[Fini] Far From Home [Xenon]

[Vyn]

How nicely things had gone! Poe kept finding more and more reasons to be glad to have come all this way to thank the woman who had turned her life around. Xiven really was wonderful for all that she had done and was even kind to her now, after all these years!

Leaving the Queen's room, Poe walked down the hallway to the garden and found herself singing an old Tulgey lullaby softly to herself. The melody wasn't what one might typically consider lovely, but with a bit of diamond charm the tune had a sort of haunting draw to it. It wasn't long before Poe slipped into the gardens, still singing to herself, and wandered through the maze of roses in search of Apocalypse.

It didn't take very long for Poe to locate the snoozing King and she paused in her singing briefly to giggle at the sight of him looking so comfortable in the sun. Apocalypse... "Your Highness?" She chirped curiously, wondering how deeply asleep he might be. If he was out too deeply she didn't really want to bother him...

[carcinoGeneticist]

Though he was very much asleep - the way his jaw was slack, lips pulled back from his teeth, a speck of spit on his lip made sure that anyone who looked at him would be sure of that - the soft melody still made its way into his mind, giving his dreams a rather strange color. His mouth closed and he licked his lips, brows furrowing. Then, when he was addressed directly, his eyes slowly slid open.

Ah, it was the lovely little bird. She had come to find him. "Hey, pretty," he said softly, almost playfully. He stretched out all his limbs rather extravagantly, letting out a happy little sigh as they went slack again. Sleep left him with such a heavy feeling in his arms and legs, a fuzz in his mind, but overall, it was a lovely kind of feeling. He blinked a few more times and then rolled onto his side, propping himself up with an arm so he could get a better look at the bird. She seemed to be in a rather good mood. "How did your meeting go?"

Was he really all that interested? If it would tell him more about why it was that she'd come all this way to meet with his Queen, he was, he found. He sat up the rest of the way, slowly moving towards assuming a fully upright position.

"...I was having the strangest dream," he said after a moment, blinking as he stared out, eyes not really focusing on anything. Then he shook his head, a small smirk curling across his face. "...Ah, but that's not important. Tell me, what would you like to see of the Palace?"

[Vyn]

Apocalypse was very much not as threatening as his name sounded while he slept. In fact, Poe had to admit, he was terribly cute all relaxed. And then those strange eyes opened, locking on her as he woke.

Oh!

Poe blushed, ducking her head. Were her wings free she would've most likely hidden her face in her embarrassment. No one had ever greeted her like that. The little finch slowly managed to meet his eyes once more, smiling gently. "You flatter me," she murmured lightly, before refocusing on what he'd asked. "The meeting went wonderfully. I've been longing to come and thank Her Majesty personally for too long. She all but saved my life when I was younger." Poe beamed at this, returning to her joy of having spoken to Xiven again. She hadn't always been so thankful, but she knew better now.

As he slowly found his feet again, Poe inclined her head to watch him. Dream? "Dreams can be very important," Poe commented absently, "they're the desires of the subconscious forming an outlet to the conscious brain.... but oh, of the palace? I don't really know... I've never been to a Court before, and so I don't really know what I should be looking for. I'm happy just to walk and talk, so anywhere would be lovely so long as I can take in the sights."

[carcinoGeneticist]

That was quite the lovely reaction, wasn't it? Apocalypse's smile widened into something almost lazy, his eyes still half-lidded with sleep, as he regarded her curiously. Could it be, perhaps, that he'd overstepped some boundary and made her feel uncomfortable? Did he care if he did? After all, he was all too happy to test the limits of what a person could deal with, though with her thick feathers it was hard for him to seek out a blush. Birds were fascinating things, weren't they?

"Is it really flattery if the intent was simply to make a basic observation?" the man murmured thoughtfully, running a finger across his chin. Then he shrugged it off with a rakish tilt of his head, running a hand across his hair to brush it away from his face. When he glanced up at her, his orange eyes were bright and playful. If he'd had a Diamond charm, it would have been fully activated by this point. "Ah... Forgive me. Sometimes my tongue gets the best of me."

Another wide yawn was given, and then the last of the waking-up process had occurred. Or so the man though, but then he belatedly remembered the pants. Those pale cheeks of his alit with a furious blush as he hurriedly put his clothing back in order, looking sheepish and then clearing his throat.

"...She saved your life?" It seemed there was a lot about Xiven the man didn't know, and this was a rather fascinating turn. It didn't really come as a surprise, but it was still quite the interesting thing to hear. "Please, tell me more. I'll take you through the gardens, and after that, we can see what grabs our attention, hmm?" So saying, he'd begin to walk, wandering through the familiar paths at a slow, easy pace, giving the small bird time to keep up. Such an interesting gait, she had. He really wasn't familiar with avians, was he?

His mind was still somewhat fixated on the idea of dreams. "I suppose that makes sense... What does it say about me that I was dreaming about you? Probably just that my mind was fixated on the idea that I would be giving you a tour, but still." he shrugged absently. The fact that he had a song stuck in his head that he'd never heard before was far stranger, but he wasn't going to say anything about that.

[Vyn]

It wasn't that he'd overstepped any boundaries, not at all, it was simply a case of inexperience. No one ever flirted with her or, if they did, she must have been too intoxicated to notice. It was only recently that she'd cut back, and she still spent most evenings lazing in the dens. The light mixture of laudanum in her tea earlier in the afternoon had only assured that she wouldn't be terribly nervous when she arrived.

It did the trick, that was certain, but it left her open to Apocalypse's flattery. How could she not blush when he said things like that? "You've got a way with words about your, Apocalypse." The finch liked that, and it was obvious in her tone. Words were important, they meant everything.

When he fumbled over his pants, Poe found herself giggling slightly. He was terribly adorable when he blushed like that and it was such a contrast to that dangerous charm from mere moments before that she could not help but find it endearing.

"Oh, yes... I..." Poe hesitated and then nodded, following Apocalypse as he started to walk. "Well, you see, when I was younger she changed my binding. It was a cruel one: these hooks were slipped in under the major arteries in my neck and then were connected by a wire to the bangles on my ankles. It was excruciating. If I moved wrong or twisted or... just anything really. And, if I accidentally tore one out? That would be the end of me, just like that. But Her Majesty Xiven came into my coffee shop one day and it just changed everything. I was horrified at first, that she would change something such as my binding but when I came to accept it I realized how much of a blessing it was. I still sacrifice for my curse, but I don't live in fear anymore." When the finch silenced, she was blushing under her feathers.

As for the dream, Poe nodded casually though she was flattered to hear she'd been a part of his dream. "I imagine that's what it would be. I'm happy to have made an impact." The finch smiled up at the human King.

[carcinoGeneticist]

Another shrug, a casual acceptance of the pretty bird's words. Apocalypse knew he had some skill with language, though he wasn't sure why that could meld so quickly into people being pissed off and calling him "asshole". He could only assume a grasp on words meant he could also use them as rather effective weapons, given half a chance. "You're too kind," was his soft response, that kindness reflected in the glance he gave her. Such a sweet little creature, and so innocent. It made some part of him feel almost guilty, but he was actually enjoying the outing so far beyond just the thought of what could potentially happen at the end of it.

Truth be told, the finch had a way with words as well, but it was different than his cunning turn of phrase. In this case, at least, the man spoke as he did to try and get at something - someone's attention, in most cases, sometimes their affection. Words were the fastest way into a woman's bed, be they soft or witty.

Poe, however, had music in her spoken words, and Apocalypse found it hard to focus on the meaning of what she was saying as she told her story, his attention instead locked on the sound of it.

When the meaning did sink in fully however, he stared at her, his eyes going round. She had been bound... how?

"F-Forgive my reaction," he said, catching himself and placing his fingers against his brow, eyes closing. "I just... In all my life, I never imagined bindings like that. I suppose I owe Xiven my thanks as well, that I can have this lovely walk with you today and not be afraid of what could happen should you trip." The man winced. All this chivalry was hard, but it was a bit of a worry. He realized, belatedly perhaps, that he'd lead her to the lake, and he paused.

"This is the lake." Then he coughed, grinning almost playfully. "...Clearly. I spend a lot of time here. It's a good place to sit and talk, or go for a swim on a hot day."

It was also a place he had a habit of screwing women at, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He just smiled at her, eyes bright.

[Vyn]

Poe smiled very gently, lowering her head as his eyes widened. That was usually the reaction non-Torques had when they heard of her unfortunate binding. Even some natives to Torquehelm had reacted poorly to the sight of the old bindings, but most just nodded it off. That was the way things were, suffering was just the way life was meant to be.

Most of the time, Poe agreed. So many things had come together in her life to help her realize that life was more than suffering, but she could not fully deny her heritage and the curse involved.

"There's nothing to forgive," Poe dismissed kindly and widened her smile so that it'd be a bit more obvious against the curve of her beak. "I was far from alone in my bindings. I've seen some awful bindings and some that are, poetically tragic but also beautiful. My mother had one similar to mine as well, so I cannot fault her for the similarity between ours." Poe felt it must have been some sign of pride and love, but she'd never really had the time to ask.

A little blush rose up beneath her feathers as Pale deemed their walk 'lovely'. She knew she had been enjoying it, but she hadn't fully expected a human King of Hearts to enjoy spending time with someone life herself... such a no one in the world of the Courts. "I am constantly thankful for the things she's given me, this day among them. It's been so wonderful to meet you today, Apocalypse." Arriving at the lake, Poe's eyes sparkled at the sight of it. This was a lovely, discreet little place.

"I've always heard of the splendor that the Highlands has to offer and I see that the entire region simply speaks for itself. This place is quite lovely." Poe returned the smile, beaming cheerfully. "I'm not much of a swimmer," she giggle and ruffled her shackled feathers for emphasis, "but I still enjoy the shallows a great deal."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Certainly, torture had never been something to bother Apocalypse. He was more comfortable with the end of torture, on a personal level, but the time spent with Mephit down in the dungeons had given him quite the appreciation for pain and for fear. This went into an area that made the man feel distinctly uncomfortable, however. Children were to be treasured above all else in the Bog mindset (after all, who knew how long they'd manage to survive?), and so the idea of giving one's own child such a cruel binding twisted at his heart oddly.

"I suppose this is just my lack of experience showing," Apocalypse murmured softly, slipping his hands into his pockets for lack of anything better to do with them. Part of him wanted to reach out and run his hands across the bird's soft feathers, but something held him back. He had to be patient. "The only Torques I've met are related to Xiven, and her son Othello had the cruelest binding of them. From what I've heard, however, that was more a mistake on the part of the binder rather than a conscious decision."

The conversation was leading to something much more pleasant, he'd decided with a small smile aimed at the pretty little bird. "I'm very pleased to hear you say that," he said, closing his eyes and giving her a small nod of his head, a half-bow of sorts.

As the woman observed their surroundings, Apocalypse found his gaze was locked on her. The wonder on her face was plain to see, and he found he rather liked the way that she made no attempt to hide her appreciation of the beauty of the Highlands. "I've found I rather love it here. It's a good place to come with company or alone, it doesn't really matter." Her next comment made him incline his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "As I don't have anything to swim in," - He never did, but he wasn't going to say that now - "Would you care to join me for a splash?"

[Vyn]

"I suppose mother was just a bit overzealous as I was her only pure Torquehelm of the litter, she was kinder with my brothers." Poe wasn't entirely sure if this was because her mother loved her more or less, but she'd stopped worrying about that years ago. Life was what it was, hm? "That, however, is in the past. Thanks to Xiven, that is."

Poe paused to listen to Apocalypse's suggestion and, for a moment, found something in his arched brow that seemed almost suggestive... but perhaps she was merely reading too deeply into nothing. He was a very handsome King... Regardless, the water (and the company) was far too lovely to pass up.

With a soft chirp, Poe hopped to the edge of the water and daintily dipped a talon into the cool water. "The water feels great," she smiled back up at him, "I think a splash sounds wonderful."

[carcinoGeneticist]

Brothers? That was a word heavy with meaning in the man's mind, and he raised an eyebrow ever so slightly. Brothers usually made his life more difficult. Brothers came after him after their sisters learned that one night stands really meant that they would only last for one night and that he didn't make that much of an effort to learn their names in the first place. Brothers encouraged their hurt sisters to send him hateful letters and generally made him wish he'd never started drinking.

For whatever reason, however, the alarms in his head weren't ringing nearly as loudly as they'd done in the past in regards to this issue. He wasn't planning on screwing her, at least... Not now. Not yet. Maybe later, but now... He was enjoying actually getting to know the strange little Torque.

Besides, he could remember her name. Poe. Fitting, for something as poetically tragic as the girl seemed to be.

"May the past remain behind us, where it belongs," he replied in a perfect monotone, though if she met his eyes she'd clearly see his smile in the way they shone. It was hard for Apocalypse to match the dreamy quality of the bird's tone, especially not when the sun was shining and the water was so perfectly inviting. "And the present bring us enjoyment in the form of a lovely afternoon."

So saying, the man sat down on a nearby rock, pulling his boots off and wiggling his toes as he watched the bird. In a way, he was reminded of Xiven. This woman had less of the depression that he associated with most of her realm and more of an appreciation of natural beauty then he would have expected. It was rather... Nice, he decided, pulling off the other boot and then tossing them both to the side. If she met his eyes, he'd blush and then shrug, standing rather abruptly, looking across the peaceful water.

Then a joyful yell escaped him and he launched himself out over the lake, throwing his entire body into the water. So much for a simple splash.