only one day ) open

[arete kalypso hartwell]

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Getting to go outside was like a breath of fresh air.

That being said. It actually was a breath of fresh air. His feet hit the ground at a steady beat, striking up the small symphony. His azure eye glanced over at a lone bird, resting on a precarious branch. It let out a chirp, wary of singing. If it made too much noise, it might have attracted unwanted attention by the chimeras. But another chirp came after another. Confidence regained, the avian sang it's song for those who passed by. And he could only smile as it did so.

The gentle rustling noise that the weeds growing in the cracks of the pavement made when his foot brushed past them. He loved all these things and more. Though, he so rarely got the chance to go outside. It wasn't safe out there, his sister said. It wasn't safe for him to be outside like this. But he was a growing boy and could not stay inside for too long. Being inside was boring.

He loved the feel of the sun on his face, the wind in his hair. He took in a deep breath, inhaling the salty air that came with the ocean. The northwestern beach was rocky and there was little, if any, sand that covered the sharp surface. It was for that reason and that reason only that he wore shoes. The bioweapon wriggled his toes inside the shoes, pouting as he did so.

He wished that there was a beach with more sand. He had heard of those existing at some brief point of their lives.

The wind blew at his cheeks, inviting the boy a bit closer. The sea breeze felt good, especially since it was the middle of summer. Though, Eris had taken no chances with him getting sick. So she had requested him to wear his coat. It was black and tight around his thin body. The sleeves were buttoned around his wrist, shielding the many stitches that covered his thin skin. He adjusted the white dress shirt accordingly and examined his also black pants.

The bioweapon walked quietly along the rocky shoreline of the northwestern beach, careful not to slip and fall into the waves. He had not learned how to swim, nor did he think he would ever get to. The weaponry grafted into his body weighed him down severely. It was nice being out here.

Arete's hand slipped into his pocket, drawing out a small golden pocket watch. His parents left few things behind for him and his sister. This was one of the few things. The little hand ticked, his azure eye lifting up to look at the small image in the cover. This was what his parents had looked like. He couldn't remember their faces without looking at this image. He had few memories of his life before he had been taken away.

He could only remember the scared face of his mother as she watched his father fall to the ground and how his sister had ran away from the scene with him still in her arms. He could only remember how she had fallen, closing her arms around him and trying to protect him with everything she had before she had fallen from consciousness. Then they took him from her.

Those were his only memories of them.

So looking at this picture, it comforted him. There was a time before it had all happened, when they had all been together. When they had been happy. When they had been able to smile. His grip tightened around the watch, holding it to his chest. He would have protected them with his life if he could have. It was his fault they had even been attacked to begin with. If he hadn't been so young, they wouldn't have touched them.

When Eris had found him, he swore that he would protect her in the same way she had protected him. She always said that she could handle herself. But even so, he would protect his sister with his life. She was all he had left.

He smiled softly, continuing on his slow stroll on the rocky shore. He wondered what his parents would have thought of him if they saw him now. Would they be happy that he was alright? Or would they be mortified at what had been done to him? He would never know, but it was a nice thought. He liked to believe that they were happy watching over them both, wherever they were.

His foot slipped then, though he had not fallen off into the water just yet. The watch had flown out of his hand and landed into the water with a plop. No! He stared, horrified at where his only connection to his parents went. So without another thought, Arete dove in. He wouldn't let this get away from him.

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[nessa]

Perching a bit precariously on the shapely form of one of the many rocks which occupied Northwestern Beach, the chimera remained there, mesmerized by the ever shifting water, glittering beautifully in the sunlight. Waves crashed on the shore, shifting the little sand that stretched out from the ocean, but mostly splashing up on the rocks. It was the only beach Nessa knew and she loved it just the same. Of course, the huge body of water stretching out before her had left her a bit frightened and thus, the chimera had never ventured to close.

However, it didn’t stop her from admiring it from time to time nor did it keep her from playing around on the many jutting boulders covering the area. The only thing she didn’t do at the beach was swim. That wasn’t to say that she couldn’t swim. It was just fear of the churning ocean which stretched as far as she could see and that was surprisingly far. She wasn’t exactly human after all, no matter how deceiving her appearance was. For a while longer, she stared at the waves until she decided it was time to do something else.

Pulled away her honey eyes away, she hopped from one rock to another, paying close attention to the surface of each rock. Her naked feet landed nimbly upon each new surface, cold under her flesh. She was always barefoot so she had to be careful about stepping on sharper, jagged rocks. She also had to make sure she didn’t slip either. That wouldn’t be good at all. She was on her own so any injuries which made her vulnerable could have posed a threat to her life.

She had become engrossed in her current activity when a peculiar sound caught her attention. What was that? The girl glanced around the beach, looking around for any sign of whatever made that sound. At first, she couldn’t find the source, but when something diving into the ocean caught her attention, Nessa turned all her focus on the falling object…. Or person as it appeared to be. She blinked her eyes in confusion, watching as he plunged into the ocean.

Was he going for a swim? No. The people she’d seen swimming weren’t fully clothed. They wore strange underwear that was apparently made for use in the water. So what was this person doing? Maybe he fell in? Nessa surveyed the slick, black boulders closer to the ocean before leaping over to one. Would he need her help? Maybe she was better off turning the other way and pretending she didn’t see anything. She was usually treated poorly no matter what she tried to do for the people.

However, that wasn’t in Nessa’s nature at all. Call her a fool, but even if her help wasn’t appreciated, she always lent it to the people in need, even if they weren’t in need. Besides, he might have needed her help! Braving the frightening waters, Nessa hurried to the shore and hurried off into the depths where she watched the person fall earlier. She was off to his rescue, whether he needed it or not. Taking in one final gulp of air, Nessa dived in after the fallen boy.

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