Angels of Presence

[Guest]

A day like any other. It started the same. Sun blazing in the sky created a golden glaze upon the earth below. Plants were aglow with ripened excitement and people bustled about the city without a care. Shop to shop. There were zig zags of people racing about their days with children following, crowds here and there. A joyful air in a weekend day. Even if the day was ending, it seemed the people of Xing, young and old, in the city were ignorant of pain and relatively happy for once. No malice, just joy and amusement. How welcoming it felt.

As Lucrezia woke upon the day and hopped to her feet, she went through her morning routine. Wash her face, hair and then she would change out of her rather childish pajamas. Her intricate outfit of a t-shirt slanted over a long sleeved shirt graced her torso. Upon her legs was the pink skirt over her black leggings. Swiftly, she pulled up her white boots and strapped the firmly over her feet. The necklace upon her neck never left, nor the braids in the front of her hair. The silver lilac that fell to her waist with ease almost floated behind her.

A flicker of joy in her eyes. She skipped breakfast and bolted out of the 'house' she had. A cheerful energy always shrouded her body. Today was no different. Her voice hummed a bit of a tune while she pulled out a small paper book. Her hands flipping through the pages as she debated. What would be her accomplishments today? She was enthused over the possibilities. OH THE IDEAS. However she needed to keep to her planner. Step after step led her to an alley a good distance away from main streets. The area seeming darker and quieter. Lucrezia of course didn't notice.

Her hands moved and she would feel touch. A bump, light pressure on her shoulder. It was a confusing gesture. Her body turned to apologize, but gained a look of daggers and down her little book fell. A weird pile of boxes in the alley that she would simply ignore as she bent down to pick it up. "Ah~! My book.." She would state in a worried voice. The dainty and smooth fingers reached to grab it while her eyes set to look up.

A body would be beneath the plastic shield of a roof. Wide eyes upon the girl as she spoke before she could even register. "URU?!" The tune was a bit louder than expected and her breath was caught in her throat if only temporarily. Heart hammering excitedly, she would crouch down to peer in more interest, more determination. Did her eyes play tricks on her? Was this really him?

[Guest]

"URU?!" That was his name! Don't wear it out~ He turned full swing around, blinkly wildly at a girl that oh so strangely looked like someone he knew. But Uru knew a lot of people and certainly she was no different than the many people he knew. He tilted his head slightly, but still the image remained the same: a girl that somehow knew him that somewhat looked familiar, but could not place for the life of him. It was like trying to do one of those Slip-n'-Slides on level ground; he was going nowhere. Therefore, he stared at her and then at the book she dropped upon running into Joe. Now Joe, he was a feisty fella... Uru winced inwardly at the sight of the daggers he glared. That was a problem there!

His morning had already been rather eventful...what with the woman in the tarp-house next to him suddenly going into labor and screaming for help. He and Joe worked it out between them to call the hospital regardless because there just was no way... They were in the capital of Xing...giving birth on the street was terrifying. Plus, they had no freaking clue what to do. That was also probably why Joe was already in a pissy mood--trying to cover for his earlier episode of panic. Well, Uru didn't blame the guy; he was the butchiest of the butch...times three. He observed as Joe grit his teeth and flew at the girl with a nasty look. "Who the fuck do you think you are dressed all nice walkin' into the slums like that huh!?"

That was his cue! Ururi flung into the action, daintily stepping between the two bodies and waving his hands up in the air. "Time out~" He shot Joe a fond look, grinning like a dork all the while because he was completely confident in the fact that Joe was definitely not about to plunge his fist through him to get to the innocent girl he apparently knew from...somewhere. Waves entered his mind, cresting over lost avenues of sand-spilled oars and misdirection... He clutched at the sun-stained seams of recollection, teasing breaths of surmised memory. Nothing--nothing, but death. Floating bodies and upturned eyes that gaped in horror at the endless darkness he also was forced experience...while alive bumped the underside of boats, scurrying away from a massacre. Home was burned. "Lu," he breathed, beside himself. Joe get Uru a funny look and picked up the scraps of whatever it was he had been holding and went about on his busy unemployed way. No, she wasn't dead. How? How out of all the places in the world was she in Xing? Out of all the places to go in Xing how was it that she came here? The tight alleyway that led into the beginnings of the slums, designated tarp-homes without locks, bolted strong by unspoken promises not to loot the crumpled lives of others already wallowing in the gutters.

"H-how are you h-here?" He stuttered--a dusty language rotting in the recesses of his memory...a depleted people. Twenty years. TWENTY. He shivered at the thought, taking deep breaths to ground himself where he stood in her shadow. This was unbelievable. It was a miracle. After...after being summoned to the palace, now...Lu came back? She was...one of the only remaining Rouenians left alive. Did she know that? She must. Uru bit his lip, green eyes hungry for answers, searching her face for how she was interpreting the situation. Please, please understand. "We got separated," he blurted out, resorting back to Xingese out of habit, relapsing into the familiar because there was no way he could thing logically right now...

[Guest]

A look of excitement never left Lucrezia's ace. She was overjoyed to the point of her joy was water she would be flooding the whole area. She wanted nothing more than to throw herself at Uru in the largest hug he ever had. So as he stood in between her in this aggressive man, she had to restrain herself. Her eyes looking hurt for a minute. What had she done to hurt this man? He seemed so upset to see her and though she should have recoiled like a NORMAL person, she just stood there. Luckily Uru was there or she would have been stabbed.

Her whole posture perked as she heard him whisper her name. A cover of happiness simple washed over her heart and soul. She couldn't be happier. Her face almost aglow with her simply overwhelmed demeanor. Everything she wanted to do, hug, dance or maybe even sing, but self control was key. This was a situation where he seemed so sad. Was he unhappy to see her? Did he hate her now? Oh no if Uru hated her...

"H-how are you here?"'

"Eh?" Lu was confused utterly by this sentence. Her large blue eyes blinked once, then twice and stared down her old friend. What did he mean? She was there.. she just was. Was there a how to it? He had just saved her life, again? Well now it seemed she owed him, but she didn't mind. Her heart was soaring and as Ururi seemed so sad, Lucrezia was oblivious as to why. They were here now, weren't they? He should be happy. Please.. smile.. She longed in her eyes while leaning forward a bit and looking up at him.

So sad.. she just wanted to.. There it was. Lack of self control. Lucrezia lunged forward and wrapped her arms around Ururi in a forced hug. "Uru! I missed you! Please don't be sad!" She would beg. It was a bit of a frazzling moment for her. Her brain was in a fit of uncertainty. A reeling constant in her mind. Was he unhappy to see her? That was her main concern. Little tears streaked her cheeks for an unknown reason. She didn't feel sad really. It puzzled her that she could feel the warmth of her tears.

It was just so familiar to her. Although she hadn't seen him in twenty years, she still remembered almost everything about him. Her eyes opened after a moment. With a slow blink, she looked left, then looked right. As if paranoid, her eyes then followed to look up. A hand relinquished her grip as she stood on her tiptoes to reach the top of his head. Palm flat towards her and her mind seeming to calculate. Her large blue eyes were lost before she spoke. "You got taller!" She stated as if it were the most amazing thing in the world. A mouth agape in awe and a face that showed no malice towards him. She was just happy. Happy to see her best friend after so many years. Happy to see he was alive.

[Guest]

it was strange, hearing her speak Xingese--a choppy language cutting off the heads of fish with her sweet voice. But she was so grown up--what she must have went through. He had so many questions they just came out all at once in the shape of large oval tears trickling like a leaky faucet set on repeat in the faintest of worn memories, laced with hand-me-downs, rusted from creaky brakes that just...don't...stop. "Uru! I missed you! Please don't be sad" She was in his arms, tightly wound to his body, her hair tickling his cheek as sunlight bled through it, reminding him of a time when he stared at it. Those long days--day after day, on the boats, abandoned by the world yet saved. He opened his mouth, but the only thing that came out was a pathetic sob that he slurped up into his manly shell and shot out through more tears just above her shorter stature. Her tears wet his ragged sleeve, leaving darker traces of reveries when they were children. It was so long ago, but he remember everything about her as clear as day. He thought her ghost had been haunting him, wreaking havoc in his nightmares, but no! Here she was, alive. Straggled to silence by so many bottled up emotions, he could only nod feebly, holding her tight and staring at the sky cresting behind the golden light prickling off each sinew of her long hair. Ah, this feeling...it was as irreplaceable as the dusk--a faint call of Gelemortian geese sailing through sunsets to escape the cold and live another day... "You got taller!"

"Yes, I've gotten taller," he replied, his voice a mess of heavy emotion. Her hand untangled itself from around his back, arching up with her body to reach the top of his head. He smiled then, feeling the pull of trapped feelings, locked away for safekeeping. He took that hand and pulled it to his lips, kissing it lightly and bowing regally. "My princess," he whispered, "you have returned to me from the great beyond--across deluges of unparalleled disaster. As we melted away under the innocent sun and starved dastardly together, we then were separated. To my horror and dismay... I could not see nor find you. That we may meet here in Xing...is a miracle in itself. I worship fate for such a gift as find you again, Lucrezia. Will you ever forgive me? Might you...stay here?" What was he saying? Here?! That was like asking a rat to live on a yacht. Notttt happening. He rolled his eyes skyward at himself, but stuck to his words hopelessly.

Somehow a life without Lu was looking dimmer and dimmer, he felt the lights go out softly, squeezing the last tears away and wiping the salt from his cheeks. He didn't let go of her hand, almost preventing her from escape. Why? He wasn't lonely. He wasn't in need. He didn't want to mooch money off her. Then why? Ururi was simply, simply in love.

[EXIT THREAD]

[Guest]

NO sooner had she pulled away that she recalled the feelings. Her body was close to his. His scent filling her though it was.. off now. His body felt so nice, accepting her embrace and yet.. tears? Either it was tears or it was raining. The petite woman felt a pang of guilt. Did it hurt him to see her? Did she hurt him somehow? Was that why he was crying? Her heart ached suddenly. She didn't want him to be hurt. She wanted that smile, that comfort of when they were kids. IN all honesty he was practically the person she knew the best. The oldest memory she had like a new dawn in her mind. The start of the day and yet there was such a huge break in between. Was he now the dusk? Was it time for their final parting words? PAIN. It struck her harder than a bullet in her heart and yet she hid it. She would remain optimistic even if he told her to get lost. In that case she would be making him happy by leaving his sight. Even if it hurt her.

His soft sobs struck her each time like a hammer on her soul. Be happy please... Her heart screamed and yet she didn't want to leave. Her own tears traced upon her pale cheeks. The shining pearls that drenched his clothing. Spreading faster than lightning to darken the fabric. Pulling away had been so difficult. Was it selfish she just wanted to hug him.

Her hands had retracted and soon she would use one to wipe her teary eyes. A slight red in her face from the crying. Those gentle eyes sought the ground almost ashamed to have bothered him. A spark through her body as suddenly she could feel a touch. His fingers in reach would pull a hand up to him. A gentle kiss upon her feminine hands and her heart stopped. "Eyah?!" Her eyes widened at the gesture. Never before had she been kissed in such a way! Her face turned about red as a ripe tomato. Her body seemed to pull forward with his actions while her bemused and embarrassed expression stared at the man before her.

His words sounded like something from a fairy-tale and her heart hiccuped again. Parted lips with unspoken words she longed to say. What was the word she wanted? How did she pronounce the word? Her brain was just so confused, she couldn't remember language skills and yet her face could not have been brighter with the sun behind her. "Yes." Was all she managed. She did not notice how upset he seemed about what he said, she was just so enthralled by what he said. "Yes! Of course!" She would repeat herself. "I want to keep you safe, Uru." Of course it was rather odd of her to say, but she didn't mind it at all. She was ecstatic.

EXIT THREAD

[Sponsored content]