blood on the sand - cleo

[no more]

[CLEO R. C.]

CLEO ROUX-CIPHER

Cleo knew that she was a bit of an anomaly to the locals. More so, she knew that she was feared by them. At first, she failed to see why. She was just a short girl with an affinity for snakes and a black mamba companion- what was so strange about that? It took some explaining from a nervous man but she understood what he was saying well enough, and oh how that understanding brought with it such an immense feeling of power. Snakes were dangerous creatures and she, somehow, managed to tame one of the most poisonous of them all. That information in and of itself was empowering, and she walked with with her head even higher because of it. Eshe was, of course, with her, coiled around her arm as she sauntered towards the beach, a familiar sight having drawn her in.

While she would never admit it, there was no denying the fact that Cleo loved Jay. She liked all of her siblings to varying degrees, that much was true too, but the sibling that now rested before her - splinters of wood laying at their feet, a wooden figure shaped like a snake in their hands - was her favorite. She wasn't shy in confessing that truth though - she would climb to the top of any building and scream it for the world to hear if she had to - it was just the 'L-word' that made her nervous. Love... Love... she didn't like how confining it was.

[color=#445544]"Jay," Cleo greeted easily, craning her neck to better look at the figurine in her sibling's hands. It looked strikingly similar to Eshe and for a moment, the girl wondered if it had been crafted with her mamba in mind. The snake in question had also focused its attention upon Jay, a forked tongue appearing for half a second as it tasted the air. [color=#445544]"What's that?" She asked, as if she didn't already know that it was a snake. What could she say? She'd much rather hear an explanation from their mouth as opposed to the one her mind generated. 

(i LOVE HUMAN AUS THIS IS PERFECT)

© MADI

[no more]

[align=center][div style="width: 230px; font-family: georgia; color: #7b8189; font-size: 10px; text-align: center;line-height: 110%; padding-top:10px; padding-bottom:10px"]i'll never get to heaven cause i don't know how

There was no warm reception for Jay within any case for they proved a foul-mouthed and ill tempered soul, prone to snapping at those who dared approach within the minimal space they permitted over any other reaction. Growing to find amusement in seeing others harmed, though thankfully not quite at the point of seeking to do that harm themself, it was easy to see why others were worried, spoke of them behind their back in tones which seemed to border on malice. Yet it was all too easy for them to push it all aside, the opinions of those around them, people they knew not and held no care to learn more of, was of no import to them.

It was the subject of Cleo which made their anger spike, when a silvered tongue grew sharp and poisonous, each word laced with anger. All too clear had they made their disdain for words spoken with any negative intent where their sister was concerned, uncaring of who spoke them for all were alike in their eyes, such was not to speak much of their own feelings. There seemed little could be simplistic in their life, every feeling contained in a web where no clear direction might be discerned and to pick each apart could take hours if not days, a puzzle unlike any other they had come across. Where it came to Cleo it seemed largely straight forward, until one reached a certain point.

Not one to keep secrets it was evident in the way Jay carried themself, of the gentle nature of their words when they spoke to her, that the strongest love was reserved for her, a bond which seemed to be unbroken though the presence of the black mamba teased it daily. To say they harboured a dislike for the snake proved little more than an understatement, all too many times they had found the want to kill it grow within them, each time they found it coiled around her arm left their disdain to strengthen. The only thing to still their hand for the moment was the fact it made her happy, that mere fact enough to force their hand though they cared not to admit it, finding the matter easier to ignore than it was to think upon.

“Cleo,” a smile curled Jay's lips as they mimicked her greeting, movement stilling as they shifted slightly to permit her a better look at the project. Slowly but surely it was coming together, the coils of a body gaining more detail leading into a rough diamond shaped head. For a brief moment they found their attention settling upon Eshe, surprised to find the snake seemed so docile for once, used to seeing it coiled more tightly as though it seemed envious of those who had grown close to Cleo, seeking to cut her away from it all, to have her to herself. “Ya lil friend here,” pointing with the figure, they had no wish to put the knife near the snake in case they pushed too far, they shifted their grasp on it, allowing the rough carving to settle in the palm of their hand. Fitting comfortably it was sizeable and the shape was there, if in dire need of sandpaper to wear down the splinters and edges. “Was jus practicin, Eshe makes quite a good subject.”

[ i'm so sorry this took so long for me to get back to, my muse dive bombed for a bit ]

the tyhpoon — minnow — tags