Gravity Shmavity (Lixue)

[Volinir Orchid]

14th of Fall, 512AV It was always a curious thing when two peoples' Chavi connected. One's experiences tended to melt together with the others, and the result could be... Strange. In this instance, Volinir had dreamed of walking the roads of Kalinor again. Or rather, he would have, if someone with a very different pool of experiences wasn't sharing this dream. Instead, while the roads were intact, they were suspended between gigantic trees endemic to the Spires. Massive, soft red mushrooms the size of houses dotted the landscape below, and singing birds and ethereal butterflies were plentiful in the canopy. Volinir, of course, didn't question the setting. Indeed, he enjoyed it, perhaps a little more than the caves that made his home. The Symenestra was dressed in the clothes of his heritage, gauze-like cloth of deep purple and indigo, with a texture not unlike cashmere, and he was thoroughly enjoying gliding along the silk roads, taking in the beauty of his surroundings, listening to the singing sparrows and the wind whistling through the trees, and, occasionally, dropping down a level with a laugh before grabbing hold of another ream a few yards below him. By coincidence, Volinir spotted another soul on the ropes, though this one didn't seem quite as excited. Indeed, if appearances were any indicator, she was clinging on for dear life. Nearing the girl, he was delighted to see that it was a familiar face: The woman who had helped him survive the blizzard last night. "Hello there!" Volinir chirped happily. He looked a great deal healthier than he did in the last dream; this was a Volinir before Ravok, when he was still very well fed. "Fancy seeing you again!"

[Lixue]

Lixue was terrified. One moment she had been tossing and turning in the bed she had once shared with Ly and the next minute.... Well, the next minute she was clinging to a thread one hand could easily grip. Her feet gripped the thread between her toes and her hands were losing feeling because she held the tiny thread so tight. The air whistled around her, reminding Lixue that she was high enough off the ground that any movement below by even the largest of creatures looked like ants running back and forth. Not to mention giant mushrooms decorated the landscape. From Lixue could tell, this was the Spires. She had been thinking about Ly and her time in the Spires before this... this thread came out of nowhere! Lixue was wearing the same thing she had been sleeping in; a lacy top and shorts lined with fur. Her feet were bare. Her hair lay piled on top of her hair in a messy bun and her face was clean of makeup. Instead of the last dream, Lixue looked more alive and less haunted. Her green eyes were alight, although probably with fear than anything else currently; her cheeks were not as hollow; and she looked healthy. The dream had allowed a glow to emanate from Lixue's pale skin. The dream had also pushed all bad thoughts of Ly and his death from her mind. The next thing Lixue knew, someone was talking. And seemed happy! "Hello there! Fancy seeing you again!" Lixue would have turned her head to look, but she was busy trying to hold on for dear life. Even though she was holding the thread with such a tight grip, Lixue still pleaded, "Oh, gods... what do I do? Help me.. please?"

[Volinir Orchid]

"Viratas bless her, she doesn't know how to use a street..." This was just too precious. With a quick snap of his hip, Volinir was upright on the thread, holding on with his hands and knees. He never really understood why other races had such a hard time with Kalinor's roads. Of course, he was a good twenty pounds lighter than an equivalently sized human, (which meant Lixue was about the same weight as him) and the microscopic hooks in his skin meant that falling almost wasn't a possibility, but still! "Come now, it's easy!" Volinired crawled along the thread until he was right above Lixue, who had decided that the best way to keep calm was not to look at all the pretty scenery. While he COULD instruct her on the proper way to hold on, the Symenestra had a much better idea... Releasing the rope with one of his hands, he suddenly ducked down and planted a kiss on Lixue's lips to shock her into letting go. Immediately afterwards, Volinir threw himself down after her with a gleeful giggle, wrapping an arm around her waist before catching hold of another "road" nearly thirty feet below them with his other hand and one set of toes. Due to the unique nature of his skin, even that minor grip provided more than enough traction to allow him to hold onto the thread and the Vantha at once. "It's really just a matter of confidence!" he said with a grin that inadvertently revealed his fangs.

[Lixue]

Lixue nearly screamed with shock when pressure was applied to her lips. She flailed, completely forgetting about holding onto the thread in her attempt to reach and strangle whoever had touched her lips with their rough, chapped ones. For a single moment, Lixue dangled by her the grip her toes had on the thread. The world spun at the unexpected motion. Green blurred into red and blue twisted into yellow. The wind tipped Lixue tauntingly before pushing harsher and Lixue's hold slowly slipped at the rocking. Within ticks, Lixue was free-falling. Her hands shoved at the air and her legs clenched together in fright. A frightened scream burst from Lixue's lungs, echoing around her. She was going to die! There was no doubt in Lixue's mind that within ticks she would smack against the ground and look like a bug a Jamoura had stepped on! Her body would not be able to be recovered because it would be so driven deep into the dirt! So intent on her screaming and thoughts of death, Lixue did not feel the arm snake around her waist until Volinir was literally right against her. Then, eyes squeezed shut, Lixue wrapped her arms and legs around him, tucking her face into his chest. The screams quit, but she whimpered and did not release her tight hold. They jerked when Volinir grabbed another thread and Lixue latched on tighter. Only when she was certain they were no longer moving did Lixue open her eyes and cautiously peer out from her hiding place. A feeling of giddiness bubbled up in Lixue when she realized she was still living. A giggle fell from her lips and she yelled, "You're petching insane!" But it was a good insane.

[Volinir Orchid]

Apparently, Symenestra could be colorful, as evidenced by Volinir's furious blushing in response to the body wrapped around him. Still, he was having far too much fun to let it concern him too much. Indeed, Lixue's accusations of madness only served to elevate his mood. "So you can smile!" he said in a teasing tone, tickling her stomach for a moment before pulling himself up and hooking onto the rope with his knee. He repeated the same for his other knee, so that he could let go of the thread with his hand and still dangle comfortably, and securely, by his bent knees. Of course, that also meant they were upside-down. "I don't think I caught your name..." Volinir said casually, using his other arm to keep Lixue close as well, now that it was free. A couple ticks later, he burst into a fresh fit of laughter. It was simply too much to keep a straight face given the circumstances. "Sorry..." he gasped between chuckles, "This is just too..." Volinir trailed off, not sure what it was. Silly might have been the word, but who cared? He was having the time of his life. Ridiculous certainly wasn't it, nor was odd. Alvadas was odd. This was just plain cute! Of course, his being in a dream probably had something to do with it, but those were details for another time. "But really, what's your name? 'You' just doesn't seem appropriate."

[Lixue]

Lixue nodded, hair shaking into her face. "I can smile, yes." It was a basic human activity, after all. Nearly anyone could smile. Even infants could smile. The dream pushed away all thoughts of Ly. "Now, the wonderful thing is is that you ca-" Lixue cut off, gripping the thin man even tighter with her legs and arms and hiding her face again as their world swayed. She could feel his muscles shift beneath her hold. What was he doing? The next moment, the pair swayed and Lixue felt the blood rush to her head. Frightened beyond words, she failed to release the man from her hold. Only after both of his arms were touching her skin did Lixue relax. She felt bad for holding him so tightly, but was certain she had not hurt him. She was not that strong, after all! Daring to open her eyes, Lixue focused on the man's face. This would keep her from looking down at the ground so far below and would keep her from tensing up again when the wind blew. This way, she could handle the situation they were in. A laugh burst from the man and Lixue could hear the sound originating in his chest and bouncing around before the vibrations tickled her ear. The sound was infectious and the tips of Lixue's pink lips tipped upward in response. "I am Lixue," a pause as she remembered to add her title, "of the Whitevine Hold." Gently, the fisted hold Lixue had of his shirt loosened until she was simply gripping him instead of clutching. "And you are a man full of swears and nasty words. And, apparently, laughter." The confusion was evident.

[Volinir Orchid]

"I prefer Volinir," the Symenestra said before his brow furrowed. "Right... Sorry about that. Your kind have done little to endear yourselves to me. You're not half bad, though!" he added quickly, the smile coming back, "But now isn't the time to think about the past. Sitting in front of a fireplace, smoking a pipe is time to think about the past. Four hundred feet in the air..." A quick tensing of abdominal muscles, a tick of swinging, and Volinir was sitting upright on the thread, "Is time to think of the present, and all the wonders in it, no?" He tilted back and let himself swing upside-down again. "Tell me, Lixue, do you really not know how to use a street?" Volinir was well used to the fact that other races didn't consider lengths of silk streets, but it still never ceased to strike him as funny. For someone who was so irritable before, he sure seemed bubbly. "I mean, sure, they're not your streets, but it's still just silk! I mean, you're holding on just fine right now, aren't you?" Evidently, her grip wasn't hurting him at all, since the only indicator that he was being held in the first place was the fact that he was a bright pink. Of course, that might have had something to do with his head pointing towards the ground.

[Lixue]

"Vol-i-nerr?" Lixue questioned, sounding it out. Though the name rolled off of her tongue in the lyrical accent her race was known for, she doubted she had pronounced it correctly. "And my kind? What have Vantha done to you? And, um, thank you?" This time, the tone was accusatory as she raised an eyebrow and turned her face away. The view still made her nauseous. But was gorgeous. The skyline blended perfectly with the glittering sun and puffy clouds dipped and bobbed. A bird flew past and Lixue could have sworn she could almost touch it... if she would only release the Volinir. But Lixue was not letting go of the man anytime soon if she could help it. Within the next tick, her world spun. The movement happened so fast Lixue did not have time to react, not even to tighten her hold. So situated was she that the fur on her shorts brushed against Volinir's skin when he moved. "Petching hell!" Choking down the laugh that threatened to explode at the unexpected movements, Lixue gave his back a soft slap with her hand. Before she could say anything else, their world spun again. This time, Lixue screamed, certain they were going to die. But they didn't. And the man kept talking, as if this was the most normal thing in the world. Then again, perhaps it was for him. "That... that thin, little line is a street?" Dark eyebrows furrowed together as she readjusted her hold on the man when she proceeded to slip a little from the flipping. "And holding onto what? I'm not touching that wire! I'm holding onto you!" A pause. "...And don't you dare let go!"

[Volinir Orchid]

"I'd... Rather not talk about it." the slave said in a subdued voice. "And not Vantha, more humans in general. Not you, though. You're rather endearing, if a little serious." Volinir said with a faint smile. The slap on his back when they spun got it back to a beam again, though. "What, do you prefer being upright?" he asked cheerily. "Because I can manage that." When Volinir heard her shock at what constituted a street for his people, it was just too much. Responding to her explanation was impossible for a good thirty ticks as Volinir struggled to contain his mirth. "Yes, yes, it's a street. Much more fun than boring old roads, yes?" When Lixue demanded he not let go, the results should have been expected. For the briefest of moments, Volinir's arms left her body, leaving her with just the strength of her limbs to hold on... And then he was clinging onto her tighter than ever, as if to reassure her. "Well, want to start? I bet in half a bell I can have you doing acrobatics on them."

[Lixue]

"Again, thanks... I think?" A pause as she shook her head in exasperation. Given their position, the hair tickled his chin. "A little serious? I think I have a right to be serious! We're hanging upside down by a thin wire, Vol-i-ner! A... street?" The term was awkward coming out of her mouth and Lixue was clearly uncomfortable thinking about anyone or anything using one of these thin threads as a street unless they were suicidal. Lixue preferred being upright, if only because then the blood would not rush to her head. But, then again, if they were upright, she was sitting on him. And that was just awkward, because Lixue was not likely to let go and scoot away, but was uncomfortable sitting on his lap and clinging so tightly. Instead, Lixue did not answer and instead let the laugh that hid to show its face. "I... think I prefer roads. They're less... They're not, ya know, so high up and dangerous." Here, Lixue pointed a finger at him, which meant releasing one hand. "And don't you dare! Say these things aren't dangerous." Oh, she knew him so well. When Volinir released her, Lixue whimpered. The hand that had been free snatched onto the front of his shirt and fisted. Her legs tightened around his waist. Only after he was holding her tightly again did Lixue thump her hand against his chest in protest. "Dammit! Quit doing that! You're going to kill my heart." A pause before Lixue's curiosity got the better of her and she nodded. "If you can teach me how to walk on these things, I promise not to kill you when we're on normal ground again."