Re: The Cat's Meow

[Sal]

His stomach seemed to be groaning as the boy stood by the tree, bent over and ready for whatever might have been in his stomach at the time to jump out. Just then, a hand touched his head, and he heard Xan's laugh, but he picked it up rather numbly at first. If there was one thing he had a true weakness for, it was unpleasant sensations, pain being the worst of them all.

Xan spoke, and although Sal was able to absorb what the man was saying, he did not say anything in response. Fighting his gag reflex with determination to keep himself from potential embarrassment and disgust, Sal kept his mouth shut, refusing to speak. His silent reply was meant to give off his current sentiment, so hopefully Xan would be able to pick that up. In all honesty, he could feel that he was trembling a little, but that might have just been from the shock. Or was it...was he really developing a fear of heights? Hopefully that wasn't the case.

The moment he opened his mouth to speak, Sal felt himself being lifted once again onto Xan's shoulders, albeit in a more gentle fashion. Clutching the man's head as he began to walk, the chimera rested his head, letting his nose fall into Xan's hair. It smelled nice, and it reminded him of when he used to hug his surrogate mother, Jie Huan. He would always put his nose to her hair, and somehow the scent was different, but invoked the same kind of feeling.

Loosening his grip to a more gentle, meaningful hug, Sal finally spoke.

"You know...you're the first brother I've ever had. I never knew my real family, but... I think... I think this is really close to what it must feel like to have one." The small Ishvallan purred sleepily. This made him feel comfortable enough to make him a little drowsy, and he began to fall asleep atop Xan's shoulders. Slowly he drifted into a fairly deep sleep. It might have been from all of the running or it might have even been from the sudden free fall, but it didn't matter anymore. "...Means...a lot..." the boy muttered before finally falling asleep.

[EXIT THREAD (once Xan leaves or unless woken up, of course)]

[Xan]

Xanthus heard Sal's last words before the chimera fell asleep. He sighed and smiled to himself, thinking to himself and quietly humming an Ishvalan lullaby that his parents had hummed to him in a time long since past. The sun was lightly shining, interrupted at certain intervals by cloud covers of varying thickness. A gentle breeze blew Xanthus' bangs over his eyes. He paused for a moment to brush them aside, being careful that the motion didn't wake up Sal.

The day itself felt sleepy, as though the very sunlight itself provoked a sense of deep relaxation. Even the usual sounds of Central City seemed to be dampened, if not muted, an adding force to the overall relaxed feeling that was permeating the air. In what felt like no time at all, Xanthus reached his home, a rather large but no less cozy place on the outskirts of Central and atop a hill, away from the myriad of sounds taking place in the city proper.

He placed Sal into one of the bedrooms closer to his own and tucked him in, wondering when the last time was that the child had actually slept in a proper bed. Then, rather than go to his own room, Xan simply sat down next to the bed and leaned against it with a yawn, falling asleep almost immediately next to his new adopted brother.

[END TOPIC]