Reviews :
Snake557 : Thank you so much! What about it did you think was so great? I appreciate that kind of a comment, but I'd love to know just what you thought made it so wonderful. Always appreciate you!
chuckiboo : Yes, Turbo has a few useless tricks up his sleeve haha. Thank you so much! I previously had a sketch of Tatum on my instagram, but I archived it. I now have two paintings of her up, one of which is a work in progress. It's my first and third most recent pictures on IG! My username is Vyntastic. I post ALL my saga's artwork there, frequently :) I also have a spoiler painting of Gideon up, as well!
Song Listened To :
Trampoline by SHAED
*Chapter 206*
In the mess of the evening, drowned in crowds and fun, competitive, lighthearted gaming, the mix of yummy drinks and food on top of a busy, chaotic train ride all the way back to Sugar Rush, the group quickly dispersed into respective pairings; save for Theo and Tatum. In the heavy, defeated sigh of self loathing and mild disappointment that the night certainly didn't pan to his liking, Theo hovered in their tower's kitchen. Nearing one in the morning, Sugar Rush's new moon made so the lot, outside the huge span of windows in the towers kitchen and common room, was simply a black, whispery haven of simple suggestions of silhouettes. The palace was as still, as silent, as poised in black wait as an owl in the night. Theo's pupils tightened to a shrink of the blinding light the gaping refrigerator gave off, giving his already milky skin the fresh veil of ghostly goodness. Theo expanded his chest in yet another lovestruck, disappointed, agitated breath to expel into a useless sigh, his eyes scanned the tasty food in bored, time-wasting confusion. Not hungry in the slightest, the urge to emotional-eat coat his soul. Although Tatum's bedroom was simply thirty steps away from his point on the grid, the deafening silence of her little section of the tower was enough information Theo needed.
In defeat, Theo lulled the fridge closed, only now revealing his confused eyes to the darker surroundings he was previously in. With very small, faintly glowing ground lights scattered about the common room, so simply to aid in eye sight amidst the foraging for a midnight snack, Theo barely glossed his eyes about the place and shifted his feet in preparation to defeatedly head to the common room's main teleportation pad, so to escape to his bedroom and hope his and Tatum's little bet would somehow overlap into the following evening. Due to turning heel and giving up, Theo did a double-take on the span of windows the common room proudly boasted. Although impossible to see into the near-pitch black void of Sugar Rush's night, Theo's intelligent eyes picked up on the zip of about three silhouettes that dart across the night sky, as fast as lightning. Theo blinked a few times and, once again, counted two more silhouettes easily soak across the black, though Theo quickly gathered that said five silhouettes were simply Lickity, Boss, Royal, Balba and Marble. In conclusion, he prepared to leave, once more, though was, once again, halted by the sight of a much smaller, sixth silhouette.
Theo sharply furrowed his eyebrows and firmly stared out the window. With the quick rush of thoughts to explain said phenomena, Theo urgently pieced together that the flyers were on a nightly hunt and likely had another straggler they were due to chasing off. Though with the lack of said flyer's presences, and the gentle hover of said smaller silhouette that seemingly began to loftily glide its' way to Berri's, Wren's, Theo's and Tatum's tower, Theo held his breath and felt a rush of concern cloak over him. In the spike of wondering if this being was potentially Chester, and thus quickly remembering that he was with Berri and Turbo, clear across the city, the shape of said silhouette became more apparent. With a silent gasp of hot remembrance, Tatum's little secret she was due to physically sharing with absolutely no one, Theo raised his eyebrows in hot surprise and messily began to clamor to the glass of the backdoor, clear across the common room. With the tower's gentle ping of a movement sensor that triggered the tower's back patio's convenience light, Theo was whole-heartedly shocked to see Tatum, clear as day, gingerly come to a land on her little bare feet, the incredible sprawl of her beautiful wings that clipped the air in soft flutters of now furling return.
Theo choked a small chuckle of unadulterated, bewildered stun as he grappled the door's handle, quietly turned it and so carefully thrusted it open. Although he was eager to explode his boyish curiosity all over his good friend, his love interest, he knew, full well, this cat was one of the shyest, rarest, reserved souls in all of Arcade. Someone whose trust had to be so heavily earned, in order to be welcomed into the depths of her secrets and heart, Theo very carefully stepped out into the lovely, illuminated patio and took in Tatum's raw beauty as they stood in each other's presence, unbeknownst to her. With a wing span that was potentially one foot longer than her arm span, on either side, her glorious addition melted in with her skin tone, the webbing of Tatum's gargoyle wings were a darker, richer, rosier grey. Certain there were details on the dorsal side of her wings, Theo simply choked a silent noise of cute surprise and, although it was here did Tatum tightly weave her wings against her back and shoulder blades, she widened her eyes in discovered dread and peered hard into Theo's eyes, as if to be enormously embarrassed. Wearing short, black cotton shorts alongside a dark grey cami, the looseness of her pale pink hair, it was clear she was now en route to potentially winding down for the night, officially. Though, in the spike of being discovered, purpose came back to her skin as she tucked her hands to her chest and very quickly made her wings vanish for good.
"Tatum," Theo hissed in grinning delight, he rested his hand to his chest and felt his hands shake, he was well aware he had likely burst in on her and saw this side of her without her permission; he shook his head and grew apologetic, though somehow couldn't wipe the grin from his face if his life depended on it, "I-I'm... I'm really sorry to just... I know you weren't expecting me, here, but... That was SO cool!"
Tatum was frozen in silent, reserved terror as she assessed Theo's boyish, sweet demeanor. He bravely allowed his bare feet to cautiously approach her across their gap, the stepping stones of the tower's patio so daintily crowned with the messy, velvety green Sugar Rush grass and nighttime dew. His bare feet stuck to the grey stone, though his eyes hooked tight into Tatum's. She looked mortified, though somehow relieved. She shrunk, though looked empowered, these were all social cues that had Theo continuing to so carefully pursue Tatum's presence. Although Tatum was silent, Theo swallowed hard and now knew to swiftly remind himself of Turbo's and Throttle's sound advice of being a safe space, a shoulder, a place of trust. A full course meal of gentlemanly goodness Theo knew he had all the equipment for, something he was well aware he now needed to use to build this whole debacle together, to their liking. Pressed to keep this train of confidence rolling, he humbly peered into Tatum's eyes and was praying she'd side with his aura of tenderness, praying she'd subscribe to his submissive easiness they could ride out together.
"Forgive me... You were flying with the flyers?" Theo patiently inquired, "That's a feat... They're a really tight knit group."
Tatum's shoulders slowly fell, she cupped her hands to her center and showed a bit more opened body language, though still remained still in her stance.
"I... Told King Zed I needed to stretch my wings at night, he suggested I be an extra pair of eyes on the flyer's nightly hunt," Tatum warily admitted, what was once a vivacious, sweet and sour little ball of cold fire not hours prior was now a nervous, reserved little hermit crab eager to get off of the broad of the shore's sandy girth. Bashfully, she tucked her hair behind her ears and glanced to the gaping back door Theo had done everything he could to carefully traverse from, "I'm surprised I can keep up, quite frankly. I just... Didn't want to be flying around in broad daylight, where people could see me."
"I understand," Theo nodded softly, he lulled his eyes in a long-blink of desperately trying to get his emotions under control. The cute, little boy in him was wanting to burst forth, to ogle over the coolness of one of his friends simply being able to produce herself her very own set of useable wings, though the gentleman he had blossomed into eagerly peered into Tatum's soul and understood that said winged being was as fragile as porcelain. Broken and pieced back together with melted gold, Theo steadied himself and was well aware this incredible creature, before him, had a wealth of knowledge he was desperate for. Uneducated to her species and everything that made her just who she is, he glossed his eyes about Sugar Rush's near-pitch black vat of trees, behind their tower, and bobbed a gentle nod, "You've already dealt with a lifestyle that included way too much attention given, being a celebrity, and all... You need space to be yourself without anyone else involved. I get it."
"Thank you," Tatum curtly pressed, although short and unassuming, she almost desperately peered into Theo's eyes; wondering if she was potentially begging to dig more information out of her, or leave her alone, Theo figured falling into the latter was his safest bet.
"I'm... I'm sorry, friend, I got excited. Your wings were really beautiful, from what I saw," Theo chuckled nervously, rubbed the back of his head and began to back step out of a situation he was well aware he dove face first into, selfishly. He looked down and pivoted to leave, he waggled his hand in apologetic, smiling delight and figured he'd just give himself a verbal beat down once he was in his bedroom, "I didn't really think, I just... Saw you and had to come tell you. I hope you have a good rest of your night."
"Teddy," Tatum pleaded just barely, a whimper of uncertain delight, she breathed a shaky giggle she desperately tried to conceal and fixated her dilated gaze to Theo's as he halted his movement and firmly peered to her. She heaved a shaky sigh and bashfully looked off, "It's... Fine, you guys were bound to see me, one of these days, anyways. I'm just glad it was you."
"... You are?" Theo wondered, his night began to softly lift from the dead, he held his breath and begged himself not to get so ahead of himself; the roots of being a safe place for Tatum was already bearing fruit, "I-I wish I knew more about gargoyles, really. I think that's why I just... Exploded out here without thinking."
"You can ASK me any time, you know," Tatum snipped with a cute smile of girly tease as she wrinkled her nose and shook her head, though the patio's motion-sensor light swiftly went out, thus revealing the gentle, trickling glow of maroon in Tatum's irises, so faint it was hardly visible. Tatum firmly waved her whole hand out and about, causing the motion sensor light to flick on, once again. Theo blurt a small chuckle as Tatum eased a small smile of relief and looked down, "I'm not used to people being that interested in it. I am, after all, a half breed."
"... That doesn't make it any less interesting," Theo stated in soft warmth, he did what he could to keep his deep voice from spiking to a louder form of continued, boyish excitement. He cleared his throat and assessed Tatum's demeanor; still laced in cautious reserve, her body language was now positioned towards him, the tilt of her head cued to him that she was not only curious of his eagerness, she hoped to emanate a display of willingness she was praying he would catch on to. Theo steadied himself, once and for all, and peered deep into her eyes. Like still water, he allowed his intentions to grow patient and mature, the eternal wisdom of Turbo's and Throttle's 'wise old owl' knowledge and advice melted into the back of his brain, and with ease, he rode off of their instruction with grace and gratitude, "I'm going to do right by our bet, earlier, and... I'm not entirely positive how this would eradicate the 5th and 6th wheel situation we've been in, as of late, but I'd... Love to know all about that side of you. It doesn't have to be tonight, but... I figured I'd say something, because I lost that bet."
"Ohh, Ted, you... You didn't have to follow through with that, it was mean of me to wager something like timing and willingness, like that," Tatum prod cutely as she looked down, she clearly was grinning, though she hid it by continuing to look down to her bare feet, both being's toes melted into the soft grass.
"It's either that or you pay me fifty bucks to leave you alone," Theo braved with a cute chuckle, to which Tatum finally allowed her cute grin to show; she flashed him said contagious smile, small fangs and all, something that had a breath catching in the back of Theo's throat.
"Well, my night is still young... The thing about us gargoyles is, we're nocturnal," Tatum stated with warm pride and a small nod, Theo's emerald eyes hooked tight to hers, as if his brain was a sponge, just ready for all of her knowledge, the incredible, vast depth about her people she seemed as if she was just waiting to unload on to someone.
"Are you really?" Theo wondered in cute, innocent delight, Tatum shrugged and nodded.
"I am, though through the years of being on Gunner's schedule, and then sleeping on the streets... It's much easier to sleep at night, in that respect," Tatum sighed as she looked down to her nervously twiddling fingers, "Panhandling is easier when everyone else is awake..."
Theo frowned and peered to the top of her head as she continued to look down. The rush of questions that flood his mind was now softened in the continuous urge to be a safe place for Tatum. He sagged his shoulders and shook his head in soft sorrow, though he eased a small, bittersweet smile and inhaled a deep breath.
"I'd be honored to know more, if you're willing," Theo rested his hand to his chest and was thrilled to gain eye contact with her, once more. He was well aware, due to his lost bet, that this was his time to shoot his shot, and with such, he bravely pressed on, "Maybe sit in the kitchen and chat, or... Head to your room and relax?"
Tatum raised her eyebrows a little and felt a wave of certainty come over her. Knowing Theo was not a very daring or brave individual, when it came to romance, she was floored he took that chance and bravely offered himself to her bedroom, a sacred realm of private, individual sanctuary. Theo's eagerness and willingness to know Tatum for everything she was overrode the idea that he'd be coming into her little wing of the tower, for the very first time, messy bedroom and all. She almost didn't mind, somehow the baring of her soul to him was lumped in with the idea of potentially exposing a slightly untidied bedroom, as well. Tatum bobbed a nod and inhaled a shaky, anticipatory breath upon finally hooking eyes with Theo's gentle, patient gaze.
"I'd like that," Tatum assured in soft conclusion.
