Wanderer

[saerwen]

The air was crisp and cool. Had Damion been flying that day, it would have been invigorating. However, he had promised himself that he wasn't going to go wild and race through the skies again. It was just like running away. He could get drunk up there from the sheer joy of rising high into the sky and living freely. There were no rules in the air. One could even defy the laws of gravity.

He would have to stay on the ground for a good little while today. He had too many things that he wanted to do in order to go off and roam the sea of heaven all day. Freedom was going to have to be delayed.

He stood on the shores, watching the waves roll in gently, then pull back out. The monotonous sounds were relaxing in a strange way that seemed to pull him into a new state of mind. It was a calm with an anxious desire to run. He shook his head and chuckled gently at himself. There he went again on his running binge. He didn't like trouble. He didn't like being in it, a part of it, or watching it. He didn't like it so he ran away from it, or more accurately, flew away from it. Even though he believed in facing his problems and fixing them, for some reason, the logic of avoiding them completely just made more sense.

Now, in light of his strong beliefs that he needed to come back to the rest of the running world, he stood at the edge of the ocean, a slender picture of frail human form. It was humbling indeed, to be so small, but it was also eye-opening. There were so many little things that were just begging to be seen and examined more closely, and now that he was in this much smaller form, he could.

Despite his smaller size, his pale frame was still fairly tall. He lacked his usual elegance in this form, but he was sure that after a little while he would grow more comfortable with it. At least, he hoped that he would. He had been holed up for so long now that he had forgotten what it felt like to be a human, let alone to be amongst them. He just hoped that it wasn't going to be stranger than he thought.

[x isabella.]

. aurora .

Aurora lay across her horse, her eyes gently closed. A slight smile was on her face as she quietly napped. The horse beneath her shook itself, causing Aurora to jump up with eyes wide. She then turned to glare at her horse and sat forward, pushing the horse to a slight trot. In a loose bag draped across her back, a ferret poked its head out then squeaked.

"Ross, I was taking a nap," She murmured quietly to her dappled grey horse. "I don't get much of those." The horse let out a snort in response and picked up speed. Aurora's aqua hair, which had several long braids in it today, flowed into the air behind her. Ross's hooves made a soothing melody of which calmed the elf sitting upon him.

She stopped her horse when she got to a tree. Skillfully climbing off, she grabbed a bridle and attached it to the horse then tied it to the tree. Aurora trusted her horse with her life, but she didn't want to take the risk of him running off. The elf hadn't meant to bring her pet ferret, Mimi, along with her as she walked barefoot along the shore. Mimi poked her head out of Aurora's bag, causing the girl to squeal in surprise. Then she let out a small laugh and allowed the spunky ferret to climb on her shoulder while Aurora walked.

Her feet sunk into the sand, leaving behind wet imprints as she walked. The sand felt cool and relaxing between her toes, as did the sound of waves gently crashing on the shore. She looked down at the sand as she walked, picking up the occasional shell or rock and dropping it into her bag. She loved the beauty of these things; collecting shells was a simple-minded hobby of hers. While slowly walking down the beach, Aurora was quietly murmuring to her ferret. It may have seemed silly for the elf to talk to her ferret, but she found comfort in it. She understood the animal and was sure it understood her...which was why it was such a great companion.

Aurora's calm world shattered when she suddenly saw legs form in her vision. Her head snapped up, mouth slightly open as she gaped as the tall man in front of her. She had been daydreaming and hadn't realized someone else was on the beach as well. Struggling, to talk, Aurora's voice finally came out, quiet and shaky.

"Oh--I'm sorry, I--" Aurora began to say to the man, until she realized she didn't know what she was saying. She gave him a weak half smile. "I...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to nearly...run into you. S-Sorry." It was then she realized how close she was to the man, and took a large step backwards, leaving about a couple feet or so of space between them.

[saerwen]

Damion hadn't heard the girls approach and was slightly surprised to see her. Looking down was something that he was used to, but being this close to getting knocked over was not. He began to wonder to himself what it would feel like to get knocked over in this form. He wondered if the fall would be harder or softer than in his usual form. Turning his attention to the girl, he began to feel slightly sorry for her because she was obviously surprised to see him as well and was stuttering. He knew the feeling of being shy around people. That was how he had been when he was younger.

He didn't really know what to do for her since she seemed in such a fright about it, but he decided that he would do what always seemed to help ladies.

"Oh, that's quite alright, my dear. I think we were both enjoying ourselves too much in these lovely surroundings." he gave her a sweet smile and then, as though catching himself in the midst of a mistake he chuckled at himself and drew back a little, "I am being quite rude, aren't I? My name is Damion Cervantess."

It was only now that Damion took time to look at the girl that he was talking to. Her hair came down in cascades of blue. It was stunning and shocking. He hadn't seen someone like that in a long time. He could hardly imagine that she was a human. Inwardly he started guessing, but he had no answers yet. Her eyes were green, almost as green as the color of mint tea after it has been steeping for a while. Her gracefully figure and movements knocked human off the list of her possible races. He still couldn't figure out what race she was though. He felt like it was staring him in the face, but he obviously wasn't in the mood to look straight ahead.

[x isabella.]

. aurora .

Her heart was pounding in her chest; she could feel it. She hadn't had any non-animal encounters for a while now, so she felt completely out of place next to this man. Aurora actually preferred the company of animals, for she felt more at easy around them. More often than not, they weren't going to hurt her.

She avoided looking into his eyes until he spoke. When she did, she found herself staring into clear, bright blue eyes. He had white hair, whiter than she'd ever seen. Aurora was surprised by the man's appearance; she'd never seen anything quite like him. She blinked, then looked away, embarrassed she'd been staring.

"Yes, quite lovely..." Aurora murmured softly, glancing over at the beautiful sea. A small smiled stretched across her face when she realized he wasn't angry, and instead was quite friendly. "You're not rude. The exact opposite, actually." She told him, her voice layer with a hint of nervousness.

Aurora smiled at him, a genuine smile, when she told him his name. She loved knowing people's names; it made her feel more...connected. Something she needed to feel ever since she'd woken up with no memory of anything.

"I'm Aurora. It's a pleasure to meet you, Damion." She replied with her own name. "If you, uh, don't mind me asking--what, er, species are you? Aurora asked him, her cheeks pink. With her pale skin, just a slight blush would turn her cheeks what seemed a bright pink.

[saerwen]

Damion noticed that the girl was looking at him with quizzical eyes. It was normal, he supposed, to study the details of another person when you first met them. This was his first encounter with another being other than the animals that he sometimes took a chunk out of when he was hungry in probably 20 years. He hoped that his mannerisms didn't display that though.

Suddenly feeling a little self-conscious, he ran his hand through his white hair, still unfamiliar with the silky texture that it had. After feeling nothing but scales and icy beneath his claws, having skin and hair was quite the change. Ripping his mind from within himself back to the girl in front of him.

Giving a slight sigh of relief he brought his hand back down to the side, "Oh good. I am afraid that I have not spoken to many people in a while so I am never really sure if what I am saying still means what it is supposed to." he gave her another happy smile. Most people would discover that Damion almost always had a smile on his face and a light countenance. He just didn't see any reason to frown for very long, and if there was one, it was never welcome.

When the blue haired girl finally gave a real smile, he was relieved. He liked it when other people around him smiled. He wished that his joy could be contagious so that their own trials would not impede anyone from having a good time. He liked to think that smiles made trouble disappear for small moments and provide a healing balm for those with broken hearts. In his own life he knew both to be true, but he also knew people who felt exactly the opposite.

Aurora...The name struck him. It was beautiful and rare. It reminded him of a precious gemstone for some reason. He couldn't explain why and he was sure that somewhere in his old mind there was a connection, but digging it up would take too long.

"The pleasure is all mine, Miss Aurora," his smile became softer, but it was still there, shining like the morning sun on his pale face, "And I don't mind the question at all. I am afraid that it is rather deceiving though. I am an Ice Dragon. What about you? I have been trying to guess inwardly, but I suppose that asking would be the smarter thing to do."

[x isabella.]

. aurora .

The elf fidgeted slightly. Her shyness wasn't about to go away just because someone was being friendly. She had a good reason to be shy, well that's what she argued anyways. How would you act if you woke up one day, not knowing where you were or who you are? Aurora took it quite well, because there was a part of her that knew it was better that way.

She thought about all of this, as she did often, while also managing to listen to Damion. Aurora resisted staring at him again. Something about him just drew her in; she just wanted to...look at him. Nothing more than that.

At hearing Damion was a dragon, Aurora felt slightly better--he was an animal, at least part of the time. It might seem wrong to think like that, but since Aurora felt better around animals, she didn't think anything about it.

"A dragon? I've never met a dragon before," Aurora smiled, then her expression changed slightly. "Well, I don't think I have." Perhaps she had met one in her past life, the one where she couldn't remember a thing.

"Oh, I'm just an elf." Aurora told Damion with a small smile. Her hand was softly rubbing the ends of her hair, a way of keeping busy. The elf some reason always had to be moving, if just her fingers.

Just then, a small head poked out of her bag that was hanging from her shoulder. Aurora had forgotten about her ferret that had tagged along. The ferret climbed out of the bag and paused on Aurora's shoulder, before dropping to the ground and scampering over to Damion. It then began to climb up Damion's pants, causing Aurora to gasp slightly.

"Mimi!" She hissed, trying to get the ferret to come back to her. Mimi didn't move, so Aurora looked at Damion and gave him an apologetic smile. "Sorry Damion...Mimi gets a little curious sometimes."

[saerwen]

Damion chuckled at her response, "I suppose that it is quite hard to tell exactly what you have met when we all take on human forms," he then gave a bright smile, "but let me assure you that you have not missed out on anything but not knowing any dragons. We tend to be rather rough around the edges and overly-opinionated."

When she mentioned being an elf Damion inwardly kicked himself. He really should have known that. He had known a handful of elves in his lifetime, all of them possessing similar racial traits. They were a graceful and slender people, often strong but in a lithe way, and possessing a strange, yet natural relationship with all things living. Their culture was one of mirth and nature. However, they were always soft-spoken and wise, winsome and calm. It also gave ample explanation for her aqua colored hair.

Damion watched as the ferret climbed out of Aurora's bag. He looked at the little creature with curiosity, much like it had for him. Damion instinctively wanted to take a step away from the furry little creature, but he made himself stay still as it latched onto his leg. It felt a little strange to have something climbing on him because most animals were to frightened by his sheer size to even think about venturing up on top of him. He decided quickly that he could get used to the feeling tolerably well.

Looking down at the ferret first, he gave a large smile and then turned to Aurora, "Oh, it's fine. I understand her curiosity perfectly. Creatures tend to be drawn to the things that they have yet to experience. I am just wondering if she is going to finish what she started?"

[x isabella.]

. aurora .

Aurora stared at Mimi with slightly wide eyes, wishing the animal would stop climbing up Damion. It was alright for Mimi to do that to her, but with someone Aurora barely knew... she didn't like it. Biting her lip slightly, Aurora watched as the ferret looked over at Aurora. It seemed to laugh at her, then scampered up Damion's clothing. She dropped down into his pocket and seemed to make a home there.

"I guess she is..." Aurora began, watching as Mimi poked her head out of his pocket. "Again, I-I'm sorry." She murmured, feeling shy once again. Her eyes drifted towards the ground, where a shiny grey stone with white stripes lay. A quiet gasp sounded from her mouth and she bent over to pick it up.

Aurora held the stone delicately in her hands, a small smile on her face. The stone, it was so interesting. She'd never seen a stone with stripes that appeared almost painted onto the stone. "This is so pretty..." Aurora remarked, moving her fingers a bit so Damion could see the stone that lay in her hands.

She looked back up towards Damion and found herself looking into his blue eyes. "I love collecting things like this, stones, shells, feathers. Small things can so beautiful." Aurora told him, a smile on her face.

____________________________________________

this is the stone she picked up. [well, look at a grey one.]

[saerwen]

Damion was aware that Aurora was more than slightly embarrassed that her little friend was climbing all over him. Despite the strange feelings that it brought to him, he rather liked it. He could see now what Aurora kept it with her. The furry little Mimi continued her path and then settled herself quite comfortably in his pocket. He smiled down at the her as she poked her head out. Mimi reminded him of a cat in some ways. Curious and sleek, she seemed to go wherever she wished, doing whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.

" Don't apologize. It is perfectly fine. Mimi is not a pet. We animals like to be free of chains to do as we please. That is why I am just now coming out into civilization again." He then turned his attention to Aurora, "At least it seems that she likes me. I think I am better off that way than the other way around."

Damion watched as the elf bent down to retrieve the stone from the shore. She was right, it was indeed a most beautiful thing. The white striping looked like a tiger. Even the hard surface of the stone seemed to hold some of that creatures wild beauty, as though it longed to be just such a creature. Yet again, Damion was reminded of freedom and the joy it brought. His eyes lifted just slightly to the sky, the longing in those blue depths was unfathomable. It looked like his greatest possession was up there, stolen away by harsh chains.

However, when he looked back down, he came to gaze upon Aurora's green eyes. They were kind and excited at the same time. She really did take joy in finding such little treasures. He looked back to the stone that she held.

"It is beautiful indeed. Such things are all over nature so long as you have the eyes for them. Do you mind?" he held out his hand. He hadn't realized that he had been leaning forward slightly in order to look at the stone, but he did when he felt something moving around in his pocket. Realizing that his position was slightly crumpling his pocket, he straightened up.

"How long have you been collecting things like this?" he asked absent-mindedly as he glanced down to his pocket to see if the ferret was any happier now that his posture had straightened out.

[x isabella.]

. aurora .

Aurora smiled when she realized that Mimi liked the man, well dragon nearly as much as Aurora herself. The ferret make a sound, like a low-pitched, faster version of a clucking chicken, of which she had come to realized meant she was happy or excited. It slowly died off, and Aurora begun to think that perhaps the ferret had fallen asleep. The thought was strange; how could Mimi have fallen asleep in a stranger's pocket so fast? Well, she had become friends with Aurora quite quickly.

She became slightly offended when he mentioned how animals were free to do as they pleased. 'Does he mean I'm not letting Mimi do what she wants?" Aurora thought slightly bitterly. However, she smiled and nodded at him. "Yes, she isn't very nice when she doesn't like someone. She once attacked a fox for coming close to her!" Aurora giggled, remembering the thought. "It took a while for her to calm down."

Aurora saw that Damion was looking to the sky, a longing expression in his eyes. She wondered why he didn't just fly away, for he obviously wanted to be up there. Her eyes hardened slightly, in a pondering way. "Why are you down here, when you want to be up there?" Aurora asked him quietly, glancing up at the sky then back to his blue eyes.

With a smile, Aurora shook her head. She didn't mind, Damion could definitely hold the stone. Placing the grey stone in his outstretched hands, she looked up at him. "You can keep that if you wish, Damion. I believe I have a similar one, brown with tan stripes. It's marvelous."

[saerwen]

"A fox?" Damion's voice displayed a mix of shock and amusement. He was rather impressed that the ferret could actually hold a fox at bay. He then shook his head and smiled, "If I were her I don't think I would have ever regained my nerves! I happen to dislike fights very much." It was true. He hated fighting with people more than anything, but he had come to realize fairly quickly that it was sometimes necessary. Some people just couldn't be reasoned with.

Damion was slightly shocked by Aurora's question. He had always known that his eyes were the most expressive part of his features, but she had read him so quickly and easily. He hadn't really thought anything about hiding his emotions before now, but he realized that in some cases it might be good to shield his feelings from certain people. He didn't think that Aurora would be one of those people, but he had been warned through her nonetheless.

Gathering himself, he answered her very matter-of-factly, "Because I have been hiding for a long time. I withdrew from the world because of the Guardian Wars. My father refused to take a side in either speech or conduct because he thought it was needless and foolish. I agreed with him, so I have been out of the affairs of this world for the most part. I am just now coming back..." he paused for a moment in thought, "I suppose that I persuaded myself that all people have to heal at some point in time." He gave her a slight smile. Damion had promised himself a long time ago that he would never give up on someone completely, and the guardians, however few and foolish, were no exception.

He then decided to change the conversation to a slightly happier tone, "Perhaps I will show you why I love it so much one day."

The stone was cool and smooth. He was surprised how much it reminded him of the cool feel of ice. But then agian, everything that felt smooth to the touch was a reminder of ice. He studied the stone a little while longer, then looked up at her with sincerity, "Oh, well thank you!" He slipped the stone into his other pocket, ensuring that he didn't discomfort Mimi again. An idea then hit him. He hadn't done it in a long time, but he could surely try. A crooked grin spread on his face as he put his hands together and closed his eyes. Opening his eyes, they were swirling and misty as though they held a miniature snow storm was taking place inside of them. After only a few seconds though, they went back to normal and he opened his hands to reveal a rose bud made of ice. He held it out to Aurora, grinning now at his own handiwork.

[x isabella.]

. aurora .

Aurora nodded and smiled enthusiastically. "With Mimi being so small, that's what you think she'd do. Yet when I picked her up, she was struggling to go after the fox! I would have let her go, but I didn't want Mimi to get hurt..." She then shook her head slightly, closing her eyes. The elf wondered what suddenly changed to make her more outgoing around this man whom she had just met. It scared her how she was suddenly acting this way. It was so...foreign to her. Yet she welcomed the feeling; it was so nice to talk to someone other than her animal companions.

"Well I'm glad you have decided to come back, no matter how long you might be here. You've really brightened my day." Aurora's voice was happy, but suddenly a frown appeared. The Guardian Wars...she felt she should have known what they were, but nothing was coming to mind. It must have been before she'd lost her memory. Maybe before her time; for who knows how old Damion was. "Forgive me for asking," Aurora asked, her voice quiet. "But what are the Guardian Wars, exactly?"

"Perhaps I will show you one day." Aurora gasped at this, then grinned. Could he do that? "Show me? How...how exactly would you do that?"

When Damion closed his eyes, Mimi suddenly jumped out of his pocket and ran away. Aurora giggled at her lopsided run. She didn't worry about losing the ferret, for she knew where she was headed--she could see Mimi in the distance. "She's most likely headed to Ross, my horse. Aurora murmured, then turned back to Damion.

She gasped, staring at the delicate-looking ice rose in his hands. Carefully, she reached out and held in in her hands. The ice was cold, but not uncomfortable. Aurora stared at the rose bud with wide eyes. It was beautiful, she thought.

"This is so beautiful...but it's going to melt..." Aurora murmured unhappily.

[saerwen]

"I can well imagine!" Damion said, laughing slightly at Mimi. Of course the little thing would be full of life and spunk. A great counter-balance to her elven friend, but it seemed to Damion that the more he spoke with Aurora, to more she seemed to open up. She seemed at ease finally and he was glad of that. He had worried that it would be hard to talk to her because she was so shy at first, not that he had a lot of room to talk though.

A bright smil lit Damion's face up, glad to hear that he had actually made a difference in her day. He didn't think for a moment that she was just saying it to make him feel better. He didn't really think of people like that. If they said it and he had no reason to doubt them, he would take it as true until it was proven to be otherwise. However, her next question almost made him lose his balance. "But what are the Guardian Wars, exactly?" Could she really not know? She was an elf! How could she not know? It seemed that every single part of this forsaken world knew about them! Damion's blue eyes had shot open wide.

"You really don't know what they are, do you?" he fairly whispered to himself, "Well, this is going to be interesting to explain..." He stared at the ground. "You are getting a very one sided opinion, but from where I have been standing and where my father was standing, they were pure nonsense. There are currently 2 guardians left from what I hear. Their used to be 8. Basically they fought a needless battle over the appointment of one of the guardians. Six powerful beings killed for no good reason." Damion's voice was filled with disgust. He then realized that he was brooding. He let out a sigh and then looked up at Aurora with a slight smile on his face. "So why don't you remember them?"

A grin spread across his face when she asked him how he would share his love of the skies with her, "Well that is quite simple my dear, I would take you flying!" Damion then felt Mimi dash from his pocket and watched with Aurora as she scampered over towards the horse. in the distance.

Looking at his creation, he realized that she was right, it would melt. He then thought of a way to cheer her up, "It will melt, but if you keep it in a cool place it will last for at least a month. It is made of magic ice, which tends to melt slower than normal ice, and my ice has a nasty habit of sticking in place lest I pull it back."

[x isabella.]

. aurora .

Aurora smiled at him. She wondered how a person, dragon or not, could be so positive and happy all the time. The elf had always thought dragons were cold, mean creatures--Damion was the complete opposite. Because of this, she felt herself relaxed and happy around him.

She listened as he explained it. Definitely one sided. Aurora thought, thought she felt as thought she would have had a similar thought about the wars, though she was technically a townsperson. "Why don't I...?" Aurora muttered, panic beginning to fill her mind. How could she respond to this without looking like a fool? How should she, without confusing him? The panic was evident in her eyes, although she tried her best to cover it up. "I...um," Aurora began nervously. "Well, I sort of... lost my memory. Anything longer than...perhaps a year or two, I...I don't remember." She told him quietly.

"Flying? Oh, I would love that!" Aurora exclaimed, a bright smile on her face. She didn't believe she'd ever smiled this much in her life--of course that could have happened before.

A cold place? I could have a witch or someone create a spell to keep my sack cold... Aurora thought curiously when Damion told her the small secret. "Well, I'll make sure to keep it in the coldest place I can find!" Aurora told him. "This is so beautiful, Damion, thank you." She wasn't sure what overcame her then, but she leaned forward and kissed Damion gently on the cheek. Perhaps it was just because she was thankful of the beautiful gift he had given her. A blush covered her face, and she looked down. Aurora attempted to apologize, but all that came out was a strange "Err..." She held the ice rose in the hand, while the other was at her mouth, her fingers squeezing her lip anxiously. She had no idea how Damion was going to act. What she'd done had been on impulse--something she had no experience in.

Aurora stumbled over her words, but finally settled on biting her lip anxiously. She resisted looking into his blue eyes. Instead, she looked down at the sand behind Damion.

[saerwen]

Damion because slightly worried about Aurora. She seemed so terrified about the fact that she didn't remember, but apparently she had run into this kind of stuff before. Memory loss must surely have been hard to deal with. Damion couldn't imagine losing his memory, especially when there was such potential that one could be so old. For all they knew, Aurora could be thousands of years old.

"Have you met anyone that knew you before you lost your memory? Can anyone help you retrieve it?" Then Damion thought again, "Or do you even want to remember?" He was silent for a moment and then said very softly, "I can't even imagine that."

"Good! I will take you whenever you like. Flying is a wonderful pastime for anyone. It eases the soul with a sense of freedom one can never know on the ground. Although, I would warn you that it can get quite chilly so you would definitely want to wear something warm," Damion's smile was triggered by the thought of flying, and even more so of sharing that experience with someone else. So few people knew exactly what it felt like. They hardly knew how invigorating it was. Even those afraid of heights could not fear the skies if they were truly flying.

Damion was glad that she was pleased with it. However, he really hadn't expected any sign of gratitude or anything else other than maybe some simple words. For someone that had yet to have any contact with other beings, that small little kiss sent him hurtling into the next century. He suddenly felt very dizzy. He knew that his skin and even the air close to him was freezing cold to regular human beings. In fact, to anyone else, he would have felt like a literal block of ice walking around and breathing. Poor Aurora was probably shivering now. He looked her up and down to make sure that she was alright, hardly convinced.

His eyes were still opened wide and he couldn't say anything for a full three minutes. It was like everything in him was speechless and driven to shut down because of that one simple act. However, he had not failed to notice the blush that spread over her face. It was like the color that rose bud was supposed to possess had manifested itself on her skin, which was no doubt as soft and smooth as the rose itself.

Finally, Damion woke up and realized that Aurora was very uncomfortable with what she had just done, now that she had actually done it. He knew the feeling. Sometimes people are compelled to do things by something inside of them and they have no real reason why. He guessed that it was just her way of saying thanks.

He smiled sweetly and decided to try and ease her mind, "You're welcome. I can make another one when that one melts. And thank you Aurora, for actually taking the time to talk to me and make me feel welcome. It's not every day that you meet someone with such a disposition as yours. I am just thankful that I met you first."