A Beautiful Mind [Finished]

[Tigeress]

They might call him a child genious, if they knew what he did with his spare time. Since he was old enough to walk, he found outlets for his creativity. An up and coming picasso, he'd found skill with almost any medium of paint imaginable. Now, he was sneaking into a studio where he'd heard people came to play a lovely instrument- a piano. The sound had bespelled him only a week ago when he'd passed by initially. Since then, his dreams had consumed him, long streams of music coming from delicate fingers that weren't his.

Fingers, he'd find a way to play without them, just as he'd found a way to paint with the wooden addition to his paw. He'd make another one, long slender pieces that curved so when he moved the digits on his paw, they pressed downwards in a way that his clumsy paws could not. Perfect! He considered going home and making them right away, but there was another thing he had to ask about, money. It wasn't free to go in and learn how to use this magneficent piece of beauty, this much he knew, but he was hoping it wasn't.... too much.

However, upon approaching the door, he noticed the sign was flipped to the word 'Closed'. Tristian cried out in sudden anguish, he didn't want to wait another day! Why was it closed today? Today was just an ordinary day, nothing special. He could even see the pretty bipedal feline inside, cleaning the outside cases so that they glistened in the filtered sunlight. He pawed at the door for many minutes, but it seemed she wasn't intending on letting anyone in. Well, off to the forest to find some good timbers then. Normally his mother requested that he didn't go out alone, buuut... well, surely there weren't bad people out at this bright hour of the morning?

Of course not. And with that, his mind was made up, and he started to head out through the city towards the green edge, notes of music that he couldn't read yet floating about his pretty blonde head.

[FlyingPanther]

Aurelius was older now, probably about 14 or so, definately much older then the pink feline he had just seen strolling towards the woods from a closed shop. It made him anxious, he didn't much trusts forests around here. While he himself had never encountered any harm from wandering around Captial City, he still knew that such places were probably not the best places for a lone child to be wondering about in. At least when he was a child he had 2 to 4 siblings at his side while they wandered around parentless. It just didn't seem safe to him. Who knew what was lurking in those trees? Granted it was bright outside...but forests always made light and time different somehow. At least this was the case for him.

And so he made his way over. He knew it was probably bothersome to a child who wanted to explore uninterupted...but well...the least he could do was offer to acompany him? "Ah...hello!" he said as he approached the little feline upon lanky and gwaky looking teenage deer legs with a friendly smile, only his eyes betrayed a slight sense of worry, "I couldn't help but notice you were about to enter the forest...but you know...you probably shouldn't...there's alot of dangerous stuff going on in the cover of foliage..." he blushed a little bit. Most likely the little cat would ask him why he gave a damn...everyone did.

The thing with Aurelius is that he just did. He just...cared. Randomly and unconditionally...like some kind of dog lost on the streets trying to make friends with everyone. It had always been that way, for as long as he could remember...and there seemed to be no off switch.

[Tigeress]

Tristian's ears perked at the sign of another voice, and he couldn't help but turn slowly, cautiously towards the direction it came from. A rather bright looking teenage deer was heading his way, his expression one of shyness though his warning was anything but unnecessary. "Hello!" He chimed back, somewhat calmed by the sight of another relatively young person, and he didn't really look very mean at all. The feline's problem was of course that he was too trusting, too optimistic. Bad things only happened if you counted on it happening.

"Yes, I know... It's stupid of me really, but I really need some wood, not very much even..." He blushed as well, trying to explain himself to the stranger and not realizing that he didn't really need to. He was concerned for the feminine looking cat, and that deserved a little respect at the very least. Strangers and kindness often didn't have much of a relationship from what he'd heard. Their nanny cautioned them all the time about bad people, except he hadn't seen his sister in a while. Where did she go, anyway?

He'd started the bad habit of sneaking out too, so he couldn't really talk. He got lonely sometimes, with his mother being away so much. For some reason he was never allowed to go with her, and she never talked much about where she went. She'd heard only one thing while eavesdropping in a conversation between herself and their nanny, "With their lives so openly threatened, it's better this way...". It had scared the heck out of him, and he hadn't asked questions since. He realized he'd been daydreaming for some reason and snapped back to the present suddenly.

"I'm Tristian, who are you?" He tilted his head, blonde curls bouncing in an adorable fashion that often made his nanny's company go 'eeeeee!' and pinch him a lot.

[FlyingPanther]

Aurelius was comforted by the fact that the cat didn't seem angry with him...or really even mean. He had just very happily said Hello back, and it left him with a smile and a small wiggle of his deer tail. Not that Aurelius would know it, but they seemed pretty similar, too trusting and a little too optimistic. The only time Aurelius ever seemed to be emotional or pessimistic was when he tried to understand his feelings for people...and why they were so strong. So very very strong. But that wasn't very often, usually he didn't care for the reason why he felt the way he did about people, he road it like a wonderful wave.

"Why do you need wood?" he asked, genuine curiousity ringing in his voice as he turned his head a bit to look at the store that the cat had been in front of previously before he had decided to head into the woods. He squinted his eyes a bit and realized that the store was infact a studio with a large grand piano inside. Hmm...wait...what? "You want to make a piano?" was his first thought, that due to its incredulous nature, he couldn't seem to keep to himself. He hoped he hadn't hurt the feline's feelings when he said that so loudly..."Sorry...it's just...um...you're probably going to need a lot more then just a little bit of wood for that..." he flicked an ear uncomfortibly...

When the subject was changed to names...he was glad for it, he always liked meeting new people...even if it brought strange feelings along with it. Which he had to admit, flooded into his body the moment that the little feline had spoken his name...Tristian...what a lovely lovely lovely name...he smiled widely, "My name is Aurelius. It's nice to meet you Tristian." then he noticed the beautiful curls and he nearlly 'eeee!'ed himself...what a good looking young child! He really hoped they could be friends. "You have a very beautiful mane!"

[Tigeress]

The pink feline laughed out loud when his new companion mentioned the piano, his very rose coloured eyes fluttering anxiously when he decided to admit his passion to the deer. This was strange, this need to share his secrets, but he didn't have anyone else to really talk to. His sister was always gone, and she didn't seem to like him sometimes because he liked being around his mother. She probably thought he was very immature. The thought made him blush even more as he cleared his throat.

"No, not a piano, I... want to play one. But I can't with these." He said, holding a paw up with a small sigh of sadness. "So I need to make something to go on them, like I did before for my painting, so they can move like real fingers." It was obvious this poor boy would be a bipedal as soon as it was humanly possible. His creativity wouldn't allow anything more, he found he became extremely paranoid and was prone to anxiety attacks when he wasn't allowed to express himself. It hurt, and was scary, so he tried to find ways around his natural inhibitions.

"For that, I should only need five long finger-like sticks of wood, allong with ringed surrports to go around each individual digit, so the sticks become flexible extensions." He was thinking aloud again and couldn't help it, it made him feel better to explain things so everyone could hear. It was lonely to have all his ideas wrapped up in his head. If one thing was obvious from his increasingly perky nature, Tristian became lonely quite easily, and thrived on social contact. Opportunities like this made his month worthwhile. Maybe the boy would want to come to dinner or something sometime? It would be weird to ask so soon though.

At the compliment, Tristian grinned innocently and shook his head, again sending the bouncing curls flying about his face. "Your name is so... so... emotional. It makes me see pretty images in my head. But I guess I do that all the time, which might explain the love of painting." He smiled shyly, hoping he hadn't undone his compliment with his rambling. He did that sometimes, as if afraid someone might not like being complimented by him. Not many males took well to him for some reason, they often said cruel things.

"Really? I should have brushed it this morning but I didn't, sometimes it gets in the way. There was one time when I was younger and just learning to pain, my sister knocked me into the canvas and my mane looked very... pretty after that. Messy though." His glance was off to the side, lost in memories that he felt the need to share. How silly of him, Aurelius probably didn't care about immature stories like that, he was a bit older, and Tristian realized how woefully young and childish he must seem sometimes.

[FlyingPanther]

"Animal forms make things like that difficult." he noded in agreement. Paws were a little better then hooves he imagined, but they couldn't have been that much better. He cocked his head a bit at the mention of painting. Well! This little cat seemed to have a great deal of talent! He could paint and wanted to play the piano...Aurelius wished he was that talented. Even in his slightly older age, he hadn't managed to gain any skillsets to help him later on in life. It was not something that he was immidiately worried about, he did have several years to figure it out yet, but it always made him worry when he saw young talent at some thing or another. Even if it was something seemingly simple. But he didn't let that bother him right now.

When the little feline explained what he needed, Aurelius smiled a bit. "Wow...you sure do know what you're doing! That's kind of a neat invention you created. I would have never thought of that." he looked into the woods then at the kid, desperate for the pieces he needed to create makeshift mechanical hands. Such a young child and he already knew so much, "Painter and an inventor, eh? You've got alot going for you." he complimented him as he looked back at the pinkish feline, "Well...I doubt you'll find ringed supports in the forest...", he giggled a bit, "But...well...we could go in the forest together? That way you're not alone if something bad happens. I can help you look for some sticks." he nodded with a friendly smile.

Indeed, one young child alone was dangerous in the wood, but if he came...there would be numbers...and someone older there. That ment it would be realitively safe right? He imagined so.

He blushed a bit at the compliment of his name. He recognized it as a compliment, even if they boy seemed to try to correct himself. He seemed nervous, which would explain the qualifier scentences. It was not unakin to what Aurelius did from time to time if he felt awkward. "You really think so? I always thought it was a little stiff." Next to Claudius' name...he felt like he should be wearing some type of suit all the time, but he supposed he was wrong. He never really thought about his name that way before.

He laughed a bit at the feline's story of his sister's antics, "It probably suited you though, being the artist that you are, messy or not." the comment was meant to be reassuring. In many ways, despite being older, Aurelius acted very much like a young child, so eager to make friends and be nice that immaturity played a big role. Though he really just considered it having fun. Who wanted to be a sorrowful teen all the time like he felt he was becoming? Surely not him...

[Tigeress]

Sighing and nodding his head, he looked at his companion and couldn't help but wonder if he, too, was eager for a bipedal form for some reason? Actually, from what he'd seen, most people didn't need reasons. They looked nice, were useful, and apparently more enjoyable for, um, adult things. Good to have in general, and it was a good thing Tristian was a fast learner, and just naturally talented. Though it was a curse at times, it gave him a lot to talk about. Though most of it wasn't of any interest to anyone other than himself, for some odd reason, he just saw a lot of humour in everything dull that happened to him. Being covered in paint was enough of a story to make him smile fondly.

"Oh, it's pretty basic, but I only thought of it because I really need it. If I didn't, I probably wouldn't have!" He grinned and dipped his head in mirth, thinking his comment to be quite amusing apparently. Stating the obvious was one of Tristian's more... annoying traits, he supposed. Some people just didn't understand that he wasn't trying to mock them, but only to make a joke. Perhaps in all of his talents and gifts, someone had forgotten to add 'good sense of humour' to the mix. That and he was a little outer-spacey, his mind ran away with him at inopportune moments, which impatient people quickly grew tired of. Like their nanny.

"I... guess I do. But I kind of have to, I mean... sometimes if I don't do something with the images in my head and the feelings in my stomach, I have these painful breathing attacks and everyone gets really worried." He admitted aloud, having just thought about it in his head and being unable to keep secrets from pretty much anyone. He'd be a terrible Avington... oh wait... wasn't that what the boy was? Tristian couldn't help but wonder if he had a secret, and what it was. For all of his patience, the feline was, in fact, a feline, and naturally very curious. But often in a good way, usually just about people and their lives in general.

Other people were fascinating, much more fascinating than him. And pretty, he'd met a lot of pretty people. "I would love some company! This way we could talk more." He couldn't help but blush again, not very good at expressing his need to be around people without sounding... needy. Pretty much everyone disliked a clinging, needy companion. The boy seemed to be flattered by Tristian's sad attempt at a compliment, and he was glad that it had shone through all of his rambling. The name really was pretty, regal, exotic, and he found it an inspiring mix.

"It flows very well, a nice even mix of everything beautiful and regal but still ah, manly?" He grinned at this and began to turn around towards the forest, peering back over his shoulder, though he was barely able to see past the tousled golden locks that constantly blurred his vision. Nobody would let him cut them though, they wanted them to grow long for some reason. He didn't really care, they looked nice, but many people didn't even have a mane at all and looked nice. He'd have to find a way to restrain them when he had hands, so he didn't always get paint in the gentle strands.

"I don't have anything to carry the sticks with, perhaps we could each take a mouthful and sort them outside somewhere? Or at my house, I have a small studio where I keep supplies and stuff..." He said bashfully, his voice crackling at the mention of going to his house, and he could only try to regain his dignity with a slight cough to clear his throat.

[FlyingPanther]

"That makes plenty of sense," he said with a smile, "Don't sell yourself short though. I don't think alot of people your age would have been able to come up with something like that, basic or not." The poor feline sure did seem to qualify himself alot, or unintentionally attempt to make his feats less significant. He cocked his head a bit. He didn't understand why the little child couldn't just be proud of himself, but he supposed everyone did that from time to time. Maybe he was just misinterpreting. Maybe the boy was just trying to be modest, and it wasn't at all an issue of lack of self esteem. That could very well bit it as well. In which case...he was going to continue complimenting for what he deserved to be complimented on.

Aurelius grew slightly worried. Granted he had only known the child for a short while, but that hardly mattered. He could already feel himself deeply caring for the child. "That sounds terrible! You should see a doctor about that...it sounds pretty serious..." he managed to say with a rather worried expression. He felt himself blush slightly. Who was he to give such advice? Though he supposed that if the feline had been comfortible enough with him to tell him that little tidbit, he wouldn't mind some advice. He really did have a feeling like there was something to those painful breathing attacks. People didn't normally have those, weather or not they had supressed creative juices.

The subject changed and he was glad for it. He didn't really want to stay in a bad mood, it made him start thinking about everything that ever put him in a bad mood. And while he wasn't thinking of it, he surely didn't want to question himself on the most puzzling aspect of himself. His utter love for people. He had slowly become to realize that his love he showed people wasn't of the norm, and it plagued him. Why did he care about people THAT much?

"I would like that a lot! You seem like a pretty nice kid!" he said excitedly once the boy agreed to have him accompany him. True there were dangers in the forest, be he really believed in the saying that there was safety in numbers. Now the expedition would be less dangerous and more fun! Not to mention, maybe he could see how the feline made those make-shift hands. He didn't mind the clingyness, infact he pretty much didn't even notice it. Aurelius was an extremely clingy person himself after all.

He smiled a bit at the idea of his name being regal. He would most likely never gain any regal status, he had no real interest in it. He was happy being a 5 of spades for the most part, though maybe one day he might raise up a little. He didn't really know, he had plenty of years in front of him, things would change he was sure.

He watched as the feline scampered off into the woods, his golden curls bouncing as he moved, a sight which just seemed to make Aurelius smile. There was something about that hair....it was just...so appealing...so different from everything that he had seen before. It really made him smile. His own hair was different, but not nearly as beautiful. Indeed, most of the times he thought the mohawk of hair coming from his back was kinda ugly...maybe one day he would do something about it. His senses were brought back to the real world with the feline's question of how to carry the sticks. Aurelius simply noded, though he had to admit to himself that he was very excited about a possibly playdate...even if he was older then one should probably be to call it a 'playdate'. "Sure! That sounds like a plan." he said while entering into the forest and beginning to look for sticks that might be good enough for what the boy needed.

"Where is your house?" Aurelius asked, eyes glewed to the floor as he searched, trying to make polite conversation as they wandered around. He made sure to keep the feline in his sights so as not to loose him.

[Tigeress]

"Mmmm I don't know, I haven't met many people actually. Almost none my age." When he stopped to think of it, it was a bit weird that the only hours he was allowed outside at, were hours where there were very little children. Wasn't that dangerous? He hadn't realized it until now. It was almost as if everyone was conspiring against his social cravings, was it bad that he liked to be around people? He knew his mother was in the courts, and he wondered if maybe she was afraid he'd do something bad and hurt her reputation, so he wasn't allowed near anyone that could let him get into mischief? That was silly. He of all people had little interest in doing bad things. Bad things made his stomach uneasy.

"I suppose... my nanny says it's something to do with anxiety." He fiddled with the last word, trying to remember how it was pronounced. He actually forgot what it meant, not that it mattered, he knew how to avoid it and make it go away. And if doing what he loved was his only cure, well, it could be oh so much worse! Like having to take yucky medicines or somesuch, he was quite happy that his little disorder was so easily quieted.

"Thank you! You seem very nice as well." He felt a little bit of a blush at the emotional start being called a 'kid' gave him, which was weird, he always viewed himself as being painfully childlike, but a part of him wanted to pretend he was very mature and respectable, even at this age. Well, he would grow like everyone else, so why the hurry? He flashed a smile back in case Aurelius had picked up on his sudden mixed emotions, in hopes of reassuring the boy.

"My house is on the outskirts of town. It's not where I used to live, but my mother moved us out so her sister could have it to herself. My mom's name is Sekhmet, she spends most of her time at the courts. My aunt is Artemis, she spends a fair amount of time with us while my mom's away. I don't know if I really have a dad... What about you?" He liked talking about family stuff, even though he knew his situation was very unusual. Artemis always became awkward when he asked about particular things, mostly relating to his dad and the court.

[FlyingPanther]

"You have brothers and sisters thought don't you?" he asked, eyebrows raised in a rather shocked expression. He didn't know very many people his age? That seemed odd to him. Maybe it was because he had grown in a litter of 5, maybe it was because he had met so many people his age at the park, but it just seemed odd. Especially for such an eyecatching child! He should think children would be all over him! It didn't occur to him, that not so many families were quite like his. His family was strange for different reasons, but they had always been united as one, his siblings and his mother...and sometimes Igal.

He wasn't so sure why the young feline got so anxious about not getting his ideas down, "Well, maybe if you can't paint them right away, you could write them down? You could just stick a pencil between your paw fingers." he said, hoping to he a little helpful. There was no reason such a young boy should get that anxious. He should be running free with his brothers and sisters through the grass and such, like he used to do with his siblings. Even Irving liked to join in such activities, even though his back prevented him from doing much.

Aurelius had managed by now to find a couple of twigs he thought would be good enough for such a thing as Tristian had planned on making. All of them were in his mouth as he continued to search. It only impaired his speach slightly. The subject had soon turned to families, but Aurelius was slightly uncomfortible. His siblings he could talk about for hours...but the parental situation was much more...confusing and personal. "My mom is a Jack, though she isn't really part of the courts or anything, she spends most of her time taking care of me and my brothers and sisters, since there are so many of us. Five including myself. And..." he paused when it came to the subject of fathers.....well....the feline had been brave enough to say his piece....it was only fair that he relinquished the rather juicy stories himself, "It gets more complicated with my father. I know who he is...but...well...he never really meant to have children with my mother I don't think. There is an older man that lives with us now, Igal. He was my mother's childhood friend, and he is actually also a Jack...though hes not in the courts either. I think they are seeing eachother now...so I suppose he's my dad." the word dad cought in his throat a bit. It was all so confusing. Teenage hormones raged, and his love for others had grown in strange ways, Igal included...There was a part of him that was jealous, though he couldn't seem to quite understand it or why he felt that way about...well...essentially a father figure. It was all so confusing.