An SOS to the world [Vix]

[Avu]

It didn’t take long for Tekivisk to follow her sister into sleep – whatever adrenaline that swimming and playing had brought drained from her system rapidly. It was probably very fortunate she hadn’t been on her feet at the time, or the resulting crash would’ve been quite painful. As it was, the small green uttered a low content sigh, wiggled a little closer to Konstask, and her eyes slipped closed. Within minutes, Tekivisk’s breath was coming in little whistles, unconsciously leaning into every touch Kostya offered.

Sleepy mindmates were sleepy.

Rook Vix had trained himself to ignore, but combined with Tekivisk…he swallowed a yawn, blinking in irritation. Couldn’t work if he was about to fall asleep, pfft. He glanced up at Kostya’s approach, and then gestured sideways at his trunk, hitching his leg into a position that was a little more comfortable. “My trunk? There’s a bag of like – tools and stuff, in there.” They were made to be used on metal; screws and nails and such, given that was Vix’s preference, but he was sure there was something he could use on a broken bed as well.

“’S locked,” he added, remembering. Vix didn’t really expect Darmori to steal anything (and his hair wasn’t pretty enough to merit attention, fortunately; he didn’t want to wake up bald), but he’d made the locking system in Candidacy and it had just stuck. “There’s a hidden panel on the side that slides up, the key’s in there, the key-hole’s behind a panel on the other side.” The design had been happily stolen from the little box found in the Archives – Vix and that other boy, Dinag, the one that’d Impressed the face-eater.

Music. It didn’t earn any recognition from Vix, past that initial glance, but Rook fluttered that much closer to consciousness. The dark blue Salamandyr’s tail flicked at the tip, a tiny tongue curling in a drowsy yawn. ’s pretty…musicmaker… One eye flicked open, slow and groggy. Rook froze at the sight of Mirage, though. The music box itself was familiar to him – it belonged to VixHis, after all – but there was a white Salamanadyr, whaaat.

But it was Rook, and of course Rook had to make nice. As long as that didn’t involve movement. Or opening his other eye. Sleepy blue. Musicmaker pretty hi?

[rii]

Hidden panel?

Kostya's head tilted inquisitively before he moved over to the trunk. His fingers walked along the side of the trunk. Each soft thunk of finger against the wood audible to his ears until he found the small hollow sounding spot that housed the key. He slid the panel aside, taking a moment to examine the mechanism before taking the key and moving to the other side. "That's handy," he commented little more than just to himself.

After a moment of careful rummaging Kostya procured the desired pack and brought it back over to Vix. Opening it and setting it within easy reach of Vix's hands. The trunk left open because eventually the little pack would have to go back inside. "Ever seen an illusionist's show?"

At one time Marsayis had a good number of objects like the hidden key and lock combo on the trunk. He had helped make a few of them, mastered the smaller props for the sole purpose of talking people into making bets if they could guess the outcome. Swindling people out of money, that had been his job. Marsayis was the one responsible for charming and dazzling a crowd.

The metallic notes twinkled to a slow end as Mirage halted her efforts in response to the waking Rook. She folded her frill demurely against her neck, shyly flicking her wings in silent greeting before tucking them along her slender frame. Clear enough Mirage was making the distinction of Rook being male, and she was very female. She nudged the metal handle with her snout before looking back to the idling blue. Maybe she could talk him into — nah, just looking at his slumped round self, Mirage discarded the idea and went back to work trying to work the music box handle.

[Avu]

Vix started picking at the splinters of wood that stuck out of the bed leg while he waited for Kostya – that would make it one person that actually knew how to get into his trunk. He was sure Dinag would know, too, but Dinag was never going to get near his trunk. And Darmori would just never know, please and thanks, because Darmori was great and all but his trunk was locked for a reason. The wherling’s breath huffed out indignantly as a particularly annoying splinter jabbed into the pad of his thumb, shifting his grasp to tug it off carefully. The break was pretty neat, fortunately…not too many splinters.

He muttered a half-coherent thanks to Kostya as the bag was deposited near him, worming one hand in while he rubbed his other thumb across the nub of wood. “Um,” Vix replied absently to the question, as he pulled out a pocketknife from the bag and flicked it open to scrape the off what little splinters remained. “I don’t…think so?” A blink, and then Vix actually looked up at Kostya, head tilting curiously. “I always heard they weren’t worth it,” he admitted with a shrug.

Which wasn’t exactly the truth, but close, since he had heard they weren’t worth it, but he also had, in general, very little desire to see it – Vix knew it’d only make him itch to take apart whatever they used in their show. And he wouldn’t be able to, so why bother?

“Are you?” The question was almost an afterthought, Vix dropping the pocketknife onto the floor next to the bag and poking around in it for something else. “An illusionist, I mean…” The comment was emphasized by a vague wave of his hand, which brought a thin metal plate with holes in it for nails along for the ride. Vix fitted it against the bed, rubbing his thumb idly across the part that protruded past the bed’s thin leg. It wasn’t even close to being a good, permanent fit, but at least it might keep his bed upright until he could get the proper things to really fix it with…

Pretty!

Rook liked females. He just did, and Mirage was no exception, white or not. The blue’s other eye opened entirely, the Salamandyr stretching like a feline. He remained flat on his belly, though, his tail twitching happily at the tip. Need help, musicmaker? he offered, generously – and of course it was generous! It would require moving, wouldn’t it! And while he was still sleepy, too.

[rii]

Head tilting the opposite way of Vix's inquisitive gesture, Kostya's lips parted to respond but was cut short by the late addition from the younger wherling. Curious – it had to mark the first time (that Kostya took notice) of Vix expressing any sort of interest in a topic; feigned or genuine as it may be. This subject even pertaining to himself. Kostya humored himself with counting it among his small victories. Now one of these times he was bound and determined to make the guy smile..

A light smile flitted across his lips at the near whimsical wave of hand. "My friend," Replied simply as Kostya watched Vix's hand work over the busted leg. "The guy I came here with, Marsayis, he is. I helped get the crowds and coin, he did the.. " Here he mimicked Vix's gesture, his twirling more smoothly to demonstrate the showmanship quality of a simple wave of hand. "Traveled abroad. We made some of the props, and I watched the wood and leather crafters make others for us. Your trunk reminds me of it all."

Nostalgic? Just a bit. Those had been good times. Kostya's mind stirred around the past even as he silently shifted to help hold the leg of the bed when it came time to drive the nails into wood. He still was of the opinion of simply taking Damori's bed – or stealing one from the empty rooms. Kicking Konstask and Tekivisk off the good bed was going to be a bit of a task (or not, the green made it known with a sharp thump of her tail she cared not for all the racket being made).

"Wouldn't have minded giving you a thing or two – if everything hadn't been lost in the wreck." He added in the following silence, closely chasing it with a half covered yawn.

Oh? Mirage turned her attention back to the curiously hued blue, privately savoring the title of music maker (if only because it was a lie, she could make no such muisc on her own). What a gallant mandyr, the white thought wickedly to herself while moving to perch on top of the music box. Her acceptance of his kind offer came as images of Rook pushing and pulling the handle with the strength of a bull herdbeast.

[Avu]

Marsayis was the one in their class who had Impressed the…

As if Vix knew. Tekivisk was the one who cared enough to remember, mostly Vix just figured his memory would be refreshed the next time he saw whoever of whatever color wher. His method usually worked, except in conversations (which were, fortunately, few and far between, clearly Kostya had missed the memo) like this. Vix opted to dismiss the specific people as unimportant, though, glancing up at Kostya. He’d made things like that…?

He muttered another thanks at the additional support offered to the leg of the bed, shifting to press his own knee against the bottom of it before he poked around for a nail and hammer, using his thumb to hold the metal piece in place, first and middle finger propping up the nail. “Could you,” he asked, speaking in between the taps of the hammer, careful so he wouldn’t splinter the wood further, “um – remember how to,” he ignored how the metallic taps of the hammer all but drowned out the music box, “make them…?”

Interested? Very. There were only so many things he could find that people would let him take to pieces without flailing over it, short of moving on to furniture (which he kind of already had; see his trunk and the bed) but furniture wasn’t quite the same. “I could help,” he added, awkwardly, as he brushed his finger roughly across the head of the nail to make sure it was in all the way, gaze flicking up to Kostya. “Getting – I don’t know, wood or whatever, supplies…?”

Images were new, but Rook still managed to puff out his chest proudly at the image in question. Yes, he was soooo strong! The Salamandyr rolled onto his feet, yawned widely, and then trundled over to the music box, nosing curiously at the handle. Push this? The blue didn’t wait for a reply, though; he reared up, ignoring the crack of spine, and pressed his forepaws lightly against the flat handle. It didn’t move, so Rook pushed harder – until one tiny metallic note came out with a bright ting sound. The blue’s tail flicked with interest, and he pushed again, rewarded by one, two more notes.

He could be a musicmaker tooo!

[rii]

Kostya glanced past Vix toward Mirage, the little white politely sending her annoyance to him. Kostask was equally displeased. Little spoiled princesses, his mindmates. The taps of the hammer were hardly a disturbance, but leave it to them to find complaint in something. The irritation of the two combine was hard to ignore, and silently Kostya wished they would go back to fighting between each other. He didn't want to be annoyed at Vix, not when the guy was finally showing interesting.

Albeit in inanimate objects, but still.

"I remember a bit.. I'll draw out some sketches and talk with Sayis about it." Couldn't be that hard to remember the mechanics of the items. Building them might be a feat, but perhaps Vix's intuition would help fill in those gaps. If anything, it certainly was a viable excuse to come visit the other wherling, wasn't it. "I'll get back to you when I think I have something that will work.."

Mirage fluttered her frill, the closest action she could expressing her pleasure at Rook's eagerness to aid in the task. His questions earned remembered images of Vix's thumb pushing the handle around and around. Rook's success would have been more enjoyable if not for the periodic harsh tap of hammer against nail and wood. Her tail flicked, sending a near acidic look toward the humans before returning happily to the blue. Very good, very good. Mirage hopped down from her perch, sidling up next to Rook to help push at the handle.

Once the leg was secure, Kostya drifted back, rising up to his full height as he skeptically eyed the mended bed. Probably would only hold up to one person. Shame, shame. With a half-smile of mischief he gestured to Damori's bed. "I still say you should switch the beds." Let goldilocks get a nasty surprise when that bronze of his leaped onto it. As if following that advice, Kostya stepped over to the occupied bed and gently began trying to coax Konstask off.

"For now I'll leave you to your devices," This was spoken with another small yawn stretching out the last words. "And one less wher if I can manage it. Konna pleaaaaase~?" He was tugging lightly at her head knob, which earned rebellion from green. He feet dug stubbornly into Damori's furs.

[Avu]

Rook tuned out the hammering. It was a talent of his, acquired over the months of trying to ignore His while he poked at bits of wood and metal because Rook did not see what was so fascinating about those things. You couldn’t even eat them. Instead, he focused on making the musicmaker happy, pushing the handle until it was flat and he was nearly sprawled on top of it, and then actually letting his weight pull it down the rest of the way, earning a few notes in rapid succession. He murmured a low burbling croon at Mirage’s approach, shifting sideways to give the white more access to the little handle.

Leave, must you? he asked, and fortunately mind-speech didn’t take away his breath, because Rook was already suitably breathless from trying to make the music come out as fast as he could. Chubby Salamandyr was chubby. Should stay.

Vix managed not to look too pleased at the thought of Kostya’s return. Faranth forbid the other male think it was because of his company. Nooo…he just wanted to see the props and whatever else Kostya could remember to build, was all. He nodded. No objections here. His gaze didn’t linger long on Kostya, though, dropping instead back to the bed leg as he set aside the hammer and tested the metal-plated leg again carefully. He’d almost definitely go back and refine it later, but for right now, he just wanted a bed that wasn’t going to collapse on him in the middle of the…day, as it were.

He snorted slightly at Kostya’s words, though he did eye Darmori’s bed speculatively for a moment before he dismissed the idea as cruel. Vix might not adore his roommate’s company or anything, but upsetting him deliberately was still a bit much. He did look up as Kostya went on, though, before he nodded, “Sure…yeah, that’d be nice. Although Konstask’s welcome to stay if she wants, I don’t care…” And Darmori would just have to deal if he came back to a pile of green wher on his bed. “Mirage, too,” he added, as Rook poked him mentally.

Her pillowwww was moooooving.

Tekivisk mumbled in protest, a sleepy chrrkkk sound, and, eyes still closed firmly, the green wiggled even closer to Konstask, attempting to coil her entire body around her sister. Of course, lacking the flexibility to do just that, she settled for curling her tail around Konstask’s back leg near the ankle and rubbing her head against the other green’s spine. Staaay, pillow.

[rii]

Sorrow as deep as the sea, Mirage supplied, hopping away after another turn of the handle. her long, thin tail curled through the air above her sitting posture – an image of a regal feline if there ever was one. Her wings, thin as a dragonfly's and lines with the color of ichor filled veins, spread out from her sides as she clicked her tongue at Rook. In the next moment she had twirled aside, seeming to slip over the edge of the table to glide – but in truth disappear to the cold of between before secretly appearing on Kostya's far shoulder. She slipped down his collar. Let the blue wonder what had become of her, let her be nothing more than a mirage..

Kostya chuckled, turning back to look at Vix. One hand still lingered around Konstask's head knob. "Won't switch beds with him, but leaving him a pile of green wher is alright. A lesser of two evils?" He let the knob slip through his fingers, allowing Konstask to cozy back up to her sister. "But, if you say so.."

He gave her a last stroke, fingers trailing over to Tekivisk, before moved off to the door. He pivoted, as if to say something.. but thought better of it. Instead lifting his fingers in a half-hearted wave as he disappeared into the hallway.

[Shorter ender ^^,]