Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 23, 2015 13:48:45 GMT -5
The fountain was louder today. Rain poured down into the stone tub and drummed against Dante’s umbrella. His legs got colder the longer he sat on the fountain’s edge. A few coughs escaped his lips, and his body shivered, which then made him groan with pain as his rib ached. Isaac would kill him if he knew he was out here—risking a cold and not resting his wound—but he couldn’t leave. It was only half-past noon. He had to wait for her.
But she never came. Dante waited for an hour, then two, before finally he went home, his head hung low.
For the next week, Dante went to the park on every day he had off work. He sat down by the fountain at noon and waited for two hours. His cold came and went, and by the end of the week he had even managed to buy a new boom box, though he couldn’t bring himself to dance. He simply played music and hoped that it would call her out. Any movement out of the corner of his eye got Dante excited. He would snap his head to see if it was her, but every bland, ordinary person disappointed him.
By the end of the week, Dante was almost convinced that he would never see Bikini again. At three o’clock, he picked up his boom box and headed back home, trudging through the park until he came to a tree. He leaned against the trunk, and he thought back to when he’d lost Bikini. He should have looked for her harder. He shouldn’t have given up because of a little pain. He shouldn’t have tried to take her hand in the first place. Dante muttered to himself, calling himself stupid as he tapped his head against the tree.
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Posts: 49
Preferred Name: Nilo
Pronouns: she/her
Character Name: Bikini
Main Account: Rakuen
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Post by Bikini on Aug 23, 2015 20:59:37 GMT -5
Just seeing Dante at the park, every time at noon when he had a day off just hurts.
Bikini had nowhere to go, no where that would find her trouble later on. Bikini didn't dance much,-- actually not at all since that incident. Which meant no more money. Which meant she wasn't eating. She was too sad to eat. All she dd was hide in the trees, she would stay up there and watch the people go by, thinking about her situation. What was she and how did she become to be part of this amazing system? And why didn't she fit into the rhythm of society?
And every time at noon-- he'd show up. It hurts to see him there but Bikini would watch him, from the time he comes right at noon sharp, stay for hours, just sitting there, waiting. Waiting, waiting, music playing like he was waiting for his dance partner that never comes. Bikini felt sick, her hands gripping the branches as she leans in to see him closer. She's gotten a lot more skinnier than before. Her feathers looked dull and dirty, her scales rough and lost their sparkle. Her stomach grumbled but she didn't notice.
Dante's temperature kept dropping the next time she saw him, and dropped even more the more times he came to the park. He was getting sick, wasn't he? Bikini felt selfish she was hiding from him, it was obvious he wanted to see her again. But-- confronting him as the way she was right now, it would tear her soul apart-- she could bring a smile on her face, and stand tall- but it would all be fake. And not just because she messed up-- she was also sick.
Bikini groaned as she fought against a cough that wanted to erupt from her mouth, her body resting on a network of branches. She was getting really weak, it was wonder she was still in the tree... she could fall at any moment. Bikini was getting so tired she couldn't watch anymore, turning to lie down with her head looking up tot he sky, the leaves blocking the sun. This was it, wasn't it? She was going to die, a friendless, foolish monster. Bikini exhaled and shed one more tear that stained salt on her cheeks, wondering if passing like this, was a horrible idea.
But fate had another plan for her. A branch gave way, and down she went.
"Aaaaah!"
Crash-rustle. A few leaves followed her down the tree, and Bikini was back to being a bird being sick. She hid it from herself, and anyone that might of been there at the moment. She rubbed her head, getting up quick-like like she never had a illness, like she ate ten pizzas. Her eyes glimmered in the light, not noticing Dante. "Ouch, that was smart..."
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 24, 2015 13:08:12 GMT -5
Little by little, Dante tapped his head harder against the tree, and then thumped it, until finally he stopped as he heard something creaking and cracking above him. “Hmm?” Before he could even look up, a tree branch came shooting down, followed by a blurry, colorful mass that crashed down hard onto the ground. “Whoa!” Dante shouted, jerking back in shock.
Did… did he do that?
Dante’s surprise doubled when he saw just who had fallen out of the tree. Rising up in front of him, standing sideways so he could see her shimmering blue eyes, was Bikini. His mouth hung open, and for a moment he couldn’t even speak, all words clogging up in his throat, pressing together, desperate to come out.
It wasn’t until Bikini finished talking to herself that he blurted out, “Bikini?! Holy crap, are you okay?” He moved around her, noticing how skinny she had become, how dirty and scuffed up and ragged she was. “Oh my god. What happened?” He prayed she wouldn’t run away from him, and he kept circling her, inspecting the damage, wanting to reach out to touch her face or arms and see what else was wrong with her, but he held back, his hands just rising and falling, fingers curling as he winced at her pain.
“Please don’t run away,” he finally managed to say. “Please, please don’t run. Let me help you.”
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Posts: 49
Preferred Name: Nilo
Pronouns: she/her
Character Name: Bikini
Main Account: Rakuen
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Post by Bikini on Aug 24, 2015 21:43:30 GMT -5
Bikini's eyes widened and shot right to Dante when she heard his voice. Oh, Dante. Bikini's heart started going fast when he saw him come right at her, circling her like a shark in effort to keep her stay put. Bikini trembled, not sure what to say. She fell from a tree, after about a week of avoiding him. Her eyes were going hazy, things started shifting to the right, until he began to talk again. "A-ah?" She said, seeing his hands try to get to her but stops, but still the gesture makes her afraid again, feelings from that day come back to her. She frowned, looking like a starving, frightened mutt. "Ah!"
She couldn't tell him what happened to her. She can't show him her shame. She backed away, her back hitting the trunk of the tree. She was cornered! And as she leaned against the tree it more or less was really just laying against the tree, her body feeling like it could give up anytime now. but she couldn't show him the truth. Be the bird, Bikini. Hide your sickness.
Dante looked so concerned. How could she do this to him? This is her doing, if she just stayed away from him from the start things wouldn't of gotten like this. Tears formed in her eyes again, her head moving away from him, trying to get away, "No, no you can't help me--" A cough erupted from her lips again, and she hurled over, to fight against it. "No one can!" And she slipped off the tree, managing not to fall on the ground she moved her legs and ran out of there, but she wasn't very fast like she used to be.
She ran up the hill to avoid him and avoid traffic like last time she tried to run away, but it was a horrible choice. She was getting tired way to fast, and when she made it to the top she was gasping for air. Looking back though Dante wasn't gonna let her go this time. She had to get away, but she couldn't act like she was fine-- and so her body just stopped. She was burnt out, and she just fell. Her body hit the ground and rolled down the hill, finally the truth of her health condition. She was not fine. She was sick, starving and depressed. Her eyes opened again to see Dante and let a pathetic whining cry. "Dante..."
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 25, 2015 9:40:15 GMT -5
"Bikini!" Dante called after her as she ran up the hill. His cold had gone away yesterday, and his rib had been healing up over the past week, so he managed to run after her, quickly gaining on her despite her lead. "Wait! Please, let me help you. I'm sorry for taking your hand. I'm really sorry. Please, just stop."
Bikini didn't get far, though. She collapsed near the top of the hill and rolled back down, tumbling over herself, her wings, her tail, until Dante slid to his knees and caught her halfway down. He looked down into her eyes, and tears began to well up in his own when he heard her sob his name. His arms trembled, and his chest rose and fell harder as he could see just how damaged and weak she was. She looked sick, like she had gotten the same cold he had had, but untreated.
"It'll be okay, Bikini," he said, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Very gently, trying not to upset her but having no real choice, Dante slid his arms under her back and behind her knees to pick her up. She had become so scrawny this past week that she was even lighter than usual, and Dante managed to raise her a foot off the ground, but no farther. A flash of pain shot through his stomach. His rib had been healing, but it wasn't completely mended yet. Dante set Bikini back down on the ground as gently as possible, and his mind raced, trying to think of what to do.
It wasn't long before an idea came to him, and he made a call with his implant.
"Isaac," he said, almost sobbing to the voice that only he could hear. "…I need your help."
Ten minutes later, Dante and his big brother Isaac carried Bikini out of the park and into their apartment. The place was small—a two bedroom flat with a borderless kitchen right in the living room. Compared to where the brothers had grown up, though, the place was massive. There was plenty of space in their bedrooms for them, and there was even enough space in the living room for a couch, where the brothers had set Bikini to rest.
"Here," came the deep voice of Isaac as he handed Dante a glass of water. "Give it to her slowly or it'll all come back up. I'll start making her some food."
Dante, who was kneeling beside the couch, took the glass and smiled up at his brother. "Thanks, Isaac." He turned back to Bikini and tried to help her drink if she would let him.
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Posts: 49
Preferred Name: Nilo
Pronouns: she/her
Character Name: Bikini
Main Account: Rakuen
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Post by Bikini on Aug 25, 2015 12:58:50 GMT -5
Dante's worried voice calmed Bikini somehow. She wasn't going to try and run away. She wasn't even going to struggle against him. She was so tired. Bikini felt him try to lift her up but fail and set her down again, soon seeing him talk to someone who wasn't there. Was that him contacting someone? The name Isaac was familiar... wasn't that his brother?
Bikini was too tired to move, only tired to be easy to deal with then Dante's big brother came and they both carried her to their apartment. As much as her body was begging for her to pass out again she kept her eyes open, wanting to remember the way to where they are taking her. And soon warmth kissed her skin when she entered the flat, a cozy, stuffy pleasant comparison to the outside where she was always used to. What a nice place they have, she thought. The stale air made her have a coughing fit again, but it soon resided when they set her on the couch.
The comfort of the couch made her go in and out of consciousness, never feeling such luxury to be laying on before. But she had to keep awake, seeing the big brother leave for the kitchen across the way and Dante still kneeling beside her, Bikini's weary eyes looking back at him as he gave her water little by little. She drank it, trying her best not to sputter it back up as another cough threatened to come out.
She said nothing. She just stared at Dante with dull eyes, her skin cold to the touch and she probably reeked of the outside. Not her finest moment but then again they just saved her from possible death. When Dante gave her the last of the little water that was in the cup she looked away, rethinking abut things. How foolish and stupid was she. And how find and sweet Dante was to bring her in. Just as soon as Dante was going to get up to do something else for her, with any energy she still had her tail shot out for his wrist and grabbed it, forcing the hand to open and see the scar she had left him, her eyes tearing up at the sight of it. "Why did you wait all this time for me?" she asked weakly, her body still and her tail failing to keep a good grasp on his wrist as well. "Why... do you want to see me that badly? Why couldn't you of just leave me alone?"
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 25, 2015 17:26:31 GMT -5
From the other side of the room, over by the stove, Isaac muttered, "Girls seem to really love asking that question."
Overhearing that, Dante turned his head and asked, "Huh? Somebody ask you that before, too?"
Isaac scooped up a few slices of toast and a grilled cheese sandwich from his skillet and onto a plate. As he cut everything up into bite-sized pieces, he said, "Not in those exact words." He said nothing more about it though, and honestly Dante was a little too preoccupied to ask or even care.
Looking back at Bikini, Dante blushed and said, "Well…" It took him a while to answer. No words came to him, even though deep down he knew exactly why he had waited for her. Eventually, he managed to spin something together. "You see, my brother and I came from the Slums. And you looked like you were from there, too. And we like to help people from the Slums and—err, well, I mean, I didn't do it out of pity or anything like that. Not at all. 'Cause, you know, I also wanted to apologize for taking your hand the other day and scaring you and—ugh, that's not it, either. I mean it's not all of it. It’s not even close to it. I just…"
"He has a crush on you," said Isaac bluntly as he returned to the couch, taking a seat on a nearby chair.
Dante's face lit up with blush so bad that his ocean blue eyes almost looked purple. He reached over and punched Isaac in the side of the leg, saying, "Dude!" Isaac didn't even flinch, and he just rolled his head back and laughed as Dante stared at the floor.
Isaac then leaned forward, holding a tray of food in front of Dante. There were little cubes of toast and cubes of the grilled cheese sandwich. "Give her one every two minutes or more. Start with the plain toast."
Nodding, Dante took a slice of toast and offered it to Bikini, hoping she would accept it.
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Posts: 49
Preferred Name: Nilo
Pronouns: she/her
Character Name: Bikini
Main Account: Rakuen
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Post by Bikini on Aug 25, 2015 23:25:31 GMT -5
As Dante began to explain himself, Bikini felt her cheeks get warmer and warmer, hearing they have the slums in common. But the feeling didn't stay for long when he began to trip over his own sentences, finding a real explanation of why. This scared Bikini so, her own thoughts thinking he had some sympathy for her-- the monster, so pitiful.
But when Isaac finally said it, not only was Dante the one to light up in red blush, but Bikini did as well. He... Dante liked her? What a complete opposite thought. Bikini was stunned that her tail fell off his wrist and she just stayed quiet, her cheeks a permanent rosy glow. It sure made her look more healthy, at least. But it made her giggle a bit to see Dante punch his brother for it. But it didn't fix that know it was out in the open, and Bikini was so very aware now.
But with all the embarrassment and tension starting to build, Dante had to feed her. Dante gently and carefully held up to her lips a piece of toast for Bikini, and Bikini first hesitated and blushed some more. This had a notion of being romantic, didn't it? Even if Bikini didn't know, it sure felt like it. Bikini then, with her eyes on his, took the piece of toast, but bit too much and gently licked his finger along with it, giving him a weak smile and hid her lips from him with her sleeve chewing, "S-sorry."
Deep down, Bikini knew she had feelings for Dante too, she just... doesn't want to rush into it just yet. Not that she doesn't believe him, but... perhaps he should get to know her a bit more now.
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Civilians
Spear of Cerberus
Posts: 109
Preferred Name: Varmun
Pronouns: He/Him
Character Profile: Character List
Character Name: Dante Vasari
Main Account: Isaac
Status: Active
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Post by Dante on Aug 26, 2015 9:42:15 GMT -5
The blush on Dante's cheeks couldn't have been any worse when Bikini's lips accidentally touched his fingers. He wouldn't have even noticed it or taken it as anything more than an accident if Isaac hadn't said what he had or if Bikini hadn't apologized for it. Heat flashed through him and his heart rose a little higher while the rest of his body simply froze. "No problem," he managed to stutter, not realizing that he still held his empty hand in the air for a couple seconds.
Feeding went on for a few minutes, with Dante doing exactly as Isaac said, feeding Bikini slowly and carefully. Isaac had always been smart about this sort of thing. One time, when Dante had the flu, Isaac had fed him this exact same way to keep him from throwing up. Dante had also heard of people who went from the Slums to the Lower and Middle Classes, and when they did, they would often eat so much that their shriveled stomachs would send everything back up. For some reason, that didn't happen to either of them. Dante never questioned why, but the two of them had always been well fed in the Slums.
Once all of the toast was gone, Dante started on the grilled cheese. But before he could give Bikini the first bite, Isaac spoke up again, asking, "So what kind of sickness do you have? What are your symptoms?" Dante looked to Isaac, surprised, having completely forgotten that Bikini had been coughing in the park. The blush on her face and the way she had been eating had made her seem so much healthier already, but he knew she still needed a lot more care. "And please," Isaac added with a grin. "don't try to tell me you're fine. I've had enough stubborn patients in my life to know when they're lying."
To this, Dante whistled off-key, looking away while still holding the grilled cheese up for Bikini.
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Posts: 49
Preferred Name: Nilo
Pronouns: she/her
Character Name: Bikini
Main Account: Rakuen
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Post by Bikini on Aug 26, 2015 10:53:17 GMT -5
And all throughout feeding her Bikini's rosy cheeks never receded. She kept looking at Dante, and thinking and rethinking about this. The thoughts about Dante actually liking her-- well, she knows he wasn't lying-- but does he really know what he's getting himself into with liking her of all people? Maybe he should chose someone else.
Oh, Bikini. That's not how it works.
The grilled cheese looked delicious. It reminded her of the pizza, except no sauce or pepperoni. Bikini sat up a little on her arms, eager to eat until Isaac asked her symptoms. As fine as she looked, she was still hiding them a little from them since she felt a bit better. Bikini looked away, thinking on a good lie until Isaac said he would know. Bikini's eyes widened to this and blushed, seeing Dante whistle gave her an impression that Isaac had much experience on the matter. Bikini lied back down and sighed. "W-well, my stomach feels better. I'm still a bit weak to get up, and my skin feels sort of prickly." But that could be just that she was dirty. "And, I don't think my cough is here anymor-- ugh!" Bikini thought for certain it was gone, she didn't cough for the longest time. But she was proven wrong, and fell over a bit almost falling off the couch as she had another coughing fit. When she was helped back down on the couch, she had the most saddest expression on her face, staying quiet after that.
But soon though hunger came back to her. Bikini looked back up to Dante, taking the grilled cheese and this time sucking his finger a bit from the delicious thing called cheese from his fingers. She really liked the taste of it. But Bikini's curiosity got the best of her. "Dante?" She asked, chewing her food and swallowing. She was going to ask as to why he liked her so much, but she knew that wasn't gonna get an direct answer like last time. So she weakly raised up a hand and actually held his hand through her sleeves, her clothed hand sure felt like a regular, human girl's hand. She turned his hand palm up to see the scar again, frowning as she relived the moment of hurting him again. "I bet it hurt a lot, huh?" she said, not looking back up to him just her sleeved hand lowering on his palm and he could feel the smooth skin of her fingers this time, Bikini not aware she was controlling her hands not to scratch him. However he could not see what her hands looked like, the cloth from her sleeve just pooled on her hand. "I'm so sorry... I hurt you bad." her eyes filled with tears again, her hand moving around his to grasp it, both their hands hidden underneath the big sleeve.
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