And So We Fall (Open)

[Beaver Dude]

At the apex of the jump, Dee thought he might make it: that his wings might burst out of their narrow confines and that he would make it; soar free and soar away.

(Return home, maybe?)

But he fell, as always. And the ground was just as unyielding as it was the first time he jumped from the clocktower.

[High's .Valentine.]

He ran over, frightened of what he would find. A broken body, snapped and demolished by the cold cobble floor. And of course, blood everywhere. Crovo winced at the thought.

"Shit..." he muttered from under his bird mask, sidling towards the body.

[Beaver Dude]

There wasn't really a conscious thought or delay when the protection manifested. One moment he was hurtling to his doom and the next, the pale translucent dome had popped into existence below his feet and Dee had made yet another mess of the cobblestones and of his shins (and probably his sanity)-

but at least he was whole and alive. As opposed to alive and splintered into many different pieces.

He breathed in, once, twice heart still hammering like some locomotive.

[High's .Valentine.]

"Shit..." he breathed again. Not because the body was discombobulated. But because it was whole and healthy. From that height? Looking up, Crovo's green eyes peered up at the clock tower the man [short man...] had jumped from. Was it because he can fly? Turning his head back at the Black Mage, he could do nothing but stare. Swiveling green pupils, hungrily searching for a pair of wings.

One would immediately see why Crovo was so interested. He resembled a bird. Loose flowing clothes, and most importantly, the mask covering his face, a large protruding beak.

"How did you do it..." Crovo asked. Forget about introductions. He wanted to know how the strange looking man had sprung from such a height and lived. Nothing broken. It must be wings.

[Beaver Dude]

His heart calmed after a moment of inner peace. Again, the Black Mage thought to himself - his stubborness chiseled out of the fine mesh of despair and apathy. Again.

He didn't notice the bird-man until the mask had been rudely thrust into his face, almost touching the sacred of the shadows.

"How did you do it?" He asked.

How could you let them die? She shouted.

"I didn't believe," Dee answered softly, one hand cradling the odd symbol that had appeared on his right hand. "And now I believe too much."

He headed towards the staircase leading upwards.

[High's .Valentine.]

Believe.

"What?" Crovo watched as the strange little man walk back up the stairs, an obvious expression of confusion under his wooden mask. He couldn't be thinking of doing it again, could he? Crovo wanted to watch.

The lanky man followed after the stubby one. He had to look down, over the ridge of the eye holes, and leaned just a bit further to see the strange man fully. Maybe he wasn't a man. Crovo believed he wasn't man himself despite the all too mortal blood running through his veins. He was a bird. A bird with no wings and feathers. They call him a bird in spirit. He believed one day, he would be able to be more than a bird in spirit. A small pink fluff ball, a tiny bird, fluttered out of the stiff sack latched on his hip. It peeped and settled itself on Crovo's head, nestled in long red hair as beady eyes peered at the Black Mage.

"What are you?" Crovo called. Blunt, intrusive. He didn't care. He followed.

[Beaver Dude]

"A flawed machine of war," Dee answered dully as he climbed the steps built for those who were much taller than he. They were slick and slippery with morning chill. A voice that had once been his and would be his soon but not right now, told him that he was out of his mind and would he please stop with the crazy?

(No.)

"A child that never was. A protector who could not protect. A black waltz that could not fly." He glanced back at the birdman. "Someone who couldn't belong."

[High's .Valentine.]

Such sullen words. Normally, one would have been heavily affected by such morose tone. They seemed to go in one ear and out the other for Crovo though. Then again, the mask revealed little. Crovo did nothing to aid the strange 'Machine of War', nor did he comment on his words. Not a single reaction of sympathy. He wasn't quite listening. Crovo was more interested in what he was going to see than who the person is. It usually is like that at the beginning. Crovo seemed to lack empathy.

The bird on his head found the situation boring beyond compare. It fluttered down from his head and settled on the rim of the pointy hat. The little Black Mage was no female, which she approved of.

"Adelina seems to like you," Crovo commented, watching the guy struggle up the stairs. Despite not retaining a single bit of information provided for him, Crovo was observing the figure. A simple child.

"You seemed to have flown anyway."

[Flew? Flown? Flied? I hate the English language...]

[Beaver Dude]

[Flown, apparently. I'm pretty sure flied doesn't exist. XD ]

The Black Mage trained his eyes upwards, as if he could bore through the thin fabric that separated his sight from the small little life resting contentedly upon it through sheer force of will, but nothing happened.

Adelina seems to like you.

Dee burrowed deeper into his raggedy coat and things. The wound was still too fresh and even though it was only a bird (as if life could be dolled and measured by the pound or by the gram) he didn't want to be- he didn't it want to be-

dependent.

"I fell." He replied softly, hands stuttering and fumbling and wondering if they might be able to pet the bird but not quite daring, "but I think... I think I will remember how to fly soon."

[High's .Valentine.]

“I did that once.” After several silent steps, the man finally spoke up again, after blatantly ignoring the other’s words. “Jumped from a tree.” Was he telling the truth? No one knew, not when that mask was obstructing his face. “I tried to learn, you know. By watching Adelina. Seemed easy enough.” He had made makeshift wings, strapped them to his shoulders. They seemed sturdy. Of course they were reliable. And they gave him courage, made him believe.

“Climbed to the tallest branch, and then jumped.” Crovo, glanced to the side, at the ground that was steadily drawing away as they continued up. I flew for a few seconds, he said. What he didn’t say was that he fell, the second he leapt from the branch, he pummeled down like a stone. It must have been all that weight: the cloth, the wooden straps, his lies…

“Broke my leg and an arm.” And a concussion. And dashed his dreams. He was just a bird without wings.

“How come you didn’t die, when you jumped?”

[Beaver Dude]

“Maybe because I have wings…?” Dee mused, hand still hovering in indecision. Finally, with bravery borne of gossamer strands of hope, he lightly stroked the nape of what he assumed was the bird’s neck with one light finger.

Dee sighed.

“No, it’s actually-” He made a futile noise. “It’s this thing that protects. Some sort of energy or power or…”

It was on the tip of his tongue but he didn’t dare hope that it could actually be magic.

[High's .Valentine.]

[CAT WITH WINGS!]

Crovo listened. Sort of. He wasn't that interested in words.

"Show me."

[Beaver Dude]

Dee wondered if they were high enough. And then he shrugged.

The Black Mage jumped and tried to spread his wings.

[High's .Valentine.]

[Oops...forgot this]

Crovo gasped, leaning over and clenched the edge of the building with white trembling knuckles. He was all eyes now even if he wasn't all ears.

Adelina was still on the mage's hat as he jumped, and she peeped in panic, spreading her tiny wings to take to the air. She was much too important for such a clumsy fall.

Crovo wanted to jump too. But he knew what would happen. Watching the strange short guy however...how his wings wanted to spread.