maybe I'm dreaming (open)

[APRIL ULAYA]

[bg=212121][atrb=style,border: 3px solid #121100;][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] If this is what I call home He was feeling frazzled. Though, in everyone’s defense, that was nothing new. There was rarely a time where April was in public and not feeling like someone might knife him in the back of try to abduct him. But then again he was noticing a lot of eyes on him lately so forgive his rampant paranoia. Yeah, totally unjustified. There was an elephant in the room and he couldn’t see it, mainly due to the fact that he was the elephant and while he may not be as obstructing as one April was certainly out of place. He just didn’t quite blend in with the blue collared folks around him. Six feet tall and as white as a sheet, people tended to notice you without such additions as a pair of spiraled horns or piercing yellow, inverted eyes the size of saucers. Oh yeah, and the wings, can't forget those... He’d have blamed all the unwanted attention on his charisma if he was to be so arrogant but his self-esteem was about as high as an anthill these days. No, he knew how he must appear in the eyes of those who could still claim their human birthright and though they didn’t speak the words their eyes spoke for them. Freak. He didn’t have to tell them, there wasn’t a neon sign pointing his way, hailing him as something a little odder than your average bodyguard. Sometimes humans knew innately that something was off. Whether it was the person next door or the parents of a family friend or even the guy sitting next to you on the train, there were instances where every red flag went up and started doing wigwag language up and down your mental corridor. He could only imagine how many were waving around right about now. The subway wasn’t incredibly full for a Thursday afternoon, children having long since gone their separate ways leaving the station somehow more serene with the loss of their chaotic chatter. He was relieved for small favors because even with his headphones clapped over his ears – which let me tell you is very difficult when half of your head is covered by such an inconvenient headdress – only served to buffer the sounds around him. But he didn’t need his hearing to listen to the unspoken jeers being sent his way. At least he imagined that such was occurring. Who knew? Maybe they were just fascinated by his presence among them. Perhaps they weren’t ushering their children to the opposite side of the walkway because they didn’t want him to feel caged in by them. April wasn’t in the mood to put a positive spin on it right now. His day hadn’t gone very well and it had started far too early for a guy who was naturally nocturnal to be operating. Though the blame rested mostly on him. He’d forgone his sleep medication and had attempted to drift off like your average Joe and hadn’t succumbed until nearly three in the morning. In spite of his appearance and whatever lies were on his resume, April didn’t quite consider himself a young buck anymore. He was getting up there in his years and going against his biological clock was proving harder to do than hooking himself up to an I.V drip every morning. With a weary sigh the man moved on and found a vacant bench along the wall, keeping his eyes to himself. For whatever reason people had this thing about getting skittish if you look directly at them and know that they were looking at you. He didn’t need the hassle of some overzealous extremist looking to reduce the SHIFTER population by one. WHY DO I FEEL SO ALONE? so tell me darling, do you wish we’d fall in love?

template by synchronicity

[Kumo Perry]

It was her second or third time of actually travelling somewhere relatively far from home and it was still nerve racking. Kumo figured it was all the people, and maybe the noise to. She was used to it being quite, and she certainly wasn’t used to having to push through hoards of people. Frightful as it may be though, it still turned out to be fun.She had bought a few cat related items and was surprisingly happy considering the closeness of all the people and the odd glance she got here and there. It was probably what she was wearing that dragged attention to her; she was wearing yellow skinny’s- faded slightly in colour and a little scuffed at the bottom- and her most beloved hoodie- the item had ears on the hood and two cats forming a circle on the back, representing Ying and Yang.

Despite her always being self-conscious and nervous of other peoples looks, she couldn’t help but wear her own clothing. It seemed to give her that little bit more confidence, and she felt more at home than she ever could in a stuffy school uniform; she wasn’t really one for skirts but it was that or horrible looking baggy black or grey trousers.

Kumo trotted down the steps leading to the underground, and the further she got the less people looking at her she found. It was a relief but she was also curious as to why. Maybe it was simply for the fact that everyone here was so used to seeing a variety of people that they just didn’t care s much what other people were wearing anymore- Kumo never understood that. How people commented and criticised what someone was wearing. It didn’t really take long though to learn to ignore what people said. It was the looks that got to her, she always tensed up when someone was watching her. It made her feel uncomfortably paranoid.

Kumo slipped her yellow cat-like headphones over her head, music playing at a median volume so that it was loud enough for her to hear but not to loud that it drowned out the voices and everyday noises around her. She was well aware that she needed to pay close attention to her surroundings or something bad might happen- she’s seen far to many films where people wandered around unaware and ended up getting raped, mugged or killed. A shudder ran the length of her spine, but she quickly shook the memories of various horror films she had seen. Kumo found it just typical that she rememebered horrible, scary things but not things related to school. She amused herself with the idea of lessons being taught in a horror movie as she walked, her mind floating somewhere else before she mentally slapped herself. This was a dangerous place to be in! She might get robbed... Kumo looked at the time on her iPod before looking around for a bench to sit on. She had a lot of time to kill before her train and she would rather be sitting for that time...

After a little while of standing on her tip-toes and straining to see over people, her indigo gaze finally came to rest on the closest, most empty bench she could see- and also its occupant. Her heart skipped, her throat clenching. Kumo’s eyes widened, but she quickly looked away as she realised she had been staring. It was SHIFT experiment... Kumo exhaled deeply. She’d never really seen one, and certainly not one with... Horns. God, her stomach felt like it had butterflies floating around in it. Wow. She would actually be able to meet one. Maybe even talk to him... Though she highly doubted that considering all the hardships they have been put through and still have to suffer because of ignorant, close-minded people.

Swallowing her nerves, and bucking up the courage Kumo began walking again. A hand went up to slid her headphones down so they hung around her neck, then she paused her music. She quickly approached the bench, making sure to sit on the opposite seat and not in the middle so as not to make the man feel uncomfortable. She knew full well what it felt like to have someone sit so close to you especially when you felt nervous enough about your appearance. Now she just needed to... Say something... Both her hands clutched the metal arm rest on the bench and she leant a little bit forwards to make sure he would hear her first time- she really didn’t want to have to repeat herself, saying hello over and over again just made her feel stupid. “Umm... h-Hello.” Phwee... That wasn’t so hard... Now Kumo just had to wait and hope he heard and gave a positive or neutral reactions- she wouldn’t want to be snapped at.

[APRIL ULAYA]

[bg=212121][atrb=style,border: 3px solid #121100;][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] If this is what I call home His mind was playing tricks on him. Shadows that weren’t there danced and licked at the edges of his vision. The lighting fixtures were not obnoxiously bright but the luminescence that they offered to the subway tunnel made the clothing of other residents glow as if they were under ultraviolet rays. Clothing glowing brilliantly, shockingly vivid, forced him to bow his head a fraction and use his hair as a makeshift curtain. But even this didn’t save him from the subtle twinges of discomfort that built and concentrated at the bridge of his nose. Muffling a grumble of displeasure April crossed his arms across his chest, posture hunched over and tail curled over the seat beside him as he tried to focus on anything but his surroundings. Not that he’d be given such reprieve – though in all honesty the alternative that Kumo presented him with was cheering. The young girls voice sounded in front of him and reflexively the winged man flinched, a shudder traveling through the broad line of his shoulders and disappearing lower. “A-are you speaking…to me?” he voice, even to the speakers own ears, sounded rough and hesitant. Though April was well within his right to be apprehensive when he spoke. Namely because it was so rare that he was spoken to for anything other than an urgent or necessary matter. It had been a while since someone had tried to get his attention for anything else, especially a woman. Blinking owlishly at the girl, April had to squint again because her purple hair was objectionably flamboyant in the light that showered down on them. She was slight, small and spindly from what he could gather in a few shy glances before he returned to looking at his lap as if sure she had meant to address some other person. But no! It really was him being spoken to and it took him a moment to gather his thoughts in the same place from where they had scattered to the furthest reaches of his mind. “Um, yes? May I help you Miss?" WHY DO I FEEL SO ALONE? so tell me darling, do you wish we’d fall in love?

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[Kumo Perry]

Determination had long since dominated her facial features. After a few nervous minutes she had told herself, repeatedly, that this man really wasn’t going to hurt her. That would be mad considering she hadn’t done anything wrong- and she wasn’t exactly threatening in the slightest. No. He was simply like everyone else out there, he just looked a little different, s’all. Kumo’s gaze flicked to a couple of passers-by, their gazes instantly turning to look somewhere other than what they saw as a comical or even a frightful attraction. It was disgusting really. Sure, they looked different, but feelings were something everybody had; surly people would have learnt that by now? Her head slowly trailed around the underground before once again returning to face the mysterious shifter. She could be very patient so she really didn’t mind the silence that had fallen between the two after her initial hello. It was to be expected. Who would talk to a shifter, after all.

A smile graced Kumo’s face as a reply came from his maw, a little hesitant and uncertain but she hadn’t been expecting self-confidence. She nodded rather enthusiastically, a soft ‘Mhm’ coming from her throat. Now maybe he’d say something more- she’d wait for it though.

Kumo bought her legs up onto the bench, her small form allowing her to easily, comfortably, cross her legs. She was a little angled, her body more or less facing him. “Mm. Yeah.” She tried her best to form a serious frown, she let the pause drag out a little. “Can- You tell me... Your name?” Kumo tilted her head, a smile curling the corners of her mouth, her hands coming the rest in her lap, pushing slightly against the bench beneath her. It was a little adventurous for her to out-rightly ask someone’s name, but even before Kumo had walked over to the bench she had told herself to swallow her nerves and try her best to act more confident- though it really wasn’t working very effectively. Her heart was still racing in her chest and no matter what she thought about or how she calmed her breathing, it refused to still. “I'm Kumo.” She offered, hoping her giving her name would be more a prompt for him to give her his.

[APRIL ULAYA]

[bg=212121][atrb=style,border: 3px solid #121100;][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,450,true][atrb=width,20%][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,3,true] If this is what I call home To say that April was surprised was quite the understatement. The man was doing what had to be the most convincing impression of an owl and the only thing that could make it more perfect would be for his head to rotate 180 degrees…but that’d be creepier than he wanted to contemplate so it was probably a good thing he couldn’t. For a moment he was still trapped in his little stupor, confused about the girl’s friendly advancement and exhilarated because of it. He just couldn’t seem to pick one and the medium for both was elusive as ever. A familiar stinging brought him to attention, it didn’t take him long to realize his eyes had started misting over with tears and blinking made the droplets glide down his cheeks. The tears of course were lost against the dark green steaks printed on his face so it wasn’t overtly apparent to anyone who wasn’t looking. Whoever said men shouldn’t cry better not decide to board the 7:35 tonight because he would be in no mood to hear it. It felt very fictional, like a scene out of beauty and the beast. Where you knew at least the monster became a handsome man, April had no such curse to lift; everything about him now was very permanent. A was this little girl, the greatest of clichés if he ever knew one, talking to him voluntarily. She didn’t look like she’d been dared by a bunch of brats to sit in front of him, ignore all his deterring features, and talk to him like a human being. But he’d been wrong before. His mouth refused to work for a second; remaining tightlipped, leering eyes making him look all the more standoffish sitting across from the teen that seemed genuinely interested and even after acknowledging him had introduced herself. “It’s April.” Uncomfortable as he was he managed the two-word reply without incident, progress. “I don’t mean to be rude, but why are you speaking to me?.” it was nagging him, that much was obvious to anyone if his skeptical expression and hesitance weren’t indication enough that this whole scenario didn’t seem right – or perhaps it was and he felt like it shouldn’t be. WHY DO I FEEL SO ALONE? so tell me darling, do you wish we’d fall in love?

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[Kumo Perry]

It was overly clear how surprised the man was at being spoken to and, to be honest, it was quite amusing how wide his eyes where- though Kumo wasn’t at all fazed, she was to busy admiring the yellow colour of his eyes to even think it strange. After having shaken herself from staring, Kumo thought about how sad it was that he was so unsure that he had been spoken to. Was it that rare for someone to have a conversation with him? It must be awfully lonely. Even if people didn’t talk to Kumo, she was the kind of girl who didn’t mind talking to her cats. They were friendly and always listened, or... Seemed to listen...

Kumo beamed as he spoke, “April..” She muttered, trying the name out, seeing how it rolled off her tongue like she would in any situation that involved remembering a name. She was going to make sure she didn’t forget. Kumo perked at his next words, pausing for a moment to think before she answered. “Mm. Its not rude.” She waved a dismissive hand, it was perfectly understandable, after all, why he would be curious to know such a thing. “I just wanted to talk to you. You-“ Her head cocked to the oppostite side that it had been, “”-Looked a little lonely.” It was the most confident filled, truest answer she could have given. Kumo was just hoping the what she had said didn’t sound rude. Now, she realised, it would probably be a good idea for her to say something else, to ‘stimulate the conversation.’ But for a brief moment her mind went blank- yet another thing she could add to her mental list of things she does often. It was frustrating...

“What train are you getting?” Was the best she could come up with within the short space of silence that had began to stretch uncomfortably before her. She knew she had plenty of time to wait, and she was hoping April did to. It was always better to have extended first encounters because it meant that they had more time to get to know each other better. It would be nice if they had things in common- Kumo couldn’t help but wonder if her liked cats... If he did she’d end up showing him her pair at some point. Ah! There she went again, assuming they were going to be friends. Heh. Stupid. Stupid Kumo...