[AW] just glad i tried [summer]

[Atlas]

three two one count it down

swim or drown

One of the concrete rules of the way of the world is no one is born with wisdom; it is earned and bought and paid with and suffered for. Atlas has the ghosts and scars of old wounds to prove it; the nightmares that grind his teeth at night and give him migraines. His learned tongue is the product of innocent sessions such as schoolmarm switches and a youth embroiled in a culture of respect, and visions of horrible, horrible, things, that steal the breath from your lungs and make language turn to useless dust in your mouth.

He is glad Kibou is absent of such lessons, for he thinks nothing would be sadder than the suffering of such a nice, young boy.

The boy is proud of his mother and Atlas sees a heaving chest and blood streaming from nostrils. He plasters a smile on his face, anyhow. What had his own mother ever done for him that would earn his sorrow besides lecture him on not having children. “She sounds admirable,” Atlas said, instead, turning away from silk spread on a damask tile floor. He had heard, vaguely, of Katniss, Denocte’s Champion, though aside from whispers and her title he could not even put a face to the name. To rectify this, he says “I should like to meet her some day.”

He watched Kibou go to town on his ice cream cone and felt, not for the first time, incredibly stupid; but his young friend seemed to know what he was doing and Atlas relaxed as he called out his instructions. He watched with unbroken fascination as the vendor deftly rolled the scoop in desiccated coconut and then topped it with another scoop, of chocolate studded with chunks of both the dark and white varieties. He ladled a white sauce over it and handed it across the bench, announcing it was on the house. “Thank you, sir,” Atlas said, thoroughly humbled by the gesture of kindness and also the towering confection which now hovered in front of him; he was so distracted by it that he almost missed Kibou gesturing for him to follow. They made their way to a nearby cluster of tables where Kibou set in on his own cone with a voracious hunger; Atlas chose to ponder his for a moment, turning it about, trying to decide what angle to attack it at.

He finally ventured a cautious taste shortly after Kibou asked him what he thought of it. It was both rich and floral, and he ran the cold coconut chunks across his teeth. “It’s… sweet,” he offered, truly unsure of what to say.

Distracted and slightly overwhelmed, Atlas turned his attention to his new friend. “Is coconut your favorite flavor of ice cream?” he asked, hoping to strike up a conversation as he slowly but steadily consumed his treat.

SPEECH ! @Kibou
maybe we should wrap this up by arranging a meeting between kat and at? (lol)

[Kibou]

Kibou loves talking about his mother, mainly because he knows his mother loves him. Some people were not as blessed with loving parents like he was, so he had to always remind himself to be thankful. Even though he never got to meet his dad, his mother speaks of him often, telling him of how much he was loved even before he took his first breath. Kibou might not understand what happened to his father, but he understands that his father loved him and that he should be very proud.

As Atlas mentions that he should meet his mother one day, Kibou nods his head, but says nothing at the time. There is a part of him that wants Atlas to meet his mom so just maybe his mom can smile again. Kibou doesn’t understand how love works, or that Atlas would never be attracted to a mare, but deep down, all the colt wants is his mother to be happy again. Maybe Atlas could at least make her smile. Kibou misses her smile. Ever since she left and returned, she isn’t the same. She’s serious and dedicated…but she doesn’t seem happy.

But all those thoughts leave his mind as he settles on devouring his ice cream. Kibou does not gingerly lick at the cone, but instead bites into it and swallows. He can feel the burn of the ice cream as it presses on a nerve next to his esophagus. It causes an immediate ache in his spine and in his head. He shudders. “Brain freeze! Eat your ice cream slow!” He can barely get out the words before his body is contorting to try and ease the discomfort. It only last a few short minutes and he’s back to do exactly what he told Atlas not to do. He’s devouring his ice cream, cone and all.

He watches in child-like awe as Atlas finally takes a taste of his ice cream. He smiling, knowing that Atlas will lover the flavors that assault his tastebuds, even if he doesn’t know the stallion very well. At his admission that the ice cream was sweet, he nods his head almost frantically. “The sweeter the better!” No one in Novus could possibly have a sweet tooth that rivaled his own.

As he asked if coconut ice cream was his favorite, he was silent a moment as he contemplated the answer to that question. Yes, he loved coconut ice cream, but was it his favorite? “hmmmmm.” He looked up to the sky in thought, as if this would somehow help the answer to the question come to him. It was a long few moments before he finally spoke. “I do like coconut ice cream, but it’s not my favorite. I actually like a flavor called Sticky Toffee Pudding! It’s mostly toffee flavored with bits of real toffee mixed in and drizzled with caramel and chocolate. But, Marcus doesn’t sell that flavor. My favorite of Marcus’ flavors is coconut.” He smiles, nodding his head in agreement with his answer. At least the boy actually thought through his answer instead of just saying the first thing that came to mind. He as learning.

There is a sound in the distance and he looks to see his mother calling out for him. Kibou sighs. “I have to go…” No doubt his mother wanted to talk to him about the fact that he was considering training to be a medic. Or maybe she wanted to teach him how to be a soldier. Regardless, Kibou felt as though it was important that he at least see what she wants. “It was nice meeting you Atlas.” He offers the stallion a smile before he trots off down through the maze of vendors, weaving into and out of traffic. Tonight had been a good night.

@Atlas

[Atlas]

three two one count it down

swim or drown

It heartens him to know Kibou has a figure in his life he can look up to; the world is cruel and scary and can make mincemeat out of unsuspecting hearts. Maybe, with a parent like Katniss, who by all accounts is a fierce warrior and staunch protector, just maybe... Kibou would make it out unscathed.

There are no hidden meanings behind his desire to meet Katniss. He certainly had no plans for secret romances; he merely hopes to meet as many of the good people in this world as possible, in his time. He was no great judge of character, but if Kibou’s demeanor was any indiciation, Katniss should fall into his category of a ‘good person’.

Of course, if he should meet her, and find her some horrific, bloody monster, well, that would just be part for his course, wouldn’t it?

Atlas grins as the child goes absolutely hogwild on his ice cream cone and screws up his face in an amalgam of pain and delight. “You are a most excellent teacher,” he laughs, and only laughs harder when the boy recovers and repeats the action, devouring the treat down to the last crumb.

His own is starting to grow on him, though his mouth is becoming numb. The chocolate is smooth and bordering on heavy; the coconut lightens it just enough to not be too rich. He listens intently as Kibou waxes poetic about something called sticky toffee pudding, and thinks maybe his wife, Sadal, would have liked such a treat, eons ago in that other life.

The noise of Kibou’s name ringing out across the crowd cows the boy, and he sighs and deflated a little. “Go on, then,” Atlas said, giving him a friendly nudge, “It was nice to meet you. Hopefully we’ll meet again soon!”

The boy smiles and heads off, disappearing in a whirlwind of colored banners and fire-turners as the night has truly come to settle in Denocte. Atlas is left with the remaining quiet of the busy night; he settles into his bench seat to finish his ice cream, and peacefully watch the world expand and shift around him.

SPEECH !
YAY YAY YAY THAT WAS FUN <3 THANK U ZOM. SEE U SOON EYES EMOJI