|
|
Post by Lucca on Feb 4, 2010 21:59:26 GMT -5
 It was another day where everyone was busy and Mirriam was left completely to her own devices. As many friends as she had in the Sprouts now, she was still almost the only kid in the Court of Diamonds itself (and wasn't that just so unfair...she heard about all the kids born in Hearts and Spades lately...why were all the nobles here so against babies?? Did the stork just hate Diamonds or something?), and so when Kaiesha was busy with something or other (more and more frequent now that the girl was well into adolescence) the little Bat had no one to hang out with. She was fairly used to entertaining herself, true, but everything was just so much more fun with a companion. Like hide and seek, for example. " Okay, ready or not here I come!" Undeterred by being the only Card in the courtyard at the time (other than the guards, who had told her kindly but firmly that no, they could not play right now, as they were busy working, and they were more over by the wall) Mirriam had begun to play hide and seek with the wild songbirds. Only they didn't seem to appreciate the game, so she'd began seeking imaginary opponents instead. The Bat peered suspiciously behind a hedge, long ears twitching as she listened for any sign of movement. |
|
|
|
Post by carcinoGeneticist on Feb 11, 2010 21:04:57 GMT -5
From Kahmden to Selkie and back through the Forest again, Sascha had wandered. From there, he'd not paid very much attention to where he'd been flying. Wherever the winds carried him, he was happy to go. He'd decided some time ago that was the way to travel - it certainly took some anxiety out of picking a destination, and it gave the whole process an easy sort of pace. He had no goals, didn't feel the need to reach a certain town by a certain time, and so he'd been open to stop at every place that looked interesting. When he'd realized he was soaring above the Court of Diamonds, he'd been somewhat shocked at first. He'd never exactly intended to pay the other Courts a visit, but now that he was here... Well, it couldn't hurt to explore the outskirts a little, could it? Then maybe he could go and introduce himself to a noble, tell them he was just passing through, and.. well, pass through. He angled his wings downward, swooping gracefully into the rather extensive gardens. It was a matter of seconds before several guards descended on him, and Sascha had to speak quickly to explain what he was doing, who he was, and who he was related to. Heh. Ooops. Growing up in the Court of Hearts had made him somewhat lax when it came to just waltzing into a place like this. But here he was now, a known visitor making his way through the courtyard, ears perked and eyes wide. It was different from the place he'd grown up, more different than he'd expected. He wasn't at all aware of the fact that there was someone else stalking through the grasses, someone much younger than he was. He bumbled unknowingly closer to her, paying no attention to exactly how loud his movements would seem to someone listening for them. |
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Feb 12, 2010 8:14:13 GMT -5
Ah! And there was the sound of someone moving now and...wait. WAIT. Mirriam's brown eyes widened in utter delight, as she really did hear someone moving around! Did one of the guards change their mind and come to play with her anyway? Oh, she hoped so! Peering over the hedge, the little Bat was shocked to see someone she didn't recognize. Not only was it someone new, but he was another BAT! But with feathers! She covered her mouth with her wings to muffle the little squeak of delight that wanted to burst out.
After all, she was still playing this game! And the new Bat-bird, whether he wanted to or not, was playing with her. She crouched, waiting until he passed by close to the hedge...and then LEAPED out, spreading her little wings and catching herself in time to poke his soft-looking mane with a claw.
"TAG!" she shouted delightedly, and then fluttered just out of reach, hoping he would give chase. Never mind that the game had been hide and seek just a minute ago. The new Bat wasn't hiding, so therefore he must be playing a different game entirely.
|
|
|
|
Post by carcinoGeneticist on Mar 2, 2010 23:18:07 GMT -5
The foliage here was different from at the courts. It was certainly quite a change to find that Sascha was able to peek through the plants without fear of being stabbed by roses, like he would have if he was back at the Court of Hearts. That was part of the fun of a new place - everything about it was new, something else to look at and learn and --
He heard the rustling of leaves before he saw the flash of blue and cream, the green of the Avington Bat blending in with the green of the garden. He spun to face his assailant, wings spreading in a protective movement, ready for some overzealous guard to be rushing him. Not that he could blame them if they did - he was unfamiliar, an intruder in their home. He just hoped that this particular guard wasn't too zealous - getting hurt wasn't exactly what Sasha thought of as a part of a good day.
Instead of an impact, however, there was just the feeling of a wing-thumb combing through his hair. He had a moment of clarity, in which he had a clear shot at the person who had launched at him, and his heart stopped for a second. A Bat. A Bat, here, far away from home and every other Bat or part-Bat he'd ever seen. If his father had been able to see this - what would he have thought? The moment was gone in an instant, as the girl fluttered away from him, squealing out a command to play a game he hadn't heard... for a long while.
Slowly, the hybrid began to smile. He wasn't sure what to say, so he simply spread his wings and dashed after her.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Mar 3, 2010 20:36:04 GMT -5
Mirriam's bright eyes shone with all the delight and enthusiasm of her youth as they caught the newcomer's gaze, just for a moment, before she dashed off, running from him...but was he following? Though her large ears focused behind her as much as they could, she at first didn't hear anything, and she wondered if perhaps the other Bat didn't know how to play tag? Or maybe he was like her other friend Kaiesha, who couldn't fly very well even though she had wings?
When she got to the level of one of the trees, she turned back, about to ask what was wrong...only to see the other Card launch himself into the air and give chase! Yes! This time, she didn't hold back the delighted squeak, as she turned around and fluttered her little wings as hard as she could to get away. She couldn't quite resist a peek over her shoulder every now and again as she zoomed through the air, dodging branches and leaves, seeing how well he could keep up.
|
|
|
|
Post by carcinoGeneticist on Apr 5, 2010 17:41:04 GMT -5
How long had it been since Sascha had given into fun like this? Most of the time, he was far too wrapped up in what was required of someone who was almost an adult to just play, and he'd felt awkward around the children back at the Court ever since his father had died. This was showing him what he'd missed, and the freedom of youthful fun was quickly taking a weight off his shoulders that he hadn't even known he'd carried.
And he'd found a Bat. That simple truth was even more amazing than any other aspect of this meeting. He'd never seen another Bat in all his travels, and there was a familiarity about it that delighted him so. He gave a flutter of his wings and put on another burst of speed, swooping after the green-and-blue marked form with ease. He didn't fly as fast as he knew he could, and he refrained from use of his innate Spade ability for speed - the girl seemed to be younger than he was, and he wanted to give her a fair chance at escaping him.
Childhood memories of darting after his brother filled his mind, twisting and swooping and diving after one another in whatever game had interested them the most as soon as they'd been old enough to take to the sky. They'd always had to leave Raina behind, but the allure of flight was impossible to ignore. Sascha began to laugh as he swooped after the girl, folding his wings in a steep dive and then flaring them a moment later, quickly gaining on the Avington. He reached out with a foot, tapping her with one gold-taloned foot and beaming at her.
"You're it," he announced with another laugh and a happy grin.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Apr 5, 2010 21:10:52 GMT -5
Mirriam zoomed through the air with an ease that had always delighted her, that natural ability that came more from being a Bat than being a Diamond, and from long hours of childhood spent in the sky. Of course, there the sky had been a veritable obstacle course of tree branches and leaves and vines and rocks, so her innate abilities were more about agility than speed. She squeaked happily, even as her large ears picked up on the distinct sounds of her pursuer getting closer.
She tried to dive to avoid him, but he caught up with her anyway. "Hey!" she cried in delight as she felt him tag her, pivoting in the air and turning around to give chase to him again. She'd never been able to do this with another winged creature her own age, and there was a thrill in it she'd never felt before. True, this Bat hybrid wasn't -quite- her own age; he was clearly older by a number of years. But it was close enough!
|
|
|
|
Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jun 22, 2010 18:21:49 GMT -5
Maybe it was the enclosed space - more likely it was the unfamiliar space - but as Sascha moved to try and escape, wheeling through the air, he managed to misjudge the distance between the tip of one of his wings and a tree. With a loud yelp of surprise, the bat-mix went wheeling through the sky, tumbling down and crash-landing in a nearby bush.
For a moment, Sascha was still, doing a mental inventory of his limbs. Wings seemed to be intact, legs, tail... Nothing hurt, beyond his pride and a rather dull ache from a scrape he'd managed to get against a branch that cut across his leg. Carefully, the boy pulled himself out of the foliage, shaking his head to try and dislodge some of the leaves that had become stuck there. That didn't work very well, and he raised a wing-thumb to try and brush them out. Well. That had certainly gone badly, hadn't it? At least his siblings hadn't been around to see it...
But then, the little Avington Bat had. He glanced around quickly, looking for any sign of the girl, his cheeks dark with embarrassment.
|
|
|
|
Post by Lucca on Jun 22, 2010 18:34:49 GMT -5
Mirriam lowered her antlered head, diving and and flitting back up, gaining speed in an attempt to catch her prey! The white form was so close, so close!...but not close enough! She set her jaw in determination and put on an extra burst of speed, passing right by a few branches so close she could feel them grab at her antlers, and there he was right in front of her and...and then he wasn't.
It took a moment for Mirriam to realize what she'd just seen, but when she did she gasped and fluttered towards the ground, anxiously looking around for her new friend. She took a moment to glare at the tree. How dare it! She generally liked trees, but she decided from this moment on she wasn't going to like that one! Most of the plants were on her side, especially after the ability her flower granted her, and it was like a betrayal that one should hurt her friend and--she saw something in a bush, a flash of white and gold, and made for it.
"Hey! Hey, pretty Highlands Bat mix!" It was at this moment that Mirriam realized there had been so few words exchanged between the two that she didn't even actually know his name. She swooped down low and poked her nose into the bush, coming practically nose to nose with him. "HI!" she said happily, not quite with the level of volume pleasant for such close proximity. "You're okay, right? Don't worry, I've already decided I'm going to shun the mean tree that poked your wing."
|
|
|
|
Post by carcinoGeneticist on Jun 26, 2010 4:02:17 GMT -5
Wow, now that Sascha was finally getting an actual chance to look at her, the other bat was really kind of cute. He hadn't really encountered may Avingtons, and the ones he had certainly hadn't had such a nice fur color, and did they all have such interesting trees on their backs? He'd have to pay more attention in the future.
Oof, had he hit his head? This wasn't the way he normally thought - though it certainly could have been initiated when she'd called him "cute." A blush spread lightly across his cheeks. Cute? No. That wasn't... No. "Ahh, Sascha probably works better," he said, pulling himself out of the bushes and shaking off the rest of the leaves and branches. "'s got a lot less syllables, at least." Her energy was absolutely astounding, though it shouldn't have surprised him - considering their first interaction had been a high-speed game of tag through the courtyard.
At the sudden closeness, he pulled back slightly and blinked a few times. An embarrassed smile worked its way across his face, his ears pulling back. "Hey, uh... I appreciate it. But maybe the tree didn't mean it? I mean, I did swoop in pretty close, I probably bumped into it instead of the other way around." This was certainly different. It reminded him of the past - of Captain Andrei. Except he wasn't supposed to call him that, anymore. Andrei had long since outgrown their old games.
|
|
