Oh. *she cocks her head to the side and raises her eyebrows, nodding a little* Yeah. I take it you don’t have them all the time?
*the laugh is bitter* No, not at all. Yes, I can fly, but I’ve always manifested my own wings before. And these … they’re a curse.
Well, on the bright side, you were cursed with wings instead of, like, horns or something. I have a friend that would kill for some wings.
Horns I could manage! It’s not the visibility of them. It’s … it’s the sensitivity of them. I can’t be touched any more. Any of the things I’m used to, I have to change.
“You’ll have to hold on to me, Arthur, okay?” Summer stepped right up to him, looking up, face grave. Already her body was emanating heat, though she hadn’t manifested her wings yet … not that she was even sure she would be able to, or need to, under this spell. “And trust me.”
“Um. ok.” Arthur was really nervous, but he took a hold of her shoulders.
“No, closer than that. Really hold.” Summer guided Arthur’s hands around her waist, looking past his blond head to the sky. She looped one arm around his neck. “Try not to scream, since your mouth is right beside my ear.” Dragging her wings down with a mighty heave, she shoved up into the air.
A moment or two of experimentation proved that wings alone weren’t enough to hold them both, but combining wingpower with her usual thermal techniques worked surprisingly well. Just to start with, she went up about two stories, hovering.
Arthur’s eyes widened when they lifted off the ground. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He wasn’t able to bring himself to look down. He was actually scared. Truly scared.
“Relax a little. I’ve got you, I won’t let you fall.” Summer tried to make this smile reassuring. “Do you need me to take the fear away?”
Arthur was too scared to even speak. All he could do was nod.
Compared to flying with someone, this was easy. Beyond easy. A tiny thread of calm, weaving in amongst Arthur’s fear, dulling it, cooling it. She locked it up in a little box, not to be released til his feet touched ground again.
That earned him a smile. “It’s not impossible. Would you like to? Right now?”
“Uh, sure. Why not.” He was a little hesitant.
“You’ll have to hold on to me, Arthur, okay?” Summer stepped right up to him, looking up, face grave. Already her body was emanating heat, though she hadn’t manifested her wings yet … not that she was even sure she would be able to, or need to, under this spell. “And trust me.”
“Um. ok.” Arthur was really nervous, but he took a hold of her shoulders.
“No, closer than that. Really hold.” Summer guided Arthur’s hands around her waist, looking past his blond head to the sky. She looped one arm around his neck. “Try not to scream, since your mouth is right beside my ear.” Dragging her wings down with a mighty heave, she shoved up into the air.
A moment or two of experimentation proved that wings alone weren’t enough to hold them both, but combining wingpower with her usual thermal techniques worked surprisingly well. Just to start with, she went up about two stories, hovering.
Arthur’s eyes widened when they lifted off the ground. He couldn’t believe he was doing this. He wasn’t able to bring himself to look down. He was actually scared. Truly scared.
“Relax a little. I’ve got you, I won’t let you fall.” Summer tried to make this smile reassuring. “Do you need me to take the fear away?”
“Just to be spoken to is enough. No, I lie.” Summer hung her head. “Adeva, I just … I want to be wanted, for myself, you know? To be sought out.”
She quickly embraced the girl, ”Not only do we share a father in a way, but we share feelings, I know your pain, the want, I have been that way for so long as well.”
Harshly, Summer suppressed the shiver that tried to overtake her body. “Careful … the wings … ” Stepping back from Adeva, her eyes were dark with pain. “I can’t even be touched now.”
“I don’t know. I’ve done what I have always wanted. Sorta.”
“Sorta. That implies limits. What’s beyond those limits, Arthur? What can’t you reach? Let’s go find it.”
“Well, I can’t touch the sky. And it’s impossible to go up there so………”
That earned him a smile. “It’s not impossible. Would you like to? Right now?”
“Uh, sure. Why not.” He was a little hesitant.
“You’ll have to hold on to me, Arthur, okay?” Summer stepped right up to him, looking up, face grave. Already her body was emanating heat, though she hadn’t manifested her wings yet … not that she was even sure she would be able to, or need to, under this spell. “And trust me.”
“Um. ok.” Arthur was really nervous, but he took a hold of her shoulders.
“No, closer than that. Really hold.” Summer guided Arthur’s hands around her waist, looking past his blond head to the sky. She looped one arm around his neck. “Try not to scream, since your mouth is right beside my ear.” Dragging her wings down with a mighty heave, she shoved up into the air.
A moment or two of experimentation proved that wings alone weren’t enough to hold them both, but combining wingpower with her usual thermal techniques worked surprisingly well. Just to start with, she went up about two stories, hovering.
“Let’s see. What’s something you’ve always wanted to do, but weren’t able to?”
“I don’t know. I’ve done what I have always wanted. Sorta.”
“Sorta. That implies limits. What’s beyond those limits, Arthur? What can’t you reach? Let’s go find it.”
“Well, I can’t touch the sky. And it’s impossible to go up there so………”
That earned him a smile. “It’s not impossible. Would you like to? Right now?”
“Uh, sure. Why not.” He was a little hesitant.
“You’ll have to hold on to me, Arthur, okay?” Summer stepped right up to him, looking up, face grave. Already her body was emanating heat, though she hadn’t manifested her wings yet … not that she was even sure she would be able to, or need to, under this spell. “And trust me.”
“Well, I’ve gone from San Francisco to New York. I am originally from Camelot.”
“That’s a long way! You must be tired. Why so much — CAMELOT. You said CAMELOT.” Her hands flew to her mouth. “Ah, should I have … curtseyed instead?”
He gave her a questioning look. “I did say Camelot. Is that a surprise?”
“You … seem really comfortable here. So I guess it is a surprise.” She managed a shaky laugh. “Hon, to us you’re a legend.”
“I’m not really comfortable… I’m really homesick.” He shrugged. “What do you mean by a legend?”
Summer blinked. “So /that’s/ what that is. Curious,” she murmured. Her fingers flexed, and her wings rustled along with the flexion. “I mean that you’re about two thousand years out of time, Arthur.”
“So I’ve heard.” He sighed. “No offense to the people who live here, but I hate it here.”
“Something I can do about that?” Summer projected just a little sense of ease, a little relaxation, holding out a hand. “Too many people? Too much technology? Or just too loud?”
