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Post by Coraline on Sept 15, 2010 12:47:55 GMT -6
Hermes...
sat.
He didn't normally do that, he normally perched when he was in the park, but he was sitting on a bench and picking at the feathers on his legs. He was bored when he had nothing to do, no work to be done. His stomach growled, but there wasn't exactly a place nearby where he could get something to eat.
The city was strange to him still.
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Post by Bryce Langley on Sept 15, 2010 13:07:06 GMT -6
Even though he knew it was for his own good, to keep from getting attacked or hurt by someone wanting to shut up the lone witness, he was suffocating in that little room. He was so tired of being cooped up in that tiny apartment, just him and the three guards that didn't particularly care to even really acknowledge his existence outside their job. It was probably a stupid idea, no, it was definitely a stupid idea, but he just couldn't take it anymore. So, when the guards changed watch, Aiden slipped out the window onto the fire escape. It was kind of hard to maneuver, but he managed without too much trouble. A moment to make sure he'd be able to get back up alright, and the former-marksman flipped up the collar on his trenchcoat, hands in his pockets as he went out to wander through the evening silence. God, it felt nice just to be out! He inhaled a deep breath, relishing the cool fresh air. It was lucky there weren't many people out, he was able to just keep to the shadows to hide his abnormality, no one to bump into him or ask questions when they happened to glance down and notice he didn't have legs. A good five or so blocks later, the naga noticed a flash of green between two buildings, and went to investigate. "A park?"
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Post by Coraline on Sept 15, 2010 13:26:13 GMT -6
The bird stared at the sparrow that had perched on the bench. It cheeped at him, and he tried to respond, but no sound came from his mouth. He sighed, watching the little creature fly away. Damn. Damn damn damn. The sparrow probably thought he was being rude. Hermes folded his arms, pouting for no real reason.
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Post by Bryce Langley on Sept 15, 2010 13:53:06 GMT -6
Trees. God, he hadn't seen trees in... A long, long time. He found he couldn't move fast enough, almost falling on his face, and gave a happy sigh at feeling the tiny blades of grass cool against his scales, completely ignoring the stone-paved paths in favor of moving through the grass. It was quite a nice park, well tended and cared for, though it had started to go a bit wild in places. Probably an older caretaker then... Aiden was quite content to wander, enjoying the natural silence of rustling plant life and animals getting ready for bed. So absorbed in his exploration, he almost missed the boy, a frail-looking little thing seated alone on the park bench. Were it not for his heat vision, he probably wouldn't have seen the youth at all. Startled, and abruptly recalling the reason he had bodyguards in the first place, the hybrid quickly ducked out of sight behind a broad-leaf maple, praying the boy hadn't seen him. Then, he heard a sharp rattling sound, and glanced around frantically, seeking out the source, before realizing it was his own tail. Tucking the vibrating rattle underneath the rest of his coiled tail, Aiden huddled down low to the ground, hoping the youth hadn't heard.
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Post by Coraline on Sept 15, 2010 13:59:41 GMT -6
But the little bird had heard him, and he instinctively shot into the air, perching on a lamp post and looking around for the source of the rattle, thinking there was a basilisk or a hydra around to try to eat him. He trembled, looking around with a silent whimper, one or two feathers drifting to the ground.
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Post by Bryce Langley on Sept 15, 2010 14:41:59 GMT -6
Aiden heard a fluttering sound, and cringed as his snake instincts just about screamed danger. He did his best to stay still and quiet, but couldn't stop the frightened vibrating of his tail rattle, even though he was practically sitting on it. Struggling to calm himself, he chanced a glance over to the bench, and just about jumped out of his skin when he found the boy was no longer there. Aiden cast about frantically, afraid the youth had seen him. Oh God, what if he called the cops or something?! He had to run. Get back to the apartment. Safety. Swallowing a frightened whimper, he backed away from the tree, yellow eyes casting about the shadows. Something white caught the corner of his eye and he jerked away with a startled yelp, losing his balance and crashing to the ground with a thump. A soft cough, and he pushed himself up onto his elbows, spitting out a few stray blades of grass.
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Post by Coraline on Sept 15, 2010 14:51:47 GMT -6
Snake thing?
Hermes fluffed his wings once, looking at the creature. Well, it looked like he wasn't being attacked... He flew back over to the bench, perching on it, staring at the naga with wide eyes. The rattle terrified him, but the creature didn't seem to want to eat him...
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Post by Bryce Langley on Sept 15, 2010 15:04:11 GMT -6
Hearing that fluttering again, the hybrid didn't think, moving quickly to the nearest cover he could find, not even bothering to pull himself. Curled up under the domed branches of a Chinese maple, the once-sniper fought to get his instincts under control, forcing himself to take deep breaths to calm his frazzled nerves as he peeked out from under the tree's shelter. And blinked, wide-eyed at the sight of that boy, the same one he was sure of it, but... Wings?
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Post by Coraline on Sept 15, 2010 15:12:50 GMT -6
Hermes wished he could speak. He couldn't motion to the creature that he was no threat. He was nothing if not the most useless creature in the city...
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Post by Bryce Langley on Sept 15, 2010 15:52:47 GMT -6
For a long moment, Aiden could only stare, not sure what to make of the frail-looking boy with wings on his feet. Well, the kid wasn't attacking him at least. If anything the boy looked just as scared and unsure as he was himself. A moment's thought, and the naga inhaled a deep breath, swallowing his nerves as best he could before slowly sitting up, parting the hanging branches with a clawed hand as he moved a little forward. "Uh, 'ello..." A shy wave, his rattle still buzzing faintly.
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Post by Coraline on Sept 15, 2010 15:56:40 GMT -6
Hermes fluffed up, biting his thumb. Well, that was friendly enough. His face flushed a little, and he waved shyly. He couldn't speak, couldn't tell him that he was uneasy. But he couldn't. He smiled faintly.
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Post by Bryce Langley on Sept 15, 2010 16:14:47 GMT -6
Well, that was certainly encouraging. The former-sharpshooter managed a small smile of his own, before remembering his sharp teeth and quickly pressing his lips closed, hoping he hadn't scared the winged boy. It was sometimes hard to remember the full extent of his physical oddities, especially the subtler ones like his fangs and slitted pupils. He couldn't see them himself without a mirror, and tended to forget about them when not paying attention. The buzzing rattle gave a last few feeble shakes, finally quieting fully as Aiden calmed down from his near-panic, lifting himself fully upright as he slithered out of the maple's shelter. "I, uh, 'm sorry i-if I startled ya, didn' mean t'intrude 'r anythin'..." He rubbed awkwardly at his elbow, scales scrapping softly against the tough black canvas of his coat.
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Post by Bruce Hollister on Sept 15, 2010 21:33:47 GMT -6
(I keep thinking this says Songs of the Volcanoes.
...that's all I have to contribute.)
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Post by Coraline on Sept 15, 2010 23:25:12 GMT -6
(haha, oh Brucey)
Hermes waved his hands, trying to say that it was alright. He hadn't been doing anything important, just preening here and there. He seemed to be calming down a little. He motioned to his mouth, then his throat, trying to convey that he couldn't speak, but he understood everything the naga had said.
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Post by Bryce Langley on Sept 16, 2010 13:09:01 GMT -6
It was getting a bit hard to see the boy, between the twilight fading and the lamp not coming on and the lack of distance on his own infrared sight, so he vaguely registered the motions but couldn't quite discern what the kid was pointing at. Shaking his head, Aiden moved a little closer, going off to one side so the diminishing sunlight wouldn't completely darken the winged child's features. "I, uh, I didn' catch that, sorry. Ah, can't you talk?" Gahd, it was so weird seeing both heat and light, the two just did not mesh well. Made his head hurt, especially with the dwindling light causing his infrared vision to try and take dominance. A frustrated groan, the naga rubbing at his eyes and the heat sensors on either side of his nose.
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