Steam Geysers

[Jance Khærte]

Jance shuddered, the chill seeping deep into his body, deep into his bones. He’d spent enough time in this land of ice, frankly, and with the little protection against the elements, the numbness in his fingers was getting old. He had been focused on exploring new territories and getting to know a new area, for the pure convenience of it, but…it was freezing. But of course, that could have been expected.

The Lakunai slipped his goggles over his eyes before he could open them fully, the cold wind battering at his eyes so much that he could barely stand it. The familiar orange tint covered everything, and Jance inhaled as deeply as he could – the frigid air made it hard to hold his breath – and he shut his eyes, bringing up the image of the warmest and most appealing place he could think of; the Fiamont Hot Steams. He’d been there one time before, after speaking to a very relaxed-looking individual and snagging the image from his mind before he could make his way off to investigate.

And so, the Lakunai set the course as he willed his body to pursue the image and felt his feet leave solid ground.

--

The change was immediate and welcome, as he felt the heat return around him and the air become hot and thick, like a warm blanket…a very moist wet blanket. Had the humidity not been welcome, he most likely would have felt stifled, but instead Jance relished it. The heat just felt damn good. His expression was one of pure bliss as he sprawled himself out on the ground, boots abandoned, and his hands and feet placed directly over one hole each, gradually letting the blood flow get going again and the feeling come tingling back into his fingers and toes. “Mmm...” he hummed out a sigh of contentment.

However, he wasn’t exactly expecting a jet of steam to suddenly re-open or something of the sort; the hot vapor was aimed right under the Lakunai’s back, and Jance stood up suddenly in surprise and shock. He watched the newly appeared jet for a few moments before shrugging a laying down again in the same spot; a spot of warmth on his back too couldn’t hurt. He let his mind wander and his eyes shut as the water condensed on his goggles that he hadn’t the will to think about removing.

[Endless Laeretti]

Now really, when was the last time he really relaxed? It seemed as though lately, Endless was running around all over the world for one reason or another, and never really settled down to unwind. Well, except in the Clouds, but that didn't count. Ms. Xista had interrupted that.

As he walked along easily through the desert of relaxing steam, he started counting off instances in his head that were of most recent memory - there was his fiasco in Aisic, the chasing of that damned bird who stole his scarf in Niseca, the not-quite-as-relaxing-as-it-should-have-been trip to the Reverie house, his rough encounter in Muerte, the frantic searching for Eva at the freaking New Years Ballroom, and then shortly afterward, the lying-to-stay-alive incident with Pelagia Xista. When the hell did his life become so hectic? It was awful. He was just supposed to be a traveler, seeing things and avoiding slipping into his subconscious mind where his heart would dwell on his insecurities and past experiences he just couldn't seem to get over.

And in an effort to avoid that sort of thing happening, an effort to finally find some him time (where he wasn't considering robbing a store with illegal black magic due to circumstances which stemmed from his unstable complexes), he had come to Flamont. He remembered being there at least once before and never really liking it. It was just too damn hot! And he didn't like removing his jacket or scarf. But today, he was making an exception.

All around him, steam arose from the many holes in the ground, creating a humid, melt-worthy atmosphere. Endless just wanted to find a nice spot and sink deep into the sand at the feeling the air left on his bare skin. His pants had been rolled up to his knees, shoes and socks removed, and his coat, scarf, and white T-Shirt had all been bunched into a little bundle he carried beneath his arm. Needless to say, he was satisfied that the area was relatively empty today (he had seen maybe one or two people enjoying the steams on his way into the desert) as he wasn't a big fan of exposing his scrawny build to appraising eyes.

When his exposed feet touched an area of hot sand that just made him want to wiggle with the euphoria of the feeling, he knew he had found his spot. Without a second thought, he dropped his bundle to the ground and slowly took a seat, steam from a nearby vent blowing up past his back, eliciting a sigh of contentment from the Crescent. His posture stooped as he let his arms rest on his knees, his head falling between said knees.

"I'm in paradise..." he mumbled to himself as another vent opened up nearby his feet. Now this was exactly what he had needed. From within the bundle of his clothes, Munchy, his little Arctic Shrew, crawled its way out, choosing to sprawl its tiny body across the sand beneath Endless' legs, giving the boy a clear view of the rodent from his head's current position. "Like the heat better than you like the cold, huh boy?" he asked with a chuckle. The little thing gazed up at him with an understanding expression, if you could call it that, and then turned its head back into the sand, settling in to sleep. Endless chuckled.

Now, he just needed to start thinking of his good times, so that he wouldn't start thinking of the bad. Like meeting Eva. Traveling with Eva. Laughing with Eva. Letting his head be a bed for Eva. Or meeting Aiko, and how wonderfully nice she was to him, a perfect stranger. And reuniting with Tehodis. But then he remembered Tehodis was mad at him right now. Kiku had told him as much. Oh wait! Meeting Kiku! Of all the people in the world Endless had met, Kiku was thus far the only person Endless could ever really think deserved the title of best friend. Not that Endless had many friends, due to his social problems, but the point remained that Kiku was a great guy. A little lewd at times, but still great.

With the thought of new friends swimming in his head, Endless was prepared to simply drift right off to sleep himself, following Munchy's example, when he heard a sudden scuffling of sand nearby, like rapid shuffling. Looking up with worry in his eyes (it might be a sand worm!), he was greeted with the sight of a boy, just about ten feet away from him. He blushed in sudden surprise at that - how did he not see that guy on his way over? He wanted some privacy! Now he was practically exposed and...

...oh. Endless hadn't really looked away, even after his embarrassing thoughts began to pour in, and was pleasantly surprised to find that the boy was....pretty damn attractive. He gulped then, and shook his head. No! Remember what happens every time? Think back to recently! That Relos guy clearly didn't swing your way and was a bit of a jerk! And Nathaniel....Nathaniel...rrrgghh! I'm supposed to be thinking good memories! Anyway, this guy will probably just turn out to be another asshole! Don't even bother! he told himself vehemently. Every time Endless showed attraction to anyone in the past, it had always ended badly. Why should he bother?

Yet despite this, he couldn't help but look over at the boy, who was laying down again after a shrug. He really did like looking at him.... and he was even around Endless' age from the looks of things (he was tired of meeting attractive, older guys). Should he....maybe just say hi? No, no, no. Don't do that! You'll just come off as obvious! Be....be discreet! Make him notice you! His mind raced with the thought of just how he would accomplish such a thing. Ah! Maybe he could make him look his way! Without even stopping to reconsider, he grabbed a hold of some sand with his mind's hold (not willing to possibly be seen in the act of throwing it himself), and chucked the small handful's worth at the boy. There! Now he would probably look in Endless' direction, and that would get him noticed! Then he could initiate contact (if there was any chance for such a thing). WAIT! YOU IDIOT! Why did you do that?! You're still not decent! You're not wearing anything except your pants! Now he'll SEE you!!!! OH MY GOD, YOU'RE RIGHT! WHY DID I DO THAT? YOU TELL ME, GENIUS!!! he proceeded to scold himself mentally, taking his typical habit of addressing himself as though he were talking to someone else and himself at the same time. Sometime, he really considered getting professional help.

With his face a beet red, he hid his Head between his knees again and tried to shrink in on himself. Maybe he somehow wouldn't be seen. Maybe, maybe, maybe...[/blockquote]

[Jance Khærte]

While the Lakunai had been growing used to the heart and body warming heat, his skin’s frigid temperature melted quickly away into the moist heat. And as he had hoped, the jet on his back was actually the perfect idea. He smiled blissfully and was nearly dozing off when he felt something tingle against his fingers.

Well that was strange, he thought, mildly interested. But his current position on the sand was so perfect…he let his mind wander for a moment, deciding whether to move and investigate or not in a bit of a tangential mind pattern. But somehow it managed to go back to the original debate, and that was all that really mattered.

Either I turn my head to look and risk just looking mildly stupid, or I could ignore it. But…if I ignored it and then it was actually something important that could kill me, I’m dead…but what if there’s someone over there and I look over and look stupid…? Jance scowled and felt his eyebrows nudge something…his goggles? Mm, I must have forgotten them, he realized, and his hands moved to remove the orange – and actually really foggy…steam apparently wasn’t so great for goggle-vision – tint from the world, and let them fall to rest hanging around his neck. Apparently those made me look stupid, though, that was according to just a human woman, what does she know, he asked himself grudgingly. So then by taking those off I should be fine to peek, right…?

…Good enough. Jance tipped his head over to the left, eyes lazily moving through the haze to investigate his surroundings. At first nothing was really apparent until he noticed someone curled up ten or so feet away. And…what the hell were they doing? His eyes squinted – were they naked?

The Lakunai made a face; NO no, of course not. Those are very clearly pants. He casually let his eyes wander over the newly discovered boy, still wondering just what exactly his newfound neighbor was doing. Was he sick? Hurt? Mentally handicapped? Jance made a face at the last option – it’d be awkward to ask him what the hell he was doing if…he wasn’t exactly right in the head. However…none of those possibilities really looked likely as he stared at the scrawny form in front of him.

Thin build – that was good, stocky and muscular people weren’t so good-humored and tease-able, most of the time. Paaaaale skin – like, as pale, almost, as Jance’s himself…which was saying something. And dark hair – well, hair didn’t particularly mean much. He smiled lightly; this could be fun, the last few attempts he’d made at flirting always ended up…slightly off. But that’s what you get when you only go after girls, because of the higher possibility of an amusing reply.

But, guys worked too. Hell, you never know which way strangers swing anyway. So he unbuttoned his thin vest – he was getting warm anyway- and rolled off of it, peering closely at the huddled individual. First thing’s first he thought, grinning.

“Hey there, find something interesting in this sea of sand?” he asked lazily, however his tone was still outlined with interest. “Lemme take a look,” he joked, rolling over a few feet until he was on his stomach only two of three feet away from the curled up boy, propped up on his elbows in front of him; if the kid looked up, he’d be looking directly at Jance’s face. So the Lakunai let his face form into the cocky grin that was fighting to take over.

[Endless Laeretti]

He tried, ever so valiantly, not to go rigid at the sound of his voice. That was a nice voice. But he wanted to go rigid because hearing it, especially in such a friendly tone, clearly meant that he was now talking to Endless, and had therefore noticed him. Deciding that he didn't want to seem odd, or out of sorts (as he clearly had already made a fool of himself by throwing the damn sand), he took a gulp of air and slowly brought his face up, trying to place a nonchalant image on his features.

Of course, he wasn't expecting the other boy to be a little closer than he was before, nor did he expect him to no longer have a shirt on. He didn't expect him to be propped up on his elbows, giving Endless this...arguably cocky little smile while a pair of what appeared to be orange goggles dangled around his neck. That was a nifty accessory, you didn't see goggles everyday...

"Um, hi." Endless finally managed to reply to him, after spending what felt like an hour gazing at his exposed shoulders and some of his chest....however, after that little visual excursion, he was able to discern that he in fact WAS wearing a shirt. A sleeveless, very tight, pretty revealing shirt. Huh. He was a pretty thin fellow, though not quite weak-looking, like Endless so obviously was. "No, not much in the sand...heheh, just my shrew..." he answered the question, chuckling a bit to hide his obvious nervousness. And then he realized that what he had just said could have possibly, somehow, been misconstrued. After all, this fellow could have been lewd, like Kiku! "I-I mean my Arctic Shrew! His name's Munchy, um, he's right here..." he started to babble, picking the sleeping rodent up from its comfortable sand bed and showing him to the other boy.

Ok, seriously. What are you doing? He offers you a happy greeting, and here you are fumbling with your sentences. Put Munchy away! He doesn't want to see him! Hell, he might even want to see you! You're making this more difficult for yourself than it really needs to be, ya know. Yes, yes, I know. I shouldn't even care! It's not like this is going to go anywhere. So what if he's attractive? So what if he has nice, pale skin like mine.... so what if his hair is in this carefree-ish style, and has such an awesomely unique color to it....and who cares that he can be thin but not scrawny!? And why should it matter to me if he's got this handsome little face and... ....wow, you need help, don't you? We've been through this; yes, yes I do. So....gonna say something? I mean, he's probably expecting you to do as much. What's the harm? Flirt a little. But what if- But what if what? There's a problem when you're cutting off your own thoughts and lecturing yourself. Yeah.... Alright, fine. I'll do it! I'm gonna talk to him! And who cares if it goes wrong? I've got friends like Kiku and Eva! Who needs this guy?

The little mental bout between himself and himself was all the encouragement Endless needed. Placing Munchy back down in the sand beside him, he decided to stretch out a bit, mostly for show - sure, he was scrawny, but it wasn't as though his ribs were showing or anything like that. Just because he couldn't show off didn't mean he had to cover up. "So, what about you? seen anything interesting in the sand?" OK, bad, but at least we're getting somewhere. "Ya know, besides Munchy." That's a little better. But try and stay away from Munchy. Arctic Shrews aren't very flirt-worthy. "Oh, and what's your name, by the way?' he asked, moving his right shoulder in a small circle as though he were trying to work a kink out of it, his left hand resting on top of said shoulder. Good, good. You're doing the whole "I totally don't care" thing very nicely! Maybe he won't realize you're a romantically hopeless loser! HEY! Oh come now, you know it's true.

Beside him, Munchy (who was rather indignant at having been moved) had began to circle the sand again, digging a small little nook for himself to rest in, giving off the equivalent of a Shrew "Huff!". Clearly, his master had no time for him at the moment, so he would just take his sleeping business elsewhere! Settling into his newly dug sand hold, he shook around a bit and fixed Endless with a glare before going right back to sleep.

Endless saw this little display and wrinkled his nose in confusion. "What? what did I do?" the little guy sure was strange at times. Oh yeah, the boy. Endless turned his attention back to the boy (whom he found more attractive the more he looked at him, much to his dismay), and decided he had best not let whatever his new problem was with Munchy interfere with hearing the answer to his questions; he really, really wanted to know the boy's name. Mostly so he could stop thinking 'the boy' when mentally addressing him. So yeah, he needed to pay attention and listen. And not let himself get distracted by allowing his eyes to wander the youth's practically shirtless frame.

[Jance Khærte]

His cockily placed grin went under no change when the boy in front of him responded to his voice, lifting his head out from it cradle of his knees. However…if there was any change, the smile could have perhaps grown a little wider, he couldn’t really tell for himself. Because said boy in front of him wasn’t just some random target for flirting – he was, well, kind of cute. Jance held his expression as he surveyed the boy’s face, noticing more and more about the kid’s face.

And of course, as he did so, what seemed like some scrawny pale boy was revealed as more than that – nicely shaped features, with no part of his face completely overwhelming, except for his eyes…but that was fine, of course; pretty eyes were allowed to grab peoples’ attention. What put Jance off was when someone had a nice face, but they had an overly large nose or something that frankly just messed the whole thing up. But when eyes were that capturing and distracting in a good way – which this pair was – then that was fine. Good, even.

The boy was quick to reply to Jance’s joke, but after the initial reply – which, frankly, Jance saw nothing wrong with, if not a bit nervous – the boy corrected himself and grasped at his little pet that looked like he was attempting to sleep down in front of him.

So there really was something there. Jance blinked, mildly surprised; he had expected the boy before him to be sulking or sleeping or something, so the fact that there actually was something there was a bit ironic, in his eyes. Well, he let me look, Jance mused, amused. So then he’s at least willing to speak, good sign number one...even if he sounded freaked out. Jance pondered over the kid’s nervous tone – was he really that intimidating or something? He let his eyes hover on the boy’s forehead when the other broke eye contact awkwardly – it was easier to get into peoples’ heads when eye contact was possible, but it wasn’t always so possible – so Jance took the next best option and focused his still apparently lazy but interested gaze on the boy’s forehead.
As his own vision blurred, he let the other boys’ current mental images take over his own.

--


Images of various faces, all of them unknown; the image of the small Arctic Shrew curled up on the sand, surrounded with the soft frame of affection, images of the Lakunai’s chest and shoulders, his face, hair, and eyes, but blurred from speed and unfamiliarity.


--

…well that explained the stutter that Jance had heard earlier. Hook, line and sinker, Jance thought, smug. The boy was apparently interested – fuzzy images like that were often caught in quick views of a passerby or furtive and discreet looks. And, well, Jance wasn’t exactly passing by now, was he?

The kid finally relinquished his scrunched up positioning and stretched out, and Jance found himself pleased at the lack of bulk; as common as pudges and bulky muscles were, Jance couldn’t find very much attraction towards those kind of things. And besides – it’s always better to be the stronger of the two.

“Not particularly,” Jance replied when the boy returned the rebounded the same question on him. He tried to stifle a chuckle – apparently jokes were taken very literally by him. But when the boy asked for a name, Jance visibly grinned wider, he could feel it. He blinked, however, when the boy started slightly at the sudden movement of “Munchy”. Jance watched, eyes following the small rodent as is abandoned it owner to find another place to sleep, and he laughed lightly and mostly silently through his nose as the boy took on an offended look to rival that of the Arctic Shrew’s.

“You probably pissed him off, picking him up like that when he's trying to sleep then dropping him down again,” Jance said blatantly, voice bright. “And the name’s Jance; care to return the favor?” He asked the question casually, eyebrows arched and a crooked grin – still with traces of cockiness – stuck on his face. Thing was, though, he didn’t think that he could get it off of his face even if he tried.

[Endless Laeretti]

Jance. What a nice name...and he had a really nice voice, too. It was the kind of voice that wasn't too gruff, deep, or scratchy, not was it too high, squeaky, or bland. He had this sure-of-himself sound in there, which seemed to fit well with what Endless was seeing of his personality so far.

He laughed a bit, commenting that Munchy was probably mad at him for moving him. That seemed reasonable enough. He never really bothered Munchy while he was sleeping, snug in his pocket, so he wouldn't know from any past experiences just how the Shrew would react. Arlene, on the other hand, always became quite irritated when she was disturbed while sleeping. The Alkorne had a feisty little temper, she did. Which was probably why she wasn't even around half of the time. It made Endless worry when he didn't know where she was, but she always came back eventually...though judging by how she played with Munchy, he guessed she might be coming back for him as opposed to having any desire to play with Endless.

He had gone horribly off-topic. Bringing his mind back to the present, he found that Jance (wheee, first name basis!) was now asking for his name, though he asked it in a very casual manner, and Endless could have sworn he heard some suggestion in there. Good. This is good. He actually seems interested! Imagine that? Someone like him interested in you, of all people! Do you enjoy making fun of yourself? It passes the time. Sure it does. Well? What are you waiting for? Tell him your name! He just asked for it, didn't he? What if he doesn't like it? Everyone always says that Endless is such a weird name. Kiku seemed to like it just fine. Well, Kiku and I aren't boyfriends, now are we?! Good God, no. Don't even go there. You'll make the Platonism seem impure. Oh shut it, I will not. Point being, this guy is attractive and I like him and I want him to like my name! Ah! The truth comes out! Past all that cynicism, you really DO want him to like you! Well, a good way to start is by telling him your name! Just do it! Fine! I'll do it!

He was certainly talking to himself a lot today. A lot more than usual. Which was saying something for someone as unusual as him. At the very least, that internal conversation had only taken about three seconds in real time, so it didn't seem like he had hesitated too much. Hopefully. "My name is Endless." he answered at last, that tinge of pink returning to his face. He really hoped he wouldn't be laughed at or mocked for having an adjective for a name. "I'm a, uh, Crescent." he went on. Ok, didn't exactly plan on telling him what I was, but suuuure. Let's go with it. "So, what are you? I mean, you've got skin like mine, and your hair is....pretty cool....er, unique! Pretty unique!" he tried to correct himself all too late.

Stop acting sheepish. You always do this. Why don't you take initiative for once? Actually be confident! he looked down for a moment, considering that piece of self-advice. It was painfully true. Maybe he couldn't be Mr. Strong and Confident, but the least he could do was....well, something! The last time he had even been kissed was by Nathaniel, and Natty had done all the initiating, had made all the moves, had taken charge. And look how that turned out.

Maybe Endless didn't need to make all the moves. But he could. at the very least, participate. No way was he going to let someone else make every move this time. He flopped backward onto his back, landing with a soft thud against the sand and a small vent which was billowing the most wonderful steam. "Come over here. It feels real great. We can talk and stuff." he said out loud, assuming that Jance would know he was clearly talking to him.

Hmm. Not bad. Not good, but not bad. The good was that you did something. Something that might indicate clear interest. The bad is that you were very forward and coarse. A little more smooth next time, hmm? He was trying his best. But he didn't really have many past experiences to go on. At least, no good past experiences. The only thing Nathaniel had shown him was that he must NOT appear weak. Otherwise, he might be objectified and viewed as someone to be rescued. Keep up a comfortable front, that's what he needed to do.

[Jance Khærte]

“Endless,” Jance said out loud, not really thinking it over. “That’s not one you hear everyday.” His tone made him sound stunned, but…“I like it, it’s unique,” he finished with a grin. I like this kid, Jance thought blatantly, he’s cute. A little nervous, but y’know, I do that. Even his inner-voice sounded cocky and somewhat sarcastic.

Apparently you could judge a book by it’s cover if it was Jance. But no, that wasn’t right…I’m not that cocky. It’s just more fun to act like it, he decided. The boy – Endless, he’d said…really, it was a good name – mentioned something about his being a crescent and the Lakunai blinked in acknowledgement before he was asked of his own race.

“I’m a Lakunai,” he stated after a moment’s pause. This wasn’t good…if Endless had shown any interest in him – which Jance was sure of, he’d seen him checking him out – than the fact that the elf was what…over 150 years older, it looked like, could definitely turn the kid off. Jance frowned internally. Hope it doesn’t… he found himself thinking, which, frankly, kind of confused him. He’d never really taken an interest in just some passing flirt before – maybe it was the fact that everything the kid said made him smile. “Thanks,” he replied to the complement to his hair that the other boy had stuttered out. Endless looked a tiny bit sheepish, or embarrassed at the least, and Jance smiled. He had noted that Endless had changed his wording, a little too late, and took advantage of it; “You’re eyes are cooler though,” he said, teasing but sincere. They really were attractive, as he had noticed before.

And his hair looked soft. Jance felt himself re-examining the boy in front of him, and was pleasantly surprised – he was one of those people that gets more and more appealing the more you looked at him. Soft face, smooth skin – and the same color as his, as Endless had correctly noted – soft-looking hair, and the mixed display of facial expressions were also engaging to watch, because in the moments were the Crescent paused to think, or whatever, his face would display the most stunning range of expressions, and though they were subtle, it was still fun to watch.

I wanna touch his hair, Jance thought stupidly. But really, he was curious as to whether it was as soft as it looked or not…and when the boy asked, or well, it was more of a request, a command of sorts – that was good, it meant he wasn’t just some adorable push-over like a lot of the girls Jance had talked to…but whatever, that wasn’t the point. What was the point was that Endless had invited him to sit next to him to talk. Jance grinned. “Don’t see why not,” he replied brightly, shuffling off of his position on the ground, and, noting Munchy’s position, took his spot in the sand on the other side of the relaxed boy. He found himself happy that the other boy wanted to talk, and his smile stuck on his face at the idea of someone actually wanting more than just a flirtationship, and wanting to “talk and stuff’.

And, well, as long as the weather wasn’t the topic. I’ll choose though, he decided for a bit of a confirmation. “So what brings you – and Munchy,” he added, grinning wider, “to Fiamont? You don’t seem very acclimated to the heat,” he pointed out, nodding at the Crescent’s rolled up pants and the abandoned shirt and pea-coat on the ground.

[Endless Laeretti]

Endless was jumping for joy inwardly. He agreed! He crawled right over and plopped down next to him on the sand! That's right! You might actually get somewhere with Jance! Don't screw it up, now! Jance was looking pretty comfortable next to him, his posture indicating relaxation. Endless ran his eyes up and down the Lakunai's body - er, what he could see of it - as discreetly as he could manage.

And while he did this, he let himself think about what he had learned. So, if he was a Lakunai....didn't that mean he was older than Endless? Much older? Well, so much for him being around Endless' age. Still though, he at least looked young....and supple. Gulp. And the way he talked, he seemed to act young too. Maybe it wasn't just their bodies, but their minds that aged slowly too? If that was the case, then Endless could feel more comfortable about it - he would still pretty much be talking to/crushing on someone his age. Endless wasn't at all familiar with how the longer-lived races in Setsuwa aged, so he didn't really know that. He certainly hoped the mind aged slowly - he didn't want to be dating a 19-21 year-old with the mind of an old man. He chuckled a bit at that. Jance hadn't acted at all old. So maybe Endless could just forget about it.

And he could start thinking about how much he wanted to hide and possibly die when Jance remarked at how "cool" his eyes were. He wanted to ask if he meant it - no one had ever really said any part of him was cool before. Especially his eyes. You couldn't even see the pupils beyond the silver unless you looked closely. In fact, a lot of people had told him that they didn't like his eyes. When he had been in Muerte, more than a few people had wanted to pick a fight with him over his eyes. And then there was the fact that they glowed when he was in the moonlight....but then, weren't Lakunai races that came from the Cosmos, like Crescents? Maybe that was it. Maybe Jance liked his eyes because it was a Cosmic thing. In any case, the fact that he had said it, and had seemed so genuine about it made Endless smile. He didn't know how, but he didn't feel quite so skeptical about Jance as he did most strangers. In fact, he only felt nervous.

After a moment of silence had passed, and then Jance had asked him what brought him and Munchy to Fiamont, remarking that he didn't seem accustomed to the heat. "Truth be told, I'm not. I'm much better suited to cold weather than Hot. I just thought I could use some relaxation though." he explained lazily, letting the steam take him away (in an effort to remove his nerves). "I've been in a bunch of hectic situations lately, and it's just...stressful, ya know? I figured this would be a great place to unwind. I, uh, wasn't really expecting to run in to anyone though, just looking for me time...er, not that it's a bad thing!" he added, not wanting the other boy to feel like he was unwanted company. "I'm actually...um...glad I ran into you...?" the crescent spoke the sentiment like a question, as though he was unsure if it was OK for him to say that after just meeting the guy. Change the subject, change the subject, change the subject... "Um, but, it's pretty surprising! For an Arctic Shrew, Munchy seems to like the Heat a lot. I would have thought he'd get too hot. I know Arlene would have liked it here - er, that's my Akorne, she sort of comes and goes. Don't know how she always finds her way back, even when I travel... - she's real fond of the heat. In fact, she ditched me when I decided to come to Aissic....heheh. Hope she'll come back this time." though he already knew she would. She had 'ditched' him at least a dozen times in the past, and always somehow managed to find him again. He wondered if he could really call her his pet when she seemed to do and go whatever and wherever she pleased. One time, she had actually flown up to him, riding on top of cardboard box she was moving with her powers before leaping onto his shoulder like she belonged there.

He was beginning to grow lost in thought now, obviously missing the cat-like creature, and decided that another change of the subject was necessary. "What about you, Jance? What brings you here? And...if you don't mind my asking....just how old are you? I'm pretty sure you age slower than I do, right?" And yet even knowing that this was true, Endless still couldn't keep himself from checking the guy out. He had swept up and down his body absently more times than he could remember already, trying to commit every detail to memory, just in case the two didn't end up hitting it off. Please, please, please, please he found himself wishing at that thought. He really did want to hit it off with him. But he needed to stop looking at him like that. Continued staring like he had been doing had begun to fill his head with ideas....ideas that were starting to cause a little problem downstairs. And he would be damned if Jance saw that. Keep cool. Keep cool. Just listen to him. Stop looking at him, and just listen. he dutifully told himself. Though he couldn't really help it. It's not like he saw people he found attractive everyday. He was rather picky in that regard. And it had been a while since he had had any kind of....physical gratification. He couldn't help it if his mind kept running away with him, right?

Right?

[Jance Khærte]

Oh, well now this was particularly good planning on the Lakunai’s part. Okay, well it didn’t really count as planning, because he technically hadn’t planned it out beforehand, but. That wasn’t the point. What was the point was that with his small comment on Endless’ eyes, he had also unconsciously set himself up for a better conversation, assuming that the boy now next to him was accustomed to the tradition of making eye contact when you speak.

Because though Jance never really mentioned it, it was more fun to converse with a person when you could get a clear view of their thoughts. And snagging images from people was always easier and faster when eye contact was present; also, it was frankly less awkward – on a number of occasions he’d been caught staring at a complete stranger’s forehead and received a very anxious glance from said stranger, accompanied by a quick casual motion of their hand lightly touching their forehead on the way to ‘tuck a lock of hair behind their ear. It’s not like Jance saw some blemish or anything, but he couldn’t very well mention that “Oh, I can take images from your head, sorry about that. There’s nothing wrong with your forehead, I was just looking around your head.”

Well…he could, but it probably wouldn’t go over very well. So making comfortable eye contact was the much preferred option. So when Endless was responding, his eyes didn’t really meet Jance’s as much as he would have liked, but when they did – and gods ther were pretty – Jance managed to reach his mind out to investigate what he could for the few moments as the boy talked of his pets and mentioned his hectic life in a casual manner.

--

The faces of more people Jance couldn’t name – most likely people from Endless’ unelaborated ‘hectic situations’, the images of Munchy and presumably his other pet, Arlene – including the particularly interesting image of a feline creature soaring on a cardboard box, and, well, more images or Jance himself. Mind you…they just kept getting clearer.

[/blockquote]

--

[/center]He was still peeking. Jance grinned. He picked up the awkward mentioning of the Crescent being glad to have met him, and he blinked – that wasn’t really one he heard all that often. Usually he found a girl or boy, flirted, and then they parted ways after a few exchanged lines [[that were usually of the suggestive sort]]. But with this one, Endless, one of the few who’d asked his name…it was, well different.

…maybe a genuine attraction? Jance pondered over the thought as his neighbor continued, going on about his pets. He smiled – the kid had a sweet side that was extremely apparent when he talked so fondly of his pets. The other boy trailed off and Jance looked over just in time to see him looking deep in thought before he changed the subject to Jance instead, asking a question similar to his, with a question of his age tacked on the end.

“Well I’m here because I thought that circulation might be somewhat important,” he replied somewhat jokingly, crooked grin reappearing. “Snow and ice aren’t really in my fingers’ best interests.” He held his hands out for show and he rolled onto his side. Really, there was nothing wrong with them, or their appearance, he just…felt the need to show Endless anyway. “And my age…? Jance hesitated again – for some reason, he didn’t really feel so comfortable with the kid knowing his age…the gap was probably huge. Also, he’d have to think about it for a moment – it’d been a while since he lost count, luckily he still knew his birth year. “Yeah, I age slower, most likely, he mumbled, “I’m…169, I think it was.” Jance felt hit cheeks flush a bit – though it wasn’t because of his age, so much as because of Endless’. “Crescents age like humans, correct? You're like…what, 18, 20?” He quickly changed the topic off of his own age, holding his hands out to make a frame out of two ‘L’ shapes around the other’s head, still laying on his side and facing the other boy.[/blockquote]

[Endless Laeretti]

He suppressed the urge to giggle when Jance decided to hold up his fingers to emphasize his point about circulation. There was no real reason for him to have done that, so it was kind of funny. Then he rolled over onto his side, looking at Endless. The Crescent boy kept on his back, staring at the almost red-tinted sky - was it really that hot in Fiamont? - and avoiding the stare from the other boy. Jance seemed to think about something for a moment. Maybe a few moments. And then he finally decided he should probably answer Endless' question, though he seemed to almost mumble it. Was he ashamed or something? Did he feel old? How was that, if he looked and acted so young? Maybe it wasn't that at all. Maybe he just wanted Endless to keep thinking of him as young.
He smiled at that thought. If that was true, then didn't it mean that Jance cared about what Endless thought about him? Even after hearing his age - wow, 169.... - he didn't really feel uncomfortable. He had it in his head that he didn't just age slowly, but he matured slowly. He revisited the point that even though Jance had been alive for 169 years, he was still probably no different than any other ....er, something-year-old around his age. Although maybe he was a bit wiser about the world. Then the Lakunai made this double 'L' shape with his hands and formed it into a little box, looking at Endless through his fingers as if he was looking at a screen, and asked the boy his age.

"Um, yeah, we age like humans do. I'm 18, though I'll be 19 a little later on this year. So, if you're 169...that means you're like, um, twenty....three? Unless my math is wrong...." he remarked thoughtfully. He remembered hearing that Elven ages could be determined by dividing their true age by seven-point-....something. So he tried to do the math in his head, and ended up coming up with 23.

But it seemed like Jance didn't really want to talk about his age very much, judging by how abruptly he changed the subject. Endless could respect that.Though he didn't really want to think about how young he was either...assuming the two got into a relationship or something, wouldn't Endless grow old, and less attractive, while Jance stayed young and gorgeous? It was a troubling thought. Already thinking long-term, eh? Well...what we end up getting somewhere, and it lasts a while...? Hmmm. I'm pretty sure there are potions and what-not that can make you look young....maybe I could get one of those, assuming this goes far, and just keep using it until I die? Ergh, I'd still sound old though, in thirty years or so...Maybe I just shouldn't think about it. Yeah. It'll just stress me out....live for the now? indecision and nervousness cast aside, he turned to the Lakunai beside him, meeting his gaze now. "What are you doing?" he asked curiously at the screen-hands, making sure to not sound as though he was upset by it. It just seemed a little odd.

He was getting an awkward view, though, from his position, and so decided that he too would roll onto his side, propping himself up on his elbow. Hey, a little bolder. Almost like I'm showing off. That means I'm more confident....right? "Is there something interesting you're looking at through your little "screen" there?" he added with a chuckle. He was quite obviously blushing, which completely betrayed his otherwise cool and laid back demeanor, but he was trying ever so hard to avoid that little realization and just pretended everything was fine. After all, he had been checking Jance out up until now. Who cared if Jance did the same for him? Although, maybe Jance might not be thinking about....doing things and...making noises and....crap. Endless' mind had begun to wander again into unsafe territory, and he could feel his little problem coming back. He smiled at Jance then, hoping it would distract the boy while he made a few "adjustments" by moving his legs around.

Stupid, obnoxious, teen aged hormones.

[Jance Khærte]

Jance’s face turned thoughtful for a moment. “Yeah, sounds about right,” he said in regards to the Crescent’s inquiry about his appeared age. “Twenty-two, twenty-three, somewhere around there…” he trailed off lightly, voice turning into something of a mumble. Luckily though, it seemed that Endless was able to pick up on the mood and change the subject quickly enough. It wasn’t so much that Jance was about 150 years older than the boy, but the fact that – if anything between them did happen, then Endless would quickly leave him behind in age, especially when years felt so short to the Lakunai. And if there was one thing Jance couldn’t bear, it was feeling left behind.

…hence the fact that when his parents left him alone to go somewhere, he would at least follow shortly after so that he could know what they talked about. But, he thought firmly, that’s not an issue right now. Hell, I don’t even know where this will go. Even if he is rather adorable… his thought process migrated a little. And he’s certainly interested in me…erm…well, interested in my body, at least. He recalled the boy’s peeking and chuckled to himself. He had to restrain himself from saying “copying you,” when Endless had asked what he was doing as he was peering through the small finger-box.

He settled happily with a simple “I’m just lookin’” and a grin. His eyes trailed over the boy’s face when he rolled over, and Jance took advantage of the new angle to study his face further. Endless chuckled out another question, cheeks slightly tinted pink.

Okay why did the most random person that he met and decided to flirt with have to be this cute? Jance pondered over a good response to the question as the boy shifted his position with a small shuffle and smiled. Jance grinned back. “Why yes there is,” he replied, “your eyes in particular.” His statement was blunt and most likely embarrassing for the kid, but it was true – as the sunlight around them turned red with the sunrise, for some odd reason the Crescent’s eyes didn’t dim in their bright color at all, unlike what would be expected.

Which Jance found himself particularly fond of.

“Speaking of which, your eyes,” he began thoughtfully, feeling his mouth quirk to the side on it’s own. But he couldn’t help it, the thought just popped up so suddenly in his mind and now it wouldn’t go away. If the boys eyes never stopped glowing or shimmering, if they continued endlessly…“Do they always look like that?”

It was an interesting thought – but he kind of doubted that they could glow in the dark. But now that would be cool. Like, being in the dark and seeing two little glimmers of silver that look like moons staring back at you…Jance put his mind on hold. Why would he be laying in the dark with Endless in the first place?

Not that it sounded like a bad idea.

[Endless Laeretti]

As relieved as Endless was feeling that Jance hadn't noticed his little problem, he was all the more flustered when Jance brought up his eyes again. Despite how obvious it was that Endless wanted to receive attention from the Lakunai, he couldn't find it in himself to accept a single damn compliment gracefully. He kept insisting in his head that Jance was just being nice, as there couldn't possibly be anything remarkable or special about the way he looked. It just wasn't normal! He was skinny, under-muscled, possibly underweight, pale (made all the more obvious by his dark hair, another abnormality considering his race), and had freaky, almost pupil-less, silver eyes. And yet Jance found it in himself to keep looking, responding to Endless that he was in fact "Just looking" at him through his hand-screen-thing. That's when he had brought up the aforementioned eye comment - he hadn't acted like they were weird, either. When he asked Endless if they were "always like that", it seemed more out of interest, liking even, not out of a belief that they were bizarre, weird, or something.
At least, that's what Endless gathered from the sound of his voice. And yet, before he could answer, he couldn't help but notice something himself - Jance's hair. It almost looked like it was moving in this light. Those specks, combined with the dark color....now that the light was dimming around them, Endless saw that the unique coloring of the Lakunai's hair looked sort of like...space. It looked like outer space. If Jance stood on one of the high buildings of Artavia, and Endless looked up at him from the ground, Part of Jance's head would look like it was blending in with the constantly starry sky. Wow.... he thought. A Lakunai's hair...that's awesome. I couldn't really tell earlier because it was still bright out, but....bright out? So it's not bright out? Endless suddenly realized with a twitch. He had noticed it, sure, but it hadn't really occurred to him. The fact that it wasn't bright out meant, clearly, that it was getting dark out. Which meant that it would be night time soon. And Night Time meant the Moon, and in the clear Fiamontn sky, there was no way any clouds would obscure the Moonlight.

And that meant that Jance was going to see the freaky glowing effect his eyes had. Endless didn't understand it at all - he had never met any other Crescents growing up whose eyes glowed when the moon was out. Just another oddity about him. His entire life seemed like an oddity at times. He wondered if perhaps he was Temos' punching bag, a mortal that she enjoyed tossing around when she was feeling bored. If it was true, it would certainly account for all the misfortunes in his life, as well as all the things that made him awkward and different. Honestly, he couldn't think of anywhere where he really fit in.

All of this was contemplated while he stared up at the darkening sky in silence, unable to realize how much time he had let pass him by while Jance was clearly awaiting an answer on the subject of Endless' eyes. Frankly, the boy would have to see them sooner or later. And he seemed to like them, for whatever reason, even if he was just being nice, so maybe Endless could at least hope the Lakunai would pretend not to be put off by the glow.

"Hold on a sec." Endless told him calmly, continuing to stare at the sky. He turned and grinned at Jance (a rather valiant effort on his part to appear uncaring, jovial, even proud perhaps). He wouldn't let the grin betray his apprehension. Sure, Jance was far from the first person to see his eyes. Hell, anyone who he walked past at night could see them. They weren't exactly something he hid. But Jance was the first person whom he felt this much physical attraction to, who would see them. For some odd reason, Endless found himself really giving a damn about what his opinion would be on them. And the fact that said people who passed him while walking at night tended to steer clear of him due to the bright glow didn't help to reassure him at all.

The moments passed by in silence, Endless abstaining from speaking as he waited for the sun to finish its descent, the bright light of it's departure allowing the Moonlight to come in clearly. The Crescent would estimate about fifteen minutes having passed in complete silence now, and the Sun was finally gone. He could feel it now. The Moonbeams on his skin. It was instinctive for him to feel as much. He felt it all the time in Artavia (and being constantly in the presence of the Moon had caused his eyes to glow almost permanently). Feeling the light, he let his currently-closed lids open again, the steam beneath him now visible more clearly in the night air. And he new that his irises were glowing based on the light that illuminated the sand when he looked upon it. Yeesh, they almost like headlights. Not blindingly bright, but clearly bright enough to cast off some light.

He sucked in a quiet breath and turned to Jance, his heart seeming to skip a beat when he noticed his hair again - the completely dark air now made his earlier thoughts reach confirmation - the boy's hair was a cosmic, galactic swirl against the night sky. OR at least, that's how it looked. Endless smiled brightly, legitimately. Sure, Jance could surely see his eyes now, but that didn't stop Endless from feeling excited just by looking at that awesome hair.

"Yes Jance." Endless answered him, at long last. "My eyes have always been like this. And this is what they do when the moon is out."

[Jance Khærte]

Really, this was ridiculous. Guys weren’t supposed to be this cute. Like, sure, they could be attractive, good looking, and all the sorts, but Jance would rarely find it in him to call another male “cute” to himself. He might have used the word for flirting with girls before, and sure, for the occasional guy too, but he never actually, y’know, meant it how it sounded. But the Crescent boy next to him just kept shooting him the most nervous and hesitant glances, only to proceed to trying to cover it up with a bright grin shortly after. Really.

The boy appeared slightly distracted for a few moments before Jance had mentioned his eyes – but really…the appearance of them was different, from what he could tell. Sure, it could be in his head, but that was why he had asked; if you want an answer, you’ve got to ask for it. So that was what he had done. He had asked. Short and simple, just like that. And for as long as he had to wait for Endless’ reply… he was told to wait. Jance’s mouth quirked to the side, approaching a smirk, but he gave up the fight quickly, just looking up at the sky after he received a short yet bright grin from the other boy. He let his mind wander back to the feeling of the steam geysers currently heating his back, eyes drifting shut. Mmm…

He had to admit – Endless was definitely good at choosing steam spots, if nothing else. But…no, that phrase was silly, Jance had already discovered and decided that there was something else. But he quickly forgot this as his mind wandered again to the heat seeping back into his veins. Hadn’t he heard somewhere that is was bad to fall asleep at the Hot Steams? Like, that it could cause hyperthermia or not…? Hell he thought, even his inner voice sounding low and sluggish, I don’t even think that exists…

Luckily, perhaps, Endless took that moment to finally make a movement next to him, causing the sand to shift and a light sound broke into the silence. How long had they just sat there in silence? Well it felt like a bit longer than expected, for a conversation break, but it was probably just closer to ten minutes, approximately. He reopened his eyes, although somewhat reluctantly – maybe he’d stay here for the night, it felt just too damn good – and was surprised to see that the sun had completely set. Well…it shouldn’t have been that surprising, really; he’d noticed that the sun had been setting before he ended up being told to wait for a ‘sec’…had Endless been waiting for the sun to set? Well…it certainly added up. He tilted his head back to the side to peer at Endless in the dark, only for his eyes to open wider.

Okay, now that was just cool. Endless explained that that’s what he’d been making him wait for, essentially, but Jance didn’t reply – he couldn’t take his eyes off of the other boy’s. He found himself gaping slightly…okay, very obviously, at the boy’s now glowing gaze. Oh right oh right, I shouldn’t do that. He blinked to break his stare before he grinned, matching the boy’s short smile before he had spoken. “Dude, that’s so cool” he said, possibly a little too excited. “Seriously.” He scooted a little closer to get a better look – in all of his travels, this was the first person who’s eyes had ever glowed. And it definitely wasn’t a Crescent blood-trait either, he was sure; hell, he’d grown up in Artavia.

Okay well…shuffling awkwardly in the sand wasn’t really doing much for the “getting a better look”. And really…Endless seemed like a good-natured, good-humored kid, right? So he wouldn’t mind…well, probably wouldn’t. Mind too much…

Jance rolled back onto his back, away from Endless, then even further away onto his stomach, before he rolled quickly back, letting his momentum to position him directly over the boy, his arms and knees catching his weight before he fell down or let any weight fall upon the other. Just like that, without another thought. Because hell, if people didn’t act on an impulse, nothing would get anywhere in proper time. He brought his face about two or so inches from the other boy’s, eyes widening again to look at those glowing orbs again – he fought the urge to ramble on about them like a little boy would when he just got a cooler toy than the kid next door.

[Endless Laeretti]

Gulp. And what a gulp it was. Who wouldn't be gulping in this situation? Jance was on top of him. Hovering mere inches above him, suspended only by his crouching arms and legs, face so close that Endless could have closed the gap within a fraction of a sec- No! No, no, no! This is way to fast!

If it's so fast, why don't we do something about it? Because! That would be....rude! Your virtue is at stake here, and you're concerned with being polite? Well, what am I supposed to do? Throw him off of me? It's not like I don't like him! It's just...damn it....

Endless noted how Jance's arms and legs were on either side of him, and weren't actually pinning him in by any means. Squeezing his eyes shut in a sort of apology to Jance, his body was quickly enveloped in that barely visible glow as he mentally scooted himself out from under Jance, sliding like a wheeled board out from under him and back into open, non-claustrophobic space.

Sighing, he raised himself up into a sitting position and looked apologetically at Jance, who was probably surprised to see the Crescent boy just slip off like that. "Um...sorry about that. It's just...it was a little uncomfortable, and I...jeeze, I've probably gone and made a mess of things now..." he added that last bit in the form of a mumble.

He needed to occupy himself with other thoughts now. Jance would probably be totally offended now, or at the very least feel awkward and leave. Endless would much rather not watch him go. So much for that. he found himself thinking bitterly as his eyes landed on Munchy, still obliviously snuggled into his little hole in the sand he'd dug. What a careless life it must have been, being a shrew...

Out of the corner of his still-glowing eyes, he could see that Jance had yet to leave. Probably thinking of something or other to say, so as to politely excuse himself. That would have been nice of him, to at least say something kind before going. He had proven himself to be pretty polite thus far, anyway. Ugh...way to screw it up, Endless.

[/size]


((Dx sorry for the suck))

[Jance Khærte]

Well now. Seriously? This kid was just chock full of surprises. Because one second Jance had this seriously awesome glowing-eyed-kid underneath him, next moment the guy’s whole body was glowing. And shwooping out from underneath him into a sitting position. Then he apparently felt the need to apologize. But apologize for what? He hadn’t like, punched Jance in the face or anything, even though he was very obviously uncomfortable with the situation. Hell, he even resorted to saying so in a rather blatant manner. All he’d done was scootch his cute little ass out of Jance’s uh…straddling?

Oh. Wait. Jance’s jaw fell a bit – Endless never had actually said he liked guys, did he? Aw bummer, he was rather cute too… Jance thought vacantly to himself. But if he doesn’t swing this way…but then why the hell was he looking at me so much? Either way, he was still in the middle of a conversation, wasn’t he? “Dude, how the hell did you do that?” Jance asked, incredulous, staring with very large goggling eyes at the boy that was now in front of him. And looking incredibly embarrassed, and even more adorable. Did he really have to be straight? Well…he could just be like, easily flustered, but still have a thing for Jance, right?

Right? Well, Jance sure as hell wasn’t going to just sit around and wait for Endless to say it himself. Possible options…One, stare into his eyes [and peek around for a bit] and look like a little girl in love…uh…No. Two, pop back to his position over the kid again? No…he might actually punch him in the face if he did that. Three, just teleport over to Endless’ side again? Ah, that could work. Jance stopped his train of thought before it got out of hand, popping himself over to the right of the other boy, about a foot off, mimicking his exact position. “Sorry that I don’t glow,” he mentioned casually, his mouth pulling up into a crooked smile.

[Endless Laeretti]

Endless jumped. Endless jumped high. Because seriously, popping? Jance had just succeeded in popping right next to Endless. It was such a huge shock that Endless actually managed to forget to think about the important things - those things being that Jance HADN'T gotten offended and left, DIDN'T appear at all dejected, was in total awe at how Endless had managed to just whoosh away from him, and was apparently still interested in maintaining a conversation with the boy.

However, all these thoughts did manage to flood back into him as soon as he had gotten over the initial shock of an entire person disappearing and then reappearing out of thin air, without any magical flashes or glowy sigils, or even a spell recitation. He just DID it.

Endless took a breath of air as he very quickly assessed his situation, a conversation of what could have been a minute taking place inside of 2 seconds. Okay, okay, so he's not leaving. Even though I freaked out and just bolted like that, he's still here. He's not ditching out. What does that mean? It means he doesn't think you're easy, cheap fun. I mean, if he were looking for an easy treat, he'd probably have left by now, right? Because you're staving off his advance would tell him immediately that you weren't planning on going so easily. Which means that he is more likely interested in YOU and not your body. Wow. That actually makes sense. If he's still around, he must be willing to keep trying with me, so I might actually mean something. Don't get too ahead of yourself, you still only just met like, an hour ago. Even if there is some click. Yeah, yeah, I know. And he's not even offended - he's WOWed. He wants to know how I just did that. I'd like to know how HE did THAT. Yeah, that too. So I should ask him then. Yeah, I should. Let's- er, um, I'LL do it then.

He nodded quickly to himself at the end of the second second, and turned to fix his still-glowing gaze on Jance. Um...that's okay. You don't need to glow. You can...do whatever it is you just did, heheh. And your hair is still awesome," he commented timidly, noting how it still seemed to blend so wonderfully with the night sky. "So, what was that? your, uh, popping thing you just did? Was that magic? Oh wait, you asked me first, didn't you? Um...well....what I just did was...well, here."

He nodded off, looking at a nearby rock and inclining his head so as to indicate that Jance should look at it. "Watch this." he instructed, somewhat playfully, as his already-glowing silver orbs were engulfed in a secondary, bluish glow. The rock he was looking at was then lifted into the air, seemingly of its own volition, flying around as invisible strings pulled at it in different directions. Despite the very minor show of power, Endless was now somewhat enthralled in the performance, picking up a pile of Sand with his mind as well and having swirl in wondrous shapes around the rock as they danced through the air.

Before long, he had picked up a few other rocks, sticking them together in a large cluster as the sand took to flowing around the cluster like a ring. 'Look," Endless said with a laugh. "It's Caprinus." he explained, referencing the distant, lifeless planet that Artavian scientists had discovered not twenty years ago. "And look! I just proved science wrong. See? life on Caprinus." he said, giggling more as he pick up more sand, using his mind to shape it into the likeness of several small figures, which were then placed onto the likeness of the planet. "Someone should call the Artavian Government about this, hahaha."

Distantly, he was aware that he was acting like a tiny bit of a weirdo. Okay, maybe more than just a tiny bit. But it had been so long since he had last shown off what he could do with his power! The last time he had really "performed" was when he was still living with that nice old woman in the General District, and back then, he was still getting used to his powers, and his performances were crude and ill-shaped. Now he could do it with such detail, and it was nice to be able to show someone.

He grinned. "Uh oh, Meteor." he said with a final laugh, picking up another rock and sending it hurtling into his little planet, the mass scattering and falling to ground instantly as he finally released his telekinetic grip on it. He breathed out a sigh of contentment, cocking his head to look at the Lakunai beside him. "So in case you couldn't guess, I'm telekinetic. So, how about answering my question? How did you DO that?" he asked excitedly, unconsciously imitating his companion's earlier sentiment.

And as he looked at his face, he couldn't help but stare for a moment or two at those lips that had been so close to his own just moments ago...

[Jance Khærte]

He jumped. Endless jumped, his little [and kind of adorable] ass hopped off the ground in surprise when Jance teleported smack dab a foot beside him. And all Jance could do was grin. What else though, when you could make someone that was already somewhat awkward and twitchy jump like that [especially when they were making such a valiant effort not to be awkward or twitchy]? Jance listened curiously to Endless’ response as the other boy rambled on about his hair again [he rather seemed to like it], before asking a question in response to his question.

And then he proceeded to answer Jance’s question instead of waiting for a response. The Lakunai raised his eyebrows in amusement as Endless motioned with a short nod for Jance to watch a rock. However, as soon as they both laid eyes on the rock, the thing had started glowing, just like Endless had, and was lifted off the ground. His eyes widened, watching the little show being performed in front of him. From the large rock to tiny little sand figures, apparently this kid had an shitload full of a range in his power. As in, the kid even made the sand peoples’ arms wiggle.

He gawked. “Someone should call the Artavian government about you,” he said rather bluntly. “You could like, screw up a city and never get caught or something. The Lakunai’s wide eyes returned back to Endless’ again after the kid had chucked a “meteor” at the whole display. He grinned again, realizing that his jaw had been very obviously hanging open, and closed it in the process. Telekinesis. That made sense. “So if you moved yourself, could you move me too, if you wanted?” He sat still for a moment before putting a single finger on the other boy’s shoulder. “Because I can,” he mentioned, grinning cockily at the boy before doing just that; teleporting the two of them back over to the old dent in the sand that marked their old position.

However…he mixed it up a bit. Because now that he’d already gawked at the kid’s eyes, it obviously wouldn’t be weird if he did it again, right? So he could look at them, even if it was ridiculously blatant, right?

--

Lips. To be specific, Jance’s lips.

--

Cha-ching, just what he needed. Why would a guy be staring at his lips like that if he didn’t want a piece of them in the first place? Jance licked said lips and paused for a moment before going in for the kill – a soft peck on the lips with a little bit of something else for flavor, pressing into it a bit more than he should have. But of course, he didn’t think the kid would care.

But just for a joke, since Endless didn’t know…

--

A rather obscene image, involving neither of the two of them wearing pants, excess amounts of steam from a geyser, and interlaced fingers and legs.

--

Andddd sent. Just because Endless didn’t know, he hadn’t pulled a prank like this in ages, and because he wanted to see that adorable blush again.

“And oh yeah; I teleport.”

[Endless Laeretti]

Shock registered in Endless' fragile little head once again at what had happened. Did that.... was it.... holy crap, really!? Who whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves. To begin with, the Crescent had been pleased, and a bit prideful even when Jance regarded his abilities with such a fervent level of "I'm impressed." It made Endless feel good to be able to show off a little for once; it sort of made him seem like Kiku. That guy was really good at showing off, and he did it so seamlessly that he almost didn't seem like a jerk for it.

Of course, people still seemed to think Kiku was a jerk anyway. But moving on.

Jance had then asked him if he could move them around, not allowing Endless to answer before he promptly laid a finger on his shoulder and proceeded to poof them back to the spot they had started at. That was hit number two, the first ht being when Endless watched Jance do it on his own. He gulped a little and chuckled, staring up at the Lakunai. "Wow....that's an awesome talent. Maybe I could mess up a city, as you said, though I doubt that, but you could get away with anything right? Because you could just poof away from everything. Heeheh....but um, no I can't move you. For some reason, the only person I can move is myself...and..."

It was official. Endless had been too obvious about his staring. Because he trailed off when he saw Jance slowly moving in, or at least, slowly at first, before swiftly closing the distance between them. Endless' eyes were wide by that point, and one can proceed back to the earlier moments of this post, where Endless was in the midst of a spaz-gasm.

That was hit number three. Endless had officially been wowed. And the kiss itself, was so brief, and yet it seemed to just press in, much more than a standard kiss should, but less than the one Nathaniel had stolen from him. And then at the last second, just before Jance tugged away, a very.... risque image painted itself into Endless' thoughts, and he found himself blushing profusely as Jance tugged away. One kiss. ONE KISS, and his mind had fallen into the gutter that quickly? Endless could feel a little downstairs problem had come right on back, and he was feeling hotter than usual for Fiamont.

Jance had made the first move, and Endless was now sitting there, feeling dumb, flustered, and aroused. And Jance was right next to him, clearly amused by the turn of events. But one thing was for sure - Jance probably wanted Endless. And Endless would be lying if he even thought he didn't want Jance. Well... maybe it's about time I show some backbone, right? Right.

Turning to Jance with his same flustered look, though with a tad of firmness in it now, he leaned in this time, once again closing the distance between them as he pressed his lips against the Lakunai's, closing his eyes this tie as he lost himself in it. He reminded himself of Nathaniel - but this time for pointers, rather than to piss him off. Nathaniel, he had to admit, had done some pretty interesting things with that kiss. Maybe Endless could imitate it? Body pressing forward, he adjusted his positioning slowly and carefully so that he has half leaning into the Lakunai next to him, his left hand rising to cup his cheek and part of his chin, while his right hand nervously fiddled with the sand on the ground. Tentatively, he pressed his tongue forward a bit, parting Jance's lips and angling his own head to deepen the kiss.

His scent, his warmth, his taste... Endless could definitely get used to this. He didn't know if this was a crush, or just lust, or something, but kissing Jance definitely felt like something he would happily do again and again. His nervous right hand slowly rose now, too, brushing softly against the Lakunai's back as his left fell from his cheek to rest on his somewhat firm chest - Endless was a little jealous at how scrawny he was by comparison, but didn't really think about much as he continued. Before he knew what he was doing, he was slowly pressing Jance downward onto the sand as he adjusted his position again, practically laying on top of the boy, before he finally pulled away, gasping for breath and staring down at the floored Lakunai whom he now sat on, straddling.

Wow. He had just done all of that. He decided not to speak. Let Jance decide what to do next. Endless gulped, partly from anxiety, and partly from anticipation.

[Jance Khærte]

Aha. Ahaha. That was unexpected. Sure, Endless’ blush and his words sputtering to a stop when Jance kissed him, those were predictable. No less nice to see, but predictable. But what Jance hadn’t expected was for the kid to lean in and kiss him in response. He’d been questioning whether Endless would start rambling in embarrassment [seeing as it seemed like his tendency to do so when he was nervous], or if he’d just sit all flustered in silence afterwords [seeing as Jance just did that to people sometimes], but he hadn’t even put the actual result into consideration.

You know, the one that involved little mister “I’m all timid and such” to take control for the moment and…was that a tongue? Jance actually chuckled into Endless’ mouth as the boy shifted a few times until he was actually straddling the Lakunai, nearly laying on him. In a way that actually caused Jance to stare and gawk after he pulled away.

So…this was beyond the average flirt session, huh? Jance blinked at the kid’s eyes again, trying to pull some idea of what to do next from whatever lied behind those shiny silver orbs; hypnotizing, as usual, but providing no answers. Because lo and behold, for what it was worth, Jance might as well have been looking in a mirror instead.

Great help. “So…Endy,” he began, because it just sounded right. Seeing as apparently they were casual enough to be making out in an…oh. Supposed to be public place. Not that Jance had a thing about people judging who he was with, just…well you know, he didn’t think they needed to see him and whoever he was with at it. Not that he had any issues with kissing him in; no no no, the Crescent boy tasted perfectly sweet and everything about him was just a little too good, just…

Yeah. Public. And as much as Jance flirted himself off, he wasn’t that out there.

Only slightly. “Would you mind if we relocated to somewhere a little more…not public? To, you know, talk and stuff?” And for reinforcement… Jance conjured up a couple images of him and Endless chatting it up and various other things of the sort, and progressing, and…ect.

Then proceeded to chuck it towards his mind. You know, give him ideas. And however much Jance knew he needed to tell Endless about his little picture exchange deal, and knew he should feel guilty for using it without his knowledge…he was also kind of digging it. Because it wasn’t doing any harm.

I’ll keep it to myself just for now.

[[OOC: Sorry it's a little short. Dx]]