Tricks are for kids [Closed]

[Haley]

It was early morning. Haley had spent a particularly restless night curled in a ball on the floor, her arms wrapped around Akuji. Sleep had not come easy to her; there was too much on her mind. Now she was up bright and early, traipsing through the gardens on a morning stroll, Akuji by her side. The Nimbus was dressed in a rather peculiar manner this morning. She had shed her normally drab black and white combo and had opted for more colorful attire. A dark gray and pink pleated plaid skirt graced her bottom, coming just to mid-thigh, leaving a bit of skin visible before the rest was covered by thigh-high gray socks and accompanying black combat boots. Her top was more like a pastel pink sports bra, covered by a partially zipped dark gray hoodie that was so big it covered her hands. She had the hood pulled up, displaying the large bunny ears attached that flopped up and down as she walked.

Despite her lack of sleep, Haley was in a relatively good mood. As she walked through the courtyard, a light skip to her step, Haley munched on an egg sandwich she had whipped up this morning. Akuji trotted beside her, his tail giving an occasional wag as she fed him a tidbit here and there. He had already had his morning breakfast – a slab from Sabrina’s Tavern, left over from Haley’s exploits there the night before. That place was becoming Haley’s favorite hang-out - it housed all the alcohol she could possibly want.

Haley was in the process of humming a soft tune, her fingers lightly toying with the switchblade that was attached to her hip when she spotted something. Curious, the female narrowed her eyes and cocked her head as she attempted to make it out. Was that a pixie? It couldn’t be. Haley had never seen one that small before. Taking a few steps forward, one delicate hand lifting to brush hair out of her face (which was, this morning, a brilliant blond with pink streaks, thanks to her glamour), Haley bent down slightly to get a better look before she spoke, ”Yo.”

[Verbyl]

[Haley]

There was a moment of silence following Verbyl’s words in which Haley scrutinized the tiny faerie with a curious gaze. Her green and gold flecked eyes narrowed slightly, her brow furrowing at his words, and for a moment it looked as if she was about to take him up on his offer to act as a punching bag. Instead she tilted her head, the rabbit ears attached to her hood flopping to one side as she observed him. Normally Haley would have been put off by the spider on his head – she abhorred insects – but she immediately recognized it as his mantel and thus roped back the urge to flick it from his head.

”I hate flowers.” She stated matter-of-factly, her tone apathetic. It was the truth. Haley absolutely despised flowers – she found them to be useless and boring. The few times a previous boyfriend or two had given her flowers she had immediately dumped them afterwards simply because they obviously hadn’t known her as well as they should have. Flowers, in her opinion, had been given entirely too much flack in meaning. There was no use using them to symbolize feelings of love or happiness, because eventually they withered and died. Thus, Haley found the idea of flowers ridiculous and felt the world would be better off without them, or at least without the whole sentiment behind them.

His words bothered her. While it was true that she hated the fact that she was obviously still a Nimbus, Haley wasn’t the type to freak out on someone just because of her own misfortunes (unless she was incredibly jealous of them and they did something to warrant her hate). She was also surprised that this little man thought she would want to tongue-lash him for fun. Haley slowly rolled her eyes, ”Dude, why would I do that? You are quite possibly the cutest faerie I have seen.” She offered him a brilliant smile, a rare treat from a female so often full of anger. Haley held one hand out, extending her index finger for him to shake, ”I’m Haley. Nice to meet you.” Her other hand shifted back to push Akuji’s nose away as the wild dog attempted to get a better look at the pixie male, curious as to what had ensnared his mistress’s attention so.

[Verbyl]

[Haley]

Although Verbyl had successfully masked his dislike for her cute statement, Haley had caught the momentary fade of his smile, followed by an obviously fake one. The Nimbus was a master at discerning facial expressions, especially fake smiles since she had, of course, perfected them herself. It was all in the eyes. A true smile parted the lips and creased the eyes, which in essence smiled themselves. Verbyl’s smile was very limited to his mouth and Haley found that disconcerting.

In reality Haley had originally thought of him as a cute little critter, equivalent to a puppy. After all, it wasn’t often that she got to see a faerie so small. Haley had grown up surrounded by faerie that looked like Verbyl. Her adopted mother had been particularly fascinated with them and had decorated Haley’s room with various figurines, wall trim, and other objects. Of course, once Haley had actually matured a bit she had removed a vast majority of the figures, keeping one of two of her mother’s favorites after the woman had passed away. She still had them with her now, safe back in her room. Still, a living, breathing version of her figurines was something quite splendous, so of course Haley’s natural reaction had been an inward squeal of joy.

However now as she looked at him, truly looked at him, Haley found the little one to be enchantingly handsome. A little girlish in appearance (Haley had a soft spot for feminine boys), which she chocked up to his small bone structure, but never-the-less handsome. Had Verbyl been bigger she would have probably asked him out right then and there (under threat a threat of stabbing should he decline), but instead she merely maintained her slightly bent over posture and watched him. When he mentioned Akuji she sent the wild dog a look and then promptly flicked him on the nose. The dog snapped his mouth shut and wrinkled his maw, shooting her an incredulous look. Although he had been salivating at the idea of eating the little pixie before him he wasn’t going to act on it without her permission, so in his mind he had done nothing to warrant her flick.

”Yeah. His name is Akuji. He’s a bit of an idiot.” In response to that Akuji promptly snapped at her exposed fingers, catching them but not drawing blood. Haley shot him a sour look as she rubbed her hand, ”Is that spider yours? Pretty convenient how it can ride on you and all. Akuji’s too fat too even carry.” She shot another jab at her mantel but this time the wild dog merely snorted and upturned his nose to her. Haley cocked her head at Verbyl, ”Hey, want to take a walk with me? I’m super bored and you look like you could use a break from whatever you’re doing.” Haley was actually looking for an excuse to talk some more with Verbyl. She was feeling a bit lonely- which would have seemed quite odd to those who actually knew Haley. Unfortunately she was also pretty bad at conversation, so she figured if they walked at the same time it would take away from that fact. Haley held out a hand, ”I’ll even carry you if you want. Flying all the time has got to be exhausting.”

[Verbyl]

[Haley]

Haley wouldn’t have expected Verbyl to swoon over her. After all, out of the large variety of Faerie floating around Alanor, Haley was not amongst the prettiest. Sure, she could be cute, even sexy, but her distinct lack of curves and womanly assets, combined with her rude persona and human traits kept her from topping the ‘most desired’ list. It didn’t particularly matter to Haley. She had no use for relationships outside business partnerships, and sex was merely a tool to her, not a necessity. Thus, Haley rarely experienced any sexual urges, but she did have a tendency to develop slight girly crushes on anyone she deemed worth her time.

The Nimbus was somewhat taken aback when she saw Verbyl’s reaction to Akuji’s drooling stare, but she decided not to mention it. Akuji was Akuji, and if Verbyl didn’t like him, well, that was his problem. It wasn’t Akuji’s fault that Verbyl was bite-sized and made of meat. Sometimes Haley felt as if her mantel’s brain functioned with only one objective: to eat. The wild dog was such a glutton; it was a wonder he wasn’t fat already. Still, at the same time, Verbyl’s reaction had left a sour taste in Haley’s mouth. Akuji was her baby. She would never understand how anyone could dislike him.

Verbyl’s growing frustration did not go unnoticed. Haley detected the change in his tone of voice and instantly had to squash her own reaction. The female wasn’t the best person to get angry around. She had a tendency to lash out violently against anyone that bickered around her, her own emotions and tension rising as a result of theirs. Haley took in a deep shaky breath and fought the desire to simply leave right then and there. She wasn’t the type to stick around a faerie that wanted to whine about his own personal problems – albeit he was doing it indirectly. In Haley’s mind, if you were in a bad situation you did something to fix it, you didn’t just whine about it. She was so sick of hearing Garlangers bitch and complain about their status. Yeah, it was unfair, but it was the way the courts worked. Haley never complained about her status as a Nimbus. Instead she worked to hard to attempt to bring herself to a Sidhe level by proving herself on the battlefield and in the court. Unfortunately, she knew nothing about how it would feel to be a Garlanger, especially a tiny one like Verbyl, and Haley had to mentally remind herself of this from time to time to attempt to put her views back into perspective.

”Cute.” Haley responded to Verbyl’s introduction of his mantel. Honestly if she were in his situation she would have named it similarly and she honestly did think it was a cute name. Slowly the Nimbus straightened and withdrew her hand once Verbyl launched himself from the flower and came to hover next to her. She waited until he was ready before she started off, slowly, Akuji at her heels, tongue lolling from his mouth as he walked next to her. Haley honestly attempted to slow her normal quick pace to a more manageable stride so that Verbyl wouldn’t have a hard time keeping up.

”It must be nice having wings. I’ve always wondered what it would be like to fly.” Haley admitted as she looked to Verbyl, ”I recently fought one of our own court pixies at the Altar. He was your exact opposite; tall, strong. The fact that he could fly was a huge advantage and very hard to compete against. I still won though.” There was a nonchalance to her voice but it seemed strained as she attempted to mask the fact that she was bragging. ”Pixies may be Garlanger, but they have a lot of attributes I highly admire.” This was true with any garlanger, save for the Humans. Haley envied the usefulness of their multiple abilities. In many ways they could be superior to the fuller blooded faerie, save for their distinct lack of magic. Haley brushed some hair from her eyes as she cast her gaze across the garden, ”Were you born here Verbyl?” By here she meant Alanor of course.

[Verbyl]

[Haley]

Haley bobbed her head as Verbyl spoke, silently agreeing with him. Despite her appearance, Haley was an exceptionally listener. She had frequently been the go-to person back on Earth when someone had a problem. Unfortunately, the Nimbus was horrible at giving advice since she had zero tolerance for ignorant and weak people. In fact, one of her best friends (if you could have called her that) had once threatened to kill herself. Haley had attempted to help ease the girl’s pain for nearly a week with uplifting words and advice. However, when the girl has insisted that nothing Haley did was going to stop her, Haley eventually gave up and told the girl to go die. Though they had stopped talking from that moment on, the girl had never gone through with it and was now alive and married, to the best of Haley’s knowledge.

Since then Haley had grown even more cynical. She was never one to believe depression was a disease and thus thought that anyone who suffered from it could get over it if they worked hard enough. During her time in the military, Haley had been quite content when she had realized that the people that surrounded her were of at least average intelligence. She had thrived in that sort of atmosphere, and a part of her desperately missed it now.

Haley noted the change in the color of his wings but since she had no way of knowing what it meant, she simply ignored it. When he mentioned he had been born in Asia she blinked at him in surprise, ”Seriously? I was stationed in Korea for like 3 years back on Earth. I loved it there. Took a lot of trips to Japan too, and other areas when I got the chance. Asia is an amazing place.” There was a sort of dreamy tone to her voice that suggested she dearly missed her time back in Asia, especially in Korea. Haley had fallen in love with Korea and its culture…though the food was what had solidified her love.

”Where was I born?” Haley tilted her head upwards to look at the morning sun, ”America. Texas to be specific, but I spent a large chunk of my life up north.” Which explained why she didn’t have a southern accent. She had gotten rid of it years ago, for fear it had made her sound ignorant. Haley absentmindedly ran a few fingers through the fur on Akuji’s head and smiled as he lifted his head and poked at her palm with his cold wet nose. Haley didn’t know if Verbyl had any real idea of American geography, so she didn’t elaborate any further. The fact that Verbyl didn’t remember his own birth place led her to assume that he was quite possibly much older than she. Haley could still vibrantly remember her childhood; she had only stopped aging when she had first set foot in Alanor. It was as if the place had activated her faerie blood.

Haley took in a deep breath and released it as fond memories of Earth flooded back to her. She was feeling particularly nostalgic today, which was probably why she was in a relatively calm mood. She dropped her chin back down and shot her hazel eyes to Verbyl, ”So why did you decide to come to Alanor then? Didn’t fit in on Earth?”

(ooc: sorry it's kinda bad, but I rushed it since I won't have time to reply later)

[Verbyl]

((My post is pro'lly even worse because my sister is wearing me thin, and I can't eat with her around because she doesn't sit still for it. XD))

[Haley]

Haley softly hummed under her breath, her eyes narrowed in thought as she processed his question. It had been a while since she had last truly thought about her time in the military. Although Haley dearly missed it, originally joining the Air Force had not been at the top of her list. She had had every intention of getting into a good college and pursuing a career in either law or politics. As a child, Haley had dreamed of becoming the first woman president, a dream that had transferred over into Alanor. The little Nimbus’s thirst for the throne was insatiable and she was willing to do almost anything for it.

Entering the Air Force had actually been good for the unruly Haley. It had taught her patience, given her a purpose and a direction in life. She had relished the structure it had given her. Now, back in Alanor, Haley was desperately trying to find that structure, that sense of belonging again. Twisting a lock of hair between the fingers of her right hand, Haley gave her answer, her voice somewhat soft and distant, ”I started off as crytologic linguist in both Korean and Japanese fields. It got boring quickly, so after my three year stint in Korea, I swapped careers and became an aerial gunner for about a year before I fell into Alanor.” That was a career she had relished in, her love for firearms and equipment finally realized. Now, in the world of the Fae, Haley had been forced to toss away her penchant for guns in favor of bladed weapons. It was not a switch she was particularly happy about.

His question about Texas shocked her. She hadn’t expected him to be particularly interested. Haley shot him a warm smile, ”Texas? Beautiful, but hot. That’s the best way I can describe it, really. Unfortunately the neighborhood I spent twelve years of my life in went to shit.” Haley had grown up in a predominantly Hispanic neighborhood, a neighborhood that had gotten worse with age. It didn’t matter to her much any more. Texas was a near distant memory.

An intense feeling of nostalgia hit her again and Haley forced it away as she surveyed Verbyl. When he spoke of his decision to come to Alanor she snorted, ”That is certainly true, though by the sound of it you haven’t had much luck.” She glanced out across the garden, ”I don’t know much of Alanor, but it seems as if the pixie blood has been severely tampered with, probably by Sidhe or Nimbus wishing to create larger servants.” Pixies were quite possibly the prettiest and most useful of the garlanger. ”So I wouldn’t count on finding one if I were you.” Her statement was blunt, giving way to her realistic side. She wasn’t about to sugar coat things.

”Still, even if you don’t find one you can make friends with other faerie. Not all of them are pompous douchebags.” Haley wrinkled her nose in distaste as she thought of the variety of faerie housed within the Seelie court. The pretty Sidhe that waltzed around like they owned the world, stepping on lower faerie without regard… Though Haley yearned to come into power, she merely wanted the boost of power to help her on her path to relieve the Queen, quite possibly the biggest freaking power-flaunting bitch Haley had ever seen, from her throne.

(edited)

As Haley stifled a yawn, Akuji leaned over to nip at her trailing fingertips. She paused and glanced down at him, cocking her head. "Oh." Haley's brow furrowed. She looked towards Verbyl, "Sorry cutie. I've got to run. Loved talking with you. Let's do this again." She shot him a broad smile full of perfect teeth, something rarely seen on Haley's face. Then, with a brief wave, she was gone, Akuji trailing behind her.

END