You can Call Me Kitten

21 | First Level Escort The purest and most thoughtful minds are those which love colour the most. John Ruskin

[joannalannister]

[meig-snow-blog]

Echoes || Elijah & Meig

[elijah-reids-blog]

Elijah wanted to put into words just how grateful he was that he had met Meig, and that she had shared this exquisite and special place with him. It meant a lot to have someone share their secret place. A few months ago, he would never had guessed that he would ever be in a situation like this. The truth was that he had lost hope a long time ago, and hope, for a man like Elijah, was everything. He used to lock himself up in his room and stay there for days on end, not sleeping, not eating. Just sitting at his beloved piano, never touching the keys, letting himself be swallowed in the hopeless feeling. It felt like his heart had been replaced by a black hole, and it was slowly pulling the rest of him into the darkness.

But then he met Meig, and she brought back hope into his life, with all her smiles and kind and wise words. It was strange that a stranger had had such an effect on him, but Elijah was glad for it. He didn’t want to think about what would have happened or what he would have done if he hadn’t met her. A chill ran up his spine as he realised that he most likely wouldn’t even be alive anymore if it weren’t for Meig.

Except Elijah knew that words had a way of deceiving you when you needed to get a message across clearly. And so he didn’t tell her about how much he adored her or about how glad he was that she was in his life, he just returned her smile. He would play his music for her. His music, not the music his so-called admirers wanted to hear. Then she would understand, he was sure of it.

[meig-snow-blog]

To tell someone like Meig she was a wonder or odd as some people preferred would bring a smile to her face. She would laugh it off if it were an insult, or laugh with joy as though it were a compliment. But she really was a very simple person, and she would not understand the impact she had on Elijah. It wasn’t as easy to explain as the way she felt towards most everyone. Meig just loved people and wanted to make them smile. She liked to think of herself as Elijah’s friend, and Elijah as her friend. Nothing more.

With a small embarrassed laugh, Meig looked around again, then back to Elijah. “So this is it. This is my place.”

[meig-snow-blog]

Echoes || Elijah & Meig

[elijah-reids-blog]

Elijah let himself be guided to the middle of the large room by Meig. He was surprisingly relaxed, usually he was only able to feel anything close to comfort when he was by himself, sitting behind his grand piano or in the garden. And even then he was still pestered by an anxious feeling, like a bony hand had its long, thin fingers wrapped around his heart and threatened to dig its sharp nails into the soft, pulsating flesh. He noticed a change in Meig’s demeanor as well, and once again at marvelled the beautiful young woman. She really was exquisite.

Being a musician, Elijah’s ears were keen ones, and where Meig envisioned colours, he heard music. Once he had closed his eyes and allowed himself to let go of all thoughts, he was rewarded with the most serene experience. Though before he had thought them to be practically alone, he could now hear people outside, their footsteps echoing low staccato notes. A young child’s laughter, like bells jingling in the background. And then the melody, the wind blowing through the trees, making the leaves rustle gently… A violin’s even tone guiding the pianist, whose fingers hardly touched the keys, yet their music was impossible to miss.

Time passed, minutes or hours, perhaps even days, Elijah wasn’t keeping track. His mind had been transported to an empty room, not unlike the one he was standing in now, yet this room had every instrument he could wish for, and he found himself able to play them all at once, writing and performing music with his mental orchestra. When he opened his eyes again, a smile still on his face, he felt more at ease than he had done in a long time.

[meig-snow-blog]

As the colours swirled around her, Meig saw what she envisioned the ocean to be. There was no way to explain it, the lilac waves that wasn’t exactly water, stars in the sky, though it probably wasn’t night. It wasn’t really any time at all. The idea of it had never left her mind since it had come up, suddenly and unannounced, days ago, that the seas could not be blue. They didn’t sound blue at all. Blue was for moments like this, of peace and life and togetherness, with just a hint of sadness. The good kind.

Finally, she opened her eyes herself, but still didn’t move for a few minutes. She wanted to take in the room and the sounds once more, before she remembered – Elijah was here. Right. She had nearly forgotten him, as she had the rest of the world, but she was happy he was here. She turned just enough to look at him, but did her best to keep the stillness of her room.

She didn’t know if he was ready to talk yet. She didn’t even know if he liked it, though she was sure he did, But before doing anything else, Meig smiled at him. She couldn’t quite explain what she was trying to get across in that expression. It wasn’t a smile of thanks, or of questioning, and it wasn’t one of love or friendship either. Just a smile. Nothing more.

[meig-snow-blog]

Echoes || Elijah & Meig

[elijah-reids-blog]

Elijah followed Meig to the building, growing more and more excited as they got nearer to their destination. He was curious. A hundred possibilities of what he would find behind those doors flitted through his mind, but none of them where anything like what he saw after squeezing through the door. 

It was a very large, empty room. It reminded him slightly of a place he had performed a few times, yet it was more serene. He loved it. A smile spread across his face slowly as he took in the beauty of the deserted room. “I love it,” he said quietly, knowing that in the silence of the room he needn’t raise his voice for Meig to hear his words. He was unsure of what to do, he wanted to stay standing there, but it seemed like an inadequate response, especially when Meig was so obviously excited. The truth was, Elijah wasn’t such an energetic person. His mother had once criticised him about it, saying that he seemed like twice her age. He had been fifteen at the time, and things hadn’t changed much.

“Thank you,” he said, turning to look at Meig, “For showing me this place. Honestly, it’s— it’s stunning.” He smiled genuinely and sighed. He almost felt like singing one of the songs he often sung under his breath when he was alone, walking in an empty street at night or sitting in his garden, watching the sun and the clouds above him while he thought about the people outside of the world he knew and what their lives were like. He kept quiet, though, not wanting to make Meig uncomfortable.

[meig-snow-blog]

Meig turned back to Elijah after completing her spin. She made her way over and pulled the door shut, and then gestured for him to follow her. "Stand over here with me, in the center." She took Elijah's hands again, leading him to the very center of the room where she had just been standing. Her demeanor was slowly changing in here. She was less childish - the girlish bounce in her step now a flowing glide. When she spoke, not only the volume, but the pitch had dropped as well. She had a low voice in here, more serene than normal, but also more content.

"Face that way," she directed, "stand evenly on both feet, and relax. And when you're ready, close your eyes." Meig turned so that her back was to Elijah, looking just slightly up so that she could see straight to one of the windows, and basked in the light before shutting her eyes.

This was where she listened to the world, where everything made sense to her. Her heartbeat echoed in her ears, a faint beating that made an off-white, almost blue colour, but gold at the exact same time. Breathing, hers a deep green just whispering, his more of a paled sand. And then, slowly, the world made its way in. She could hear people bustling about in a myriad of shades, a high-pitched voice ringing pink, a child's laughter bubbling yellow. The building groaned, settling itself once again, a familiar rusty colour. The wind blew through the rafters, silver and rose, and just a hint of sunflower seed grey. "Just listen."

[meig-snow-blog]

Echoes || Elijah & Meig

[elijah-reids-blog]

Elijah was not exactly fit, he hardly exercised and he had a peculiarly, almost worryingly frail body, so it took him longer than it should to catch his breath once they had slowed down. “I’ll take this secret to the grave,” Elijah said, panting slightly, with a subtle, yet sad smile. He was quite flattered to be shown something that was so special to someone that they hadn’t told anyone else about it, it was a new experience for him, and he couldn’t help but be excited. 

The walk to wherever Meig was taking him was a long one, but it was pleasant. It was quiet and Elijah was never one to object to empty spaces. He walked, a cigarette almost permanently between his fingers, as per usual. When Meig stopped and asked him whether he trusted her, he smiled. “Yes, of course,” he replied. And he did, he trusted her more than he had ever trusted anyone. Had it been anyone else telling him to go where she was taking him, he would have thought it shady, but the possibility of the destination not being as formidable as she said it was didn’t even cross his mind.

[meig-snow-blog]

Meig laughed. He was dramatic, wasn't he? Not that she minded at all. It was fun, charming, and made her smile. And that was one thing she thought highly of - if you could make someone smile, even someone as excitable as her.

"Okay, good. Because you're going to love it." She began walking again, a bit ahead of Elijah and turning to go backwards every now and then, debating about telling him ahead of time or not. She decided against it. But within a few minutes, she had taken him to a building - grey and brown and dingy on the outside, with a large pair of doors that wanted cleaning. "It's right in here." And with that, she pulled the door open just enough to squeeze inside. The act had made the ancient thing groan in protest, and from inside, the sound continued on, echoing off the walls.

But once inside, it was anything but a dirty old storehouse. Meig ran to the center of the great room and spun in a circle with a, "Here it is!" Her voice bounced off the walls, the windows, the ceiling nearly three stories up. It was nothing but a great, empty room. But clean. The floors were made of polished wood - well cared for and reflective. The brick walls were faded red, and the windows were covered in dirt and dust, but the light that shone in from all angles fell in rays and columns and shafts that gave the entire room an unearthly golden glow. 

And still, her voice rang clear, turning from an excited shout to, what Meig saw it as, music that slowly faded away, settling in the two metal staircases on either side and beneath the balconies that made up the second floor. It bounced off the ceiling, full of rafters and cobwebs and now music, and back to the wood floors. Meig had saved some things - a few locked chests pushed up against the far wall for seats, a barrel or two to hold the candles she had brought herself. And, in the very corner, a dusty old phonograph, wanting to be used.

She stood in the center of the room, her place away from the world that nobody knew - or at least, she hoped nobody knew - waiting for Elijah's response.

[meig-snow-blog]

Echoes || Elijah & Meig

[elijah-reids-blog]

Elijah had spent his entire life with only his only friends being his piano, his notebook and the tree in the garden of his home. He had gotten used to it, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t lonely and didn’t yearn the company of another human being. The past few years he could have easily found someone who would have wanted to spend the night with him, just by mentioning what his name is, but once people got to know them, they were always disappointed. And as much as Elijah tried, he always failed to find their stories interesting, the polite smile on his face was never once a real one and he had given up all hope of ever meeting someone whose company he would genuinely enjoy. He was just too different.

At least, that was until he met Meig Snow. She was different, he could write pages full of poetry or pieces of music just about her. It would have been strange for a person to be so affected by someone he had only just met, if it hadn’t been Elijah. But in Elijah’s case, Meig gave him back the slightest part of the hope he had lost years ago.

In any case, Elijah had decided that he wanted Meig to hear his music. Not the music he performed, but his music. The music he didn’t write for anyone else’s pleasure and only as a way of expressing his emotions. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to show her, but he did. And Meig had something to show him, as well. He was sure he would love it, whatever it was, just because it was hers.

He was ambling around the streets of the first level, as he often did when he didn’t have enough inspiration to be productive, when Meig suddenly rushed up to him, took his hand and told him to come with her. He couldn’t help but smile widely at her enthusiasm, it was infectious, and he let himself be pulled along by the young woman, to a mysterious and unknown destination.

[meig-snow-blog]

After only a few moments, Meig slowed, to a regular pace "You remember what I said the other day, right?" she asked, breathless. Her outfit was a bit too tight around the waist, but it was in her closet. Whatever she had, she wore, and that was that. "I was gonna show you this place I know about - and nobody else. So you've gotta keep it a secret."

Satisfied that he was going to follow her, Meig dropped Elijah's hands and continued to walk. It took almost an hour to get where she wanted to go from the center of the city, but it was quiet out there anyway. Slowly, the crowds died down, and the buildings became smaller, less imposing, more like storage units really. And factories that had yet to be converted into something beautiful.

She stopped at a cross street. "You trust me right? It's down this way and through an alleyway, and through a set of double doors." A cautious smile replaced her usual glowing grin. She knew this could seem bad. They weren't in the center of city, and almost no-one was about. But Meig's intentions were pure, as they always were.

[meig-snow-blog]

Echoes || Elijah & Meig

Every now and then, Meig would go off on her own for a while, and just sit. For a while, she had just sat around the first level, on a bench or next to a lake. And then one day, she had found it. The perfect spot for her to be alone, and find herself again. She hadn't told anyone about it. But at the same time, she had never met someone quite like Elijah. Like everyone else, she loved him. But it had become different. She didn't have to worry about pleasing him all the time, about being the perfect woman. And...well, she didn't know exactly. It just wasn't the same.

But that wasn't the point. The point was that, today, she was going to show him where she went to listen to the world. Meig made her way down the streets until she found him, and rushed over. "Elijah, come with me!" she nearly sang, taking his hands and leading him down another way with no further explanation.

[meig-snow-blog]

Miss Xander?

I'm sorry I'm back so late.

[meig-snow-blog]

I wonder what the ocean is like.

[elijah-reids-blog]

[chuckles] Oh, no, do I really? Sorry, what a cliche. Oh, I know it’s not [smiles], I’m just sure that we’ll find a way to get you a day or two off so you can go and see the ocean.

I think… it might be best for it to stay a surprise.

[meig-snow-blog]

No, not a cliche. I liked it. I think that's going to be the best day of my life.

I figured. [laughs] I'm excited.

[meig-snow-blog]

I wonder what the ocean is like.

[elijah-reids-blog]

Oh, don’t worry, dear, I’m not. We’ll find a way, someday, somehow.

Yes, I’d like that. And… I— I think I might have something to show you as well.

[meig-snow-blog]

You sound like hero in a story now. It's not a terrible thing, you know. I get to meet many wonderful people, and I live in a very nice home, too.

Really? Am I allowed to ask what it is?

[meig-snow-blog]

I wonder what the ocean is like.

[elijah-reids-blog]

Oh, I’m sure we could think of something. I’m Elijah Reid, after all…

[smiles] I look forward to seeing whatever it is.

[meig-snow-blog]

Don't be sad about it, please don't. It's my job, you know. I'm supposed to be hers.

I'm excited now. I think, maybe, can I show you sometime soon?

[meig-snow-blog]

I wonder what the ocean is like.

[elijah-reids-blog]

Who knows, perhaps you would be able to accompany me someday.

Oh, you’ve made me curious now. [smiles]

[meig-snow-blog]

You don't have to do that. Xander might get a bit upset if I'm gone for too long anyway.

It's not really anything that special. Nothing fancy at all, but I don't think you care about that. I've never shown it to anyone before, but I do think you'd like it.

[meig-snow-blog]

I wonder what the ocean is like.

[elijah-reids-blog]

Oh, you know… I don’t know whether the opportunity will present itself.

[meig-snow-blog]

Hm. Well if you do, I'd like to hear all about it. 

I return, I think I could show you some place really special to me.

[meig-snow-blog]

I wonder what the ocean is like.

[elijah-reids-blog]

I certainly hope so. It depends on… Oh, I don’t know, circumstances, you know.

[meig-snow-blog]

What do you mean?

[meig-snow-blog]

I wonder what the ocean is like.

[elijah-reids-blog]

[meig-snow-blog]

Do you think you're going to go see it again? The ocean. Not right now, I mean. But later.

[meig-snow-blog]

I wonder what the ocean is like.

[elijah-reids-blog]

It takes one to know one, they say.

[meig-snow-blog]

I--stop that.

[meig-snow-blog]

I wonder what the ocean is like.

[elijah-reids-blog]

Oh yes, I’m a completely hideous creature.

[meig-snow-blog]

It's strange how the most terrible of beasts seem to be the sweetest as well. Makes the world a warmer place.