[Fini] Far From Home [Xenon]

[Vyn]

It was amazing to think of how far she'd come.

Years ago she'd been sulking through Torquehelm, clinging to her opium to release her from the pain of everyday life, and out of nowhere Xiven had appeared and rescued her. It had taken time, lots of it, to adjust to the change and the surreal horror of it all but eventually acceptance came and, with it, the realization of what Xiven had given her.

A chance at life! The likelihood of her surviving to adulthood without encountering some sort of accident had been so slim, even she had known it, and Xiven had changed that.

She was still true to her region, to tradition, and she suffered as her kin were due but she could do so with her head up. Without fearing death around every corner. So, when she had heard that Xiven was now The Queen of Hearts she couldn't resist the calling any longer: Poe had to thank her. That decision had brought her farther from home than she'd ever been before. From Torquehelm to the Highlands was such an awesome change of scenery that she barely knew what to do with herself.

Especially once she actually reached the palace. She'd already arranged a meeting with The Queen and the guards let her in without fuss, but now she was wandering awkwardly through the garden toward her room and was starting to feel a little lost among the maze of roses. It was so magnificent and unlike anything she'd seen before but that didn't make being lost in them any less confusing.

Hopefully she'd run into someone that could help her.

[carcinoGeneticist]

On warm days, the garden was the best place to be. He could sprawl out in the grass beneath a tree or atop a rock, stretch out his limbs and rest until his head felt heavy with the heat and aftereffects of relaxation. Xiven had some guest or another scheduled for the day, someone who'd made the effort to get an actual appointment, and he didn't need to be present for it. So he figured he could spend some time enjoying the lovely weather.

He was currently rolling in a patch of rather sweet-smelling spices, fully aware that he shouldn't be doing it but not giving a damn. They smelled nice and tickled his back wonderfully, and when he stood, people complained less about the faint hint of Bog smell that clung to his hair. He made a mental note to himself to ask about the herbs, especially the sage-green one that he liked to rub up against with the small, almost needle-shaped leaves and woody branches. He liked the smell of that one best of all. He let out a happy sigh as he laid back in a patch of mint, closing his eyes and breathing it in.

Then he heard footsteps, and his eyes flew open.

Shit. In seconds flat, Apocalypse went from lounging in the sun, fly unzipped for comfort, to standing straight and tall, hair (mostly) in place and clothing readjusted. He saw purple and black through the trees and blinked. Xiven? No... This person was very much different, and Apocalypse crept forward slowly, wanting to get a better glance at the woman - bird - that was strolling through the gardens. She had a look on her face that implied interest, but also something else.

The pretty creature looked lost. Slowly, he stepped forward, into her field of view. "You look like you're in need of some help," he offered along with a bright smile. A flash of green caught his attention, and he pulled a leaf out of his hair, cheeks darkening slightly. Ehe. Oops.

[Vyn]

With a bit of time to spare, Poe told herself not to worry. She would find her way through the maze of roses and make it to the Queen's chambers without a problem, of course. This was a silly place to become inescapably lost. A shuffling just beyond a wall of roses caught the finch's attention briefly, causing her to slow and try to peer through the parted leaves and crimson flowers.

Nothing? And then the movement had shifted and... oh dear.

The human that was suddenly in front of her caused Poe to stop, eyes slightly wide with surprise. Surprising was a good word to describe him: surprisingly half dressed, surprisingly pale, surprisingly frightening with those predatory eyes and sharp-toothed smile, and surprisingly handsome on top of it all.

Poe blushed under her downy feathers, looking down and shuffling her foot. "Oh, yes... I... I am, actually... I was just looking for Her Majesty, Xiven's quarters? I have an appointment, but I think I've gotten a little out of my way here." Slowly she met his gaze, smiling shyly. "I'm Poe." Why were his teeth so sharp?

[carcinoGeneticist]

Hmm, perhaps his entrance had been a little too sudden? Apocalypse was in a terribly cheerful mood, and when that happened, his instincts tended to get the best of him. From sleeping in a sunbeam to rolling in aromatic grasses to stalking birds, the man was a feline, and he sometimes felt embarrassed at how much it showed through.

The girl was looking him over rather closely, and that caught the man's interest. He inclined his head to the side and blinked at her. Her blush went completely unnoticed, almost invisible beneath her dark-colored feathers. All he saw was her rather striking coloration, the Torque purple and black as appealing as it always was to Apocalypse's eyes, and the white-wing marking layered atop her actual wings was new.

It was beautiful, now that he considered it, and his eyes thoughtfully traveled back to her face as she began to speak. What a lovely voice she had, soft and lilting, almost musical. It took him a second to focus less on the sound and more on what she was actually saying, and when he did, his grin returned in full. This was Xiven's meeting? He wondered briefly why a Diamond would have business with a Heart Queen, but he decided he could find that out later. "I can take you there. I was actually headed in that direction myself." he offered, shifting and resting a hand against his hip. "I'm Apocalypse, one of Xiven's Kings. Here, let's walk. I trust your journey here was pleasant?"

[Vyn]

Poe watched the human with intrigue. She'd never really met a human like him. Had she really met any? Very few lingered in her coffee shops, though she had met a young human man in one of the opium dens but he was, oh... Esterberry that was it. He'd been brilliant and they'd talked for hours about philosophy and poetry.

But that was then and there, she was here now and this was a very different sort of human that was intriguing for many different reasons.

"O! Thank you very much!" Poe chirped happily, eager to see the Queen who had helped her so. She paused at his name before slowly starting to walk. Poe walked like you'd expect a grounded finch to move, a little hopping shuffle. She had learned a rather delicate way of walking due to all her years of being trapped by her binding for so long. This new one wasn't too different, it still prevented her form moving too fluidly but tripping wasn't so scary anymore. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My journey was wonderful... I've never left Torquehelm before and everything here is so rose red." She sighed, taking in a breath of roses before pausing to return to the thing that had originally caught her attention. "...Apocalypse, does your name have a story? It has a charmingly macabre feel to it."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Such a pretty little creature... And it seemed as though she had a fairly bright personality, at least for a Torque. One of the kitchen helpers was just damn depressing, muttering dry and half-felt thanks, nothing at all like the bright chirp the bird had given in response to his aid. That just made him more intrigued by the stranger. It was always upsetting when a beautiful person was ruined with a dull personality. "It's not a problem," he assured softly, eyes crinkling as his smile widened.

He gave her a small nod, glancing around the garden himself. It was beautiful, he knew well. It was the Court of Hearts, after all. "Excellent. I love it here, myself. I'd imagine it must be a little bit of a shock, but then... I've never been to Torquehelm, myself." he reached out, giving her a sly nod as he plucked a deeply crimson rose, holding it to his nose and breathing deeply. His eyes closed for a moment, and when they opened, they were locked on the bird.

That was a loaded question, though she'd have no idea of exactly how much. Apocalypse reached out, lightly tucking the flower between the feathers around where her ear would be, if she had one. His expression was soft.

"As much as it pains me to be a disappointment, I'm afraid there really isn't any interesting story behind it." Lie, lie, lie. But he didn't know this woman, didn't trust her, so she'd have to be happy with his fabricated past. "My mother was a Bog woman who didn't speak a lick of Common. She named me Apocalypse because she liked the sound of it. When she learned what it meant she was horrified, hence, my nickname - Pale."

He made a face, resting his hands on his hips as they came upon a door leading to the inside of the palace. "Her room is right down this hall." the pale man paused, giving her a very feline stare, his head inclined to the side. "...Unless you'd like me to lead you there directly?"

[Vyn]

Poe was, admittedly, a unique Torque.

She hadn't exactly been raised in a world of Torquehelm hopelessness with her upbringing in The Wood with Vren and her brothers, but she understood the humility of being a part of her region. It was a beautiful and tragic culture; if she was deigned to be cursed than so be it. None of that meant she had to whine ceaselessly or never smile, it only meant she was to suffer a little for her happiness.

Xiven had proved that when she'd saved her from her own perilous self. Poe suffered still, like all of her kin, but in a way that she could be thankful for.

The teaspoon of laudanum in her tea this afternoon had also done a great deal for her current mood. It was a lot easier to be cheerful when everything felt so light and easy. "The grandeur of this place is amazing, exactly what one would expect of The Court of Hearts, but it's nothing like home. There is a beautiful sort of poetic tragedy to my home that I'm entirely too drawn to."

The finch watched him with the rose, enjoying the way he so deeply savored it's fragrance. He was very intriguing, even if his name didn't have the story she expected. When the rose was woven into her feathers, Poe dipped her head in sweet embarrassment as she muttered a little thank you. She'd never gotten a rose before.

"Really? Well, thank you for sharing regardless... I still think it is a wonderful name... unless you would prefer me to call you Pale?" Despite the morbid sound of it, it also felt terribly fitting. Poe didn't mind calling him Apocalypse, for all that it meant such utter destruction. Pausing at the door, Poe hesitated as she regarded him. She wasn't quite ready to part, he seemed terribly fascinating. "Would you? I've been enjoying your company..." The finch froze all at once, suddenly realizing that she'd been speaking with a horrible sort of familiarity toward him all along. "Oh, I... Should I have been calling you Highness? I've been never been to a Court before, I didn't mean any disrespect."

What a great way to make a first impression...

[carcinoGeneticist]

Of course, there was no way for the man to be aware of the drugs coursing through the beautiful woman's system. He only saw her as oddly relaxed, calm considering the new place she'd been forced into. She struck him as innocent and sweet, perhaps a bit naiive, but the overall effect wasn't frustrating as he'd thought it would be. It just made him want to get to know her a little better, learn what made her tick.

Her way of speaking was almost equally interesting, and Apocalypse inclined his head to the side as he listened to her. Such flowery words! "Maybe someday you can show me?" Poetic tragedy was an interesting idea, and one the man thought he could get at least a small amount of amusement from. Hah. He'd probably get himself kicked out in a matter of minutes, but the finch didn't need to know that. "After your meeting, if you'd be interested, I'd be happy to give you a tour of the Palace."

A small, kind offer, but Apocalypse had an ulterior motive. He wanted to spend more time alone with the pretty creature, but he was surprised to find that it wasn't necessarily for sex (though that wasn't to say sex wasn't on his mind. It had very quickly turned into a sort of game for the man). She was just different from anyone the man had encountered in a long time, and it was fascinating.

Really, though, the man was just damnably bored, and the bird was the first interesting thing to come along all day. That she was adorable only helped things swing in her favor.

He gave her a casual shrug that betrayed none of what he was actually feeling, which was happy. A willingness to acknowledge his actual name? "I personally prefer Apocalypse, but I do understand it's quite the mouthful. Call me whatever you like, and that also refers to calling me Highness." he was in a good mood, which was probably in Poe's favor, since he could potentially have decided to take great insult to her not referring to him by Title. "Though I recommend that, in the future, you do keep rank in mind. Not all the nobles are as forgiving as I am." That statement made him grin, and he ambled down the hallway, finally pausing at a door. "I leave you here, I'm afraid, but... When everything is settled, I'll be back out in the roses. If you're interested."

[[Hope this is okay XD; ]]

[Vyn]

Poe's eyes sparkled a little at his offer or, rather, both of them. She'd never expected that such a high ranking noble would be so inviting and kind, especially with the outward appearance he had. "You're terribly kind to offer me a tour, thank you." Her feathers fluffed up beneath their chains and she smiled sweetly. "The least I can do, of course, is to return the favor if and when you ever come to Torquehelm. I'd be happy to give you directions to the coffee shop I work at." Naive was a terribly suiting description of the young finch, but of course Poe remained oblivious to that.

She blushed a little as Apocalypse spoke, lowering her head bashfully. He was kind for understanding but she still felt awfully foolish. "I'll be sure to remember that, Apocalypse..." Apocalypse had the potential to be a bit of an unnerving name and, indeed, it was a mouthful, but Poe found it pleasantly suiting and he said himself that her preferred it.

The walk to the door was all too short, and soon she was standing there at the door looking a little uncertain. "I... look forward to that. Thank you again, Your Highness Apocalypse." The finch bowed and turned back to the door, knocking with a talon.

[carcinoGeneticist]

A coffee shop? That made Apocalypse blink. Coffee wasn't exactly something he got his hands on every day, not with the court being as obsessed with tea as it seemed to be. The thought of sitting down to a hot cup was a rather lovely one, and the man decided that as soon as the bird was settled in doing whatever it was that she needed to do with Xiven, he'd be wandering over to the kitchens and bribing someone into making him a cup. "...I'd like that."

He would, too, that was the funny thing. The idea of a vacation was one that was rather lovely, especially with how busy things were on a day-to-day basis. Today was the first day in weeks when the man really felt like he had a chance to stretch his legs out. It was nice.

The other thing that was nice was the way she said farewell, with that adorable little bow, and a wide smile curled its way across the man's face. His Highness Apocalypse. It really did have a nice ring to it, didn't it? Especially when that sweet little voice was saying it. He inclined his head to the side, his eyes narrowing slightly as he did. "As do I," he replied, giving her a small nod that made his blond locks tumble into his eyes.

Then he was gone, slipping back into the gardens.

~~~

Ah~ The sun still felt good, and the flowers still smelled lovely. Apocalypse found himself entertaining thoughts of the girl who he'd just brought to the door. Feathers... That was a new thing, and he wondered if he could get away with touching them. A small grin found its way to his face. He knew he was a bad person for harboring such thoughts, but really - Apocalypse didn't care. His hands rested on his chest lightly, as he stretched his legs out, making himself more comfortable. With the heat on his body his eyelids felt.. heavy, and it wasn't long before they closed again.

His last thought, before falling asleep, was to undo his belt again.