Ely throttled the burst of laughter violently in her throat. She had been enchanted, ecstatic, and elated when he had called her pretty the first time she ran into Kiga. She should have dismissed it with the same thought she had all other offered compliments at the time. It was just what boys said to get her to kiss them.
But, Kiga had gone on some drunken discourse about cat people trying to kill him while simultaneously being very earnest about how pretty she was. He'd introduced her to a pigeon coop full of pigeons as his girl that same evening. Yes, he had been drunk. Did it matter? No. She was hooked.
She was an easily addicted girl. She did not worry over much about the consequences of her actions. She woke up the morning after their escapade and raced back to the roof on the wings of those emotions. Kiga was chirping at the pigeons when she arrived. He seemed none the worse for wear and spotted her instantly. He'd leaped off the roof wrapped an arm around her hip and insisted she follow him.
She had.
They ended up in the meadow above the lake with Kiga pointing out a hundred birds she would have never paid any attention to herself. Before long they were laughing as if they had known each other since birth instead of meeting the day before.
Four weeks went by when Ely did nothing but spend her days waiting for the moments when Kiga would pop up and drag her off on some wild trek or another. There were kisses eventually, as well. Stolen things that made her skin ache for hours afterwards.
She was enthralled. She forgot what she should have never forgotten. She had been running away from the effects of another rash decision. Wistvale was just suppose to be a place to rest for a few moments before traveling on. One night as she was headed toward the roof where Kiga cared for the pigeons a cadre of guards from Brindisi, the city she had been running from after starting a major fire, appeared. She had been hauled away. It had taken several months for her to make reparations to the business men for their lost revenue, and well, at least it wasn't a bigger building.
Ely shook her head and glanced at Kiga. He had thought of her? Gods. What did he think of her?
"I know."
Her voice was suddenly stiff. She was terrified to ask him what he thought and morbidly curious all the same.
Kiga thought on that for a moment, appearing pensive which likely was a new thing for her. He'd been filled with unbridled youthful enthusiasm and whilst he'd learned to settle around Ely and not fall victim to his peculiar issue with cat type people... there was not a moment where her touch had not caused his heart to race like a panicked bird and wish to fly from his chest.
No, he was more casual now, perhaps more confident. Truly confident. He'd become a man, in body and mind of course and he was quite open to his feelings. Feelings which he'd been trained to neglect in his youth. Oh, he could still be the cold faced accomplice, but he didn't feel the need to carry on that way in his day to day.
He scooted closer then and found her hand in the water, squeezing it.
"Yes. The pigeons... they were sad when you left. I left as well a time later, I had things to do and well... Wistvale just wasn't for me anymore.
I never imagined I would see you again. I only hoped."
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely stifled the gasp that filled her chest when Kiga reached out to squeeze her hand. What he said was even more surprising. She had always figured after the way she disappeared he would consider her well... crazy. Certainly no one he would want to spend time with again.
Honestly it was one of the reasons she had returned to Wistvale when looking for a place to rest her weary feet. She wanted to apologize to him. Ely was still impulsive she probably always would be, but she had learned a bit of caution.
"Oh."
She did not know what to say.
"... Kiga... I..."
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga smiled wide then, an alarmingly infectious gesture as he chuckled and slipped his hands behind his head then. He looked up at the night sky, eyes bright under the starlight, looking quite perfectly in place here.
"But it's cool, yeah? You're here, I'm here and well; maybe we can catch up while you're in town. Who knows, maybe you'll stick around a while?"
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Kiga nodded, visibly relaxed and quite comfortably. Likely because he'd forgotten they were both naked as the day they were born. He looked enthusiastic too, quick to respond.
"Oh, a library? Books and stuff huh? You always were smart Ely - terribly smart. Part of your charm yeah?"
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
"Mmh. A library. Odd building, too. The past owners seemed to have been turning a old home into one. Someone much more dedicated than me. I've never been able to gather this many books in one place."
Of course, she never had a place to keep them either. Her brain was running around in circles. Ely exhaled and sank a little deeper in the water. The particular light of the Springs began to appear all over the area.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
He noticed what seemed like exasperation of course and looked moderately concerned. He leaned a little closer then, his voice as worried as his expression.
"Well hey? What's the matter? You're not glad to see me?"
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Why would he think that? She had been here for the past few years hoping to see him. Ely rubbed a damp hand over her face. Maybe this was some really involved dream. That was probably it. She was currently asleep and only imagining this encounter.
Ely threw whatever caution she had away.
"Kiga I am thrilled to see you. I'm sorry for disappearing you know, back then. I... well... I missed you."
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga studied her as she spoke, kind eyes attentive. He smiled as those words came forth, looked ever-so-slightly bashful and then chuckled. Just a little.
"Aw, you needn't say sorry Ely. And geez, why miss me huh? I bet you had all kinds of adventures!"
He was doing his best to be encouraging - which meant he perhaps missed the weight of her words.
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely laughed again. She had been buried in old books for a damn long time, or so it seemed here while in Kiga's company.
"Oh. You don't want to hear about those Kiga. And I might not have to say I'm sorry, but I need to."
Her breath blew out again and she rolled her shoulders to the side. The warmth of the water was so very soothing. Her eyes closed, too, the little tendrils of hair curling up in damp whirls along the side of her neck.
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”
Kiga just watched her with a silent fascination and then chuckled as she relaxed, him taking that as the prompt to do the same. He too leaned back, but after a while he stole a long look at her, a definite look of admiration.
"It sure is pretty tonight Ely."
Ely [M:164:1653:][D3v:http://rpgmenagerie.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=cs&thread=394&page=1#14814][b]A soul on fire...[/b][0:Snuffed][1:Flame On!]
Ely did not open her eyes. She was busy trying not to remember the frustrating enjoyment of Kiga's kisses. She did make a quiet sound of acknowledgment.
"Mmh."
And then, out of the morass of thought, she managed to latch on to a one that might distract her.
"You said you left Wistvale, too?"
Catgirl Extraordinaire
“Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life.”