eye of the S T O R M [Tarrik][FIN]

[Anita Gellard]

[bg=272727][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] Ann wasn’t normally an impatient person, though her patience was often tried by the various members of her flock. Today, however, the feeling trickled through her veins, nagging and harassing at her mind with a sort of sluggish insistence. There was a reason for it, of course. A week had passed since her last meet and greet with the Fulsi man she’d come to grow rather fond of, and already she was eager to see him again, although she wasn’t exactly sure why. Perhaps it was because of his attractive appearance, or because of the fact that he was so laidback compared to the rest of chaotic world within this damnable dome. It was probably a combination of those two factors; plus, he was so easy to toy with, not to mention that he seemed eager to please her. There were things she needed to teach him, skills that he needed to hone; hell, he’d hardly been aware of them before he’d met her. So, they had agreed to meet here today at noon. She’d arrived early, having traveled by wing during prime weather conditions, and now she lay there, waiting. She hated waiting. “Ari, honestly. Where the hell…” she muttered into the sleeve of her shirt, then groaned low and stretched out further across the large branch, which creaked lightly under her weight. “I mean, this place is closest to Fulsi, for god’s sake.” One hand hung down in a distinctly lazy fashion, slightly curled, a necklace dangling from her fingers and swaying in the soft breeze. The girl didn’t particularly like this area that had been chosen, but it’d mainly been picked for Tarrik’s benefit (namely, the easy travel distance), since they’d met at the park and such most times before and it was out of the way for him. The air carried the scent of smoke, faint though it was. It was as if the place had never stopped burning from the fire that it had so obviously succumbed to in previous years. She’d only dared set foot a few feet into the inn itself before withdrawing quickly, sensing the danger in its weakly supported structure and splintered floorboards. The tree outside, however, despite its skeletal nature, was adequate enough for her to rest on. At least she could be thankful that she was away from other people for the moment. Her headaches had grown worse, and at first she’d thought her hearing had been messed with even more, but she came to realize that many of the voices were inside her head as well as outside, and that some of her thoughts weren’t really her thoughts, but those of others. She would catch random sentences at the most unusual of times, typically when she was looking at someone else, and she’d come to consider that said sentences belonged to them. They weren’t always charitable thoughts, either, and it was a right pain being unable to answer them, given that she technically wasn’t supposed to be aware of them in the first place. Not only were there voices, though; there were also actions - things moved on their own, without her touching them, usually when her attention was directed on aforementioned things. It was very unusual, truly, and if she was responsible for it, she’d need to learn how to control it. That is, if Tarrik ever showed up. Just as she was beginning to wonder whether something had happened to him, she picked up on the sound of footsteps, amplified in her ears, and pushed herself up until she was straddling the branch rather than lying on it. The girl waited until he’d neared before grinning wide and dropping the necklace by his feet to get him to look up. “Took you long enough, Ari,” she drawled, wrapping her legs tighter and then letting herself fall so that she now hung upside down to peer at him, eyes bright. “You’re a sight for sore eyes in this wretched place.” tag;; Tarrik <3 ooc;; e.e; Ugh, muse needs to comeback -now-.

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[Tarrik Rosdahl]

[bg=040402][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true] The soft duff of the forest sprayed through the air as Tarrik ran through the bracken fern and blueberry that choked the trees, leaves torn free by his careless haste fluttered and fell in his wake. He was pursued only by his own thoughts and the adrenaline high of finally burning energy that had been pooling all day. He was late at this point, he was sure, but a small herd of deer had broken cover earlier and he couldn't help but give chase, yowling and snarling with savage delight. The chase had detoured him for half an hour or so until the herd had turned heel and headed off directly opposite his eventual destination, and Tarrik had reluctantly given up. He hoped the hunters might come across the tired and harried deer, and that he might get real meat for dinner. Panting hard and tongue lolling he'd turned back toward his initial goal at a leisurely trot; his gunmetal coat had started the day clean, but now it was specked with dirt and debris and clung to his ribs where water had splashed. Ann may well scold him for the filth, but it would be worth the rush he'd had. Besides, his clothes when he shifted back shouldn't be too worse for wear. Half an hour later found the soft scent of char on the sloping wind that whispered to Tarrik's nose, and his ears perked and stride lengthened. A minute later the distinct tang he'd come to associate with Ann flavored the breeze as well, and as he caught sight of the ruined building through the trees he exchanged paws for boots. He made it another twenty feet before metal flashed in front of him and he grinned, kneeling to scoop up the necklace. "Can't you ever just be glad to see me?" he complained, and stood back up to pass the necklace back up to her. Ever the opportunist, he snuck a little welcoming kiss while he was at it. "You busy today? I was wondering if I could draw you." his cheeks colored slightly, and he was hasty to elaborate. "My friends, they think I'm, ah, making you up, as it were. And since you still won't come back with me yet...." his eyes curved as he smiled, at once embarrassed and hopeful. The Rogue was a constant source of fascination for him, and he was determined to win her over to Fulsi. She was wickedly smart and brave to boot, and Tarrik had thus set himself firmly in for the long haul. He was fairly sure he was winning her over, and in the meantime she'd been helping him hone the strange ability the Keepers had left them both with. The two of them could effect, manipulate, and even plant emotions as though they were a tangible thing, a thing which had thoroughly blown his mind at first. Later, it had let him understand why Dalton slept better next to him, so long as they were touching. In his dreamless sleep he radiated calm, which offered some manner of comfort to his friend who suffered from night terrors more nights than not. His talent with the odd skill had grown in the past month, though he was usually only able to meet Ann every week or so he made up for it by practicing on his friends in Fulsi. ----- ooc; 83

[Anita Gellard]

[bg=272727][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] The girl rolled her eyes good-naturedly, taking the necklace from his outstretched hand and closing her fist around it. It was a lovely thing, with its thin silver chain and the small heart that adorned it. She’d found it once, a long while back, and claimed it hers since it suited her well. Ann stole hearts often, and, she suspected, Tarrik was no exception to this. It was evident in the looks he gave her, in the way that his eyes lit up every time he saw her, as they’d just done a moment ago. The poor lad had no idea that she was playing him for a fool, and although a kinder soul might have felt a stir of pity or guilt, she most certainly did not. Such was the ways in which her mind worked, for although she possessed the skills of an empath, and the definitions of emotions, she knew not what all of them truly meant. She met his kiss obediently, and then gave him another, teasing one before pulling away. A smile curved at her lips as she replied, tones even, “You know I’m glad to see you, Ari. I mean, you’re the one thing I have to look forward to these days. A rogue’s life isn’t known for its glamorous social circle, after all,” As Ann spoke, she made haste in getting down from the tree, catching the branch she hung from in delicate hands, loosening her legs’ grip, and then dropping down all at once to land in a crouch beside him. She glanced up beneath her curtain of dark hair, eyes widening briefly at his request. Only one other person had ever bothered to try drawing her before, at least in the Menagerie, and that someone was Fidelias, her always-loyal second in command. Trying to hide both her surprise and the swell of flattered curious that had sprung up, she carefully and quickly weighed the pros and cons of the matter. True, she’d only known him for a little while and he was a Fulsi – and he was obviously going to share the picture, given his proposal – but she also didn’t want to disappoint him and potentially lose him because of this, and, a small defiant part of her said, why not let them see her? If they didn’t believe him now, would a drawing help? It was impossible to tell. “Of course I’m not busy. I came here to spend time with you, you silly dog,” she teased, straightening up and dusting her hands off. “You can draw me if you feel like it. I don’t mind.” Another smile grew, lightening up her features. “I’m just so mysterious, aren’t I? They should have more faith in you, though, that you’re telling the truth. That hardly seems fair.” At the mention of joining Fulsi, her smile broke into a wide grin as she shook her head. “You’re relentless, aren’t you?” She reached a hand up to touch his cheek fondly. “Like I said before, Tarrik, I’ll consider it, but, no guarantees. I don’t get along all that well with large groups of people…” The hand that rested there suddenly gave him a light pat, to distract him from that thought. She’d been playing hard to get with the idea of her joining up with the ring, enough to let him think that maybe he’d have a chance in convincing her. To that, she said, good luck. He did get an A for effort though, because he was nothing if not persistent. “I’ll make you a deal. You can draw me now if we can practice later,” the girl wiggled her fingers at him. “Because we’re getting quite good at it. No sense in stopping now,” She took a few steps back from him, movements as light and graceful as a bird’s. “Direct me, o’ grand artist. What is it you want me to do?” Ann turned, then tossed him a look over her shoulder that she’d learnt would make the sturdiest of men melt just a little. “Something like this?” tag;; Tarrik <3 ooc;; See? A post 83 ...dunno how good it is, but xD ....IF YOU'D STAYED UP LIKE, 15 MINUTES LONGER YOU COULD'VE READ IT. x'D

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[Tarrik Rosdahl]

[bg=040402][atrb=width,500,true][atrb=border,0,true] He could only smile as she kindly chided him, he was persistent, if not terribly patient or subtle. He didn't worry at all on her fears of not getting along, she liked him fine, and the Fulsi at large weren't a bunch of snugglebugs. Once she actually tried it out, he was sure she'd stay. It was just a matter of getting the stubborn woman to humor him in the first place. Which, to his delight, she presently was. Tarrik waved the sketchbook at her cheerily as she agreed, and stepped out to follow her toward the ruined building. And her little tradeoff was more than agreeable, he wasn't going to spend all day drawing her after all. Not that he'd terribly mind it, she was quite pleasant to look at. "Wicked! No problem, just right where your comf-" his throat was suddenly quite dry as she struck a pose, and he swallowed hard as color rose to his cheeks. "Y-yeah," he squeaked, then managed to salvage some of his dignity. He was not getting laid nearly often enough. "You really ought to sit though, takes me a little while?" He waited for her to get situated how she pleased before sitting down himself, loosely cross-legged with a knee drawn up to set the sketchpad against. Flashing her an eager grin, he rummaged in his pack for something to draw with, indecisive. "It's not so much they don't believe I found someone I'm trying to convert, we just have something of a... cock-block war? And I'm losing, and they probably think I'm trying to cheat my way out of it with an imaginary girlfriend." He snickered, then pales slightly. "Not that you're imaginary? ...or my girlfriend." Tarrik took a short moment to admire the hole he'd dug himself into, then shrugged it off good-naturedly. A moment later he finally settled on a black pen with a tip like a paintbrush, one of the small assortment of art supplies he'd stumbled over in an odd corner of the library. With a dexterity most people failed to anticipate from someone built more like they intended to chase down dinner than draw, he started the portrait. Tarrik had never had the patience for sketching, and the bold lines of black ink sunk into the paper with a finality that pleased him. ----- ooc; dork D8

[Anita Gellard]

[bg=0a0a0a][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] A slow smile crept across her lips as he grew flustered at her appearance, and, fearful that he might simply drop dead of shock, she tossed back her head and laughed, then straightened up and hunted for a suitable place to sit. As it turned out, the only thing that wasn’t completely covered in grime was a small bench, built of sturdy oak wood and made for only one person. Once seated upon it, she lounged casually back, one leg crooked up and the other folded beneath it, both her back and elbows resting against the bench’s arm as she peered at him calmly, the smile back in place. Her eyebrows lifted in first surprise, then amusement, as he clarified what his companions thought of what he’d told them about her. The ‘war’ they were having in particular nearly sent her into a spiral of laughter again, though she kept it in by pressing her mouth politely into a thin line. “Why are you losing? Surely you’re much better than they are,” she teased, a smirk growing as he failed to avoid digging himself a rather noticeable hole. It was more of a trench, really. “It’s true, I’m neither,” she paused, as though trying to find the right words, and then said, “It’s because we don’t need a label for what we have. I like how we are, and I don’t want to tie you down. Nor do I like being tied down myself, as I think you’ve discovered.” Being in a ring like the Fulsi would just tie her down, she’d rationalized; at least that’s what she’d told him. She focused her gaze on his hands instead, curious to see what he was doing but unwilling to move lest she ruin his picture. Instead, she decided she would merely ask. “Tarrik? Tell me more about yourself? …like, say, when did you start learning how to make art?” tag;; Tarrik <3 ooc;; shortpost u.u TDOODLE? 8D

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[Tarrik Rosdahl]

YOU LOST IT ALL STILL WANTING SOME MORE_Tarrik
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Thankfully, Ann didn't make too much fun of the lovely hole he'd dug himself into, and he smiled slightly as he worked on the flowing dark of her hair. Her interest in the hobby pleased him greatly, it wasn't really that useful a skill in the dome, and he rarely mentioned it. Not to mention he usually drew dragons, Ann's portrait would be one of few humans in the pages of the worn sketchbook.

"Aah.. I guess when I was a kid. Someone donated a bunch of art stuff one winter, and I took a liking to it. It's fun, ya'know?" He traced the brush-pen down the curve of her throat, inking in her beloved necklace, then capped the pen and set it down. "Thanks for sitting for me though, really. Tried to make it quick." A broad smile turned his lips as he beckoned to her. "You wanna see? It's not the Mona Lisa, but I think it's not half bad." In fact he was rather proud of it, the mouth may be a touch crooked, the nose slightly off. But the eyes, her eyes, were dead on; wide, dark, and intelligent. He was already trying to picture Dalton's face when he actually did turn up a drawing, and the thought of it turned his smile a shade mischievous.

"And you know Ann, I have been practicing. For real this time. Got Dally aaaaall worked up in a jealous fit over who gave me our dinners, hah! He bit me after, but it was still worth it. And I really got T going as well, he wasn't expecting anything like it. Thought he was gonna bite me too, but I'm faster than he is." Devilish pride showed clearly on him, he had finally gotten a fairly good handle on the bloody skill through some somewhat unusual mental engineering. A castle in his mind, the walls just lined with endless doors of every style. And on each of them, a simple symbol. By picking and holding certain symbols in his mind, he could open the doors, and channel the emotion. It had finally put a dam to the former chaos of power, which had for a week and a half simply forced his present emotions onto anyone he touched. That had been slightly awkward at times, and ridiculously so at others. Now, at last, it was contained.

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ooc; >DD

[Anita Gellard]

[bg=0a0a0a][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] If there was one thing that interested Ann, it was how people had led their previous lives, and her eyes grew wider with curiosity as he explained about what had first sparked his interest in art. Donated supplies? She hadn’t learnt much yet about what his childhood had been like, and so she could only wonder why he’d been unable to afford his own supplies; orphanages and poverty were not things she had often encountered once she’d left her home in Africa to journey to a more urbanized environment, which explained her lack of knowledge about such matters. When he had finished and thanked her, she smiled graciously and offered him a small shrug before pushing herself back up, stretching like a long-limbed cat. “Thank you for choosing me as a subject to draw? I’m rather flattered, really.” Upon asking if she wanted to see it, she stood up and strode over to him, eyes bright and expression inquisitive. Circling around behind, Ann leant over his shoulder to view it at the proper angle, then grinned sharply, glancing at him, then back at the picture. “I think it’s lovely. Very nice work.” With a little coy look, she snuck him a kiss on the cheek before studying the drawing more closely. It was true; the eyes he’d depicted were captivating, even for her, and while she was mostly glad at heart that it looked to be a good, accurate depiction of her, another small part inside her was fluttering nervously. She sincerely hoped that he wouldn’t be able to use this against her somehow, eventually. Her grin grew a touch more wicked when he reiterated his practice for that week; tormenting his fellow ring-mates with his new found skill seemed to be a growing trend in the last month or so, and she couldn’t help but be just as proud of him as he was of himself. “It sounds as if you’ve been able to make the emotions stronger,” she praised. Ann could remember when they had been less than stable, fluctuating without him being able to control it. Hers had done the very same when she had first started out as well, but their continuous practice was doing wonders for the both of them. “Your focus, too, sounds like it’s getting much better.” She prowled around to face him, brushing a finger down his arm as she went, channelling her own satisfaction towards him to let him know exactly how she felt. Once she stood before him, she extended her palm forward, a simple gesture but one that she knew he was familiar with. “Show me, then. Do your worst,” The girl flashed him another grin. “I promise I won’t bite like the others.” tag;; Tarrik <3 ooc;; Hope it's okay xDDD I HAD A FEW MINUTES OF SILENCE 8D

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[Tarrik Rosdahl]

YOU LOST IT ALL STILL WANTING SOME MORE_Tarrik
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He grinned in agreement as she praised him verbally and otherwise; he was getting better, much better. He might have even passed the point she'd been at when they met, though she of course had continued to progress as well. Teaching was the best way to improve, they said, and at this point she could play him like a violin. Fortunately, the familiarity was mutual. He'd spent hours upon hours learning to, in essence, use force of will to manipulate her emotions like a tangible thing. And he was getting darn good at mixing them.

Tarrik reached up and pressed his palm against hers, fingers loosely lacing with hers. Her fingers were cool to the touch, they often were. She had fortunately found a reliable furnace; him. "What do you think, euphoria, greed, serenity," he teased with a grin, and let a slow wave of paranoia build through the connection. At first he'd thrown things at her like a sledgehammer, which was perhaps overwhelming, but also easy to spot. With the practice now he was downright sneaky, and his eyes glittered as he cranked it up to jitter-inducing levels, then abruptly washed it away with something like love; a mix of loyalty, greed, adoration, and euphoria, with a double shot of lust just to be an ass. And maybe because he liked when her eyes got dark and her lips pouty, just a little. He dropped all but the desire for a moment, giving her a saucy wink, then poured first guilt, then excite into the channel.

"Whatcha think?" he rumbled, distinctly pleased with himself. "Do I get an A-plus?" he was asking for it in more than one sense, and wasn't so much as slightly ashamed about it. It was like she could tell what he was thinking sometimes, and he'd quickly learned to not bother hiding any admiration, physical or otherwise. Not to mention she seemed to enjoy it, which did nothing at all to dissuade him.

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ooc; BEST STUDENT.

[Anita Gellard]

[bg=0a0a0a][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] Ann let her eyes flutter shut when she felt him press his palm to her own hand, his fingers warm against hers. She gave them a light amused squeeze, and then waited for the inevitable that was sure to follow; sure enough, a swell of energy washed through her, and distantly she heard Tarrik’s commentary in the background, something about euphoria, but it was pushed to the back of her mind in favour of the sudden, mounting sense of...something. It wasn’t evident, although it was comparable to the feeling that something very bad was going to happen, something very bad indeed. She didn’t like it much, and although she knew she’d sacrificed control of her emotions to him, this felt like an entirely different loss of control. The girl opened her eyes to fix her gaze on him, already fidgeting nervously and bouncing from foot to foot as she stood there, then muttered with a twitchy grin, “Euphoria, yeah right.” She only had a short time to gather her wits before the feeling was replaced by a mix of something else. It was different, an interesting cocktail of things she’d never felt all at once before. If she tried hard enough, she thought she might be able to pick out one or two of them, namely lust, but he was doing a good job of being subtle about it and she felt a small swell of her own pride well up inside her, concealed though it was by the emotions he was feeding her. Perhaps he would be able to notice it, though, since their connection was a solid, mutually trusting one. Then the lust, the desire, became really evident, and she pressed up against him with a quiet purr, eyes darkening until her pupil nearly covered the whole of her iris. “Tarrrikkkkk,” she chided, leaning up so that her lips were barely a half inch from his own. “You’re being awful and you know it.” This was true. Although her telepathy was new and generally a nuisance, she’d been able to catch hints of his frame of mind, and it was nothing if not devious. “But you,” she trailed a finger down his chest, gaze still fixed on his. “Are doing very well. I’m impressed.” About to break their connection, she was caught off guard by yet another burst of emotions, obliterating the previous emotion. The excitement was infectious, making her almost bouncy, but the guilt, something which she wasn’t able to feel or understand on her own terms other than through Tarrik, counteracted the excitement crushingly. It felt very odd, and very torn. She leaned back from him, then fighting through the fog of false emotions, she sent a burst of energy back towards him, his own sense of guilt to shame him for doing that to her. “Like I said though, naughty.” Once they’d gone through the motions, trading feelings back and forth, each trying to best the other, Ann dropped her hand, breaking their connection. “Enough of that. You already know you’re good at it, you cheeky blight. Should use it on some more people whenever you can, though. To keep it fresh and all.” She paused, eyes dropping to the ground for a moment. “Did I tell you that the Keepers got ahold of me again?” Ann nodded, as if confirming this, then, flexing her hand, she extended a single finger towards him and slowly, very slowly and with much concentration, she began to move the zipper on his jacket, pulling it down. When it had moved about a quarter of the way down, she stopped, then grinned up at him. “What do you think?” tag;; Tarrik <3 ooc;; Hope it's okay u.u

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[Tarrik Rosdahl]

YOU LOST IT ALL STILL WANTING SOME MORE_Tarrik
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Her praise, as always, pleased him immensely. And he was being awful, and had every intention of continuing to be such. She didn't like it, she could take her hand away anytime. To date, she never had. The backwash of guilt she sent him a moment later only made him smile wider, eyes bright and unrepentant. He cheerfully responded with a truckload of something special back into her, cackling. The exchange was always a delight, more so now that he was on par with her, and the chemical rush of adrenaline, serotonin, and more was dizzyingly addictive as they threw love, terror, rage, joy, and more back and forth.

Finally she withdrew her hand, and Tarrik did his best not to pout. It was more then just the chemicals and the battle of wills, it was the intimacy of the exchange he also enjoyed. However, judging by her reconsidered proximity and expression, she had another kind of intimacy in mind. Tarrik was, naturally, anything but disappointed. At least until the mentioned the keepers, and white-hot rage flickered to life deep in his stomach. They'd not hurt her badly, or she would have already mentioned it, but still. Every time they took someone, they changed them.

He didn't know what to expect, but the sudden feeling of his jacket zipper sliding down certainly wasn't it. Rather, it scared the daylights out of him at first, and he flailed a moment before freezing, staring at it in a mixture of disbelief and awe. She could move things. With her mind. He blinked, a different, much more instinctual section of his mind taking over as he realized what exactly she was doing with said new-found ability. "I think... that you ought to practice that more." He leaned forward to brush a teasing kiss over her lips, a devilish smirk on his own as he slid an arm around her waist. She'd get her chance. After all, he was wearing all kinds of clothes.

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ooc; AND THEN. They had a very good time. u.u; <3

[Anita Gellard]

[bg=0a0a0a][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=border,0,true] It was dark by the time he left, with naught stars nor moonlight to guide his way back home; it was lucky he lived close by, else those who prowled in the shadows of the decaying trees would soon emerge and threaten to devour all those who decided to stay within their midst. Ann, cloaked in the guise of her true form, trailed after him silently, the only noise being the occasional rustle as a wingtip brushed against stray leaves. He was easy to follow, and he led her into the heart of the city. She circled around the outside of the building, then, waiting, watching as she knew he would be descending up the stairs. And when she finally found the window through which to peer into the room he occupied, her claws scrambling at the ledge, her breast swelled with jealousy and untempered rage. For through the glass she could see Tarrik, her suitor, her little protégé, with that damnable man he claimed was only his friend. Yet she could see their affection for each other, their chemistry that practically crackled, and she hissed, a low ugly sound in the back of her throat, as the other man lay upon him, all sprawled out as if he owned Tarrik. This would not do one bit. Heart heavy with fury, the crow spread its wings and dove back into the night, dark thoughts weighing in her mind. tag;; Tarrik <3 ooc;; DundunDUN. All is not well in PleasantVille 8'D Stay tuned folks, this thread's finished <3

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