Where does the trouble end?, Icaria

[The First]

Bryce
Posted: Jan 6 2008, 04:12 PM
After another night and day out Bryce arrives home, with little to show for what he had done or where he was. opening the door joe sits there as always waiting for him, patting her on the head he walks by her not really in the mood to play. his only thoughts were so what did she do while i was out?

Reaching out he tries to find Icaria, but dose not, it did not mean she was not home. no she was probably in a drunken or drug induced stupor or something. she could also be sleeping but he doubted it. frowning as he heads to her room, thinking where did i go wrong? though a stupid question he still could not answer it.
Icaria
Posted: Jan 7 2008, 05:16 AM
”Ah! The waning light of day as the precious sun began to sink, crawling and limping its way to the horizon for a much needed rest after a full day of hard work.” Icaria knew the sun never rested, that the world was round and things ever stopped but you would have been left seriously questioning that by the tone in her voice and the way she said the words with such believable conviction. But then there wasn’t anyone around to hear them besides the animals that hid about her. Where was the odd girl out and about at the moment? Outside of course, outside the house, past the manicured lawn, on the other side of the fence where the grass grew tall and wild and she could get a glimpse of the freedom that some held.

Not that Icaria wasn’t free, she managed to get about quite well to her fathers disapproval sometimes. See Icaria had a habit of making him embarrassed, like taking a kid into a store and having them get hyper and start running around knocking stuff over as they invented a game of tag and expected you to catch them. Lots of fun for the kid but not so much fun for the parent.

But now that wasn’t the moments issue, more along the lines of what was she doing out here? Trying to change of course! Icaria wanted to fly, fly like her name suggested. It was a passion of hers really or more like an obsession in some people’s eyes. Normally this wouldn’t be such a big problem to a vampire but it was to Icaria, you see for some reason Icaria couldn’t change. Most vampires and even some half vampires had at least one form they could manage but try as the odd girl might she could barely sprout a feather. Depressing really, she had tried a large number of things over her life, 7,000 years worth of things to be exact and here she was still today no closer then she had ever been to reaching her goal. At least today she wasn’t trying anything to drastic, not like that time when she had gone about throwing herself off cliffs to try and use the adrenalin to force a change.. yeah that hadn’t worked and boy had her father almost burst a vein over those stunts… no today she just making a study. She thought maybe if she tried something smaller, not a bird but a bug, then maybe just maybe…

Crawling around in the grass in search of bugs, finding one and following it as she studied the movements, the appendages until she had it all memorized. Well other then filling her brain with the images of bugs she hadn’t manage to do anything more then flatten a good area of the tall grass and smudge dirt all over her very simple and plain white shift. But she was done studying for the moment, now it was time to practice! After giving her salute to the departing sun Icaria grabbed the last of its rays as she poised herself in the meadow, attempting to imitate the bugs she had spent all day following.
Bryce
Posted: Jan 8 2008, 02:36 AM
Finally making it to the door he knocks softly at first, but after there is no answer, she knocks harder. Still not getting an answer, he opens the door, and looks about. Not here, sighing with some relief. But it was only short lived, where was she then? Thoughts of finding her at the bottom of the cliffs again when through his mind. Frowning as he leaves the room with a slam of the door.

Joe who had been following him, whines as the door shuts sending vibrations through the house. Though angry of where she might be and what she had gotten herself into, he did not show it other than the harshness he treated the doors he pasted through. Going to the back of the house where he normally let joe out of, he opens the door roughly almost tearing it from its hinges,

Walking out a few steps as he looks about for her, but she was not there. Bending down he calls joe over to him. Wagging her tail happily she walks up to him waiting for the words that seemed to always come, and without fail they do. find her joe is said in a mixed tone, though full of emotions, it was also cold.
Icaria
Posted: Jan 9 2008, 09:42 PM
Oh if she wasn’t so serious about this it would have been quite fun. As it was it must have looked quite funny to anyone else that might have been watching. She was sure the bugs that were still in the grass around her were laughing it up or scratching there antenna in confusion over the girl. Icaria in her latest idea was trying to change to a bug, a flying bug and she thought it would help if she learned to act like a bug so of course after all day crawling around through the grass making her study she was now ready to act. Crouching low with hands and feet on the ground, limbs bent at angles that didn’t look comfortable she proceeded to crawl across the flatten grass in an imitation of some of the bugs she had watched this day. Every now and then she would pause, dipping down low to inspect the ground or tilting her head to the side to attempt to nibble on some grass as she wandered in circles. It might have been cute to watch if she was a child instead of having the appearance of a full grown woman.

Figuring she wasn’t getting it quite right she stopped for a moment, pulling her skirt up so it rode a little higher on her thighs and she could crouch with her legs wider and lower to the ground. Arms reached out in front of her as she got ready to continue her insect stroll. Her tongue was held tightly between sharp teeth, the tip sticking out just barely past those rosey lips. She didn’t even notice the small amount of pain as she nicked her own tongue and small amount of blood rolled to the tip to drip down her bottom lip to her chin. Her concentration so intent on getting the walk right so that she might be a step closer to her goal that nothing around her mattered at the moment besides the gait of her next movements.
Bryce
Posted: Jan 10 2008, 10:48 PM
with that said bryce watches as Joe takes off into the tall grass as if she was a deer chased by wolves. Bryce stands there only a moment while he raises her hand to his head and rubs his temple trying to relief the head he had gotten from that night.

sighing once before he too takes off into the tall grass. it only takes him a few yards before he too is a great dane. taking only a minute of so before he spots the cream coat of joe as she continues to jump over downed trees, bushes, and the few creeks that run through the woods.

on they run not stopping unless joe looses her scent, which only happens twice. finally getting to a clearing they slow to nothing more than a trot. stopping short of about 20 ft of Icaria, Bryce lowers himself to the ground letting Joe continue on.
Icaria
Posted: Jan 14 2008, 05:22 PM
’The pseudo vampire bug is a rare creature. It can survive almost anywhere but preferring places close to its food source. Breeding rarely it’s normal procreative habits are more like that of a religious coot, condemning and converting others to its ways.’ Her internal monologue of what she was and what she was doing continued one, complete with commercial breaks and interviews with witnesses that had claimed to see the elusive bug in action. There was even one survivor of a pseudo vampire bug attack but of course they had to blur out his face and change his voice but Icaria was pretty sure who it was and doubted he’d live through the coming night.

The interview was cut short though because as the girl dipped her head to sniff precariously at a blade of grass, showing off for the imaginary cameras, she suddenly found herself victim to something large, fawn and furry. Toppled to the ground from her awkward four-limbed stance she let out a shriek that indeed almost sounded as if it had come from a bug. Flailing on her side she thrusts arms out to keep the eager dog at bay as it attacked with rapid movements of its large wet tongue. ”Joe! No! Stop it I’m trying to work here!” She spoke to the dog as if it knew quite well what she had been doing and understood the importance therefore its interruption was all the more heinous because of it.

Bryce
Posted: Jan 25 2008, 08:16 AM
listening as joe approaches and jumps on icaria, he could not help but to smile. letting out a breath he had been holding sighing in relief that she was seemingly alright. standing up to where he could be seen Bryce whistles to call joe off of her, as he starts to walk over and greet her. Joe instinctively leaves icaria and sits next to her wagging her tail happily.

once in arms length of her Bryce reaches out to embrace her, as he asks in a somewhat cheery tone so what might you be doing out here in the middle of the woods? it was not unnatural for bryce to show some affection towards her, it was just that he did not always understand her a good bit of the time. she was though his inspiration to help others how like her were not dealt the best hand by fate.
Icaria
Posted: Jan 27 2008, 04:41 AM
Icaria struggled under the ministrations of the over sized dog for a while. Trying to fend him off with her arms, to keep him back to at least arms length and his wet tongue off her face. It was a god thing that her white tunic dress was already covered with dirt smudges from her day of crawling around in the grass and chasing down bugs because at the moment she was once more thrown to the ground , her butt planted firmly on the broken grass stalks and well trod ground. If she had actually still been trying to act like a bug she was really doing a good impression of a beetle on its back being attacked.

The dog was lifted away by its own feet and the call of its master, leaving the girl to flounder for a second in the unexpected and sudden lack of her attacker. Sitting up she shot a mock glare at the dog that had ruined her efforts before managing to scramble up to her feet. A hand swept idly at the dress, not really caring about the grass pieces that she swept away but just knowing the disproval they could cause and finding them a good distraction for her eyes.

The sudden embrace came when she was pointedly not looking at the person or his canine, effecting a good put out appearance even if it did come off a bit childishly. ”Learning to be a bug.” came her sulky reply from in her fathers arms.
Bryce
Posted: Jan 27 2008, 04:19 PM
smiling at icaria reply though odd and chidish as it was, it was still better than the answer of "trying to fly " he had gotten as he "scraped" her off the rocks. letting her go from his embrace he takes a step back and scans the meadow looking for the little bugs that she might have been studying, but not seeing any. though mostly because of joe running through the grass an sending icaria to the ground, most of them had flown away.

looking back at icaria in her dirt smugged dress he asks "so what type of bug were you trying to learn to be? a hornet? bumble bee? ladybug?" puasing for a second as he brings his hand up and rubs his chin as if he was in deep thought "ah, it must have been a butterfly? right?" as he named off each bud a new golden flicker of light formed next to icaria in the shape of the bug. each bug flapped their wings as they "happily" floated about her.

trying to understand icaria and her thinking was high on bryces list of things to do, though at times it could be horrible, other like right this moment were somewhat fun or at least he hope she though it was fun. unlike joe who was simple minded, icaria was the complete opposite. Icaria might act childish, but then at times she might act like the most brilliant mind that ever lived.
Icaria
Posted: Feb 12 2008, 02:45 AM
The look on her face was more that of a petulant child. Looking at her father askance and awaiting what would be the reactive flavor of the evening. Much as her father misunderstood her and her own strange leaps of logic, she too misunderstood him. Even when she had had wanted to try she hadn’t been able to draw much understanding about Bryce. His ways were as strange to her as hers must be to him. It was as if they were both birds but two very different breeds. There were similarities between the squawk and flapping to the outside observer but very little that actually translated.

When it became apparent that he just thought her silly and was intent on playing along she was faced with a choice. On one hand she was put out that he didn’t take her attempts at acting like a bug as seriously as she did. She’d spent all day at the task, pausing for anything, not even to make a snack out of a member of the local wildlife that had wandered by. For him to mock her days work was as good as calling her silly, something she was dimly aware of that crossed his mind at times. The insult could be seen on her face as she took the long moments to spin a mental wheel to determine her reaction… Then again the flying light bugs were kind of cute…

And like that she switched, losing the potential ire at her father as she embraced the playfulness of the moment. Smiling she turned about, dropping down to her bug crawl, toes and fingers digging into the soil as she began to lumber around with her fathers creations. ”No. A beetle or a grasshopper.” She spoke very matter of factly and then squatted down before thrusting her legs to try and hop.

It would have been to simple for Icaria to take offense over her fathers actions. Creating small winged insects to flit about her, bits of light that could do what she in over 7,000 years had not been able to manage. It could have easily been taken as a mockery of her own inadequacies, to be of such high blood and to have yet even managed to do a trick most fledglings could accomplish in there first century. All this could have been reasons to stomp away but she didn’t, that wasn’t her and if she had it would only have lasted moments before her mind skipped over the whole incident.

[Bryce]

the slightest hesitation between him creating the bugs of light and Icaria's reaction told him that he had once again misread her. though she played along with him, bryce was disappointed. shaking his head he continued having the bugs float about even adding a beetle and grasshopper to the numbers. maybe one day he would understand her, though as night and day still exist today he doubts it will ever happen. after a few moments of watching her play joe springs to her feet once more and tries to join in the fun. she pounces after each hope of Icarica's landing only a few feet from the girl but inching closer with one.

(sorry not very good)

[Icaria]

She pounced and floundered in the trampled grass, making the spot a bit bigger with hers and Joe’s antics. Then as she passed one of the little paths that took off into the grass she veered and went down it. The grass was tall, tall enough that her head only just peeked out a little when she stood up, which she did, knowing she could move faster on the two legs as opposed to adding her arms into the mix. With a craw like a bird she took off through the grass, as fleet as a deer. She didn’t know where she was going or why, it had just been a spur of the moment decision. It was fun to run with abandon, why question it?

The stalks of grass whipped by at an ever increasing pace, the path winding about the wide meadow in a random design. Full of sharp turns and even curls, she took it all at a quick clip, flinging her arms out to the side and brushing her fingers on the grass stems as she raced by. She loved to run, it was a type of freedom and at times she sometimes thought if she could just run fast enough she could fly. Just gain the speed and she would take off, no need for wings at all, rockets didn’t need to wings to fly, just amazing speed.

[Bryce]

watching as joe and icaria start to play even disappearing in to the tall grass. his night getting the better of him decides to turn back to the house and leave joe with Icaria. they could play if they so chose, but he wanted nothing more than to forget the night and its deeds. reaching out to icaria he "says"i am going back to the house now, make sure joe come back wit out, icaria. with that done he turns back to the house and starts to walk away.

upon icaria entering the grass joe stops for a moment and sniffs the ground, then sets her large paws into motion after the girl. though icaria had made a path of broken grass joe still was having some trouble keeping up with the fleeting girl. it did not take long for joes tongue to start to hang from the side of her mouth letting drool roll down it and be slung through the air. even after loosing sight of her she continues her chase, as if following a rabbit or deer she was not to give up.

[Icaria]

She was swift, swifter than anything else out here, at least that part of her undead heritage had bred true. She still had the unnatural speed and grace of any vampire her age, though her purpose for using them was often eclectic. Other then the imagination of flying of course, like now, speeding along as if she were a plane getting ready to take off. If she went fast enough she could almost believe she could, the feeling of the earth beneath her bare feet and the grass whipping at her legs would fade they went by so fast. She was building up to it.. Was..

The mental intrusion inevitable she thought by now. Just as she was getting ready for takeoff she was made to act less then what she was. In her mind she was nothing more than a bird, its wings clipped and a tether tied to its leg. With that yank at the lead that held her she stopping increasing her speed and sensed back to see where she had left the oh so precious dog. She turned, rounding out into a circle to bring the canine in but still taking her time as she waited to be as alone as she used to being before half herding halfing leading Joe towards the house.