The World Through A Window [Eric Wyatt/Open]

[Vespyr]

A soft white light drifted in from the window as the sun, somewhere beyond view, yawned and stretched in preparation for the brilliant twilight that would descend like a cloud of blood vapour onto the city's fading white-washed walls. Before long, the scattered clouds would seem to glow like hot coals against the fiery pink sky, ready to burst but sinking into a dim violet sleep within the last moments. Then through the night they would slumber serenely, lazily hovering unstirred while the moon tickled them softly at the edges. Every day and night the same silent film was reenacted, but it never lost its charm-- some things in life never changed.

Others did, however, rapidly like birds flitting against the fuschia sky, swimming spry in the sun's last rays. In twos and fours they fluttered their tiny wings, playfully darting one way to swoop, glide, beat quickly those wings, and swoop again. Vespyr watched with mute enthusiasm from her seat by the window, and wondered how the sky seemed to change colour so rapidly without her noticing. Twilight was drawing nigh, to her content, and her relaxed sigh drifted along with the light, warm breeze that travelled from the window.

She rose to her feet and walked calmly toward the door, opened it, and stepped out. Immediately the wind gingerly tousled her pink-streaked hair, lifting a wisp of it in greeting, but Vespyr's smile had shrunk to nothing. In the air was the stench of people, of cars, of the city... The light had gradually faded from the sky and from her eyes and they were both growing dark and abysmal with each passing moment. A transition had taken place upon leaving her sanctuary, for now she stood on the outskirts of Hell. The sky was red, not in silent beauty, but from the choking smog smothering the atmosphere. The birds were viciously snapping with their beaks at eachother's tails to grab each last speck of grub. The stench of rot and moral decay was lingering in the air like a pestilence, and it was unescapeable. Everywhere.

The lone girl's footsteps echoed hauntingly as she made her way down the stairs to the parking garage, and with a louder, more persistant intent they followed her as she made her way through the darkness. Once she emerged outside, the sounds died away, eerily shrivelling back into the safety of the shadowy abyss.

Vespyr strode quietly with her hands buried in her deep trenchcoat pockets, her eyes fixed forward but drinking in every detail like a satellite. Awareness. It was one of the most imperative things to have, especially living alone in desired secrecy amidst a world full of people with the will to cause trouble. It was ironic, for Vespyr was one of those people, but lately she had preferred to sit back and observe. Time and time again she would sink into her mind and begin to philosophize everything around her, doing a little less harm than when she was in a more lively mood.

She was on her way to her favourite stargazing spot, yet another secret location she kept, and would spend the night wallowing in the moon's glow with her eyes exploring the heavens like a child in a cathedral. It was an ideal night for such an activity, for the moon was full and the first chills of Beloved Autumn had begun to descend from the sky like a blessing.

[redemption]

It was a day like any other in the warm and bustling city of Long Beach, but it seemed that the day itself was coming to an end. The sun was setting earlier and earlier as of late due to the change from summer to fall, and soon the once long and warm days that so many normal people enjoyed would be changed to cool days that didn't even last long enough for anyone to enjoy. Most of the people in the neighborhood were either going into their houses or getting into their fancy cars to hit up the night life, but there were always a few people that tended to do their own thing in life, and Eric was definitely one of them. There he was, sleeping with a poor excuse for a blanket in a rusty old school bus, dust and broken glass all over the floor around him, and still he seemed as comfortable as a King in his palace. Eric was far from a morning person, and half the time he would sleep through the afternoon as well.

He could have kept on sleeping into the night, due to a hangover that he had from a night of drinking to get over the past, if it weren't for a couple of youngsters that had decided to throw rocks and pieces of metal at what he would have to call his home. As he rustled around inside of the bus, the children screamed and ran away in fear thinking that the bus was alive or something. Eric was too out of it to understand what was going on, let alone comprehend why the kids were scared. Stretching his arms far above his head and then bringing them down to his head to mess his hair a bit, he got up from his resting place and made his way to the front of the bus. It was starting to get a little chilly, and so on his way out he grabbed his charcoal gray jacket and put it on over his plain white tee shirt. "Looks like I have another night to figure out what I'm really doing here."

Making his way out of the broken down bus, he took in the simple beauty that surrounded him every time he woke up and started his day. A large scrap yard filled with every type of machine that you could think of. From Hummers that got destroyed in accidents, to refrigerators that people threw away because the handle was broken. So many things in this scrap yard could easily be fixed, which only goes to show how picky and stingy people were. This was Eric's safe haven, the only place that he believed he truly belonged, but he wasn't one to just stay in one spot a rot away. He was a mover, which made it even more surprising that he had decided to stay in Long Beach. Sure, he was enrolled in PHS 259, but even though he had been in the city for three days he hadn't even visited the school. Some unseen force had drawn him in, and wasn't letting him go any time soon.

Taking a deep breath through his nostrils and getting the scent of rust and oil engraved in his mind for the night, Eric would make his way out of the scrap yard and into the real world just outside its gates. He could see the youngsters running away in the distance and entering a house in a panic. He smiled to himself, wondering what exactly it was that scared them in the first place, but he soon shrugged it off. Unlike the night before, Eric didn't feel like drinking and remembering his dark past. Instead, he wanted to just get away, but to somewhere other than his little scrap yard. He simply started to walk, well jog would be the more appropriate term, looking for a place that was devoid of the normal chaotic mess that was big city life. Lucky for him, he 'lived' in one of the quieter sections of the city, and so finding a nice place to just chill out wouldn't be too hard.

After jogging a good couple of miles, getting some whistles from the local girls and then threats from the guys that accompanied them, Eric had finally found a nice area to get away. It was a large grassy hill with some tropical trees here and there, and the ocean waves could be heard more than the hustle and bustle of the city. Taking a seat on the edge of the hill, which had a slight drop-off that led to some sort of secret beach, he looked up toward the ocean and at the sky that was finally letting the night take over, when he heard some soft footsteps coming up the hill. He figured that it was a female from the sound the steps gave off, but for all he knew it could have been a very small male. Without turning around to see exactly who it was he would acknowledge the new presence. "Seems like no matter how much I try, the only time I can get some alone time is in my sleep, and even then my dreams are usually pretty messed up. But it doesn't really matter. At least I know there's someone else that enjoys the quite more than the 'scene', as most call it." He would finish with a slight laugh as he continued to gaze off into the distance.

[Vespyr]

The nightwinds were delicately laced with the welcoming chill of fall, the crisp edge creeping in to overpower the summer's soft heat. Vespyr's bangs were strewn away from her face as she walked briskly across the cold grass, the entirety of her light blonde hair being cast in an eerie lilac glow from the fading sunset. The moon reflected ominously in her gaze, which had strayed from the path and was wandering aimlessly across the violet sky. From the horizon, which was coming into view just over a nearby hill, the rich colours seemed like a tipped can of paint that had spread and faded from crimson to fuschia to indigo.

The breeze had begun to stir the silver-tipped blades of grass, swirling around the field and carrying with it the scent of ocean that dominated and masked the city stench, much to Vespyr's delight. The femme brethed deeply, the sweet air cooling her insides as it passed through. Suddenly, upon another deep inhale, the aroma had twisted into something sour and rather unpleasant, and Vespyr wrinkled her nose in disgust and disappointment: alcohol. Her keen eyes snapped to attention and she stopped walking, turning her moon-pale face toward the source of the smell with a rather predatory intent. There, cast in silhouette against the rapidly darkening sky, was the shape of a man...

Vespyr narrowed her eyes, a repugnant glint flickering off them for a moment as the man began to speak; his words were rambles at first, almost as if he were speaking a foreign language. The girl's first assumption was that he was drunk, of course, until she finally was able to make sense of what he was saying.

"You're in a city, where the hell do you expect to find some peace?" Vespyr growled distastefully, quietly enough as to not break the fine silence that had begun to ease in with the night, but loud enough for him to hear her. She continued to walk, shaking her head bitterly in disgust. She had never been fond of alcohol, and found it a rather disgusting habit. That, added to her antipathy toward people in general, had this man buried deeper in the dirt than many others. Her teeth were gritted and her hands clenched as savage thoughts skittered like rats through the darkness in her mind. However, due to the fact that she was trying to make this evening a pleasant one, she continued to walk by him in hopes that he would just shut up so she could continue on without feeling the urge to react violently.

[redemption]

As his voice carried through the air and over to the girl's ears she stopped in her tracks as she heard him. When this happened Eric wondered if he had frightened the girl or something, since it wasn't that light outside and they kind of were off of the beaten path at the moment. He wanted to assure her that he wasn't some sort of crazy guy that was going to try to rape her when she was just trying to get away from the clutter of city life, but if he said anything involving rape she could have overreacted and thought that he was just saying that to get her to let her guard down. So many different things were racing through his mind until a calming ocean breeze came from the crashing waves of the water before him and calmed his mind. He had never been to the ocean before, and it was probably one the most calming areas to be, especially if you love to be alone at night.

Just as the wind came and calmed him down, the once silent and still girl that stood behind him finally spoke up, and Eric found out the hard way that she was far from scared of him. She was instead a very hostile girl, saying that in a place like a city there aren't many places to get some peace and quiet with disgusted tone in her voice. He didn't know what exactly he had said or done to make he react that way to him, but he was used to people bitching at him for no reason, and for definitely having a reason in a lot of past cases involving him. Even though she was acting fairly hostile toward him, she decided to walk up next to him to enjoy what little sunset that was left. Eric himself couldn't wait to see the ocean waves at night, but he believed that his hateful acquaintance was definitely only there to enjoy the peaceful feeling that this area brought to people.

As he looked over to see exactly who he was sharing this peaceful moment with, his eyes were met with a tall and thin girl clad in black with her skin and hair being a major contrast to her attire. She was very pale, giving Eric the idea that she probably wasn't a fan of the sun, but even so she definitely had a strange sort of attractiveness to her. After getting a feel for who was being so bitter toward him, he noticed that her hands were clenched, nails digging into her hands in frustration or anger. Was she really that angry with him, and if so why? Then it hit him. 'Maybe I still have the stench of the bar from last night. I brushed my teeth, but I suppose I was pretty hammered even when I did that. Its just a thought, but that's the only logical reason for her to be even remotely angered at me.' He would push himself up and stand right where he was sitting, continuing to look out at the ocean.

"I'm sorry if I upset with something I said, or possibly with the little hobby I have staying with me over the night. I didn't mean to ruin a peaceful night for you." He'd look over at her with a little grin, but he could tell that she really didn't want him to be by her. With a slight sigh, he'd kick some of the dirt off of the cliff and watch it tumble down to short distance to the beach below them. "I'm guessing you want to be left alone. Well try to enjoy the calming breeze up here than." And with that, Eric jumped down the ten foot drop and landed on his feet, sending sand in an outward spray from the impact. He would then make his way over to the ocean, taking his shoes and socks off in a stumble as he did so. He would roll his lean legs up and sit on the beach just at the point that the water would reach his feet and slowly sink them into the sand. "I suppose I'm better suited to be alone as well." He'd say as he looked at what was now the starry night sky.

[Vespyr]

Vespyr flinched slightly as the man stood up, the hands in her pockets clenching fiercely just out of view. Her eyes, reflecting only the darkness of the sky, were fixed intently on his, judging, wieghing, evaluating him. Beyond the overpowering scent of alcohol, she sensed a rather melancholy vibe emanating from the man, something that no fine-tuned eye or ear could see; Vespyr had a sort of sixth sense of her own which allowed her to easily pick up on these kinds of things.

Any normal, good-natured soul would sympathize with the man and perhaps accept his faults and let him be. Vespyr scoffed contentiously as he clumsily made his way down to the beach, kicking some dirt clods after him as torment. That vicious mean streak of hers always had a habit of inviting itself to dinner, now here it was. Forget the moon and stars for one night-- a nefarious smirk had crept across her black cherry lips, a kind of foreboding sign to anyone who knew her well enough and survived...

"Don't feel too bad, its rather a dislike for the entire human race-- not you in particular." she said, watching the man intently as the waves devoured his feet. Her voice was smooth and laced with a cold confidence, and carried well over the sounds of the ocean.

(ooc: sorry for typos or shortness, im posting from my phone and its difficult xD)