[html] Sterling and comatose, the moon hung in the sky for the duration of the day, watching as the sun rose but a few inches above the horizon before it plunged back hell-wards in a soft display of chalky crimson. Nestled amongst this twilight was the dull and handsome grey of Acheron Peak. The surrounding area was peculiar, being, in places, deeply frosty from the stabbing winter, but immediately melted, comfortably numb in the torrent of warmth from the modest volcano.
Having travelled here from the east most dregs of Concrete Jungle, a tall Spaher from Phoenix’s unit turned his grey-black eyes towards the volcanic peak. Indifferent was he towards the childish concept of climbing the mountain in order to spot churns and swirls of lava. Instead he sat with his back to a leaning elm tree, far away from Acheron’s bouquet of sulphur, drawing one knee up and letting the other long, jeans-clad leg be lapped at by the baying river. Tamerlane gazed into the water. His dramatic life as a traveller had been so demanding and sweeping that minor topics would go ignored, but in the more modest life of a Storm wolf, each thought was given quandary, and it was on such thoughts that he dwelled as he watched the river flow forever onwards.
[/html]
[html] 
Jasper had been in the lands of Bleeding Souls for a few months now and yet he still hadn't explored more than a few places. Often he could be found in the human city, scrounging through houses for things of interest and piling them into his little red wagon to drag back to Clouded Tears. Today hadn't been one of those days though. He'd left the pack lands without both his wagon and his rabbit, leaving the stuff creature nestled inside his tree house and the wagon hidden at the base of the tree. It was unlike him to leave the lands without at least one of them but he'd promised himself he'd stay away from the city for once, which meant he didn't need the wagon, and if he were going to be exploring other places then he certainly didn't want to risk and harm coming to the rabbit.
He'd been following the river for some time now, oblivious to the things that others might have considered beautiful. Jasper paid little attention to his surroundings, finding them rather bland to what he'd been used to in Europe. The bustling streets and the vendors that lined them, that had been his favorite. Now, though, it was completely rare to find a wolf that even lived in a house. He missed his old home. In his random swirling thoughts, Jasper hadn't even noticed the male until he was almost right on top of him. It was less than a foot away when he stopped, which he'd done so rather abruptly, and frowned at himself just a bit. "Sorry." He mumbled quietly. "I wasn't paying attention." |
[/html]
[html] More than peaceful was the delicate atmosphere, though simultaneously heavy as ever with an almost frantically-working sky. Having only slept for two and a half hours the night before, Tamerlane's head was nigh dead in the serenity, lethargy mounting, wakefulness waning...
Sorry, I wasn't paying attention. A creature had almost stumbled over him, and Tamerlane looked up. It was a dismal, apologetic teenager. The stranger was very slight, a supple, willowy and incredibly alluring blond that could very much be considered fey, and he appeared to be lacking in confidence -- but no wonder, considering his accidental abruptness. Tamerlane ran his dark eyes over the line of the boy's throat, and to his youthful eyes. It's fine, he replied. Are you in a hurry to get somewhere?
[/html]
[html]
The young blonde boy often lost himself when he was alone, paying very little attention to things and people around him. Then again, it wasn't often that Jasper was around anyone living that would really care to pay attention to him. He supposed that was why he and Rusalki got along so well, no one else could see him. Over the short time that he'd been standing there his ears had begun to fall, drooping to the sides of his head. Two toned eyes made a quick pass over the form of the other male, just once, before they finally came to a stop on the flowing river.
"Not really." He admitted quietly, giving a faint shrug of his shoulders. "Just walkin'." There wasn't really much else to do. He'd taken on an onslaught of joiners back at Clouded Tears, finished building his tree house, filled it up, and now there was little else left to do. "You didn't come from around here, did you?" He asked then, rather abruptly, having immediately taken notice to the fact that he was wearing clothing. They wore it all the time back in Europe, big gaudy pieces that always made Jasper laugh. |
[/html]
[html] Just walking? To where? And why? Tamerlane was hardly a curious little child, but he was still an inquisitive sort -- and with dignity. So many individuals he had met were too haughty and proud to admit to being interested in other people's lives, or were too damn arrogant to express any kind of genuine enthusiasm; or perhaps they frankly were self-centered creeps. There were millions of them, infesting the continent in a variety of different egocentric species. You didn't come from around here, did you? came the soft, child-like voice of the glum stranger. That's right, replied Tamerlane in his considerably deeper tones; what gave me away?
[/html]
[html]
Jasper was one of the types to never really care about what was going on in other people's lives. Of course, that could be attributed to the fact that no one had ever really bothered to try and find out about his. Even Rusalki hadn't given him all the information about his life, only that he'd died some years before, tied down and burned because the locals thought he was some sort of dark magician. "Your clothes." He responded calmly, pointing out the jeans that the older male was wearing. "Really haven't seen anyone besides my dad wearing clothes around here." Usually just jeans, but clothes none-the-less. "When we lived in Europe just about everyone wore them. Big ugly things, really." Gods, how he had enjoyed laughing at how silly some of them looked. |
[/html]
[html] Tamerlane looked calmly at the young stranger, not moving his eyes from him. Far from staring; simply maintaining eye-contact as thoughtful and poised people did. Ah, clothes. Yes, that made sense. The youth spoke a bit like he was reading aloud a diary; it was a curious way of talking, but certainly interesting enough. Calling me ugly, are you? he asked, his eyes so dark that any humour in them was invisible.
[/html]
[html]
There was no humor there, not that Jasper could see, and that fact threw him into a fit of panic. Corona had been the one to tell him that people here would kill and maim for no reason at all, which automatically meant they would do so for even a small reason. "Oh..oh no no no.." Jasper started in a stutter, waving his hands, palms facing the male, out in front of him back and forth. "I..I meant that your clothes are normal." He managed to get out, gulping back the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat. "They all wore big puffy clothes in really funny colors. Sorta like the plastic dolls in the city wear." He was both referring to the mannequins and the small, what had been called, Barbie Dolls. |
[/html]
[html] Tamerlane’s eyes twinkled slightly as he noticed the young one miss the humour and act like he had been rebuked. But far from filling Tamerlane with guilt that he had caused the young male to grow nervous and contrite, he found this delicate and remorseful posture somewhat alluring. Or powerful. Wishing to once more hear the pathetically uneasy voice of the fey youth, Tamerlane asked; in what part of Europe did you live?
[/html]
[html]
Jasper was very much the easily confused type, especially after his half sister had told him that he could be attacked without reason in this place. She made it seem like a common thing. The subject changed quickly and for a moment the blonde male wondered if the older male was just toying with him. "Uhh..I don't know really." He lifted one hand to scratch slowly at his ear. "I just sorta followed my family wherever they went, didn't really pay attention to where exactly it was." He was always just akin to calling it Europe, like most the rest of them did. "They all disappeared one day so I just got on a boat an' left." |
[/html]
[html] Not altogether inclined to sit here and listen to a rather reluctant talker, asking him questions just to keep the conversation going, Tamerlane didn't need to express his mild interest. The stranger was more than welcome to be on his way; the tall male was not giving off much suggestion that their words were somehow entwined and their meeting must go on. Nevertheless, he replied to the youth's lack of knowledge on the subject. Travelling is my life, I would find it difficult to ignore geography. But I imagine you would have been very young then, not likely to pick up on place names anyway. His dark eyes lingered on the boy's lithe form. Yes, the stranger would have been very young... indeed, he remained very young. Perhaps, then, it was inappropriate to find the creature so remarkably physically appealing. Though inappropriateness didn't denote inevitability.
[/html]
[html]
"All I really remember was a port." Jasper said suddenly. He was, unknowingly, becoming a bit more comfortable in the situation. Then again, thinking and talking about home often did that to him. He'd had Tegan there, Gin, and even his mother to some extent. Those were the good memories. With hardly any thought to it, Jasper suddenly seating himself a foot or so away, stretching long legs out in front of him. "Where all have you been?" He asked then, dark hair hanging in front of his eyes as he cocked his head to the side in curiosity. Poe had spoken of travel, she'd always been the adventurous type. Quite honestly, though, Jasper had taken an adventure from home to this place and he really didn't see what was all so grand about it. |
[/html]
[html] | Tamerlane's honest and simple maintaining of calm eye-contact with the boy could be seen as slightly ominous. As if, perhaps, he was searching for something in the stranger; sizing him up, maybe? There was not much to size up. Merely admiring him? Yes, but it was not as straightforward and self-indulgently flattering as that. The young man seemed to settle into the meeting, for whatever reason, seating himself with what looked like a newfound confidence. Most places, Tamerlane answered the question. Though nowhere I care to talk about – I could never be a storyteller, it has never been my forte. My interest at the moment is with the limited but fascinating lands of Bleeding Souls... have you seen much of it? |
[/html]
[html]
He was almost awkward in the way that he moved and sat, legs turned inward so that his toes pointed at each other, arms shuffled backwards to hold his weight so that he could lean back. A growing male that was still getting used to his larger body. Jasper didn't realize this though, much like he never quite noticed his withdrawn nature. "Clouded Tears, the city, and right outside of Inferni, but that's about all." He'd never been one for exploring or anything of that nature ao he really had no idea about anything else in the lands. "Heard there is a subway and a prison though, never been there." |
[/html]
[html] | He continued to watch the youth's pale eyes, and noticed that when the stranger looked at him, the younger wolf seemed to think absolutely... nothing. Nope, no thoughts at all. Just probably "what shall I say next?" Tamerlane, in comparison, was a prince of selflessness. Anyway, apart from the obvious attraction of a pretty boy over which to run his eyes, this meeting was by now more than tedious. Tell me, murmured the Spaher, is this an interview? If it is, you should know that I wasn't aware of it and, as such, have forgotten to write any of it down for whatever newspaper you hope will publish it. |
[/html]
|
