Blacken

  “I have been alone for such a long time, forgive me for my time to adjust. I am aware of how much I have been asking of you.”

  “You have nothing to worry about, I wanted this too. I-I’ve never felt like that before, I don’t want you to leave… Can I stay with you tonight again?”

  “My dear Avie, I would love nothing more.”

  CHAPTER 17

  Bundled up in her favorite purple coat, Avie walked together with Rhulle through the forest, his wing hanging over and shielding from the falling clumps of snow as she tucked in close to his side.

  They strolled, hand in hand, caught in the enamor of the other. The woman noticed the truxen had a slight bounce in his step as he walked, reinvigorated from their time together moments ago. He was all smiles and soft glances, so very different than anything she could have imagined, it truly was amazing to see the real Rhulle.

  Reaching the threshold, he picked her up, carrying her through the manor and up the stairs to the bedroom, setting her gently down onto the elegant sofa. Avie squealed out in surprise, having the noise dissolve into a fit of giggles at the action.

  “Rhulle! What was that for?” she asked with a light laugh upon being sat down.

  “You were not close enough to me,” he said, as if the answer was obvious.

  Setting a fire in the far less intricate wood burning furnace as he spoke, he grabbed from the miniscule pile that lay beside it. Avie pictured him ripping the trunks apart, shaping them into the wedges before them with his strength, no doubt how he collected them in the first place. In the light of the glow, he sat beside her, the woman reaching to play with the quills resembling the long hairstyle. She smiled, leaning up to reach his level to gently kiss his lips.

  “Avie, I… I did not realize how truly lonely I was until you. You put in so much effort to get to know me, to want to spend time with me. I could not imagine going back to how I was now.” Her hand rested on his face, his own coming to hold there, turning into the affectionate touch. “I regret that I cannot show you an evening properly, I have read in great detail about date night activities between two humans, and I wish that I could show my affections in that way.”

  “Rhulle, we don’t have to do anything fancy out on the town, we can do so much just in the comfort of your home. Dates like the movies, the dancing, even dinner can all be done here.”

  He laughed, “Almost as if we have been dating this whole time, dear Avie.”

  “The activities would be more special now, why don’t we plan one? I can make dinner, bring candles, dress up?”

  The feathers perked up to the idea, “Yes, that would be incredible! I would enjoy a date with you immensely.”

  She blushed and chortled at his straightforwardness, “Then we will do one soon.”

  “Tomorrow, could we do a date night tomorrow?”

  Avie thought about it. Tomorrow was her birthday, initially she made plans with Owen to do a simple night with wine, gifts and generic party activities. But that idea changed rather suddenly this morning. She didn’t even know if Rhulle knew what a birthday was, if he would want to celebrate that alongside the date… The woman digressed; the evening spent with him would be all the gift she needed.

  “Yeah, tomorrow then.”

  He crooned, matching the smile.

  They lounged in the nest, moving for her to be in front of him in a cuddle while they express tales about their home, stories of their life as they grew up, common fairy tales, myths, and even rules for grand orders and the higher-ups.

  Learning of common children stories told when Rhulle was growing up, they were similar to some of the ones she heard; always having a lesson for the children listening. She learned of their structures and buildings; made from brick and glass forged from the sand surrounding half of the world. They were built tall and spiral in most cases; Rhulle sketching a picture in front of her for better reference.

  It was commonly bright on Celisc with two suns, even at night the light never faded fully—Rhulle struggled with seeing details in the dark even with his illuminated stare due to his biology. He could spend days awake due to the time change between two worlds; something Avie figured but now had confirmed. It was a blessing he was a light sleeper in that case…

  Avie also learned their monarchy was similar with a king and queen ruling. She learned in that discussion some truxi viewed the harsh labour only as an entry point, but moving up ranks could take years. Instead of that route, truxi gathered in small groups to try and live free, by their own rules—seeing the construction often sentenced out as a punishment, a way to keep them under the royals’ thumb.

  The conversation moved onto the topic of gestation periods for women and how childbirth worked for both species, even Rhulle having questions.

  “The mother carries the child for a short period, about two months on Celisc, having the fertilized egg spend the rest in incubation with mother and father, eventually hatching.”

  “That sounds much easier than what we have to go through. It takes about 9 to 10 months for women to carry around a baby, pushing them out under immense pain or cut open to welcome them into the world.”

  “That sounds very painful, why do women keep having children if they know how the process is?”

  “Because it’s worth it, two people came together to create life—a gift to pass on. It’s very beautiful in that way.”

  “Very interesting, and it is just the child that comes out? No shell?”

  She laughed, “Just the baby, the mother has to be the shell.”

  Rhulle joined in on the laughter, “What a silly thought.”

  “When the baby is born, the date is called a birthday, and we celebrate it every year. Do you have anything similar?”

  He thought over his words, “In a way, yes. We all have a celebration of life that happens every cycle of the suns, it is for everyone.”

  Enamoured with the difference, she asked, “Tell me more?”

  They talk about childhood memories, celebrations shared, and triumphs won, bringing up a few idioms passed along that stuck out alongside them.

  “Truxi always had a saying: Exist as a whole or exist not at all. I have heard that phrase drilled in over and over even from such a young age. I have always hated it.”

  “We have ‘treat others how you want to be treated’ and it hardly works outside of childhood.”

  The pair laughed at their own sayings, enjoying the learning experiences.

  “Is that what ran through your mind our first official meeting? Even in the face of danger you had expressed friendliness.”

  “I don’t know exactly… But I thought, while my brain was on autopilot, that it was more natural.”

  “It was definitely abnormal. I think that is why it took me so long to process it. You made me think, for the first time, differently about a human.”

  “I’m glad it was me,” she whispered, eyes locking with his.

  “Your eyes…”

  Confused as to what he meant, and before she could voice her question, he began playing with her hair, continuing his thought,

  “You looked at me the same way, even in the beginning. The look confused me, I could not place it, it made me feel small—unsure. But now, I can see what your eyes expressed; it is adoration. Never have you viewed me as something to be feared, but rather someone to know and learn with. I cannot thank you enough for taking the time, dear Avie.”

  A kiss was shared, feeling her heart swell from his honest words. She never knew she expressed such a powerful emotion towards him, all the times she felt curious, enthralled in his mystery, her expression could have changed without her knowledge, having left lingering traces with him.

  “I would also like to be sure—I have seen you look at Owen in much the same way. Would you consider the both of us, ahh what was it, dating… exclusively?”

  Avie laughed at hearing the term put so formally, before a somber thought held her, “I said goodbye to my friendship with him today. I ha
ve no interest in even looking at anyone else.” She smiled looking back up at him, “We are exclusive, Rhulle.”

  “Oh, I understand that would be very hard on you. Are you wanting to talk about it?”

  “Well, yes and no. I wanted to tell him about my blood test, you too actually, but he was more concerned over proving something. He couldn’t be happy in finding an answer. He isn’t the same person as I knew him, it hurts, absolutely, but it would have hurt more if I kept going with him.”

  “That is wise of you. Perhaps he needs some time by himself to think things over. What was it you discovered about your blood?”

  “I’m a rarity, the doctor said only a handful of people have the same blood in the whole world. Parts of my blood are completely absent. There are other variations of the type, and I figure, it’s the reason why it affects certain people. It also makes sense that I have the vibrating more intense for that reason, you needed a filtered form of blood, and I have it.”

  “Very interesting, can you confirm if others that feel the same vibrations have similar blood?”

  “I was going to see if I could find anything out, but it’s the strongest theory I’ve got so far!” Avie spoke with excitement.

  Rhulle hugged her tight from where his arms lay on her torso, “Then I am excited for you, my dear, exclusive, Avie!” She giggled, loving the hold and words that came from Rhulle. “And to be clear, you do not celebrate until later in the relationship, when vows are exchanged?”

  “Right, there are different levels in a way, until it’s regarded the same as a vovii union for you.”

  “Would you like to celebrate a level? There must be something to signify that you are in a relationship. Something that other humans would recognize and not try anything.”

  She thought for a moment, “Well, a ring is an easy indicator if you’re involved with anyone if it’s on a specific finger.”

  “May I give you a ring?”

  Avie blushed, the hot pink flushing her neck and cheeks, “Is this going too fast? Rings are regarded pretty seriously in any case.”

  He simply smiled, “This is customary where I am from. Please do not let me pressure you into something you are uncomfortable with.”

  “No, you’re right, it’s not like we’re getting married. I’m worried about messing something up. I really like you, and I really do want to show that I’m with you.”

  Rhulle smirked, eyeing the mark he left on her collarbone, “That mark will fade in time, it is almost a shame, no one would dare approach you with my marking on you so prominently.”

  She looked down at the light bruising that began to form around the puncture marks.

  “Thank you again for that,” she jokingly berated, “I didn’t think you would be so passionate.”

  He stirred, “I could not help myself. I have never lost control like that before; all I knew was that I needed to mark you—have a part of me with you.”

  “Is that what you were saying during?”

  “I… no, actually, was I that unintelligible?” He looked away, evidently a little self-conscious.

  Her eyebrows raised, incredulous that he didn’t register the switch, “You were speaking in a completely different language.”

  Rhulle balked, “I was? I spoke Truxen to you?”

  “I’ve never heard you speak so much of it. It was incredible,” Avie spoke with a nod, eyes sparkling at the recent memory.

  He ruffled his feathers in response to her praise, his smile coming back full force and causing him to glance off to the side in a rather shy manner.

  “Would you like to learn it?”

  Her eyes doubled in size, “Could I? Really?”

  “Yes, I think you would pick it up quite well.”

  The next few hours were spent learning vocabularies and pronunciations. Simple beginner words presented with examples written down for her to absorb, his alphabet resembling braille and odd loops. Even basic introduction sentences and questions were grasped in the short time, reciprocating the words well, but struggling when reading to translate and sound out. It was all very fun to teach and be taught.

  She started a sentence, being interrupted when Rhulle grabbed her chin, turning her to face him while pressing his lips to hers.

  “It is incredible to hear my language flow from you, but we should get some rest. It has been an eventful evening.”

  Avie agreed, head light from the mix of drowsiness and the rush of kissing him.

  She slept cozy and warm while the harsh winter wrapped around them, Rhulle kept her warmer than any blanket could with him practically radiating heat. She sighed, content, while falling into the bliss of sleep.

  Rhulle wanted her to feel the same as he did. His heart sang with every glance in her direction, dancing in his body when she smiled, those glorious green eyes illuminating in every sense of the word. It was a shame Avie could not see what he did.

  This human really did capture his heart, he thought his life was over, that he would be alone forever, doomed to be confined on a planet in his punishments… Yet, here was a ray of sunshine that cut through his darkness. She wouldn’t give up. She wanted to see him, to know him, despite everything… Everything he said and done. They were even compatible! Each viewing things in a similar fashion, it was delightful to talk, learn and teach with her.

  Rhulle never thought this day would have come. If he told his past self about these future events, surely, he would have killed the ‘imposter’ that told him grandiose tales about humans.

  No, he still didn’t like humans… just this one.

  He wanted Avie to be beside him through whatever the circumstance, to be with her forever, symbolized as truxi do with their union, and humans with their marriage. He was hopeful that getting a ring for her would be that first step in having her accustomed to the idea he wanted her eternally, and that they could be just so.

  But how would he go about getting one?

  He couldn’t very well march into town to purchase one. Rhulle figured he could make one yet had no idea what he could use that could be forged in a similar fashion. He needed to get one, possibly from another human.

  The truxen had an idea on where one just may be.

  CHAPTER 18

  Owen was pacing, walking tight circles around his bedroom for what could have been hours, his gun clenched tightly in his fist. Every so often he would look at it, trying to summon courage.

  Last night as soon as the sun started to dip behind the horizon, he headed out to the old manor, hoping the guise of darkness would help protect him from being seen searching. If that monster was there, he didn’t want to linger for long, if Avie was also there; she could have at least explained away him searching for his gun. However, if she was there, Owen didn’t want her to see him frantically searching through the snow. He couldn’t stand to see her since that afternoon, hearing news that she let herself be victimized by the thing, having her blood taken, the creature no doubt had a taste for her now.

  If she saw him feverishly digging for his revolver, the desperation clear in his movements, well, she used to be smart, she might put two and two together.

  Finally, he found the silver handgun, its frame gripped within warm gloves. Taking no time, he got the hell out of there, not wanting to risk his presence; the snow falling would help fill in the disruption he created.

  He looked down at the gleaming metal—could he really do it? Shoot to kill? Could he really end a life? Owen never saw himself as someone with the ability to do so… But he needed to now.

  In the pacing, he plotted. What was the best way to go through with it? Would there be resistance or retaliation in different scenarios? In his mind, he ran over every possible outcome, finding one that had the best approach after much consideration.

  Owen was dedicated.

  It had to be him.

  Avie bit into the chocolate chip cookie, sugar instantly hitting her tongue.

  She finished getting her blood drawn, donating in a sense fo
r insurance purposes as the doctor advised—a birthday present to herself in an odd way. Munching on the extra goodie on her way home, she enjoyed the soft crumble made possible only by extra butter, having the thought roll over her mind if Rhulle had ever tried cookies and if she should bake some for tonight.

  Walking the sidewalk of downtown, her eyes spotted a beautiful black dress in one of the boutique’s display cases, feeling an urge to go inside and take a closer look. Avie walked inside to the smell of cinnamon and marshmallow, a few decorative pumpkins and tacky Halloween decorations littered the store.

  “Hello,” greeted the store clerk, “how are you?”

  The redhead smiled at the young lady, “Very well, thank you! Yourself?”

  The blonde woman straightened up, “Been a slow day if I’m honest, I’m happy for a customer, anything catching your eye?”

  Avie turned back to the dress in the display, “Well, this dress is beautiful, I’ve got a date tonight and it’s practically calling my name.”

  The clerk gasped in excitement, coming around the desk to assist, “No kidding, that’s bangin’! What’s your size? I can check to see if we have them in the back.”

  This boutique associate couldn’t have been older than eighteen at the most, full of enthusiasm even if it was just a fake front most employees had to put on for the customers. She felt that wasn’t exactly the case here, however.

  Avie matched her energy, “I’m about a size four, it must be pretty popular then!”

  She laughed, blue eyes crinkling closed, “As if, we only had it come with a few sizes, it’s really more of an exclusive dress. I’ll be right back, help yourself to coffee or some water!”

  The clerk bounced off, jade eyes following her path, choosing instead to turn back to the beautiful black dress, admiring the design as it formed the mannequin elegantly. The blue-eyed woman returned a moment later, looking thoughtful.

  “So, there weren’t any in the back, like at all, but I’m wondering what was on the mannequin—it’s the last one in stock.” The woman turned hopeful, watching as she stepped into the display, checking the tag at the back of the garment. Her face lit up, “Good news! It’s a four!”