---~C'EST LA VIE || Open

[Asher Incommodare]

IT'S BEEN ONE WEEK SINCE YOU LOOKED AT ME♟

Asher was, quite simply, alone.

Perfectly alone. No help. No companionship. No solace. It was as if he had been alone his whole life (which wasn't a complete lie). It's what being lonely did to you, you know. It didn't matter if you had been with another your whole life. The moment you realized you were alone, the moment you felt pure loneliness, none of that mattered anymore. it was just you yourself, and it had been like that your whole life. Loneliness was an inexplicable emotion. It made you feel a umber of eother emotions, like byproducts, but at its core was loneliness, a rock in your stomach that wouldn't sit still. A drop in your heart that never stopped descending.

And it drove Asher up the wall.

Quite literally, actually. He sat on a rather low stone wall the somewhat circled around the dark Terra City. It was an old one that must have been one of the earlier defense systems before maintenance on it was abandoned. Now, weathered away by the elements of nature, it was a sad sight to see. Broken over in some places, green plants growing over it. Just add a lonesome young man and it would be perfect.

You couldn't particularly say that Asher was alone, though. There were people all around him. Or, more specifically. Demons. Those of his kind. They entered and exited the city as they pleased. And, as they passed by the strange boy sitting on the wall, they were overwhelmed by a sense of loneliness and a longing for a companion. He felt bad that he influenced people like that, and he tried to make himself feel happier. But it only made him feel worse.

Asher lightly swung his feet as they hung off the wall, only a couple of feet above the ground. As he looked up at the early afternoon sky, a sad frown hanging on his face, he saw a pair of geese, flying north. How nice it would be to have a companion.

[/size]

STATUS; Complete
WORD COUNT; 335
TAGGED; Open
NOTES; First post with Asher~

[Ravis]

Ah~ Terra City, home sweet home at last.
Had it been days or weeks since Ravis came back to his home city and actually slept in his own bed? It felt like weeks, but was probably only a few days. How quickly time seems to go by. There wasn't really much to show for his efforts, just a single wallet with like, twenty dollars and a picture of the guys kids and a fancy cane he'd taken a fancy too when some guy that had probably been rich at one point accidentally left it leaning against a wall. No matter what he 'found' from the humans though, no place would make him quite as happy as his own little run down city.

The morning consisted of chasing away the only cat that could possibly survive in a demonic city(probably a cat demon taunting him, phft), finding out how nothing much had changed in his absence, and finally, sitting back to relax and watch people just go about their lives. Ravis noticed that no matter how much some demons seemed to hate the humans, the actually acted sort of the same in their home towns. Personally he loved the humans, they were weird, awkward, selfish, and in a nutshell some where just plain evil- remind you of any other race? Sure there were some kind-hearted oddballs but there were some kind-hearted demons too.

The guard and woman from his most recent encounter came to mind. The guard might possibly be kind-hearted... but the woman was definitely a demon in disguise. Ravis laughed out loud and several of the nearest people turned to look at him, questioning his sanity most likely. Well, time to get out of there.

By the time the afternoon rolled around Rumors about some kind of ghost haunting the wall and making everyone who gets close enough lonely were floating around. 'Hah man, I come home at the oddest times.' Even if things did or didn't happen while he was away, there always seemed to be something going on in the Demon kingdom. Ravis hadn't had breakfast yet, even though it was coming on lunch time, so he figured why not ask a ghost to lunch? It'd probably be interesting to know what part of this rumor was true and what was false.

It wasn't hard to follow the trail of the rumor since it was recent and, surprisingly, the closer he got to the wall the lonelier he felt. Feeling lonely wasn't new to him though, it was a constant thing when he left home. At least in the Demon city he could strike up conversations with random people without being thought odd, well perhaps the people weren't always random, many he'd seen around town before and enjoyed talking to. Not that he'd consider them friends or anything, hellfire forbid he have at least one friend.

"Yoh~" It didn't take long to climb up onto the wall, it was one of lower parts and he he was use to scaling houses- roof hopping was actually a very effective way to ditch guards. "The king demands your presents in the royal dining hall this very instance, please allow me to escort you to your table." Ravis smirked at the boy, he looked young and timid but demons were usually older than they appeared, he would know. There weren't many paces he knew around Terra city, many were sort of... well, demonic and not very inviting, more like an old western tavern where everyone turns to glare at you when you walk in. The kid might know a decent place though, and if all else failed they could go to his house. All of this was presuming the guy would even talk to him... Eh, who was he kidding? Even if he wouldn't talk to Ravis at first he would annoy the crap out of him until he did.

[Asher Incommodare]

COCKED YOUR HEAD TO THE SIDE AND SAID, "I'M ANGRY."♟

Asher was on the verge of turning into his giant bird form and flying away perhaps to another place to to find a friend when the appearance of what he hoped would become a companion stopped him. If he had a tail, it might have risen from its drooped state to wag in excitement and happiness. There was no doubt that the man would also feel a change in disposition.

Looking over the newcomer with a very pleading and eager-to-please gaze, Asher had to stop himself from pouncing on him with delight. A person! A real person! A person that will talk with him and play with him! His eyes, widened slightly, saw the man and observed nothing but good things. He didn't look like a punk as others might see him. Just misunderstood with his own cool style. He didn't have the face of a liar. Maybe his mom just dropped him on his face as a child. It wasn't his place to judge because he didn't want others judging him.

And so, after hearing the older man's invitation, Asher perked up greatly and leaned over slightly toward him. "Really!?

[/color]" He asked excitedly, his voice coming out as a high squeak. He and his naivety didn't doubt this man's news at all."Wow, I can't believe it![/color] He didn't even think that the king knew of his existence, let alone wanted him at the palace.[/blockquote][/size]

STATUS; Complete
WORD COUNT; 236
TAGGED; Ravis || Open
NOTES; Finished this as fast as possible...

[Ravis]

Ravis could almost feel the hackles on the demon form locked in side him rise. The kid was giving him some sort of desperate look which made him feel all weird inside, as if he were a saint who'd just saved him or something. 'ugh, I'd rather die than be a saint..' Despite the strange look he was getting, there was also some sort of subtle change in the atmosphere that made Ravis's mood change from lonely to... uh... delighted? excited? oh god no, he was happy, genuinely happy and there was no one withering in pain nearby. What the hell was wrong with him?

He blinked a couple times, as if that could get rid of this strange turn of events. It was just too weird, Ravis was never truly happy unless he were messing with traps or watching someone doubled over in pain and agony. The only explanation the demon could come up with was that... somehow.. this boy was his soul-mate or something like dragons had, he didn't know demons could be the same way..
but yeah.. so...
It made no sense whatsoever but this was the only thing it could possibly mean, which also means that.. that.. 'That I'm secretly gay and didn't even know it myself..' he thought back over his sexual life which actually did contain a couple older men, but that was solely for profit gain and he hadn't enjoyed it. Guess he was into younger guys, who knew?... 'the hell is wrong with me..?' he asked himself, feeling both frustrated and delighted at the same time. 'UGH!'

The squeaky voice brought him away from his thoughts as the boy believed the story about the king wanting to have lunch with him. Er... well, okay so his soul-mate wasn't the brightest bulb in the box, but it fit him just fine and the naivety added on to his cuteness. "Naw man I was kidding about the king thing." Despite himself Ravis couldn't help but grin, "I am inviting you to come to lunch with me though, my treat, promise." There was nothing more binding than a promise to Ravis, whatever he promises to do, he will do it.
And.. Well, go with the flow right? Might as well not.. uh.. fight the love, as those hippies say.

[Asher Incommodare]

FIVE DAYS SINCE YOU LAUGHED AT ME, SAYING♟

Asher, holding emotions dearly to his heart, often divided them into two different categories with variations. There hard and soft emotions, strong and weak ones, primary and secondary ones, deep and shallow and so on. Disappointment was categorized as a soft emotion (it didn't usually cause a person to make an action), a weak one (because it usually lived a short life), secondary (as it didn't take a large portion of his life), and shallow (it never shook him deeply.)

Though he felt disappointment for a brief moment, Asher didn't act on that emotion. It was soon replaced by hopefulness that occupied his whole body, unlike the disappointment that had rested only in his heart. He barely remembered the emotion of dismay as his eyes brightened considerably as he leaned now leaned over heavily, shortening the distance between the two.

Hopefulness was an emotion that didn't force him to do anything, too. It had no impulses or drives that pushed him to make an action. It was also weak because it was short lived and quickly replaced by other emotions. It was primary, though, in the sense that he gained hope often. Also contrary to disappointment, hope deeply affected Asher. It was one of his favorite emotions. The lightness it gave him, the way it made him see the world through rose-colored glasses.

"Oh...

[/color]" Asher had said, lowering his head a little bit, but it rose once again as he heard the older man's next words. His happiness overwhelmed him so much that he had no choice but to throw his arms around the older man and embrace him in a warm, loving hug. "You must be the nicest guy in the world![/color]

With no intention of letting go anytime soon, Asher continued, a bit quieter. "Are you sure...? I mean, I don't wanna bother you...[/color]"[/blockquote][/size]

STATUS; Complete
WORD COUNT; 315
NOTES; There. It's somewhat bigger. >.>

[Ravis]

Man was he on some kind of emotional roller-coaster or something. First happiness, then a prick of something that felt like despair, but lighter, and now a light and fluffy feeling he had no description of whatsoever. The word hope, wasn't actually in Ravis's vocabulary list, never expect much and you won't be disappointed, hope was the same way. He preferred to make something happen rather than hope for it too, even if there were sometimes special occasions when hoping was the only thing to do. In those scenarios though it wasn't called hope, it was called luck.

"You O-" 'you okay?' Though he couldn't see the kid's face, the way he hung his head was proof enough that Ravis had said something wrong and upset him. Which normally would have made him feel absolutely nothing if it were anyone else, but nooo, oh no, this was his other half and he felt a bit bad at first. It didn't last long though, and for a moment he thought he had just imagined everything up till then until all of a sudden, before he could ask if the boy were okay, he was...
was..

Yeah, he was definitely being...h... hu... No, he couldn't even think about the word it was too horrifying. What was even more terrifying though was the overflowing happiness that seemed to fill his cold stone heart, assuming he had a heart to begin with. The kid even called him the nicest guy in the whole freaken world? Vicious mother of all that is sour and acidic, no wonder the whole world was in chaos and war and falling apart if Ravis was the nicest guy in it.

The.. hu... The invasion of personal space continued onward, showing no signs of being broken. But boy, did Ravis want it to end, he would have shoved the kid away as soon as he came within grabbing distance if it weren't for the over-powering happiness that seemed caused by such an action. It was sort of maybe a little nice once accepted, still totally weird and unnatural, but tolerable. "Eh, it's no bother, I like the company and you looked about ready to smash your head against this wall with loneliness." Though he... mimicked the kid in his actions, feeling a bit awkward with the boys arms wrapped around hm, Ravis kept a loose hold, not wanting to give the impression that he enjoyed being...
He shuddered mentally... Hugged... what a disgusting word..

[Asher Incommodare]

"GET THAT TOGETHER. COME BACK AND SEE ME."♟

A quiet wondering often struck Asher when he was around others. Because others around him tended to feel the same as him, he wondered what they really felt. It kind of made things boring, if he thought about it. He would always know what they were feeling. There was no chance, no variations. Nothing to surprise him.Then again, it wasn't a bad thing. Continuity was always nice.

Speaking of continuity, not many people often offered him lunch. Usually, they were good friends of his that knew him and trusted him. Never strangers that just happen to pass by and offer him food. In all honestly, Asher tried to get food whenever he could. It wasn't particularly fun to work for a meal, and he wasn't going to sell his body. God, no. He was just a sweet, innocent child. Besides, he doesn't even know how to go about it

Feeling the older man hug back, Asher was absolutely delighted. He really must be the nicest guy in the world! And the younger boy must be the luckiest in the world because he was able to come across such a kind and caring young man. He was happy that he hadn't judged him earlier. It would have made him feel really bad now.

Asher hugged him even harder as he replied in a much lighter beat. "Gee, thanks, mister

[/color]" He said. He stopped hugging him, but still held him at arm's length. "I really appreciate it. My name's Asher, but you can call me Ash. or Gil. Or whatever you'd like.[/color]"[/blockquote][/size]

STATUS; Incomplete Complete
WORD COUNT; 258
NOTES; This was probably the hardest thing I ever had to do...

[Ravis]

"Nyr" The sound was literally squeezed out of Ravis as the kid, Asher he said, tightened his already tight hold. It wasn't exactly a squeak, but not really a growl either. The sound came from Ravis but he couldn't remember ever making anything like it before. Although he preferred not to think of it as such, whatever that was could probably be accurately described as a sort of whine- which made the dog demon lose all his sense of manly pride.. He may blame the kid for this but way deep down he knew it was his own fault for feeling so strange. There had been no other time when he'd lost control over his feelings, or acted any way other than how he wanted, this shouldn't have been any different.

Sadly, though, it was different. After the fierce embrace, the kid thankfully let go, yet persisted to keep in contact and hold Ravis at arms length. Was the boy really even a demon to begin with? Demons were suppose to be cruel, harsh, and evil, sure there were some exceptions but he didn't think it were possible to be this... this.. touchy, happy, thing in front of him.

'Accept it Ravis.' he told himself, 'Just accept your fate and hope for a good hand of cards.' That was the sensible part of him though, the part that planned future schemes and thought everything could be used as an advantage. The stupid part that lived in the now was more like, 'Tie this bleeding heart onto a pole and stick him in front of a Dragon cave then watch the feast from a tree.' There were so many things that could go wrong with that plan though, it wasn't even funny, wild dragons were usually either vicious or uncaring. What if he watched a vicious one that decided it were still hungry and smelled him nearby? Being a second course so did not sound very appeasing.

"Asher, I like your full name, it's... I donno, I just like it best." Actually using someones nickname meant you were closer to that person. Physical boundaries had pretty much already been completely shattered thanks to Asher, but emotionally Ravis would keep as much distance between them as two soul-mates could have. Unfortunately that might be starting to wear down too, what could he say? That kid's attitude was contagious.

"Um, no, Mister was my old man, I'm only 68 so I'm not that old just yet." Ravis wasn't exactly too sure what had happened to his Father, neither of his parents he really remembered, just fellow street rats who took care of one another purely for survival reasons. "Anyway," he went on, not wanting to dwell too long on he memory, "the name's Ravis, I don't really have a nickname." Rav, Ravy, Rave, no, he accepted none of those nicknames. As stated before, nicknames were signs of friendship, he didn't need want or have a nickname.
"So, whatcha in the mood for Asher; charred lizard, vegetable salad, chocolate pie, crocodile tail?"

[Asher Incommodare]

THREE DAYS SINCE THE LIVING ROOM♟

Asher thought the sound that his new found companion made was the most delightful little thing to ever grace his ears. How nice it was to finally have a companion! Even if he enjoyed teasing him, he was already rather used to it from a past of constant teasing and prodding. Bursting at the seams with bounding energy and happiness, he fought against his inner urges to release the physical connection that held them together.

He lost.

Still gripping the man who introduced himself as Ravis, Asher grinned widely, ever smiling with a friend at his side. The little sound effect that Ravis made was rather... unfitting for a man of his stature. It would seem more fitting if perhaps Asher had uttered the sound. But, once again, he couldn't judge on appearances. For all he knew, his friend might enjoy long walks on the beach, reading romance novels, and sweet pina coladas. It was just his job to find these things out and use them to deepen their friendship. He could see it now, the blonde-haired boy frolicking with the older auburn haired man. Watching the sunset together. Playing games together. Sharing a bed together. Finding more friends to have fun with together.

... Sharing a bed together?

Asher was confused for a moment, wondering if his subconscious was being fickle again, throwing not-so-innocent ideas into the mainstream thoughts he had. Forcing his grin to grow, he ignored his moment of confusion. He subtly wondered why Ravis hadn't chosen to call him by his nickname. People more often called him Ash, for it was only one syllable, if not because of its cuteness. Or Gil. Not many people understood why he was called Gil until they saw his habit of puffing out his cheeks randomly. Fishie and Puffer had once become nicknames of his, too, but had never stuck.

Ravis was a nice name, Asher concluded. A nice name for a nice guy, he supposed with a smile. He did feel sad, though, when he was told that he didn't have any nicknames. It wasn't that he was disappointed in the fact that he didn't want any. Oh, no, he wasn't observant enough to see that. Instead, he was sad because he didn't have any nicknames to call his own. It was pity, if you wanted to go that far. It was like seeing a cold, wet, starving puppy. Comparing Ravis to a puppy, though, was highly debatable.

As his companion continued talking, Asher was multitasking, experimenting with nicknames and listening intently. He winced slightly at 'charred lizard' and 'crocodile tail'. You could call it self-hate, but he simply did not enjoy the baggage being a demon came with. It was all stereotypes, really. Demons were the bad guys, the cruel, the heartless. Lying, thieving, and blood-thirsty mongrels that plagued the earth. He mentally cringed at the image demons portrayed to the other two races. While he did have the taste of a demon, he chose to eat more... normal things.

"Gee, I dunno.

[/color]" Asher said, marvelling at how Ravis allowed him to choose. It didn't happen often, honestly, and the young boy didn't quite mind. He would eat anything given to him. Taking a moment to think, he let go of him. " Uhm, whatever you'd like to eat, I guess. A salad sounds good, though.[/color][/blockquote][/size]

STATUS; Complete
WORD COUNT; 552
NOTES; Last post until I get back!

[Ravis]

Ravis watched the kid try and decide on what sounded the best, he himself was fairly good at reading people and it seemed that Asher wasn't to use to having much choice in these kinds of situations. Although he claimed not to know where to go his facial expression said otherwise as Asher continued to think on it. Then, all of a sudden a miracle happened...
Yes that's right, Ravis was finally freed!

And yet.. It didn't feel as great as he thought it would. He rotated his shoulders a bit, testing the new found freedom, but all it was was room to move. Nothing really changed and he didn't feel like jumping for joy, he was just mobile that was that. Inwardly he groaned, and once again Ravis asked himself what the hell was wrong with him today. Was he sick? Delirious? Or he could be dreaming.. Just to see if the last part was true he dug a nail into his arm, not too hard, just enough to draw a little blood. It didn't hurt too much and wouldn't bleed for over a minute, but made him flinch and decide no, sometimes you can think you get hurt in dreams but you can't bleed in them so this wasn't a dream.

Greeeat then, so everything was decided. Not a dream, totally real, and Asher was in the mood for... a salad. Okay seriously, this was the Demon City and all, but Ravis was starting to question the fact that this kid might actually be human. "Mmm, okay I think I know a place that'll have a salad, but follow at the risk of your own innocents." Well, despite what this kid might be he had promised Asher a meal and he was gonna get one. In fact, it might actually be fun to see how the kid reacted to whores, sluts, and the occasional skank. That's right, Ravis was taking a kid to a sleazy bar, at least he hadn't totally morphed into a goodie two shoes.

Thinking the boy would be soon to follow Ravis jumped off the wall to the ground. It didn't look high enough for him to have to tuck and roll so he just landed gracefully, barely kicking up any dirt. He looked up to where Asher should be, "Let me know if you need help down, I might not look like much but I swear there's lean muscle under these baggy cloths." Ravis gave his choice of clothing a quick look-over. Really he'd just thrown whatever was clean on and headed out the door. A dark blue T-shirt and loose pair of jeans along with his favorite jacket despite the heat, and worn out pair of shoes he was actually surprised to find out he'd remembered to put on a belt. Huh, well that goes to show how much attention he paid to his style.

The observation only took about one second, then he turned his attention back to the kid, wondering if Asher would want Ravis to catch him or get down on his own.