Gracious Lunacy pt.1

((Key: <...>= Prawn speech /// "..."= Human speech /// *...*= Thoughts))


Halleluiah

~~Setting: PoHA headquarters~~

A joyous celebration was toasted forth that night at the association, to commemorate the unyielding bonds of two blessed souls.  The basement was cleaned up, polished and rearranged to accommodate this special occasion; the couch was pushed aside to the back wall, and the sofas and chairs were set up as rows on either side, providing a large space in the middle of the room for the honored bond-mates.  It was a small stuffy place, but very spacious and well hidden from the world outside.

Everyone in the association was present- Rineke, Jasper, Amelia, Sam and Jenny, and Glenda and Josh.  Although only a very select few were present to memorialize their bold and spirited act that evening, it was plenty enough for the two of them.  Despite all the obstacles and dangers that would surely challenge their bond, they would eternally stand high and proud as one, no matter what.

They knew what the potential consequences their actions would entail, because of their racial barriers.  At first, when they began to consider the possibility, there was a time span of several months of uncertainty that such a relationship could ever really work, or if it was all just a hopeless crush.  It was a difficult time for the both of them, trying to ignore these strange, almost vulgar, emotions that rooted themselves into their minds, and ceaseless continued to grow as time progressed.  

Now however, they were ready and willing to accept, and eagerly welcome, this bizarre bonding between them.  There would be risks, but they agreed that the association would be welcoming of the news, as uncanny as it was.  Nobody else, be it friends or family members, would ever know about their love or this festivity.  This would always be kept a secret between each other, and any future members, never to go beyond the walls of the house.  

And now they were willing to commit to each other with their friends to see, ready to take this leap of faith.  Her soft silken fingers entwined with the rough, bruised leather skin of his palms, his gold-crowned eyes entranced into the gleam of her own turquoise eyes.  The world became lost to them, nothing existed but each other, and the unyielding love they shared of what words could only begin to describe, a bond that could never be broken; it was glorious, an immeasurable achievement that they thrived to reach, a line of which they dared to cross.

"Will you, Michael, have Amanda to be your bond-mate?"

Glenda stood aside the two, garnished in the finest dress she could rummage out of her closet, and began to preach oaths of courtship, while the others were seated along the rows of chairs.  As Glenda's words weaved like poetry sung in spring winds, his gentle grasp of his lover's hands tightened, anxiously anticipating for their love to be finalized.

"Will you love her, comfort and keep her-"

It was not as if this ceremony was really a necessity; even if they didn't want an unofficial marriage it wouldn't change anything between them.  But it was his idea, despite that his own species viewed the ideal of "courtship" very differently.  This human marriage was his gift to her, an act that embodied his commitment to her, his own way of saying that he would go through hell and back for her.  Given the peculiarity of this coupling, it wasn't strictly traditional, so to speak.   Despite so, as he said so himself, it would simply be a memory to cherish, among others.

"- and forsaking all others remain true to her-"

As Glenda neared the end of the chosen wedding vows, tender warmth began to glow from within his chest.  It was light at first, but quickly spread throughout his titanic form, and into what he could only describe as his own soul.  He didn't understand the logic of believing that any concept of a "god" or "afterlife" existed.  It was always a subject that he found quite amusing, how this small species could believe in some higher power.  But for today at least, he was willing to put his ideals aside for her sake, and simply enjoy the night.

"- as long as you both shall live?"



Glenda beamed with delight.  Raising her arms high above her, she praised to their marriage, "Then before the lord and these witnesses, I proclaim this couple as bond-mates!  Halleluiah, everybody!"

Launching from their seats, the others whistled and clapped for the new happy couple, all of them cheering "Halleluiah!"

Pure ecstasy was all he felt, was all he could understand in that magical moment.  Now there was nothing that could stand in their way, nobody that could possibly separate them from each other, and everything felt just right in the world.  If there really was a god somewhere in the universe, then it was with him that day.

He pulled her hands to his chest, and leaned down and forwards.  Smoothly she followed his gesture, and gently he pressed his forehead against hers, feeling the hard frame of her glasses brush down from his brow ridge.  They were together now, and it was right for them.

<I love you, Amanda.>

"Halleluiah to you too… my little cuddle-bone."

Everyone bellowed with laughter.




_________________________





At Loss for Body Bags

~~Setting: Sparx's Shack~~

<Yah know Trent, you never actually told me but, how many peoples' yah killed?>

Michael, or Trent as was his nickname, carefully ran the edge of the newly honed blade of his machete against the tips of his fingers, testing its refined sharpness.  His faded reflection gleamed against the soft polished metal.  He felt a slight sting, and lowering the blade he noticed small trickles of crimson running down from his fingertips.

*Good, just how I like It.* he thought.  Taking a nearby rag off the counter, he first wiped the blade clean of even the most diminutive drop of blood along its edge.  When he was satisfied he placed the rag over his fingers, wrapping it along the tip to stop the leakage.

<Ugh, Mike?> Sparx's voice interrupted the silence.  Trent heard him, but didn't bother to even acknowledge him with a nod; he just continued to run the blade against his padded palm. He usually did that whenever he was bored, toy with his blades, and he was doing it quite often lately.

Feeling a slightly unnerving tug in his gut from watching what Trent was doing, Sparx tried to reach him again.  <Michael, are yah brains still in there?> he lightly knocked his knuckles against Trent's cranium, spontaneously waking him out of his trance.

<Oh?> his head snapped up, his attention now focused towards his friend.  <Sorry, I got lost in thought.  Now, what's the question?>

<As I was saying: how many poor bastards did yah end up mauling?> he smiled, anticipating some kind of big story or something along that line. <Common, there's no harm in telling, right?  Just tell me!>

Trent drew his brow ridges together in deep thought.  He was never fond of recounting the lives he'd taken, even though he knew his motives were just.  But, perhaps he could at the very least spare sharing it with his friend.  

<Well lets see: I've killed Nigerian fanatics, weapons dealers, hit-squads, drunken maniacs, screwed-up junkies, violent scavengers trying to rob my dead body… oh and a few poleepkwa too- even two pit fighters at one point; wasn't competing though, they were just looking for a fight.  Once killed an MNU too, was lucky I didn't get caught; he was alone, high, and shooting Poleepkwa children in his stupor, so I tore him apart.  Someone else got blamed for it though; heard he was shot.  I've killed many other kinds of people, but overall I can't really say.  Lost count around sixty, but I'm pretty sure I'm getting close to a hundred, if I haven't already.>

Sparx was gawping, his smile gone; wide eyed and speechless.   It was a lot of words to swallow.  <Um… and yah didn't get… caught for that MNU?>

<No, really?  Does it look like I did to you?>

Sparx shifted in his toes.  <No wait, I mean… they didn't suspect that it was you?>

<Nope; if they did they would have shot me down in my own home anyway.>

There was a brief silence.  <For crying out loud, did yah pay for all the body bags at least?>

Trent grinned, amused with his friends undying humoristic nature.  <Nope.>

<Well…good for you then?> Sparx cleared his throat, <But you'd never… kill me or anything, right?>

<Maybe….> Trent was having too much fun stepping all over Sparx's nerves.  Ever since he made a friend of Sparx, Trent felt much more invigorated, more uplifted than he had been in a long while.  And part of that was how much he enjoyed playing around with their occasional small talk.   <…only if you make me angry, of course.>

<Trent, I think you're half the reason people around here sleep with guns under their pillows, not excluding myself mind you!>

Trent tilted his head back, drew a finger across his outstretched throat and made gurgling sounds.  It was just too good for him to resist.

<Oh yeah, that's just what I needed tonight; wonderful.  Now, if yah don't mind, I'll just sleep over there… far away from yah… okay?> Sparx fidgeted with his fingers.

<Yep.> Smiling in his own self-contempt, Trent reoccupied himself with skimming his machete across his palm.

Relieved that this conversation was over, Sparx hastily walked over to his bunk.

And he didn't bring the subject back up again for a very long time.




_________________________





Kiss

~~Setting: Amanda's apartment~~

<You're beautiful, you know that, right?>

Amanda shifted herself closer to Michael's bulky form on her couch, leaning closer into his gentle arms.  The fabric of his hoody was like a bulky thin cushion, his body's warmth irradiating through it.  Given the chilly winter breeze outside made it all the more desirable.

Michael's left hand fondled her jet-black hair while the other wrapped itself snuggly around her belly.  "Oh, you're just saying that, as usual," she teased. "In your case, I bet beautiful, and sexy, is all about claws and tentacles."   

<Oh-ho!  Is that really so?> He raised a brow ridge, lightly poking her midsection.  <You wanna bet on that, my lovely?>

"Only if you insist, big-daddy," lashing a devious grin his way, she slipped out of under his arm and climbed on top of his lap, sitting on her knees with her legs spread out and enclosing on his legs.  

She wrapped her arms around his broad neck and brought her face close to his.  He simply remained still as she made her advance.  Rather than a affectionate head butt, however, she chose to do something different this time.  Closing her eyes she planted her lips against his forehead, inhaling the scent of his warm, bony carapace as her tender kiss tasted of his scarred and hardened skin.  She slid her lips down towards the plated ridge between his eyes, her tongue silently trailing her path.  She continued her explorations down to his tendrils, tasting of the soft, moist composition until she reached a tip, and gently suckled on it.  After a few moments, she reluctantly parted with it.  

"So how was that for yah, big-daddy?" she purred, her breath seductive and passionate; she could feel his powerful form quiver ever so slightly under her.

<Um… well,> Michael struggled to say something intelligent.  <How did I taste?>

She guffawed at his blunt response.  "I'll take that as a good sign, then."  She licked across the outline of her lips.  "As for your question; it was… interesting, I'll give you that much."

<Really?  Well… that's good, then..>  Hesitant of what else to say, he shifted himself in his seat, careful not to tip over his lovely.  It was so strange, yet oddly alluring, to feel her lips envelope his tendrils, and feeling her tongue explore the taste of him.  She once said that humans did that; smash their mouths against each other.  It was a gesture that signified one's love for the other.  It was so alien to him, and yet… he found himself wanting it again.  <Could you… do that to me again… that thing you just did?>

"You mean a kiss?" she asked.  She realized that he didn't know what a kiss was supposed to be.  Mentally she kicked herself.  How could he know what a kiss was; he wasn't human after all.  She paused, thinking over what she wanted to do next.  She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable or anything like that, but he seemed not to mind it at all.  He even wanted her to do it more, so was there really any harm to oblige?

She smiled, her hands tenderly caressing the sides of his skull.  "I guess it's still new to you, huh?"  He silently nodded.  "Then I'm more than happy to share it with you, my dear."  When she leaned in towards him again, this time he mimicked her, brushing his tendrils over her lips before allowing her mouth, and her tongue, to commence their explorations.

He found kissing to be especially delicious that day, and since then he made a habit to kiss his lovely to his heart's satisfaction.