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Post by Aegle Vitus on Aug 30, 2016 14:30:25 GMT -6
From the way she lead Lily through the cramped walkways that criss-crossed the Vytal campus, Aegle certainly didn't seem to share any of the faunus' misgivings about the prying eyes. Indeed, if her gaudy attire were any indication, she either didn't mind being stared at or openly invited it. Her pose was relaxed and casual, with her bandaged hands crammed into her pockets and her shoulders slouched in an evident dismissal of good posture; Anyone who'd spent any amount of time around Aegle would have recognized her slouch for the nearest thing to 'at rest' she ever got, sans unconsciousness.
"The Caff is where all the vytal students go to eat." She said back to Lily, with only a cursory glance in the faunus girl's direction. She was smiling again, as though none of the unpleasant stuff in the last ten minutes had happened, and looked for the whole world like she was just leading around a friend. In fact, this was precisely as complicated as she considered their present circumstances to be. "Well, most of them anyway. I guess the ones livin' off campus can cook their own food, but for the most part, that's where we all go." Aegle glanced back again, as if to ensure Lily was still there.
"I'm on sort of a scholarship thing, so I don't even gotta pay so long as I order off the menu." She showed the faunus a wolfish grin at that. The precise program which Aegle was sponsored by wasn't exactly a scholarship program, but that was the easiest thing to compare it to, so she didn't bother providing any further details. Not that she was at all ashamed of the details; Aegle just didn't think it was all that interesting.
"Just up here." Aegle instructed, after briskly walking a couple of blocks. She turned into a smaller building on the edge of the campus, which was mostly indistinguishable from the myriad other dormitories which were scattered across Vytal. It wasn't anything especially special on the inside either, with its most remarkable quality being a stained carpet floor which was probably older than all the building's inhabitants combined. Aegle took the steps in the foyer three at a time and rapidly ascended to the third floor, and had swung open the door to her room by the time Lily had done the same.
"Come on in~" She chirped welcomingly, a sing-song tone contained in her shrill voice.
Aegle's room had more than a few things in common with its owner. For one, it was impressively small. Being that it was on the top most floor of the building, its ceiling followed the fall line of the roof, and dropped nearly four feet from one side of the room to the other. Aegle, with her compact figure, easily fit beneath the diminished ceiling, but the tips of her mohawk would brush across the roof if she wasn't careful. In fact, there were a couple discreet orange streaks of the same peculiar hue as the small girl's hair on the ceiling at the farthest side of the room. No doubt these were the result of some particularly indelicate movements, following a dyeing touch up. Her bed was little more than a mattress in one corner of the room, messily covered by a couple of mismatched sheets and covers. Surrounding said bed were crumpled clothes roughly organized into a few different piles, which appeared separated by the relative cleanliness of their contents. It was clearly an imperfect system. There was a chair and desk beside the door, the latter of which was barely visible beneath a pile of spare parts and miscellaneous tools. Beside the desk was what resembled a welding frame, behind which numerous half scratched blueprints had been tacked to the wall. The room's final decoration came in the form of a well worn punching bag, hanging from a reinforced hook in the room's only unoccupied corner. The whole room smelled faintly of oil and mustiness.
"Grab a seat." Aegle beckoned, utterly unabashed by the disheveled state of her room, as she brushed a few books and scrap parts of the desk chair, letting them tumble irreverently to the floor. Then she kicked a path through her clothes and, bracing with one hand on the low ceiling, bent down and scooped something off of her bed, which had previously been half hidden in the rumpled covers. As she turned to face Lily, the small objected she'd grabbed was revealed to be a tiny stuffed bear, which looked marginally less tiny beside Aegle's equally petite frame. She walked back over to the chair and offered the small bear over to Lily.
"Here." The bear looked like it had to be at least a decade old, and its disheveled appearance wasn't helped by the fact that it wore one arm in a cast and had bandages wrapped lazily around one eye. Still, beside the relative disarray which characterized the rest of Aegle's quarters, the well loved bear seemed to have actually been cared for. It even bore a few stitches where repairs had obviously been made.
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Post by lilywilde on Aug 30, 2016 15:16:06 GMT -6
When they entered Aegle's room, Lily breathed a sigh of relief. No more students to stare at them. Even the students who weren't aware of her status as the pigeon hunter stressed Lily out at this point. Just the small act of looking up as they passed by set her defenses to high alert. Here, alone with the girl who was perhaps her only real friend at this point was comforting. She could relax. She breathed a sigh of relief and slumped down into the chair Aegle was so gracious to clear for her. She wasn't used to sitting in chairs, and put both of her feet up in the chair with her. Her balance was perfect, the chair didn't wobble at all when she sat in it. She took her backpack off, and sat it gently on the floor beside her, and hugged her knees. Once Aegle handed her the bear though, she was reminded of her gift, a soft stuffed toy given by a huntress as they passed their their home city of Setek on the way to Vytal. She unzipped the backpack, another gift from that same huntress, and pulled out the soft, equally worn stuffed cat. Holding the bear in one arm, and the cat in the other, she buried her head in between her knees. Holding the two stuffed animals though did bring her some small modicum of comfort.
"Thanks Aegle." she said somberly, feeling a little guilty for having put her in this position. She sniffled a little, before looking up at her friend who was being as kind as she knew how to be. She bit her lower lip, thinking about what to say, before finally deciding on giving this girl a bit of context.
"I told you that I'm not like most people, and, well, I want you to be the first one at Vytal that really understand what I mean. I'm from out there." She looking out the window and pointing beyond the boundaries of the walls of Vytal. "I've never lived in a Kingdom, or under the protection of Hunters and Huntresses. I used to have a tribe, but when I was about eight they abandoned my family and myself. My parents... they fell to grimm about three years ago." She felt another tear run down her face, and decided to keep the fact that she was directly responsible for their deaths to herself. "So I've been living in the wilderness alone for the past three years. I... well, I don't know anything. I don't know what it means to be a person in society like this. I don't know what's okay, and what's not. I don't really understand anything, at all. I want to! I want to really bad, but there are just so many gaps in my experience. The only things I really know anything about are fighting Grimm and dealing with the tribes out in the wilds. And... how to run away. That's it, the full range of my skill set. For everything else, I'm like an infant. I can barely read, I can barely write, I don't know how to deal with people. Being in a crowd freaks me out, I'm paranoid that someone is going to attack me whenever I'm around unfamiliar people... I just, I just don't know how to cope."
She began shivering slightly at her confession, and squeezed the pair of animals tighter. "I've never been in a city before today. The largest group of people I've ever previously seen was about forty, and most of them were miles in the distance at an encampment. Even when we passed through Setek, I stayed on the outskirts of the city while the Hunters and Huntresses fetched what they needed from within the walls. I just, I don't know how to be a student, let alone a Huntress, and I'm so scared that I never will."
She felt moderately better having finally told someone all of this, but she couldn't help the tears from coming anyway.
"In the end, they convinced me to come here, the Hunters and Huntresses that rescued me in the wild from... well, some Grimm that I was incapable of dealing with. They said they'd take care of all the odds and ends, that I only had to go to classes and do my best. I'm not sure that I'm really ready for all of this. I've been here such a short amount of time, and already I'm breaking down."
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Post by Aegle Vitus on Aug 31, 2016 15:57:07 GMT -6
For a few long seconds after the young faunus girl was done talking, she was met only with barren silence and a blank expression from her orange haired hostess. For someone like Aegle, who really tried to spend as little time being introspective as was practicable, it was pretty overwhelming to listen to someone, point for point, outline their personal flaws and shortcomings the way Lily just had. It was only due to Aegle's stubborn resolve to try and help this strange girl, which was a kindness she would have extended to anyone, and the wrong headed presumption that she could come even close to understanding Lily's plight, that kept her from disengaging entirely. Another person, overwhelmed as Aegle was, might have chosen to step back, gather their thoughts, and carefully thinking out their response before replying. Such a person undoubtedly would have known that compassion and understanding were the best tools for dealing with such a quandary. Aegle, meanwhile, meant to tackle the problem the same way she tackled every other obstacle in her strange and storied little life. She was gonna determinedly push against it until either the problem crumbled, or she did. To this effect, Aegle immediately sought to take the silence, which had gathered in the absence of Lily's quiet voice, and chase it away.
"You're from the tribes?" There was quite a bit more awe in Aegle's tone than was probably appropriate, given the circumstances, but the small girl was helpless to suppress her surprise. Though other students might have been able to make the connection between Lily's unconventional behavior, her mid-term entrance into Vytal, and the tribes of her birth, the idea wholly stunned Aegle. She couldn't believe the first faunus she'd ever spoken to was also one who grew up outside of the four kingdoms. What was more, she couldn't believe how little Lily suited her conception of a tribes faunus, which she was certain were supposed to wear leather and carry big, brutal weapons and armor themselves in helmets made of skulls. As inappropriate as her initial, overawed reaction had been, Aegle plainly attempted to trump it with what she said next.
"Gosh, no wonder you act so funny when you've never been anywhere civilized before."
She had meant it kindly, a fact plainly betrayed by her tone of expression, each of which was filled with enough sympathy and pity to border on patronizing. Undeterred by the implied slights in her words, Aegle's brain moved down the list of things Lily had said, as she moved slowly around where the faunus girl was seated. In truth, she was trying to see if people in the tribes really did wear feathers in their hair, and whether she had just previously failed to notice Lily's.
"I don't really think anyone knows how to be a student here, ya know?" She remarked idly, her expression flashing with disappointment when she failed to spot a single feather or bone or tooth anywhere on Lily's person. "But I know how to be a huntress."
Stepping before Lily once more, Aegle resumed her usual, unflappable and vaguely idiotic smile, as she dropped heavily onto her knees right in front of the faunus girl.
"I can tell you if y'want." Without waiting for an answer, her eyes already sparkling with delight, Aegle took off. What followed was a mile-a-minute explosion of words with nary a pause nor breath in between.
"Huntsman protect the weak and battle with all the evil and nasty things living on Remnant, and they're strong and they're brave and they never back down from a fight..." there was a great deal of admiration in Aegle's voice, which swelled in volume and strength as she grew warmed to her subject, "And they protect the weak and the helpless and kill the things that would hurt them and they are always working to get stronger and tougher..." Her emerald eyes seemed to glow with her enthusiasm, while her hands clenched into tight balls and rose before her, as if she were preparing to fight, "And they are smart and cunning and everyone loves them 'cause they are the so great..." Aegle suddenly rose from her knees and thrust one fist up towards the ceiling, which was nearly close enough for her to touch, "And even if the monsters are too strong and they can't win, they fight anyway 'cause they know everyone is counting on them..." She was practically shouting by that point, and seemed to glow with the intensity of her tirade, "And even if they lose, they go down fighting!"
At the culmination of her excitation, Aegle was left breathing in deep, hungry breaths while her emerald eyes locked onto something in the middle distance, as though she might be able to see the heroic vision she had been describing. Slowly, her gaze refocused and dropped back down to Lily, followed shortly by her hand falling back to her hip. She flopped back onto the floor, sitting indian style in front of the dark haired girl.
"So yeah, if you can do that." She said with a smile, "You can be a huntress."
a moment passed, her smile never faltering, before she tipped her head and regarded Lily quizzically.
"Wait..." She said slowly, "What were we talkin' 'bout?"
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Post by lilywilde on Aug 31, 2016 19:43:49 GMT -6
When Aegle stated in amazement that Lily was 'from the tribes' Lily expected a look of shock and horror, instead however she was met with curiosity. When Aegle made her next statement regarding Lily's behavior, she could only nod, and respond with "From my perspective, everyone else is acting funny." It wasn't a statement made defensively. It was just an honest assessment of the behavior she'd seen so far.
Her comment about nobody really knowing how to be a student here made her a little relieved. She wasn't totally sure that she believed it, and she still felt like she had more handicaps than most, but that others struggled too made her feel better. She'd felt like everyone else was so much more at home here than she was, and she couldn't help but find that difficult to deal with.
Then Aegle launched into a speech about being a Huntress, and Lily nodded throughout the speech. She had already seen what it was to be a Huntress. She had been saved by their ilk, and it was that salvation that led her to Vytal in the first place.
"I had a moment to speak with some huntresses and hunters before. I learned that for each Hunter and Huntress, their path is different, but one unifying goal unites them. They stand firm against the Grimm, they save those who are weak, and they put themselves between danger and the lives of the innocent. I was never taught these values as a child, but having seen them in action, having benefited from others who hold those beliefs to be sacred, well, I decided that that way of life might be exactly what I needed."
Aegle then asked what they were talking about, and Lily couldn't help but to giggle slightly. "You're a bit of a strange one aren't you? Or at least, you're not like other people I've met. Not exactly. But not bad, you're the good kind of strange. You would do well where I'm from, which is what we were talking about."
She had one more piece she wanted to tell Aegle before she was done, one thing to elaborate on.
"Where I'm from, things are very different. I haven't been a member of any tribes for ten years, more than half of my life time. And a lot of that time I was too young to really remember much, but they left their imprint on me. I remember the warriors who would do whatever it took to keep the tribe safe from Grimm, and other tribes. I remember the struggle to survive, that everyone had to carry their own weight, or be cast out. I was... well, sickly, as a child. The healers poured much more of their energies into me than other children. The tribal elders made a demand of my parents. Either be cast out, or leave me to die. They chose the former, and they were the ones who had to die for that decision." She said that somberly, but failed to elaborate on the details. "I can't really claim to be a part of the tribes. I was alone out there, there was nobody to back me up. No one who would keep me safe while I slept, or healed my wounds when I faltered in battle. If I weren't fast, I would be dead. If I weren't strong, I would be dead. "
If I weren't weak, my parents would be alive.
That last part wasn't said out loud, and her face did nothing to betray that the thought had passed through her mind. She felt considerably better now. She had a small smile on her face, having entrusted her story to someone and not be treated like some sort of freak for it made her immeasurably more comfortable.
"Here things are... well, amazing. The people back home mocked those that dwelled in the kingdoms as weaklings. Fat and lazy people who were content to sit around and let others fight while they eat and grow content. They said the Grimm would rip these people apart one day and they would be able to scour their kingdoms for anything of value. I don't think that's true at all though. I think those that don't fight lend their strength to those that do. I think those that fight have something worth protecting, and seeing the youth gathered here learning to take up the mantle of defenders... well, it really does warm my heart a bit. Just knowing that I wouldn't have to fight if I didn't want to, that there's somewhere safe in the world, it really makes me think that fighting is even more important. That protecting the safety of others, that holding a place in this world where the Grimm hold no power is really far more important than I ever would have expected. I feel like a new person, and I've barely been here any time at all yet. Afterall, I've been here for no time at all and I've already made a friend. Out there I had none. It makes life a lot more bearable, and I can't wait to make some more."
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Post by Aegle Vitus on Sept 1, 2016 20:42:59 GMT -6
A more introspective girl might have asked herself why Lily was sharing everything she was sharing with her. Aegle, as has previously been discussed, could not be considered introspective even using the most liberal use of the word. So instead, she just listened. Listened and tried to absorb as much of Lily's tale as she could, which honestly wasn't much. Aegle wasn't very adept at things like comprehension, and what limited understanding she did have of the world was the result of very deliberate and repetitive study. Usually, she couldn't wrap her mind all the way around something the first time she was exposed to it, and Lily hadn't just tossed one or two facts for consideration at her. What the faunus girl had shared, whether Aegle understood it or not, was something much more complicated than a simple story, and Aegle would have freely admitted that she didn't really 'get it'. That she couldn't see the unifying thread which tied Lily's narrative together wasn't all that strange to the orange haired girl, however. She was used to not 'getting it', so there was something almost comforting about the slippery confusion she felt as Lily spoke. It was like a familiar companion, come to help her read over her notes. Whatever Aegle's comprehension of Lily's confidence was, and whatever conclusions she had reached once the faunus girl was done talking, Aegle kept it all to herself for the time being. She hadn't been explicitly asked for her opinion, and her very limited understanding of what had been said did not lead her to believe she had been asked for advice either. In fact, it was only as the conversation came to an end that the orange haired girl finally felt confident in mustering a response.
"I don't really get it." She said within moments of Lily growing quiet. Scratching the back of her neck, Aegle put on a smile she hoped might keep Lily from being mad at her for her glib reply.
"I mean, yeah, I'm sure that Vytal's gotta be real different from what yer used to. I bet I'd be major confused if I had to go live with the tribes, all of a sudden." she hesitated and wondered if she should say something about Lily's parents, or the way that she'd been cast out by her tribe. If there was anything she especially didn't get, it was those two points. She knew she should feel bad, and she kind of did, but she also found herself too removed from the issues to really know how they made her feel. Her actual emotions on the subject were actually pretty complicated, and that sort of complexity took Aegle a while to muddle through. She decided to wholly bypass the topic in the interim, and focus instead on the stuff that wasn't so confusing.
"I'm glad the weirdness hasn't discouraged you too badly though..." There was a hopeful, almost encouraging, look in Aegle's eyes as she spoke those words, neither of which were quite able to cover up the quiet uncertainty in her voice. She clearly wasn't sure if she had properly understood Lily's closing statements, which had run out of her ears like oil off a water logged sponge. She was ill suited to people speaking at such length as the way Lily had just done, and her comprehension had only grown worse the more long winded Lily had grown. And, if she was entirely honest, her attention had also begun drifting near the end, which made it difficult to recall precisely what had been said.
"Vytal's a pretty sweet place." She allowed tentatively, as if trying to feel her way along the conversation. "But it's a lot to take in when you first get here." Scratching her neck again, Aegle finally averted her gaze to a spot just beside where Lily was seated. Her expression briefly grew pensive and confused, as she plainly tried to figure out what more needed to be said. She was hopelessly lost where consoling and comforting another person was concerned, but she liked to think she was pretty good at encouraging people.
"But hey~" Seizing upon that idea, Aegle switched her attention back to Lily. "You're no worse than me, when I first got here."
Her initial enrollment had been about as atypical as Lily's, after all. When Aegle had begun the four preparatory years, she felt out of place and in the way too, and had felt as though everyone was staring at her and judging or pitying her. She didn't share any of this with Lily, partly because she didn't know the faunus girl all that well, but mainly because she assumed the specifics of how out of place she'd been weren't important. It didn't occur to her that shared experiences of isolation and ostracization , no matter the specific reasons, could have gone a long way to bridging the gap of unfamiliarity that lay between them. She also didn't realize that her own desire to help Lily had redoubled thanks to that association. Though she was not consciously aware of it, she was prepared to do whatever she could to keep someone else from feeling the way she had when she first got into Vytal.
"If ya want... You could stick by me, and then I can tell ya if you're doin' anythin' weird or funny."
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Post by lilywilde on Sept 2, 2016 9:13:35 GMT -6
Lily listened to Aegle's own responses one after the other in silence, contemplating what the poor girl was saying. Her words of reassurance, her sympathy. More and more Lily was coming to understand how difficult a situation this was for Aegle. If Lily had poor social skills, Aegle's were, well, poor as well, but in different ways. She patiently thought about what she was doing here, about what this life would really mean for her. She considered meeting more people like Aegle, and then decided that there probably weren't too many others like Aegle. If that were true though, then what sort of person might she meet? She had just told Aegle that she looked forward to making new friends, but in all honesty she had no idea how to go about that. She didn't need to think about that though. She probably shouldn't anyway. She was here, with Aegle, not then, with whoever she might also befriend.
She would have to work on that behavior. In the wilds, without people, she can think about her problems in whatever order she wants, because unless it's an emergency, it really doesn't matter in what order you resolve them. If you need both food and water, it hardly matters which you gather first so long as you're not starving or dehydrated. Here though, if she stays too quiet for too long, it'll likely alienate the other girl.
So, she tried to think of what else to say. Talking about herself was almost easy, but talking to others, making a connection that lasts beyond just a story? How did she do that?
Think Lily think...
She figured, first, it would likely be best to address the final thing that Aegle had said.
"Uhm, s-sure. I mean, until I'm more familiar with how things work around here, having a guide would be beneficial. Are you sure you're willing to do that for me though?"
Though she had changed her own opinion on the matter, she had trouble understanding that generosity, and the willingness to help others in need was not a trait held only by the people who'd saved her and herself. She was in a school where people were training to be like those four, but she still had trouble internalizing the fact that people here at Vytal were just, in general, much nicer than the tribes back home. A part of her was afraid that she'd be burdensome to Aegle, and that Aegle would be driven away after realizing that Lily was unable to contribute anything, and only absorb the good intention that was being showered upon her. She gulped a few times, and said "But if I get in the way, or you're annoyed, or need some time to yourself, or, well, anything. Let me know. I'll leave until you want me back." Just don't get rid of me please.
The last part only rang out in Lily's mind, but it's presence at all startled Lily a little bit. She didn't know where that sentiment came from, but she never really took time to process everything that'd happened over the course of her life in one sitting like this. Being kicked out of camp, losing her parents, being alone for so long, only to have a set of saviors leave her in the hands of another organization while they did their own thing. The people she cared about had constantly left her alone, or removed her from their lives. Perhaps that's where this sentiment came from? She couldn't be sure, but it seemed as likely as anything. She'd need to think on this some more later.
Crap.
She was doing it again, how long had she sat there in silence this time? She dug her claws into her knees a little bit, and hugged the pair of stuffed animals closer.
"If... If I can ever repay the kindness in anyway, please let me know. I'll make sure it happens."
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Post by Aegle Vitus on Sept 2, 2016 14:59:28 GMT -6
It was really too bad that Aegle was so oblivious to the undercurrent of Lily's words as she was, because had she been aware of the feat the faunus privately held, a fear that she would be discarded for being 'burdensome', Aegle certainly would have reassured her as to the fallacious nature of such an expectation. However, being that Aegle was not nearly so observant as to pick up on something quite so understated as Lily's neuroses on the given subject, the orange haired girl could only broaden her, already overbearing, grin and emphatically nod her head.
"Sure." She told Lily, in what she definitely intended to be a reassuring manner, "Don'tcha worry, I'll let ya know if you're buggin' me." From her tone, Aegle's words were plainly meant to comfort the faunus girl, as though the girl saying them was not wholly conscious of what she had just agreed to. Rising to her feet with a serious of mechanical whirring sounds, Aegle then sought to double down on her 'reassurance' of her newest friend.
"And I'll let ya know if I think of anything you can do to pay me back." While it probably meant little to Lily, given her long lived isolation from social interactions, the pronounced sincerity in Aegle's tone and words was striking. Though she scarcely seemed to understand what she was saying, her words remained genuine and transparent in stark contrast to her limited capacity for comprehending what was going on around her. It was less like she was assuring Lily that payment, were it ever necessary, would be sought and more like she was making the feline girl a heartfelt and solemn promise. Though it might not have been evident to Lily, anyone else hearing such words, spoken in such a tone, would have understood that Aegle was very serious when it came to keeping promises.
It was Aegle's turn to allow a brief, almost awkward silence to fall between them, though she was markedly less troubled by such faux pas as dead space in a conversation. Upon noticing it however, her grin did quirk a little before her sense that she needed to say something else spurred her into action.
"Yer a sweet kid, Lily." The orange haired girl told her friend, which was a comment not entirely without irony, given the waifish, childlike appearance which Aegle's height, build, and behavior gave her. Reaching out, she laid a bandaged hand on Lily's head and, with fond indelicacy, ruffled her raven hair. "Try not to be so sad all the time, will ya? Doin' dumb stuff in front of people s'all part of bein' in Vytal. I don't get all teary whenever I do something stupid, and I'm a whole lot dumber than you." Though she said every word with the ironclad honesty which seemed to define her, Aegle hardly seemed bothered by the fact that she was dumb. The fact that she simply assumed that she was dumber than Lily also said a lot, though her self-awareness on that subject was somewhat undercut by how she had felt the need to inform Lily of it; As though it hadn't been brutally apparent already.
"And if anyone laughs at ya cause ya didn't know no better, just lemme know..." Aegle maintained her usual honest, subtly simple tone. Then, in the exact same, almost sweet tone, she added, "And I'll break their legs for 'em."
Her reassurance given, Aegle removed her hand from Lily's head and beamed brightly, leaving little doubt as to the truth in her words. There was something inherently absurd about a girl Aegle's size promising to visit harm on someone else or as small an offense as unwarranted laughter, but both her tone and the unflinching firmness of her smile left no doubt as to her sincerity. Aegle not only meant to kneecap anyone who laughed at Lily, but she was clearly quite confident she could do it, even in a school as filled to bursting with trained fighters as Vytal.
"Y'still hungry?"
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Post by lilywilde on Sept 2, 2016 16:31:27 GMT -6
Lily smiled slightly as Aegle called her sweet, and blushed pretty brightly when her hair was roughly ruffled. This was a level of closeness that Lily was not used to, nor truly ready for. Her response was basically the same as it had been in the alley way when Aegle played with her ears. Though her face was beet red, she was internally freaking out. She didn't know what to do, what to say, how to act, or really anything. So, she just retreated inside of herself for a moment, accepted that her friend meant no harm, and waited it out. She bit her tongue afterwards, Aegle was here being so kind and supportive, if she freaked out on her now, it would ruin the moment irreparably. Or at least, Lily thought it might. Besides, maybe this would help her to overcome such reactions in the future, and learn how to function during moments of closeness like this. When Aegle said that she was much dumber than Lily, Lily had to protest.
"No! You're not dumb, at least, not by my standards. I don't know anything. I know how to hunt, how to trap, and how to fight, and how to run. That's all. I'm sure that having lived in these kingdoms, you have to know more by default." Her ears flattened, but she remembered Aegle's previous statement, her command not to be sad all the time, and they perked back up a bit.
Her next statement made Lily smile despite herself. She dismissively waved her hand though and said "If I want violence to take place, the last thing I want is for you to get in trouble on my behalf." She held up her left hand, and extended the claws that she was able to retract and extend at will. A dangerous tone crept into her voice as she said "Besides, I am more than capable of handling myself if it comes to that."She thought then to Aegle's promise to find a way for her to make this up to her, and the apparent sincerity that the girl exuded. It was almost like a miasma was pouring off of the girl. Lily found herself at ease, despite all that had happened this evening. Despite Aegle's poor capacity for these situations, she managed to find all the right buttons to press to leave Lily feeling better about things. "I am still hungry, thanks... I left my prey in the alley way earlier." She said feeling bad about taking the lives of those birds only to have them go to waste. "Perhaps a wild animal will find them and make use of what I've left behind... And thank you again, y'know, for everything. I really do feel a lot better about being here now."
She considered the future that she was just beginning. Would she grow into a protector like she wanted? Would she truly be able to be friends with someone? What kind of life was she going to lead from here on out? She was scared, but hopeful about the future.
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Post by Aegle Vitus on Sept 5, 2016 17:59:10 GMT -6
Aegle was not the sort of person prone to dwelling on anything, and she felt no compulsion to take a few moments to digest the information shared between Lily and herself over the last few minutes. She honestly wasn't even sure she needed to think that hard about what the faunus girl had said. Some of it did require her attention, sure. Lily's admission on what had befallen her parents, for example, certainly required more than the token acknowledgement. It would have to wait though. Aegle was not a sedentary being and she universally favored action over consideration, so given the option to consider what her friend had said and the option to move past the negativity of their discussion, her choice was practically predestined. She would rather think about what Lily's parents meant to Aegle, when Aegle was done doing what small part she could to make the faunus girl feel better. It was with such a mindset, if not actual conscious reasoning that Aegle had chosen to tackle the most immediate perceived problem that Lily had. " Let's get somethin' to eat then; I know a place." Aegle pulled out her scroll and thumbed a few buttons with the kind of familiarity which comes only from repetition. Bringing to the scroll up to her ear, Aegle flashed her friend a grin, " I'm guessin' yer okay with chicken." She said, before adding, with a wink, " My treat." Aegle ordered for them both, rattling off a few words which were doubtlessly unfamiliar to the feline eavesdropper, then set about reorganizing her room. She pulled a few piles of clothes into a single mound beside her mattress, then flopped heavily atop them and worked them into a manageable seat. Meanwhile, she let her thoughts on what Lily had told her gestate. She still wasn't wholly certain why the faunus girl had shared everything she had, which was a question that repeated reflection on the subject had failed to clear up. Failing that, she let some of it actually sink in, and came to understand the event described, less as second hand information and more as actual events that had occurred and, presumably, impacted Lily. Aegle wasn't nearly empathic nor introspective enough to truly grasp the gravity of Lily's experiences, but the consideration did lend her slowly fostering sympathy a somewhat keener edge than what had been there before. It was still too complex an emotion, however, for Aegle to give it a name or explanation. Aegle spent much of this time in silent consideration, an evident necessity for her to properly digest any kind of intellectual or emotional subject. It was a far sight from the quiet brooding which commonly characterized such contemplation, though no less obvious. Aegle's expression, usually open and expressive, grew distant and pensive, while her green eyes frequently flicked in Lily's direction.
The eventual arrival of their food broke Aegle's reverie, however. She was up and on her feet less than a moment after the first staccato knocks sounded from her closed door.
"Comin~" She called in her sharp, loud voice, as she skipped awkwardly around Lily, scooped a fed credit chips off the table behind her, and flung open her door. The last of act was done with such gusto and force as to both slam the opening door into the adjacent wall and solidly startle the delivery boy waiting in the hallway, the latter of which was so surprised that he dropped the brown paper bag he was holding. With ample quickness to match her utter lack of grace, Aegle snatched the falling sack roughly by its peak and yanked it into the room with her, then tossed the payment at the stunned man without waiting to ensure the amount.
"Thanks~" She squawked pleasantly, before catching the door, which had begun to rebound from the wall it had been thrown against, and slamming it closed once more. Aegle spun about before the door boomed shut, and tossed the paper bag onto her work table. On closer inspection, a couple like it could also be picked out among the rest of the room's clutter.
"Foods here!" Aegle told Lily, as if its arrival could have gone unnoticed by the raven haired girl, before she tore the top open and plucked a few foam containers from within. Sniffing one which had already been rendered open by her rough treatment, Aegle grinned and promptly deposited it on Lily's lap.
"This is yours." She said, snapping off the already loosened lid to reveal a few healthy hunks of roasted chicken, surrounded in a deep pool of fragrantly spicy, gravy-brown sauce. "Shouldn't be too hot. I'm guessin' ya've never had hot before." Aegle informed, unhelpfully, as she dropped a spoon in the foam container, the carried her own over to her makeshift chair. She dropped down heavily again and snapped the top off her own container, filling the small room with even more of the pungent, spicy scent, though hers had the added quality of faintly ticking the nose of whomever smelled it. Aegle speared an unfortunate morsel of meat floating in the slightly brighter pool of sauce within her own bowl, and rapidly deposited it in her mouth. Her emerald eyes lit up as the spicy meat seared across her tongue, filling her mouth the kind of tingling that could only come from mistralian curry.
"I got hot." She said around her food, grinning wolfishly as she spoke. "I like hot." She punctuated her proclamation by stuffing another chuck of chicken into her mouth before she was even done chewing the first. Meanwhile, her emerald eyes refocused on Lily, as if expectant of her doing the same. After a few moments, and another mouthful, Aegle's excitement at the arrival of food died down. The fact that she'd already at least started a meal didn't seem to harm her appetite though.
"What was it like?" She asked quietly, her expression growing curious. "Outside of the kingdoms I mean..." Then, as if that hadn't been nearly specific enough, she added, "Y'said that the tribes thought people livin' in the kingdoms were weak... And was there really a lot of Grimm?" |
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Post by lilywilde on Sept 5, 2016 21:11:56 GMT -6
Lily's stomach growled shortly after Aegle had asked her if she were still hungry. She nodded meekly, and continued to watch the girl as she moved about her own room. To another person, her actions may have looked a bit strange. Moving the clothes around to form a seat seemed practical to Lily. They were likely comfier than whatever she would have sat upon before. She remained introspective for a good while afterwards, thinking about Vytal, what being a student would fully entail, and the first steps she'd need to take in order to start fitting in better. Roughly twenty seconds prior to the delivery guy showing up, Lily's ears began to perk, and she started watching the door nervously. When he knocked, Lily jumped about two feet out of her chair in surprise, when she landed it began to swivel around in a circle, throwing her off slightly.
Aegle seemed completely unphased though, jumping up and happily rushing to the door. The force with which she slammed the door caused Lily to jump again, this time landing unceremoniously on the the ground. She stood up promtply, rubbing her ass, annoyed with how jumpy she was. She watched Aegle deftly catch the falling bag, and the door in what almost looked like a graceful motion.
Lily sat down again just in time for a delicious smelling soft container to be dropped into her lap. She moved her face closer to the box and sniffed a few more times. It smelled unlike anything she'd ever smelled before. Like chicken, but different. She couldn't place her finger on it exactly.
"Shouldn't be too hot. I'm guessin' ya've never had hot before." Aegle said, which Lily waved away dismissively.
"I usually use a campfire to cook my meat, I've had hot plenty of times. Easily more than half I'd say!" As she did so, she extended a claw on her left hand and speared a piece of meat that was covered in a strange sauce. Popping it into her mouth, she chewed and felt a weird warmth expand inside of her mouth. It seemed to rapidly expand and sent goosebumps down her spine. She she smiled, she let out a small cough, and her eyes watered slightly. The inside of her mouth was... warmer. Somehow.
"What a weird taste," she said licking her lips as she popped another piece of chicken in. She had two claws out now, and was using them to expertly shovel both chicken and rice into her mouth with glee. She'd never had food that was cooked with spices, nor with a tasty sauce like the mild curry sauce that was present with this food. It was a strange and wonderful new experience, one that was in and of itself making her a lot happier.
"This is the food you get to enjoy at Vytal? Do they have this food in the.. uhh.. the Caff?" She asked, trying to conjure up the word Aegle had used before.
Then out of nowhere Aegle asked about the life outside of the kingdoms. She paused for a moment, sitting her meal aside as she thought of the best way to answer that.
"Life outside was... well, difficult. The tribes people looked down on everyone else, even other tribes. Someone like me was, well, lower than the lowest member of any tribe. I was an outsider, an abandoned one. Left behind by my own tribe. Considered too weak to be of any use. I survived though. I formed my own Law. Each tribe has it's own Law, some fight no matter what, some never fight if they can help it, I've even heard of a few tribes who sacrifice enemies to the Grimm as part of their religious law. For me, I would kill any Grimm I could, and survive any Grimm I could not. Life outside, at least for me, was difficult. Grimm seem to show up more around people who have negative feelings. After my parents... after I was alone, well, I had a lot of those. I had to be on alert all the time, when I slept if I wasn't ready to wake up and run at a moments notice I might very well die. I never made it to the adult age in my village, so I never got to receive my own weapon. Instead I had to rely on these." As she said that, she held up her hand and extended her claws. She let her Aura seep into them as they glowed white with power. "I killed many Grimm. But no matter how many I slew, there were always more to take their place. Sometimes the stronger ones that would follow me would chase me for days. Other times, the weak ones would group together in massive waves and come at me all together. Mostly though, I would accidentally just sort of stumble into them. When I'd enter a cave hoping to have shelter for the night, or in the ruins of old cities they'd gather within the buildings. Any place where they could lie in wait, unseen, they would be." She paused then, holding herself a little as she considered a few more points.
"Other times, especially the times when I remembered my father's meditations and had calmed my spirit, I wouldn't see the Grimm for large chunks of the day. Those times were nice. The forests were green and beautiful, the caves serene and quiet. The ancient ruins mysterious and full of signs of what was before. There were many questions in the wilds, and it was always fun to think about what the answers might be. Though the peace was always shattered eventually, it was still very nice to think about."
She then thought of some of the things that had shattered her daily peace. "Y'know, there are a lot of bad tribes out there. Some of them, while having no interest in taking me in as a member, would have gladly taken me on as a sacrifice, or a..." she lacked a word to describe what she was thinking, instead just described it as "Chore doer. Usually clashes with the other clans would result in me running into Grimm more frequently for a few days. It was never fun to see them. Though I always hoped I'd find one with some members of my old tribe present. My old tribe, I understand, disbanded not too long after my parents and myself were removed. The members scattered after a particularly bad Grimm attack. I've always wanted to track some of them down, and maybe put the tribe back together. Though honestly having been here for a while, now I would much rather bring them back to the kingdoms and show them the joy of having a place where you can sleep through the night without fear of having your throat torn out if you slept too deeply." She sighed a bit wistfully at that. "They do not know what they're missing." With that, she took up her bowl of food again. It had grown a bit colder but the pleasant warmness when she ate it was still present.
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