Bisexual
𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒
Good to be back
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Post by 𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒 on Dec 6, 2018 1:00:43 GMT -5
(I'm gonna go ahead and toss Luke back home since it's been a while since lily replied.)
Luke slipped in the back door with Autumn, setting his bags on the kitchen table. "I'm back with goodies!" he called to whoever was listening. He considered unpacking them now, but it was already fairly late at night, and he kinda just wanted to go to bed. He poked his head into the main room, where Mira, Kellen, and Nova were all sitting. "Anything happen while I was gone?"
Mira offered her brother a closed-lip smile, shaking her head. "No, nothing at all," she replied, running both hands along the thighs of her pants. "You look tired, Luke. You should get some rest."
Luke frowned, looking a little confused. "Uh, yeah, that was the plan," he replied, though his words were unsure. He shot Kellen a questioning glance, though he didn't bring it up in words. "Anyway, Autumn and I brought home a pretty big stash. It should last us for a while. I put the bags in the kitchen if you feel like unpacking, but there's nothing perishable. I figured we could all unpack tomorrow."
Mira nodded. "Okay, that sounds good. I'm gonna sit outside for a bit, I think. There's some things I want to think about." That said, she walked past Luke and out the open back door, closing it quietly behind her.
"Huh, well that was weird," Luke murmured, turning to talk to the other two people in the room. "What's up with her?"
Sunny fidgeted with the edge of her dress, somewhat uncomfortable in this position. She hadn't been outside the School for long, and the thought of adventure and new places was still a pretty scary thing for her. Sure, a trip had sounded fun in the moment, but now that she stopped to think about it, it felt a little overwhelming. "What's traveling like?" she asked instead, hoping to divert the subject a bit. "I've, um, never been on a trip before." Her voice softened at this.
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 6, 2018 1:10:15 GMT -5
Seeing Luke's questions written all over his face, Kellen simply shook his head in a "I'll talk to you about this later" kind of way. Watching Mira leave, Kellen felt guilty that he had put her in such an awkward position, and was tempted to go after her, but he didn't want to make things worse. With a defeated sigh, he walked over to where Luke had left all the bags. "I'll help you unpack." He said simply, and he began taking the various items out of the bags. He figured he'd let Nova explain what had happened.
Plopping down on her small bed, Alyssa pushed her hair out of her face. "It's wonderful. You get to take a break from all your responsibilities and get to experience culture and new things! New food, new people, new music, new everything. I know they are worried about the risks, but I think it's worth it," She said decidedly. In all honesty, the girl had never actually been on a vacation before, but when she had escaped the school, she had loved the exploring she had gotten to do before she found the Flock. Of course, she would never trade them for anything, but she did wish that they would do more than just hide away their whole lives.
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Bisexual
𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒
Good to be back
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Post by 𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒 on Dec 6, 2018 1:36:22 GMT -5
Luke just waved it off, grabbing a single bag from off the edge of the table. "Nah, don't worry about it. We can take care of it in the morning," he replied, stifling a yawn. "There's something else I wanna work on tonight, anyway. Wanna see?" He grinned at Kellen, heading for the bedroom that had been designated to the boys. It was a lot sparser than the girls' room, since the girls largely outnumbered the boys, but it was still packed full of personal objects. Four bunk beds sat against the open walls, with a window in between to let some light in. Luke plopped down on the floor beside his bunk, letting his jet-black wings fold against his back as he pulled out a ratty stuffed zebra from the bag.
Mira took a deep breath of the chilly night air, sitting down on the ground outside the cabin and drawing her knees up to her chest. The more she thought about a potential trip to Chicago, the more she really did want to go, but her survival instincts were telling her to hide and wait for the trouble to come to her first before she tried to seek it out. She groaned softly, resting her forehead against her knees for a bit of reprieve. If only Madeleine was here... she'd know what to do, she thought bitterly, as she had on several occassions since leaving the School.
Sunny smiled at the thought, humming. "That sounds nice," she replied, crossing her legs beneath her as she sat on her bottom bunk. Mira had the bunk above hers, though her space tended to be a bit more disorganized than Sunny's was. "I've never really been anywhere, except here, and there," she added. The word 'there' was spoken with a bitterness and reluctance that could only refer to one place, and it was one that many of the Flock members knew well. "I think it would be nice to explore somewhere else, for a change."
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 6, 2018 1:41:06 GMT -5
"Alright." He said, putting down the few things he had in his hands before curiously following Luke into their room. Taking a seat down on his bunk, Kellen watched skeptically as Luke pulled out the old stuffed toy. "Right...and what's the purpose of the zebra?" He asked, unsure what on earth Luke could be up to. "Please tell me you aren't getting nightmares, cause I gotta be honest with you. I don't think that's gonna help."
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Bisexual
𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒
Good to be back
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Post by 𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒 on Dec 6, 2018 1:59:01 GMT -5
Luke gave Kellen an unimpressed look, scowling slightly. "It's not for me, smart guy," he replied, reaching into the front pocket of a backpack laying on his bunk. "It's for Sunny. Autumn and I found it at a thrift store and I figured I'd fix it up for her. Zebra's are her favorite." He pulled a small sewing kit out of the pocket, cracking it open and removing a single needle and a spool of dingy white thread. The spool was half-empty, and it looked fairly old. It was something Luke held onto for occassions such as this. He set to work threading the needle and fixing up the stitching on the toy. "So, care to fill me in on what's got Mira all wound up this time?" he asked, not taking his eyes off his work. "It's not like it's rare to see her like that, but, well, usually it's me who does it."
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 7, 2018 16:51:53 GMT -5
"Good, you had me worried," He teased, before putting on a more serious face. "But that's real thoughtful of you. I know she'll appreciate that." Kellen said, before taking a deep breath to answer Luke's question about his sister. Leaning back against the wall, he began, "Well, Alyssa had us all playing some dumb truth or dare game. And, as these things typically go, we only got like three questions in before drama kicked in. I asked Mira where she would want to go if she could go anywhere, and she said Chicago. Then I made the mistake of saying we could try and make it happen and the younger kids got excited. Especially Alyssa. She is already packed and ready to go I think. But then Nova intervened and argued that it was a terrible idea and I think Mira got overwhelmed by all the opinions." Shaking his head, he added, "I shouldn't have brought it up. It was a dumb idea."
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Bisexual
𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒
Good to be back
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Post by 𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒 on Dec 7, 2018 17:15:08 GMT -5
Luke listened quietly as he worked on a spot on the zebra's back where the seam had split. He threaded the needle through the stuffed animal's fabric with deft fingers, obviously quite used to patching things. He nodded as Kellen finished his retelling. "Well, if that's all that happened, I wouldn't worry too much. Knowing her, she'll have it all figured out by morning," he said with a chuckle. "Still, this kind of stuff is easily overwhelming for her. It's out of her comfort zone, you know? She's not very good at relaxing and having fun." He shrugged. "When she gets overwhelmed, she isolates herself from the group and finds a place to think. She never goes very far, but, well, I never could figure out what to say to help her when that happens. It's one of the few things I don't really get about her. Maybe someday someone will figure it out."
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 7, 2018 23:15:46 GMT -5
Folding his arms across his chest, Kellen sighed, "Do you think I should go see how she's doing? I feel bad since this is kind of my fault." Maybe Mira needed to talk, or at least have some company while she tried to figure this all out. If she didn't want to talk about what had happened, he wouldn't pressure her, but he did feel an obligation to be there for her.
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Bisexual
𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒
Good to be back
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Post by 𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒 on Dec 7, 2018 23:42:51 GMT -5
Luke shrugged in response, grabbing a pair of cheap-looking scissors from the floor beside him to snip the thread he was working with. "I dunno, that's up to you. Like I said, I'm not so good with handling her when she's in this kind of mood, but maybe you'll be able to get through to her." He lifted his gaze to meet Kellen's for the first time since he'd started working on the stuffed zebra, smiling slightly. "She really trusts you, you know. I mean, she trusts all of us, of course, but there's certain people that she just gravitates towards more than others. People like me and Nova, who have been around longer than anyone else. You may not have been with the Flock as long as we have, but it's obvious that she values your opinions, probably more than she values mine." He rolled his eyes at this, as though just the thought of her stubbornness was annoying to him. "Anyway, like I said, it's up to you if you want to try talking to her."
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 7, 2018 23:49:00 GMT -5
Hearing Luke's words, the hint of a smile appeared on Kellen's face. "Thanks man, I'm glad to hear that. I think I'm gonna go find her," he said, standing up. He paused before leaving the room, "Good luck with the zebra. Sunny's gonna love it." Slipping out the backdoor to avoid getting stuck talking to anyone, Kellen let his large wings unfurl and he got a running start before leaping into the air and letting his wings do the rest. He flew just below the treetops, safely out of sight from anyone who might be flying overhead, towards the place he thought Mira might be. It took a few minutes, but he finally spotted her. He gently landed behind her and folded his wings back into his back. "Hey, I'm sorry about all that back there. How are you feeling?"
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Bisexual
𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒
Good to be back
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Post by 𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒 on Dec 8, 2018 0:02:03 GMT -5
Luke simply chuckled as Kellen left the room, returning to his work on the zebra for the time being. Glancing out the window, he saw that it was already past dark, and he hummed, figuring it would be time for bed soon. Even if Kellen couldn't get through to Mira, she'd at least be coming home to go to sleep. Even she wouldn't stay out all night, she was far too responsible for that.
Mira looked up as Kellen dropped down beside the tree she was leaning against. "Ah, hey, Kellen. I'm alright," she replied, voice uncharacteristically soft and weary. She had both her knees drawn up to her chest in an almost self-protective position, her wings firmly tucked against her back. "I just... needed a little space. No big deal. It's pretty crowded in the cabin, you know?" She was attempting to deflect whatever concerns he might have, instinctively not wanting to draw attention to herself. "You didn't have to come all the way out here, you know. I was just thinking I might head back soon, since the sun's gone down and everything."
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 8, 2018 0:14:17 GMT -5
Taking a seat down next to her, Kellen let his shoulder brush hers, "Yeah I get that. Sometimes I need some alone time too. I just...I just wanted to apologize. I'm supposed to be supporting you, not putting you in awkward positions." He paused for a moment as he tried to think of the right things to say. "If you need me to, I can be the one to tell them the news. I'm the one who brought up the idea of this stupid trip, I can be the one to tell them it's not happening." When she said he didn't have to come all the way out here, he put an arm around her. He wasn't trying to make a move on her or anything. He was just trying to be there for her. To protect her, even if she didn't need protecting. "I know. But sometimes it's good to know we have someone looking out for us. And I want you to know that I'll always have your back," he said, drawing her close to him. It was getting dark and the temperature had dropped dramatically; he didn't want her getting cold.
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Bisexual
𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒
Good to be back
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Post by 𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒 on Dec 8, 2018 0:36:35 GMT -5
Mira tensed instinctively at the contact, somewhat surprised. Physical contact had never been easy for her, even after nearly six years away from the School, and most of the Flock knew that. With the exception of Nova, Luke, and occassionally Sunny, she tended to shy away from it, similarly to how she was now. After a moment, however, she let herself relax. It was odd, being in this position. She felt vulnerable, a feeling she wasn't typically fond of, but she couldn't bring herself to deny the contact. "Thanks," she replied softly, a small smile on her face now. "It's... not your fault that this happened, it's no one's fault. I guess all the excitement just got to my head." She sighed, disappointed in her own inability to hold up under the pressure of making this decision. She fell silent for a moment, swallowing thickly. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier. About being free. For years, I've told myself that it's alright if we're stuck here, because it's better than where we were before. That it didn't matter if we had to hide if it meant we never had to go back. But we're people, too, and I can see that not everyone can live their whole lives like that. I'e been thinking about it, and I think it is possible for us to get out, to go somewhere new. What's the point of living in this world if we don't experience it, right? At least, that's how Alyssa must feel."
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 8, 2018 0:47:23 GMT -5
Kellen listened to her talk, and for a moment, he didn't say anything. Finally, he broke the silence, "Maybe...we could start small. Go on a trip somewhere relatively unpopulated. Give everyone a chance to adjust and practice being in public. Then maybe one day we could build up to going to a place like Chicago," he said softly, looking out at the dark forest, admiring the dark silhouettes of the trees against the navy sky.
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 8, 2018 1:05:15 GMT -5
"Sounds good to me. Maybe we could look at a map or something to see what possible cities there are nearby? I bet we could find one that checks off all our boxes. Or if you want to just take care of that I can let you be," he added, not wanting to seem overbearing.
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 8, 2018 1:45:33 GMT -5
"Well, we can add some place with a theater for her to our list of things our trip needs to include. I think that would satiate her for now." He said with a chuckle. He and Alyssa had come from the same School a little under a year ago, so he was familiar with the dramatic girl and her dreams. She definitely was a unique girl, even if she could be a lot to handle sometimes. But he thought that her energy brought an important aspect to the Flock that could be what they needed to push them out of their comfort zone. "You're right, we should be getting back," He added, pushing himself off the ground before extending a hand out to help Mira up.
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 8, 2018 14:40:03 GMT -5
Kellen followed suit, unfurling his own large brown and white wings, relishing in the feeling of having them fully extended. "Yeah, I'm sure the library has one we can use," He replied, trying to remember the last time he was there. He enjoyed reading, but he had his own small collection of books he had...well, stolen from various libraries. Typically he didn't return to the same one twice. The first and last time he had been to the Westwood library was right around the time he had first arrived here. He had gone into town on his own and snuck away with Frankenstein and Fahrenheit 451 in his jacket. He sometimes felt sorry, but he couldn't risk making a library card, plus he didn't have the identification required to even qualify for one. So he stole books. There were worse things he could do.
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 8, 2018 18:52:59 GMT -5
(Do we wanna skip to the next day so they can go into town to find a computer?)
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Bisexual
𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒
Good to be back
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Post by 𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒 on Dec 8, 2018 19:01:12 GMT -5
(Oh yeah we can skip, that should be fine!)
Luke woke up fairly early the next morning, stifling a yawn as he shuffled out of the bedroom in his pajamas to unpack the groceries from the previous day. His flannel pajama pants were just a bit too long, catching under his feet when he walked, though he didn't seem to notice, and his wings poked out of ratty slits he'd cut into the back of his tee-shirt with a pair of scissors.
Mira was already up when Luke left the bedroom, perched on the couch with her head leaning against the armrest and her bare feet propped up on the opposite end. She had a book balanced on her stomach in front of her, which she was perusing rather lazily as she fought to kill some time. She glanced up as Luke left the bedroom, but didn't say anything, knowing he was pretty out of it in the morning until he'd gotten going a bit.
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Post by 𝐸𝓁𝑜𝓆𝓊𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒟𝓇𝑒𝒶𝓂𝑒𝓇 on Dec 8, 2018 19:07:54 GMT -5
Usually one to sleep in, the sun had been up for a few hours by the time Kellen had awoken--his kitten, Harley (whom he had found about a month ago alone in the woods), served as a great alarm clock. She woke him up every morning when she was hungry by laying on his chest and flicking her fluffy tail across his face. "I'm up, I'm up," he mumbled. He had fallen asleep reading one of his stolen books last night, and he had no idea what time it was. Grabbing his small calico with one hand, he slid out of bed and noticed that Luke was already awake and somewhere other than here. Running his free hand through his messy hair, Kellen walked into the kitchen. Seeing that Luke was unpacking, he asked, "You got some more cat food right? Cause if you didn't, I think Harley's gonna throw a fit."
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Bisexual
𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒
Good to be back
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Post by 𝕃𝕪𝕤𝕤𝕒 on Dec 8, 2018 19:15:20 GMT -5
Luke flashed Kellen a sleepy, lopsided grin, reaching into one of the bags and pulling out a cannister of dry cat food. "'Course I did, how could I forget about Harley?" he replied, setting the bag aside and unloading various boxes and cans of food into the barren-looking cupboards until they were fully stocked. "I even managed to snag a few cans of the fancy wet stuff. You know, like as a treat," he added, setting those aside as well. He ran a hand through his hair, which was starting to get rather long, strands in the back brushing against his shoulders. He'd have to start borrowing Mira's hair ties again if he wanted to keep it out of his face. "I'm gonna go find Nova for breakfast now that everyone's starting to wake up," he added, heading for the door. He could faintly hear her singing from here, so he figured it would be easy enough to find her.
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