[Training] living like happily ever after

if you desire then i'll be your fire and you'll be my gasoline

Henry was far less vulgar than she, he seemed respectable, kind. His words were candid, an extension of his good nature. Aisha was far more guarded, she hid her sentiments behind joking words and haughty phrase. Few back on her home world had cracked her shell, and even fewer here. It was both a blessing and a curse, to be so reticent; a softer smile broke her face but a smile all the same.

"Ah I will and don't you dare think otherwise," she replied with a spirited tone, "but I appreciate your conviction." Aisha tilted her head just a bit to regard him, hazel eyes roaming his broad shoulders. Where would she go? A good question, "Wherever I want I guess, I've got connections in Torch and Halo and a lot left to see."

AISHA

could somebody check my pulse? it's been a minute since i've tasted blood. i forgot how good this was

Henry chuckled at her spitfire attitude and nodded at her appreciation, though he noticed the softer smile that cracked across her face mere moments before that. It made him curious, he felt a bit more encouraged to keep trying to crack through her shell. Then again, he'd have to play it cool. He wasn't sure if she even wanted that.

He crossed his arms and playfully rolled his eyes at the part where she said 'wherever I want'. "Of course, I should've known," he flashed her a knowing smile and shifted his shoulder further up on the pillar, "there's places I'd like to see, too. Maybe I'll see you out there sometime."

A welcome breeze billowed through the ruins, drying the sweat that slicked across his arms. He tilted his head at Aisha. "So... what are you?" He raised a curious brow, "You couldn't be Accepted. Abandoned, maybe? Or are you like me?" There was only one other option left, since clearly neither of them were Ascended.

HENRY

drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands romeo

Aisha enjoyed the responses she could coax from the man, the roll of his eyes and cross of his arms. She loved tiptoeing the line of charming and infuriating, and seeing how far she could lean. "I hope so, I wouldn't mind some company every now and then," she replied with a soft shrug, no sarcasm this time. She told the truth, and meant what she said as always. She chose her company wisely, and Henry seemed an apt choice for a friendly excursion, a trusty companion.

His next question had her brows narrowed for a mere moment, wondering what specifically he was asking. What are you wasn't a question she was often asked. He clarified, asking about her race, or alignment perhaps. Nowadays people always seemed to be asking both; the rift between the two divine sides growing farther as tensions rose. There was a natural lean of ascended towards the Voice and the attuned to the old gods, but that wasn't necessarily the deciding factor.

In this case, Aisha was an attuned who favored her makers, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours." she shot him a coy look, standing straight again and awaiting the show.

AISHA

I'll jump from the cliff and I'll build my wings on the way down

Aisha didn't need to tell him twice. It was as if she released him from a kind of hold, the hold of a human body. For all that they were capable of, their physical abilities (when unaltered) would always be overshadowed by the raw power of an animal. The fact that there was always an animal within him made Henry feel all the more powerful. Perhaps the Attuned were not in the same breadth as those that could summon or control, or who had unnatural gifts from their gods. Yet, the freedom offered by an eagle's wings was unmatched.

Before her, Henry become one with his inner animal. Dark brown and pure white feathers puffed out in confidence; a huge orange beak snapped through empty air, sharp and built for tearing flesh from bone; golden eyes in a constant glare blinked up; dark talons pierced the stiff soil beneath them with effortless strength.

For all the stellar sea eagle's beauty in its stillness, there was nothing like the power held in its wings. They opened up in a ripple of vigorous movement, so large that they cast their own seven-foot-long shadows across the ground. He let out a loud caw before he ducked his head and folded his wings at half-mast in a mighty bow. After a moment's pause, he peered back up at her face with a small tilt of his head. Behind his sharp stare there was a playful, beckoning glint.

Now, what are you?

HENRY

AISHA

she grabbed a razor for me
and she did it, just like that

In a flash of movement and sinew and bone and skin, feathers and talons and beaks and wings grew from those vestiges. She loved to watch the attuned become the animal, to see how they melted into the feral beasts that paced inside them, how eager and fervent they were. Henry showed every bit of enthusiasm that she wanted from him, and she felt a kinship with him that had only yet brooded under the surface.

He snapped his beaks and flapped his powerful wings, an eagle grounded but full of spark. She grinned, "A deals a deal," and with that she transformed into the flying fox, wild curls becoming a mane of boiling gold, arms becoming wide black leathery wings. She flapped in place for a moment, letting him take in her form, before doing a loop and shifting as she landed poised and elegant as the bat's claws became leopard's paws.

The cat revealed it's teeth baring them in a show of it's ferocity, then sat back on its haunches, watching the eagle with yellow eyes. Here I am birdie, she replied, her playfulness oozing through the attuned bond.

when she want something
she don't wanna pay for it

I'll jump from the cliff and I'll build my wings on the way down

The eagle regarded Aisha as she transformed, tucking his wings against his sides. He'd miss those curls, but her first form intrigued him. He tilted his dark, feathered head at a sharp angle, eyeing her curiously. The stellar eagle's instincts screamed at him to jump into action, to sieze the bat in his large clutches. He quickly stilled those feelings. In fact, he squashed them. Now was not the time to let his predatory instincts take over.

All in all, he found the bat form impressive and... a little unnerving. He'd never seen a bat so large. It had broad black wings made of flesh and wolfish facial features with a long nose and expressive eyes. No sooner was Henry able to appreciate the bat in all its dark glory when it was transforming again. The eagle in him let out a squawk of alarm, disbelief! You have a second form!

Aisha's voice behind the fierce face of a leopard was only fitting. At first, Henry leaned his head back and admired the spotted hunter. Then, his eagle eyes narrowed and his beak shifted in what could only be described as a smirk.

I bet neither of your forms are faster than mine, he challenged her, fully extending his wings and taking flight without waiting. He flew close enough to the ground that if she wanted to race in her leopard form, she could; he would choose... more-or-less clear paths.

HENRY

AISHA

she grabbed a razor for me
and she did it, just like that

Aisha purred at his exclamation, the cat unraveling in all it's dotted glory before him. One day she'd awoken with black wings and a foxish face, not at all her human or leopard skin. It was an ability she'd unlocked on her own, and she was incredibly proud of it. The bat was a part of her now, a night stalker, piercing the sky the her dexterity. As close as the bat was to her heart, it was the leopard that defined her.

Henry issued a challenge, something Aisha had never been able to refuse. We'll see won't we, she growled, already thinking of tricks and turns she could use to beat him. While she might not have the pure speed of the eagle, she had the wit and expenses of two different creatures. She burst into action, powerful legs pounding against the stone pathways, chasing after her new friend.

---

Fin

when she want something
she don't wanna pay for it