Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Printable Version

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+--- Thread: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] (/showthread.php?tid=670)

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Blade - 03-10-2016

Bard felt a sudden loss when she pulled away from him, pulled her hands away from the cradle that she’d held his in. He wasn’t sure which was worse: touching her or not touching her, especially when she was so close. It was all physical, he knew. He’d only just met her. But... what did he think of her? Wanting someone was not liking them. Did he like her? He lifted his gaze as she babbled on, pulling away further and apologizing.

Shite, what a mess. Bollocks.

He sighed, feeling deflated. It was easier to think, to speak, at least when she wasn’t halfway in his lap he guessed. There was a cloud around his addled brain, but it was gradually clearing. Did she think he hadn’t wanted to come out of his book? Well, alright, that wasn’t totally wrong. He had wanted to stay where he was; he just hadn’t wanted her hurt either. Not when she’d looked so sweet and...

He was still looking down, but his body was marginally more relaxed. He didn’t need to look at her to hear the sadness in her voice; that made his chest tighten. “There’s nothing wrong with you,” he told her, voice a cross between exasperated—at himself—and stern. “I didn’t want you ‘urt. S’why I came out. I just... I got so caught up in snoggin’ you that I didn’t realize what I’d done.” He rubbed the back of his neck, heat crawling along his neck and cheeks, redder now as he admitted, “...It’s ok that it’s you.”

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Hobo_Bob - 03-10-2016

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His voice sounded strained. Half between not wanting to admit the truth and not wanting to lie. His confession did little to comfort, but her mind told her there was no reason to feel the need to be comforted. Bard felt good when she touched him. When he touched her in return. His voice was sweet and his temper - although a little short - wasn't horrible in comparison Eric's. Deep eyes looked from his hands to his face and watched him while he turned red.

Naya liked that she could do that to him. Make him uncomfortable the same way she felt with him.

But the idea of their kiss, the very one she instigated, was the reason he was here now was confusing. Blinking, she raised her head and moved hair from her face. The stick long forgotten somewhere on the floor by now. "Then....how does it work...?" Coming out of her shell, Naya scooted closer to her bed and pulled a book out from under her bed. "And how does being a book make you-....into a man? Uh....or-....boy? Can I assume your a man since it'd be very strange to think of kissing anyone younger than I am." Bitting her lip, she laughed nervously.

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Blade - 03-10-2016

He couldn’t help but follow her movements as she crawled around on the floor and dug under her bed. She was asking him questions—easy questions. Ones that weren’t asked while she ran her fingers through his hair and along the bare parts of him. They were a little embarrassing, but safe. He could do safe with a woman, it seemed. If not he wouldn’t have talked to her much at all thus far. She set him ablaze, true, but he could manage this.

He took that moment to get more comfortable, moving about so he sat with cross legs under him on the floor. He lifted a hand and scratched his head, pushing hair out from his eyes, tucking it behind his ears. But that action was futile, at best; it all fell back.

How did it work...? But that question was shuffled aside by the other. He smiled sheepishly. “Definitely a man. Too old to be a boy. It’s just the way I was made.” He shrugged as if it didn’t matter much. “Men didn’t always look like men when I was born. Boys were men, but I think the old man decided that since my brother looked so... imposing, that I shouldn’t look the same.” He glanced down at his hands, limbs that seemed gangly at times. “It’s the face I think. Too soft, no scruff.” He scratched at his cheek then as if to emphasize this point.

He eventually came back to her first question and pointed at himself, blinking. “’Ow to I work, you mean? Not sure I understand, luv.”

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Hobo_Bob - 03-10-2016

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She liked the way he described himself as a soft man with nothing rough about him. It wasn't true, but it partially fit him as well. True, he was very nice on the eyes if not the most attractive real person she met. Actors and models were one thing - real men but unreal as well - but here he was. In touching distance. Naya blushed and covered her face with both hands to muffle a giggle while she watched him scratch his cheek.

His reply left more questions, so short of asking him to explain everything in pieces, Naya shook her head quickly. Locks of hair flipping about her head before being forced back out from her eyes. "I guess-....to stop too many questions and back tracking, we start from the beginning. Like-...who is the 'old man'? The person who made you or your father? Is your brother someone you call brother or-...."

Her mouth froze as she thought of more questions to ask, but her mind told her to let him reply before she asked too many. She sighed and edged closer to him so settle at his side where her back could rest back against the side of the bed. Her legs crossed and knees dangerously close to touching him. "I know nothing of-....you. Would you be able to tell me your story?"

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Blade - 03-10-2016

He glanced over at her as she giggled. At him? He wasn’t certain. “What’s funny?” Something he’d done? He didn’t think she was the kinda girl to make fun of someone, to be malicious. He could be wrong, but he doubted it. She seemed more like a little brown bird, frail and easy to break. Fragile.

As she shook her head and tussled her hair, curls dancing around her face, he had the urge to tuck it behind her ears. His hand lifted to do so, but he immediately refrained a dropped it back down. He focused on her voice and what she was saying—more questions. “The old man isn’t my father, but not much of anything else; closest to a dad--probably though.” Well, that was wrong, but Bard had a callous way of describing things. He’d let her judge for herself as he told it, he guessed. “He was powerful wizard back in the mid seven-hundreds.” Not 1700s no, 700s. “I do have a brother though.” Two of them, not that his oldest brother was worth mentioning. Scary prat.

He looked over at her, this time not a glance. Green depths, ones that looked more emerald than anything else most of the times, watched her after she’d asked about his story. “Mine? You’re a curious little sparrow, aren’t you?” He smiled good-naturedly. How long had it been since he’d smiled that...? “Or do you just like a good story?”

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Hobo_Bob - 03-10-2016

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Smiling, Naya just motioned to him with her chin in response to his question. "Your depiction of yourself. Its-....funny. Not that your funny but that....how you describe yourself is-....funny." as she spoke, the words faded from strong to above a whisper. Was she laughing at him or that he was hilarious? Not that she found making fun of him something she could easily do. Teasing was not one of the things Naya could do easily. To her brothers, defiantly. To someone as-....tempting as Bard? No way. Her heart would explode from the attempt.

As he described the person who brought him into life, she wondered what type of a being was he. Magic, as far as she knew, was only in books. Yet, here was a man that was made from a book using magic. A new world like this was scary and thrilling.

He didn't seem find of the 'old man.' Most boys weren't. Something about asserting their dominance? But regardless, she wanted to think that there would be something interesting about the sorcerer. From his accounts, there was. 700's, he said. Very old indeed. Not a boy, to be sure. But he was. Looking at Bard while he recounted his family, she smiled and rubbed her hands together to bring heat back into them.

Once his eyes met hers, Naya felt her cheeks heat up and she swallowed hard. Sparrow? Why did he call her that? Was it because her hair was boring-brown and eyes to match? He was colorful and vibrant. Green eyes the shade of gemstones and hair that seemed to shimmer. Now who was teasing who?

'Still....I like his smile' Naya sighed at the dazzle his grin brought to his face. Her body warming up almost immediately from the way it sent a nice heat from her nose to her chest. leaning forward a little, she whispered to him with a impish smile "I-....do like to be read stories. But-....your more interesting than any book i've ever read." considering he was a book wasn't too much of a complement, she thought.

Bard was so much more at the same time.

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Blade - 03-11-2016

So he’d been right. She wasn’t being malicious. She just found him amusing, he guessed. Which... might have set him off hours ago. But he had a feeling, based on what time he had spent with her, that she had just as hard a time talking to him as he had talking to her. He wasn’t sure why. She’d been the one to kiss him, after all. Naya had more stones than he did when it came to that sorta thing. He wasn’t sure it meant anything though... probably. He wasn’t a paragon of knowledge when it came to women outside of his sis. She wasn’t exactly a prime example to pull from; Chris would disagree, but Bard didn’t give a damn.

He decided the nickname sparrow suited her when she didn’t get upset at him for calling her thus. On the contrary, her face lit up like cherry-lit Christmas tree. A house sparrow then; the males were the ones with red around their head, lines of two bold racing stripes to either side, but he thought it suited her. He wouldn’t clarify, but it made sense to him.

He blushed as he smiled this time, mouth forming a wobbly smile as she complimented him. He was scratching the back of his head again for lack of something to do with his hands. He really hated being this uncomfortable around girls, but Naya didn’t seem like the type who wanted to coo and poke and prod. Then again.... he’d been alive a long time without ever really getting used to this kind of thing; maybe it was time to start trying to get used to it, especially if the girl in question was his muse.

He let his head fall back onto the side of the bed, leaning back into it as he did so and stared up at the ceiling as he let his hands rest in his lap. “A story... well...” He thought it over, trying to think of what to leave out and leave in. There were a number of things he’d leave out, he guessed. “My creator’s name was Cedric Ethar,” he began, “’E learned his trade from his father; so did his step-brother, Xiah. For years they were ‘appy, or so I was told. Good friends. When the old man died, Xiah’s mum too, Cedric, being the older one, took Xiah as his apprentice.”

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Hobo_Bob - 03-12-2016

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As he began his story, Naya adjusted in her position to accommodate Bard as well as make enough space between them so they did not touch, but were not far from it. She wanted to hear him tell his story without being loud, keeping in close proximity also meant she would feel his warmth without being on his lap or in his arms. not that she would mind if he did embrace her suddenly but that she also wanted nothing more than to listen to him and his voice.

That slanted English accent that told her he was from west-end London. And given how old he said he was, it sounded rather strange to think that. Did people speak like he did in the past? Apparently...

Feeling a little giddy, she turned her head and looked at Bard as he laid his head back and started his tale. Quietly, she would listen and watch his expressions with interest in both him and his story. Naya knew she should be writing these things down, but she didn't. Her hands wanted to run along his scalp and in his hair or down his arms. That warm feeling she got when he did touch her - even if it was to check if she was hurt - burrowed deep in her memory for later use. On much colder nights.

"So-..." she paused a moment to clear her throat and move hair from her eyes, "Your-..creator also had a brother. Then you have an uncle. Or-...had. I'm assuming they are both dead by now....are they?"

Sorcerers. One never knew for sure.

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Blade - 03-13-2016

He noticed when she moved, not that it was a stretch when she was sitting right beside him. Though he imagined he’d probably notice if she was across the room. It’s like there was a sensor in his chest set to go off every time she moved—a warning system that made him hyperaware. He wondered, briefly, if Chris and Rhys ever dealt with this sort of thing.

He decided to refocus on his story, easily distracted by her next series of questions. “Ah... well... it’s complicated,” he tried as he looked over at her. “But I’ll get to it, I guess.” He didn’t need to get ahead of himself; she’d end up confused and he’d probably lose his place in the tale. “These are mostly the parts I wasn’t around for, anyway.

“So... Cedric’s step-mother and father died and ‘e took on Xiah. They did alright for a while. But Xiah fancied the darker arts. Cedric tried to warn him off, but it didn’t stick and they eventually they got into a row over it—a real bad one, from what ‘m told.” He sighed. “Cedric ended up killing him on accident.”

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Hobo_Bob - 03-15-2016

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Naya remained quiet as he continued his story. Legs curling up to her chest to help with more warmth and her head resting on the bed behind her. She imagined the world he would live in. Without any details, she thought of a typical castle with smokey rooms and the like. Two faceless men in robes - one dark, the other light - who argued and fought. The one killed the other, and Naya opened her eyes with a start.

Questions buzzed in her head, things she wanted to know but did not ask. bard would tell her, if only she were to remain silent and listen. Doing just that, her head once more rested on the bed and she relaxed while she listened to his story...

~*~*~

Not but a few hours later, somewhere between a story of Bard and his sister and his sad sigh, Naya had fallen alseep.

She did not mean to, but it was almost 5am. She had drifted off sometime ago, her silence perhaps what bard needed to continue with his memories comfortably. It was when her weight shifted to the side and she slipped against Bard that one would notice she had drifted off. And being a heavy sleeper, her only reaction was to turn her face into the heat she felt and murmur against his neck. Arms wound around Bards torso, holding herself to him while legs rested against his.

Like rope around a post or a snake encasing it's prey, Naya effectively wrapped Bard about in her arms. Even if he tried to push her off or cursed at her, she would not be easily budged. Dead weight. A storm could roll into her room, thunder strike the floor near to her and yet it would not rouse her from her sleep.

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Blade - 03-17-2016

Bard continued his tale, nearly forgetting about his little sparrow in the process. He told her all about Xiah, how his maker turned him into a book—regretful and filled with grief over what he had done to his kin. He told her all about how the old man had made them when Xiah revealed his true colors, his desire for revenge against Cedric. He told her about how he, Rhys, and Chris had subdued and sealed Xiah—how they’d argued about what to do with him. Bard reluctantly admitted to her how, despite the fact that Xiah was not a good person, that he had not wanted him destroyed. He was, after all, still their brother in a way. Even if not by blood, then by the ties of magic.

He almost didn’t catch her falling asleep at the tail end of the story. Green orbs had blinked owlishly at her just as she slumped into him—wrapping every part of her around him. It’s as if she’d stuck her body to his; not even a crowbar could have wedged her body from his. He knew; he’d tried. Exasperated, embaressed, blushing three shades of red, and totally unsure of what to do, Bard had finally decided he—at the very least—did not want to sleep on the hard floor. He’d considered turning himself into a book to get out of it, but with his luck she would have grabbed him in that form and the action might have caused him more grief.

Inevitably, he’d somehow managed to get them both into bed, blankets tucked around them and warm. Warmth was important. At least he’d taken his shoes off. And at least his magic allowed him to change his clothes in more comfortable flannel pants and a thermal T.

He was so tired and irritated that he didn’t even think to lock her bedroom door; nor did he think about the two men downstairs. The ones that could very well attempt to break his bones.

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Hobo_Bob - 03-19-2016

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Naya dreamed comfortably of her day with Bard. A few events changing such as the wound on his arm and the fact her brothers made it home so soon. Part of her dream consisted of her living alone so she could have more time to spend with the book and not deal with others. Smiling as the two played cards in her dream, she felt his hand smooth along her back and the scent of his body in her face. It was a wonderful thing. Vivid imagination she always knew she had, and yet not to the extent that she could conjure up his scent of the feel of his warmth. It was like a hot bath. Scorching where he touched and making her feel heated in the sweaty way.

Sighing as she felt her dream pulling away from her, Naya pulled herself into her blankets more and rubbed her cheek against the material. If only to get into a comfortable position once more and sleep again. Only, it wasn't her blanket she cuddled into. It was Bard. Her face effectively burrowed under his chin and against his chest, she felt herself pulled out of her dream and into a reality she wasn't sure was any less embarrassing than her dream. Tensing in his arms, she thought about the night before.

He told her about himself and his past, about his family and at some point she had drifted off to the sound of his voice. Had he carried her into bed and laid with her? Or was it she had done something in her half-awake stupor.

Sighing, she decided it would be best to wake up Bard and have him release her.
Maybe after ten more minuets.

Closing her eyes - her face feeling very warm and heated as her heart raced - she breathed in against his skin and sighed happily. No one had ever held her as she was being held now. Carefully. Gently. Snugly. Part of her didn't want him to wake up. It was only around 7am anyways. No one would wake up anytime before 10am. Certainly not Eric.

Her hand came up while she moved to look up at Bards sleeping face. Fingers gently moved hair from his face and played along his ear. He was still sleeping. Heavens, she'd never be able to do this if he should be awake. Her heart raced alittle, thought she forced her breathing to remain even.

He certainly was something nice to look at. And hold....

Naya felt her face burn again with that thought.

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RE: Never A Bad Thing [Closed] - Blade - 07-11-2016

For a man that had spent much of the last hundred or so years of his life making attempts at sleeping away the decades in his own comfortable book, Bard was surprising sleepy. Enough to find that once his head hit the pillow—girl or not wrapped around him like magician’s trick—he was out like a light. And he hadn’t moved all too much either, certainly not unless the Sparrow in his arms shifted and he needed to for comfort. Not that he’d known he had, being so completely comatose.

But dawn was breaking, and some part of his body was urging him to rise. But he really didn’t want to and instead—in his lazy slumberous stupor—only curled further into Naya as would a little boy. It wasn’t until she tensed and then moved so obviously—touching his face like tiny soft feet for fingers—that he dared to open his eyes a crack.

He supposed if he knew or thought about it, he made quite the picture. Despite not having moved at all in his sleep very much, his hair has mussed enough to have bits of it coming loose from the braids, for strands of it to poke upward, and to have some of it stick to his cheeks. He appeared groggy and not at all ready to face the morning—regardless of the time.

For a moment Bard did feel foggy, just as he usually did when first waking up from a good night’s rest. Where... where was he? The shades of things around him came into focus, but he noticed they didn’t at all match the colors of things inside his book. And then... Naya’s face came into view. He didn’t really have time to catch up; instinct, being what it was, took over. He didn’t shove her away, but he did scramble backwards and then to the other side of the bad—somehow all at once.

It was no surprise, really, when he ran out of bed and yelped, “Balls!” before falling on the floor with a thump, in a tangle of sheets with his feet in the air, and his calves pressed against the mattress edge.

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