I seem to be on a roll right now, what with a quick little fic pumped out for AtlA that went pretty well and all sorts of various creative juices still flowing, I just figured I should work on this story a little. Anyway, here's a rewritten version of chapter two. Expect chapter three (if anyone still keeps up with this story or reads it) to be completely different. From here on out, the story will take a different direction than it originally went and was intended to go.
Just in case... You all know that Raven and Terra and whatever other well recognized characters I end up throwing into here aren't mine; that's why it's on and not in a novel or something. Gordon and Merna are my creations though, which is totally cool.
"Warm..." It was the first thought which ran through her mind. Warmer then it normally was whenever she woke up. It seemed to be a lot brighter too. No cave could normally have this amount of light. She could feel a sheen of sweat already formed along her body under a thin sheet.
Cracking open a blue eye, Terra looked about. She lay on a queen sized foldout bed from a rather ugly couch. Window blinds, stained a strange yellow for years of exposure to direct sunlight were open letting warm sunshine fill the entire room. She could smell wonderful breakfast being cooked somewhere; smells of greasy, fatty slices of sausage and over easy eggs caressed her senses sweetly like a long forgotten lover. Strangely enough, something else poked at the back of her mind, something she wasn't too use to. A warm weight was on her chest. It didn't feel like her backpack and it was definitely too soft and smelled too good to be a rock.
Turning her head ever so slightly, the blond smirked a bit. The girl she met last night in the diner (she believe her name was Raven) lay pressed beside her on her stomach. The weight came from the violet haired head nestled on her chest, a tiny spot forming on the green cloth of her tank top where a bit of drool escaped the quiet girl's mouth.
It felt nice, even if she was being drooled on, being this close to a person. Terra couldn't really remember when she was in a position like this last. The thought ran through her mind that she should feel at least a little weirded out, according to social standards; it was a girl after all, but she didn't really mind. After all, since when did she actually bother to care about standards? Guys were too hard for Terra. She had enough of that with the rocks that she often had to sleep on out in the wilderness. Raven was much softer, and quite cuddly.
Shifting around, Terra turned ever so slightly to look at the girl, causing Raven to be moved from her position. She listened to the ashen skinned girl give a small whine and move closer, her face in Terra's throat and legs wrapped around one of her own. 'Goodness, she's quite clingy in her sleep.' The blue eyed girl noted and grinned a bit.
Seeing as how she wasn't going anywhere for a bit, Terra decided to take a bit of time to study her fellow runaway.
The short, neatly cut hair that held that unusual purple color sat a mess atop Raven' head; strange curls and potential knots all over beckoned one of Terra's hands to reach up and gently move the strands about, doing her best to fix the mess. Slowly, her hand traced down Raven's face, a smile forming on the soft looking gray lips of her specimen. Her skin was impeccably smooth and soft, Terra's own was a bit rough from all of her adventuring. Moving a bit of hair from the shorter girl's face, Terra noted something she didn't notice the night before. A small diamond shaped stone rested in the center of the girl's forehead. It was a deep blood red color and held an incredible amount of mystery for Terra. She ran a thumb over it, only to feel Raven shiver against her. 'Curious.' Terra grinned a bit more.
"'Ey, you two gonna lay there all day o' you gonna get somethin' ta eat?" Merna asked as she stuck her head into the living room.
Turning her head as best as she could, Terra nodded and smiled. "Sorry, we'll be out in a few moments." She whispered. The redheaded woman smirked a bit and went back into the diner leaving the blond girl to wake up the pale one.
Laying a hand on Raven's shoulder, Terra shook very lightly. "Raven... Raven wake up." She mumbled lightly in front of the girl. Grumbles were the only response the blond got.
Sighing and beginning to untangle herself from the still sleeping girl, Terra watched the girl frown a bit and attempt to reclaim Terra. "Nuh uh, you need to wake up missy. We have some food to eat and a lot of walking to get done." The blond said as she shook Raven a little more.
An amethyst eye opened a little to look at the girl in her tank top and boxers. "It's way too early..." Raven stated, not even knowing the time.
"Eight is not early Raven." Terra snickered a bit a slid off of the bed.
Sitting up and yawning, the purple haired girl scratched her head then paused for a moment. "What do you mean we have a lot of walking to do?" She asked curiously.
"Well..." Terra suddenly felt a little nervous. "I guess... I guess I kinda assumed we were both going to the city together." The slim girl mumbled a bit as she walked over to her now dry clothes. Not hearing anything, Terra glanced beside her a bit. Raven was smiling a little while searching for something in her bag. Watching Raven slip on a pair of old, baggy pants, Terra smiled as the girl looked towards her.
"I… would like that." Raven mumbled, looking down.
Wrapping an arm around Raven's waist while standing beside her, the longer haired girl grinned widely. "Great! It's settled then. We'll head into the city after we get a nice big breakfast."
The two stepped into the diner and were soon sitting in the same booth as last night. A few people were here and there in the diner, one group being a family; most likely on some kind of road trip. Terra munched on a rather large breakfast, her plate stacked nice and high once more. Her blue eyes focused on the short haired girl who sat across the table poking around some eggs. "What's up?"
Looking up quickly, Raven blushed a bit. "Just a little anxious I guess." Eying her plate once more, she sighed. "I've never really been in the city on my own."
"It's not too bad. Just gotta know what you're doing." Terra stated matter-of-factly after sipping her orange juice. "Communes are great places to find in cities. There are people like me an' you that live in them all the time." Biting off a large piece of toast, she smirked. "There are some really neat people in them too."
Raven offered a small nod and bit into a piece of bacon. "So you do this kind of stuff a lot?"
"Gotta' when you're on the road, Rae." Terra shrugged a bit.
The two sat in silence for a bit. It wasn't tense, just the two enjoying their meals. Johnny Cash's, "The Man Comes Around" played through static on the radio in the ceiling causing Terra to hum along with it, her head bobbing. The ashen skinned girl eyed her traveling partner and smiled a bit at her sillyness. The blond scoffed a little and nudged the girl's left leg with her foot. "Don't laugh at me." Terra grinned. "You're pretty funny yourself you know."
Confusion could be seen on the slim face of the girl, one of her slim violet eyebrows raising.
"Yeah, you never really struck me as the kind of person that gets really cuddly at night." Seeing the girl's face flush red, Terra laughed a bit. "Don't worry, don't worry, it wasn't anything really bad." Munching on another piece of toast, Terra watched the ashen skinned girl in front of her focus quite intently on her plate. "Kinda cute really." The long haired girl tried, seeing the blush worsen slightly.
Beside the two, the napkin holder popped, its sides curling up, the napkins inside of it flying into the air of the diner. The patrons, including Gordon and Merna, looked over, shocked and rather confused.
Terra had jumped a bit at the initial sound, and then rubbed the back of her neck looking at a startled Raven who bit her bottom lip. "S-Sorry... I..." The purple haired girl began.
"What the hell just happened?" Gordon called from over the window.
"Sorry Mr. G! Tried to get a napkin and it totally broke on us!" Terra called back. "I'll pay for a replacement."
Merna walked over and picked up the metal container and smiled at the two. Raven looked up, a faint flash of terror in her eyes sullen eyes. "Don't worry hun... It's not the first time it's happened." The redheaded woman smiled and patted Raven's shoulder.
After everything calmed down a bit, the blond haired girl smiled a little. "...You ok?"
"Y-Yeah..." Raven sighed, closing her eyes as she took several long, deep breaths.
It was a curious sight to the blond. Something was definitely different about this girl, but she didn't feel inclined to push the subject further. Grinning and leaning back Terra patted her stomach happily. "Oh boy! Topped off and ready to go." She slipped from the booth and picked up the worn bag on the ground. "Ready for some major walking?" Terra asked as she stretched a bit loudly.
Giving a weary smirk, Raven followed Terra out the door after they paid and thanked the owners for being so kind. "Be careful out there! Ya hear? I don't wanna hear nothin' on the news 'bout two girls!" Gordon called, his spatula waving at them.
"What nice people..." Terra hummed as they walked out the door. Looking around, she tapped her chin a bit and then looked back to Raven. "Which way did you come from?" A gray hand pointed to the right of them. It was a very bare, long stretch of highway. Nodding a bit, Terra looked to their left. More highway stretching along the road. "Guess we're gonna go that way." She snickered and began to walk along the side of the highway.
"How do you know if the city you heard about is that way?" Raven asked stepping up beside the blond.
Thrusting her hands into her pockets, the long haired girl shrugged a bit. "Well, how did you get here?" Hearing the light word 'hitchhiking', Terra nodded. "And since you came from behind us, that means that person must have been heading somewhere."
The logic seemed a little sideways to Raven but she saw no reason to try and contradict her new friend. She hitched up her backpack a little and looked at the rather bare horizon, sighing softly. What exactly had she gotten herself into?
A warm hand gently gripped hers, making the soft spoken teen look to the strong girl beside her who grinned warmly. "Ready to go?"
"… Yeah." Giving the gloved hand a light squeeze, the two began their long walk.
Better? I certainly hope so. Expect another chapter some time before the end of the world.