Winter Twilight (Tristan)

[Kane Woonren]

Actually, cool was really a bit of an understatement, but it took a bit more to get Kane freezing than the average person. His body ran hot, about 6 or so degrees hotter than the average person, which caused a bit of a problem when he got sick. It was hard to figure out when he had a temperature, although he did get hot easily. People tended to look at him even stranger when he walked around in a sleeveless and shorts around Thanksgiving, but he didn't really pay that much attention. When you were a 7' something dragon-man, you got used to looks. Even people around the school, who were probably used to getting some looks themselves, looked at him funny. But, again, he was used to it.

He was sitting near the edge of the pond, dressed a little simply for how cool it was outside. His jacket was folded on the ground next to him, and his tail flicked back and forth behind him. He only had a couple of shirts and pants because he had to get them specially made to accommodate his... extras. His wings were stretched out behind him, getting a little bit of room after the long day cooped up inside. Having both of them up inside his body tended to make him uncomfortable, so he was glad to be able to let them out a little more often here. Which was one of the reasons he avoided going home after his class let out and he was done cooking for the day. He leaned back, his shoulders cracking lightly as he changed his position.

He didn't like going back to his apartment after classes got out, it was... uncomfortable, to say the least. He was claustrophobic, and with his size he had a problem with cars and such in general. His apartment wasn't very big, so it gave him some trouble too. But he wasn't so bad that he might have a complete freakout or something, he just got uncomfortable. But that was why he liked it out by the pond, it was nice and open. Not as open as some of the other places that he could go to, but open enough. He shut his eyes, leaning back as the sun started to go down. It was nice and quiet out here... nice and peaceful.

And it wasn't really like he had a whole lot to do anyway. He hadn't had a social life to speak of since... um... ever. Being a 'social butterfly' or that kind of thing had never come easily to him. Oh well, not that it mattered to him that much. He had people he talked to from time to time sure, but he really didn't think of that as much of a social life. He let his thoughts drift away as he laid back, his wings folding up across his front. It made him look a little bit like a bat. If it weren't for the tail twitching and moving beside him.

[Tristan Richards]

After all his classes were done and his stress was over the top, Tristan decided that he needed to go for a run. After his last class, he decided it, going to his dorm and quickly putting on his running shoes. The only thoughts on his mind where that of the wind and the breeze as he runs. After he had his shoes fasten on his shoes Tristan ran out his dorm room and down to the outside. Once the fresh air hit him he just kept running, the only thought in his mind was the rhythm and sound of his feet hitting the ground. The pattern was almost tranquilizing as he kept going, wanting to go faster and faster until his stress was totally relieved.

All the tests and worries from the school were just falling off him. The smells he started smelling were that of the pond and trees instead of the school and books. After reaching the pond, Tristan became out of breath and decided he needed a break. Panting he started mumbling to himself ”I...feel so much better” Leaning on a tree he didn’t even notice the wings or tail that happened to be in front of his face. “I hate feeling confined to the classes, I wish I could just dance all the time.”

[Kane Woonren]

Kane sat at the edge of the pond as the sun continued to descend, the breeze beginning to pick up. He shivered a tiny bit, enough to make him make him squeeze his wings tighter around him but he took no real interest in moving... at all. He wasn't at all tempted to go "home," if the tiny little apartment he lived in could, in fact, be referred to as that. It was tiny, scarcely furnished, cramped, and not exactly in any way fit to have someone else in there with him. Sure, he could more than likely actually fit someone else in there, but he really didn't want to. He got claustrophobic in there alone.

His eyes were shut, his tail slowly its twitching to a slow rhythmic waving back and forth along the ground as he became more tranquil. He usually slept on his front because it was more comfortable with his tail, but he was mildly comfortable, and didn't want to flip around so he got a face full of mud while he was sleeping. Or napping, or meditating, or whatever the heck he was doing right now. He stretched his hands up again, his shoulder joints cracking loudly, causing him to wince in pain because of his general joint problems, before folding them back and laying his head on his palms so it wasn't sitting on the ground.

He didn't hear the jogger, barely conscious as he laid there. He was in that state between sleeping and waking, where he wasn't really conscious, but he was still at least sort of aware of his surroundings. Not that there was that much to be conscious of. A stiff breeze, the cold winter night air, a jogger, whom he didn't actually know was there, not that far behind him, and that was just about it. He probably would've just continued laying there, slowly slipping into sleep, for the rest of the night (or at least for a few hours since it'd been a long time since he'd gotten a full night's sleep), except for what happened a moment later. His tail suddenly went rigid, and pain shot down his spine.

He shot up, biting his tongue and keeping his mouth clamped shut so he wouldn't shout, clutching his back. The pain had no apparent origin. He hadn't been stepped on, nothing had hit him... just a phantom pain. His word for pain he got from time to time, mimicking the pains he had gotten just prior to his wings and tail actually emerging. Although, that was something that he NEVER wanted to go through again. His brain left the fog that had begun to fill in, eliminating any chance to sleep. He sighed reluctantly, rubbing his back and grunting a little bit.

He slowly got to his feet, grunting a little with the effort. His wings spread wide and stretched, his tail doing the same as he stood to his full 7+ foot span. He yawned a little, doing a couple of quick stretches to try and get rid of some of his stiffness. He shook his head around, turning around and seeing the boy standing behind him. Ah. That was a little awkward. How long had he been standing there exactly? "Um... Hi?" he said, not quite able to make out who it was in the dark. If it was one of his students he really wouldn't be able to tell. not that he had that many in his cooking class, although a couple of them tended to know him from being a cook at the school for a couple of years.

[Tristan Richards]

Tristan wasn't even aware that someone was there and when he heard the voice he looked. Looking straight all he saw was a mans chest, only standing 5 foot and some inches Tristan considered himself a little under average but not much. His eyes slightly bulged as his head went from Kane’s chest slowly elevating to look up at his face. The expression of shock all over his face, just standing there kind of gawking at him not sure what to saw. Taking a deep breath he glanced closer at Kane noticing wings and a tail, he had never even seen a Hammel student that looked even similar to this. For once Tristan didn’t know what to do, looking at this guy it didn’t seem like he could use him, he was more likely to be used by him instead.

Taking a few steps back, Tristan took a deep breath trying to concentrate on what he was going to say to this giant man, or what he considered giant. “H…Hi there….um…I..I didn’t see you there…” At this point he wanted to scold himself for not noticing a giant tall man when he was right behind him the whole time. Though he could have appeared to be a tree with no problem on Tristan defense. “D…Did I startle you?” Part of him was slightly frightened and the aspect of possibly making this man mad.