Beau, Flying
Jun. 18th, 2012 07:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
helblingThe National Trust land midway up Widcombe Hill was split about half and half into field and forest. The advantage was that at this time of night, at this time of year, there was no one around - not even drunken students - especially not in the forest part.
Especially not around the tallest tree.
Which was lucky, as Beau was currently balanced on the highest branch that would take her weight, trying to feel the breeze around her body and think like a bird.
Fuck, but she hoped Bill wasn't just winding her up with this whole 'Flight Skin' business, or she was giving herself the undead version of concussion and looking like a looby for no good reason.
Well, she reflected, there would be a reason - it would amuse Bill - but she wasn't so sure that an Elder rolling on the floor in hysterics when he heard what she'd been up to counted as a good reason.
She'd tried bats, but it only took an hour or so to decide they weren't for her. Useful enough, but not something she could empathise with. Which meant provided her 'flight' skin actually involved, well, flight she was left with some sort of bird.
And this was turning out to be harder than the wolf bit. Maybe it was because she'd spent the last century and a bit knowing she'd eventually have that ability. Maybe it was her time spent with so many canines over the years. Maybe it was simply the way she was built.
Or maybe, it was certain things he had said that kept intruding into her mind, just when she thought she might have a handle on it.
'Vampires meanwhile are backstabbing cowards who are willing to step on anyone they have to as they clamor for power...'
Backstabbing cowards?
Casper and Gaius and Gregor and his annoying little Russian friend sprang to mind...and even Tobias to some extent, as much as he'd amused her. Fine, he had a point that a large number of them were - but clans like the Tremere took their new members from the most underhanded the human race had to offer, so were they really any worse then humans?
Maybe a little, she conceded. But not all of them. Certainly, they weren't as rare as he kept making out.
For instance, she thought, somewhat indignantly - look at Johnny. Pulled her out of more fights than she could count. Gave up the Prince position because it was better for the city. Was he a backstabbing coward, willing to trample anyone to get what he wanted?
Or Luke, who she still couldn't think of without a large wedge of guilt twisting her insides. He'd died to save her. He'd barely known her. He could have run. She was on fire, and there were Sabbat everywhere and explosions going off and...he'd still stayed. Thrown his armour over her and Sebastion for no earthly reason she could think of other than...at the heart of it, he was a good person. As good as any Garou - was he really scum of the earth, spawn of the devil, not worthy of existing?
No, she thought, stubbornly, wishing Bill was here so she could give him her counter arguement, maybe punctuated with flipping him the bird. She'd been too dumbstruck to do so when he'd answered initially - she'd expected some animosity. Had sort of braced herself for it. But the sheer level had taken her by surprise, so she'd simply meekly thanked him for answering, head spinning, along with an internal worry over what the fuck he thought of her.
'I do, however, like you, stupid.'
And he'd kissed her.
On the back of her head.
She was still fuming.
She hadn't realised until he stepped away, until she'd been dumbstruck enough that she'd actually asked what he'd just done, that she wasn't asking because she didn't want it. Because she didn't want him.
She asked because it wasn't until that moment that the realisation had hit her like a physical force that she wanted him. Wanted him to want her.
And instead he pecked her like she was an errant child that needed comforting - a younger sister and an older brother. His words from their previous session in the woods coming back to haunt her in a way that made her grind her teeth. It made her so furious her head was spinning - how could he see her like that?! Fine, he might be three and a half centuries her senior, or something around those numbers, but she wasn't that helpless, that pathetic.
And she had no idea what to do with it, or how to change it. Because the smart thing to do would be to stop playing around with him like she was a child, if she wanted him to stop seeing her that way.
Except he played back just as hard. So that ran the risk of just ruining whatever the...thing that had been there - because the way he'd looked at her previously had been distinctly unfamilial, if she was right.
Not that that was a guarantee, but any stretch of the imagination. So she really had no idea what to do about it, other than be angry.
The wind caught the branch she was stood on and she ended up dropping to a squat, both hands wrapped around the bough as the wood dipped and lifted in the breeze.
This was definitely not helping with the skin, that was for damned certain. Maybe she should go talk to-
The branch gave a tell-tale jerk.
Beau looked at it in exasperation. "Aw-"
There was a loud snapping around and it dropped from underneath her. "-Crap!"
She hit the ground at the same time as the falling wood with a dull 'thud', landing in a crumpled heap.
"Ah'm runnin' outta trees," she muttered, sitting up from beneath the remnants of the branch, going to brush a stray leaf off her nose...just in time to see feathers where her fingers should be, before they sank back into her normal hands.
She stared at herself for a second, before grinning and glancing back up at the trees around her. "Well, alraighty then," she picked herself up and headed for the next tree over. "Another dozen tries or two, an' ah maight even manage a full wing...."
Especially not around the tallest tree.
Which was lucky, as Beau was currently balanced on the highest branch that would take her weight, trying to feel the breeze around her body and think like a bird.
Fuck, but she hoped Bill wasn't just winding her up with this whole 'Flight Skin' business, or she was giving herself the undead version of concussion and looking like a looby for no good reason.
Well, she reflected, there would be a reason - it would amuse Bill - but she wasn't so sure that an Elder rolling on the floor in hysterics when he heard what she'd been up to counted as a good reason.
She'd tried bats, but it only took an hour or so to decide they weren't for her. Useful enough, but not something she could empathise with. Which meant provided her 'flight' skin actually involved, well, flight she was left with some sort of bird.
And this was turning out to be harder than the wolf bit. Maybe it was because she'd spent the last century and a bit knowing she'd eventually have that ability. Maybe it was her time spent with so many canines over the years. Maybe it was simply the way she was built.
Or maybe, it was certain things he had said that kept intruding into her mind, just when she thought she might have a handle on it.
'Vampires meanwhile are backstabbing cowards who are willing to step on anyone they have to as they clamor for power...'
Backstabbing cowards?
Casper and Gaius and Gregor and his annoying little Russian friend sprang to mind...and even Tobias to some extent, as much as he'd amused her. Fine, he had a point that a large number of them were - but clans like the Tremere took their new members from the most underhanded the human race had to offer, so were they really any worse then humans?
Maybe a little, she conceded. But not all of them. Certainly, they weren't as rare as he kept making out.
For instance, she thought, somewhat indignantly - look at Johnny. Pulled her out of more fights than she could count. Gave up the Prince position because it was better for the city. Was he a backstabbing coward, willing to trample anyone to get what he wanted?
Or Luke, who she still couldn't think of without a large wedge of guilt twisting her insides. He'd died to save her. He'd barely known her. He could have run. She was on fire, and there were Sabbat everywhere and explosions going off and...he'd still stayed. Thrown his armour over her and Sebastion for no earthly reason she could think of other than...at the heart of it, he was a good person. As good as any Garou - was he really scum of the earth, spawn of the devil, not worthy of existing?
No, she thought, stubbornly, wishing Bill was here so she could give him her counter arguement, maybe punctuated with flipping him the bird. She'd been too dumbstruck to do so when he'd answered initially - she'd expected some animosity. Had sort of braced herself for it. But the sheer level had taken her by surprise, so she'd simply meekly thanked him for answering, head spinning, along with an internal worry over what the fuck he thought of her.
'I do, however, like you, stupid.'
And he'd kissed her.
On the back of her head.
She was still fuming.
She hadn't realised until he stepped away, until she'd been dumbstruck enough that she'd actually asked what he'd just done, that she wasn't asking because she didn't want it. Because she didn't want him.
She asked because it wasn't until that moment that the realisation had hit her like a physical force that she wanted him. Wanted him to want her.
And instead he pecked her like she was an errant child that needed comforting - a younger sister and an older brother. His words from their previous session in the woods coming back to haunt her in a way that made her grind her teeth. It made her so furious her head was spinning - how could he see her like that?! Fine, he might be three and a half centuries her senior, or something around those numbers, but she wasn't that helpless, that pathetic.
And she had no idea what to do with it, or how to change it. Because the smart thing to do would be to stop playing around with him like she was a child, if she wanted him to stop seeing her that way.
Except he played back just as hard. So that ran the risk of just ruining whatever the...thing that had been there - because the way he'd looked at her previously had been distinctly unfamilial, if she was right.
Not that that was a guarantee, but any stretch of the imagination. So she really had no idea what to do about it, other than be angry.
The wind caught the branch she was stood on and she ended up dropping to a squat, both hands wrapped around the bough as the wood dipped and lifted in the breeze.
This was definitely not helping with the skin, that was for damned certain. Maybe she should go talk to-
The branch gave a tell-tale jerk.
Beau looked at it in exasperation. "Aw-"
There was a loud snapping around and it dropped from underneath her. "-Crap!"
She hit the ground at the same time as the falling wood with a dull 'thud', landing in a crumpled heap.
"Ah'm runnin' outta trees," she muttered, sitting up from beneath the remnants of the branch, going to brush a stray leaf off her nose...just in time to see feathers where her fingers should be, before they sank back into her normal hands.
She stared at herself for a second, before grinning and glancing back up at the trees around her. "Well, alraighty then," she picked herself up and headed for the next tree over. "Another dozen tries or two, an' ah maight even manage a full wing...."
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Date: 2012-06-19 02:00 am (UTC)That about covers it :-P lol