Closed Ghost Town [Vyvian]

[Lauralyn]

Fall 56th 513 AV

A kind of numbness had set over Lauralyn now. There was too much celebration in the city today, for all the wrong reasons, and she had gotten to the point where she could no longer stand it. It’s not enough that these surrogates were taken against their will, and murdered for a cause they have nothing to do with. No. They are treated with such sickening disrespect, and showboated around like animals. It isn’t enough that they will eventually die bearing the child of the man that sentenced her to this fate, they must also be dressed up like playthings and flogged to strangers who judge them on their beauty. It was rubbing salt in an already grave wound.

She no longer really paid any mind to where her feet took her, but now, after long minutes of aimless walking, she stopped in her tracks and looked around. She stood amongst the lifeless ruins of a city not filled. A desolate ghost town on the outskirts of Kalinor. She almost laughed at the appropriateness. Her depressing thoughts had lead her to such a depressing place.

Seeing no reason to stop, Lauralyn walked on. This time she paid more mind to where she was headed. Her brief feelings of disgust and anger had turned into an intense melancholy. She could not ever hope to fill this world with a child of her own, and continue her bloodline. She couldn’t stand a man touching her romantically, let alone…

Lyn felt herself unable to walk any further. So she sat, her back leaning against a deserted grey structure, and pulled her knees into her chest, looking out into the vast emptiness. She liked it out here better. Peace and quite, and a well needed break from the looks of distaste she received on a daily basis. It wasn’t easy being a minority, especially where her family was concerned. Her only brother continued to grow ever further away from her. She barely ever saw him alone. Maybe that was because he didn’t want to see her. He was the only person whose opinion on her mattered, and she knew he looked at her with a sort of hurt confusion. She sensed no hatred from him, no hostility, but Davuan was still impressionable by his parents. She hoped there wouldn’t come a day where Davuan lead his own harvest.

With these troubling thoughts, Lauralyn forced herself to become numb again. She had a talent for setting things within her so she didn’t feel them so much. She knew she would have to return to the city eventually, but for now, the ghost town was a hiding place.

[Vyvian]

The dust clung to Vyvian like a cloak. The ruins were always dusty. Smiling paternally he ran his finger through the muck, before bringing it to his nose to smell. Age. It smelt of age. This dust was this place's history. It sat here quietly while childeren were born, marriages were made, murders committed. It was impartial, it only watched. Vyvian brushed his fringe to one side as he squinted at the particles on his finger. Dust was the end product of everything. All the wars, all the struggles, the daily fight for survival.. the love, the joy of company, music, art.. All of it ended up as dust. Vyvian felt belittled in this ruin of a town. He thought his cause noble, his life unfair. But... compared to all those other lives out there.. why would he matter, what was he but dust that hadn't yet taken form? He slid smoothly across the rooftops while in thought, passing by an old statue to someone he didn't recognise.. People could have died for that statue, yet now it was as empty and worthless as the dust he was in awe of. A flash of pale caught his eye and he wirled fast around, hood falling off. He was now much more paranoid thanks to Scorn. Yet instead of a Zith, there sat a young girl. Normally Vyvian would be scared or worried about approaching another Symenestra but his philosphical mood got the better of him. He climbed down to floor level and rounded a corner to appear in front of her. The crimson of his coat offset the grey all around them, as did his jet white hair and skin. As a habit, he brushed his fringe over his ear and wet his lips. "I... I haven't seen you here before" he muttered. It was the only thing he could think of.

[Lauralyn]

So lost to the world was she that the sound of scuffling feet alerted her and she started, leaning forward away from the building to look in the direction the noise was coming from. When she saw it was just a teenage boy, she relaxed again, and got to her feet, dusting herself off. “I’ve never been here before…” She said, voice quiet, but not muffled like the boy’s was. She unconsciously scrutinized him. He looked unconfident and nervous. The way he spoke in a uttered his words almost under his breath, the way he carried himself even. Lauralyn stood steadier, and her voice was quiet but clear. She unconsciously locked her eyes onto his with an intensity familiar to her.

She wondered what he was doing out here in this vacant place. Maybe he liked the quiet of it as well, or maybe he was feeling unhappy and wanted to escape the crowds. He seemed to Lyn like someone she wouldn’t mind talking to. Not at all overbearing, in fact his level of confidence seemed even lower than her own. Lauralyn was able to hide it better. She couldn’t stand for what she stood for and mumble everything she said into her shoes.

She didn’t know quite what to say next, but since she couldn’t work it out for herself, she decided it was best to ask “…Does my presence here bother you?” She asked him assuming, from his previous statement that he frequented this deserted city. She’d leave him alone of this was a place he used to escape, and wanted to do it alone. She understood and accepted that. However she silently hoped that he would let her stay. The emptiness felt less empty with another soul there to share in her silence. There weren't many people Lauralyn was comfortable around, but the fact that this young man was out here alone like she was intrigued her a little.

[Vyvian]

Vyvian tilted his head sideways in interest. Her first time here. Feeling proud of what he viewed as his home, he spread his arms majestically. "And what do you think of it? A safe haven no?" Growing more serious he pulled his hood back to reveal his face, flicking his hair away habitually. "I'm Vyvian, I spend most of my life here." Frowning in thought, he turned a slow circle, regarding the bleak ruins. "This place is.. quiet. I love it for that.. No people to, you know, distract you." he wanted to say 'scare you' but she'd probably laugh. He returned his gaze to her eyes, his boring straight through her, not looking at her eyes at all, merely taking her mannerisms as a whole, like some calculating machine. He just about managed to keep some of his mind in the real world to register that she asked him a question. "Hmm? Oh, by all means please stay. I often get lonely here." He chuckled drily, which for him sounds like shattering ice. He was laughing at himself. "I spend all my energies trying to get away from people, yet when I succeed I just make myself crushingly lonely. It seems I am at war with myself." His feigned smile dropped as his concentration returned to examining her. His eyes narrowed a little as they darted around. "Although.. I suspect the same could be said for you...?" the sentence lingered, neither a statement nor a question. Vyvian's eyes wandered beyond Lyn as he contemplated her, before snapping back in self restraint. He made another conscious effort to appear normal. "So.. uhm.. why are you here?" he dredged out of his memories of social lines, entirely oblivious that he had effectively already asked that question.

[Lauralyn]

It was almost amusing to think that this boy spent most of his time in such a desolate area. Lauralyn wished she’d discovered it earlier. She was relieved to know that she wasn’t intruding on him “I’m Lauralyn. You can call me Lyn if you want to.” She noticed how he analysed her, just as she instinctively did to everyone she met. Both of them looking at the other closely, trying to guess at their personalities. “People spend their time trying to get away from me, mostly.” She said, almost as if to herself. It wasn’t often her own internal monologue spilled out. Usually she said the bare minimum to a person, but just her presence here made it obvious that she wasn’t like most people.

Vyvian’s next sentence lingered in her ears. It wasn’t a question, and she didn’t have to answer it, but instead of her usual defensiveness, she continued to stare at him and said “You’re right, the same could be said for me.” She paused and then continued “I’m just trying to have some time away from those who like to judge me with their eyes. The more vocal ones especially.”

She wasn’t making much sense. Vyvian didn’t have much context to go on as to why people disliked her. She wasn’t ashamed of who she was, but at the same time, if a person didn’t know about her and her stance, she didn’t actively like to tell them. It caused problems. “In short, it’s like you said… escapism. This place is as crushingly lonely as this war you speak of within yourself… but it’s quiet, and it hold a certain mystery. And I like that. Would you mind if I came here more often?” As she asked him, she realised she was treat in this like it was his domain. She understood that both of them were lonely, but both of them liked being alone. it was a vicious circle.

She watched as he subtly went back to examining her before seeming to try and consciously look away after his last question. Lauralyn didn’t bother with that. She didn’t like to miss anything when she was talking to someone else, and most of the time she didn’t realise that her staring made people uncomfortable. It seemed, though, she’d found someone with more similarities to her than dissimilarities.

[Vyvian]

Vyvian smiled genuinely for the first time in ages. He may actually gain a companion that understood him. He offered his hand to her, out of etiquette, even though touching her would be torture to him. "Since you seem so keen to know this place, how about I show you some of my fanourite places?" he smirked at his tackiness. "I think they're quite idyllic" Vyvian was interested to note that Lyn was certainly the first person to look at him in the same way he looked at other people. While he found it certainly comforting that he wasn't as alone as he previously thought, he suddenly felt slightly worried about how he appeared. What if he didn't look like how he felt. Would that give the wrong impression to her? He certainly hoped he didn't look arrogant. He consciously tried to look as neutral as possible, which was how he knew he looked most of the time anyway, but he wanted to be sure. Listening to what she said, his emotional side took over when she talked about judgemental people, still speaking in his emotionless dead state, he seemed to now have a hint of passion. Someone agreed with his moral views. "You can say that again. People thrive off judgement by appearence. It seems nowadays people try to destroy those who aren't like themselves, hence why everyoen tries to be as identical as possible to everyone else. It explains fashions and so on." he mused quietly. He frowned through his fringe and thought. "So... why exactly does society hate you? Myself? I refuse to follow its customs and its memes. I live my own life of separation and, as consequence, they shun me as if I'm contagious." He paused and took his ring off his finger, and began spinning it on his claw. "What about you?"

[Lauralyn]

Lyn smiled when she saw him do the same. It was a tiny smile, almost shy and bashful. She didn’t have to act confident, and comfortable around him, because she didn’t feel threatened. She reached out and shook his hand when he offered it to her, and then stepped back “Yes, lets go for a walk and you can show me.” She agreed.

The two of them would begin to walk. Lyn now had somewhere else to look besides him, but he drew her attention once more with his question. She hesitated and then decided to tell him “I am part of the minority called the Esterians.” She told him “So most people shun me for having a heart.” She pulled a face. “I couldn’t stand the city today, what with all of them celebrating the trophies they raped, and will eventually have murdered.”

She sighed “I could never lead a harvest. I could never allow a human woman to have a baby for me, and die in the process. But the celebration of it just makes me want to-“ She balled her fists, and then relaxed them, calming herself down. Self-exile. That would have been a much easier life for her to choose than openly standing against the majority of her race. Sometimes the stress of it near killed her. “…Yeah, Lets go look at something Idyllic.” She said, chuckling dryly

[Vyvian]

Vyvian raised an approving eyebrow. It wasn't necessarily that he wholeheartedly agreed with them, but he certainly admired them for their strength of spirit. After all, sympathising with humans was one step closer to sympathising with him. Closer.. He bowed his head. "Then you have gained a lot of respect with me. It takes a lot to voice one's own opinions in this world. Especially when it goes against your race's ethos." Smiling genially he led her forwards down a dusty alley, turning to talk as he walked. Being a full Symenestra, he often used a hand or something on a wall at certain points to step over crags or sharp objects, giving him the impression of gliding. From a distance the pair would look like a speck of blood and snow in a sea of ash. As they walked, Vyvian stared at the ground and pouted in thought, then smirked. "Well yeah, today will be a terrible day for you I guess." sighing, he decided she wanted to know his views on the matter. "Myself, I feel that the ends justify the means, to an extent. But I certainly feel sorry for the poor girls we kill, I certainly wouldn't celebrate it, but I feel it's necessary for our races survival. If we can find a way to birth a child without killing the mother, then by all means I'd support it. Just... right now surrogates are the only reason we really exist." Waving his hand before she could reply, he added "We're not here to talk politics though. We can just agree to disagree on that matter." A ghost of a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as his eyes lit up for a tiny bit. He had reached a conclusion in his infallibly logical mind. "You're..." he smiled and spun his ring around as he paced. He loved calculating things like this, it was the only time he ever felt in control. He was slowly unravelling her. "You're not telling me the whole truth. You can't just be lonely for that reason. If you were fine you would have met up with some esterian friends that you could spend some time with. But..." He smiled as he reached his coup d'état. "You're like me. You have no one you connect with, no one you trust wholly. So the real reason you are here, the real reason we met, is of whatever that thing is. The reason you refuse to be with people." Suddenly filled with compassion as he realised how sorry for her he felt if she felt even remotely like how he did, his face softened, he glanced at her and tried to give a reassuring smile. "Sorry... I tend to get over analytical." Looking ahead of him, he smiled. "Ah, we are here." Above them was a huge structure, much higher than most of the hanging structures of Kalinor. It was like a giant thorn in the cave's side, monolithic. Vyvian reckoned it was the largest stalactite in the cave. Without celebration, he walked around the back where there was a small opening that he could squeeze through. The inside was a hollow staircase that went very very far up Small windows lit the shaft with pinpricks of light. After a lengthy ascent they came to a balcony. Nothing fancy, merely a simple stone ledge. Vyvian sat down and swung his legs over the edge, like a child. "Welcome to the most lonely place in Kalinor Lauralyn." he said quietly, as if the place was holy. The view was nothing like he had known before. Directly ahead of them was the lights of the living city. Flickers of people moving around like ants in a hill. So insignificant yet every person had their own life story, just like him. Surrounding the warm glow of the city stood the dark, grey, ashen ruins of the old city. Where the main city was alive, this area was beyond dead. It was forgotten and seemed to slump in sadness. It seemed to want to be used, yet it crumbled and failed in its old age. Vyvian smiled contentedly as he leant back on his hands and swung his legs slowly. He felt safe here. "I know what I asked you earlier was probably hard, but I think we both know that the truth is what we want from each other. The last thing either of us want is pulling wool over each other's eyes. I'm lonely like I am because I seem to be incapable of understanding people. I will often completely miss a joke or laugh at something that everyone else found offensive. It's... like everyone's expressions are in a different language to my own. I don't... laugh or smile.. I just say 'I am happy' to let people know. Because of that I guess I prefer my own company.. but as you said, it leads to a hellishly lonely life. So I've developed habits that I guess 'normal society' would have suppressed me from doing. I slouch a lot, I shuffle, I often talk in ways that confuse people, I fiddle repetitively. I guess I draw comfort from its rhythms, its predictability. Seeing as... I can never predict people. " Vyvian sighed. "I dunno if that made any sense.. It feels like I belong in a different world sometimes." Slumping, he looked at Lauralyn, and smiled sadly. "So. You know my story, you don't have to tell me, but I'd love to know yours Lauralyn." He hoped he hadn't scared her...