[LOG] Lay the Mask Down (Sylph x Fluke)

[anemosagkelos]

He looked like a drowned rat (or maybe in his case, an extremely fluffy-tailed lion) as he fell, exhausted, onto the shore. He loathed water, not as much as fire, but he'd never be much of a swimmer as the water seeped into his long flowing tail. Just as it had a short moment ago when he'd stepped on a slick rock that had so jolted his calm, he'd fallen straight into the fast rushing water and been swept along with the current, as fur and hair and water became waterlogged. He'd only just kept his head above and, luckily, been dumped into a small collecting pool that ran out into three small streams.

This was not the start of a good day. He sighed, shivering as the chill of the river spread into his bones. It did not help that it was still winter and the temperature was unduly cold everywhere that wasn't bathed in sunlight. He'd be lucky if he felt warm after sunning for the rest of the day; maybe he could find someone with a fire. Or just a someone. Or fifty, with pets, to lie on top of him. A chuckle; he could dream anyway.

On the plus side, at least no one was around to see him. No masks or theatrics, no playing at flirtation. He could grumble and be -- well a slightly more irritated version of -- himself. And surely the Motherfather would take pity on him and allow him to retain his dignity by meeting no one.

"Surely, today could not get any worse," he mused, doubling down that things would go nicely.

(Oh how naive.)

[anemosagkelos]

She had awakened with a new challenge in mind, a challenge for herself only, of course: instead of avoiding the water she had been hearing, she would approach it.  She would cross it.  She would not be afraid.

After all, it's not like she could go blind again.

Fluke followed the rushing sound of water, legs slightly trembling and not from the weather.  She had, for the most part, made pains to stay away from the stuff (nothing good ever came from it) but if she was going to survive and be stronger, she couldn't let her fear rule her.  The doe wasn't certain how long she traveled, but it was only when her front hoof stepped in a still pool that she realized the river was further than she'd thought.

"It must be echoing," she mused out loud, her voice a soft sound swallowed by the swamp.  There was no sound to return her statement, but she knew her companion was near by.  Her ears swiveled, trying to pinpoint the rush.  She squint against her scar, and --

-- was that a voice?

Both ears turned straight upwards, a masculine voice much closer than the rumbling water.  She tried to head towards where she heard it, but paused when she wasn't sure if the owner had moved on.  In truth, she was easily visible to him if he looked, unmoving for the moment amidst a fern and shallow water in the dirt.  "Are you alright?" she asked to a presence she wasn't certain was there.  It could be dangerous, but...today was about facing fears.  This was truly no different.

[anemosagkelos]

Nose buried under the wet strands of his lengthy hair, he shivered. The sliver of pale sunlight continued to shift further away. He cracked one eye open and glowered -- was it really so big a favor to stay in place (oh but he knew the answer to that) -- as the one warm spot faded. A sudden thought of himself frosted over and caught in a shell of ice forced him to his feet and he trudged to stand in the warmth of daylight. The breath of heat, small, was not enough but he had little other recourse to ebb the frigid waters from his fur.

Sylph whirled, startled, as a voice -- are you alright? -- filtered through the air. A flush warmed the flesh of his cheeks and he painted a friendly smile on his face as the instinct to hide himself flared hot.

"Yes," his voice came out unnaturally shrill and insistent, laughter spilling forth in what could only be described as a rather grand attempt to cover up his slip. (Oddly enough, that sounded genuine.) "Apologies, fair lady," he began again, chagrined and open, "you startled me." And as the words branched out, he let his gaze wander over the doe and -- interesting -- a caiman, just as fair and with a faint dust of blushing pink. A very poor coloration for a predator if it hoped to use camouflage (and he would know).

"Forgive me, my rather laughable appearance," he said as he let his chin fall, abashed, "in your presence. A beauty such as yourself deserves only the most exquisite company," and he stopped there; he need not imply that he was such (though he was, if the myriad of compliments were to be believed). Instead he lifted his head and smiled, just as charming as he always did. After all, he had no reason to think this encounter would be any different than many others. (Oh how wrong.)

[anemosagkelos]

[quote="Chrystali"]She was as unmoving as her shell-colored ward, ears forward, listening to the voice that answered.  He sounded out of sorts but not in the type of way she needed to find a quick exit; but in the same way her presence prompted him to put on a mask, his kind words rolled off of her in a familiar and well worn way.  "I'm afraid I can't assure you of your appearance one way or another, fair sire," she replied in an earnest and somewhat apologetic manner.  Her smile was thin, almost self-depreciating if it not for the fact she truly didn't hold herself accountable for her inability to see him, "nor my own, for that matter.  But the sentiment is...kind.  Thank you."

Fluke tilted her head to the side, almost at an odd angle, listening to the rush of the water over stone and carefully, oh so carefully, trying to pick her way closer to the voice.  He'd more than implied his appearance to be less than normal, and she could only imagine how, which prompted her to try and be closer so her remaining senses might pick up what was wrong.  "I am Fluke -- I did not mean to startle you."  Her scaled brows lifted slightly as she paused, a third of the way through the water; only he could say for sure how he was truly being affected.  "Can I do anything?  For your -- appearance?"

If he was blooded, dirty, wet, any of the above, she might be able to help him wipe his back down if he was so inclined, better than doing it himself.  Being blind had the perks of knowing one's...well...blind spots.

[anemosagkelos]

Sylph's gaze cut from the hardened scales of the caiman to the doe, measuring and weighing her words. He had no reason to distrust the maiden. There was nothing in demeanor to suggest deception and yet the flames of his paranoia were fanned. He straightened his back, refused to let his mask slip.

"Apologies," his voice came, smooth like plush fur against one's cheek. "It was rude and swallow of me to assume that you would judge and see my appearance." And yet, that was the manner he had seized upon and used to his advantage. It was undoubtedly bizarre to meet such an exception. A forced one, he considered.

He flicked his neck, tossing the wet strands of hair back and listening as they splatted against his head. Never had he been such a mess; there was, truly, little pleasure in his appearance but it was so useful as a ploy, though not quite as much as the party tricks he'd accumulated. And, anyway, she could not see -- his eyes found the scar beneath her left one -- so what did it matter... Still, he promptly did not give his own name in exchange for hers, given so freely.

The statement that she need not trouble herself stuck on his tongue, "Perhaps..." He blinked, considering, "There was a mishap and I am soaked through..." and the sentence hung; he wasn't even quite sure what he was asking for.

[anemosagkelos]

Despite herself, Fluke smiled, amusement reaching her blind eyes.  "You needn't apologize.  The MotherFather is gracious enough that we needn't assume the worst in each encounter."  Measuring the distance to his voice, her hooves sought enough purchase to be closer.  She finally stopped, however, when she realized he may not even want her near.  It was one of the times that she did miss having sight, a sense that had given her enough presence of mind to look for the body language that the words didn't always lay bare.

She heard the wet sound of his hair against his neck, tilting her head the opposite way from before.  "Are you muddied?" she asked, perfectly conversational.  "If you need to clean, I help with your back, so you needn't submerge yourself.  But..."  If he was just wet, she couldn't quite connect the dots in why he was apologizing for his appearance.  Rain, humidity, bathing -- no such escapade with water had ever made her feel that being wet was an unattractive trait.

Instead of continuing towards him, she turned slightly and started to pick her way to cross the water entirely to the opposite side, slow and methodical.  "If you are wet, then let us find a patch of sun and I can lay by your side.  Moving through this rocky terrain is tiring and I'd welcome company to rest, anyway."

[anemosagkelos]

An idealistic view of the world, he thought, as he watched the doe's slow movement. He felt a prick of second-guessing anxiety as she stopped, opened his mouth to prompt a quick exit when a shiver danced up his spine. He hated being cold.

He supposed he might be muddy but that was not his main concern; even if it was he wasn't about to go back into any water. Especially helped by a blind doe and a possibly hungry caiman. That was a recipe for disaster and missing limbs. Potentially, death, if he was perfectly honest. And then she turned around, apparently deciding to take her own leave.

"Wh--" his voice stalled as her own piped up and he heaved a sigh. The sun. "That would be exceptional, yes," he returned, relieved, as he took purposely loud steps to come up beside her.

Surveying the terrain ahead, he wondered, "Would it do better to have you follow me, or for me to stay beside you and guide you?" A mouthful of wet tail hair would be unpleasant but better than toppling over and bashing one's head in, while leading from beside her may well result in tiring already sapped muscle strength.

[anemosagkelos]

A soft sound escaped her, not unlike a chuckle, aware of his louder steps but not going to tell him otherwise; she was trying to compensate for his needs in her own way, and now, he was doing the same for her.  "Beside me, if you please," she paused to turn her head and 'look' at him, though it was more like she was looking at his neck.

"Though if I'm about to set hoof into a hole, you can nudge me, or say so.  Ward usually helps me."  She twisted around to 'look' behind herself, though the caiman had apparently made itself scarce.  "Strangers either make Ward aggressive or absent.  I can't hear anything over the rush of water, so I'm assuming the latter."  Turning forward again, her tail swayed and brushed over his, nearly shoulder to shoulder.

[anemosagkelos]

"As you wish," he replied, stepping closer towards her side. Next to him, she seemed tiny. She wasn't, of course, but looking down at her was sure to skew his perception. It didn't help when she turned to him, face disappearing underneath his muzzle. He had to twist his own head forward so that he could watch her out of the corner of his eye.

He nodded, following her line of view, "He does seem to have vanished for now," he validated her assumption. "I shall endeavor to be an attentive guide."

[anemosagkelos]

"You needn't do anything but be yourself," she half responded, half laughed.  "You're very elusive.  I don't mind - I've faced named dangers.  An unnamed voice to share a sunbeam with doesn't seem like the worst of ways to spend my time."  Fluke picked her way careful, mindful, listening to her 'guide' of course, but mostly using careful steps and a shift of weight to determine where she could stand safely.  Occasionally, she paused and flit her ears to and fro before continuing, even once she was safely across the water and on solid land again.

Slowly, she took a few steps in a circle, around her guide.  "Do you see any sunny spots?" she inquired, before trotting in a circle around him - stretching her legs, as it were, and knowing she was on safe ground as long as she kept her ear turned towards him.  Fluke only did it a time or two before pausing at his side again, smiling at his neck once more.  "Forgive me.  I miss the sensation of running - it's not the wisest thing for me to do, given my condition."  Chuckling, she lifted her nose to the air and sniffed, trying to pick up any traces of sun-warmed land or swamp that they could move to.

[anemosagkelos]

A wry, derisive chuckle lodged in his throat. Be himself, he thought. He wasn't entirely sure what that even was. The feelings of self-preservation tangled like a noose around his throat. And the fact she'd pressed upon the nature of that, calling him elusive, troubled him. Was he that obvious to the blind doe?

"No," he agreed, "of us, it is I who am in danger." He tried to imbue it with flirtation and humor, but it rang far too true in the air, as she moved around before returning to his side. He kept his eyes turned from her, refusing to take in the way she trotted, or how she lifted her nose into the air.

"Yes, there's a patch just up ahead," he began, pausing, "It looks like the opening to a meadow, if you want some space to try running..." he trailed off. He was going against everything he meant to portray. He cared and he frowned, murmuring softly to himself, "I don't want to be caught."

[anemosagkelos]

A light laugh followed his comment.  "From me?  Perhaps if you were deaf, then I might gallop into you.  You are safe, I promise."  She did her best to wear a serious, somber expression, but it fractured into another light sound of mirth.  The doe took a few steps forward, depending on him to correct her course through touch or word.

"You are as considerate as you are wet, sire," Fluke teased lightly, ears lifting as if she could hear the patch and meadow he spoke of.  "But I will hold off on my running until we have you warm and dry -- "  One ear flit backwards, low, catching the murmur.  Say what you will about her sight, but her other senses more than made up for the absence.

Fluke turned her head slightly to 'look' over her shoulder at him.  "You don't have to if you'd rather not, you know."  The mirth had softened, and in its place was a careful distance -- a preparation for her company to leave.  That was usually how it went.  "You see where the patch of sun is -- I can find Ward."  She could go her own way, and he his.  No hard feelings.

[anemosagkelos]

And there in lay the answer. It was up to him, his decision. The realization went against his nature, his paranoia, his everything.

"You..." he stared, as a new world seemed to unfurl before him. She did not want to keep him, it seemed. Nor was she interested terribly in what or who he was. He was, in a sense, nothing to her. Not unkindly but enough that the need for the mask was dissipating the longer he stood.

"You may call me Sylph," he relented, offering his name despite the risk it might present. "The sun is this way, if you follow me," he added, giving no indication yet of parting or of why he was so undoubtedly layered in questions and charades.

[anemosagkelos]

Whether it was his intent or not, Fluke was now more mindful - that maybe he'd let slip his truth, that maybe he didn't really want to deal with her.  She wasn't offended by it, but she was baffled, and thus, wary.  Why would he subject himself to her if he truly didn't want to be caught around her?  The blind doe could only speculate, and it was not something she enjoyed.

"Only if you wish," she replied easily, turning about to 'face' him.  Her ears swiveled to follow his hoofsteps and voice, but the mirth she'd been displaying was now cautiously withdrawn.  She didn't want to be a nuisance...she just thought some company would be nice.

[anemosagkelos]

The air had changed; he felt it before his mouth had closed. It was somehow more oppressive, more tumultuous and uncertain than the fear that he was a prize to be caught. And he stopped, abruptly, in his tracks.

"How are you so fearless?" he wondered. She couldn't see and yet, if he had been a wolf ready to devour her, he doubted she would have been as terrified as he was now, always was. It lurked in the back of his mind, ever present, like a insect buzzing around his ears. Don't be caught; don't let them know. And yet--"Why don't you want to keep me?"