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It looks like we can give everyone a list of minimum specs for running City of Titans. Please keep in mind that this is 'for now' until we are able to add more graphics and other system refinements. Currently you will need :
Windows 10 or later required; no Intel integrated graphics like UHD, must have AMD or NVIDIA card or discrete chipset with 4Gb or more of VRAM
At least 16GB of main DRAM.
These stats may change as we continue to test.
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Wren preens happily as her friends open their gifts. Grace and probably very easily feel the glow of joy that infuses Wren as she watches them enjoy what she's brought them.
"I may not have -had- to, but I wanted to. I have a decent amount of money what with death benefits, selling the house, insurance and super-insurance... and I haven't had anyone to spend it on. Well anyone except my appetite!" She laughs again.
"Little brother's in need of some serious ribbing about the girl. He's earned it." She chuckles, "Good thing for me I don't have anyone for you guys to tease -me- about! HAH! I win!"
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobi shoots her a challenging gaze, a bit of a wry smile crossing his features as he examines a pair of cargo pants which seemed to have ALL the pockets...which in all honestly would look pretty damn bad-ass if he had anything to say about it,
"Ooooh, I wouldn't count yourself out just yet, Wren. Plenty of handsome fellas out there who likely entertain the fantasy of dating a girl who can fly. I'd be careful around the Maul if I were you."
He grins at that, before finally adding,
"And thanks for the new clothes. Can't really say I'd enjoy being forced to walk out of the house in a suit of power armor on laundry day....which would literally be every two days right now..."
Tobi then chuckles, before swinging his eyes around to examine Grace's items, nodding gently in approval. Somehow the airy and light vibe he got from the items Wren had picked out work well with his notions of Grace. Somehow the style suiting her to a tee. That said, he'd also have to be careful if and when she started wearing her new clothes...God only knew he'd probably fall in the pool again.
He...somewhat neatly piles up his gains beside him, setting them down to offer,
"So, this Allison girl's on the level, huh? Well, alright, then. And I certainly wouldn't go giving [i]her[/i] any friendly grief. I mean, for all it might be fun, I'd feel like a complete jackass if I single-handedly ruined Nick's chances with this girl...though from what you're saying, Wren, it sounds like it's pretty much set in stone."
All this girlfriend talk is making Grace blush uncontrollably, scrunching up her toes a little inside her sandals. She'd opened her mouth to say something to Wren, perhaps that she'll find a suitable match at some point, and not to rush things... But stifles herself, not really feeling like it's her place to comment. At least the other winged girl is feeling much better-- Grace can practically -feel- the joy radiating off of her. So, she says nothing on the matter.
In fact, says nothing at all, only gently rubbing her thumbs back and forth over a beautiful halter top that appears to be silk, white with large, dark red roses printed overlapping all over it, her eyes a bit far away.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Wren smiles at Tobi. "I figured you wouldn't want to walk around starkers or in a suit to do laundry. This is just some fun hold-overs till you can get out for yourself." she reaches over and gives Grace's hand a gentle squeeze. Just Grace's evident enjoyment of the garment makes her happy, words or no.
"So! Speaking of going out... you guys have anything planned for the rest of the day?"
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias shrugs gently, then shakes his head, retorting with,
"Not really. I mean, we've been keeping ourselves busy for the most part. Watched a movie, Grace got in a bit of archery practice, shot an apple off my head William Tell-style, I've been able to mostly avoid rigorous, scientific inquiry by two doctors and an engineer...though we've found out I'm really good at 'lifting the heavy thing'. Picked up a three hundred pound barbell like it was a half-gallon of milk..."
He actually seems a little shocked by this. He'd managed a singular, impressive feat of strength in body-slamming a twelve foot tall exo suit...but that had been assisted by momentum, and his suit of power armor. To actually put a scale on it was surprising to say the least.
Eventually, he shrugs and offers,
"Though, I didn't really have any plans for the rest of the day and well, neither did Grace, as far as I know."
His gaze swings to the young lady in question, perhaps asking such without so much as speaking.
Admittedly, Grace had been struggling to think what she might do with the rest of her day. It was enough to drive a regular person -mad- knowing they were cooped up for another two days at least, unable to do anything while they healed... Her mind, however, kept coming back to an image of she and Tobias talking-- about anything. She could feel Tobias' gentleness towards her even with the look he gave her just now, inviting her to answer Wren's question, to confirm his assumption about her lack of plans. She just... wanted to get to know him better?
Grace smiled at Wren and squeezed her hand softly in reply. She then shrugged carefully in a daintier echo of Tobias' shoulder motion, still flushed pink, alternating between glances at Wren and Tobias and examining her feet in her new sandals. "N-no... I didn't really have any plans, or anything. I can't do much, yet... as much as I might -want- to..."
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Wren smiles, "Welllll... Tobi hasn't gotten to fly with us... and you can't for now, so I was thinking about seeing if I can lift you both. There's a beautiful spot I know about... It's pretty high up, and the best way to get there is to fly." She looks them both over with a smile. "I kinda thought I'd take you guys to my spot and bring a picnic lunch? I don't have to do my patrols till about ten tonight, so I have free time. Or, I could just go and let you guys have time to yourselves? Or take you to the spot and leave you to enjoy it alone. I'm good with whatever you guys'd like to do."
There's no deception... she truly does mean it when she says she's willing to take them somewhere beautiful and go on her merry way. There's no teasing in her either, as opposed to the day they woke up in the good doctor's home.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias initially sees somewhat of a logistical problem with Wren's suggestion, namely the fact that he's rather heavy. Quite substantially heavier than Grace. While he imagined that getting airborne with someone of Grace's weight might not be too much of a strain, trying to get his bulk off the ground might require a little more effort. Secondly, was considering Grace's situation in regard to her wing. He was more than happy to take Wren up on her offer, as getting out of the house was a fantastic idea, if only for a little while...but it would honestly hinge on how the white-winged lass was feeling about the venture.
Though, with a smile, Tobias nods to Wren, a genial smile on his face as he intones gently,
"Well, I'm all for the idea so long as you're good to carry me. And I think Grace could use a bit of time out of the house. Probably wise to stave off cabin fever before it gets a chance to take hold. Though, I shouldn't be speaking for her."
With a turn, he again puts Grace in the spotlight, not meaning to over and over again, but considering that the decision to go anywhere really DID hinge upon her opinion of her own ability to do so.
"Did you want to get out of the house for a while, Grace?"
Grace is sorely tempted, but immediately had balked at the thought. At first, it was simply because she felt burdenous, making Wren fly her when she had wings, but couldn't use them to carry herself. It seemed... unfair, considering Wren had been hurt the other day because Grace had called her in to the fighting...
And then, she had balked, though less strongly, at the suggestion that they all go together. Grace was still keenly aware of what Wren had done to try to push her and Tobias together the day before, and didn't want to be subject to that sort of attention again. But... the thought of talking with Tobias alone, before somehow hadn't been a nervous one? She blushed shyly, looking at her hands as she wrung them together a little.
But, it seems like Tobias is in favor of the idea, and this, of itself, makes her sigh and concede. She never worried about Wren's ability to carry them, having experienced her 'magic', before. Surely it was possible to lighten Tobias to the needed extent-- after all, she levitated all the packages in without any trouble.
Without looking up, Grace shrugs carefully and says in a shy, soft voice as per her usual, "...Okay." She makes a point not to discern whether she would like to be alone with Tobias or not, just the thought of it making her blush even harder.
"...Someone should tell Doctor Wishart though, so he doesn't worry..." she adds considerately.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Wren moved to Grace, and tilted her head up with two fingers under Grace's chin. "Dear-heart, if you don't want to go, I certainly won't make you." She leans in and whispers softly, "And I promise... no more meddling."
She backs up and gives Grace a sincere smile before turning to Tobi.
"Alright, you. Time to show you what I'm made of! Muaha!" She chuckles as she spreads her hands, palms outward, toward Tobi. Her wings flutter a bit, and an oddly faint blueish/purplish energy begins to form. First gathering in and around her wings, turning the colors to a metallic and jewel-like gold and blue, before surging through her shoulders and chest. as the energy continues to build, it flows into her arms, and stops again, gathering around her hands. Clearly she's gathering more energy than she'd done before while helping Grace and carrying Nick.
Finally, there's the feeling of a mental 'snap' and the energy surrounds Tobi, blue/purple and swirly with the impression of feathers swirling around it. As the energy envelops Tobi, he begins to lighten and lift very gradually off of the floor.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias still seemed decidedly sceptical as to just how Wren would move both of them, especially him without struggling to keep easily three hundred pounds worth of people aloft.
And then he gets his answer.
Tobias, having had little experience with Wren's abilities is rather shocked to see as energy gathers in her wings, transmitting itself through her arms to her fingers, then vanishing...There's a pause a moment's thought from perhaps the universe itself before a blue-ish, purple-ish swirl of energy encases him, Tobias decidedly startled...and admittedly quite amazed as he begins to feel decidedly lighter, freed from the weight and unrelenting push of gravity on his shoulders.
Peering downward however would reveal a much more stark realisation, as the sensation of his feet against the pool deck vanishes, his bare feet dangling slightly in the air as he comes to the realisation that he's now floating several inches off the ground.
"I uh...." He first utters, peering at his feet before strongly resisting the urge to flail like he was in a body of water, "Oooookay, this is different. Certainly wasn't counting on levitating."
The influence of Wren's energy is a most curious feeling, devoid of any of what he would assume flight feels like, simply an absence of gravity and little more. He begins to figure this is what astronauts must feel like in zero-g, his gaze swinging to Grace as he smiles and adds,
"You totally knew she was capable of this, didn't you?"
Grace looked up only when Wren lifted her chin, but somehow managed to get a tiny 'Grace' smile on her lips. "I'm fine," she says softly, though part of her isn't really sure anymore. The trauma of being shot and the more recent trauma of learning that her most pleasurable activity is turning into one of life and death still lingers just under the surface of her mind. There's nothing negative associated with the Wishart House, exactly-- but, if Tobias wanted to get out of the house, and thought it would be a good idea for Grace, then she would go along with it.
She stood up after a moment, brushing down her skirt, then watched with quiet eyes as Tobias is lifted off the ground by Wren's unique energy. She smiles a little, again shrugging gently, replying, "Yes, I knew. But... It's different telling people what to expect, and letting them experience it for themselves. ...As long as she feels strong enough, she can carry us both, like this..."
Grace stands next to Tobias, waiting patiently for her turn to be lifted. She smiles up at Wren with a bit more -peaceful- of an expression. Flight-- through ANY means-- is something she didn't realize she'd been missing poignantly until this moment.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Wren smiles at Grace, and reaches behind her to take one of Tobi's hands, bringing him close to Grace. The energy field moves to include Grace in itself, and raises her to the same height.
Wren steps back a bit, her solid blue eyes shimmering more than usual with the expenditure of energy.
"Get ready, folks..." She laughs merrily as her wings stretch upward, and then back down with an incredible gust of wind, her legs thrusting her upward in a leap to help her get off the ground. There's a bit of a jerk in the energy bubble as she gets going, another bubble shimmering into being around her and then sinking in. Both a shield from damage and a lightening effect, both needed if she wanted to achieve a good speed.
She hovers for a few moments, letting her two passengers get used to being carried and pulls out her cell phone to call Doctor Wishart.
"Hey Doc! I'm glad you liked the mug. I'm stealing the kids and taking them on a picnic. Just wanted to let you know so you wouldn't be worried!"
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias smiles as Grace is gently enveloped in the same field as his, bringing her to depart the warm embrace of gravity to take to the sky...or at least lift a few inches off the ground. As she does, he gently offers her a hand, though figures that if anything, she'd be more at home in this levitating state than he was.
He was actually rather glad for the fact that she'd agreed. He figured it'd be good for her to fly again, even if not using her own wings. Flight was something that had been an eternal fascination for human beings, and for someone who could actually do so, being grounded was likely akin to losing a limb. He watches as the bubble begins to form a tight, close form around he and Grace both, as Wren makes the call to ensure that Dr. Wishart knew of their departure.
Inside the sitting area at the other end of the house, Alan paused in the middle of conversation to answer his phone, blinking somewhat as he spoke,
"Hello? Wren? What can I...Oh...I see. Well, alright...but please ensure Grace is careful with her wing. It's healing quickly, but it's not going to be at a state where she can put flight-related stress on it, yet.
Oh, and thanks for the head's up. I'll see you all later."
With that, he hangs up, sighing and shaking his head at his two colleagues,
"Kids..."
Back outside, Tobias actually looks quite thrilled at the prospect of taking flight. He'd never actually flown before, save for being encased in the metal tube of a plane cabin. His eyes swing to Grace, the eagerness of what was about to happen brimming in his luminous eyes.
Grace interpreted the reaching of Tobias' hand as a need for support, a feeling of unsteadiness being off the ground. She smiled very shyly and took his hand, squeezing hard-- which, to Tobias, probably hardly felt like anything. 'Don't worry', her look seems to say, 'It's fun!'
And indeed Grace knew it would be. She waited patiently for Wren to finish the phone call, then squeezed Tobias' hand again at his look of eagerness. His happiness, too, is somewhat infectious-- and relaxes Grace a little more.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Wren puts her phone away in the satchel secured to her side, and takes off like a shot. She clears the house and grounds within a few seconds, rising higher and flying faster with each wing beat.
there is nothing like this feeling in all the world. It is freedom and pure joy unleavened by stress, fear or anxiety. It is freedom from gravity and the restrictive travel that most poor saps were stuck with. This was the closest she felt to the memory of her mother... almost as if her mother were out here waiting, and flight gave her the ability to reach further. The memories of flying for hours with her mother were closer here, more easily recalled, and more likely to bring a smile to her face than sadness to her heart.
She cranes her head around to watch Grace and Tobi, "So? What'cha think, Tobes?"
She wanted to make this a good flight for Grace. The little sister she'd always wished she had. Wren knew that being ground bound was a terrible thing for one who could fly of their own accord, and she hoped that this small flight would help Grace to feel better, and less stuck till her wing healed fully enough for her to fly on her own once more.
She also hoped that her friends would like the surprise... yes, another one!.. she'd set up on the hill that was nearly a mountain.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias waits and watches as Wren tucks away her phone, and without warning spreads her wings, and with two good wing beats clears the ground...bringing him and Grace with her. For a moment, every part of his instinctual mind light up in abject terror. People weren't meant to fly! He would fall! He would be injured....and yet, terror gives way to exhilaration in nary but a heartbeat, his smile widening as the incredible sensation of flight finally makes its presence known. Through the initial lift off, he'd momentarily forgotten he was still holding Grace's hand, though the moment the suburbs steady their rush away from his feet, he realises again, his eyes coming to gaze at her, his expression stunned, amazed, thoroughly delighted,
"You two get to do this every [i]day[/i]? Paint me green and call me 'jealous'. I have GOT to figure out a way to get myself some flight capability."
His eyes regard Grace again, hoping that even this analogue of what she was used to would be close enough to give her back a little bit of hope that she'd fly again, that she'd be able to return to this delightful feeling once more. She had to. Every titanium, niobium and aluminium alloy bone on his body willed for her to take to the sky again. And SOON.
Grace feels a pang of fear for a moment-- she only has one wing! She could fall!-- but... She grips Tobias' hand hard again, locking their fingers together, her fingertips settling unnoticed over the metal plates protruding through the skin of his knuckles. Part of what she'd felt had been his own momentary fear-- but then equally she felt his excitement and exhilaration...
The brief roller-coaster of emotions evens out, and perhaps surprisingly, Grace had closed her eyes for a few moments. The wind of their passing whips her ponytail about, tearing free pieces of her hair to flutter around her face, whipping at her skirt-- but there's no one below to see. A slow smile spreads over her face, the feathers on both wings fluffing out in quiet pleasure. She turns the expression briefly to Tobias, squeezing his hand reassuringly, as if to say, 'of course you'll fly someday'. There is utter peace in her expression as she turns it to Wren, instead-- and an unspoken, but totally obvious trust and gratitude.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Wren grins at Grace, understanding that look with no need for explanation. She'd worn it often enough when she was young and hurt her wings badly enough that to fly, she'd had to rely on her mother to carry her. She moves Grace and Toby to her side, so they're given the treat of her own perspective of the flight. Houses and parks, then buildings began to pass below them as she skimmed out of the suburbs and stroked higher, to fly over a part of the city to her chosen spot.
The buildings she flew over sent up faint warm pockets of air, having absorbed and reflecting the heat of the sun from glass, concrete, steel and even the pavement beneath them. It felt to wren almost like having a warm blanket, straight out of the drier, briefly wrapped around her. Sunlight glinted from buildings and cars, sending shafts of light up almost as if they were trying to touch the sky.
She reveled in this sensation, in the freedom and wonder of it all.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias can only be amazed, stunned and awestruck as the world of Titan city streams below him. This was something he'd thought he'd never see....though that said, a good number of things were things that he'd miss out on, terminal illness the cause for such a sentiment.
And yet here he was, airborne, seeing something that no human would ever see without the blessing of wings.
His gaze swung to Grace again, smiling with an exuberance he'd not shown since his awakening. With her fingers interlaced in his, the rush of the wind past his ears, and the delightful sensation of the change in air temperature as they breeze past towering skyscrapers he comes to realise, first and foremost.
He was alive, he was healthy...and life was with every step taking a turn for the better.
The flight is a wonder for Grace as well, reminding her of one of her own first real flights. The absolute first flights were awkward, clumsy, painful on occasion... But her first true flights were soaring and slow, warm from the sun, comforting, peaceful...
Grace watched Tobias for a moment until Wren brought them up beside her. She then watched the ground below them, unafraid of the height, her hand soft now held in Tobias', no grips of fear or elation, just a passive resting, fingertips warming the metallic plates of his knuckles.
The warm pockets of air buffet her and ruffle her wings, but not unpleasantly. She smiles and closes her eyes after a while, simply enjoying the warmth reflected all around them, the feeling of weightlessness and peace and protection... This was more like her usual state of being, and she relished ever moment spent this way, though was curious now to see where they were going.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Wren rose sharply up a cliff face, the stark contrast of the chalky rock against the grass and trees at the top a beautiful end to their flight. She stops, hovering over the spot she's going to deposit them, to let them look at it from a height first.
Atop the high cliff is a small meadow backed by deep green trees. The vibrant green of the long, soft grass is complimented by the scattering of brightly colored flowers all through the meadow. In the center is a large basket and blanket with some cushions or pillows scattered around it, and a silvery container.
Hovering in gentle circles over the meadow, she lowers Grace and Tobi, moving away a little to drop herself to the ground with a gusty backwinging to take some of the impact.
"So. This is my spot. What do you think?"
She sits, and begins to unpack the chilled basket, laying out smaller baskets of fruit and cheeses before moving the big basket out of the way. A few cups follow, and she opens the silver container, pulling out the bottle within. Upon opening what looks like a wine bottle, one can smell a sharp and fruity scent. she pours out the glasses and takes her own, allowing the others to take their time.
She sips her tart lemonade happily, sitting back against one of the cushions and just watching Grace and Tobias' reactions.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias had been awestruck the entire duration of their journey...and while people often said that it was the journey and not the destination, for this particular trip, the destination scrubs up pretty-much evenly. A gentle meadow, nestled within a decent-sized copse of trees, seemingly already set up with a picnic's worth of paraphernalia. Immediately, Tobias suspects conspiracy, eyes flicking to Wren as an eyebrow lofts, before his conspiratorial gaze swings to Grace.
He knew there was something going on. Sneaky, sneaky Wren.
As they're gently set down to appreciate the space, Tobias simply makes with a disbelieving chuckle, peering upward at the thoroughly gorgeous copse of trees. He turns to Wren and smiles, asking,
"Busy morning, huh?"
His gaze turns to Grace, a gentle contemplation crossing his mind. If ANYWHERE there would be a brilliant place to learn more about Grace, maybe allow her to speak freely, without the pressures of anyone overhearing, or being worried about asking the wrong questions, here was it.
As Wren pours out drinks, Tobias can only nod in absolute agreement, adding,
"And stuff like THIS is why I need to find some way to get flight-capable. I've been missing out."
Grace righted herself in Wren's blue bubble before touching the ground, stretching out her sandalled feet to greet the earth with far more pleasure than she had last time. She laughs softly, shaking her head at the picnic set up in the meadow, giving Wren a grateful look.
As Grace sits down, propping herself up on some cushions, her gaze is briefly taken by the beautiful area, and she says quietly, "...This is a lot like where I'm from... the meadow, the wood..." Until that moment, she had been almost entirely silent through their flight here, and still is a bit oblivious to the fact that she'd held Tobias' hand for most of the way. It had just seemed like the right thing to do...
She pauses for a long moment, then takes a cup of whatever the fruity drink was, sipping carefully. "Thank you, Wren..." she murmurs, smiling down at the cup in her lap.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
"You're welcome, lovey. I thought you'd like it up here. And now you know where it is so you can come any time after you're all healed up."
She looks into her cup for a moment, then out over the city in the distance.
"That's something I wanted to talk to you about. when the Doc says you're healed up enough to start working those muscles back into flying fit, I'm gonna do two things."
She looks directly at Grace, brow furrowed a tiny bit. Some part of her knew Grace would be alright... [i]with wing injuries, mom had said, we were a lot like birds[/i]. If it was healed up so that there wasn't a buildup of blood slowly decaying inside the wing. if the flight and body feathers were mostly intact, resumption of flight was all but assured. But she still worried. They'd have to take this slow, and build her back up carefully. She hoped Alan, Tobi, and Nick would let her take charge of the rebuilding. After all, she'd had to go through it twice before already, and knew how it should be done...
She shrugged off the bleak thoughts, and smiled again.
"First off, we'll start with the slow movements. You've seen me practicing the Tai-Chi. It's a lot like that. Different sorts of slow, deliberate motions to build strength back up again. Then, once I think you're doing well enough, I'll take you flying. In the beginning, I'll lighten you up like I've done before and we'll glide a lot so you can get back into the habit. All those little adjustments to the wind and thermals will help a huge amount. Every few days I'll give you more weight back, and before you know it, we'll be up flying circles around eachother again."
She tried to put as much confidence behind her words as she could, forcing herself to feel it, and shoving the worry down to deal with later.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias listens to all of this, astutely considering that if anyone knew about living with wings and the associated hazards, it'd be Wren. Tobias nods in agreement, offering,
"I mean, someone like dad can more than happily see to wounds, but if I had wings, which I seriously wish now that I did, I'd trust someone who had them too."
Quietly, Tobias brings a hand to thumb his chin, his knuckles catching the sunlight as he offered,
"Actually Wren, you may want to look into putting whatever rehabilitation techniques you know into writing. I'm sure someone like my father would seriously appreciate the input. Half of recovering from injury is proper rehabilitation, after all."
That said, knowing that Grace again might be made nervous by the fact that she might never take to the sky again, Tobias brings his gaze to regard her again, smiling and offering,
"Though, I'd be surprised if you weren't back to flying fit in no time. Plenty of rest, a bit of a workout and you'll be soaring around and making ME wish I could do the same before you know it."
He punctuates with another smile, taking whatever edge his well-meant envy might have in so much as a gesture, before he has a sip of his drink, peering at it curiously as if doing so might establish the nature of the beverage. It certainly didn't taste as if it had alcohol in it...though even if it did, unbeknownst to Tobias, it wouldn't make a difference. Nano-machine enhanced organs would swiftly eradicate any poisonous substances he ingested, alcohol certainly being one among that number.
Grace listened to Wren passively, her cup held gently in both hands. A sleepiness was sinking back into her bones, making her more relaxed and peaceful than she had been even moments ago. It makes Wren's worry sound and feel... unnecessary. She snuggled herself down on her wings gently, careful to favor the left one, but out of habit more than out of pain. It itched from time to time, but for now was quiescent.
With half-lidded eyes, mostly reclined against a small heap of cushions, Grace regards both Wren and Tobias peacefully. "...You're making it sound really difficult," she comments serenely, with a small smile. "...It isn't. I've never hurt my wings before, but I know what to do-- it just makes sense... It's easy, really. I'm not scared. ...I'll be fine..." Her eyes are starting to close a little, the warm sun and the dappled shade, the scent of wildflowers and trees and grass lulling her into a half-doze.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Wren smiles, and moves so she can stroke Grace's hair softly while she continues to Tobi. "You know... I was thinking about that. What if we did the strengthening exercises at your place and record? I can write down the procedure too, so your dad has both for future need, or just to have for giggles."
The drink is her own blend of lemonade and a lesser amount of other juices. Identifiable are grape, apple, and pineapple. There's not much sugar, as the three other fruits' sweetness is really all the lemons need to temper their sourness into enjoyable.
She relaxed along with Grace, humming the lullaby she'd learned from her mother. The day was one of those perfect days. Clear with little fleecy clouds wafting across the sky, and the perfect temperature. A light cool breeze mixing perfectly with the warmth from the sun. It was the kind of day she'd loved for as long as she could remember. And now she had two wonderful friends to share it with. It was as close to perfect as she could imagine.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias nods in agreement at that. Honestly, any excuse to have Grace around a little longer was fine by him. Though strangely, he has the notion in his head that she won't be a stranger after all is said and done. Having another sip of his lemony, fruity and thoroughly wonderful beverage for a day like today, he goes on to add,
"I'm sure he'd be more than happy with that. Anything to improve the medical profession, as he'd say."
Curiously Tobias also feels a tad dozy himself, not enough to make him curl up and take a nap, but certainly comforted by the pleasant surrounds and pleasant company...or in Grace's case: MORE than pleasant company. He smiles to the lady in question again, eyes lingering on hers for a little longer than they should, Tobi instantly writing it up to the warm day and pleasant environment and the unwillingness to do ANYTHING quickly right now.
That, and Grace seemed just that bit prettier in the dappled light, the shade playing across her wings with a thoroughly beautifying quality. He has another lazy sip of his drink, reclining from his seated position to rest on an elbow in the grass, the unfortunately close cut of his undersuit's top portion not really doing much to hide his physique at this juncture. Tobias of course was utterly oblivious to this, however, simply smiling and enjoying the day as it was, adding,
"I really missed going outside whenever I want to."
Grace seems to have interpreted the touch of Wren's hand through her hair and her humming as a sure sign that it was alright to fall asleep. Which she therefore does with expedience, slipping off into a warm and peaceful doze, a slight smile on her face. Every breath seems to move her wings slightly as it would move her shoulders, the breeze playing little games with her smaller, downy feathers.
The cup in her hands, however, is very slowly starting to tilt to one side, and will soon be in danger of emptying its contents into its sleeping owner's lap.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Wren chuckles softly as Grace slips off into sleepy land, and takes the cup, placing it in a convenient nook safe from spillage.
She continues in a softer voice, "Well... if I have anything to say about it, you'll get out more to some really fun - and high up - places." she smiles at her friend, "I have to fly Grace, after all, and it's more fun getting back in shape after an injury if you have somewhere to look forward to getting to."
She considers for a few moments before continuing in an even softer voice. "I'm pretty sure you've figured it out by now, but I set this up so you two could have some alone time together without prying eyes and ears. I know you have questions you haven't asked, and this ... this is like my fortress of solitude. No one comes up here, and even in a storm it's somehow more peaceful than anywhere else. I'm not really sure why. Though I thought I'd seen something in the past, but... well, I don't know if I did, and it's the kind of thing you don't really want to mention since most people'd think I was losing it!"
She chuckles softly, taking a bit of apple and more juice. "I'm not trying to play Cyrano, but I know you're both attracted, and I just thought... well... maybe I'm being silly... but you're two wonderful people and already dear friends. If two of my friends were able to find happiness with eachother, that would make me feel... I dunno... frackin' thrilled, really. Ifyou want me to stop being a busy-body, just say so, and I'll stop. Promise." She smiles at Tobi, clearly meaning every word.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias watches as Grace, likely still struggling with her energy levels, drifts off into a gentle doze. Perhaps she could still hear, perhaps she couldn't. However, Tobi hears clear as day, nodding in agreement as his eyes regard the slumbering Grace, smiling gently as he replies,
"There's meddling, and then there's helping. Kinda takes a bit of observance to tell which is which." He then chuckles gently and continues, "Though take it from me: I appreciate the help. I wasn't exactly Mr. Popular back in high school."
He smiles, nodding to Wren and offering,
"Tell you what: If I feel like it's getting in the way, I'll say so but..." He gestures around them, before shooting her a wry gaze "I'd be pretty dense to get angry with you for setting something like [i]this[/i] up. I mean, I just woke up out of a steel-plated, over-glorified coffin. I'll take a bit of help when it's offered."
He then swings his gaze back to Grace, slumbering peacefully in the shade of the nearby tree, the entire scene blessed of a uniquely pastoral quality to it. It was hard to imagine that just over the hill there was a bustling metropolis full of any number of things, a harsh and unrelenting world of concrete and steel. Tobias had always been a city kid, but he was fast coming to appreciate this natural scene around him.
After a moment more, a bit of a wry smile crosses his face, his gaze flicking down to Grace, still dozing beside him as he offers,
"Though...I think I'll it'd be wise to at least wait for Grace to wake up before you bow out. I'm not looking to do anything janky, but I'd hate for it to seem that way, too."
Grace didn't stir when the cup was taken from her hands, having fallen into one of those instantly deep sleeps she's prone to since injuring and overdoing herself several days ago. She sighs softly, shifts a little-- but gives no indication that she's heard anything that was said. And in honest, hasn't. Her mind is nothing but a peaceful, regenerative blackness....
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
"Don't worry, I know you aren't planning anything insidious. If you were that type, I'd have kicked your butt already." She flexes her arms and growls at Tobi, dissolving into soft laughter afterward.
"And yeah, I'll wait till she wakes up. Feel free to demolish some of the fruit though. Goodness knows I need a little refueling after carrying you both. It wasn't a -real- strain, but... better to refuel than not, need it later, and not have the reserves."
She smiles, and goes for more of the apple, and some grapes.
"The last time I was up here with anyone was a few days before mom died. I... still haven't found the ones responsible, though I have some blurry photos and voice samples from the end of a call that was recorded by an ATM camera and mic. I really... -really- want to find them. But I'm almost afraid to. I don't know if I could keep myself from killing them. and I know mom wouldn't want me to have that on my conscience."
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias smiles as Grace emits a comfortable sigh, the sound as soothing as any concerto he dared to name. Though at the mention of Wren's mother passing away, Tobi's brow furrows gently, as if he somehow knew that particular loss himself, though perhaps under different circumstances. With a gentle nod, he smiles and offers in reply,
"Well, now you're friends with a walking tank. If you ever get a bead on those guys, make sure to bring us all along. They won't know what hit 'em."
He then sighs gently, reaching over to collect himself some fruit, in this case some apple, but notices that it's all vanishing rather quickly. With a gentle hand on her shoulder, he softly jostles Grace, hopefully into consciousness, before intoning gently,
"Grace? Graaace...The fruit's vanishing pretty quick. May wanna wake up, hmm?"
He sighs gently, and shakes his head, empathy his expression of choice as he muses,
"Poor thing. That fight must've really taken it out of her..."
Grace didn't respond at first-- but then came awake slowly, with a flutter of the eyelashes, unbeknownst to her looking rather an awful lot like an awakening Disney princess in her gentleness and, well... -grace-. She rubs her eyes a little with loosely clenched fists, propping herself up a little more on the cushions and blinking at both Wren and Tobias.
"Hmmn?..." She looks down at the fruits, frowns a little, then sighs. "Oh-- I must've fallen asleep-- I'm sorry..." She blushes shyly, picking up a mandarin and demurely starting to pick at the soft peel.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
"Don't worry, lovey. Just wanted to wake you up to let you know that I need to head out for a few hours. Think you'll be happy here for a while? You just call me when you want a lift back, and I'll come to your rescue." She smiles and boops Grace's nose, standing and stretching her arms up to the sky, her wings spreading out to frame her before settling back around her.
She smiles, and walks to the edge of the cliff, and simply falls. After a few dozen feet, her wings snap outward to cup the air, and turn her fall into a gentle glide before stroking strongly up into the open air.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Tobias can only find his heart squeezing pleasantly at the incredibly dainty way Grace had stirred from her slumber, blinking in surprise as Wren makes a move to leave...basically now. While his mind scrambles for pleasant conversation topics, he busies himself with a sip of his fruity beverage, waving idly to Wren while she opens her wings, mantles them again and rather surprisingly strides off the edge of a cliff....
...Only to be seen again soaring into the sky, the vivid colors of her wings catching the sunlight as she soars off to do...well, whatever she had planned, leaving Tobias and Grace wonderfully alone again.
With a smile, he turns to Grace, smiling as he offers,
"So, this certainly beats being cooped up waiting for your wing to heal, I'd imagine. I mean, I had no idea what Wren had planned but...this was a really nice gesture."
Grace had made a noise of acquiescence, still pleasantly drowsy, and had closed her eyes again for a moment... before snapping them open again and twisting around at the waist to watch Wren fall off the cliff and soar away, leaving her who-knows-where, alone with Tobias.
She's instantly all aflutter and blushing, looking down at her lap, her fingers running along the rim of her cup shyly. -Wren!-... She clears her throat a little, trying to tell herself it's no different than it had been at the Wishart home, but... it -felt- like it.
Grace looks up through her lashes timidly, her smile a bit ironic. "...Wren's a very nice person, and I'm glad we met-- but sometimes I feel like she... she moves from thing to thing very quickly?" She shakes her head a little, looking away-- spying a little yellow wildflower and picking it, twirling it idly by the stem. She speaks to it for a moment, "...But she has a very nice heart, and she's almost always really happy, so..."
A bare shoulder shrugs shyly. What on earth was she supposed to say, now?
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias, still reclining on an elbow shrugs as best he can, offering,
"Well, at least she's always thinking ahead...and it's pretty obvious she's adopted you and isn't going to let up any time soon. As far as 'family' goes, I think you picked a good one, there."
He smiles to Grace again, watching as she twirls a wildflower, obviously feeling slightly shy again considering it was just the pair of them alone. In a picturesque meadow. With a healthy array of foodstuffs to graze on and not much of any sort of need to do anything for the rest of the afternoon.
Yeah, that was just slightly intimidating.
Still, he maintains his genial and honest nature, smiling to her and offering,
"You're lucky to have friends who support you like they do. Though, it seems like they've been pretty quick to snatch me up, as well. Not that I'm upset of course. As I said, they're all great people. Nick and Levi included."
His luminous eyes, curious as they were, watch Grace for a moment longer before flitting away as he this time rather deliberately complements,
"And...Y'know, I'd be kidding myself if I didn't think you were pretty awesome, too."
Grace laughs a little, shrugging a bit herself. "They say you can't choose your family, but I guess maybe sometimes you can?... I don't mind being adopted by Wren and then adopting Nick, too... He's a very sweet boy, but I think he'd be embarrassed if he knew I said so..."
She feels suddenly that her hair has come mostly free of its tie, and sets down both cup and flower to untie it, comb it with her fingers and tie it back again. She's a bit... taken aback by the compliment, flicking a glance up at Tobias, and then looking down at herself with a slight bewilderment, plainly a healthy skepticism there. Well, aside from the wings, because everyone thinks her wings make her something that she might not be, is pretty sure she -isn't- by this point... She very much hopes that's not how he feels about it.
Grace blushes slightly behind the very light smatter of freckles on her cheeks and nose, smiling ironically, but saying only, "Oh.... Thanks..."
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias had meant every word of his utterance, smiling to Grace as she reties her hair. While yes, it would be so very easy to place her atop a pedestal and worship her as if she were something beyond that of the normal being...for some reason, Tobias only saw who she was in front of him. A kind, demure and ever-endearingly bashful person. After all, how would he feel if all anyone ever saw were the implants, the servos and the capability as a weapon?
It seemed to him that Grace wanted, needed to be seen as a [i]person[/i]...especially after being damn-nigh worshipped as a celestial being for so long. And if he could show her how amazing a person could feel without needing to bend a knee? Well, that would be a privilege all it's own
He chuckles gently as she speaks about 'choosing family', nodding in agreement and retorting with,
"Yeah, I mean, sometimes life sticks you with family...and you wonder how you're even related to them...Then you luck out and find people who you wonder 'how did I never find you until now?'"
He smiles again, and affixes his vivid green gaze on her's, adding,
"And I know it's probably strange of me to say, but I feel like I click with you...and Wren and Nick better than anyone I ever called a friend in high school. I know it's only been a couple of days but...there y'go."
He then shrugs gently and gestures to her with an open hand,
"I'm still not sure how I'm going to tell people I used to know about what happened to me...and yet, everyone you've introduced me to is all 'Yep, cool. We get it. No problem.'"
He gazes at her rather pointedly, perhaps hinting rather directly as to how she'd almost immediately accepted him for what he was, adding,
"Well...I'd say you have no idea how freeing that is...but...I imagine you actually [i]do[/i]...and I get it too."
Grace picks up the wildflower again, twirling it about between thumb and forefingers, watching its petals blur back and forth. She avoids his gaze, but not purposefully-- she's just looking down at the little flower, letting the words roll over her like the breeze through the whispering trees.
She did smile, however, at his reference to family, and interjected softly with, "Yeah-- I know how that feels..."
Listening a little more, Grace blushed again, her softly freckled cheeks turning pink during the pause between 'I feel like I click with you' and the mention of Wren and Nick. She flicked her gaze up to Tobias after he finished, smiling a little as her gaze lands somewhere within his, momentarily pausing in her twirling of the flower stem.
Looking inadvertently up through her lashes, as she's wont to do with her timid nature, she considers for a moment before replying quietly, "I know how all of that feels." She paused for another moment before continuing. "...Where I'm from... Everyone knew me, and knew my family, and everyone felt the same way about me. And, well... it wasn't really how I felt about -myself-, or how I -wanted- to feel about myself..."
Her gaze flicked downward to the flower, plucking a petal, then another with the delicate tips of her fingers. "And then I met Nick, and Wren, and they just... Started from the beginning. I'm more of-- I feel-- more like 'me' since I met them. I don't have to do anything-- just be whoever I am, and that's fine with them. More than fine.."
She flicks her eyes back up to his face with a shy smile. "So yeah... I do know how freeing it is to have people like that around. ...And I'm glad to be one of those people for -you-..." Her flush deepened again.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias nods at that, running fingers over the metallic knuckles of his left hand, absorbing the inhumanly smooth texture of them, before flicking his gaze back to Grace, smiling warmly as he offers,
"Seriously? You've done more to make me feel okay with the fact that I'm basically a cyborg than anyone has managed so far. And I don't mean to discount Wren or Nick's input here, but...It seems like all you see is a person...and I appreciate that."
He sighs a little, peering at his hands, watching his fingers curl and extend as he muses,
"I'd actually begun to wonder how I'd even attempt being 'normal' after I was clear of the surgery, because in all honestly, I'm really not, any more. I hadn't even really thought passed the notion that I might survive it in the first place."
He then gestures to her adding,
"And here you come along and make me believe that it's actually all going to be alright. Because nothing that's been shoe-horned into me makes any difference. That's a pretty powerful thing."
He then shakes his head and sighs again, gesturing to her and offering,
"Though, I can't imagine coming from somewhere where EVERYONE knew me, what I was capable of and the fact that I was 'special'..." He smiles somewhat gently, a tinge of empathy spreading through his luminous eyes, as he finally adds,
"If it were me? I would've left home, too."
Grace watches Tobias' hands while he talks-- which only makes her blush even more, remembering holding his hand quite suddenly as they had been flying to this location. Her wings rustle and fluff up with her embarrassment, but she immediately tries to reign it in, not wanting to seem 'weird'... and completely discounting the fact that many folk would think that a girl with wings was 'weird'.
It's a few long moments before she can respond to Tobias, the conversation limping a bit awkwardly along, thanks mostly in part to her timidity, and that feeling of 'not knowing what to say'.
Eventually though, as she picks the petals off of the wildflower slowly, one at a time, she is able to speak softly again. "...I didn't really want to leave home, but... Like I said, what everyone else thought about me didn't... didn't mesh with what I -felt- about me. I mean-- I never talked to or heard God-- and I don't remember Heaven or anything..."
She fidgets a little, pulling her right wing around herself and pseudo-cleaning the white feathers with her fingertips. "But... I guess... growing up like that made me want to try to see everyone as they are, not how others think they should be. So... It's hard for me to see Cyborg You sometimes, because I'm trying very much to just see -You- You..."
Feeling as if she's starting to sound weird again, Grace falters a bit, the petalless flower now in her lap.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias chuckles at her comment, smiling warmly and offering in retort,
"Honestly, Grace? You seeing me in any capacity at all is complement enough for me. As you can probably tell, I didn't get a lot of female attention when I was growing up."
He makes with a somewhat awkward expression, pursing his lips at his admission. He hoped his lack of relative experience in the subject of dating wouldn't be a deal-breaker. Dredging himself out of his thoughts in what seemed to be little but a punctuating pause, he adds,
"Though, it's pretty understandable. 'Terminally ill' isn't exactly something I'd imagine to be a desirable trait if someone was fixing to find a boyfriend in high school."
He pauses after he'd said such, his brow furrowing before he gently shakes his head,
"Though, I've really gotta stop harping on about that. I'm better now. I should really be looking forward, not backward."
He pauses for a moment, potentially searching for a subject to deviate to, before his face lights up with an expression of epiphany, again gesturing to Grace and asking,
"So...what [i]is[/i] your family like, then? I mean, you've met all of mine...well, all of them that you can. Y'know, long plane flights and trips to the afterlife not-withstanding. Are they decent-enough people? Because it doesn't sound like you have all that much against them."
Grace had snapped her head up, staring at Tobias with round eyes as if someone had taken a photograph of her, frozen her quite still. There's that word again-- 'boyfriend'. Rattling around in her mind, it almost drowns out the meaning of the other words Tobias had spoken around it,
She coughs a little and breaks herself out of her momentary stupor, looking quickly away with a red face, rubbing her cheek. It's true enough-- most girls didn't look for relationships with boys who might die imminently. It just seems cruel to the heart to do so... But all that talk had given Grace the firm reminder that Tobias was most certainly vying for her romantic attention--
The change of subject is welcome, but her heart keeps fluttering around. The thought was uncomfortable, but-- weirdly not as uncomfortable as it would have to be to turn her -away- from the idea...
Collecting her thoughts, Grace continues to slowly, idly preen her right wing. "... My family is very religious. The whole community is, and well, that's alright for them. But in their hearts, I have to believe my mother and father are kind, gentle people-- I never got the impression that I was being used to raise their prestige, once I got my wings and they knew I could heal, you know? Not purposefully, no-- I was just... I was a blessing to them, a gift from God, blessed and a blessing..."
She drifted off for a moment, then shook her head a little. "No, my family are kind, gentle people. It's part of how they practice their beliefs. My brother--... I don't know much about him anymore, but he was a good person when I did know him. He--... He left the community a few years before I did-- he and my parents fought over something..."
She had started to look troubled again, going quite still... Then she shook herself a little again, and readjusts her slightly reclined position against the cushions. "They're decent-enough people," she echoes Tobias.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias smiles at that, honestly glad to know that for all her gifts, she hadn't at least been seen as a curse to the family.
"Well, while I can't say that being perhaps erroneously considered a celestial being is in any way a decent thing to happen to a teenager...it's certainly a lot better than the alternative. You hear about it all the time. Kids who find out they've got some kind of meta-human gift...only to have their family shun them or completely disown them for being different."
He glances over a shoulder, presumably in the direction of his family home,
"I'm really glad my dad isn't like that...and well, I figure my mom would be the kind of person to be kind enough to understand if any of her kids wound up a mutant or something....y'know, if she was still around..."
Tobias had suddenly dropped a rather large hint with that statement, coupled with his momentary saddened expression. Clearly the 'what' of where Mrs. Wishart had gotten to could be swiftly answered by reading between the lines that he'd uttered.
He then smiles a little, as if dredging himself out of a sobering thought, adding,
"And you've met my sister. Sam doesn't take crap from anyone. The Commander-in-Chief himself could strut up into our family home and she'd STILL be able to get the guy to leave his shoes at the front door."
Grace doesn't have to read between the lines-- she can -feel- Tobias' brief pain and sadness, and understands without words that his mother is dead. From what she isn't certain, but the way he had spoken and the -feeling- she gets leaves no doubt in her mind...
She had a thought to reach out to Tobias, but he had continued speaking, so she jerked back her hand. It takes a long moment or three to shake off that feeling of sadness and the confusion of wanting to reach out to the boy again in sympathy, but Grace is able to regain the ability to speak a moment later, her thoughts pulled to more endearing thoughts of Tobias' sister.
A weak smile tickles Grace's expression, and she shakes her head a little. "Sam is... she is very assertive, but she seems kind, also..."
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias nods at that, his smile gaining strength as he confesses "Yeah, she takes after mom quite a bit. Though you don't get to be a high-flying corporate type like she was unless you've got a bit of steel in your spine."
With that, he finally lets the sadness come to the foreground again, as if he'd been stifling it every time it had emerged, perhaps out of the necessity to keep up a brave face when everyone else seemed to be faltering around him. That selflessness was likely one of his best traits...but it didn't leave much room for him to experience things as he needed to...What's more, Grace seems to give off the kind of aura? Energy? that almost encouraged him to speak on less...jovial subjects, as if she had the ability to soothe such just by listening,
"Mom....well, she died about five years ago. Probably six months before I started getting sick. It was weird, real sudden. Like, one of those things where one moment she was alive and healthy and the next she was gone. She suffered an aneurysm...well, actually three of them in one go while at work one day. Just stopped in the middle of a presentation and collapsed. According to paramedics, she was dead before she even hit the ground."
Tobias shakes his head, it curious to see the confusion and sadness in his otherwise luminous eyes,
"I...Wren told me a little bit about what happened to her mother while you were dozing...Probably why I'm on this subject...It's just...when you've got nothing you can point at and say 'they did it', how do you quantify something like that, y'know?"
Grace hadn't meant to make Tobias' pain surface like this, but in a strange way is both grateful for it-- as she knows it will help Tobias heal himself-- and maybe a bit flattered that he trusts her enough to tell her something so deeply personal.
She has heard the word 'aneurysm' before, and so is aware of what had happened to Tobias' mother. But, as it is wont to do, pain brings up Grace's need to touch others-- her healing requiring such a thing-- though she's never been certain if her healing touch can heal hearts or emotions.
Grace sits up and scoots herself over to Tobias, hugging him innocently, gently around the shoulders, her right wing extending instinctively around his back-- as if to protect him from his pain. Her eyes are closed, sharing that sadness by the expression on her face. After a moment though, she says softly, "...It was very fast. That's very hard, for you-- but was very simple, for her. She didn't have time to suffer-- and she's with God now, Tobi. I promise you, she's definitely not in any pain now... I don't know what the reason was, for her to be taken away, but-- she'll never be in any more pain..."
She pauses, then asks softly, opening her eyes to look Tobias in the face. "If you tell me her name, I can... I'll pray for her, if you want?" She's a bit pink, shy of offering, in case it seems somehow offensive to Tobias that she'd asked.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias chuckles somewhat weakly as Grace moves to embrace him, his arms instinctively coming around her as he sighing somewhat, now thoroughly encircled by the warmth of her singular, functional wing, the scent of it mingling with that of the meadow's warm, natural smells,
"Here we are supposed to be having a relaxing time of things and I go and start dredging up painful history..."
He then nods, his expression shifting to one of conceding sadness,
"Yeah....In the end it was probably for the best that it was quick. Hate to have that happen to her only to wind up in a long, drawn out attempt at staying alive. I've done that before. It's not fun. I know she's in a better place, wherever that happens to be...but sometimes it pays to hear it from someone that isn't the voice of reason trying to placate you."
Eventually, as she looks him in the eyes and offers to pray for his mother, he can only find himself nodding gently. It was likely no secret that the Wishart family wasn't deeply religious, after all, on many occasions religion and medical science seemed to butt heads rather sternly, however, Tobias himself could only find comfort in the notion of someone offering to put in a good word for his family.
"Yeah....I think she'd like that. Her name was Sofia. Sofia Wishart."
Grace smiled a little, nodding. "Sofia... That's a very pretty name. ...I'll pray for her."
The winged girl closed her eyes for a few moments, as if doing so then and there-- but silently. She is quite still, except for the passive motions of her breath, including the slight rise and fall and constant readjustments of her right wing, a breeze playing through the feathers and making a soft, sibilant sound as they brush together.
Grace finally releases Tobias, and perhaps a bit quickly. Unsure if Tobias had felt a bit of a release, -Grace- certainly felt as if Sofia's soul was at peace. Still, even a healing touch felt unsolicited when applied to the boy, and she sits back on her knees a bit awkwardly, snapping her wing back against herself. "S-sorry... I don't mean to presume or anything-- and it must be hard for you..." She sounds embarrassed and contrite.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias gently shakes his head as she retreats, actually feeling quite a bit better. He'd not heard her utter her prayer, but there had been a sudden uplifting feeling, as if a weight had been pick lifted from his very soul and done away with. He didn't know how to quantify it, but he certainly felt better than he did.
"No..." He says gently, smiling to her with a surprising warmness. "No, it's okay. It's hard, yeah, but I get by. And I'm not so sure Mom ever really went far after she died. I could've sworn that on a couple of days when I was in the hospital and feeling really hopeless...she was there. Like, you can feel a person standing there before you ever see them. Does....did that ever happen to you at any point? Or am I just crazy? Because on other days I could swear Death was sitting at the end of my bed all like, "I hope you don't mind, I brought a book..."
His last question actually carries with it a remarkable amount of wry mirth, it appearing that for all Grace might've presumed, perhaps in her mind been a little 'forward', it certainly did a good deal to bolster his emotional strength. The last line, too, is delivered with a sort of droll, British inflection, as if Tobias were impersonating the spirit of Death in voice, and most certainly in jest.
Grace is a bit hesitant to answer at first, uncertain if she -has- ever felt anything like that... but, then again... She smiles a little, surprised into a small giggle at his imitation of what Death might sound like.
"I... I don't really know anyone I was close to who died, so I can't really say that that's ever happened to me..." she says softly first, then hurries quickly on, "But I-... I get -feelings- sometimes. I get very uncomfortable when people are upset, I--"
Grace frowned a little, broaching the subject of her empathy for the first time, even to herself, and very slowly working through the concept with words, making it real to herself. "...It's like that stillness you feel right before it starts to rain in a bad storm... It sort of guides me through social things sometimes, when it's tense or someone's angry or sad I just-- I know. I can feel it." She pauses, ventures uncertainly, timidly, "...I think maybe I-- I might be-- feeling what other people are feeling, sometimes?"
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias was intrigued to hear about how Grace interpreted her empathetic ability, somewhat surprised to know that it was emotional as well as physical. He then rather gently nods, gesturing to her and offering,
"Well, maybe there's something to that. I mean, and thinking about your abilities from an evolutionary perspective, it'd make it easier to detect if another person was injured. You'd sense their fear, their panic, and you can home in on it. And y'know, being that people are complex creatures, 'ow, hurt' can be broken down into a number of different emotions. Also bearing in mind that humans are social animals...it'd give you an edge in 'pack' situations where you've gotta gauge whoever you're looking at without asking them directly "
A thought crosses his mind at that, a furrow of thought momentarily flashing across his face as he inquires,
"So....is that ability always 'on', though? Because if it is, you must really hate crowds."
Bearing in mind what she'd volunteered, he felt it only fair to divulge something in regard to himself, adding,
"Interesting fact: I have a sheathe of reactive armor encasing my torso just below my muscles. It's flexible, so it doesn't bother me. In fact right now, I can't even tell it's there. But if I get shot? It turns rigid like a steel plate, effectively stopping the bullet before it hits anything vital. That also goes for heavy, concussive strikes as well....and now I feel even more like I'm something other than human because...I'm pretty sure no-one else has that."
Grace is all awash with wonder the more she listens to Tobias-- because the more she listens, the more it makes sense how and why this could be... She'd never even considered that her emotional nature was anything but average and just part of her personality until now, and saying it aloud seemed to make it real and tangible, -another- type of power she could tune in to... Though Tobias' diagnosis was almost clinical in its scientific way.
His question startles her a little, and she pauses, pulling over several cushions and setting up right next to Tobias this time, nestling her wings into the cushions and partway reclining again. She looks thoughtfully out over the meadow towards the city, touching her chin. "...I-- I don't know, honestly. About it being on all the time-- I -guess- it must be, whatever it is?... I feel it the most around my 'family' though-- Wren and Nick. When they're happy, I can feel it, and when they're upset..." She glances shyly sideways at Tobias, remembering how upset Nick had been the first day he'd seen her after her injury. And his brief clash with Tobias.
"...Mostly I just feel disturbed when others are upset. I mostly don't like crowds because, well... I don't know how people are going to react to -me-... Honestly, I didn't even know I had anything like this til just now-- you made me think of it for some reason. I just thought... I just thought I had a sensitive personality..." She rubs the back of her neck under her hair, her wings fluffing up a bit in embarrassment.
"...And that's a good thing to know about you, in case I should ever need to heal you or something. I... I hope I don't have to..." She gives Tobias a small smile. Apparently if that information was supposed to shock her, it didn't.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias huffs a laugh, smiling and adding,
"Oooor, y'know, if I happen to get shot in the chest at any point, it'll mean decidedly less freaking out knowing that nothing vital took any damage..." He then smiles again, following up with, "Though, I'll try my best to keep 'getting shot' to an absolute minimum."
He was rather surprised that she hadn't reacted with the level of surprise that he had been expecting. After all, sub-dermal reactive armor wasn't exactly a standard feature on most, if not all human beings. The fact that Grace had reacted so very casually about it had him inclined to think that despite her cloistered upbringing, she was entirely more open-minded than many might suppose she was.
And in his situation, that was [i]more[/i] than a good thing.
As she settles in basically right beside him the closeness of her wing near to him makes the unique, living scent of her feathers entirely stronger, again it something that Tobi was finding to be increasingly pleasant the more he was exposed to it. Remembering his momentary, almost territorial clash with Nick...which in his mind continued to be an utterly stupid and pointless argument, he shakes his head and admits,
"Yeah...sorry about that whole thing with Nick. I know he was just looking out for you...but I got the feeling he was making assumptions about my character that I didn't like. I'm just glad we were able to bring some sense into the equation before things got ugly. He's a good guy, and I got no business making enemies out of good people, y'know? And Wren's awesome, too. Probably a difficult person to keep up with bearing in mind all the energy she seems to have....but she'd definitely good people."
Eventually, his retorts swing back to the notion of her having to heal him, a gentle smile crossing his face as he states with incredible honesty,
"And I hope you don't ever have to patch me up from something that severe, either...but If I had to, I'd gladly take a bullet knowing it was keeping you out of harm's way."
Grace didn't honestly care about what was under Tobias' skin. She had grown rapidly used to how his face looks with the shiny, slightly protruding plates, and how his body looks with yet more scattered plating, fairly quickly. She'd never known him without them, for one thing-- and for another, she had always been open-minded. It was just part of her nature to be curious, and to seek answers to her questions about life and the world and the people in it.
"Nick--... Nick is a very sweet boy," she says softly, thoughtfully. "He is very loyal and very protective of his friends and his family. And, I guess, he feels bad that he wasn't able to help, and that we got hurt because of it, regardless of if he could have handled himself or not." She ponders a moment, then admits shyly, looking down at her lap, "...-I- didn't know if I could handle that situation or not, but I -had- to help Doctor Wishart. And you."
She flicks a quick glance and a smile up at Tobias through her lashes, a bit pink in the cheeks. A bit of bemusement underlays her tone as she comments dryly, "...And I hope I don't have to either, but if you do insist on getting in the way of people who are trying to shoot me again, I think that kinda defeats the purpose."
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
There was something about that look, veiled by her dainty lashes that seemed to send his heart into a flutter. She likely had no idea just how stunning such a thing could be if she delivered such appropriately...which she'd managed without even trying. He'd only been out of the Sarcophagus for a couple of days, but already it seemed as though she was working a number on him that wouldn't fade away in a hurry.
At her comment about him potentially taking shots in protection of her person, he can't help but shrug and offer,
"Well, I certainly don't mean to make you work too hard patching me up...but if I gotta? I gotta. If the situation calls for it? I won't think twice."
He punctuates with a wink, the vivid, glowing green of his right eye flickering as his eyelid flashed across it, a smile cresting across his face as a decidedly more gentle glow rises in his cheeks. It wasn't so much the sharp, shocked glow of embarrassment, but something more gentle, rising and fading in its own time. However, the stirring in his heart causes him to wonder rather suddenly, and so, with a considerable show of bravery, he manages to ask,
"So...was there anyone waiting for you back at home? Besides your family, I mean."
The question is left fairly open-ended, allowing her to answer as she wished...though for the life of him, Tobias' heart had never beaten faster in his life, the crushing thought of her answering his question in the positive a worry to say the least...and for some reason, the hope that the answer would be 'no' equally as deft at sending his heart into a voracious patter.
Grace had plucked another wildflower from the edge of the blanket, leaning forward to reach it before sitting back-- just in time to catch Tobias' wink. She stares at him, her eyes round, blushing pink at about the same rate as his more electronic, green glow.
If she thought that was shocking, his question a moment later is even moreso-- though it takes several long moments of looking down at the little flower in her fingers before what he's really asking her makes a sudden sense. She swallows thickly, with a little difficulty, suddenly feeling about as trepidatious about answering the question as he was to hear her answer.
An awkward pause extended for a few long moments, before Grace clears her throat softly. "Oh. Ahm... If you mean... well... Uhm, n-no." She had meant to stop there, but her mouth kept moving for another moment or two, to Grace's horror as the words blurt out, "--Nobody ever really thinks about an Angel of God as a potential girlfriend--"
She is very still for a moment, red to the tips of her ears, studiously plucking petals off the flower in her fingers.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
A gentle wash of relief rolled across Tobias' mind like a steady wave...while GUARDIAN inadvertently did its utmost to try and bring his heartbeat into more acceptable ranges, though Grace's answer was more than enough to do so. Strangely, he seems a little saddened by that fact. Everything he'd learned about Grace in the few days he'd known her blatantly said that any lad lucky enough to win her affections would be supremely lucky....and yet because she'd been shoved on such a lofty pedestal from the moment it was known she was 'different', she'd never had the chance to experience more 'normal' things such as that.
Well, he certainly hadn't placed her on some lofty plinth. From where he sat now, he could see eye to eye with her...and if he was honest, they were certainly a pretty pair of eyes. After a moment where he catches himself staring into her eyes again, he clears his throat, his eyes flicking left, right, then downward before he speaks,
"That's...well, honestly, that's kinda crappy...but, again I know what that's like...if in the completely opposite context. As I said earlier: terminally ill guys don't make for good boyfriends, apparently."
He then offers her the most gentle of nudges with his shoulder that he could likely manage, perhaps a little worried of bowling her over and stressing her injured wing,
"Still, at least the previously terminally ill guy sees you eye to eye. To me at least, you're a really nice girl who just so happens to have wings...which is still awesome, by the way. I'm still slightly jealous of the fact you can, once your wing his healed up, fly whenever you want to. That's gotta be a pretty hefty consolation even on the worst days."
Grace had tucked her lips into her mouth, plucking the petals slowly off the flower she had picked, but had softened her expression and looked up at Tobias after a few moments, feeling the awkwardness ease into more 'normal' ranges. Something she could handle... She realizes she's looked up, and she and Tobias are making pretty direct eye contact--
Strangely, the boy is the first to look away, obviously a bit embarrassed by the way his eyes had then searched for something -else- to look at. Even more strangely, she feels reasonably comfortable watching his face for a while longer, clutching the nearly naked stem of the little flower between her thumb and her fingers. She huffs a little sound of amusement, feeling her lips start to smile.
"It is a really nice thing to be able to do-- to get away. But you're forgetting-- we -do- have a resident genius who could help you fly. Nick-- that's what makes him 'special'... He's very, very smart. I think he's going to make -his- suit thing flight capable so, I bet he could help you. And isn't one of those people at your house an engineer?"
She smiles a bit more softly, timidly. "...I don't want you to be jealous of me, Tobi... I'm really sorry I can't take you flying, but-- you can fly someday for yourself, if you wanted to..."
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias is swift to smile in response, it a partially placating gesture as he shakes his head,
"I say 'jealousy', but it's really more of a well-intentioned envy. I'm honestly glad you've got such an amazing outlet....though I may be inclined to talk to Nick about getting something set up that'll get me airborne."
There follows a mirthful chuckle as he adds,
"Though, I dare say it'll be far less pretty and far more noisy than your wings are. Getting me and a suit of power armor off the ground is going to take...well, I dare say something in the realms of a small explosion."
His eyes return to hers again, as if to further reinforce the point that to him, at least, they saw eye to eye, were equals...that he didn't see some lofty, unreachable person to be worshipped. Instead, he saw someone who wanted to be accepted for who she was, to be appreciated without need for pretext or title. With what seemed like the umpteenth smile he'd made with today, he nods to her with certainty and says,
"So yeah, I think it's more a matter of 'when' and not 'if'. Because if I know one thing: It'd be nice to be able to share the sky with you."
Grace practically squirmed where she was sitting, blushing heatedly at Tobias' certainty. It really shouldn't have made her react so strongly-- but it seemed as if she should have been embarrassed somehow by how strongly he felt... And maybe it was some other feeling entirely that she wasn't wholly aware of receiving from him...
She makes an effort to recover though, as the light begins to change around them, taking a slow breath, and searching for her voice-- finding it-- but not finding anything to say with it. Instead, she looks up-- and is surprised to realize that the sun is lowering, casting a red, gold, and orange hue on the clouds and the little meadow.
"Oh," she said weakly at the realization.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias had...well, he couldn't really say that he was entirely pleased to see the sun going down. It felt like they'd only had a snippet of time to talk, relax and get to know one-another. That said, he'd seen some encouraging reaction from Grace, who seemed to be slowly but surely coming out of her shell. He suspected that as time went on and she drew closer to being able to fly, her confidence would slowly improve along side it.
Though if today had proved anything, it was that they could more than happily get out of the house for a while without causing too much of a fuss. Perhaps they could try something else tomorrow?
With a gentle sigh, the glow of his eyes intensifying in the fading light, he utters,
"Looks like the sun's going down. Did...you want to call Wren just yet? Because I'd be happy to stay a little while longer if you wanted to."
Instead of answering Tobias directly... Grace is very thoughtful for a moment. She looks at him during a pause, watching the glow of his eyes intensify a little as the light starts to change, and fade. A little smile is on her face as something occurs to her.
"You were in hospital for a long time..." She pauses, then, instead of answering, asks Tobias a question.
"...When was the last time you really saw a sunset?"
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias blinks at that question, honestly rather surprised by it. He hadn't ever considered such a thing before. With a momentary thoughtful expression, perhaps it a reminder of all he'd missed out on thus far thanks to his illness, he gently shakes his head and offers,
"Like this? I can't even remember how long it's been. And personally? I'd like to be able to remember at least one."
His gaze flicks to hers again, a warm smile crossing his face. Inwardly he also considers that with Grace sitting here beside him? He wasn't about to forget THIS sunset in a hurry. As the fading light continues to slowly relent it's grasp on the sky, Grace would be more vividly able to see that the glow that often rose in his cheeks was actually a pattern of fine circuitry, the glow often diffused by his skin to a point where it looked simply like a luminous blush...however now, she could likely see such with perfect clarity, as the sky took upon itself hues of pinks and oranges.
"Yeah, I think I'm happy to stay for a bit longer."
Grace looked maybe a bit too long for social comfort at Tobias' face as the light began to change, forgetting her demurity and timidity for a little while to watch with fascination as the glow on his cheeks became stronger and more defined-- with a definite pattern, curious and interesting and aesthetic...
She clears her throat softly and tries to look away, but her eyes don't seem to want to cooperate. The best she can do is lower her chin a little, looking more upward through her lashes. As the setting sun paints her white wings with a distinctly golden light, the passing clouds overhead washed in pinks, reds, oranges and golds, Grace feels... something. Something from Tobias, something from herself. And after a moment, she hears herself ask softly, after a long, but reasonably comfortable silence,
"...You like me, don't you..."
She is blushing-- it's still easy to tell-- but she seems to be making an effort towards... something, utilizing a very quiet, dignified sort of inner strength to do so. Her fingers are gripping small handfuls of her soft cotton skirt, and it takes everything she has not to look away, not to fidget or look as uncomfortable as she feels inside.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias' head rocks back somewhat, a deliberate blink following in an expression that would look mightily similar to being smacked in the face with a plank of wood. All of this was thanks to Grace's pointed and rather 'more forward than he'd been expecting' question. The glow in his cheeks brightens considerably as the question rattles around inside his skull, a fierce debate whether he should play it cool or answer honestly warring in his mind.
And then he remembers exactly who he's talking to.
Likely Grace could sense his present emotional situation before he'd ever gather the courage to speak honestly about it...though curiously he didn't see anything in her questioning or body language that suggested that she was frustrated by the notion, either. With a gentle clearing of his throat, his first attempt at eye contact failing miserably due to the golden light catching her feathers and making her look oh-so-very-radiant. His second attempt at such is almost equally as sheepish as hers, before a gentle nod precedes his words, his honest admission,
"I...well, Uh...Eh...who am I kidding? Yes. Yes I do. But I got reasons, and they're good ones."
At Tobias rather... -tumultuous- emotional response to her simple question, Grace does begin to fidget a little. She is suddenly uncertain again-- she's uncertain about -everything-, in this situation-- and breaks eye contact to look back down at her hands in her lap.
She closes her eyes for a long moment as the tumult eases, her grip easing in the fabric of her skirt, and she slowly tries to look back at Tobias after he candidly admits in the positive to her question.
Well. That was something. And it -was- positive. Though, he'd intrigued her, piqued her curiosity beyond the level of her trepidation and uncertainty about all this, and she asks quietly as she finds his green eyes again in the golden light. "...What are they?..."
To her, it just seemed a natural question to follow up with. It doesn't occur to her that she might be putting Tobias 'on the spot', and possibly making life pretty difficult for him just then.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias again is placed firmly on the spot, it apparently his turn to be a little awkward and bashful. Though all things considered, it was a perfectly natural question to follow up with. Unfortunately for him however, he didn't exactly have an answer ready to go. While the feeling of his affection doesn't dwindle in the slightest, searching for the reasons among the pleasant haze of it took a moment, to say the least.
"I...well..." He manages to start off, his gaze flicking away for a moment, before returning to hers again, a bit of a smile crossing his face as he admits,
"Well, I'd be understating things drastically if I said I thought you were attractive...And...You're also really kind...and understanding, too. I mean, it takes a certain someone to be able to look at someone as...different as me and see past everything that makes me less human. That's a pretty big one, right there."
He pauses again, momentarily thumbing his chin, though curiously, the longer their eyes stay locked, the easier complements seem to come to him.
"You're generous...and you genuinely care about the people around you. You don't try to be anyone you're not. Oh, and there's the whole 'saving my life' thing. That's part of it, too. Risking life and limb IS an attractive quality, after all."
He smiles, though internally he's a little bit of a storm of worry. Was he laying it on too thick? Was he being weird and clingy? Was all of this way too sudden? Well, not much he could do or say now. The truth was now on the table. Grace would make of it what she wished. The only thing he could hope is that he hadn't shot himself in the foot.
Grace had tilted her head a little in an expression of curiosity as Tobias talked, her knees drawn up a little but with her arms around them to maintain her modesty- holding down her skirt. It's a relaxed posture, if ever there was one-- she doesn't even seem to mind their eye contact. To her, it's an experience she's absorbing as a whole. Yes, she's embarrassed, and she can't contain her blushing in the slightest. But... Her heart feels strange-- a bit uncomfortable, but she sort of likes it that way? There are butterflies in her stomach, and she feels just a little bit like Wren's magic was still making her light...
The content of Tobias' words causes this reaction as much as the way he's looking at her. Many of the things he'd said about her were things she'd heard before-- kindness, generosity... But from people with far different intentions, and never from someone with-- what she assumes anyway-- are -Tobias'- eventual intentions.
She can feel the tell-tale 'uneasy' feeling in her head, and knows he's worried... About what? Her rejection, answers her mind promptly. So, she puts on a small, hopefully reassuring smile of her own, though it takes a moment to find her voice.
"Oh. ...Those... those are all really nice things to say, Tobi..." his name slips out in it's shortened version without Grace realizing again. Her gaze drifts away for a few moments, but comes naturally back after that short pause as she takes a slow breath, as if readying herself for something uncertain, the light even more saturated with color.
"...Tobi. I... I've said it before, but maybe not exactly like this--" She closes her mouth, her eyes, takes another breath, trying to find the right words. Eventually she opens her eyes again and says in her shy, quiet way, "...I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say, or what to do. I--..."
Grace struggles for another moment, squeezing her knees a little, the breeze playing with her ponytail. She sighs, and says as simply as she can, her voice tripping up a little here and there-- "...Nobody ever told me anything about how r-... re-... about how relationships are supposed to work. To my family and my community, I'm a creature of God. And... well... aren't creatures of God chaste, and celibate and all of that? Nobody ever thought about telling me what to do if someone liked me because nobody ever would do that... It's just not something anybody ever thinks about an Angel."
She swallows nervously, but bravely continues to look into Tobias' face. "...So... So--... I'm sorry that I don't know what's right and not right, what's appropriate or inappropriate, what to do or what to say... I don't want you to think I'm... I'm being... that I'm not..." She takes another steadying breath, manages to say, "...I don't want you to think I'm being mean, or rejecting you or something... I'm just really, [i]really[/i] nervous..."
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias seems both surprised...and strangely relieved by what she had to say, especially in regard to her comments about her not rejecting him. He also understands her relative nervousness, a hand gesturing to himself as he offers,
"Well, you're not the only one, Grace. I mean, I can't say I was burdened with an overall abundance of experience as far as relationships are concerned, either. Sure, I perhaps got exposed to a lot more of the 'what it's supposed to be like according to TV'...but I figure all of that's just over-blown drama anyway."
He then smiles, gently nudging her with a shoulder, offering up,
"Though, that just means that that pair of us are in a unique position. We don't have to conform to any of the usual, relationship-type stuff that everyone else follows...because you were never exposed to it...and frankly, I just don't care about it. If I want to do something nice for someone, I will. People can make comments, people can suppose. I don't care."
He pauses for just a moment, peering at his fingers, his knuckles catching the flecks of gold peeking through the trees as he finally smiles to her and admits,
"Because I've already wasted too much time dying. You only get so much time...So I'm not gonna waste that on what strangers think of me...and anyone I happen to like."
His gaze hovers on hers pointedly, a smile meandering across his face, it of a starkly more easy and relaxed quality than the metal plates on his cheekbones would otherwise hint toward,
"Though...if I can ask: what are you nervous about?"
For a moment, the way Tobias had nudged her had rocked her out of her contemplative mood. Fora moment, all she could think about was how strong he was, how his corded arm had felt against hers, how the light made the metal plates on his face, his collarbones, his knuckles shine...
She regains her balance physically, but maybe doesn't equalize quite as well mentally, though an ironic smile is on her face now, thumbs brushing idly back and forth across her cloth-covered knees.
His simple question about what made her nervous makes her think more directly about it. Surprisingly, at least to herself, she is able to answer a little, if quite slowly at first.
"...I'm... I'm afraid to do something 'wrong', I guess-- that's the biggest part. But before that happens, I'm afraid I'll--... that I'll just -miss- something that's important, making me and the other person very uncomfortable and awkward. Some look that means I'm supposed to do something, some word or phrase that's said that I won't know how to respond to..." She pauses, the light dimming now to a more crimson hue, the sun almost fully below the horizon, sparking fire from the windows of the taller skyscrapers below.
"...I'm nervous because-- because I don't know what to say or do, really. That someone..." She pauses, amends with a deeper flush, "...That you'll expect something from me, and I won't do it or say it just because I don't know what you need or want... I'm nervous of being awkward and uncomfortable..."
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobi nods as Grace expresses her concerns, and all of them were entirely valid ones. He shifts his posture, sitting up more fully, looping an arm across his knees before speaking,
"And I'd be lying if I said I didn't have the same concerns. Think about it: you and I share something in common in the fact that neither of us have ever had a relationship. You due to people shoving you on a pedestal where you never thought you were able to...and me because I was one foot in the grave. And now we've got the added bonus of a few extra additions."
He gestures to her wings, then to himself, with his glowing eyes, the metal plates jutting through his skin, as if to emphasize the point that neither of them were really 'normal' any more. He then shrugs somewhat and offers,
"I think everyone's afraid of making a mistake when it comes to other people. How do you live it down? How do you make it up to the person you inadvertently slighted?"
There's a pause as he let's that notion sink in, before he continues,
"In the end, you can't account for every mistake you'll ever make. But, I guess the trick is finding someone who isn't going to hold it against you...and I'll be honest: I've got no time for grudges."
He turns his head to smile to her, his gaze taking on more and more light as afternoon gives way to dusk, remembering that not a few days ago, in this sort of light, he'd carried her, unconscious and with a wounded wing away from an afternoon of gunfire and ill-intent. To see her now, alive, well and healing, and speaking her mind...well, it was the most rewarding thing in the world.
"So, yeah. I like you. More than enough to forgive a a few mistakes. Because, I'm no better. I'll certainly make a few of my own."
Truthfully, Grace has very little idea where any of this is coming from. The very -thought- of speaking with such candidness to someone of the opposite gender about matters of the heart is so foreign and embarrassing it usually locks her voice, and throws away the key.
But... She never thought she would adopt a new family, either. Never thought she would do-- well-- quite a few of the things she's doing in Titan City, now... She smooths and smooths her skirt repeatedly, though the cotton fabric has a built-in wrinkle that will never go away, watching the material stretch and spring back repeatedly for a few moments.
"I... ... ... I see..." she says after a little while, lifting up her head to watch as the upper half of the sun starts to be swallowed up by the curvature of the Earth.
"...I'd forgive you, too..." she murmurs-- though it's almost inaudible, and her face blushes more darkly again.
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
As the sun's grip on the city seems to give way and relinquishes it's dominion, the stars begin to fleck the darkening sky. For the moment, it's only the brightest few: Venus, as well as a few more scattered about here and there. However, for all his worth, Tobias can only keep his eyes on Grace. The glow from his iris and pupils seems to now spill onto his cheeks, illuminating part of his face in subtle, but decidedly interesting ways.
"So...maybe tomorrow we can go out again? Make a few mistakes and laugh about them over a few round of air hockey and some ice cream? Not exactly usual 'date' material...but we basically agreed that neither of us are really doing anything as the playbook says we should."
Somewhat passively, he finds his shoulder now settles gently against hers, corded, bulky muscle meeting Grace's much more slender and feminine arm. Though, a moment of curiosity happens to flare up in his mind. He'd said pretty candidly that he was into her....and she'd basically said in not so many words that she liked him as well, though a guy could never be too sure...
"Though...I take it all of this means you like me too?"
Grace blushed and fidgetted hard for a moment, squirming a bit, her feathers suddenly puffed up... But had settled almost as quickly, exhaling in an audible, and a bit long-suffering of a sigh. It was the language, she thought, and even managed a little smile of chagrin at her initial reaction to it. "...There's a playbook?" she remarks in a semi-rhetorical, rubbing the back of her neck for a brief moment.
Her arm nestles against Tobias', the secret of it's strength concealed while at rest, feeling slender and smooth against his. She doesn't -quite- manage to look at him directly, but had turned her head in his direction at least. Though this doesn't really do much for her sense of equilibrium, as it basically leaves her staring at Tobias' ill-concealed chest, likely still clad in the upper portion of his undersuit.
She opened her mouth, but was overwhelmed the first time with a cresting wave of shyness as the sun slipped below the horizon, twilight enhancing Tobias' glowing color, as if he is acting as a lamp, a beacon for them both... Taking a quiet little breath, Grace looks down at Tobias' hand and tries a second time, with more success. She nods once-- and manages several words.
"I... Yes. I do..."
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias' reaction to such is remarkably curious. On the one hand, while he wants to stand up, run a lap around the meadow and carry on like a maniac...he manages to subdue himself enough to not terrify poor Grace sitting beside him as she was already the very image of demurity and modesty. Instead, he simply smiles as warmly as he can, a moment of gentle quiet flowing through his being before he confesses,
"I...well...that's the first time anyone's ever told me that...Didn't figure it'd feel this awesome..."
Again, his cheeks light up with a now vivid glow, his hand lifting, moving perhaps to pluck and toy with a blade of grass...however...instead it lands gently atop Grace's dainty fingers, a momentary shock of realisation hitting him...before instead of raw panic, a gentle flare of something far more gentle and warm flares in his chest, his hefty paw curling around hers.
He finds himself smiling in the failing light, his gaze swinging back to hers again as he finally adds,
"So...we should do something. Go out. I mean, not [i]now[/i] but maybe tomorrow? Or if you need a bit more of a rest, the day after?"
He chuckles, shakes his head somewhat and finds his words once more,
"Sorry if I'm getting a little over-eager...I just....I'm just...excited. Y'know, life's looking up...I'm a little 'do all the things'. But if you're interested in getting out for a little while tomorrow, I'd be [i]more[/i] more than happy to take you somewhere."
He punctuates with another smile, his fingers gently squeezing the hand he'd found, as if it were the single-most precious thing in existence.
Grace had laughed a little, rubbing the back of her neck a little more vigorously, saying with a genuine amusement both at him and at herself, "...No one has said anything like that to -me- either... I understand what you mean..."
Grace perks up a little like an animal catching a sound, going quite still as Tobias lays his hand over hers. A similar shock flutters around under her ribs, making her feel even -lighter-, wondering briefly if Wren's magic had lingered... She'd looked down into the vaguely green-tinged twilight at this phenomenon, though she's held Tobias' hand before-- and is treated to the interesting sight of the difference between their body types-- from skin color to sheer size, her hand fairly well swallowed up, almost disappearing...
At the squeeze, Grace takes another of those slow, bolstering breaths, and lets it out in a small sigh. Watching herself as she does so, she turns her hand over in Tobias' carefully gentle grip and laces her slender fingers with his strong ones, pulling their palms together, and feeling again the smooth, body-warm metal plates of his knuckles.
Nerving herself just that little bit more, she looks up at his luminous eyes, framed by the plates at his brow, never having lost that curious, hopeful little smile. "...Alright," she says simply. Then, maybe feeling as if that's not enough, adds shyly, "I mean-- yes, that would be... it would be nice to go do something like that with you."
The winged girl is starting to, for perhaps the first time, realize just how freeing it really is to be her own person-- to have left behind the expectations of her community. She misses her family sometimes, it's true, but... Being able to do whatever she wants, whenever she wants to-- though still within reason and within her self-described morals--...
For the first time, Grace begins to feel positive, maybe even a little bit excited about this prospect...
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias was stunned, absolutely stunned as Grace's slender hand turns beneath his, feeling her fingers slip between his, their palms pressing softly together. It felt as though his heart were about to take flight and buzz around the meadow...in fact, it's to such an extent that GUARDIAN actually pings his HUD with a warning of his heart rate exceeding nominal parameters.
Though like he could care less.
He smiles yet again, secretly somewhat amazed that his cheeks weren't hurting thanks to all the smiling he'd done since Grace had entered his life....and that's where realisation strikes him.
He had a [i]life[/i] again. All the things he supposed he'd never thought he'd do: Grow up, get a decent job, travel, [i]meet someone[/i]. All of them were things he thought he'd never get to experience. His life cut tragically short before it was even able to begin. And yet, even though he'd had to take some pretty drastic measures in order to save himself...his life was [i]his[/i] again. He could go where he wanted, do as he pleased. Care for anyone he felt he wanted to. It wasn't so much that the thought hadn't dawned on him before...but now...with Grace's warm hand nestled softly in his, it drove home the point that his life had been given back to him....and he'd certainly not do anything to waste it.
Alright, then." He says, a quiet sort of exuberant confidence finding him "We'll go out, then. Ice cream, arcade games. Something light and fun. After all, I feel like I've got a few reasons to celebrate, though you're the main one."
Grace huffed a soft, amused sound, smiling directly into Tobias' eyes. "...That sounds... that sounds really nice."
After a few moments, she slips down a little on her pile of cushions, fluffing her wings gently, carefully behind her, until she was nearly horizontal, her hand still holding Tobias-- or was he holding hers?-- and turns her gaze up to the sky. The stars are starting to become visible, and suffused with a strangely encompassing -peace- despite her nerves thrumming with the excitement of unknown possibility, Grace wanted to bring Tobias even more happiness, if she could.
"Here... lay down, and look. Watch--... This is what I was missing most about where I grew up. There's so much light, it's hard to see. But up here..." Her voice trails off softly. As time passes, more stars become visible.. then more, and more still. The sky is blanketed with a breathtaking array and number of winking, flickering stars of every size, the only interruption being Tobias' green glow in the growing dark...
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias blinks, watching as Grace lies down gently on her own wings, before doing much the same himself, his free arm tucking under his head as he lays back...and his breath catches with wonder.
It was basically evening, now...though for every moment that passed, more and more stars seemed to make their their appearances, a vivid blanket of navy blue being peppered by more and more pin points of light as time drifted on. Even in the growing dark, Tobias' smile is entirely tangible, an awestruck gaze peering up into the infinity of the sky that lay above them.
"I'd...I've looked up at the stars plenty of times...but I've never seen them this clearly before...."
He watches for a moment, seeing beyond the simple blanket of black, speaking again over the top of crickets chirping in the evening,
"I mean, a lot of people look up there and basically see a dark screen with lights on it. But if you take a moment and realise that it's actually distance, like every one of those lights is something you could potentially travel to...Makes you feel tiny, doesn't it?"
He then shrugs softly, adding,
"Though, that sort of thing never really made me feel bad, either. It just meant there was more out there for me to see....Oh, hey!"
He nods upward as a streak of light cleaves it's way across the sky, almost straight through the middle of the tree clearing, the brilliant, white light of a shooting star appearing and vanishing as swiftly as it had come.
Grace laughs a little bit under her breath at Tobias' reaction to the stars. It had been a spur of the moment idea, to get him to look up-- and she's pretty sure that Wren will be back soon, so had wanted him to get at least a few minutes of this beautiful view before they had to leave.
The sound of his voice is starting to become a natural sound, something that makes her feel peaceful and safe-- though she does tease quietly, "...Tobi, you talk a lot--"
Before an unexpected event is drawn to her attention by the boy whose hand she is holding. She catches -her- breath in at that moment, seeing it for just the flash of a second that seemed much longer... and beaming a happy smile up at the sky a moment later.
She squeezes Tobias' hand as the last of the twilight fades from the horizon, leaving it fully dark except for the nearby glow of the city lights far below, and the glow of Tobias' cheeks and eyes...
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias chuckles at that, a smile flitting across his face as he nods in agreement, his gaze swinging to hers, adding,
"You're talking to the guy who summed up his life when talking to other people with 'I'm fine, really.' Guess I'm just playing catch up."
His smile lingers on his face as he returns his eyes to the heavens, before they flit back to the white-winged girl laying beside him, his hand squeezing hers in reply and retort to the similar gesture she'd made with a moment earlier.
"So, did you make a wish, yet?" He asks curiously, perhaps a little confusingly, though obviously referring to the shooting star that had cleaved across the now inky sky. If her answer was a 'yes', he could then only speculate what she had wished for. Though, for all his worth, he could certainly hope that it had something to do with him.
Winging through the night sky with a few scuffs and dings, and carrying a half-empty large bucket of fried chicken, Wren slowly makes her way to the cliff she'd left Grace and Tobi on.
The night sky is glorious at this height, so far up the air's thin enough that it can be tough to breathe on occasion. She'd gone on her patrol and broken up a few minor fights, depositing the 'baddies' in jail where they belonged along with surveillance footage from the buildings she was employed to guard. No real damage, a wrenched wing, energy loss from a Titan gone bad who had the ability to absorb others' energy. One assassin who managed to cut up her left wing a bit, but nothing bad, and certainly nothing bad enough to keep her feet on the ground. Just the hazards of the job, ones that she accepted as easily as she accepted the possibility of death in her line of work.
As she came over the top of the cliff, a meteorite shot a blazing path across the sky. She hovered in the gathering darkness, closing her eyes and making a wish with a smile on her face.
After a few moments, she comes to land quietly behind the pair with a smile.
"Had enough time to talk?" She murmurs softly, as if afraid to break the soft, dark slice of night.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
Grace jerked a little, even at the soft voice, her hand clenching hard into Tobias' for a moment before she releases it to help push herself up. Turning at the waist, she smiles somewhat shyly up at Wren, pushing some hair behind her ear. Unfortunately, she hadn't gotten around to answering Tobias...
"Oh, ahm... Maybe, I guess..." She huffs a small laugh. "...I think we need to go home soon and let Doctor Wishart feed us again, anyway..."
Was that a bit of regret in her voice, though?
*Brevity of Grace* - 50 Emp/Archery Defender
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/grace-just-grace]Backstory - Just Grace[/url]
*Hematitan* - 50 Grav/FF Controller
[url=http://cityoftitans.com/forum/allison-morris-hematitan]Backstory - Hematitan[/url]
Tobias' augmented ears pick up on Wren's landing and her voice fairly easily, a gentle sigh and perhaps a wince of regret crossing his face as Grace's fingers slip from his, prompting him to sit up, swing his luminous gaze around to regard Wren and smile,
"Eh, we managed to broach a few topics. Looks like you had fun."
Tobi admittedly was still awaiting an answer to his question, but bearing in mind the nature of it, he could stand to wait a while longer until she was more comfortable to say so. What she does happen to say is something he reluctantly agrees with, nodding gently,
"Yeeeaah, I suppose we should. I can only imagine he's gonna be kinda jumpy for a couple more days yet. What with the whole people trying to murder me thing and all."
He shrugs gently, Grace likely able to pick up on his regret at leaving this wonderfully intimate spot...Things were just getting good, too... With a cursory glance around, realising that it was considerably darker now than he'd realised, his vision switches over to it's light amplification setting, able to see the clearing much more astutely as he nods to Wren,
"Well, let's round everything up and be heading back, I guess."
Wren smiles, and without hands slings things gently back into the picnic basket, neatly folding the blanket over all, and moving both Tobi and Grace with delicate lifts of her energy. She bundles the two of them together with a soft chuckle, and takes off, pulling them up after her only after she's gotten into the air, instead of jerking them around.
The flight is quiet, the air carrying eddies from the warmth of the day and mixing with the gentle coolness of the coming night. From up here, one can see all the stars the night has to offer. The sounds of the city below are far away, muted by the energy surrounding Grace and Tobi. It was pretty much the perfect way to travel, barring having one's own wings.
She stays silent, allowing her two passengers to travel in their own cocoon of quiet.
[color=blue]You see things; and you say, 'Why?' But I dream things that never were; and I say, "Why not?"
[i]George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)[/i][/color]
[url=http://www.namesakeradio.com]Come and listen to NameSake Radio![/url]
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