Not ready to be found

Clifford Maxwell McLeod 23 Vagrant Rune seasons

[memories]

One iced latte with low-fat #lovemercifully milk, please.

[vagrantfirn-blog]

strength: what’s something you’ve done on impulse?

Impulse was a thing familiar to the young man. Honestly, it could had became his middle name. He never was able to push himself to do things until he felt like he had the strength to strike out the world on his own, like the one time he left his mother and sister behind after a heated argument. Cliff has many mixed feelings about that situation, but the predominant thing that always had stuck to him was the fact he felt freedom for the first time. That he was able to breathe, and live and let live for that moment. How the endorphins in his body were kicking in, breathing as he lay in the snow. The flakes dancing and greeting his skin. That was a moment he never wanted to regret. Even if in the end it had it’s consequences. 

[vagrantfirn-blog]

moon: do you have any recurrent dreams?

“…. Several, actually.” Some places he’ll only be able to relive again were in his dreams, of the few times the vagrant had something of a family. His mother smiling, his sister, not filled of anger and resentment towards him. A homecooked dinner. Some of his dreams, he thinks of the snow- how it gracefully falls down and blankets itself to the ground. Beautiful, really. And other dreams…were more like nightmares he wouldn’t want to think about. Other than he believes he deserves the worst.

[vagrantfirn-blog]

Hermit

hermit: what are you like when you’re alone?“Plenty of things really. Although most…you may find it as boring.” Whenever Cliff was his lonesome and on his own, usually he was in a mixture of tranquility, at peace, and anguish. Often on some nights, under a blanket of darkness and no moon to be found- Cliff would be lamenting into his deepest thoughts and past regrets. The what should had beens, the what could have beens- and more. Whenever the moon appears, or nature graces the vagabond with marvelous sights- Sometimes he finds solace, peace. And see just how beautiful life is to experience the little things.

[vagrantfirn-blog]

hierophant: do you value tradition?

“Yeah.”What a short response, seriously. Cliff adored the idea of having dinner with a family, having someone to wish him good morning and good night. Those may sound like simple, trivial things…but they meant the world to this vagabond.And maybe, if he was lucky. One day he could have a family of his own again and try to do just that.

[vagrantfirn-blog]

tower: what do you most want to change about yourself?

“….”Everything.Maybe that reply was a bit too honest. Except he couldn’t utter the words out loud. Cliff was never quite happy about how things were about himself. How he was always too shy, how he was always too scared- afraid of so many things. How he can’t ever seem to speak up loud enough for people to pay heed to his words. How he has nothing to his name, no redeeming features or qualities– anything. Everything.If it all could start all over, he would do everything he could to become a better man- a better person- a better…me.

[vagrantfirn-blog]

Passed Activity Check! 850 RP Points Earned! RP Balance - 850

[vagrantfirn-blog]

Shelter | Elli & Cliff

@nevertoomuchcake

Flowerbud. A place of beginnings and a place of endings. Okay perhaps that was a melancholic take on it- as the town itself reminded the vagrant of an old familiarity of before. Of a home where someone could just greet the stranger and be happy to see him. Of a warm bed, of hopes and dreams and-- Hell- it even smelt like home. And so, Cliff followed the scent.  Which lead him towards the outside of a bakery, of which he stared out the window. Of course of course, it would had been impossible for it to be his mother, or even his sister- as the two were long gone from his life. But...the homely feeling made the man have a hitch in his breath. And perhaps he was a bit hungry too, as his stomach chimed along.  I can’t afford that. Actually, he had been staring outside this bakery off and on for weeks- never letting himself in as he liked the idea of chasing something with no concise conclusion. If he walked in, would he even be able to purchase something? If he walked in, would the people in there shut him out? Honestly, the vagrant didn’t want to cause no trouble by being in the way but.... It was nice to just indulge for a moment, of freshly cooked bread.... ....How long has it been? Unfortunately for him, there was a voice that spoke out loud at him. Cliff couldn’t help but flinch at that. 

[illumxnadi-blog]

Wanderlust || Nadi & Cliff

@vagrantfirn;

Wandering on and on, without end.

That was his life. Even if he occasionally found a place to settle in for a time, sooner or later, Nadi would find himself traveling again. Always moving from place to place, never settling in any one area, or setting down any roots. And most of the time? He was fine with that. It wasn’t as if he particularly had anything against settling down and living a more grounded life, but he was just used to traveling.

Ever since he was young, he was a wanderer in both body and soul. He didn’t really know how to settle.

And even now that he had a reason to, with this lengthy contract he was working in Oak Tree Town, the wanderlust still called to him. That was why he kept taking so many other jobs, why he often ventured out of the village when he could… if he wasn’t sleeping, then staying still for too long got him restless. He needed to be moving, working— doing something other than sitting around.

That was why he found himself out on the nature trail on the outskirts of Oak Tree, the one populated with all the crop fields and farm land. There were plenty of wild creatures that liked to scurry about here too, and Nadi often found himself feeding or playing with them.

But instead of a wayward rabbit or local farmer, he finds himself coming across a man instead, sound asleep under the shade of a tree. Blinking, the gardener begins to ponder over whether or not he should wake him up, but before he can come to a decision, a wild rabbit (ah, there it was) hops into the man’s lap and causes him to stir.

[vagrantfirn-blog]

There was no place like home.

Well, for Cliff- he really didn’t have one to begin with. Which, was fine- he supposed. Perhaps it was meant to be that way, how it’s gotta be. But sometimes in-betwixt and in-between his travels and transverses- this vagrant sometimes has a distant memory of a place once called home. The only time he could ever get that familiar feeling of warmth was in his dreams.  In some instances, the dreams would be of him laying in a bed of snow- making snow angels as the vagabond had the first taste of freedom-- in others- such as this dream-- Cliff recollects his own mother and sister. He would be lying if he didn’t say he missed them, because despite the vast world and sights the vagrant would see on his journeys- there were somethings you can’t ever come back to. Just only in his dreams.

“Huh?” His eyes snapped open as something appeared to land on his lap. “Oh....How cute.” He mutters under his breath, quite used to the company of animals over humans. They were much easier to understand, unlike his own kind.

His arms gently reached out towards the bunny, and held it up in the air as if it were a cat. “You have quite the lovely coat, Mister bun buns.” A nickname, he once had for a stuffed rabbit as a child. Of course, Cliff shouldn’t assume the gender of the bunny to be male or female, but it was just nice to give it a name. Cliff was caught up in this rabbits company until he noticed something looming over by him. Oh no. Well, this is going to be embarrassing.

“Oh!....Uhm!....” Shoot! If I knew someone was nearby to begin with, I should had think before I speak! “....Is this bunny yours?” Was the most he could manage. “S-sorry.”

[lovemercifully-blog]

Wanderlost || Cliff & Alisa

@vagrantfirn

It wasn’t unusual for Alisa to walk along the unbeaten path. She enjoyed being in the middle of the woods, surrounded by nature. Feeling the dirt and moss on her bare feet always helped her feel closer to the Goddess of the Harvest, presider over all life. 

However, despite she may enjoy her jaunts into the wilderness she had the horrible knack of getting herself lost. She’d heard rumors about a goddess spring in the woods and she wanted to see it herself and give an offering. But she’d lost the path and now she could have sworn she’d seen that tree three times now. 

“Oh, Goddess, please hear my prayer,” Alisa said to herself as fear was starting to set in, “Please help me find my way out of the forest.” But as the minutes passed she worried her plea had fallen on deaf ears. She kept walking, trying desperately to find the way she came, but unsure if she was any worse or better off than before. 

Tears started to fall down her cheeks as she finally sat down on a boulder for rest. She knew she should have taken someone with her. A guide or something. But, of course, she always had something to prove to herself…

Then she heard the snap of twig nearby. Her head whipped towards the sound as she called out, “Is somebody there?”

[vagrantfirn-blog]

It was fairly easy to become one with nature. 

To live and to forget, to get lost and caught up with the wind. No matter how many times Cliff would try to be forgotten-- there was something always magnetizing and pulling him back. Back to what? --The vagrant would always ask himself, but never truly finding the answers he seek. Maybe they weren’t supposed to be answered just yet, perhaps it’s all about the journey of finding it along the way. He walks up among a hill, one that’s path wasn’t all too familiar- but it was always easy finding a way out if you just knew where to look. The sun generally helps, the moss directs you -- and even animals and smoke are simple to find. The vagrant stops in his tracks as he hears soft whimpers in the distance. ...Was a child lost? ...An animal injured? For a moment he paused if it was in his place to investigate, and let things live and let be and get somebody else-- C r u n c h. Well, so much for being discreet- he already made himself known, so might as well push forward and get on with it. Especially, since he heard them speak.They must had been frightened, either of him or becoming lost in nature itself. Cliff did the best he could to manage on keeping a calm composure...considering...well- that was the right thing to do, right?

“....”  Say something, damn it! Of course, naturally the vagrant finds himself tense that it’s a girl- A very cute girl nonetheless-- donned in clerical robes and-- okay. Okay. Cliff knew he could at least manage to try to talk to someone of her stature. What if she knew Carter? Cliff would feel rude if he did anything to offend her or leave her out in the wilderness to get eaten by a bear or something. That’d be awful. He lets out a breath and tries to speak again. “.....Yes.”  Gosh you sound so stupid, Cliff. “Do you need....help or...s-something?”

[vagrantfirn-blog]

Lost Woods || Vivi & Cliff

[vagrantfirn-blog]

vivifyingwitch:

It was a hot, summer night. So hot that she decided to take a quick dip in the nearby stream. The water around her house was swampy and gross. It was completely unsuitable to bathe in. And nobody really came out this way, so it was pretty much private. It was basically her personal water stream.

She took her time, enjoying the cool water. Her clothes and a towel hung up on a tree branch. Summer was the best time of year, she decided. The fireflies were aesthetically pleasing, and the heat allowed her to wear her normal attire more comfortably than winter would. She could do without constant the cicadas screaming, but found it still added to the attraction of summer. She turned around, wishing to admire the scenery more.

Then she saw him. A person, a raggedy looking person, at this time of night? And now he’s seen her while she was wet, and naked? A sudden wave of anger and embarrassment washed over her. Her face flushed with red and she covered herself with her hands. She narrowed her eyes, glaring straight into his soul.

“Hey! What are you doing–” Amidst her yelling, he just… falls over? What the heck? Was he trying to be one of those animals that play dead, or was he actually dead? The latter could spell trouble for her if someone came looking for him. Somehow, she doubted humans, or whoever this person was, could just die like that.

She huffed and puffed as she waded through the water to get her towel. She wrapped the soft towel around herself, making sure she was adequately covered before continuing on with her plan. Witch grabbed a nearby stick and made her way to his body. She took a moment to regard his form with disdain. She’s never seen someone fall over like this, at least not recently. She started poking his body with the stick, favoring no peculiar place. Each poke was harder, stronger than the last.

“Explain yourself! I know you’re alive!” She actually wasn’t sure, but she figured she could just dump his body in the water if he was dead for real.

Laying on the ground and tasting the dirt, Cliff had his hands clasped in a prayer position. He wasn’t really into religion- despite his upbringing-- it was more of the fact he was in a dire position and felt like the only thing he could manage to do to save himself from a woman’s wrath was to pray. Not like that was going to work.

Because suddenly- the woman began to poke and prod his arms and back. Cliff bites down his teeth and grimaces. Maybe...just maybe if he played it cool and kept up with the facade she’ll surely stop. Or throw him into the river to drown. That sounded about nice--  “Yeoch!” Shit- he didn’t wanted to let out a sound but the woman then surpassed his pain tolerance as she thwacked the stick over his head. That gotta hurt. The vagrant squirmed to his side, not daring to make any eye contact and began to profusely apologize. “I’m s-sorry! I didn’t mean to!! I w-was just walking around and--!!! “ How pathetic, now he was covering his face with his two hands, whimpering. At the beck and call of a random woman who liked to take evening baths in the nude out in the open. Who the heck does that? Oh. He does too, sometimes. Whenever the hobo remembers to bathe.

[vagrantfirn-blog]

Carter: You go big or you go home. And you don't seem like the kind of guy who goes home.

Cliff: I'm not. I don't even really have a home.

[provocaturr-deactivated20181031]

inkwell | cliff & ivan

@vagrantfirn​

Ivan had spent his rural youth dreaming of urban skyscrapers—so he wondered what it meant that, now he was in the City, he preferred to begin his day by strolling through the park.

That wasn’t to say it was an idyllic green; during his walks, Ivan had encountered his fair share of littering delinquents and lounging drunks. So, when it became apparent that there was a person draped across the nearest bench, he naturally assumed they belonged to the latter category.

If it hadn’t been for the clouds gathering above, Ivan would have continued on his way. As it stood, his conscience wouldn’t allow the sleeping fellow to be rudely awakened by rain later—so after reaching the bench, he knelt beside it.

That’s when he felt something that wasn’t the grass. It was, upon closer inspection, a book. Leather. Ivan lifted it at the same time he reached out to gently shake the dozing man’s shoulder.

Such was the image Cliff would wake to: Ivan crouching next to him, a look of concern etched over the tutor’s face with the journal open on his knee. If there was a connection between Cliff and the diary, Ivan hadn’t made it. After all, from the chicken-scratch writing to the sound-out spellings, this journal couldn’t possibly belong to a grown man. Had a child dropped it?

[vagrantfirn-blog]

Cliff was able to sleep just about anywhere and everywhere.  It wasn’t so hard for the vagrant to find a place for himself to take a moment to catch a quick snooze- as this perfectly well crafted iron bench should suffice.  And so, that’s where he laid himself to rest at- barely recalling idle dreams of would bes, the could had beens, the what ifs- and so on.  A home.  Heh. That was something of a pipe dream to the vagabond, there was no way he could ever have that again. And yet, somehow there was a sense of warmth pressed upon his shoulder. ....Mom? No, it couldn’t be- Cliff’s eyes slowly flickered as he made sense of his surroundings. A tall, handsome man with gems for eyes. Huh. Well dressed and dapper too. Nothing like this street rat.

“Oh... um.” Crap. What words can he say in this situation? “I uh...must had dozed off. Sorry.” Why was he apologizing? Anyone can sleep anywhere right? Or not- he wasn’t ready to get another ticket for trespassing or something like that. Then his eyes took note of-- 

“Excuse me- uh...um...that book is mine. ....Could I have it back?” He then added, quietly under his breath. Hoping that if there were any gods out there the stranger didn’t read it.  Didn’t want anyone to be making fun of his poor upbringing and lack of education. “...Please?” 

[vagrantfirn-blog]

Lost Woods || Vivi & Cliff

@vivifyingwitch How long has he been walking? Cliff couldn’t remember the last time where he left off. Everything and anything has become a blur to the vagabond in his travels. Well, sometimes. And this was one of them. It was night fall, and the only fragments of light the young man was able to be guided by were the glow of the moon flowers and fireflies. Perhaps he should take a moment to relax, but the vagrant felt like he could stop when he’s dead.

Moving onward, Cliff finds a stream of water and begins to follow it. Surely, it would lead to something useful, wouldn’t it? Humans always have the need for fresh water and fish and-- Oh no. O h  N o. His face turned into a crimson shade, and his eyes were widened and bewildered of the sight of--the shape of-- Oh Goddess!! It’s a--  The vagrant was about to pass out.

Shoot. She made eye contact. And now, she’s going to think he’s a pervert or something! Quickly, he closes his eyes and thinks maybe the best idea is to play dead-- so Cliff falls over onto the cold hard ground. This could be trouble. He was at a loss for words.

[adrasteiax]

Rainy days are my favourite thing about summer. The air feels so clean and the smell of the earth makes me feel so alive.

[vagrantfirn-blog]

Jack: Hey Cliff, how much money do you have?

Cliff:

Jack: Cliff?

Cliff: I have none so I said nothing.

[vagrantfirn-blog]

Kai: We've been roommates for years but I don't think we've ever talked about our emotions. So, do you guys want to talk about them? Gray?

Gray: No.

Cliff: I do.

Kai: I know, Cliff.

Cliff: I’m sad.

Kai: I know, Cliff.