Griffin
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HEY WELCOME TO PART ONE OF THE PLOT TWIST. I feel like there is a better name for this. Oh well. BUT YEAH. This is pretty boring, actually. And this part is the least substantial. I believe the middle two are the most, and the last is still pretty important. OMG Griffy why you so dull.
This is basically just a minor resolution and the beginning of the end.
Whoa that got deep quick.
Not.
Anywho, enjoy. ;D
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The days blurred together.
I no longer kept track of when the sun rose and set, nor did I care. My nerves were frayed, my brain fried. What did it matter anymore?
I tried to relax—truly, I did—but I found the knots in my neck and shoulders were much too tight to unravel in such a short time. It had been far too long since I had been at peace that I had forgotten how to reach such a state of serenity.
But there was no time to dwell on that. We were in an exotic place. There was no pressing stress at the moment, aside from Charlie’s predicament, and we had no business in Germany. It was a vacation.
I had to enjoy it. So I forced myself to do just that.
A few days had passed since our arrival—around four or five days, I believed—and I awoke when the sky outside was still black and littered with stars. I could not return to a peaceful slumber, so instead I resolved to take a quick, cold shower to awaken my senses and venture to the hotel lobby, throwing on my favorite long coat prior to doing so.
Hardly anyone inhabited the cavernous room aside from the concierge. I offered the dreary man a wave as I exited through the revolving glass doors. He barely blinked in acknowledgement. I was beginning to believe he slept with his eyes open.
I stood on the doorstep, looking east as the sun began to rise. This city was new to me, but I had wanted to explore it since our arrival. There was a rich history, one that few knew of. Honestly, no one would care. No one but me.
In 1158 the city was formed. A brothel had banded together sometime during the eighth century and only in the eleven-hundreds did they officially declared the region a city. It was a small gathering, but one of the members had had a dark secret: he was a wyvern, a descendent of the ancient Greeks. No one suspected anything at first, having overlooked his eyes and odd mannerisms.
But then they found out late one night. They saw a flying form above their settlement and met him when he landed. He was executed and burned, ashes scattered over the Bavarian Alps. That was one of the reasons I never ventured to this place.
But there was something more personal about this historic city that always called to me.
In 1981, two Greeks travelled here on separate vacations, completely oblivious to the other’s existence. They met on random, fate having decided to plant them at the scene of a mild car accident. They were both eyewitnesses, and upon finishing their work, the man asked the woman to go for coffee. She obliged.
They were my parents, and this was the city in which they fell in love. Or so they said.
Still the idea that my parents had once set foot in this place, too, allured me. It was almost like a fairy tale, in a way, but truer.
Good Gods above me, I was just a bit delusional.
I set off, heading west down the street, when a stern tongue snapped in my ear from the shadows beside the hotel doorway.
“Spike, where do you think you’re going?” Only one being addressed me with such a demeaning title: Ela. I sighed. But before I could offer a retort, someone else cut me off.
A bubbly head of blue hair emerged from the darkness beside the Avian. “I didn’t think anyone else got up this early! Aside from myself, of course. And Ela. And—”
“Believe me,” Ela said, rubbing her eyes, “if I could have slept in, I would have, but your persistent knocking isn’t exactly easy to sleep through.” Kateri only giggled.
“If I may,” I said, raising a hand. “I was only out to take a walk. So, if you will kindly excu—”
Kateri’s eyes went wide with horror. “Without eating breakfast? What blasphemy!”
Beside her, Ela yawned, shaking her head. “We’re waiting on Violett to get down here. She was the only other member awake. And then we’re going to scout out some local place that’s open.”
Taking my hands in hers, Kateri pouted. “Why don’t you join us? Pwetty please?” She batted her eyelashes. I struggled not to roll my eyes.
“I—”
“Is this a marriage proposal or something?” Violett’s chipper voice sliced through my words as she danced through the doors. “And here I thought you were waiting for me, Griffy Poo.”
“Violett.”
She waved a hand. “I’m only teasing. Don’t be a grouchy butt.”
My cheeks flared, but in the faint light, I doubted anyone could see. “I suppose I shall join you, provided I am not an intrusion.”
“Pish-posh!” said Violett. “Three’s a crowd, but four’s a party! Let’s get some breakfast! I’ve a hankering for some crepes. Or waffles. Or bacon..”
Skipping, she led the way in the opposite way I had intended to travel. I supposed I did not need to embark on the same [URL=“http://www.theotaku.com/worlds/themcc/view/313399/ich_bin_ein_fabelwesen/”]adventure twice, but it would have been nice to go alone.
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As it turned out, nearly three-fourths of the club showed up for breakfast. Needless to say, the cozy dinner became too filled with mythical creatures for more than four average guests to sit in. The staff was none too pleased, especially since some of the members (i.e. Acacia and Kuroshiro) did not eat anything. Still the rest of us were paying customers, so the waitresses donned their plastic smiles and served us well.
As the club discussed their adventures in Germany, I sipped my black coffee, staring out the window and tuning out their conversations. I heard snippets, sure, but I was too deep in thought to dwell on them.
A few months previously, I would have been too enraptured with XL to even dream of idle chatter. Now I was held captive by my recent memories, specifically the first night we lodged in Germany.
The night Akira and I...
My throat swelled to think of it. It had been wrong of me. I took advantage of her. The past few days I had been unable to even meet her eyes in passing, going so far as to demand a separate room from the mustachioed manager at the front desk. I could not bear to face her, not after what I had done.
My actions violated everything believed in, every core tradition I practiced. Yet I could not help but realize how I had... enjoyed it, not just the deed itself but the rebellion in it.
Mostly the deed. But I would not admit that.
I subconsciously snapped the rubber band around my wrist. I had had to do this more and more often as the days progressed. It was to deter the thoughts. But I feared it was not working. I was not to think such things.
Then again...
The way her skin glistened in the soft glow of the moon. Snap. How her eyes sparkled with that half-human, half-animal ferocity. Snap. Snap. That brief moment when—
“Griffin, watch out!” Ela’s voice cut straight through my unwelcome thoughts, and I did not look up in time to protect myself from Violett’s flailing body. With a shriek, she fell straight onto my lap, and by some miracle, I barely managed to maneuver my cup so the coffee splashed onto myself rather than her.
Though it burned, I bit my tongue. “Violett, are you alright? What happened?”
She laughed a little as she tried to squirm off of me. “Um... y-yeah. I... Oh, Griffin.” Oh, Gods... what? “Sorry about that. I guess I was having too much fun. I just kinda... tried to... jump over the table.”
“Oh.” I aided her as best I could, immediately reaching for a handful of napkins once she stood on her own. I had chosen a poor day to wear a white shirt. “Please be careful next time.” She nodded before shuffling back to her seat across from me.
I shook my head, trying to absorb the coffee. It did not work well. With a sigh, I gave up. The hotel was down the street. It was not a big deal.
At that moment, the front door to the restaurant slammed open, the bells ringing violently as they slapped the glass. In walked a very tired-looking, very clearly annoyed, Akira. Behind her, the remaining members of the club followed, groggy but content.
Akira glared at the bells before sauntering over to our table, sitting... right next to me. There were dark shadows under her eyes, and it seemed she had not gotten much sleep.
She turned to me, her eyes scanning me top to bottom. “What’d you do, spit up on yourself?” she snapped.
Taken aback, I stared back at her. “I... Violett...”
Rolling her eyes, she scoffed. “Oh, ‘Violett this,’ ‘Violett that.’ It’s always about Violett, isn’t it?”
“Akira,” I hissed, taking a light hold on her wrist. She did not struggle, choosing to glare at it instead. “What is wrong with you?”
She sighed, averting her eyes. “I’m exhausted, Griffin. And... and I...”
“What?”
She wrenched her arm out of my hold. “Nothing. Not here. We’ll talk later.” Licking her lips, she rose, drawing the attention of the club. “Guys, listen. I spoke to Charlie last night. It’s safe now. We’re to meet him today. So I need you all to pack up your things before noon. We’re heading out as soon as possible, and frankly, I’d rather it be sooner than later. Get on it.” She sat back down right as a dull roar of excitement arose. Apparently, everyone was terribly enthusiastic about leaving our five star hotel for some reason.
I did not partake in the banter. Instead I focused on Akira. “Would you like to talk now?”
“What did I just say, Griffin?”
“Outside, I mean.”
Blinking hard, she bit her lip. “Oh. I... Fine.”
She followed my lead as I stood, pushing in my chair with only minor squeaks in doing so. Violett immediately turned to face us.
“Where are you going? On an adventure?” she asked, eyes sparkling.
I exchanged a quick look with Akira; she rolled her eyes. “Ahhh... Yes, we shall say that.”
Scrambling over a few members’ laps, she squealed. “Can I come?”
“No.”
Never had I seen such a despondent face. “Oh. I... Alright.”
Guilt-ridden, I patted her shoulder. “It is nothing against you. This is just... something we... adults... need to take care of. Alone. As adults.”
Pouting, she narrowed her eyes before letting out a sigh. “Fine. Have fun.” With a huff she returned to the table.
Akira was already on her way out the door, so under my breath, I said, “Unlikely.”
She was waiting outside, leaning heavily against the brick wall of the diner. Saying nothing, she slipped me a slanted glare, chewing on her lip.
“Well?”
“Well what?”
I blinked. “What is on your mind?”
Closing her eyes, she sighed and tucked her hands into her jeans pockets. “Look... I...” Uncertainty dwelled on her face. “I’m just really confused, Griff... Did... did I do something wrong to make you leave the room?”
Puzzled, I stared at her for a moment before answering. “I am sorry? You did nothing wrong, Akira.”
“Then why did you leave?” she asked softly, as if afraid someone would overhear us.
“I...” I swallowed hard, my mind drifting to the vault which had proved to be very difficult to keep locked, and I instinctively snapped the rubber band around my wrist. “I was wrong. I was wrong to do what I did. And I apologize.”
“Wrong to do what? I don’t think you did anything wrong.” A blush rose to her cheeks.
I met her eyes with as stony a stare I could muster. “I took advantage of your intoxicated state. That was very wrong of me to do.” The thoughts persisted, blatantly ignoring all I had done to dispel them, and I continued to snap the band, making my skin raw and red.
“But yet I remember every moment of it, Griffin, and I liked it. You’re acting as if I didn’t... And will you quit with that damn rubber band on your wrist? Why are you doing that?” she asked, staring at my raw wrist.
I immediately stopped, forcing it behind my back to hide it. “I...” With a sigh, I dropped it, letting it hang by my side. “In my culture, it is despicable to even think of such things. And because... Because I cannot... seem to banish the memories from my mind, I must try and rid myself of them by my own methods.” She coughed a chuckle.
“You know it’s completely normal to think about it? Even if it’s against your culture, it’s hard not to think about it. To try to banish something you loved doing is impossible. I honestly can’t stop thinking about it-” She cut herself off, clasping her hand over her mouth with her whole face bright red.
Blushing equally, I coughed to cover my smile. “You cannot?” I quickly reorganized my priorities. “Akira, though I... enjoyed it”—Gods, Griffin, pull yourself together—“I cannot disobey the laws of my people. I feel like I have betrayed you.” She fell silent, but after a few minutes, she spoke.
“You feel like you betrayed me?” She sounded hurt. “Griff, you didn’t at all. I enjoyed it, you enjoyed it, and it’s okay to go against the rules sometimes, Griff. Personally, I wouldn’t mind if we did it again but...” She cleared her throat. “... if you truly feel like you betrayed me if we did it again, then I don’t know to do, Griff. You didn’t betray me...”
Not knowing what else to do, I took her hands in mine. "I am sorry for causing you distress. I should be helping you face your problems, not causing you more. Please forgive me, Akira. Sometimes my history conflicts with what I feel, and it is difficult to decide which to side with." I forced her to look me in the eye with a gentle nudge. "I am choosing you. Is that... all right?"
Her frown turned a little bit upwards. “Yes, of course it is.”
I relaxed ever so slightly. “I will need your help, however. I have never been a rebel before.”
“Except when you were in a gang?”
“Well, yes. Except that.”
She smirked. Then it became a sullen frown. “Would you stop with the rubber band?” Instead of awaiting my reply, she wrenched it off my wrist and snapped it in two. “God, Griffin, you’re gonna cut your hand off.”
I had not noticed I was still doing it.
Akira gingerly kissed the inside of my wrist where the skin was reddest. “It’s okay. I’m here for you. Don’t get rid of the thoughts, Griff. You might need them later.”
Blushing, I let out a heavy sigh. “Thank you, Akira.”
As she dropped my hand, she straightened and cracked her back effortlessly. “Alright, come on. I’m famished. After breakfast, we’re leaving. No excuses.”
“Understood.” Walking back to the diner, I could not help but notice how Akira held my hand: gentle yet firm, almost protective. It was pleasant.
I did not linger on that for long. We were finally going to see about what all the hubbub with Charlie was.
It was about time.
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WOOOOO
Recipe for this breakfast:
1 cup of awkwardness
3 gallons of good-lord-what-is-sleep
A few cups of hot coffee
Angst: just a das--OH SHIT POURED THE WHOLE SACK IN
Violett
That is all
Now onto Anime's first post of the night. OH and unless you message me, like, now, or we spoke previously, posting is now closed. Thanks, guys! <3
AND sorry this was crap. >w<
