A Night Out in Vale (Closed)

It wasn't too long after the forest entry that a certain, ebon-haired hybrid gave a quick sprint over toward an in-sight tree. Some little effort she stepped up upon it's trunk with one foot, immediately bringing the other upward and kicking herself further into the air with it. Hands outstretched, she would clasp the thickened, strengthened branch that she had launched herself toward, hauling herself up with some ease after doing so. Seating herself upon the wooden structure then beneath her she would look back earthbound, scanning the darkened grasses for the one who accompanied her. "I did say that I liked to watch from the trees," she called, giving a shrug that may or may not have been shielded by the eve's shading.

David just smiled as he climbed the tree. He jumped from branch to branch as he got closer to the top. Soon he was on the branch next to hers. He looked up at the stars and leaned back as he did so. The small lights twinkled in the sky. David loved to look at stars, a nice hobby that involved no manual labor at all. He just gazed into the sky as he did this.

Sighing in some relief after making herself comfortable, the lass would allow her eyes to veil over briefly. Leaning her back against the trunk behind her she would tilt her head upwards, opening her eyes ever so slightly once more in order to peer up at the shining galaxies spread before her up high. Solely because music often soothed her while participating in activities such as this (and even when she wasn't), delicate fingers would raise up toward the collar area, grasping hold of the pair of violet-hued headphones that had resided there for the well majority of the eve. It would be lifted over the head to cover the human auds, and the girl would then proceed to shift her mp3 player on while continuing to scan the skies above. The remaining, feline ears laid atop her head would take care of scouting for any other sounds of interest, though she lowered the volume of her musical device down to the minimum volume in order to make doing so somewhat easier.

"So," she began, narrowed voids never parting from the scene before her, "you said that you liked stargazing too, right? What got you interested in it to begin with?" Toward the second remark bestial ears would twitch, and the Huntress-in-training would tilt her head down the slightest bit, finally shifting her gaze over to the other nearby as she awaited a reply.

David's attention soon snapped back to Chelsea. He then took a second to analyze her question. "Hm. Well my brother mainly. He came into my workshop one night after hearing me work on Ic at 4 in the morning. He grabbed me by my collar and drug me outside. I just struggled a bit before he sat me down and told me to look at the sky. I did so and found that I couldn't look away from such beauty. He then went back to his room, and I just kept looking at the sky until I fell asleep." David then thought of his family, and sighed. I miss them.... He soon put the thought away and turned to her. "How about you, what got you into stargazing?"

Having had a brief idea of the reason behind her interest, Chelsea's lips parted ever so slightly as she began to fix a reply. They would seal once more after several moments, however, as she attempted to reach for more details for explanation. Thus, she remained silent for a while longer, softened, lilac voids veiling over once more as she entered a somewhat deepened train of thought. "Well, let's see..."

Another quick, perhaps second-long silence would come from the lass as she allowed herself to gaze once more toward the heavens above, a slightly...different...look seen within them. Perhaps nostalgic, with the slightest trace of even a saddened feel. It would be hidden beneath the shade of the night for the most part, however. "Often times after I turned maybe four years old or so, my parents began getting busier and busier with their work. That was around the time that Nainai...er, Grandma...began taking care of me. I was an only child then and still am as of now, and I never really had anyone to talk to and whatnot. Didn't want to bother Grandma that much either, since she was already doing so much for me back then. So...I just began indulging within some hobbies of mine, like writing and musical arts. Initially, I did things like this outside during the night in order to catch some time by myself, when no one would be listening and I couldn't possibly bother anyone. Night by night as I worked on those hobbies, I found myself looking up at the skies more and more, and soon found myself drawing it more and more also. I guess I just sort of fell in love with the sight."

David just looked at her and nodded. "Well its hard to hate such a nice sight." He said pointing to the starry night. The sky was filled with multiple stars and twinkling lights. David looked up and felt an odd sense of emptiness. He just pushed the feeling away and moved on to another topic. "So, you keep in contact with your family."

Similar to David, Chelsea felt a faint feeling of emptiness welling within her soon after hearing his ending words. Her eyes would narrow slightly more than they normally were, the saddened glint within them becoming more evident as time went on. "...I would, if...things were easier." Heavily toned were these words, suddenly shrouded within a midst of some depression and slowness. Her hands lifted once more, sliding her headphones back down and around her neck as she brought up a following reply. "...I used to try to contact my parents from time to time, but they rarely ever responded. That was maybe eight years ago, so...I've pretty much just stopped trying ever since then. The last time I saw them was when Grandma passed two years ago, and even then I was somewhat surprised to see them."

Sighing, a low mutter would escape her lips as she shook her head faintly. "When pushing the fact that my grandmother took care of me when my parents left up until her death aside, I've basically been alone ever since my late years of childhood."

David soon felt the sadness return. He lowered his head and let out a sad sigh. He still remembered what he had found at his home. The visions of the chard skeletons hunted him. His brother hanging from the ceiling. The visions mad a small tear run down his face. He tried to push the thoughts out, but it seemed to make it worse. ......dead.....their.....dead. He just felt he was responsible for their deaths, seeing as he wasn't there to help them.

Beginning to choke up herself the slightest bit during the remembrance, the girl would slip her left hand into her pocket while the remaining stayed up, covering her mouth as her eyes struggled to stay shut and hold back any possible tears that were aching to escape. The attempt was worthless, however; once they opened once more, a couple, small tears of her own would trace faintly down the form of her skin. Another would follow down the same trail as Chelsea noticed the silence that was being given off from the other near her, shifting her gaze to the boy toward her flank.

Noticing his slightly hunched figure with his head ducked down, the hybrid gave a silent, yet shaky cross between a simple breath and an attempt at a relieving sigh. She hadn't heard anything about his personal background specifically but, from the way that the lad was currently acting, she could give a vague guess as to what happened on his end. "Hey..." was all that she could really muster out at the moment to try and catch his attention. Even though she spoke as loud as she could at the moment, it was actually quite quiet; partially because her voice had grown unstable from her emotions beginning to get the better of her, and partially because she was at a loss for words at the moment...much like how she normally was in tough situations. The fact that her hand was still held somewhat loosely over her lips didn't exactly help.

David looked over and saw her tears rolling. He wiped his own and shook his head. He then reached into his bag and pulled out a thing of tissues. "Here..." He said handing them over to her. "Sorry....just thinking...about things.." He said with a slightly sad tone in his voice.

Gazing at the tissues through slit, tear-blurred eyes, Chelsea would remain as she was for the next few moments. With some hesitance she would finally reach a hand out, taking one from the bundle that David held. "Xiexie..." said the crossbreed, giving a faint nod in gratefulness. She would raise it upward, gently wiping the visible tears from her face, as well as the ones that were currently forming within her eyes. Once she had appropriately composed herself yet again, she released another, shaky breath before speaking on. "You know...they wouldn't want you to feel like you are right now..." she stated while averting her gaze loosely to the boy, trying her best not to stutter within her speech.

David sighed. "...I know......I just wish I was there....I could have helped them...I could have done more.." He said as he composed himself. He knew that this is not what they would have wanted but he still felt it was his fault. He should've helped them. It should have been him...not them.

By then, the tears beloning to the girl had become short-lived. The remaining trace of the last tear was wiped from her face with the tissue lent to her, and was then tucked somewhat deeply within one of her pockets afterwards. "The feeling is mutual with a lot of people...certain people out there in the world. We all wish that we could've been there in their place, that way it would've been us rather than them." Ceasing her speech for a brief period, she would look back and toward the sky once more. Her gaze locked onto a single star shining brightly up above; its appearance somewhat bigger and brighter compared to the rest surrounding it. "But things happen for a reason...or at least, that's what they say. Regardless about what happens to our loved ones, they're always with us, watching us from up above. Though they left us physically, they'll always be with us in heart, spirit, and in memory, no matter how cliche it sounds. So...in a sense, there's no need for you to weep over what you could or couldn't have done, as weird and possibly heartless as it may sound..."

David just sighed. "I suppose you're right.....it's just that feeling is all." He said slightly more composed. He let out a sigh as he got back to his original state. "Thank you. Talking seems to make it better." He said as he went back to look at the sky.

"Well...in moments like this, the best thing to really do is to just talk and let it all out, after all. I've found that it's the easiest way, even when I'm just talking to myself," Chelsea replied somewhat meekly, looking down and at the distant, shadowed grasses below, rather than continuing to direct her gaze toward the sparking skies before her. It really is that feeling, and all...that unnerving, troubling feeling...

Another sigh --- this one much more stable compared to the ones from minutes prior --- would escape ever-so-slightly parted lips. While this was done the girl would tilt her head up again, joining David in the stargazing activity yet another time.

David looked to the girl and took a deep breath. ".....thanks again." He said as he went back to look at the sky. He was still sadden but at least he had a friend to talk to about it. He just looked to the sky and gazed into the beauty of the midnight sky.

(ooc. if its not midnight I can edit.)

As if preparing a reply to David's words, the girl parted her mouth somewhat; no words would first escape, however. Instead, a rather light, quiet yawn would sound, interrupting the replying speech that she was about to say. Seemingly surprised by this, Chelsea quickly lifted a hand upwards, covering her mouth in a horrible attempt to prevent the squeak-like tone from escaping her lips, as a result of her beginning to speak and yawning at the same time. Once she breathed out completely she would draw another silent breath inward, blinking quietly as she recomposed herself. "Ah...no problem," she mustered, her tone showing that she was just growing the slightest bit drowsy. Slightest. Narrowed voids would continue gazing upward, and she would finally notice how dark the skies above were. "Aha...man, what time is it...?" she asked softly, next hooking the same hand that she had used to cover her mouth around her neck and rubbing the back of it.

OOC: ...man i am extremely tempted to make an ursa burst out of nowhere right now
moment = ruined like omfg

David looked at his hud. "About 12:10. We should be heading back soon." He said as he looked up to her. He was happy he was able to have some fun with another person. To be honest he hadn't done anything social since truth or dare. "Hey didn't you say you have stories to read."

"Eh?" Her mind beginning to drift off, Chelsea only said this in reply. Several extra seconds afterward would be taken in order to fully realize what David had asked. "Oh...oh, yeah," she said, taking a somewhat louder, slightly awkward breath in place of another yawn that would have come out instead. After holding said breath within her lungs for a couple of seconds, she would release it much more quietly than how she had taken it to begin with. Reaching within her outer layer somewhat groggily, the lass fell still after a moment or so. She gazed blankly at the stars now, blinking quietly as her fingers felt not the touch of her notebook, but the fabric of her inner shirt. Slowly she would shift her eyes downward, staring down at where her book should have been. Sighing, she leaned her head backwards, lightly hitting the back of it upon the trunk behind her. Well. Shit.

"...I...think I actually left them at the dorm again," she muttered awkwardly, giving an uneasy, apologetic laugh after doing so. Rubbing the back of her head, she looked toward her flank and at David. "Er...if you want, we could go back and then I could show a couple to you. I admit that I am a bit tired as things stand right now, but I don't mind going extra...I did offer to show you some things I've written."

David nodded at her. "Sure. Need help down?" He asked looking down the tree. He unfolded his wings and hovered in the air waiting for a reply. He also thought to himself. Did she just invite me to her room.....again....and did I say yes.....again?! He said as he looked down to the ground.

"Nah, I think I-" she began, beginning to shift her position in order successfully climb back down. She would awkwardly cease during the process, feeling her consciousness drift a tad after the turn. This little thing would be short-lived, as her reflexes kicked in --- second to none, as they always were --- causing her to briefly, immediately awaken fully and balance herself once more. After the experience she would stare at the ground for a couple of seconds, slowly looking over at David after a while. "...Er...on second thought, maybe."

Having had a slow-track mind at the time, Chelsea began thinking silently to herself while awaiting an answer --- be it through vocal speech or action --- from the lad. Thoughts hastened by her temporarily-caused awakened state, she finally seemed to realize that she had sent the boy an offer to drop by the form, though kept the awe she felt to herself and away from the facial expression. ...Aha...wow...

David held his hand out and offered to help her down. He took her by her hand with his robotic hand. He held her as he game to the ground gently. He slow landed and let Chelsea down. During the ride down, David had been thinking more about to night. .....I'm going....to her dorm......and I'm not drunk. Most of the time when he went to someone's room Dave led the way most of the time.

The moment that she was grasped, the girl could tell that a field of scarlet was crossing her features. She knew well that, because she had accepted the other's offer, there would be a little bit of physical contact. Regardless of the fact that she was aware, however, she still felt the slightest bit awkward; thus, she couldn't help but feel her face heat up the slightest bit, and was thankful of the fact that the shading of the night basically hid her expression.

Soon, she felt her feet touch the ground once more. Both hands of hers would move, smoothing he skirt out as she looked over at David. "Aha, thanks," she said, smiling softly. She would soon be done adjusting her attire, and would soon gesture toward the direction in which they had initially walked from with an outstretched extremity. "Shall we be off, now?"

(Aaaaaand, one last, separate thread. To the dorm!)