{Ardea} Books and Sunshine

[Zeek Fulgidus]

Zeek could be found at the Backstage Area of the Circus. He wasn't preparing or winding down, he was in fact sat with a book on his lap and his eyes cast downwards. The book was that of an educational, thought provoking one. It spoke of the inner workings of the mind, and Zeek couldn't help but wonder; were the inner workings of a Mutant's mind any different to what they once were? The twenty one year old thumbed the corners of the pages as he rocked back in the wooden chair he had adopted.

He touched his index finger's tip to his chin in thought as his purple eyes looked to the small orb of sunshine he had summoned to light his area. The backstage of the circus was dim, or rather, the area Zeek was perching in was. So he had needed to summon what could only be described as a floating light.

Zeek peered down at his page, before sighing and closing the book. The few sentences he had read on that one page was enough to distract him from the book itself. He sighed as he pondered, his mind clouded with many a possibility. And as his mind clouded, so did the light he had conjured. A miniature cloud smothered it, and he let out a small cursing sigh.

It was only then as he looked up, that he realized he was not alone.

[Ardea]

Ardea had been cursing herself all morning as she searched through the cluttered mess she called her room. There were things strewn this way and that. Books that she had only read half of laid open on the floor, numerous articles of clothing were lying about, and any other little trinkets that Ardea held as valuable were scattered around her. All morning she had been tearing through the mess, searching desperately for a bracelet of hers. She had had the bracelet since before she had been experimented on and it was the only thing that she had to really remember her life before all of that. It was one of her most prized possessions and she couldn’t imagine losing it.

After coming to the conclusion that the bracelet was not in her mess of a bedroom, Ardea headed over to the Circus tent. If it would be anywhere besides her room, it would be somewhere in the big top. She wore it constantly and only ever took it off when she showered so as to not ruin it with the water. She remembered, however, taking it off for a performance in which she the bracelet was in danger of being bitten off by one of the more animalistic performers.

Once she entered the big top, Ardea made a beeline for the backstage area. She registered, as she entered, that there was someone else in the area besides her, but he seemed preoccupied with his thoughts and the fire wielder was on a mission. She went over to the place where makeup was often applied and searched around her station until, finally, she found the bracelet. She let out a little cry of joy and quickly slipped the silver thing on her wrist. It was made out of pure silver and studded with emeralds. It truly was a beautiful, obviously expensive thing.

Ardea fell back into the chair before the mirror-makeup area with a contended sigh, smiling happily at the bracelet on her thin wrist. It was then that she remembered that someone else was in the area. She turned her head, still holding up her wrist, and looked over at the person, who had obviously noticed her presence. It was Zeek. Though the two weren’t overly close, they did know each other. Ardea highly respected the young man before her, knowing just how intelligent he was.

“Hello Zeek,” she said, waving at him with a wide smile. “Sorry if I disrupted you.”

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[Zeek Fulgidus]

Zeek looked up, watching the red haired girl search for an item, or seem like she was searching. The young man couldn't imagine what she was looking for, and so his urge for knowledge attracted his eyes to her actions. She seemed rather stressed, and Zeek had learned talking to a stressed woman was a particularly bad idea. He knew that they could say things they didn't mean when in such a state. So the young intellect kept his thin lips pursed.

However, when he saw the glint of a bracelet, the sparkling metal and gems twinkling from the light reflecting from the dull light that circulated around his head, he understood her situation. It looked pricey, and losing it could lead to bad consequences. Although, perhaps it was a treasured possession of hers, and if it was, well, then that explained so much more.

Zeek watched the firey girl, his hands now resting in his lap as his chair rocked backwards. He had come across her once or twice before, and found her to be a handful of amusement. He had a lopsided smile on his face when she began talking. "Oh don't worry, no disturbance. Ardea, isn't it?" Zeek's mind was often occupied for the bigger things, thus the terrible memory when it came to names.

[Ardea]

Ardea nodded in response to his questioning of her name, a warm smile spreading across her features. Though normally Ardea would’ve let her temper get the better of her upon someone having to think about what her name was after numerous times meeting her, Ardea knew what Zeek was like and thus she was able to forgive him. She was short-tempered, but she was smart.

“Alright,” she replied, leaning back in her chair and crossing her legs elegantly just like she had been raised to do. Though she couldn’t remember much of her life before being experimented on, Ardea still managed to remember her lessons in manners and respect, a fact that aided her numerous times during her adventures, “so I suspect you were out here by yourself for a specific reason. I’m going to guess you were… lost in your thoughts? And you were thinking about… Mmmm… dust.”

And as she said this the young woman lifted up the hand which had previously been cupping her chin and held it in the dim light, letting the dust particles in the air spin around her upturned, thin hand. If there was one thing that Ardea disliked, it was awkward silences in conversations. The only time she could remember ever allowing them were when she was around Ches, though that was because she respected and admired him so highly that she rarely felt good enough to be in his presence.

But back to the subject at hand, Ardea turned her gaze from her upturned hand over to Zeek, wondering what his reaction would be. Zeek was an intelligent young man, a fact that none would deny, and Ardea did quite enjoy seeing just how it worked. He was a unique specimen, though using that term out loud would probably cause a fight to break out even if it was just a conversation with Zeek, that was for sure.

“Am I correct?” she questioned, a mischievous glint appearing in her gaze even though her lips were still curved in a simple, pleasant, warm smile.

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[Zeek Fulgidus]

Zeek had let out a dry, soft laugh. He hadn't meant to sound cold, but the room was indeed dusty and gloomy, and his voice was beginning to sound a little hoarse. After the times he had met the firey girl, he knew she was a talker, and he also knew she was..Well, firey in both her attitude and personality. It suited her, she was a spark that intrigued him. "Yes, and no, little Firecracker. I was lost in my thoughts yes, but not on dust. I was thinking of the inner working's of a mutant's mind. And it..It lost me." Zeek shook his head and laughed, standing as he did so. The man was intelligent, yes, but he was doing his best to keep from being a cold intellect. Just because he wasn't the fire induced mutant in the room, didn't mean he couldn't be warm hearted.

The purple haired man strolled over to her, his hair pinched in an upright ponytail. He took Ardea's hand, the one with the sparkling bracelet, and gently lifted it, once the other had dropped. He was curious about the bracelet, and, he was often one to not be subtle when it came to showing his curiosity. "So in conclusion," He began his purple eyes narrowing at her wrist. "You were incorrect, now..Pray tell, what on earth is this doing on such a scrawny-wristed girl?" Zeek joked, his humour was a little twisted, and possibly sour, but it made him smile. And hopefully she'd hear the tone in his voice that told her it was a joke. But, he decided to save his own skin either way. "But, I do admit, it's very beautiful, it matches you." Zeek wasn't sure if his words were true, he hadn't sen her up close to call her beautiful, he just hoped she wasn't angry with him for a possibly offensive joke.

Then, he was one for reading into things a little too far. His eyes flicked to meet hers, as he held her wrist loosely in his large, slender hand.

[Ardea]

Being called “Firecracker” made Ardea pause slightly, though she had to silently admit that she didn’t particularly dislike it. It fit her after all. She had to smile a little at what he had really been thinking of. Ardea always imagined his mind working through some deep, interesting subjects and it seemed as though he never failed to impress her with his thoughts. She dropped her hand that was held in the air to her lap, but before she could open her mouth to say something in reply Zeek was stepping near her and had taken up her wrist.

She blushed lightly, staring at him curiously. When he spoke, Ardea felt a rush of deep crimson grace her cheeks and she longed to whip her hand from his and slap him, but she resisted the urge. This was due mostly to the fact that, though she didn’t have somewhat of a sort temper, she could hear the joking tone in his voice. She bit her tongue, forcing herself not to say a word in response until he continued his statement. He complimented her, though Ardea could hear the small dash of hesitation in his voice and she guessed it was because the two hadn’t ever really interacted all that much before then.

“Thank you,” she finally replied after a moment of forced silence during which she calmed down her temper a bit. She didn’t pull her wrist away, though she was a tad tense despite her internal fight against it. “I don’t remember how I got it, but I had it after I was experimented on… It’s the only thing I have left from my life before then…”

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[Zeek Fulgidus]

Zeek smiled for a moment, taking it all in as he understood. "Yes, it is somewhat sentimental. Or, looks it. I wouldn't know. All I have is this." Zeek told her, leaning his long arms up to the ponytail his hair was in. He removed the mane's hairtie, and effectively brought down the small crystal dagger he had been presented with at his rebirth. "They said I'd need it, said it was mine before and now it is again. Lord knows why though." He noted softly, he often kept his hair up with the dagger, it meant he'd never lose it, and that he'd never forget those words. He held it in his palm for a moment, before replacing it.

Then he went diving into his pockets. It was rather unlike him to have pockets, but he had kept a snack inside. So, as he withdrew a small toffe'd apple, it was a rather foreign feeling. He bit into the toffee smoothly, his teeth hard enough to break through the shell without trouble. He looked to Ardea then. "Would you like one?" He hadn't noticed the blush on her face, and continued not to notice it in the darkness they sat in.

[Ardea]

Ardea stared at the dagger closely, inspecting it while resisting the urge to reach out and grasp it in her slender fingers. She knew how upset she often got when people touched her things – especially those most special to her – and she didn’t want to upset Zeek at all. She considered what he said for a long, silent moment before she was pulled back into reality from her thoughts by the appearance of a snack. Ardea raised her eyebrows in confusion as Zeek produced the toffee and then offered her one.

“Uhm… Sure,” she said and held out her hand – the one that didn’t hold her bracelet – towards him. She had never had a large liking for the little candies, but she figured it wouldn’t be too bad to try one just this once. She took the little candy and slipped it between her lips, a jolt of flavor hitting her taste buds. She hadn’t eaten anything in quite a while so it was nice to taste something. There was silence for a few moments before she nodded and smiled at her companion. “Good,” she finally decided.

“So,” she said, leaning back in her chair a bit and adjusting herself so that she was comfortable, but also so that she wasn’t exposing herself in any unholy manner, “why exactly did you choose a place like this?” She motioned silently with her eyes around the backstage area, raising her eyebrows in question before turning her gaze back to him. “It’s quiet and peaceful – before I slipped in here I suppose – but it doesn’t seem like that desirable of an area.”

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[Zeek Fulgidus]

Zeek was crumbling the apple's toffee, his teeth were tough. Years of manners taught to him by his mother taught him to brush his teeth several times a day, which he did. And this was one of the benefits. He bit through the flesh of the treat and into the heart. Once happy with the size of food he'd taken, he began chewing, listening and watching Ardea all the time. His eyes were watching the red haired girl, and he couldn't help looking up to her ears. He had no extra body parts as a side effect. And found it always a little odd when someone else did.

"Why? A question I often ask, myself. I suppose because this area is known to be practically deserted when no one is preparing to act. Alas, I have yet to act for an audience myself, but I digress; I chose this area for it's..Delicate frame of death. The lack of sound is a good way to find the true meaning behind those challenging thoughts." Zeek explained, his fingers twirling the apple as he ate from the bountiful fruit.

[Ardea]

Ardea noted the glances Zeek was sending at the top of her head and she was curious as to what he was looking at. Suddenly she remembered that she still had her ears “on”. They weren’t real ears, of course, but fire made to be shaped like cat ears. She had been wearing them because before realizing that she had lost her bracelet, the young woman had been playing with Fiera, her pet cat made out of fire. Because she had been so engulfed in finding her bracelet, Ardea had forgotten to disperse the fire ears. She hoped that she wasn’t bothering him, but she decided to wait until he was done talking to bring it up.

“You really do have quite the poetic way of speaking, Zeek,” she complimented, smiling a little at him. She looked around at the surrounding area thoughtfully. She admitted to herself that she did enjoy the big top and she did enjoy the backstage area. She sucked lightly on the toffee in her mouth, choosing not to bite down and instead savor the taste of it. The peace was nice, but Ardea never did much like solitude. She always enjoyed being around others. Perhaps it was the hustle-bustle of having others around.

After a moment she turned back to Zeek, returning from her thoughts. She remembered what she had meant to ask him about. “Oh,” she said, looking at him earnestly, “I noticed you… uhm… looking at these,” she motioned towards her “ears”, “I hope they’re not bothering you or anything. I can make them go away if you’d like.”

Though Ardea was rather… rambunctious… she did have manners and she did have feelings. She disliked others being uncomfortable around her for any reason and she strived to make people all right with being around her. That is, of course, if she enjoyed their company in return. Zeek she was still iffy about, but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and attempt to be considerate of his feelings.

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[Zeek Fulgidus]

Zeek smiled softly at her compliment. "Thank you my dear, it's the response of a knowledgable heart hoping for some sort of release." The purple haired man managed to twitter on, wiping stray pieces of dust from his arm. The backstage area was rather dusty, beyond that really, and he was quickly becoming part of that dust.

The purple haired man was quickly devouring his treat, he was actually a little unsure as to why he had been carrying around two toffee apples. There was always the possibility he'd get really hungry, but even then he doubted that. He had a bird's stomach.

Zeek's eyes dropped as she mentioned her ears, only just now realizing he had been caught in the act of observation. His cheeks turned pink. "Uh, no, not bothering me in the slightest, just a little curious." Zeek's cheeks continued to glow pink,as he rubbed his neck softly, realizing how awkward he had just made this conversation for himself.

[Ardea]

Ardea felt sorry for making Zeek uncomfortable. She could tell simply by his expression and the way he was looking so awkward that she had done so. She immediately got an apologetic look on her face and then lifted her hand up and snapped. Instantly, the fire-ears dispersed, leaving not even a heat wave where they had previously been. She straightened her hair a bit, wanting to make sure that it looked as good without her ears at it had with them. She smiled hopefully at him.

“It’s alright Zeek,” she said, hoping that he wouldn’t be uncomfortable anymore. “Look, I can get rid of them with a snap of my fingers so it’s alright. And I’ll answer any questions about them that you have. I mean, I never thought they were that interesting or anything, but then again I guess it’s not everyday that you see someone with ears made of fire. And I guess the reason behind them is a little silly and I didn’t really mean to have them up in the first place, but…”

Ardea realized that in her attempt to make this less awkward, she had started rambling. She let out a little sigh, catching her breath, and looked up at Zeek sheepishly. Accompanying the next words that came out of her mouth was a little fireball that laced through her thin, elegant fingers. It was a bad habit of Ardea’s and she had been doing it for so long that she rarely ever even registered that she was doing it unless someone blatantly pointed it out.

“Sorry,” she said apologetically, looking at Zeek hopefully. “I guess I just get ahead of myself when I feel that others are uncomfortable.”

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[Zeek Fulgidus]

Zeek smiled. He appreciated what she did for him, but he really wasn't too bothered, just a little bit curious. "Uh, thank you, dear. But really they didn't disturb me, I found it a little bizarre and with my typical thurst for knowledge, I stared." Zeek cheeks burned a deeper shade of red, almost as if the little Firecracker had set his cheeks alight. Of course 'Firecracker' was now to be Ardea's new name. At least from him.

After her ramble, Zeek had effectively munched his way through the toffee coated apple, and was now sucking on the stick upon which it was accompanied. "You don't need to apolgize, we all have our..How to put it - awkward, cringe filled moments. I hear those are the hip words these days." Zeek's cheeks didn't stop flaring, and probably got worse as he embarassed himself. He was making himself seem like a grandpa, with his current knowledge on today's speech. "Ahem.." Zeek mumbled, clearly embarassed.

[Ardea]

“Hip… words?” Ardea questioned, trying not to burst into a fit of laughter at the rather “old-man” words. She didn’t know why he said it that way, but it was definitely entertaining. She could tell he was embarrassed, though, so she attempted to hold back her snickers out of respect. She did let out a few little chuckles, though she tried to make it not seem like they were aimed with sharp intents to his ego.

“It’s fine Zeek,” she told him, smiling encouragingly at him. “We all have our faults. And alright. I just figured… well, let’s just stay of the subject. We don’t want anymore confusion than is one-hundred percent needed. Oh, and if you want to be - how did you put it? – hip, I’d recommend not saying hip… ever.”

Another chuckle, which was suddenly interrupted by a loud gurgling sound in the teen’s stomach. Ardea looked down curiously, her cheeks suddenly enflamed with a crimson color. She hadn’t had anything to eat all day since she had been frantically searching for her bracelet and though that shouldn’t have normally bothered her, the tease of food brought on by the toffee had caused her stomach to realize just how empty it was. Quickly setting a thin hand over her stomach, Ardea looked up at Zeek, her cheeks bright red.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said quickly, obviously embarrassed. “Uh… I suppose I was in such a hurry I forgot to eat.”

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[Zeek Fulgidus]

Zeek stared at her, smiling awkwardly. "Uh..Understood, I'll make sure to never say the H word." He ran his hair through his hair then, right down to the tips. The situation, to him, was beginning to sink into that awkward silence between aquaintances that didn't know what to say to one another without the risk of offending or boring them. And he had been about to say something when the angry growl burst from the small red haired woman.

He snorted. "Oh dear, is someone a little hungry?" Zeek couldn't help letting out a small snicker. "How about we go get you something to eat? You're free to say no." Zeek's awkward lopsided smile appeared on his face. He knew that asking someone to join them - or vice versa - could make an already dangerous situation more awkward.