Alis Volat Propriis

Ramón | 24 | resident rich kid I suppose at one time in my life I might have had any number of stories, but now there is no other. This is the only story I will ever be able to tell.

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

catsmistris:

What exactly did this man want from him? His attitude was already becoming tedious for Cat, who frowned upon being asked the question. Was he really intent on hanging around here, interrogating him over a little quip? Cat really didn’t want to continue on with whatever this was or wasn’t going to be, but now, he had been smart to Ramón instead of just a simple polite ‘No, sorry’ and dug himself in. 

Scoffing, Cat couldn’t help but roll his eyes. This was the company Coraline preferred to Other Mother? “You have now.” he said bitterly, the lightness in his words disappearing just as fast. While Cat seldom got directly mad at someone, finding energy being upset was better spent elsewhere, the hardness that found itself in his face now was a good sign that he had been thoroughly annoyed. Taking his backpack, he stood up now to Ram’s level. “Clearly, you have nothing better to do than stand here and beg for reparations for whatever I’ve done to that ego of yours, but I think my time is better spent elsewhere.”

Stunned was a slap to the cheek. This was much, much more. All he’d done was ask if the other had seen his lost pet– his companion. Was that at all deserving of this kind of treatment? Belittled, undermined, and thoroughly ripped into, Ramón took another step back, his gaze lowered in defeat. He hadn’t done anything. Not only that, but Ramón liked to think that, had anybody turned to him for help, he would have at least been kind and gentle in denying any knowledge on the matter. Not dismissive, or obnoxious, as this asshole was turning out to be. 

Pride egged him on, encouraging him to lash out. Ramón knew it wasn’t worth it. This person, whoever they were, seemed to have already painted an unfair image in their head, and Ramón, quite frankly, hadn’t the time nor the energy to attempt to alter it. He didn’t think it worth the effort, when it would be put to better use finding Goose. 

Raising his hands as though in surrender, Ramón pursed his lips, eyebrows arching as though to say, well, fuck you too. He turned, and walked away.

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

curiovser:

As far as mysteries went, it was hardly the most complicated Alice had ever heard, not so much a ball of knotted string as it was a single one - which had momentarily moved out of sight. A cat, unique as they come, went missing. A distressed owner who would do whatever it took to track them down. She supposed it was the sort of puzzle supposedly endemic of a small town. Far from the normal pace of Hermosa. But there was always room to sharpen your skills.

“Trust me, if there was a cat in Tiana’s kitchen, we would know about it.” That had been her first job after rolling into town, eighteen years old with no skills to her name. Tiana had taken pity on her. She had regretted it not long after, when Alice spent more time interrogating the customers than serving them - and poking her nose in where it didn’t belong. “I think the earthquake freaked us all out. Natural disasters are called that for a reason.”

But no one had died. Or really been hurt. Funny that way.

“Okay, well - we know that Goose needs to eat. I would try dumpster diving first. Free resource of food.” Behind Tiana’s wasn’t a bad place to check first. Studying her company curiously, Alice decided to probe. “So I guess he means a lot to you, huh?”

Panic sparked like a flame in his widening eyes. He looked over at Alice, brows shooting up to reach for his hairline. “As in,” Ramón began, having to clear his throat before he continued, “like that scene in Ratatouille? Y’know, the whole... Take the vermin to the canal and kill it?” A more logical, less dramatic part of Ramón’s brain (one that was, admittedly, infinitesimally smaller than the rest of him) nudged him, encouraging him to believe the obvious: Tiana wouldn’t do that. The wildfire spread of his imagination had gotten the better of him, though, and he gulped. Audibly. “Yeah, no.” He shook his head, “Goose isn’t there, then. He’s a lazy fuck but he isn’t dumb enough to put himself in any danger.” I hope.

Having grown into the upturned nose and silver spoon life, Ramón had been about to outright refuse Alice’s suggestion. A quick moment of backtracking toward that teeny tiny logical side of him, however, urged him to, for once, shut his mouth. He did, merely nodding and setting off in the direction of the restaurant. 

“Oh, yes.” The fondest of smiles melted onto his lips, and Ramón felt a kind of fuzzy, cosy warmth pool in his belly. He hugged the posters to his chest, as though Goose would leap out from the photographs any second and cuddle right into him. “I found him in the hedge maze out back, he had a sprained ankle and he was super hungry, so I snuck him into the house and... Well, yeah. Here we are now.” He turned to Alice, “Do you have any pets?”

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

catsmistris:

It was mostly unintentional, although Cat simply couldn’t muster up the validating sadness that this boy man apparently wanted. Pets went missing all the time, and while Cat felt bad for him on that front, he wondered if he bothered to ask whatever help he had in that sprawling mansion of his to watch over it from time to time. He helped many pets, and his conscience was clear there, too. That, and, he simply didn’t know him. They were strangers, really, and who was he to concern himself with a Goose when there was snake sitting in the apartment next to his? 

Confusion graced Cat’s face in the form of a frown, head tilting curiously towards Ram to look at him once more and judge his expression as he tried to run through his own words again. Cat blinked a few times at him, but then once he’d made up his mind on his response, relaxed into the chair. A hand moved to rummage through his bag, looking for something to busy themselves as he then spoke. “I could say much more shitty things than that.” After a moment, he looked back up to him and added, “But…I did say unfortunately.” His words were still light on his tongue, even if Ram didn’t see it that way. Honestly, he wasn’t even the best person to find his pet – that would be the local girl gang. In fact, that’s exactly who he was planning on giving the flyer to anyway. If luck was in Ram’s favor, maybe it would be a slow night for Buttercup and her sisters.

Ram knew the world owed him nothing; its people, even less. Yet, he couldn’t help but believe that there wasn’t any wrong in hoping for some kindness from others. In that moment, he felt none from the other, and couldn’t help the tightening in his jaw as he tried to ignore the burning humiliation darkening his cheeks. He felt almost like a child, left to play alone in a playground, rejected by a clique of kids. Only, this clique was composed of one, and he was, apparently, a huge asshole. 

While others may have brushed it off, carried on with their day, Ramón simply couldn’t deal with the notion that there were people in Hermosa who thought ill of him.  “Have I done something to you?” he finally asked, choosing to be direct about the matter. 

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

ofbloodyknvckles:

 although not vocal about it, buttercup couldn’t be happier that the carnival was over. the comfort it brought her to resume her routine was beyond what any ride or carnival snack could provide. she’d still see the flashing lights and mirror reflections staring back at dancing on the back of her eyelids when she closed her eyes, still feel the wobbling ground under her feet as though she were still in a cart. but she was well aware that the only way to completely rid herself of the carnival remainders was to force herself back into her work and chores. 

now, left arm around a paper bag, buttercup had managed to avoid as much human interaction as possible as she carried herself through moonlight plaza. she’d already bought enough groceries to refill her refrigerator, and was now looking to replace a handful of shirts her washer had ruined. 

the last person she was expected to run into was ramón. not that he’d left her with a bitter aftertaste or anything like that. she didn’t know why, exactly, it seemed so unlikely for her to run into him now. still, she did.

turning around, nothing in her managing to show how surprised she felt after being approached by him, she glanced at the paper as her eyebrows became knotted. something in her felt utterly sorry for him (she’d never had any pets, but she guessed the pain one must feel when losing a close friend was not easy to handle.) 

    “ your… cat? ” she asked. certainly, the picture on the paper showed no geese. what was it with people referring to other living organisms by ‘goose’? “ when was the last time you saw… goose? ” buttercup asked after shaking her head. 

He ought to have recognised the cropped hair spiking from her head, but, in his panic, Ramón supposed that he had been focusing more on getting help, rather than who he’d be getting it from. His eyes widened at the sight of Buttercup’s familiar features. For a moment, they were incongruous to the attitude he’d expected from her, upturned in shock. Then, they settled back into the familiar scowl. Inexplicably, the sight brought Ramón a nugget of comfort, which he nestled deep in his chest. He was thankful, firstly, that she didn’t laugh at Goose’s name. Plenty of passersby had dismissed his panic for a dumb prank; Ramón, desperate and hurt, had yelled after them, cursing their apathy and causing a scene. Not that he cared. They’d hurt him first, anyhow. Their insensitivity was enough to warrant a little payback. Luckily for the both of them, Buttercup was more kind in her response. Ram could brush away the sting from others’ dismissal; she would avoid any embarrassment that may chase after her, along with his petulant insults. 

Instead, Ramón let his shoulders slump. He felt his lungs deflate in a heavy sigh of relief, a kind of summer evening warmth enveloping him like a comforting embrace. He supposed that such a feeling was what one felt almost constantly, when surrounded by loved ones. He wondered, for a moment, just how many took the sensation for granted. How he had taken it for granted, once upon a time.  “I, uh...” Ramón rubbed the back of his head, feeling the rough scrape of tangled hair bristle against his soft palm. “I don’t know,” he finally admitted, a slight wail to his voice. He threw his head back, groaning miserably. “He just... I got home after the... Y’know, the earthquake. I thought he was just somewhere at home, but... When I looked- and, like, that took hours, y’know -he was gone. Fuck.”

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

curiovser:

The joy Alice took in the art of choice outweighed her mistrust of places like this, all squeaky clean and uniform. Every shop entrance was like the one before, even down to the people inside of them. Clones of one and other. A few even reminded Alice of the family she had left behind, across the pond, gilded and greedy. It was one of the best places to people watch in Hermosa - and the odd pop up shop or two made the rest of the cliches worth it.

 Meandering through the center, pretzel in hand, Alice would have been perfectly happy to remain in a state of complacency, simply seizing pleasure from the small everyday acts of brilliance. But then, a boy had to break through the wall of mediocrity, flyers in hand, desperation etched across his face. Taking the poster with a welcoming smile, Alice’s excitement jumped up a notch. Even mysteries of the smallest kind were worth investigating. And who knew? Maybe missing cats were part of the puzzle. “Nope.” She replied, shaking her head and handing back the poster. “But I’m willing to offer my services as amateur detective.”

Dismay clung to Ramón’s features, only to leap up into a thankful smile when Alice offered her aid. He nodded, eager. “Please.” Leaving a small handful of flyers on the side, Ramón began walking, gesturing for Alice to follow as he handed out the posters to anybody who would take them, every now and then interrupting himself with a quick ‘thanks’. 

He described Goose in great detail, from the superficial quirks that were evident in the posters to the feline’s behaviour. He noted that Goose was lazy; a little overweight, and thus would avoid doing anything too strenuous. He wouldn’t climb a tree less there was a tasty treat awaiting him. Despite his size, too, Goose always managed to sneak into the oddest places.  “I was going to go to Tiana’s after this, just in case he’s gotten into the kitchens or something. I just... I guess the earthquake freaked him out.”

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

catsmistris:

It was undoubtedly ironic that a person with the name “Cat” was one of the best people in the city at finding lost animals. It came with the territory; exploring day and night and knowing which places the strays tended to gather made it easy for him to run into lost animals or him to find them within mere hours sometimes. If he was bored enough, and if the Other Mother seemed preoccupied with something not so sinister (even wicked souls still had to shower and do laundry), he would go out and find one. He was not always lucky enough to find them, or some perished in their adventures (curiousity did kill the cat, after all), but it was something to do.

Today, though, was his day at Moonlight Plaza. Funny name for a place that wasn’t open at midnight, but that was an argument for another day. It had been a challenge to memorize with shops opening and closing, the layout difficult and expansive, but after 5 months he had done it. Now, situated on his usual bench near one of the escalators, looking as if we was waiting for someone while really typing notes about his surroundings into his phone every now and again, he felt the tap hit.

Looking up, he squinted only for a moment, brows furrowing before taking the flyer and looking down at it. Eyes flicking back up to look at the man, he recognized him. No surprise there, but the name of his cat sure was. “Ramón, is it?” he said after a moment, the edge of his lip curling only slightly, “Unfortunately, I haven’t but…I would advise a more fitting name for the next one. Perhaps Kitty?” he shrugged, folding the flyer and gently pushing it into a backpack next to him, ready for the man to scamper off to the next pedestrian. 

A small, bright red alarm bell dinged in his head as soon as the other turned to face him. When recognition graced the person’s features, Ramón felt gelid dread turn his blue blood ice-cold. It was the way the other’s brow furrowed, his expression locking into a revulsed composure, that suddenly made Ramón feel inferior. His palms grew clammy, and, in his belly, his stomach played an eager jumprope that seemed only intent on exacerbating the nausea building at the back of his throat. Then followed the stab of hurt. For a split-second, Ram had even thought it to simply be another wave of pain coming from his arm, but it had surged up from the base of his spine, straightening it like a taught, tense rope. Ready to snap. 

Not even Meg, with her lashing words that very rarely cut through his thick skin, managed to make Ramón feel as small as Cat had. He didn’t even notice the small step back he took, wedging a safer distance between his body and Cat’s.  “That...” He trailed off, helpless. What could he say, to gain empathy, when he’d so clearly been deemed undeserving of it? Ramón’s own expression recoiled into a sour sneer, hurt feelings churning and turning bitter as they soaked onto his tongue, making his lips purse, as if trying to contain the venom. “That’s real shitty of you to say,” he finally mumbled. A child, scolded. Retorting for the sake of feeling just a pinch bigger than he was.

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

time: 14:23 location: Moonlight Plaza status: open

It was undoubtedly because of the unbearable fuss that he’d kicked up that morning, but, nevertheless, the police station had agreed to put up a MISSING PET flyer on their public bulletin board. Ram had left the station feeling a pinch more hopeful; unbeknownst to him was the fact that it would soon be covered by other, more important cases and announcements. Despite the remaining dull throbbing in his left arm, Ramón had whooshed his way through Hermosa, pedalling at a punishing pace to get to key places as quickly as possible. He’d littered streetlights around Windsor, store windows in the town centre and poor, poor tree trunks in Little River Park with posters. 

Now, he wandered through the Moonlight Plaza, bothering idle eyes with the sorry sight of his panic as he went up to person after person, offering them a sheet of printed paper. 

He tapped on someone’s shoulder. “Hey, have you seen my Goose?” Consequently, Goose was his cat. Thankfully, the photo on the poster cleared that little detail up. 

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

princeoladele:

Breaking through the last of the crowd was relieving. Miles brushed his shoulders off, he could finally see the food stalls and led Ram in that direction. If given the time Miles would go on and on about how cool it was to figure out your birth chart and what not. He settled for helping him figure out what his sun sign was. “Well if you were born on or before the 22nd then you definitely are on team Leo. Any August birthday after that is a Virgo. Which is still cool, Beyonce is a Virgo.” He explained. 

He smiled at Ram’s follow up question. “Leo is the lion one.” He answered smugly. He shoved his hands into his pockets as they kept walking, scanning the area every couple of moments to see if Timon or Pumbaa were anywhere to be found. “For me, astrology is just a cute way to remind myself that not everything is in my control. A lot of people think it’s cheesy…but it works for me.” He explained. “What totally dorky stuff are you into then? Everyone has a guilty pleasure.”

The smell of deep-fried grease meandered lazily through the air. It clung to clothes, hair and skin, creating a dewy effect that had Ramón’s nose wrinkling. He only indulged in the deep-fried Mars Bars that were being snorted down by the dozen when he was very, very high. Right now, he was not. Unfortunately. “Looks like I’m team Leo,” he said, eyeing a nearby kid as she merrily licked away the remainder of some melted chocolate from her fingers. He gave her a wide berth, wanting to avoid falling victim to becoming a human serviette. His focus returned to Miles, “Are two Leos as much of a powerhouse as a Leo and an Aries are?” 

“Lion, cool. I do know that lions need, like, eighteen hours to recharge before they go out on the prowl. Which is, like, a mood.” Ramón, in fact, did not know if that was true or not. He’d heard the information from the most recent Ikea advert; part of him suspected that he was spewing bullshit. Still, it was a wobbly fact he could get behind, if it meant he was allowed to lounge about, given his common ground with the creature. That didn’t mean that he would laze around anyway, though. 

Then came the question of control. A flutter of anxiety tickled the pit of Ram’s stomach. He sucked in a deep breath through his teeth, eyebrows raised as high as his shoulders, as the latter darted up in an awkward shrug. “It’s not cheesy, just...” His brows reached toward each other, face a frown. “Why wouldn’t you want to have control?” As soon as he’d posed the question, Ramón thought it a silly one. It was easy, after all, to hand the reigns over to whatever influence you wanted. Drinks, drugs, the cosmos... Everybody had a co-pilot. 

“Oh, no. No, no.” With a chuckle, Ram shook his head. “You’re not getting my dorky secrets out of me that easily, no matter how cute you look in that one-piece.”

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

witchycoraline:

Coraline held onto Ram like a lifeline. Annoying as he could be, his was the only face in this town she could stand to laugh around, the only voice she could bear to smile upon hearing (so long as he didn’t see). She couldn’t imagine being trapped in such a shattering situation with anyone else.

She felt his tears before she heard them, and she heard them before she understood them. Sure, maybe it was shock, adrenaline, the quick spike and fall of fear, but it would be fine. They would be fine. The earth was quieting, and picking up again every few minutes. But, Coraline felt that the worst of it had passed. She opened her mouth to say something, to ask, but she closed it before she could. She knew the names of those ghosts in his head, but she didn’t know their faces. She didn’t know what it was they told him in those times where he would retreat back to them.

“Me?” Coraline said, finally. No doubt she was bleeding in a spot or seven, but those were nothing - shallow enough that she hadn’t even noticed their arrival. “Look at your arm,” she said, looking anywhere but. All around them lay the tatters of this godforsaken carnival. She supposed it was some sort of cosmic irony that this whole twisted attempt to honor a more than likely dead man should go to such shit for the rest of them. Though, the more she looked around, the whole thing seemed not too different from the aftermath of any carnival after all its patrons had made their way back up the hill to home.

“Get up,” she said when the rumbling hushed down to a bearable level once more. She slung his arm over her shoulders, and felt his weight lean against hers. She pulled the two of them up to their feet, and scanned the scene for a damn exit.

“Shouldn’t there be an ambulance here by now?” she said. “Or, you know, twelve?” She pulled her jacket’s sleeve tighter around Ram’s arm, and hobbled them toward the tent where a small crowd was gathered. Surely, they could do something.

The ground moved beneath them until Ramón realised that it was them who were moving over it. He stumbled over a pool of glass, sneakers slipping over the smooth cut-outs until he found his purchase back on the dirty and grass. He almost expected to see cracks shuddering through the earth; big boulders rumbling up to tower unevenly over their heads. Instead, everything looked normal. Barring the superficial mess. It was as though some gargantuan invisible hand had swept down from the clouds and smacked the carnival aside. Ram consoled himself with a short-lived glare up at the twinkling stars. 

“Has someone called?” he asked, in response to Coraline’s questions. Sure enough, the shrill, shaky pitch of a panicking voice jammed into his ears, its owner holding their phone up to their ear, screeching down the line for the emergency services. Ramón couldn’t handle it. He just wanted to go home. 

Despite Coraline’s hold on him, he shuddered to a stop, carefully pulling his arm from beneath the coarse material of her jacket. He winced when it nudged at the glass embedded into his skin. “I need...” Ramón frowned, trailing off. His mind was a muddle and he couldn’t quite pinpoint what his body was asking him to do. Too many demands were being called out from within. “My bike,” he finally finished. “I need to find my bike.”

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

m-hadley:

Prizes, hanging like ragdolls, begging to be saved ( to be won ). Markus always thought these games to be fascinating – for most of these winnings could’ve been bought for cheap. Instead, they were bargaining everything on skill set and luck, the ultimate gamble. Humans were so foolish, so predictable. His eyes watched Ramón preparing for the play, knowing one swing could’ve afforded ultimate pleasure or despair. 

One chance, only one. The pressure seemingly oddly abundant. 

Would they win or lose? Perhaps the Creator already knew. 

“Trash and treasure, treasure and trash,” Markus repeated, gesturing to the prizes that stared at them. “It’s all materialistic, and yet we want it.” 

When the question of greed had been tossed back at him, the bartender couldn’t help but smile. “Of course. We’re all seven sins dancing together. I see them everywhere, in everyone. Don’t you?” 

Ramón was confused by Markus’ choice of words. Something about the way his tongue seemed to recoil in on itself as he murmured ‘materialistic’ made Ramón’s stomach sink. He wondered if it was a guilt, poking vaguely at his insides, prodding at them in search of his silver spoon.  “I think,” Ram began, as if he was posing an excuse, “that it’s more about... More about what it means to us. The trash– treasure! The treasure. Like, if you’re on a date, and you win one of these for your–” Cue a pause, awkward. Ram cleared his throat, sidestepping the lump rising in it. “–uh... y’know, your girl, your... companion, then they’re going to remember the moment, thanks to the prize. It’s more of a symbol, right?”

He was glad for Markus’ smile. It eased the knot in his stomach, giving it a swift and easy pull so that it fell loose, and Ram could breathe again. His heart was still fluttering nervously in his chest, but hopefully, even if he had picked up on it, Markus wouldn’t point out just how uncomfortable Ram had become as he’d bumbled over the date-talk. 

The chance to avoid Markus’ gaze was taken, and Ramón turned to the crowds, watching families, friends, lonesome folks and couples meandering through the stalls. Some seem tired; others, bored. Among most, however, the stinking scent of sweaty, pungent greed wafter from their beady stares and hungry smiles, invading Ram’s nose.  “Huh,” he said, the baseball in his hand long forgotten. “I guess you’re right.”

[bitchycode]

weed is cool but have you ever had someone care about you? me neither, pass da blunt

[indiemusicrocks]

Visit Original Link

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

ofbloodyknvckles:

The young woman let out a sigh, crossing her arms right afterwards. before she could attempt to graze the other with any more witty remarks, she looked over his shoulder to get a glimpse of the girl managing the stand. her gaze was fixed on the two, eager to see who’d strike next. so be it.

   her frustration wasn’t wholly due to him and his stubborness, even when this ‘victory’ felt like no victory at all.  she didn’t know him, or the accident that had sadly claimed the lives of his parents. perhaps she’d heard of it, once upon a time, read the headlines from the newspaper the professor had held in front of him over breakfast that one morning. no, she didn’t really read the news nowadays. most of it was noise anyway. now, still oblivious to how big of a pain in his ass she must’ve been right then and there, she was willing to try anything to keep as many people as possible sober… including him, he stranger unlucky enough to be stuck with a third of the girl gang.

   she looked around, having forgotten what she’d even been waiting in line for in the first place. behind them stood a handful of upset faces, to which she didn’t refrain from rolling her eyes at. “ gee, how anticlimatic, ” she chuckled dryly. “ excuse us – ” she let out at the girl before motioning at him. “ let’s be real, the beer’s gonna be piss-warm by the time you get it… if she’s even kind enough to sell you a pint. ” her grin widened, acquiring a faint genuinity as it did so. “ let me kick your ass at one of the games and i’ll leave you alone. take it as an opportunity to shut me up. are you in, or are you going to keep trying to get your hands on that disgusting watered-down thing and fail ? ”

Though his head remained hanging, Ramón’s eyes darted up, intrigued. Through the dull, muddy shade that had clouded over his once glinting gaze, a spark of excitement managed to flash. Like the first twinkle of starlight catching light in the nighttime sky. Hurt as he was, he could lick his wounds another time. Ram rarely could resist a game. The chance of victory. Cocky Achilles, smiting enemies on the battlefield. Exuberant Icarus, soaring high into the sky. Heroes of tragedies; Ramón had seen his fair share of misery. 

A breath worthy of a hurricane blew from pouting lips, puffing his cheeks out and making Ram look even more babylike than he usually did. His shoulders slumped back into their languid, casual hold, spine curved, snake-like, to thrust one hip out. An arrogant prince with his crown tilted in merrymaking.  “Alright, if you insist,” he consented, the sigh on which his words floated making it seem as though he was being disgustingly generous in granting Buttercup his time. Later on, Ramón would perhaps regret his behaviour. Then again, a cornered animal, no matter how small, always lashed out one way or another. 

He nodded for Buttercup to follow with a tiny jerk of his head, rapping his knuckles in goodbye on the food stand’s counter. A collective murmur of relief traversed the queue, as it regained its pace, and shuffled forwards once again. Ramón felt a slight twinge of something- guilt, perhaps? Or just humiliation -prod at his chest. He brushed it aside as he swiftly glided through the spaces between bodies, drifting towards the games.  “Choose your weapon, then.”

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

stolencrowns:

If Kingsley had known that the other is wary of wearing his heart on his sleeve, he would’ve chosen his words more wisely. Hauled in all the teasing. But he doesn’t know – neither of them knew the personal, intimate details to each other. Yet, silently agreed that such was best left in the dark… among other things. So he allows a crooked smile to grace his features, and bumps him affectionately, laughing. Harmless. “I was just messing with you. But thank you, for the, ah..”  With his arm propped up on Ram’s shoulder, he leans in, head canted to meet his gaze better and an almost lascivious smile to match. “Compliment, let’s call it.” Less Harmless.

He retreats as Ramón does, a casual and much needed ‘Anyway –’. Though followed by a frown and a counter tap to his friend’s ankles, upon his feet being kicked at. A stark contrast from how they were behaving just seconds ago ( take your pick: which version do you prefer? ). One could call it naivety or positivity, when describing the ease of Ramón’s suggestion. 

But either way, Kingsley appreciated it. Liked that about him. There was never any overthinking, or no we can’t. Everything was always a possibility with him, even if the chances of failing are high, as with this situation. “You mean, just wonder around places like Zenith, hoping Maurice is just lost?” he inquires, a grin at the edges as if it’s amusing. Yet – “Let’s. Two extra hands are better than none, right?” 

You’ve got to grow up, Ramón.

How many mouths had formed those very words, leaving them echoing in a thousand different voices inside his head? Yet Ram grinned boyishly in the face of adversity, and remained rooted, stubbornly, to his childish traits. Even now, for example, in return for Kingsley’s salacious taunting, he stuck his tongue out at him. Far be it from him to further prod the beast, lest he awaken it and leave them both running away. Not just from their feelings, but from each other, as well. Regardless of how close he wanted to be with Kingsley, he didn’t want to scare him off, either. It even scared him, how he felt his heart flutter whenever that charming, dazzling smile neared his own, more impish one.  So he resorted to reversion, and taunted like a kid. “A generous compliment,” he shot back with a grin. His heart be damned. At least with it breaking he could still feel Kingsley’s warm weight on top of his. 

A gruff grunt rumbled deep in his chest as he stumbled to the side, his shoulder colliding with that of a passersby. Ramón quickly patted the man on the arm, flashing him a kind smile and a sugar-sweet apology that even he couldn’t deny was disgustingly false. It seemed to work on the man, though, and he continued on his merry way, candy floss in hand. Ramón rolled his eyes at Kingsley, shoving him gently for having caused such an inconvenience. Even with a petty counterattack, he couldn’t find it in himself to be too rough. 

“Sure, I mean... Zenith sounds kinda boring, but it’s not like he’d’ve gotten lost anywhere else, right?” He shrugged, “we can take my old camping gear.”

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

m-hadley:

The more they chatted, the more Ramón seemed to change. Caught within some kind of metamorphosis, his eyes not reflecting the words coming out of his mouth. Markus had learned to recognize the signs of it rather well – it was something that convinced people to order more drinks, wanting to confess their inner turmoils. Wanting to let them go. 

And how easily did loose lips spill sacred secrets… .  because all anyone needed was a slight push in the right direction. Without liquor, Markus didn’t really have any vices that could help unlock the truth. However, part of him also didn’t care for it – most people told him things because they knew that no one would believe him. Others offered something in return, bribes. 

What would Ramón have to offer the madman?

“What kind of treasure?” he inquired, their path leading them towards the carnival games. Towards the belly of the beast. 

“Are you greedy?” one sin out of the deadly seven. 

Stuffed bananas with uneven googly eyes watched them from where they hung, limp and lifeless, the artifice of their sewn on smiles doing little to convince people of their supposed liveliness. Bulging bears of every colour were stuffed from one pair of hands to another, prizes handed to sticky-fingered children who would forget about their new companions as soon as a better, shinier one came along. Ramón was already eyeing a large hare, slightly threadbare at the toes, as he approached the stall to which it belonged. Its whiskers had been what had called out to him. They were lopsided, and frayed. Something about the way it smiled stubbornly through its weary age had tugged at Ramón’s heartstrings. 

He dropped a few dollars into the clerk’s waiting hand, and began to assemble the balls he was handed. The towers of cups a few feet away were sitting, pretty and proper, daring him to knock them down.  “Someone else’s trash, by the looks of it,” Ramón answered, nodding his chin at the hare as he took his time, narrowed eyes assessing how much damage he could do in one swing. Markus’ question, however, had him stalling. 

The arm he’d had slowly marking the path on which he would throw his weapon froze, and lowered slowly, as Ram cocked his head at the other, brows furrowed. A sinking feeling yanked at his heart, raking it down into his worn sneakers. Would Markus judge him poorly, were he to admit the truth? Ramón didn’t know what to say.  “Are you?”

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

princeoladele:

He was familiar enough with a copping out to know that there was more to Ram’s response. He’d be a hypocrite to pry. In fact, knowing that everyone had baggage made Miles feel better about being so cryptic all the time. There was something cathartic about talking to someone and having mutual respect for those kind of boundries. 

In the awkward silence they manuevered through the tumultuous crowd, clearly the next song playing was a popular one. He had to focus in on Ramón’s voice to hear his proper introduction. “I’m Miles, technically one syllable so no cute nickname.” He responded, louder than before, and gave the boy a firm handshake. He couldn’t help it, it was the first lesson of every confidence course his biological father enrolled him in. A firm handshake makes for a firm fist impression. As they traversed the sweaty bodies of the dancers he looked to Ram again. “I think I like Ram the best. It sounds cool.” He told him, “Are you an Aries? It would be so fitting.” He couldn’t help but pester the boy. Miles wasn’t neccesarily religious, he made his peace with the creator when his dad was taken away, but he was pretty spiritual. Astrology was just a part of that. 

“I’m a Leo and those two signs are supposed to be super powerful together. Like Sharkboy and Lavagirl status.”

Elbows thrust and jabbed. Hair whipped viciously. Feet stomped to the rhythm of the song, and Ramón dodged and ducked as best as he could, frowning when somebody collided with him, as the person in question tried to start a mosh pit. He shoved them away and shook Miles’ hand. “Shit, that sucks,” he said, sucking in a hiss of air through his teeth, pensive. “I’ll come up with something. Promise.” He sealed it with a wink and a grin. Their hands parted and Ram couldn’t help but flex his, pressing his other thumb into his achy palm as he acknowledged Miles’ incongruous strength. He hadn’t looked particularly muscular, but his grip had been a cold shock. Ramón wondered what other surprises Miles was hiding behind that lazy, winsome grin of his. 

The air grew thankfully cooler the closer the pair got to the edge of the crowd. Ramón could feel others’ body heat beading on his own skin, making his cheeks flush and darken as he shouldered his way through. He glanced back at Miles, eyebrows raised. “I actually don’t know anything about astrology.” It was an odd admittance, at least to Ram, given his mother’s passion for astronomy. He could point out every single constellation in the blink of an eye, as second nature as it was to ride a bike; when it came to their influence on people’s lives, he was sinking in uncharted waters. “I was born in August, though, if that helps. Is Leo the lion one?”

[ofkingsandshadows-blog]

megaracallas:

“It’s okay to admit you’re three five year olds stacked on top of each other hiding in a trench coat.” Meg nodded, laughing at her own joke and from the thought. Really, she didn’t care what he was and wasn’t afraid of. But something as tame as a carnival roller coaster? Come on, now. “Half the thrill is wondering if you’re gonna fall off. Think of the physics.” She snorted, rolling her eyes at the thought. 

“I know that face.” She raised an eyebrow, gesturing towards one of the food trucks. “They have beer over there.” She knew his type. A lot of their interaction involved her shading him before going out for a drink, and she appreciated it for the most part. Ramon wasn’t interested in her backstory, he just was here to have a good time. Something she wanted to learn one day. 

“And you’ll never know if I am.” For obvious reasons, of course. “I’m stoic? I thought I was just constantly wearing my resting bitch face.” She deadpanned at his impersonation of her face, shrugging. “Okay, you got my look down pretty well.”

He shrugged. “Stoic... Resting bitch face. Potato, po-tah-to,” Ramón said with a shrug, right hand twisting to and fro as he compared the two. As tempting as it was to quickly dash and buy a beer, Ramón was somewhat dissuaded by the likelihood of it being lukewarm, at least. Not to mention that he didn’t want to give Meg yet another reason to read him. As thankful as Ramón was that Meg didn’t shy away from keeping him in check, pride was a little pet he loved to nurture– as were his grudges. The last thing that he wanted was to have one against Meg. 

“So... If it’s a no to shitty beer, and a no to shitty rides- hey now, they look pretty shitty, c’mon.” He gestured over toward a poorly erected children’s rollercoaster for the sake of his argument. “What are we going to do to commemorate Maurice?”