stargazing ✦ out there somewhere

[lavi s.]

Equipped with a long, soft coat, Lavi hardly minded the cold that had begun seeping through the land.  The youth was built for mountain-living and if he felt the cold seep into his skin, his thick tail may be a nice blanket.  Even so the Jedi knew better than to stay out too late into the night.  He hardly wanted to catch a cold.

When he felt particularly melancholy or lonely, Lavi found someplace with an open sky.  Though the flowers had stopped blooming quite some ago, the flower fields sat beneath nothing but the wide expanse of the heavens.  There, the fluffy feline found himself.  His chocolate eyes fixed themselves above, attempting to trace the few constellations he knew well.

His breath came out in foggy white clouds, reminding him to curl his tail neatly over his paws.  Is it night time where you are, Lessa?  Lavi sighed softly, letting the thought drift.  Wherever his twin was, they always had the stars to share.

[Tena M.]

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Tena Moonspinner —
The petite sand cat was not built for snow.  But she was built for extremes.  As such, Tena felt less bothered by the winter weather than one might expect the desert-born demdji to be.  She hardly made a habit of spending the night out in the winter air however.  Much less in the open fields where the wind could actually run through her sandy fur.  The top of her little house's roof worked to watch the sky just as well.

She simply felt too restless to sit still this time.

Tena couldn't say why, but it hardly mattered.  It could be a great deal of things and she knew dwelling on them too much would frustrate her.  She liked to do more than think.

When she spotted a figure bathing in the starlight, the former magna paused, her unusually blue eyes blinking.  Who else was up at - Lavi, of course.  Her tail flicked behind her.  Heaving a sigh, Tena trotted up to the mountain cat, quirking her brows at him.  "Hey."

"You've got to find another hobby," she huffed, wrapping her own tail around herself.  Much less effectively than the Jedi's fluffy blanket.  Oh well.  She couldn't help but smile a little; a bemused smirk flashing across her face.  It was always the stars with the Solos.  Not that she didn't like the stars.

They really were pretty.
[align=right]— I tell you this story, save your life, set you free

[Cosmic]

He never really got the chance to appreciate things after the attack and the amnesia. He had to rediscover himself and that was proving to be a difficult task. Fighting off the urge to consume the souls of those around him whenever the feeling snaked its way into his heart, keeping tabs with Rin, and crying himself to sleep every night because of something inside of him taunting him with threats and reminders was not helping at all. It was insanely difficult to find time to just relax.

The small feline finally felt well enough to go out on his own and do something that hopefully sparked a memory or two. He wanted to learn- needed to rediscover himself. He had lost everything, and he wanted it back so desperately. When he heard the other Elysites talking, he thought this might be a good opportunity.

He slowly and carefully approached them, minding his manners and asked,

“May I join you?”

He didn’t want to startle them or make them uncomfortable, but he wanted to at least have people to be around... and watch the night sky with. He looked up at the stars from where he was at, finding himself entranced by the stars above. His focus was solely on the Sky now, feeling connected and at home beneath it.

Something clicked.

[candorosa]

[align=center][div style="width:70%; text-align: justify; padding: 1px; font-family: helvetica;"]Lemy, despite his grumblings, hadn't yet procured himself a winter coat. Which he really should do soon, with winter in full swing and his regular cloak not cutting it. He could endure the chill for a while though; it wasn't as if he risked much by being outside too long anymore.

The feline was out, making a trip across the territory in hopes of tiring himself out when he'd stumbled across the trio. He hadn't formally met two of them, though he was slightly familiar with their faces. He did recognize Valerian, however. Lemy watched the three for a moment, then realized the reason behind their appearance. They were stargazing.

Normally, Lemy preferred to indulge in his hobbies in solitude but he was already here. Leaving without a word wouldn't look good. The pale male approached slowly, sending a lingering glance over to Valerian before plopping down near the group. "Havin' a little get-together?" He asked easily, glancing upwards. He stayed quiet for a moment, watching the night sky before speaking up once more. "What're your favorite constellations?" Might as well make conversation, he supposed.

[Warringkingdoms]

  [font=trebuchet ms]Rin really ought to have been sleeping.

  She had almost died just a few days ago, and broken ribs took time to heal. She was breathing easier, and she could move to some extent without those persistent twinges of pain, but it was clear even to her that she was still injured. Playerone would not be happy if she were to leave the quarters where she was being kept.

  Staring at a ceiling, however, was no help at all. All she could think about was the fact that everything was catching up to her, exactly as she'd feared. She'd been running, fleeing, because she knew she couldn't fight off the past once it caught her. The moment it sunk its poisoned fangs into her, it would be over. Simply acknowledging its existence in front of everyone had allowed it to gain on her, looming over her, ready to strike.

  Thinking about it was like pulling teeth- something she now had some experience with, thanks to the Warrior.

  She had gone out on a walk. A slow-paced walk, far from the borders, but the fresh air helped her think a little more clearly. With each step, taken as tenderly as possible to avoid aggravating her wounds, Rin pondered. Tena had insisted on backing her up against the gods, and Rin knew that trying to stop Tena once she'd set her mind to something was like trying to halt an oncoming train- it couldn't be done.

  But Tena had also been angry, feeling insulted, lied to, betrayed. If given a few days to cool down, she might decide that perhaps she didn't need to attack the gods after all. That if Rin wanted to keep secrets from Elysium and refuse help, then Elysium might as well let her. The oath she'd sworn had been sworn under false pretense, so she might as well not be a member anyway, right?

  That was what it ultimately came down to. Nemhain had said she needed to accept help, and Rin knew she was right- but accepting help and demanding help were two different things. If Tena, Playerone, Valerian, and the others were dead-set on offering her help against the gods, then that was one thing. But they might soon decide that she wasn't worth it, and if they did, she wasn't going to fight it.

  They'd probably realize sooner or later that all of this wasn't worth caring about. In the heat of the moment, when they'd been faced with a wounded, grieving creature who insisted on dumping her trauma on them, there was no way they could make a logical decision. She should've known to wait until she was healed before explaining everything, and should've known not to bring her old home into this. She might as well have guilt-tripped them into helping her.

  But in time, the situation would right itself. Reason would win out in the end.

  Rin saw Lavi and Tena first, in the midst of the flower fields. Her first instinct was to turn around and walk back to the town- if they were sharing a moment, she wasn't going to interrupt, especially not after the events of a few days ago. At this distance, however, she happened to notice the smirk on Tena's face, and the way their eyes were cast up... towards the stars.

  It was a beautiful night, orange and pink streaks coating the darkening sky as the sun sank down, the stars appearing in its wake. On any other night she might have considered this a flagrant display of the gods' power. On this night, though, she had company- a dear friend beside her.

  Something about this didn't make sense, though. Turning and meeting those whiskey-colored eyes, she broke the silence.

  "Why do we stargaze?" Rin murmured- and as the question spilled out, she noticed the empty space where the other feline had been, the sudden chill in the air. Staggering back slightly, she glanced around, taking in the dead flower fields, the frigid atmosphere, the darkness. Four people were here, and none of them were... none of them were her.

  A bolt of pain shot through her chest, not caused by her injured ribs this time. Swallowing, Rin glanced down towards the grass. Of course it wasn't her, that had been... over three years ago. It was over. They would never have that again, she would never see her again.

  She had to think about something else. Anything else. She couldn't leave and be alone with her thoughts, much as she hated the idea of being surrounded by all the people she'd hurt. "Valerian," Rin said suddenly, her eyes widened. Looking up at him and drawing slightly closer, she forced a false smile. "I meant to ask you about your snickerdoodle recipe."

  She was ruining the moment for Lavi, Tena, and Lemy, she knew that full well, but she had to escape from the jaws of the past before they clamped down on her and never let go.

  /this got rambly

[lavi s.]

Lavi felt Tena's presence before she sighed.  Some days, he felt as though she could be on the other side of the planet and he'd still know.  Such a powerful, fiery spirit, even when she was down, which he had seen before.  The fluffy feline smiled though, scoffing in mock-offense as she spoke.  Direct as ever, but Lavi wondered how she was doing.  Asking never led him far from the threat of angry eyes.

"I don't see you complaining," he protested amiably.  When he lowered his gaze, he found himself taken aback for a split second.  The stars in her eyes.  They really are pretty.

The young Jedi watched as another cloud of air condensed with his breath.  Calmly, his head turned towards the others approaching.  "Of course." The sky opened its arms for everyone and Lavi felt inclined to share.  He may worry in a few moments, whether or not everyone was too cold.  If he had planned on others joining him, he may have gathered blankets and pillows.

As Lemy spoke, he frowned lightly.  "Honestly, I can't say I have one." To put one set of stars above the others seemed wrong somehow.  If he knew all the stories, maybe he could pick the most meaningful to him.  He heard Rin's voice nearby, directed to Valerian, unable to stop his eyes flickering back down to Tena.

With everything fresh in their minds, he hoped she didn't fall back into her earlier anger.  Rage, more like.  But he knew why her rage burned differently than others.  It ran deeper than simple lies and betrayal.

Stubborn to push past it all for one night, Lavi squared his shoulders.  "My favorite thing to see may actually be meteor showers," he offered Lemy.  The way they shot across the sky, a tail of light behind them, always felt so surreal to witness.