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Post by shinigami on Jun 29, 2008 14:25:49 GMT -8
The time: dawn.
The place: the park -- a fountain in the park. The fountain was filled with pennies. People who made wishes even though they didn't believe in them. Humans who made wishes even though they didn't believe in magic.
And thought, anyway, that where there was magic, there was trouble that should be stamped out.
Val had an instrument case open on the sidewalk and it was also filled with coins and a couple of bills. Three thirteen year old girls had spent the last thirty minutes "casually" giggling and watching and hanging out just two benches down, but Val didn't seem to notice them.
And occasionally he'd stand up and start playing his saxophone again. He's not doing that now. He's sitting, taking a break, staring at his case. He looks oppressed, or depressed, as if he weren't paying any attention to the world.
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jun 29, 2008 14:52:38 GMT -8
Lily had a blessed day off from work today, no plans in store, just time to spend amongst nature. Time to relax and take a moment to appreciate the trees, the flowers, the fountains... nature. She walked along, off the path, with her eyes closed, her hands swinging easily at her sides as she let her powers connect with the earth around her.
Someone had been playing music earlier. She had enjoyed that, but now it was silent, her thoughts focused solely on the earth around her. Oddly, when the music had been playing, she'd felt like dancing among the trees. It was well-played, well-felt, and it had resonated within the earth. Just another connection.
Smiling faintly, she stepped onto the path, and made her way around the fountain. Her eyes were still closed, and she was trying to block out the giggles and focus solely on the things that would make her relaxed.
Of course, it would have been easier if she'd been paying attention to where she was going. It was easier when off the path, for she could sense each tree in her way, but the fountain was man-made, and water was not something that she had power over. So, it was then that she tripped and went careening into the fountain.
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Post by shinigami on Jun 29, 2008 15:31:13 GMT -8
Lily didn't notice things. Val didn't notice things. They had that much in common. However, it was probably pretty likely that Lily noticed the fountain when she fell into it, and the resulting sploosh was enough to pull Val's attention from his instrument case to the fountain.
He wasn't, of course, really looking at the instrument case. It just happened to be a place for his eyes to rest.
He looked up quickly, blowing a rogue lock of brown hair out of his gaze. He turned his head quickly, too, and stood up automatically. When he saw Lily floundering, he said something like Old Man Coyote's balls and put his saxophone down. Then he hurried -- and he was graceful in his way, the clean, easy grace of the athletic -- around the fountain's arc to help her out.
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jun 29, 2008 15:35:38 GMT -8
Lily sat up in the fountain, spitting out water and a few coins, and swept a hand through her hair, slicking it back.
"Water and me just don't mix," she muttered, remembering the horrific last time she was in water.
And then she saw the guy in front of her offering to help her out. Her face flamed, turned red as a beet in her embarrassment as she took his hand and used it as leverage to get out of the fountain.
She was still sopping wet, though. Lame.
"Th-thanks," she stammered, wishing she could just sink into the ground and hide there for the rest of her life. Hmm, maybe she could. Should. Hmm...
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Post by shinigami on Jun 29, 2008 15:51:48 GMT -8
He smiled reassuringly. Val had a reassuring smile. And his gaze wasn't riveted to her breasts, either, however tempting that might've been, what with the wet shirt and all. His eyes crinkled up at the corners. The general impression was one of cool competence. "Are you okay? You're not hurt or anything? Uh, here." He leaned down and plucked a penny off from the fountain's rim and handed it to her. "Make a gift to the spirit of the fountain and maybe next time it won't grab you in."
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jun 29, 2008 15:57:42 GMT -8
Lily smiled, laughter shining in her eyes. She liked this guy already, he was adorable and nice. But she wasn't attracted to him in the slightest, having already fallen in love completely with another.
She took the penny from him, and with a humorous bow of her head, she contemplated her wish for a moment before pronouncing, "For good health to the earth. Let nothing conquer it so fully, so it may prosper and give birth to new life always," and tossing the penny into the fountain.
So her treehugger ways were already showing. Well, it's not like she'd actually make a wish for herself, was it?
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Post by shinigami on Jun 29, 2008 16:05:53 GMT -8
"That's quite a wish," Val said. "I just hope the spirit of the fountain appreciates your trust." His smile went a little lopsided -- even though it would be really hot later, this early in the morning, it was still pretty cool. There was a breeze.
At the moment, he thought she was just another human. At the same time, he thought he sensed something in her. It was familiar, but different. He put a hand over his chest, over a tiny lump that was actually a medicine bag, a focus.
"You're up pretty early; from one of the hotels?"
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jun 29, 2008 16:22:33 GMT -8
Lily was contemplating over her wish, and his comment, thinking that it was not only a wish, but an effort she hoped one day she'd be powerful enough to put in an effort for. As of now, all she could do was listen to the earth cry at it's abuse and help rebuild it in little ways.
At his question, she looked back over at him and smiled. It was a friendly smile, all bright and white teeth. "Nah," she said, "Just a day off from work. I like to enjoy the mornings, walk amongst the trees, liste... Well, just enjoy."
She'd almost said 'Listen.' which in turn would have caused questions. Listen to what? Why, the earth of course! It wasn't all that hard for her to hear the earth, understand each move it made...
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Post by shinigami on Jun 29, 2008 16:36:36 GMT -8
Val smiled again. He also took a step closer to his instrument case, just so that nobody got any ideas about stealing it.
As he'd said, it was very early: dawn-flush, flush-dawn. But people were coming off work or going onto work now, so the park really wasn't as empty as it could be -- many people with coffee. Hot coffee.
"I like to listen, too -- it's easier out in the desert where my family lives. People think the desert's just dead but it really isn't. It's as vital ... as vibrant ... as a forest."
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jun 29, 2008 16:47:37 GMT -8
Lily smiled, shocked and ecstatic that someone else favored the earth like she. "Yeah, people really just don't understand it," she said in agreement, her fingers playing with the hem of her shirt absently. "They don't realize that it's alive, everything, including dessert is alive. The parts of the earth that have died... well, they'd know if they actually paid attention instead of continuing to pollute the air and abuse the lands."
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Post by shinigami on Jun 29, 2008 17:02:05 GMT -8
"A lot of people are tone deaf," Val replied. "They just pretend not to be." He was referring to certain politicians, of course. And the Hummer drivers.
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jun 29, 2008 17:11:16 GMT -8
Lily nodded, again in agreement, before plopping down on the side of the fountain. She took great care not to fall in again. Then she saw the instrument case and the saxophone. "Hey, you're the one that was playing the music earlier," she said, looking up with a grin. "It makes sense now. Why aren't you playing anymore?"
She'd been about to elaborate on why it made sense, that his music struck a chord in the earth, something that usually didn't happen. People always thought her crazy when she started talking like that, and as much as he liked the earth, she doubted he would think her sane if she started talking about literally being able to feel the connections with earth and such.
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Post by shinigami on Jun 29, 2008 17:19:12 GMT -8
He raised an eyebrow. The expression was not anywhere near devilish. Still, it was appealing; he was an appealing guy, Val. Trustworthy. Dependable. Stable. A certain whatdoyoucallit -- steel -- in his spine. "Got any requests?"
When Lily sat down on the fountain's edge, he sat down, too -- next to his saxophone and the open instrument case. He picked the sax up, too, cradling it in his hands -- workman's fingers, you know, artist's fingers, had stories in where they were scarred or burned or callused.
He puffed his cheeks out twice -- exaggeratedly, humorously.
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Post by lily tomlinson on Jun 29, 2008 17:30:28 GMT -8
Lily giggled. He was just so endearing!
"Know any B.B. King?" she said. She loved the ol' saxophone. Almost more than she loved the violin. "What am I saying? What sax player doesn't?"
She felt a blush rise on her cheeks again, a pretty flushing across her face though she felt she looked silly.
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Post by shinigami on Jun 29, 2008 17:43:59 GMT -8
"Then this one," he paused, for a beat. Brought both of his eyebrows real low. "This one's for you." Then he winked, good guy gone rogue.
Brought the saxophone to his mouth and -- well, he made it into music. Made it into a serpent; made it snake, swank, sashay, slip. The thrill is gone was the song that he felt himself start to play, although his version sounded -- maybe a little sadder than it should've.
He just wasn't having a good week, Lily (who seemed quite nice and if she WAS a human was one of those humans that made you think that maybe they could be taught and they weren't so bad) aside.
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