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Post by Deryk Bayard on Jul 5, 2008 0:07:09 GMT -8
The world had began to explode. Or at least the world as far as the eye could see in the United States. It was July Fourth, the day that everyone celebrated their independence from British rulership by blowing random stuff to Hell and back. And people who call themselves professionals light the skies in every color they can mix into gunpowder. The streaking lights, thunderous crackles, and ear-rending reports were a thing of wonder and awe. That was, until one learned how it all worked. There was something about an explosion that just fell short, once you knew everything there was to know about it. At least, that's how it was for a certain blonde-haired geek. Maybe it was that there was nothing to achieve once the mystery was solved. Or maybe when one could break down even homemade monstrosities like sparkler bombs and cellophane mortars, they just lost their spark.
But as he laid down on a blanket in the park, watching the far-away shells and rockets detonate in the air, he knew exactly what was missing from the chemical equations that turned the warm night into an artificial day. And the missing ingredient wasn't removed from the skies themselves. The missing piece was supposed to be at his side. Perhaps a cute girl to hold hands with and cuddle. Or perhaps more realistically, a friend to laugh as they made a crater in the nearest mole-hill. Even his family. Being alone took the joy right out of the Ode, so to speak. And it sucked. It was his only problem with the "non-emo" lifestyle: Nobody knew when he was feeling bad, because he never showed it. All those kids in black could simply find a razor and a million people would come to their side (whether it be to egg them on or help, the fact of the matter was that they were still there).
'Stop crying, Little Soldier. If you want to be like me, you got to learn how to become strong of spirit, more so than just your body. The people you care about will need to look at you and have confidence. Confidence in the fact that you got their backs. That isn't to say you can't have emotions... You just need to make sure they never keep you from doing what you need to do. Get up. Get up and show me you're willing to fight when nobody else will!' Deryk sighed outwardly, trying to keep the thoughts of his past out of his head. He had no plan to sink himself further into depression. After all, that would be Emo, and blondes weren't allowed to be Emo.
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Post by Jenesis E. on Jul 8, 2008 1:46:31 GMT -8
"Wooooaaaaaaaahhh~!!"
Jenesis stared up at the sky, eyes wide and face bright for the first time in a long time. She was told from the others in the orphanage that July 4th was a day to celebrate usually with your family, but it was unfortunate that Jenesis had a restraining order from her parents and all her sisters. A depressing feeling sunk low into her gut when she realized that she'd probably won't ever see her sisters until she got adopted, which was not working too well. However, being new to this thing called 'fireworks', Jenesis completely forgot about her worries and troubles as she attempted to chase after them, just as she had done with the fires in the forest. Hopefully they didn't hurt as much as the fires did, but she realized that they were much, much more difficult to catch. She had been chasing for a least fifteen minutes now, and she has gotten no where near them.
"Dang... I want one."
Jenesis uttered to herself, head staring straight up at the sky. Fireworks. How did the work, exactly? Magic? Then the thought of faeries and other magical things crossed her mind, and sighed. No such thing as magic.
No such thing as faeries.
Subconsciously, the young blonde haired girl touched her back before dropping her arms at her side. It's not as if this girl was a dumb blonde - though she was definitely not the brightest of the bunch. It's just that she had been sheltered for all these years and just recently let out into the world. And I literally mean sheltered - as in, Jenesis has been living in her basement and has not been out until recently-sheltered. The reason why her skin is so luminously pale.
She spotted another figure on the ground, and, considering she was not an angry little girl at the moment, skip-hopped over to him, hands clasped behind her back.
"Hello~!"
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Post by Deryk Bayard on Jul 8, 2008 22:51:24 GMT -8
Things were exploding as usual, and the show was probably only a quarter of the way done. Plus, there was bound to be people trying to add their own displays. The fireworks were going to last for a bit. The park was far enough away that the noise wasn't a big issue though. It certainly wasn't enough of an issue to prevent him for hearing a rather cheerful hello from what he assumed was some little girl who'd gotten away from her family and was going to busy herself by bothering people. And when he tilted his head to get a view of the girl, he wasn't surprised at what he saw. Little blonde girl. Somebody stop the presses!
"Heya, kitten..." He kept his eyes on her, sparks of blue, red, and yellow occasionally lighting up portions of her face. Plus five to cute right there. Then again, what little girl didn't have a massive charisma modifier?
"You might want to go back to your folks. They'll be worried about you, kitten." He said rather softly, not exactly sure why at the moment he had the compulsion to refer to his new acquaintance as "Kitten." For some reason, he just felt that he should call her that. Maybe because he'd been playing Phoenix Wright 3, or maybe she reminded him of a lost kitten... Something.
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Post by Jenesis E. on Jul 8, 2008 23:12:08 GMT -8
Fourteen years old and yet had the mentality as those who are seven. When he called her kitten, she didn't quite understand. As far as she was concerned, kittens were little tiny, furry creatures that people kept as pets. Was he saying that she was a furry pet? And what the heck are folks? Mind you, Jenesis was not totally used to the English slang yet, and there were still some words that she did not understand. Regardless, she sat next to him on the grass, ignoring what he had just said - not purposely. It's more that she was about to reply, but the fireworks simply captured her attention before she could do so. But she didn't forget - she'd reply, after a minute or two.
"Folks? Nah, they won't worry. They don't really like me that much."
As far as she was concerned, 'folks' meant the kids from the orphanage. As for 'kitten', she didn't know what to say. No one ever really called her a pet before, and she didn't know if other people called others parrot or snake, since those are pets too. What if it were completely normal?
"If you call me kitten... CAN I CALL YOU A BEAR!!?"
It's not that he reminded her of a bear.
"...even though you can't have bears as pets... Then what about dog?"
>_>...oh dear.
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Post by Deryk Bayard on Jul 8, 2008 23:29:04 GMT -8
Deryk found himself chuckling at the girl's words. She was an odd one. Probably full of that imagination stuff that kids often had. "Well, you see... I don't know your name, but I felt a need to cal you something. And so I called you Kitten. It's a nickname. Nicknames are names people give each other for various reasons, usually because it's an expression of affection towards a friend. And a nickname will reflect the person it's given to... For example, I called you Kitten because you're small and cute, like a kitten would be. If you want to call me 'Bear' I won't stop you, though I don't think it fits me that well. But then again, I don't get to choose my nicknames, and you won't get to pick yours. All you can really do is approve or disapprove of the name..."
He shrugged, turning his gaze up to the sky. "But if you'd rather use my name, my name is Deryk." He stretched out, arching his ack some as the explosions went on. Seems that the city had purchased some of those lame smiley face shells. Sure, the precision used to make that pattern was impressive, but the result was boring and tacky.
"Perhaps... If you don't want to call you Kitten, you could tell me your name?"
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Post by Jenesis E. on Jul 8, 2008 23:48:17 GMT -8
"Oh... Oh, that makes more sense."
Jenesis thoughtfully spoke, nodding her head some as if she actually understood. She thought it was odd how you couldn't choose your own nickname, since, you know, it belongs to you, right? She tried thinking of an animal that would suit him, but she didn't really know him all that well, and he wasn't furry like a bear was. Nor was he feathery like a bird... Oh! But he introduced his name-name, and Jenesis was more than happy to tell him hers.
Well actually, she wasn't. The way he was acting toward her right now probably meant that he doesn't know her, or seen the news yet. And if he knows her name, and just happens to be flipping through the television, who knows what'll happen? But then she had to remind herself that she probably won't see him again, since California was a big state with a lot of people.
"Hello, Deryk! I'm Jenesis, pleased to meet you! I don't dis-ah-prove of the nickname, but either one works~"
It was her first nickname, so of course she would cherish it.
As for the smiley face shells, she thought it was amazing.
"They're drawing pictures in the sky!!!?!"
Amazing.
"Why don't they do this every night?"
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Post by Deryk Bayard on Jul 11, 2008 0:21:58 GMT -8
"I'll keep calling you Kitten then, since you seem to like it well enough." He smiled and watched as she got fascinated by each and every explosion. It was the same way he remembered himself acting back in Washington state when he'd go see the fireworks with his Grandpa. It was definitely better with someone else. Even just this random girl out of nowhere was enough to make the night more enjoyable than boring.
"You see, fireworks are made of cardboard containers with explosive powder inside them. There's a bunch of loud black powder in each, making the loud sounds. Then there's also special powders inside that explode in different colors. So they make the drawing inside the shell with the different color powders. And when the shell explodes... You get to see the whole drawing, only much bigger and brighter. Really, this could be used to make all sorts of shapes, from hearts to palm trees it they wanted, but it's a delicate process so they stick to easy drawings." Yeah, he couldn't resist tossing in the pyromaniac lesson of the day.
"But they can't do this every night because it's loud and bright. Usually, people want to sleep a night. Fireworks make it very hard to sleep, see?"
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Post by Jenesis E. on Jul 11, 2008 6:42:53 GMT -8
She stared at him, mouth slightly open, eyes staring at him in wide curiosity and amazement. She came to the conclusion that he was super smart, or he was the creative mastermind behind the whole 4th of July fireworks thing, which leads us back to option A! She wanted to make one now - fireworks, I mean. Wanted to explode them at the park and stare at them all night. They were like colored stars that smiled at you, quite literally! Though her smile slowly slipped away when he told her the reason why this couldn't happen every night, nodding her head as if agreeing with him. Yeah, her mom got very cranky if she didn't get enough sleep. So Jenesis thought that maybe there are pros and cons to the exploding lights. "...can you make one?!"Jenesis squealed, absolutely delighted...but her attention was taken away when she saw sparklers. "...woah.. They're holding white fire! I tried to catch fire before at a forest... Don't think they really like me. ;;..."Because A) it burns. Obviously. And B) Fire in a forest? Aureus Hayes + Fire creating gloves + Aureus Hayes being angry + Forest + Jenesis = Aureus yelling at Jenesis to not catch the fire and dragging her off. D:
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Post by Deryk Bayard on Jul 15, 2008 23:18:58 GMT -8
((Sorrys for the delay... I iz baaaaad... /sniffle'n'cry))
"Well... I haven't made one from base materials. It requires some specialized tools that I don't have. Not to mention that a lot of the materials can only be purchased by people who are older than eighteen and have a proper license." Not that petty things like permission had ever gotten in the way of him getting what he wanted. A lot of things opened up when you knew how to force open the door without being caught. "But, I have sort of dismantled fireworks and put them back together in my own special way to get what I want out of them. It's usually a louder or more powerful explosion. I can also figure out which chemicals to add to make the resulting fire different colors. It's not hard, and if you know what you're doing, it's safe too."
"Fire is a dangerous mistress... You got to have just the right touch or she'll go away... Or even worse... She'll burn everything to ashes."
He looked over at the sparklers. "Oh... Yeah. Those are sparklers. They're coated with a substance that causes sparks on contact with fire. But it burns away slowly, so a single sparkler could let you hold a small shower of hot sparks for a good minute. But they emit a good deal of smoke, and can make you cough if you hold to many of them.
"See, once you learn how to handle fire tough... You'll be amazed at what you can do with her."
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Post by Jenesis E. on Jul 22, 2008 0:33:20 GMT -8
"..oh, I thought the fire hated me, since Mr. Aureus Hayes touched it and he was fine..."
Well he wore gloves. She thought he had some magical powers for being able to handle it so well, but that was before she got her wings torn off, before reality hit her hard. She was still getting used to not having her wings - it was like a part of her was missing, and she regularly found herself looking for something, not knowing what she was looking for, but searching none the less.
"Are there boy fires too? Do sparklers hurt as much as fire?"
Considering he referred to fire as a 'she'. My, Jenesis was a curious one. She remembered another blonde haired boy named Atticus who also answered a lot of her questions, and although the narrator knows he was a bit annoyed... Well. The way Atticus and Deryk approached things were a bit different.
"You know, the world is a very odd place. These holiday traditions are cool, but kind of weird..."
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Post by Deryk Bayard on Jul 22, 2008 1:31:53 GMT -8
"Nah. Fire doesn't hate you. It's all in how you handle her. Her feelings are fickle that way... But a sparkler definitely doesn't hurt as much as a full fire. It can still hurt though." They'd began to burn off all the shells they had as soon as possible, the pyrotechnics that was. They were all doing the explosive finish and making the sky light up brighter than day itself. A small smile creeped up on his lips as he watched fire ignite the sky. She was beautiful. She was graceful. She didn't care who in the hell she hurt or helped. The girl he could never have.
"Boy fires?" He mused, and put his fingers on his forehead in a pseudo-slap. "Sorry. Fire isn't truly alive like you and me. It doesn't have a gender. But some people like to call things like fire, boats, computers... Anything inanimate that they love... As if it were of a gender opposite of themselves. As if someday their love would love them back... Even if it was impossible. I know... It's weird."
"In fact. This whole world is weird. Nothing is fully logical. Very little is free from imperfections. I can guarantee you there's a lot of people out there that think what we believe to be normal is weird. And we'll think of their customs as weird. Weird is too reliant on perspective."
He sighed as the last crackles faded from the sky, leaving only smoke and debris in it's wake. She left. "Weird can be a good thing though. All it means is..."
"Different."
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Post by Jenesis E. on Jul 22, 2008 1:42:08 GMT -8
"Oh..."
Loving inanimate objects? Doesn't seem that bad; although it's nearly impossible for them to love back, you never know with future technology. She sighed quietly, crossing her legs, back straightening once more as she watched the colors explode in the night sky, a reflection bouncing off her dark eyes. As beautiful as the fireworks were, the sound of the explosion was intimidating. It wasn't as bad as thunder, but it was still scary none the less. She grinned wide at the smiley faces, as if replying to the fireworks, that slowly, eventually, faded away, the smoke blending in with the night sky. The fireworks stopped, the few people who were around went quiet, and Jenesis wondered if it was over.
"Weird can be a good thing though. All it means is... Different."
Jenesis looked down at her hands that were folded neatly on her lap. She parted her lips, though a huge explosion went off, capturing her attention - the finale. The grand firework - the last, the best.
"Sometimes...being different makes life difficult."
She uttered quietly, her voice completely inaudible due to the fireworks that had just gone off, slow smile creeping onto her face.
"Wow! That one was HUGE!"
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Post by Deryk Bayard on Jul 22, 2008 1:57:59 GMT -8
The blaze of glory was over. Now it was time for everyone to head back home. It was kind of disappointing. Some much power, heat, and light... All for it to just fade to nothing. There had to be a way to make the whole feeling last. "Yeah. The big finish. It's amazing, but that means it's all over until next year. A bit depressing, eh? At least there will be more next year." There was always hope. But you couldn't rely on that alone. You had to reach out and make sure things went your way. Even if it meant doing something different. Something weird.
"Yeah. Being different makes things a bit harder." He hadn't heard her in the noise. But his philosophical chit-chat had gotten him a bit chattier than normal. It was nice to just drop a philo-bomb every once in a while. He even stood up, looking up at the sky as he grinned and stretched out. "But there's no point in being like everyone else. What's the point in going through life if you're going to stand aside and let it control you? The difficulty just makes success all the more satisfying... Just brings me one step closer. We all have the ability to defy everything around us! I won't stop because people think I'm 'weird'... It'll justify everything I've done!"
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Post by Jenesis E. on Jul 26, 2008 7:01:08 GMT -8
"No, not at all. It just makes this type of fire more special!"
Jenesis exclaimed in a rather cheerful voice, extremely content with all that had gone on in the sky. She leaned back against her palms that were placed behind her, watching as the smoke slowly disappeared. She was pretty cheerful at the moment, maybe even a hyper after watching the fireworks, yet at the same time a little tired because it was late at night, and she usually slept early.
His words, however, got her brain thinking. He said that he would justify everything he's done, but what about everything her parents have done? How does she justify their actions to her? Her sisters, too, even. How does she justify the fact that she thought, for real, that she was a faerie?
"What about other people?"
Jenesis turned to look over at Deryk, a sudden change of expression on her face. Almost sad, as if she were pitying herself, actually.
"How do you justify the actions of what other people have done to you?"
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Post by Deryk Bayard on Aug 1, 2008 12:05:13 GMT -8
"How do you justify the actions of what other people have done to you?"
Deryk looked down at the girl. Good question.
"You don't, they have to justify their own actions. And if their actions aren't justified... If they've wronged you... Then you have justification to carry out your retribution."
Deryk clenched a fist, feeling the tension build up in his arm clear up to his shoulder. His voice had all at once become something akin to a low growl, as if he'd been wronged in his past as well. Hadn't everyone, really? In his case, it was being separated from his family by his step-father. He was sent to 259 by that asshat, ripped away from everything he held dear. He could barely even stand the summers up in Washington, let alone California. And that was te least of his complaints.
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