck. He paused at the view, admiring the human form's vulnerabilities.]

But... forgive me for saying so, but how are you certain you won't be bitten?

Bitten?

[What a strange question! Apparently there was more to this Valentine ritual than Kieran thought. What did bites have to do with affection rituals? He knew mouths played a big part in how spirits did this sort of thing, but biting was definitely new. Was that maybe the anterless equivalent of jousting for a doe? Or was that Blake's way of suggesting he wasn't interested? Kieran's brows knit a little, eagerness giving way to bewilderment.]

Well... I suppose I'm not certain just yet, because I hadn't considered that at all. Do you plan on biting me?

[Blake tilted his head a little and bit his lip to distract himself from the temptation.]

...I suppose not. But it is nonetheless dangerous to trust so quickly. You don't know if I'm worthy of being yours for this day.

[Kieran settled back, folding his arms on top of the book resting in Blake's lap.]

I'm not sure I understand what you're talking about! I like you, I'd very much hope that you like me too, and you've already said you don't intend to bite. Isn't that enough?

[Blake flushed an even deeper red at this, still unconvinced that he merited such affection at all - especially from someone for whom, by all rights, he was still little more than a stranger. Yet Kieran sounded so certain. It was enough for the Sawsbuck.

As slow as he was to fully trust others, he didn't dislike Kieran either... He bowed his head, but his eyes wandered a little closer to the other boy's face.]

I h-hardly deserve such fondness but, ah, I... will accept that it is.

[Kieran was a little confused, admittedly, about Blake's concern that he wouldn't be worthy or would be dangerous or... whatever it was. Shouldn't he have been more worried that Kieran wasn't worthy of him?

Still, that was a yes, and those fascinating eyes were slowly inching toward meeting his. This was good! Kieran got off his knees, though he stayed leaning in long enough to sweep Blake's bangs out of his face and plant a delighted little kiss on his forehead.]

You blush so brightly! You don't have to be so tense, you know. You haven't given me any reason to think you're undeserving in the least.

[Ah. Forehead kisses... Blake blushed a little deeper despite himself. Mistress Blue often kissed him there on Valentine's past, when he had no such human form.

He hesitated for a moment, but then leaned in himself to respond in the manner he would often give in turn - he licked Kieran on the nose. Mmm.]

If that is your judgement, so be it.

[Kieran gave a startled little laugh at the surprising wet sensation of a tongue on his face, but he was pleased to see some reciprocation. His hands left Blake long enough for him to sit down next to him, but in no time at all one hand rose up to Blake's face, gloved fingers skimming over his flushed cheek. The other cheek got plenty of attention, too. He repaid the lick with an equally animal gesture: an affectionate nuzzle.

Blake's hair tickled his nose, but he supposed it was a fair trade-off for the tickle of breath against Blake's ear.]

And your judgment too, I hope! I'm surprised you'd be so worried about impressing the likes of me. I'm only an ordinary forest-child.

[Blake's ear twitched. Returning the gesture, the Mightyena nuzzled back, bringing his face into the crook of Kieran's neck. He breathed in deep, trying to learn what he could from the Sawsbuck's scent - where he'd been, what he ate, and lots of the Grass Type's cedar aroma. Ah, aromatherapy.

There was that term 'forest child' again. It was easy to assume the term was simply Kieran's way of saying a Grass Type.]

It is my nature. If you are a child of the forest, then perhaps... I am a child of the darkness.

Edited 2013-02-23 10:36 (UTC)

[There'd be plenty of time to mull over Kieran's scent, since each moment of touch was meant to paint more of that cedar-bark smell on top of Blake's just as much as it was meant to let Blake's scent cling to Kieran.

A complex, confusing scent, for what it was worth. Natural muskiness, but with the vague jumble of a few almost flower-like somethings that seemed to cling to so many of the spirits here all muddied together and a nearly unnoticable hint of musty-sweetness he couldn't quite pin a name to. He lingered a little longer than he ought to, caught up in both trying to separate the perfumes from the natural scent and simply in savouring the close contact.]

A child of the darkness... is that what Mightyenas are? You're not much like the night-children I know of: there are Murkrow in the forest sometimes, but they're hardly anywhere as polite as you are.

Nor are most Mightyenas, but politeness has served me well as a tool. But in other aspects I am much like a Murkrow.

[Scavenging, for example. Hovering around hunters as they make their kills, devouring the guts left over, eating rotted meat with no consequence. Stealing things when the opportunity arose and being capable of underhanded attacks. Very similar.]

Edited 2013-02-23 11:21 (UTC)

I hope you don't peck as much as they do. Those really hurt!

[Kieran laughed, not giving Blake's statement much thought. Murkrow were just another sort of creature who roosted in antlers on occasion -- far more temperamental and mischievous than most, but fond of gossip, and occasionally privvy to news day-creatures rarely had. Not such a bad thing to be like, he supposed, though he much preferred being like a Sawsbuck.

It didn't take long for him to give up on trying to sort past the artificial smells lingering on Blake, as nice as the closeness was. He left a playful little smooch on Blake's cheek as he pulled back, hoping to get a moment of eye contact.]

I'm not sure I see so much Murkrow in you, though. I see a bit too much spring in you for that. Am I not looking hard enough, Blake?

[This was a side to Murkrows of which he had little experience, admittedly - having a great absence of antlers and all. But it was true that Blake did covet information as well. He simply chose not to always share it so easily.

As the sky grew darker, night was pulling in with surprising quickness. The pink-tinted clouds were turning blue as the sun slipped further down the horizon. What Kieran saw in Blake's face would be the faint glow of the Dark Type's nocturnal vision, reflecting back what little light there was.

Perhaps... If you don't mind, tell me of spring.

[And how captivating it was! A deer's dark eyes may have served well to spot the movements of predators, but they hardly held the kind of vivid, striking beauty eyes like Blake's did. Kieran hesitated a moment, letting himself be distracted by how much those eyes stood out in the dusk.]

Well... I see it in the pinkness of your face, for one! Spring-hearts are gentle, thoughtful, and usually the shyest of the seasons. Summer and autumn might like to put themselves first, but spring worries about others long before it worries about itself. That's the Blake I know so far... does it sound about right to you?

[Blake tilted his head slightly, taking in this information. It was rather reassuring to know his facade fit in place so well - knowing his own heart, he would hesitate to truly call himself a gentle person. At least, his intentions were not gentle, because the world itself was not a gentle one either.

Shyness was part of his modest nature though, he could count that much as correct. Even if it was a shyness born of inferiority and fear, rather than care.]

I think of others, it's true - but not for the reasons you suspect.

[The onset of darkness made Blake feel slightly more confident, enough to even gaze back at Kieran's face. It was the Mightyena's element, it was his veil and his armour.]

You speak of the seasons, but night falls on each of them equally, and hides many things.

[Kieran was maybe a bit surprised to be not-quite-accurate, but it was true that he hardly knew much at all about Blake. If anything, this spurred his inquisitiveness on further. The subtle movement of Blake's eyes had Kieran leaning in closer, eager to encourage more out of the Mightyena (whatever those were).]

If there are things I'm not seeing, then teach me about them. You've got me curious now, Blake!

[Blake recoiled slightly when Kieran moved closer, but when it became clear it was not a sign of aggression, he relaxed again.]

The night teaches us never to let down our guard. For a Sawsbuck especially, you must learn to look for the fangs in the dark - rather than wait for them to reveal themselves.

You trust too quickly, Kieran. If I am shy, it is because I am weak; if polite, it is so I do not incur wrath.

I don't think what you're saying is wrong.

[It struck a bit of an uneasy note, really -- the vaguely guilty feeling that distance and wariness were traits the winter-hearted should be known for.]

But this is a place where the predators have no need to hunt, and the walls of the dens can chase away winter's cold and night's darkness. If I turned away from everything here that I'd found unsettling or dangerous, I'd have left on the very first day.

[He laughed softly, sweeping that tiny flutter of hesitation away. It wasn't too summer-hearted if his openness was for the sake of fitting into the divine realm, after all. Things worked very differently here -- fire was a thing that existed for entertainment and plants grew captive behind invisible walls. Again, Kieran advanced, this time stopping only inches away from the lip-to-lip kind of kiss the spirits here loved.]

If you ask me to fear you, Blake, then let me ask you to trust me in return.

Edited (I made that typo a million years ago but I REALLY NEEDED TO FIX IT) 2013-04-02 22:03 (UTC)

[Blake's brows furrowed as he tried to make sense of Kieran's impossibly contradictory request. Trust and fear - as one negated the other, it was true that the two of them would never be able to truly be... as mates are.

His heart was racing so fast, it felt as though it was clattering against the walls of his chest. Trust - simply asking for it was enough to send a shiver of fear up his spine. Trust meant danger, it meant putting your faith in a safety that couldn't be guaranteed by anything except an illusion of strength. The sheer thought of it was mortifying.

What if Kieran hurt him? What if this hurt?

It didn't before... It wasn't in Blake's assessment that the Sawsbuck would willingly do anyone harm. But at the same time, there was also much that the other boy willfully did not know.

A pained smile stretched across the Mightyena's face. It was true that he was petrified, but shrinking back any further would be too obvious a sign of fear. With his facade firmly in place, he spoke as calmly as he could muster.]

Then I will... trust what I know of you, as you should fear what you know not of me.

[There might be a time, miles down the road, where Kieran would look back on this promise and regret taking it so lightly. For now, though, it hardly seemed like an obstacle. Not knowing, after all, was a temporary state of being. Wasn’t a promise to fear what he didn’t know really just an invitation to start learning? It was hard to see the potential of some kind of threat in someone who was so polite and obliging – as open and upfront as he was, the possibility of being misled failed to even occur to Kieran. A more scrutinizing eye would have seen the warning lurking in that, would have recognized the insincerity of that smile and the terror darting around underneath it, but Kieran… he took a moment’s glance at it, and accepted it for what it seemed to be on the surface. ]

I’ll fear it if you ask me to… but only for as long as I don’t know it, okay?

[So despite all the warning signs that this was ill-advised, Kieran forged ahead, closed the last remaining bit of distance between them. For all his boldness, he started off slow: an innocent, exploratory pressing of lips, curious as a hoof being dabbed in shallow water.]

[Sometimes the wounds made by the innocent, cut the deepest - that was the hard lesson to be learned here, for Blake.

There was a hitch of breath as Kieran's lips met his, but the careful approach eased the initial tension in the Mightyena. His smile slowly melted away as his focus became preoccupied with the slow, unhurried kiss that placed itself against him. He'd never had more than fleeting pecks before, where the intimate gesture was over just as quickly as it had happened. It was easy, then, just to let the momentum carry him past the rush of emotion.

Here, he could feel a sensation rising up in his throat, urging him to accept and press forward. Kieran chose you, he's allowing this. That had to mean it was, despite the many unknowns hanging over their heads, safe. For this one moment between them both.

Nervously, Blake kissed back, breath trembling.]

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What time is it?

HUFF HUFF HERE GOES ME TRYING TO UNHIATUS

WE'RE GOING THE DISTANCE

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poop posted in the wrong place

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NOW IN THE RIGHT PLACE

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woooow i am slow

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