The Island of Clouds

[Saren]

Saraph had every reason to believe that her words were lies. He had known about her life back on the earth, and yet, he'd still said those things to her. As painfully true as they were, he hadn't needed to voice them. The Cloudi had cut Lyra to her very core and allowed her to leave while carrying such pain. He kept his place against the tree, dark eyes watching. He gave a slight nod to Rexia, and she gave one in return. Stepping out of the water, Rexia fluttered her wings, droplets flying about. "Everything will be okay," she said to Lyra before she took off, a bright form flying amongst the multicolored trees.

Saraph made sure she was completely gone before he pushed himself from the tree, flying over to stand near Lyra. He landed in the water, the cool liquid wetting his legs up to his shins. "Forgive me if I don't believe your words," he said. "I have hurt you. I am supposed to take care of you while you are here, and now I have done the opposite."

 

[Ravenbelle]

The silence felt deafening. Would he let it go? She felt nervous under his gaze, glancing up every few seconds until she heard Rexia start to leave. Lyra gave a her anxious look. Did she have to go? and leave her...with Saraph all alone and words she couldn't speak?

Rexia fluttered her wings, droplets flying about. "Everything will be okay," she said to Lyra before she took off, a bright form flying amongst the multicolored trees.

And now apparently an empty reassurance from a blonde angel. Every single time someone had said everything would be okay, it turned out to be a lie. Still she wanted to believe it..

And then there were two. Two opposites: one beautiful, talented, kind, imaginative, intelligent winged Cloudi and the other, a small sad and pathetic human girl who always seems to draw the short stick in her comparatively short lifetime.

The angelic man that made her heartbeat flutter neared her gracefully and though she tried, she couldn't meet his eyes. He was picturesque, surrounded by this place of stunning purity and indescribable beauty. He belonged. And she...clearly did not. She sighed before he spoke up, his melodic voice trying to soothe her while she knew that she would keep getting attached to the sound until it's ripped away. She has to go. He shouldn't feel bad. It'll be easier for him to forget her than her to forget him. He has years and years of time to leave her in the past and he...he would be the single most compassionate and..magical person she'd ever know.

"Don't worry about it. I'm used to..getting hurt..and stuff." She took a step back away from him and gave a tiny smile. "Besides, it had to be said. I'd rather get hurt by the truth than comforted with a lie, you know? I..." Her voice cracked. "I wouldn't blame you if you didn't want me staying at your house anymore. I'm sorry if..i got..too close." She hid behind her hair, fingering the ribbon that held his feather to her arm, taking a few short breaths to keep her stupid tears at bay.

 

[Saren]

As Lyra's voice cracked, Saraph's ears twitched down. All of this had culminated into one emotional day, and he knew it was his fault. He wanted her to enjoy her time here, and he'd almost ruined that. In fact, he still might have, considering her quiet words and her shuffle away from him. He wanted nothing more than to tell her she could stay, but it would never be. He couldn't lie to her, and now, he wasn't sure he could even comfort her. Perhaps his mistake was allowing Bina to push Lyra into his arms the day they'd crashed.

No, not a mistake, he told himself. He never would have met Lyra except for a few times had she not stayed in his home. While they wouldn't have been in their current situation, he still would have been quiet, staying inside to read and play his instruments.

"I do worry," he answered, finally finding it in him to step forward, to close the distance she had put between them. "And I would like for you to remain with me until your departure." As her hair slid over her face, he reached forward, brushing the long brown locks away from her eye and tucking them behind her ear. It was then he noticed the feather tied up with the ribbon. He moved his hand away from her face, grabbing her wrist to inspect it. It was indeed his feather, as he was the only black-winged Cloudi on the island. His father had possessed the same wings, as had some older Cloudi before their passing. Black wings weren't uncommon, but fewer Cloudi children had them. Perhaps he would be the last one to have black wings.

"I would hope you didn't pluck this while I was resting," he said, though his tone was more joking than serious.

 

[Ravenbelle]

The beat of silence before he spoke was a crushing weight over her heart.

"I do worry," he said

and she breathed. He stepped closer, rippling the water around them but she couldn't make herself look up at him. She didn't want to hurt him by staying, but she wanted to badly to make the selfish choice and just get as close to him as she could for as long as she could. And stop being such a crybaby.

"And I would like for you to remain with me until your departure." As her hair slid over her face, he reached forward, brushing the long brown locks away from her eye and tucking them behind her ear.

She took another breath and the weight vanished. Her eyes met his as his soft touch moved her hair behind her ear. But then his violet irises flicked down to her wrist, which he took hold of to look at more closely. She blushed. She hadn't expected him to want her to come back and so had wanted to keep it with her when told to stay someplace else.
Lyra loved the way his hand felt holding her and so it took her a second to meet his eyes again when he spoke.
She laughed nervously at his joking expression and shook her head, speaking quietly. "N-no. I found it on my bed. I..hope you don't mind if I keep it?" She bit her lip, embarrassed at how obvious she was. why did he have to be so....so amazing?

 

[Saren]

Her relief brought a gentle smile to his lips. He didn't want her to be depressed until she had to leave. He was glad she agreed to stay, even if she hadn't really said it. Hurting her had caused him pain, but he'd not been able to express it until then. At her request, a soft chuckle left him. "No, I don't mind. Of course you may keep it." The idea of Lyra keeping something of his gave him an idea. Though he'd pulled his hand away from her now feather-adorned wrist, he took her hand again.

"I would like to do something for you, if you'd allow me," he said, giving her a light tug out of the water. She was barefoot like he was, but his feet were used to such conditions. She hadn't complained about it or really anything on the island. Their run in with the Wolke had frightened her as it had him, but so far, nothing but his own words had hurt her. And now he had to make up for it.

"We must go to my home first to show you. Is that alright?" he asked, turning to look down at her. There were glimmers of contentment swirling in his violet gaze, as if he really was trying to bring her back from the sorrowful state she'd been in.

 

[Ravenbelle]

Watching his kind smile turn into a soft chuckle proved contagious and Lyra simply couldn't stop staring at him. Though his touch drifted away a moment, her embarrassment faded when he said he didn't mind her keeping this piece of him.
He took her hand once again and she briefly caught a glimpse of a spark in his eye. What was he thinking?

She followed his movement gently and it coupled with a sweet request she was too curious to deny. Her wide brown eyes stared up at him, trusting, wondering. What could be more alluring than this enchanted piece of the Island of Clouds--besides the Well? She hadn't even given it a second thought, but the uncomfortable chill she had always felt being so high up off the earth was virtually gone now. Even the cold water she was standing in hadn't felt terribly chilly. It was refreshing, glimmering and perfect for its surroundings.

"No problem at all, but I hope you know you don't have to do me any favors. I mean, you've already done so much taking care of me..." Lyra clarified. She would never be able to repay him for all he's done for her, but she didn't want to refuse. He looked...excited and the look in his beautiful eyes lifted her spirits even when she glanced away to make sure she had this place...this memory ingrained in her forever.

 

[Saren]

He laughed again, finding her words silly. "As I said, I do not mind. And you do not have to worry about repaying me. It has been my pleasure to have you around," he said, head turning to give her a light smile. They continued on until they reached his house, but no one was around to see their locked hands. He was sure Erith would have a fit if he saw a Cloudi holding hands with a human. Saraph wasn't sure he cared about Erith's opinion anymore. Lyra's final days on the island were approaching and he wanted her to have the best time he could. Erith would only ruin that idea.

As they entered the house, Saraph took them back to the music room. He released her hand, picking something up off the chair. "You said your mother played the harp before she passed," he said, turning to face Lyra once more. In his hands, he had the small lyre that he had used to help her sleep almost every night. "I want you to have mine. I can always make another one... I have the knowledge to do so." He stepped up closer to her, holding out the little instrument. "It would be something to remember me by... so you do not forget the time we have spent together." A thought crossed his mind that she wouldn't want his gift, since he had wounded her emotions only an hour ago. But this had been something he had decided a while ago, after Pallick had declared how long the humans would stay.

"I could teach you what I know about playing it, so it would not be a lost gift for you." He realized he kept giving her reasons to take the instrument when she'd barely had time to even process his actions. Ducking his head slightly, he closed his mouth, hoping he hadn't made another mistake.

 

[Ravenbelle]

She couldn't imagine how it might be a pleasure to him to have her around. She's been a bother and an emotional wreck pretty much the whole time she's been here, but she didn't have it in her to argue the point anymore. She was too enamored by the musical tone of his laughter and curious about what he might want to show her now.
He didn't let go of her hand the whole way back and though she kept glancing warily at the sky for those who would frown upon this little connection between them, she had only to glance down a their fingers to smile again, filled with a fluttery, warm feeling she never wanted to be without. The tips of her long hair easily drip-dried in the breeze and she had to keep reminding herself, distrating herself to keep from dwelling on the inevitable day when she could never come back to this.

Only when they reached the music room in Saraph's open home did their hands come apart, yet Lyra could still feel the way his fingers felt holding hers. His back--his wings--faced her for a moment when he mentioned her mother and Lyra's namesake, but she didn't have time to wonder why he brought it up before he turned to face her with the comforting instrument he had played her to sleep with more than once. The instant the offer was out of his mouth, Lyra clutched her hands together at her chest and stared in shock along with the immediate decision to graciously refuse the gift. It was too much. Way too much. She blinked, blushed and she knew he was still trying to convince her to take it, but there was no way she could--no.

"Oh Saraph..." She whispered, feeling guilty for the familiar expression he was wearing. She knew that look, forcing yourself to shut up in case you made another mistake again. She wanted to smooth it away with her fingertips, but couldn't loosen her hold on her own musically unfit fingers. "I couldn't. Really, I can't. I don't want you to give up something so precious to you. I-I mean, if the plane crashes again, it could break and i couldn't bear that. Besides, I already have something to remember you by.." she gestured to the feather tied to her wrist. "...not that it's even remotely possible for me to forget you." Lyra could feel her heart beating fast in her chest and her eyes stayed down, focused on the black ribbon held right over her heart. There was another reason she wouldn't let herself play the harp, even before she came to the Island of Clouds--she couldn't even bring herself to touch it, lest she ruin it. She ruins everything she touches-- but the words refused to slip past her lips.

 

[Saren]

Saraph's head dipped as she declined his gift, but luckily (or perhaps unluckily for her), he was not so easily swayed. As she looked down at the feather, Saraph placed his hand on her wrist. He pulled her hand up, placing the lyre in her fingers. "Please," he said. "It would mean much to me if you had it. Even if you never play it." With his other hand, he placed his fingers under her chin, tilting her head up so she looked him in the eye. He didn't hold the gaze for very long, as he reached around to hug her with both his arms and his wings.

"I am glad you will not forget me. I do not believe I will forget you either. You have been a wonderful friend to me, Lyra. No one could have given me the knowledge that you have, and no one has been so curious to learn about my home." He was slow to release her, but there was a small smile on his face as he did. He moved away, sitting down at his clavier. Music was always a good balm for emotional wounds, and he enjoyed playing any instrument for Lyra. Pulling the lid from over the keys, his fingers settled into a soft, slow song.

 

[Ravenbelle]

She felt the touch at her wrist and at first she was unsure what he meant by the gesture but in the next moment, she tried to pull her hand back he'd already pressed the instrument against her fingers. She held it tightly, couldn't let it fall. Lyra bit her lip. There was no way she could accept it, but he didn't give her much of a choice, telling her how much it would mean to him. Her worried eyes met his when he tilted her chin up and for an instant, all she wanted to do was..kiss him. But he pulled her close instead and she was relieved. He would remember her, even if only for her knowledge and curiosity concerning the worlds that separate them.
Lyra closed her eyes and held the lyre between their chests as his warmth flooded into her, made her heart beat fast. His wings were so soft and protective while his arms tucked her close against him, then loosened all too soon as he stepped back towards the clavier. The small smile on his lips drew her to him once more and she sat beside him on the bench, lyre sitting on her lap. The tune he played was heavenly, though she never expected anything less. She blinked long and slow, listening closely and watching his long fingers play across the keys. At some point she might have started humming along, harmonizing softly though she wasn't very aware of it. Like she was part of the melody, like she belonged here. She didn't notice quite when it happened, but by the end of the song her head was resting on his shoulder, long hair falling loosely towards the floor over her back and shoulders in the sunlight. Peaceful.
Home.

 

[Saren]

Saraph was silent as he played. He knew she had sat down beside him, heard her humming intertwine with the gentle notes floating in the air. Losing himself in the music, the Cloudi only noticed the pressure on his shoulder after he hit the last note. She had hardly spoken, and he didn't break the silence. Instead, his wing came to rest over her slender frame, as if he were protecting her from some unseen force. Her skin was soft on his feathers, and he was surprised to notice that he would miss the feeling when she was gone.

It didn't seem real that Lyra and the other humans would be leaving in just a few days. The Cloudis were working hard to remove the humans from their home. Saraph saw it as wasted opportunities to learn and grow as a culture. No one shared his interest in such knowledge except for Rexia and perhaps Pallick, but the old Cloudi was doing what he knew to be best for the Cloudis.

For everyone except Saraph.

He hadn't stopped hoping that Pallick would allow even just one human to stay, but it was a fruitless endeavor. He was going to lose a friend, and that was that.

He didn't stop the sigh that escaped his lips, but he covered it by straightening up and stretching his wings. "Would you like to eat something? I can always play more later. Perhaps I can show you the few basics that I understand of the lyre."

 

[Ravenbelle]

Lyra gave a soft, contented sigh as the comforting weight of his wing resting on her shoulders. Here she felt safe..and warm. For her, there was no better shield or blanket in the world. Which was why this felt like a dream. It was too good to be true, but if course that must be the reason she's going to leave soon. She was too aware of that fact, but at the same time, did her best to forget when she was with Saraph.

If by some miracle, she could convince that old Pallick that she was useful to the Island and its inhabitants she just might stay, but that felt like grasping at straws.
She would have thought maybe Saraph was sharing her thoughts with a less than contented sigh, but the sound was muffled by the grand stretching of his wings as he stood beside her. She stared in awe for a moment, silent. She doubted she'd ever get over such a wondrous sight.

It took her a second to comprehend what he'd asked her. "Oh uh..sure if you're hungry." She shrugged, trying to look like she hadn't ignored his offer about the lyre lying on her lap. It was just too...painful.

 

[Saren]

Her hesitation in answering wasn't what he wanted to hear. He wouldn't be able to help her forget what he'd said or what he'd done, nor would he be able to stop Pallick or Erith from deciding what they wanted. He didn't want to accept defeat, and they were indeed painful thoughts, but he wanted to give Lyra the best time he could. Even if that time was slowly dwindling.

It was with that thought in mind that he sat back down beside her, wings hanging down behind him. "Do you truly not want my gift?" In no way did he want to take it back, but if she was suffering just from the instrument laying in her lap, he didn't want to cause her pain from that either.

"I did not mean to cause you discomfort by giving it to you," he said, looking her in the eye.

 

[Ravenbelle]

She winced at the look in his eye. He wasn't going to let it slip by was he..
He sat down beside her, wings drooping like sad puppy dog ears. She shrunk beside him, hands motionless around the gift in question. He was always too good at gleaning the truth from her, however painful. It was hard to meet his beautiful eyes again, but she didn't want to hurt him either.
"I.I know. I really...love it, I do. But I can't play."she whispered. She stared at the strings with a confusing mix of longing and rejection. She sighed. Might as well just say it. "I told you that my mother played the harp. I..don't know why, but I'm afraid to do the same. I'll never be able to play like she did..and I'm not sure I'd want to. Like..I'm replacing something important..I don't know. It sounds dumb." She gulped, and a couple of her fingers strayed toward the strings, but pulled back before she touched them. Like they'd stung her somehow. She didn't want him to take it as a rejection, She took a deep breath, straightened up and said. "Just..let me think about it." She looked up at him with a tiny smile. "Okay?"

 

[Saren]

Saraph nodded, for it was all he could do. He didn't want her to dislike the gift, but if she truly felt uncomfortable about it all, he would begrudgingly accept yes for an answer. Her last remaining days on the Island weren't supposed to be sad or bearing unwanted gifts. Closing the lid on the clavier keys, Saraph draped his wing over Lyra's shoulder again. He knew the soft feathers were ticklish, but Lyra always seemed to find comfort in them more than anything.

"Will you tell me more of your home? I apologize if it is a painful subject for you." Dark eyes strayed from her form to look out the window. It was a beautiful day outside, but for once, Saraph had no desire to be out there. He wanted to be with Lyra, listening to her gentle voice and her quiet demeanor. Even if she could be meek, she was always kind to him, forgiving his misspoken words and returning to stay with him.

"I enjoy it when you tell me stories about life down there. You are very knowledgeable about your world, even though it is much larger than mine."

 

[Ravenbelle]

She smiled slightly as he wrapped his wing over her shoulder. She was warmer there, not that she seemed to need it, but the feeling was akin to the sense of security one feels under the covers on their bed. It felt like home. Lyra relaxed beside him, gazing out the window at his amazing world she so desperately wanted to explore, but then he asked about her world. She frowned, reminded again of how star-crossed they really were, but she wouldn't refuse his curiosity. There were beautiful things in her world too. And he'd never get to see them.
She leaned against him and took a deep breath, hesitating. She wasn't sure where to start. "Uh...yeah, I guess I am..maybe that's because of the internet. Oh uh.. the internet is kind of like an international..um.. it's this..intangible thing that can be accessed by computers all around the world. And computers are these..technological inventions with a glass screen you can use for all sorts of things. But anyway, the internet has all sorts of information on basically everything we know about earth and people and space and...everything. Most people with a computer can use it, even to communicate across oceans. So with that, along with records and books from all over the place, the majority of earth's population can be educated about the rest of the world. And there are.. a lot of people down there. Around 7 billion last I heard...it's kind of crazy when you think about it. Seven billion humans are experiencing today in a totally different way." She blinked, feeling a little nervous because there was just so much to say and learn for him and she knew she wasn't exactly suitable to teach him everything, not that she had the time anyway.
"Um..do you have any more specific questions?" She bit her lip, meeting his violet eyes briefly to try and gauge his reaction.

 

[Saren]

Saraph waited patiently for her to answer, because it was all he could do. He wanted to know, but he couldn't rush Lyra into anything. He had already pushed his gift on her when it had been unwanted, so he had to be patient now. His wing wavered over her shoulder, but the feathery appendage never left her skin. She seemed to be comforted by them, though he didn't understand why. Humans weren't winged, but he was sure that they were more frightened than anything. They all wanted to go home... except Lyra. He wished she could stay, but Erith would never let him hear the end of it.

So all he could do was let her speak and listen to the gentle cadence of her voice. He let the sound fill his home and tucked her words away in the corners of his mind so he would never forget the way she spoke. She was speaking of invisible connections tying the entire human world together. She estimated that over seven billion humans existed on the earth, a number he couldn't possibly fathom. How could one place contain so many people? At best, there were eighty Cloudis at any one time, unless a rare event occurred where twins were born.

"It's quite hard to imagine so many humans," he said, looking down at her. She spoke again and he gave her a light smile. "No, not at the moment. What would you like to do? The sun will still be in the sky for some time."

 

[Ravenbelle]

Though he didn't know much about her world, Lyra appreciated that he listened , really listened to what she had to say even if there's too much to explain and she's probably phrasing it all wrong. The wing wrapped over her shoulder was a real comfort though and she hoped it didn't feel uncomfortable to him as he gave her another choice to make on how to spend the day. She was a little too aware that they have to spend their time together wisely..since they are numbered. So eve though it felt lie a little too much pressure, she figured it wouldn't hurt to learn a bit more about his world (though Erith would probably beg to differ). She didn't want to waste such a beautiful day up here...she wondered if it ever rains.

"Um..maybe you could show me more of the Island? We could take a walk and you can tell me about how the government works with so few to govern or the education system.. I dunno whatever you think is okay to share with me.." she bit her lip a bit nervously thinking he'd already shared with her the secret of the Life-fire so surely nothing else would be that bad to reveal to a human. Whatever he decided, she just wanted to spend time with him. She enjoyed their closeness and wanted it to last as long as possible.

 

[Saren]

She was forward about what she wanted after a moment, but the idea of teaching her more had Saraph giving her another smile. Every Cloudi on the Island knew everything there was to know about their home, and so he had never come across someone who didn't understand their home. All the time he'd spent reading and learning, pestering the older Cloudis for questions... it was all coming to fruition.

He pulled his wing from her her shoulder and stood up, taking one of her hands in both of his. "I will share with you whatever you wish to know, Lyra. You are the first person I have ever met who has ever wondered what my home is like. Your curiosity is like mine, and I am more than happy to tell you everything I know."

He tugged her to her feet, not releasing her hand even as they walked through the door. Most of the able bodied Cloudis were helping the humans put their aircraft back together, and after Lyra's suggestion, some of the others had been gathering materials to make a canvas large enough to allow the aircraft to hover back down to the earth.

Saraph was glad no one was around, for it allowed he and Lyra to sneak into the trees and onto a familiar path. It was the same route he had taken her on one of her first days here, where they had encountered the stream and the strange Wolke creature. They were going the opposite direction this time, following the flow of the stream rather than move toward the lake from yesterday.

"Is there anything specific you would like to know?" Despite being out of sight from the other Cloudis, Saraph had yet to release her hand. It was a comfort knowing that she was by his side, and he wanted to keep it that way.

 

[Ravenbelle]

The smile he gave her was enough to relieve the nervousness over asking and she tentatively smiled in return before shivering slightly at the removal of his warm wing around her shoulders. He have her both of his hands to stand beside him though and her gentle smile grew at the thought that he trusted her this much. He also seemed excited to be sharing information about his home for once, which was actually kind of adorable to watch as he led her out into the forest along a familiar route. She kept her eyes open in case any more wild creatures were around like last time, but she wasn't anxious about it. Lyra knew that Saraph would be able to protect them from any dangerous situation. Besides, she was also interested in what animals besides the Wolke lived on the Island.

In fact, new questions kept popping up in her mind for every step they took and it was difficult to choose which to ask when he finally asked her if there was anything specific she was curious about. She imagined trying to explain the Island of Clouds would be less..complicated than trying to explain the ways of Earth. Still, the query gave her pause.
"Um...Well I keep wondering about the environment a lot. Like...what's the weather normally like? Does it ever rain here? Because if Life-fire sustains everything..how does the ecosystem work and what kind of creatures uphold it and...oops. Sorry there's just so much I don't know.." she reddened slightly and gave an awkward smile at the taller man, noticing once again that their hands had yet to leave each other.