« « Something Entertaining - Cameron + Audley » »

[Cameron Ainsworth]

As much as Cameron traveled, there was one place that he didn't much care for. Of course, that one place he didn't care to visit had to be where the vast majority of his relatives, on his father's side, had decided to have their annual family reunion. It was true that he could've just skipped out on the little event entirely. His parents wouldn't have had much room to argue against a supposed work shift or something equally important that the half-breed could've made up an excuse for in all of five minutes. But, still, he had reluctantly agreed to go as well, out of duty more than actually wanting to visit his grandparents, uncles, and other such family on the dark planet.

As soon as they had arrived, though, his parents had wandered off to find people they knew and his little brothers hadn't stuck around long before they found ways to entertain themselves, leaving Cameron by himself and feeling very out of place. Almost all of the people that had gathered in the large home where the reunion was being held were from Jeskara, and the majority of that majority were be incubi. It was unsettling to wander around amongst them, but not because he disliked his relatives. It wasn't because of their dislike of him, either, because honestly, there was no animosity between them period. The problem? No one seemed to pay him much mind directly, but it wasn't hard to figure out that he was getting his own fair share of strange looks. That was to be expected, of course. As handsome as he really was, he looked nothing like the majority of his family thanks to his mother. He was good looking, but no where near the perfect beauty of so many of his family members. Not to mention, he was one of a small few in the room that didn't look like a porcelain doll with their abnormally light colored complexions. So, in every sense of the word, he stood out and left no hope of blending in.

After about an hour had passed, Cameron had wandered away from the reunion and out into the city. As much fun as he was having, he needed fresh air and some sort of excitement beyond sitting around having small conversations with people that either centered around his visits to Jeskara when he'd been younger, how much he had grown, or how so-and-so had done this-or-that since the last time Cameron had been dragged to one of these get togethers when he was younger.

Despite the fact that it was a decently sized city, the half-Zercan had never been able to find anything interesting to do in Jokadi when he was younger. Over the course of a few years, he doubted much had changed. It was frustrating to not be able to find a single thing to do, but eventually, a possibility incidentally presented itself to him. After a long, long bout of walking and not paying attention to where he was going, he found himself staring right into a line of trees not too far away. A walk out in the forest seemed somewhat more enthralling than wandering about the dark city, but it didn't quite offer the same safety, either. He considered it for a brief moment before he willed himself forward to weave through the trees and foliage. Maybe it wasn't the safest of things to do, but it would be indefinitely more entertaining than walking through the city, attracting odd looks and stares from almost every person he passed. All he had to do was focus on not getting lost or attacked or something.. What could possibly go wrong with something so harmless as a little walk?

[Audley Bohdan]

"The three of you will have the duty of going to Jokadi and looking around for the best trading. We can not live without a healthy stock of vegetables and fruits for much longer. You know as well as I that moving our entire village to another area is much more dangerous than asking for the city's help. Now, go. And be safe."

Audley Bohdan nodded along with warriors on either side of him. This was a very important mission. Their village was running out of food and moving to an area with healthier vegetation would be too dangerous. They would have to rebuild everything and moving all the young and elderly would not be a smart idea. If things became too bad they would be forced to move to a different area; but right now they were still safe.

Audley glanced over at the other two Majikadai who were each in their own trees at the moment. The two men were older and more experienced than himself. If he did not know them semi-personally he would be able to figure out their experience from the many tattoos the both of them had on their bodies.

It was still a mile or so before they would arrive in Jokadi. The other two suggested taking a break, and Aud agreed of course. They were ultimately the leaders, he was the inexperienced one going along for the ride. Yes, he was a pretty good fighter but he wasn't a full warrior yet.

"Would it be alright if I look ahead?" the lavender haired teen asked. Sitting in a tree was really quite boring and he was excited to see the city. He had lived outside the city's border's his whole life, and had never even seen Jokadi itself.

"Go ahead," the oldest said, shrugging. The young Majikadai grinned and leaped out of the tree, gripping his sword in his hand. He walked for about three minutes when he heard a sound he would have missed if he wasn't trained in listening for those sort of things.

It was the soft sound of paws against the leafy dry ground. The teen glanced around and fixed his fur collar. He only hesitated a minute before tip toeing toward the animal. If it was walking that quietly, it meant it was stalking something.

Aud climbed up a tree when he caught sight of a panther-like creature. He looked around for any sight of a poor helpless bunny or squirrel or-

A guy??! Aud's eyes widened. What was that guy doing out here? He didn't look prepared for this wild at all. The brunette was wandering aimlessly, completely unaware of the beast stalking him that very second. What an idiot!

Audley licked his lips. He waited until the absolute last second-when the panther was about to pounce-to leap over near the guy. He stopped the beast with his sword and stood between it and the stranger. The panther was stronger than he had anticipated and he was forced to take a step back as he pushed it away.

He fought the beast for a few minutes, keeping between it and the guy the whole time. The beast was able to scratch him more than he would have liked, but he got back at it. After awhile it growled at him and pranced off, appearing to have enough.

Audley sighed and stretched his arms out. Then he looked behind him at the guy, who looked very amusing. "What are you doing out here?" he asked. "You know you could have been killed," he pointed out in his soft voice.

[Cameron Ainsworth]

His little meandering walk had proven to be just as dull as his stroll through the city. Cameron had been told every single time he'd ever been dragged to Jeskara as a kid that the forest was strictly off limits. Not like telling him that it was forbidden to wander to the specified area kept him out of it. In fact, he'd often gone for little treks when he was younger, sometimes taking one or both of his brothers with him. But, back then, the little expeditions had been quite amusing. The little noises of the forests and little--mostly harmless--animals that sometimes crossed their paths had kept them on their toes and trembling with excited anxiety before they finally chickened out and went running back home before they were caught--either by some wandering animal or by their parents, who would've surely killed the lot of them. But, now, the trip alone was boring. The little noises of animals rustling around amongst bushes and the like didn't bother him. The lack of light didn't make him nervous anymore, as both sides of his family's genes had contributed quite a bit to his above average vision in the dark.

Finally, though, the uneventful walk seemed to pick up, right before he was about to turn and head back. At first too shocked to clearly register what was going on, Cameron completely overlooked the animal that had been stalking him. More importantly, where in the hell had this boy suddenly materialized from? Stunned curiosity was pushed out of the way by concern when his mind finally absorbed the fact that this light haired boy was the only thing standing between him and one very vicious animal. But, rather than being concerned over his own well-being, he was worried about the younger boy struggling with the animal.

And, seemingly as quick as the scuffle had started, the cat retreated, leaving the half-Zercan puzzled, but relieved. Well, while that hadn't been the kind of entertainment he'd originally been looking for, it certainly had gotten his adrenaline pumping. He hesitated as the Majikadai boy finally spoke to him, not sure what to say at first.

"I could have taken care of myself," Cameron finally replied, his tone and his expression carrying a slight look of indignation. Really, he would've been fine even without the boy's help! He probably would've ended up with a few minor injuries before he had a chance to switch to his puma form, but an escape from the animal would've been entirely possible. His expression softened marginally as he continued, "And I was taking a walk. But something tells me I missed the hiker-friendly path."

A offered a small smile along with his sarcasm, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Thanks, though," Whether he would've been alright on his own or not, thanks was definitely in order. Without really thinking, he spoke, his mouth working ahead of his mind as it usually did as he introduced himself, "I'm Cameron Ainsworth, and the name of my lovely savior would be...?"

[Audley Bohdan]

"I could have taken care of myself," the guy said a tad indignantly. Audley snorted mentally. He didn't exactly believe him when he said that, but was not going to say anything. The beast had caught him unaware, and seemed stronger than your average panther. The stranger would not have lasted a minute! Of course, Aud had no idea he was face-to-face with a part-Zercan.

When the guy thanked him Audley nodded slightly. At least he knew this person had manners. Then his already wide eyes widened more. '...Lovely savior?' he thought in surprise. No one had ever called him 'lovely' before, and he hardly thought of himself as that.

"Audley Bohdan," he answered simply. He looked down at the sword in his hands and rubbed its hilt a little before looking back up. "You aren't from around here," he said confidently. It was easy to tell because Cameron's skin wasn't the pale color of most Jeskarans'. "It is dangerous to wander outside the city if you are not from here."

[Cameron Ainsworth]

"That's right. I'm from Zerca, actually," Cameron stated the face, subduing a sigh. So, someone had finally told him, indirectly, that he stood out. Oh well. No matter--it wasn't like he hadn't known that and it wasn't as if he necessarily wanted anyone to think he was from the sunless planet, either. He just didn't like the place at all. There wasn't a sun, there was one big city, and most of the people he'd met there, outside of family, were slightly unsettling to be around.

"I know enough about this place to know it's dangerous out here," He replied slowly, shrugging one of his shoulders, "But the city isn't as entertaining as one would think it would be. In a way, I was kind of hoping there would be something dangerous out here."

It was true that he'd been looking for some sort of thrill. Heading out into the obviously ominous forest on a planet he'd scarcely visited was something he knew many people would call a stupid move. He didn't care, though. As stupid as it was, he wasn't ignorant enough to get himself into serious trouble. In fact, even the panther that had snuck up on him had been a fluke. If he'd been paying a bit more attention, he would've known exactly where the lurking animal was at all times and been ready for an immediate retreat whenever he found it necessary.

[Audley Bohdan]

Aud gave the guy an unreadible look. He didn't know what to make of that. Never before in his life had he heard of some one voluntarily looking for danger. It was normally people looking to stay away from danger as well as they could Obviously this man had never lived as dangerous a life as the people from Sanjiv, Audley's village.

It was also a surprise to hear that the city was not entertaining. He had always believed it would be, being the city. It was full of diverse people and things like "coffee shops". The teen had never had coffee, let alone seen a "coffe shop". There weren't any random shops in the middle of the wilderness, and it was hard to build such needless places up in the trees.

"Looking for danger?" he murmured, shaking his head. "Why would you do that? Even if you were bored," he asked. "It does not make sense."

[Cameron Ainsworth]

"It was the better alternative out of a choice of three, I think," Cameron stated as if it explained everything, sarcastic tone present again. After a small pause and shake of his head, he spoke again, "It was either sitting around for hours with relatives, wandering the city, or taking a walk. Besides, living right in the middle of Scrijx back on Zerca isn't very exciting. I've been overdue to do something reckless."

The capital of Zerca was indeed an interesting place to live, but Cameron wouldn't have went as far as it call it exciting. For the first year he lived there, it certainly was, but since then, it had gradually lost a good deal of it's appeal. It was just like any other big city--lots of people, lots of things to do, but still got old pretty quickly. The brunette couldn't even get himself lost there anymore--something he'd found to be quite entertaining in years past. the many times he'd ended up lost in the city, he'd always found something to entertain himself with and had not once been unable to find out where he was sooner or later.

"Don't strain yourself trying to make sense of me. I can be an enigma sometimes, or so I've been told. Or maybe I'm just insane and going through an adrenaline withdrawl," He smiled impishly. If he was correct in assuming that this boy was a Majikadai or Jshiko, he had to admit he could see where it wouldn't make sense for him to be out cruising for some danger-induced thrill. The two other species of the planet lived pretty much in fear for the lives daily on this planet, or so he had heard. He gave the thought a bit more consideration before giving a small, half-hearted laugh, "But I guess my only explanation is that I have an incurable lack of common sense?"

[Audley Bohdan]

Scrijx... He had briefly heard of Zerca's capital before. Other planets were not really his people's first priority, and the teen often forgot there were any. Of course there was the odd man from a different planet and of a different species in his village that reminded him there were. This men were, of course, a Majikadai's mate. And of course whenever he thought of that Fae he rescued he remembed the other planets. Thinking about them was not really on the top of his list, though, so why was he thinking about this when there was an interesting Zercan standing in front of him?

His use of sarcasim was only slightly annoying. Things like that tended to fly right over his head, though. "An incurable lack of common sense?" Audley repeated, only a bit of his amusement coming out. "There was once a man in my village with this "disease". He was killed by a pack of wolves not six months ago because he thought throwing pebbles at the alpha male's head would be a smart idea."

The teen sniffed quietly. "I hope I'm right in thinking you are not this far along yet?" Okay, so maybe his sense of humor wasn't the greatest. He wasn't even sure if what he was saying would be taken as funny.... His demeanor sure didn't show that he was trying to be funny. But this was the first time in a long time he had been around some one so lighthearted and it seemed to be having an effect on him.

[Cameron Ainsworth]

"Don't worry. I don't think I'm quite that bad yet," Cameron replied quietly quietly. A disease, huh? Whether the boy had meant the comment on his own mental state as a joke or not, he honestly didn't know. But, he decided to take it as one, at least. He flashed the other a playful grin, "Besides, we don't have wolves back home, so I'd say I'm safe."

After he'd finished the statement, he made a mental note to himself. Repeating what the other had said mentally and giving a brief, but thoughtful look to the weapon present in Audley's grasp, he found himself curious. It was obvious that this boy in front of him led a radically different life than him. After all, people from the city generally didn't mention people from their neighborhoods being killed by wolves. Nor did they carry around swords. As much as Cameron liked the thrill of a short walk around the Jeskaran forest, it was hard to imagine someone living in it, what with all the wild animals and, even more threatening, the other humanoid species of the planet lurking about unable to find prey in the city due to the laws.

"So, I guess you live out.. here, somewhere?" The brunette asked curiously, making a small indicating motion with one of his hands. He gave a thoughtful look around before his eyes came back to settle on the other, "At least, you don't seem like a city dweller. Quite the opposite, honestly. Most people from the city are whiney and spoiled, and you seem like a nice person, anyway."

[Audley Bohdan]

Audley smiled lightly and brushed some light hair behind his ear. Being in training, he hardly ever received so many compliments. He knew it was silly to become bashful of this man's words but... when you get called "lovely" and "nice" it makes you feel good, even if you aren't sure if the person was being sarcastic about it.

"Many, many miles from here," he answered. "In a village my people call Sanjiv. It isn't very big, mind you. And we live in the trees. I've never been or even seen a city before but... well, I assume it is very different than living in the wilds of Jeskara. But if everyone in cities are whiney and spoiled, wouldn't that make you whiney and spoiled as well? Or is the capitol of Zerca different than other cities?" he asked.

Before either of them could say anything else they were interrupted by two large older men dropping in on them- literally. "And what do you think you're doin'?" the oldest one asked Audley.

"I was talking, Cheyenne," Audley said softly, bowing his head slightly to the older male and trying to catch his breathe. He couldn't believe he had been so distracted that he hadn't even heard his companions nearing them.

"Talking?" the man scoffed. "Talking idly can lead to no where good. We have been walking on ground and limb for nearly five minutes now and you did not even know, did you? Why would our leader send such an inexperianced runt like you on such a mission?" he muttered. "It is obvious you, child, are still too young to be a true warrior. You would rather spend time talking with a stranger than thinking about helping your own people."

Audley glanced at Turin, the other warrior accompanying them. He was just staring at him silently with an unreadable expression. The youngest Majikadai looked at his feet shamefully. He knew he deserved to be talked down like that. Paying attention to his surroundings was important, and thinking about his village even more so.

"The city is just up ahead," Cheyenne said quietly. "Follow when you are ready to be serious." Audley nodded slightly and didn't watch when the men walked away. The teen cleared his throat and glanced at Cameron. He wondered what the brunette thought of him now... or why he really cared what a stranger thought. "Will you need help getting back to the city?" he asked. "I can walk with you, or you can continue wandering around out here. Though I am not so sure the next being you come across will be friendly...."

[Cameron Ainsworth]

Before he could answer the boy's question, he was startled by the sudden appearance of the two other Majikadai. Oh, great. This had been the second time he'd allowed himself to drop whatever little bit of a guard he had and something had snuck up on him. Though, it seemed as if the two others weren't at all interested in him. Rather, they were preoccupied with harrassing the other, an action that didn't bode well with the half-breed. Of course, it was a bit surprising to find that the two others speaking so harshly to the younger boy had made him as angry as it had. In fact, as they walked away, he turned his glare from their retreating forms to his own hand, suddenly aware of just how tightly his fist was clenched. He relaxed his hand once he'd realized his knuckles were white from the grip, instead moving to shover said hand into his pocket.

'What was that about?' Cameron asked himself mentally, referring to how easily it had set him off to hear the younger teen scolded and berated by the other two. He shook his head slightly, a small sigh escaping past his lips, 'I guess it's because I've never liked rudeness. That's the only plausible answer, anyway.'

"Pleasant people," Cameron scoffed, adding in a roll of his eyes as he made the comment. He looked back over to the other, the smile returning to his face, "Honestly? I could find my way back easily on my own, but I'd rather have company. Seems like I need someone to protect me from the dangers of the forest, anyway."

[Audley Bohdan]

Audley smiled slightly. "I'll do my best," he answered. He started walking, waiting for Cameron to so as well. When he did began a normal walking pace instead of the slow one he had when he was waiting for his new... what would he call this man?" Companion? Aquantaince? The Majikadai wasn't sure. But... he knew he wanted him to be something special.

Wait... something special? Why? They had only just met, and the half-Zercan and him wouldn't be seeing eachother anymore after this. What was it about him that made him so... what was the word? Silly lovestruck teenager like? No, he wasn't lovestruck! ...Was he?

"Hm, don't speak of Cheyenne and Turin that way. They are very skilled warriors and are only trying to teach me how to become a good warrior. I am still in training and haven't finished my journey...," he trailed off when he realized he was revealing his people's ways. While it wasn't looked down upon to talk about their traditions, it wasn't looked on upon either. "They have many, many more tattoos than I do. I hope one day I will have at least as many as Turin does now. I can not even imagine coming close to Cheyenne, though. He has done many honorable things in his lifetime." He licked his lips nervously. "Though, I suppose that is what most people would want so you don't need to hear that," he murmured quickly and cleared his throat.

[Cameron Ainsworth]

Cameron was glad that the other decided to walk with him after all. He wouldn't have minded if the other had left him there. Well, that was a lie. Actually, the brunette would've minded quite a bit. He understood that, apparently, Audley had a job to do and he was being an unneccessary distraction, but he enjoyed the other's company. Walking and talking with the other was significantly more enjoyable than sitting around in a room full of people he didn't know who, apparently, knew him and took every chance to tell him just how much he'd grown and embarrassing stories of him when he was younger. Even more unbearable were the ones that gave him awkward sideways glances and never bothered to try and communicate with him, silently wondering to themselves which relative of theirs had went off and tainted the nice little bloodline they had going.

"I apologize, then, but that still doesn't make me any more fond of how that one guy talked to you," Cameron sighed, suppressing an annoyed sigh, "But, really, I don't mind. Keep talking. It's nice."

The things the other talked about were so very different from anything he'd ever experienced in his life. He'd been raised in a small town, but even that didn't compare at all to the kind of life Audley lived. It was interesting to get first hand insight into the things that happened on the proverbial other side of the coin.

"You know, you're really interesting," He stated, his voice slightly distracted. He looked back at Audley and gave him a smile though, shrugging one of his shoulders, "Definitely one of the most interesting people I've met, and you'd be surprised at just how many people I've talked to."

[Audley Bohdan]

Holding his sword in a strange position to his chest, almost like he was hugging it, Audley smiled to himself. Cameron thought his talking was nice? That made him feel strangely happy. It was kind of like when that Fae would say he liked his outfit on certain days. A light happy feeling that only a certain person could give you. But when Cam complimented him he felt more happy than usual. It was very strange. Most people didn't get excited when some one told them to keep talking, did they?

He glanced up and gave the other boy a strange look. "I'm interesting?" he asked the distracted half-Zercan. "You're pretty interesting yourself. I have never met some one so... carefree," he said softly. "Or some one so free with compliments," he muttered under his breathe.

They walked around a viney thick tree and Audley froze. He stared ahead of him, light brown eyes wide and fill of wonder. Before him were giant stone buildings sitting on the ground. Ground that was made of rocks and dirt. Everything was very big and imposing. Especially for a boy that grew up living in the middle of the wilderness, in a tree.

"This is Jokadi?" he asked in awe. "Everything is so... big...."

There were lots and lots of people walking along the stone ground. He had never seen so many people walking along the ground before, always above in the trees were his people. "It is safe to walk like that?" he asked uncertainly. He knew it was okay to walk around on the ground in a city, but he needed to double check. It just didn't seem right to him.

[Cameron Ainsworth]

"Thanks, I guess," Cameron laughed. Carefree? Well, that was certainly true. But, he'd never expected to be complimented on it. In fact, the only comments he'd ever gotten on his lax personality were harsh--sort of like how the other had been snapped at for talking. Of course, not even an angry boss could make Cameron act even marginally more serious. His serious side was reserved for special occasions only. It took too much effort to be serious.

"This is Jokadi," He confirmed to the other boy, looking over at him. His reaction was absolutely adorable. Even though he figured the boy hadn't ever seen a city before, it was amusing to see how something so simple could amaze someone like that. Again, his mouth moved before his mind had time to function, his lips turning up into a teasing half-grin, "Wow. If you think this place is big, maybe I should show you Scrijx sometime?"

Whether he was dense and didn't realize the underlying meaning behind the statement, or if he was simply not going to acknowledge the fact that he'd said something strange was hard to tell by his expression alone. Of course, the question had obviously been meant as a little joke, but the idea did sound appealing to the half breed. He definitely wouldn't have minded seeing the boy's undoubtedly awestruck expression when he laid his eyes on the Zercan capital.

"Is it safe to walk how?" Cameron asked, puzzled. He gave the boy a thoroughly confused look before it suddenly lifted in surprised realization, "You mean, on the ground? Well, of course it's safe. Just don't wander out onto the middle of the street unless you entertain the idea of being smashed into the pavement by a nice big heap of metal."