HOME [P]

[Lyric Shikov]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height:521px; background-image:url(http://i44.tinypic.com/1zxo3ds.png)] To him, Rory was a winter child. It was difficult to imagine her without snow and ice and cold, which was somewhat ironic, considering she was none of those things. To him, she was simultaneously darkness, from her hair to her wings, and warmth. She was not the pallor of winter, nor the callousness of it. But he was sad to say that this was the first time he had ever seen her in the summer. It was, as always, difficult to relay a message to her. He saw her briefly once when she was out on a patrol and he managed to capture her attention at a distance. He told her he would begin to leave her notes and things in a small nook outside of Nakoma territory, and that was how they had been communicating whenever they had the opportunity to do so, which was rarely. As it was, Lyric managed to eek out enough time in his schedule (if you could call random patrols, missions, and duties a schedule) to leave Carna territory for a period of two days under the ruse that he was observing the retromorphs and their behavior, not unalike the mission he and Eris had gone on. He met Rory in rogue territory, and held her hand happily on the way to the safehouse. He had with him a small pack, borrowed from a Hunter he was on good terms with, and he had an assortment of foods and some water. He held his tongue, saying that they would talk once they reached their destination, but the silence was companionable and he was happier than he had been in a long time. The ache he felt in her absence was filled. Once they reached the safehouse, Lyric told her to wait for him outside. He thoroughly searched the rooms for any threats before he came back out onto the porch, and he smiled at her, a genuine smile that few people rarely saw. It reached his eyes, and before he could help it he opened his arms to pull her into him, in a hug that nestled her under his chin and made it to where it seemed like they shared their breaths and heartbeats. "I think it's ironic," Lyric said quietly, into her hair. "This place could be a house outside of the Menagerie, it's so perfect. It could be our home." But what he did not say was that he didn't even need a home, really. What he did not say was that, as cliche as it was, he had come to recognize her as comfort, safety, happiness--as shelter, as home. He was just always away.

[AURORA]

The summer had been flying by and with her new found friendships with Vivian and Molly, Aurora had seemed to have finally settled into the Nakoma Territory better than she had ever thought she would. Still, at night when it was quiet and she was alone, she missed Lyric. It had been a long time since she had seen him on rounds … and their notes were scarce.

When he had left her word that he was taking her somewhere, she had nearly leaped out of her skin with excitement. Lyric, Lyric, Lyric! She had chanted to herself and twirled and danced about. She couldn’t wait to see him.

The stoic expression Lyric had maintained belied his strong hand in hers, and she knew better then to display too much out in the open (even if she had forgotten the moment she saw him and tackled a hug anyway.) Still, she could not stop a doe-eyed smile the whole way to where ever it was that they were going.

They had gone to an area Aurora had not yet ventured to, and eventually a house rose in the distance. Reaching the porch she stepped up carefully behind him and remained as quiet as she could as he went inside to check for danger.

The moment he was in sight again, a broad smile light his features and the dark haired girl returned it with interest. In his arms she took a deep breath – breathing in his scent and releasing any lingering tension with a contented sigh before burying her face against him. A hand rested against his chest, the other wriggled around his ribs and she squeezed.

Her large black wings had unconsciously loosened, allowing his arms to reach around her body instead of the massive feathered attachments. They splayed in pleasure. His voice rumbled and the corners of her mouth lifted as he spoke.

Home? That threw her a little, and her eyelashes fluttered as she blinked in consideration. It had been a while since she had thought of England, but even as it flashed in her mind it disappeared instantly – replaced by Lyrics face.

She pulled back gently to look at him, then scrunched her nose and shook her head. Her hand lifted, the back of her fingers caressing his jawline as her eyes dropped a moment. Her cheeks flushed and she licked her lips before her gaze rose again.

”Home is where you and I are together,” she said – her lightly accented voice rich with feeling. Her hand moved to the base of his head, her fingers playing with his hair. ”Perfect,” she amended her eyes roving his features fondly.

But she was still giddy and rose on her toes to kiss his cheek sweetly before lowering her lips to his throat. There she hovered a moment as she drew in a breath … and without warning blew a raspberry on his neck loud and long. Then giggled and laughed with delight as immediately his hands attacked and she squirmed.

[Lyric Shikov]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height:521px; background-image:url(http://i44.tinypic.com/1zxo3ds.png)] When she spoke, her words mirrored his thoughts so accurately that Lyric had to give her a begrudging smile. "Right." He did not say what else he had been thinking, though--he did not say how he was always away from home, always away from that... feeling of comfort and safety, he guessed. But in the Menagerie he supposed he was lucky to even have that feeling on occasion. She tore him from his thoughts when she kissed him, and lowered her mouth to his throat. Lyric's breath caught, and then--Jesus! His reaction was immediate, hands going to her ribs, and then as she began to giggle he threw her haphazardly over his shoulder. "You ever been swimming, Rory?" Lyric asked this mischievously as she wiggled and fought, but even with her wings she didn't seem to weigh much more than a bird. Without waiting for her reply, Lyric made his way down the stairs of the porch and towards the back of the safe-house. He was laughing, but it was a while before they came to the river, and the roar of the waterfall became deafening. Lyric set her down but continued to hold her close, becoming used to the feel and sight of her.

[AURORA]

She shrieked with laugher as he hauled her into the air and her wings beat for balance though she knew he’d never drop her. Swimming? It seemed a rhetorical question though, and as he walked her legs flailed and the trees echoed with her bells of her voice. It was suddenly drowned out by a loud roar.

When he set her down, her long black hair covered her face and she tossed her head back so she could see. Turning curiously, she watched the water cascade down, merging into the rushing current of the river. His arm remained around her, and unconsciously her hands grasped his arm, holding it as she watched.

Aurora was still for a long time, holding her breath. It was so loud! The water was fast and suddenly she turned wide questioning eyes to Lyric. There was a paradox of fear and trust. She had never been this close to this much water at one time, and it was intimidating.

She knew Lyric would not let anything happen to her. Still, she inched back against him her eyes shifting back to the water to watch curiously.

[Lyric Shikov]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height:521px; background-image:url(http://i44.tinypic.com/1zxo3ds.png)] Lyric often forgot just how sheltered she was, and by the time it occurred to him that this might be the first time she'd seen something like this, she was already turning to him with wide, almost fearful eyes. He only smiled, and kissed her forehead affectionately. "Do not worry, moy golubushka. It is only noise." He paused, scanning the water. "Towards the falls it isn't a river... There's a deep pool where I can teach you, and the current is not strong. Come." He headed in that direction, his fingers interlaced with hers, his body forming a protective barrier between her and the water. When they reached the pool, he looked at her with a devilish glint in his eye, and began to shed his clothes. First came the jacket, and then the shirt, tugged over his head. He bent to unlace his boots, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings. Once those were off, Lyric moved to the knives on his belt, a bit gingerly. He felt more naked without them than he would have if he was wearing nothing but them. Then Lyric slid off his pants, and was left standing in a pair of blue boxers. "Your turn." He said this with a notched chin and a playful smile. He didn't know how bashful she might be, and so after a pause he averted his eyes to the surrounding forest.

[AURORA]

Moy golubushka.
His lips on her forehead and soothing words pushed her fear back like a gentle wave, and she nodded. Her fingers gripped his tightly as they walked, but her eyes fixed on the water her neck craning forward or back to keep it in sight.

The water seemed a force of nature, careless of what lay in its path and insistent it had somewhere to go. When they reached the pool where the water grew tranquil, it was like a mirror. When he released her hand she stared at the still waters, feeling the current beneath.

Your turn.
Her attention shifted to see Lyric undressed, and her eyes rose to meet his. It made sense. She did not wear clothes when she bathed. The sun shone down warmly, and she blinked before beginning to remove her own clothing without shame.

It was a slightly awkward affair, as she struggled to remove her shirt – shifting her wings one way then another before it came free over her head. Her holed pants were removed and folded, and just before she removed her underwear she saw that Lyric had kept his on, and decided to do so as well.

Her long black hair covered her bare chest, and her underwear was plain – the material drab from many washings. Suddenly she was very close; her fingers rising to touch a scar on his chest that intersected a healing slash reaching his collarbone.

Her brows were drawn up in worry, her palm fluttering over scars and bruises from Lord knew what. Her eyes rose again to his in question, searching the golden color. She remembered suddenly that his life was so very different from hers, and she recalled the many times he had been injured purely on her account.

Black wings rose then folded to her back as she took his hand and turned toward the water. This was holiday for him, she decided. She could be brave for Lyric; her own chin rose, and she smiled at him.

”Ready,” she said determinedly, with a serious face - as if they were going into battle.

[Lyric Shikov]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height:521px; background-image:url(http://i44.tinypic.com/1zxo3ds.png)] Lyric turned back to her once he heard the sound of her struggling, only to watch as she fought to get her shirt off with the trouble of her wings and... He couldn't help it. He cracked a smile. Before he could offer to help--it wouldn't take much convincing to have Lyric undress her, really--she had it discarded and was turning to face him with no embarrassment. He forgot how... how little normal social things applied to his Rory, how she didn't care that neither of them were wearing much clothing. Lyric probably could have stripped to the nude, and she would have looked at him the same. When she approached, his eyes dropped. His gaze... well, it devoured her, every inch of skin. He had never seen so much of her, and it had him wanting more. He turned his eyes skyward, until he felt the press of her hand against his chest, and he looked down again to meet her big, dark eyes. He blurted the first thing that came to mind. "'Man is sometimes extraordinarily, passionately, in love with suffering...'" It wasn't as though Lyric had Fyodor Dostoyevsky memorized, but after repeatedly getting in trouble his father had told him to sit and write certain phrases again and again and again. That was until his father learned that that sort of discipline never worked, and he started to take a belt to Lyric instead. Lyric returned her smile, fingers interlaced, and tugged her towards the edge of the pool. Her courage made him smile even wider, and there were no traces of sadness there. He kept that well-hidden, because really the two of them were from different worlds. Her skin was unmarked, scar-less. He would hate to tell her how much he had done to himself--if not directly, than indirectly, through baiting wolves (metaphorically, of course). He took a deep breath, released her hand, and dove into the pool. For a second he thought he might crack open his head, but he pulled up from the bottom in time, and came up to look back at her. He tread water for a few seconds, smiling, his hair hanging lank in his eyes. "If you get in I'll help you. It should be shallow enough right at the bank that you can stand." He swam closer, and then felt for the bottom of the pool with his feet--he got his balance back, stood up, and clambered up a steep incline so that he could offer her his hand, and help her down.

[AURORA]

Aurora watched with simultaneous awe and fear as he dove into the water, and she did not breathe again until he resurfaced. When his head broke the water, she gasped and laughed and clapped her hands. When he swam closer, she edged down slowly toward the bank – slipping here and there but managing to catch herself.

Once she reached the bank, her foot stepped to a rock. It broke free without warning, and she tumbled down the last few feet of incline straight into Lyric … and the water. Submerged, the water was so cold and there was an echoing emptiness that was unlike anything she had ever experienced.

It was surreal. She could hear her heart beat, and her fingers touched the bottom. It was like mud, and clouded the water around her. The light shone through the hued water and bits of dirt glittered. It was beautiful … then she breathed in a mouth full of water.

Her wings were suddenly hampering her and she panicked. Strong hands found her middle and hauled her up. Once she surfaced they flapped awkwardly, and her arms wrapped around Lyric’s neck desperately and she pulled her legs up.

She sputtered, almost crawling atop the man like a house cat in a bathtub. Her long hair and wings were heavy now and it made it all the more difficult for her to regain any sense of balance. All the while she coughed and gasped.

Once she had regained air, she looked to Lyric … who was smiling. She blinked at him, water droplets dripped from her chin and she licked her lips and took another deep breath.

”Pretty, but scary ..” she said passionately and looked down to the water again with the same wide dark eyes. ”It swallowed me!” She cried indignantly, as if someone had embarrassed her at dinner. "How rude!"

[Lyric Shikov]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height:521px; background-image:url(http://i44.tinypic.com/1zxo3ds.png)] Oh, shit. Lyric visibly grimaced as her head went under, and he was quick to try and pull her to the surface, but the ground was sliding out from under him and then her wings were thrashing and by God he finally hauled her up, only to have her clamber on him like a half-drowned cat. When she spoke, after a fit of coughing, Lyric couldn't help but snort. "I think you swallowed more of it than it did you, Rory." He then looked to her wings. "I... kind of forgot to take these into consideration. They might make swimming lessons a little harder... or not possible." Lyric, making sure that she was stable, looked at her fully for the first time since she'd surfaced. He tried to keep his expression serious, but his smile cracked and he shook his head. She was... endearing, he guessed. Everything about her. "Okay so... Let's start from the beginning. Um... I guess to swim you kick and move your arms... kind of like you're trying to push the water out of the way." He looked at her in a way that suggested he had no idea how to teach her this, and that was true. Give him a knife and a few minutes and he could teach her how to defend herself, but swimming? The way he had learned was when Lesta had practically thrown him in to the deep end of a public pool (which he learned was kind of disgusting at a later date) and told him not to drown. Of course, Lyric wasn't going to do that to Rory. "I'm going to let you go now..." He gave her a sloppy, wet kiss that was more of a joke than anything. Ly then released her and simultaneously stepped backwards into open water.

[AURORA]

The kiss made her grin, but when he set her down she almost cried out … until her feet touched the bottom. The tips of her wings followed her like a dress train through the water as she relaxed them. Her palms spread out, flushing the top of the water back and forth. It was cold, but the heat of the sun made it refreshing and she lowered into the water slowly.

The next half hour was nothing but Aurora paddling around … sputtering and laughing. Her feathers liked the water, and they flapped much like a bird in a bird bath. So much fun! Still, she remained in the shallows. Whenever the water became too deep it scared her and she would flounder back to the safety of the bottom.

After a while Lyric drew near, and she turned in the water sinking low until only her eyes showed. Suddenly, she popped her head out of the water and spritzed water at him. She missed, but the look on his face was priceless and she giggled.

The look of surprised turned into mischief and she squeaked and turned to paddle away from him in vain.

[Lyric Shikov]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height:521px; background-image:url(http://i44.tinypic.com/1zxo3ds.png)] Lyric narrowly dodged the water splashed at his face, and after a pause in which he stared at her, jaw a little slack, he went after her. The water slowed him enough that he struggled through it, but then he had seized her by the waist and one big, wet wing pressed against his stomach and back. His momentum threw the two of them forward some, and he scrambled on the rocks before they splashed into the shallows. He came up sputtering and laughing, looking to Rory to make sure she was fine, before he resumed his attack--prodding her ribs and then his demeanor changed quite dramatically. He had forgotten she was shirtless, and with his side pressed into her stomach, the feel of her warm skin was something he couldn't ignore. Lyric cleared his throat and stopped tickling her. "I have to tell you something." His eyes were on hers for the moment, with her half-sitting in his lap, the rocks digging into his flank. But then his gaze lowered to her collarbone, lower, lower--he jerked them back up to stare at her lips, first unintentionally and then with want in his expression. He shook his head some to clear it, and then met her eyes. "I've... been with some people." Lyric said. He kept an iron resolve, his chin notched and his expression almost rebellious. But beneath that was an ocean's worth of guilt. Why do I feel guilty? he argued. We've never said that we have to be... what... true to each other? "Now how you and me are together. Not... caring for them. But I've been with some men and some women since the last time I saw you." His mouth had gone dry.

[AURORA]

The day was ending and the sun was low. It dappled through the trees into the water, bathing everything in a pretty golden light.

Aurora laughed, her eyes squinting as she splashed water at him then squealed again as they careened to a stop. She was panting, her skin flushed from the cold water and her hand pushed her long hair out of her eyes. Reaching up, she did the same for Lyric.

She watched his face as suddenly he was looking at her in the strangest way. It made her feel... and his tone shifted I have to tell you something.

There was fierceness in his voice that caught Aurora off guard, and her head tilted. Been with some people? Why was he acting funny about that? Them together, caring for them? Without thinking …

”Oh me too,” she nodded with a smile. ”I came across Molly, another anthro she’s so sweet! And Vivian is very tough,” her brow furrowed. ”Her aim is amazing!” about to jabber on as she did not do usually. There was so much to tell him about Vivian’s bow work and carefulness, and Molly’s kindness.

”I do care for them though? They are my friends …” she began. Suddenly, she didn’t quite understand. Why was he so concerned? She’d been with Ekun as well. In fact, he’d cared for her after Lyric and Aurora’s had first met.

There was a change in Lyrics face, and she quieted and blinked inanely.

[Lyric Shikov]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height:521px; background-image:url(http://i44.tinypic.com/1zxo3ds.png)] He had told her something to get it off his chest. Lyric never thought she'd hold it against him, honestly. He knew she didn't exactly understand things like that... But then she spoke, and he thought that maybe she did understand it, and who the hell had taught her? "I came across Molly, another anthro, she's so sweet! And Vivian is very tough! Her aim is amazing!" His expression had gone hard as the water lapped up around them, and Lyric struggled for words. "Have they touched you?" he wanted to ask. "Have they touched you like I've touched you?" But he didn't. He clenched his jaw and grit his teeth, trying to tell himself that he just had to stop and listen to her for a second. He just had to ask her what she meant-- I do care for them though? They are my friends... He was simultaneously relieved and shameful. "Oh, Rory... That's... That's not what I mean. These people aren't my friends really." He struggled to explain, not sure why he'd even brought it up. He could have just kept her ignorant--but that wouldn't have settled right with him, either. "Friends are good. I'm glad you have friends." His tone implied he would not be as glad if she had something else. "These people I'm talking about... Well. When I say I've been with them I mean like..." He didn't have the words for it, and so after a pause he leaned forward and kissed her. It had none of the tenderness he normally had with her, merely a gnash of lips and teeth, brief and lusty. He pulled back and wiped the feeling off his mouth. "Like that. I've been with people doing that, but with them it doesn't mean anything and we go farther." His hand fluttered at her hip, uncertain, but then it settled there with some resolve. He arched his brows, then, grappling for some humor. "Don't tell me you've never had the uh, the... birds and the bees talk?" It was an Americanized phrase, he thought, but he'd picked it up and thought it was adequate. After he said it, however, he realized that maybe she hadn't, and he certainly didn't want to be the one to give it to her. He was already blushing.

[AURORA]

Aurora blinked again, her head tilting the opposite direction as she listened to his words… and then he kissed her. It was different than his usual kisses, hungry, demanding. She had forgotten. How had she forgotten? That night at the Speakeasy, What other things? Show me. she’d said, and he had.

She burned, and ached in ways she had never known she could and there was a need, a desperate more that she had never felt before. His fingers captured her long hair, his tawny hues shifting to look at her as he breathed her name … her breath caught, and her eyes lowered to his mouth.

Something about the bird and the bees, she shook her head and looked down. There was a lot she did not understand, and it was moments like this she became frustrated. For a bit her fingers played in the water, and she lifted her hand to allow the drops to fall to his skin. It was amazing how quickly the memory had made that come back to her and she thought, They went farther.

There had been a talk she’d had with the healer at camp that had been … uncomfortable, but after a conversation with another male anthro and his use of language she’d had questions that no one but Kearie would answer. Those things scared her … but when she thought of Lyric.

It upset her more that it bothered Lyric somehow than it did that he had … been with other people. Was she supposed to? Alarm flashed in her eyes and she lifted her hand to his face and she drew so close, pressing herself against him with fear.

”I’m I suppose to? I don’t want to do that with other people!” The panic was in her voice, her dark eyes.

[Lyric Shikov]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height:521px; background-image:url(http://i44.tinypic.com/1zxo3ds.png)] Lyric realized his err. I should have just said nothing, he thought, but did not say aloud. It would have been easier. She wouldn't have known that anything was different, or amiss. Now he would have to explain to her, and maybe justify his actions. Both of his palms found her hips, and they gripped her there in a way that was simultaneously possessive and affectionate. The rage had gone out of him. "No, no. You're not supposed to want to." He dropped his eyes from her face to her collarbone. After a pause, he lowered his mouth to her throat. Back was the affection, returned was his gentleness. Not to say that he had not felt the hunger in their previous kiss, the lust in it. Not to say that he didn't want that just as much as he wanted something soft. "I just... I don't know how to explain it, Rory." He glanced at her imploringly. He could never get over how terrible he was with these butchered English words, or words at all. "I need things to feel, sometimes. In the Speakeasy, it was the vodka. In Carna, it is the conflict. In life, it is... sometimes physical relationships. Touching, kissing." He did not mention, however, that she was something that made him feel more than any of the aforementioned. Lyric didn't think he could say it, but she had given him a piece of himself back that he thought he would never, ever have again. He loved her. He just choked on the words whenever he tried to say them. This, perhaps, was something that he was even more ashamed of. I don't deserve her. Although he thought it often, Lyric knew he would never be selfless enough to let her go. Of course, the times he could see her were few and far between. In her absence, he was forced to find things that filled the emptiness, something that would make him look into himself and feel. Lyric couldn't help but think that he sounded like a screwed-up antihero, and the thought made him smile grimly.

[AURORA]

Aurora looked down in thought, frustrated for being the way she was – whatever that way may be. With his sudden command of her hips, her hands went to his chest as her eyes widened. They searched those familiar tawny hues and saw the complexity and discouragement behind them.

Her arms slid to his neck, her dripping fingers sliding up the sides of his head to seize it ever so gently and pull his head down towards her chest. She laid her cheek atop his head; her arms wrapped around him as she took a deep breath and began to hum quietly then sing.


”Time stands still beauty in all she is,
I will be brave I will not let anything
take away what's standing in front
of me. Every breath ... every hour
.... has come to this..”

She faded off with a soft smile and pressed her lips sweetly against his head.

”Do not worry,” she said and lifted his chin to meet his gaze. ”Our time together is our own. What happens before or after does not worry me.” Her brow furrowed a moment as she looked away before looking back to him.

”Just … don’t forget me,” she whispered perhaps a bit sadly, but then smiled so generously it reached her eyes. ”And no dying.”

[Lyric Shikov]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 498px; height:521px; background-image:url(http://i44.tinypic.com/1zxo3ds.png)] Zivon didn't know why he felt compelled to do things like this, honestly. Why did he have to say something to her at all? Why not just keep silent about his misdeeds, or whatever you wanted to call them? Her embrace was a comfort nonetheless, and so was her voice. It calmed him, stilled his nerves, killed his guilt. She didn't care. What bothered Lyric was whether or not she knew the full gravity of what he had said, or if she did and just... accepted it, to move on regardless. His eyes met hers after the song. He would not question it now. Instead, Lyric said what he had not yet said. "You are too good to me," It was murmured with an air of jest, but it was not entirely a joke. There was more truth in it than she probably knew about. Her joke, as weak as it was, prompted a smile. "Dying? Impossible. I'm the toughest man in the Menagerie." He smiled at her, but it was tinged with a bit of sadness, just like her words had been mere moments prior. He knew it was a lie. There were many who would kill him without hesitation, without regard. It used to be that Lyric didn't care. "Come on, let's go get clothes on. It's getting a little cold." Lyric helped her to the edge, and then out of the water.