Reviews :
ThorLB : Aww I'm glad you feel that way :D Go right ahead! Kepa ships herself with him, as well, so you're in good company xD
Burgie : It's true! He's a good friend.
Song Listened To :
Put Your Records On by Ritt Momney
*Chapter 75*
Feeling her heart wildly flutter in her furry little chest, Kepa peered her wildly excited, though terrified eyes tight to the horizon and sheer drop aboard Novus's spine. With big, hefty, lofty flaps, Novus's beautiful wingspan so effortlessly carried Kepa and Gideon into the city on this sunny Turbotime day. With her arms tightly fastened about Gideon's middle, she was careful not to let her vice grip turn into a game-ending squeeze. In the act of trying to be brave, of desperately trying to keep her tail from catching the wind and whipping behind her in unintelligent swipes, due to not knowing how to properly steady herself in the air like she used to know, Kepa finally glued her ears to her head and cutely buried her face flat into the dip of Gideon's broad shoulder blades, right in the center of his back. She could feel the fur on the nape of her neck stand on end, everything about flying and being so high in the air felt so incredibly right, yet so incredibly wrong, all in one ironic sweep of total fear and total security, here in Gideon's care and Novus's easy glide.
She jumped in a startled flinch as Gideon easily tossed his arm out to his right and pointed, to which Kepa's rapid, shallow inhales quickened and her slit-like pupils cast across the sunny horizon. As the three sagged into a goofy, white cloud, Kepa grappled Gideon's center a little harder and heard his deep, easy voice usher her a notion of pointing out landmarks he had gotten used to. The cross of land between Juniper's beach, lighthouse front and Vidrix city was an easy ten minute flight across rolling plains and scattered forest, as well as the cross of smaller towns, crowded highways to the city, and even the scenic train route Gideon had taken once or twice. Although coat in fur, as well as given a clean, warm outfit by Gideon, for said higher altitude flight and becoming-cooler winter weather that set in, Kepa still shivered and desperately battled what she'd rather be doing; ogling the scenery or vanishing into Gideon's strong, upper backside and forgetting just where they were, which was a very real amount of distance between the world height and the game over landing point below them.
"How do you get used to that?" Kepa finally mumbled as Novus trot to a land, the usual half-empty parking lot in the heart of the city Novus utilized for easier landing that didn't disrupt pedestrian or vehicular traffic, out in the open. Gideon blurt a small chuckle, sagged off of Novus's saddle and peered back up to Novus's backside with an outstretched hand, so to help Kepa dismount. With ease, she carried on as she successfully pressed her clawed two paws to the ground, "I-I only have very vague memories of learning how to fly, and I do remember going too high was way out of the question."
"I don't know... I guess I just trust Novus to take care, y'know?" Gideon stated cutely as he held Kepa's much littler hand in his for a moment, so she was steady on the ground, though they both absent-mindedly continued their hand-holding as Novus eased a wide, noisy yawn, stretched in a typical downward-dog bend and sprawled his wings in a rejuvenated release. Gideon's shy, deep voice continued on, "I grew up with him, so... I don't know, we just have a rhythm."
"He trusts that if he's nice to me in the air, I won't throw him," Novus grumbled cutely as he sat on his rump and gently nudged Kepa's upper arm with the bend of his big wing; she stiffly wobbled a little, "Give it time... Plenty of opportunity for him to say something stupid mid-air."
"I know what's good for me, Novus," Gideon muttered, though in easiness, he slipped his hand out of Kepa's littler one and rubbed his face in agitation, "Y'gunna go for your typical flight and meet us there, then?"
"Yeah, I'll see y'guys later," Novus bobbed a nod.
"Where'yah goin'?" Kepa wondered, she furrowed her eyebrows and sagged her hands into the front pocket of the zip-up hoodie she wore.
It was baggy on her little body, a dark brown with a tattered zipper and a black tank top underneath, she also sport a pair of faded jeans that hugged her long legs nicely. She shifted on her bigger, clawed two feet in a bend and stood on the balls of her feet. In true animalistic form, the distance from her heel to the ball of her foot was a lot longer than Gideon's, and with said sudden fuller stand, Gideon sagged his shoulders in cute intimidation as Kepa's littler figure was now suddenly nearly at his eye level, his height standing well over six foot. Gideon cocked an eyebrow, looked down at her feet and dragged his eyes back up to her face as her and Novus carried on nonchalant, quick conversing. Although he broke away his concentration to say his temporary goodbyes to Novus, he scoffed a small laugh and sagged his thumbs into the gape of his jean's pockets. The wind ruffled their hair about as Novus's bigger down-flap rustled up a gust of wind, to which he took to the skies and vanished.
"How tall are you, by the way?" Gideon prod in cute curiosity, to which Kepa perked her ears in soft listening and looked down the length of her body as her tail swayed with the extension of her leg and foot.
"Uhh.. Well, standing in normality, like this, I think I'm almost six-two," Kepa mumbled nonchalantly, to which Gideon huffed a shaky breath and rubbed the back of his head in cheeky cuteness, "Standing flat I'm maybe five-five or something. I can be either bite-sized or fight-sized. Pick your poison."
"No shit," Gideon took a nervous step away from Kepa and blurt a happy laugh that they both fell into, though he finally pressed out on the colder concrete and was thrilled that she urgently pressed on to keep in step with Gideon. They rounded out of the parking lot and fell into easy strides with each other. Walking in the city like such, pressing on to a farther-away destination had her walking in this incredible new height, likely for ease. He tried to un-boggle his brain; what he had previously knew of her was a cute little bundle of long rabbit-like feet and slow, easy thuds of steps. The creature he now was walking next to was a powerhouse of lithe, confident footwork that pressed on, unabated. Gideon grinned, and though he knew he shouldn't be surprised that she could keep up with him, he previously stereotyped her as a tiny-little-someone who likely would complain about Gideon needing to slow down, the fact that she had little legs. He looked down to their bare feet, both very different, though the kept pace was something he couldn't wipe his grin for, "So, do you prefer the alley-cat personification? Or more a house-cat?"
"Well... As of late, I've been a weird trash-panda version of whatever the hell I was when you found me. I'm cat software in gargoyle hardware. Once upon a time, I was to be considered a royal feline," Kepa retort cutely with a shrug, she readjusted the baggy coat on her little shoulders, causing her lovely, pale pink hair to jostle in the thick ponytail she had put it in. She tossed her diamond-pupils tight to Gideon's and eased a fang-filled grin full of sass, "Guess time will tell. Spruce up the lighthouse anymore than you already have, and I'll probably forget how to hunt for myself and turn into a lazy house-cat, like you suggested."
"You actually hunt?" Gideon wondered nervously, to which Kepa returned her cheeky gaze to his as they pressed on past noisy shops, the lazy saunter of other pedestrians that came and went, her tail easily held in a heavy, lovely sway behind her figure.
"Well, yeah, not all of us can be blessed with physical-manifestation skills that looks absolutely effortless, just cuing food whenever your stomach growls," Kepa served, Gideon rolled his eyes and smiled.
"If I DO recall, you said, yourself, you were doing a bit of manifesting, as well," Gideon eyed Kepa and narrowed his gaze, "What was all that about?"
"Eh, it's more emotional, more intuition-based," Kepa shrugged, she acted nonchalant about it, though with the way Kepa's little chest expanded with a readied breath, he watched where he was going before he returned his baited gaze tight to hers, directly to his left.
"So, you manifest ideas, desires," Gideon intelligently cued, to which Kepa perked her ears and peered deep into Gideon's lovely eyes, "It's another realm of willing. It's nothing tangible..."
"... Right," Kepa cued, she side-eyed Gideon and flattened her ears, they both held tight to loving, cheeky smiles, "You sound as if you have experience, there, outside of your coded, instant gratification tricks."
"Yeah, I can lucid dream, I figured with the way my family avoids the topic, and doesn't care to know more, that it may not be something to be loud and proud about," Gideon mumbled as he finally looked forward, "And yeah, you're right... My power is way more instant and, true, definitely gratifying, but... I can imagine that manifesting emotional instances, with nothing but the energy and strength of your heart, is so much sweeter once your ideas come to fruition."
"I could mentor you," Kepa assured sweetly, to which Gideon raised his eyebrows and smiled.
"Ah-yeah? I guess no better mentor than a well-seasoned witch," Gideon stated lowly, to which Kepa flattened her ears, lulled her eyes closed in grinning defeat and faced forward.
"Caught me," Kepa whispered in a pluck of delight, sunlight kissed the two through the toss of the big trees they slowly moseyed underneath, "You realize, if you become well versed in both forms of manifestation, you'll literally be unstoppable."
"Yeah man," Gideon cheesed, Kepa erupted into laughter and stumbled a little, "So, I just... THINK about what I want?"
"Well, it's not enough to want it, you have to act as if you already have what it is that you want," Kepa gestured to her chest, with both her hands and shrugged, "You have to believe it. You have to meditate on it, you have to affirm yourself of it every single day, y'kinda have to cue in to the energy around you, be grateful for the things you already have. Ask yourself, what would you like to experience? You are, after all, a soul with a body. Not the reverse."
"I haven't thought of it that way... So, your power is emotion-based, and mine is material-based," Gideon rubbed his chin in thought as he looked up; he bookmarked that Lash's shop was coming up, in a few city blocks, the sign held tight on his narrow horizon, "Well, what about you? I can't really teach you how I do things, mine's coding-based, tangible gamer skill as opposed to a learned skill."
"Yeah, guess we'll never know," Kepa muttered in playful disinterest, though Gideon pushed the envelope.
"We could, though, all we have to do is swap codes," Gideon chuckled, Kepa's ears sagged in an easy toss of girly confusion.
"That's all? Wow, that easy, huh," Kepa mumbled as she continued to look forward, "I don't think you're ready for my gamer powers, anyways."
"Wait, what? What else do you have besides turning to stone?" Gideon pressed in now sincere curiosity, Kepa chuckled and shook her head.
"Eh, you'll find out sooner or later," Kepa shrugged, she smiled into Gideon's lovely, handsome face and noted Gideon's intent silence, a silence that conveyed that he was waiting for her to come out with it. She grinned, shook her head and blurt a louder laugh, "Drop it, Giddy."
"Alright, alright, ONE thing I do want answered, though," Gideon huffed a she held up his pointer finger and glanced to Kepa's face, "You and I both know the lighthouse is significant to me... It's been a thing that has been torturing my lucid dreams since I was six months old. You HAVE to have information about that, I mean, you started to spell it out for me, and I don't want to, well..."
"It's a lot, Gideon, can we just... Save this conversation for a day where we're both not mentally and emotionally spent?" Kepa wondered in a mumble of dolloped sass as she looked at Gideon down the bridge of her flat cat nose; he stiffened and began to look shy.
"I just... Need to know if I was actually summoned... If I was actually needed," Gideon tacked on with a gesture of his arms, though he scuffed to a nervous halt as Kepa slowed her roll, tucked her hands deeper into her pockets and sagged to the flat of her longer, almost bunny-like feet. Gideon stood in front of her, the city noise soaked back into their reality as they both remained quiet, and as Kepa looked off in almost nervous contemplation, as if she was battling with herself, Gideon shook his head and peered now down into her lovely, reserved gaze. She looked entirely conflicted, and though Gideon wanted to grip her shoulders and shake the information out of her, he desperately tried to take a not-so needy approach, "I spent months trying to lucid-dream my way into YOUR very lighthouse... The same exact one," Gideon urged for gentle emphasis, he yanked the little necklace charm out from underneath the safety of his shirt collar.
"Yes, Gideon, I... I didn't specifically will YOU, I... My intention was to experience solid friendship, I was extremely lonely, and, I took the lighthouse as a metaphor," Kepa rushed shyly as she gestured her hand outward, as if being all gooey and sappy about this was really painful and awkward for her. She flattened her ears and shook her head, "I figured... The thing that would light up my life was a best friend. I-I guess, YOU somehow picked up on it all. Now that it's all obvious, it's clear that we both were desperate for friendship. We both sort of, well..."
"Heard each other's SOS," Gideon's deep voice cutely mumbled in conclusion, he raised his eyebrows and looked down, "Well, hey, I ditched going to Academy because the friends I made there turned out to be huge assholes. I didn't attend my first day of school because I felt the pull."
"To where?" Kepa questioned.
"The beach, I don't know, I just... Picked a direction and started walking," Gideon huffed a laugh and smiled in humbled realization, "Weird how our paths have crossed this heavily."
"Look... I've never been this open with anyone in my life," Kepa warned, and though both beings had only sagged into a very fun and surface-like friendship of only two days, she felt every single last ounce of the game assure her that this whole tornado of a friendship was what she had wished for, what the both of these lost souls needed. Although largely intimidating to let someone in, she shook her head and tried to remain vulnerable, "I can tell we both have skeletons... We both have shit we'd rather not discuss, but... No matter what we've been through, we both asked for this."
"And you're upset that you're stuck with me, now, huh," Gideon mumbled in a playful show of whole dread, to which Kepa tsked him an annoyed noise, stood to full height and pressed onward with her powerful stride. Gideon jolted, choked a laugh and took a few trots to catch up to her, "Oh, come ON. It could be SO much worse."
"Yeah, yeah," Kepa muttered with a loving smile she tried to stuff, she side-eyed Gideon in annoyed girliness, "Look, it's been years since I've had a best friend, so you're gunna have to bear with me."
"It's okay, I was literally born yesterday," Gideon's raspy voice erupted in annoyed chuckling, "I'd so much rather ditch Academy to hang with you, every day, then to go to Academy and feel pitied and unwanted."
"Damn, do they hate you?" Kepa cued, Gideon rolled his eyes and shook his head.
"Yeah, first thing to learn about me is... I hold grudges," Gideon mumbled, Kepa perked her ears, looked ahead and heartily laughed.
"And I don't give a fuck about ANYTHING," Kepa blurt loudly, to which they both sagged into happy laughter with one another, "Yeah, seems we make a great team."
"You'll teach me how to let stuff go, and, uh... I'll teach you how to care," Gideon shrugged, the two sagged to an easy slow, until an eventual stop in front of Lash's beautiful confectionary, the glass of his shop glistened in the sunshine. Gideon gently held out his hand for a handshake and shrugged, "Maybe throw a bit of magic in the mix, yeah? Deal?"
Kepa sagged to the flat of her feet, once more, and peered up into Gideon's lovely eyes. A doughy, handsome dude so full of sunshine, she could tell the depths of his eyes had seen a world of pain, and though she was eager to really allow the two to fall into a confiding, healing friendship, she was well aware the line of butterflies, in her stomach, was onesided. Not technically bothered by this, she smiled down to Gideon's hand and gently took ahold of his much bigger grip, and as the two shook on the trusting promise of their new, fervent camaraderie of much-needed friendship, she breathed an easy sigh and felt more at peace with her secretive, tumultuous life than she had in a very long while.
"Deal," She concluded, her lovely voice glossed their bubble with gold, and though they were due to turning into Lash's shop and enjoying a sweet treat with new faces, she couldn't help but feel the sun shining a little bit harder on her, as of late.
