1964-05-26 - Lazy Spring Days and Lazy Spring Dogs
Summary: Jay stumbles upon Kai and Kevin in a park on a lazy spring day. Conversation ensues, wherein both men make'grand' plans that surely won't cause anyone any trouble. Whether or not any of it happens is one thing, but the two seem to bond over the planning. And Kevin is adorably herp-derpy, as always.
Related: None
Theme Song: None
jay kai 


Kai sits on the ground in a park. It seems to be a common theme for him. Today, he's got his art bag beside him, and he's drawing on a sketchpad with a pencil. Kevin lays on his back in the grass nearby, doggy bliss on his face, tongue lolling. Aw yeah, it's good to be a dog. Kai looks up at the dog, then does some more shading on his drawing. The good thing about having a dog as lazy as Kevin is one never wants for a model.

*

The neighborhood is little more than a slum in some areas, but there are still some passable spots. Parks where children can play and on a lovely spring day like this, there's really no excuse NOT to be outside, enjoying it.

Jay walks past the park pretty regularly. Largely because it is en route between the 'community center' in the area and the grocery store where he happens to work. But he's not in his stupid uniform today, thank goodness, and instead is wearing his usual earthy-palet with a long-sleeved denim shirt covering up and holding down whatever he totes around on his back. Additionally, he has an old looking acoustic guitar slung over his back, bouncing softly on the bulge under his shirt, the neck strap taut across his chest while Jay allows a hand to dangle and 'guard' the neck from injury. Strolling across the park to cut the corner out, the soft clicking sound of his sandals hitting his heels with every step, there's a preoccupation about him, lost in thought with his gaze tilted downward slightly, ignoring the shrieks of a handful of kids playing tag around the play area set up to one side, Jay veers around them at a wide berth and heads towards the scattered planting of shady trees which guard the perimeter.

Kai's not an easy guy to not recognize. Nor is Kevin. It's only a slight course correct to head in that direction instead, a trademark light smile forming on Jay's lips.

*

Kai glances up, and he smiles that broad, brilliant, dimpled smile that shines bright in his eyes. "Jay!" he calls. Kevin wakes up, lifts his head, then flips onto his little legs so he can prance toward Jay, huffing and wuffing. Kai tucks his pencil behind his ear, leaving a grey smudge on his cheek from the graphite clinging to his fingers. "I was wondering if I might see you, if I hung out here long enough. I was just immortalizing Kevs here."

*

It's hard not to have some of that brilliance rub off on you, and the corners of Jay's smile do lift and curve a little more as he comes closer, still strolling at a nice casual saunter across the grass. Once he has a place in mind the flip-flops are lost with a little push of his toes about ten feet away from the blond artist, Jay finishing the stroll barefoot in the spring grass. He bends down in a swoop when Kevin whuffles his way close enough, catching the little animal by his chest and holding him waaaaaay up in the air. "Hey pups! Flyin' dog causin' trouble." Immediately flopping the squirming pile of pup into the crook of his other arm and ruffling pale fingers into his chest. "You bein' a model, Kev? You got the ego to match it? Huh? Huh?" Jay is such the dog person, even when the dog isn't much of one.

Drifting to a stop in front of Kai, Jay's attention finally leaves Kevin to drop onto the blond fellow. "Yeah, Ah get around. An' Bert's is just over there," he upnods his chin in a direction. "An' Ah work just down the way that way," another upnod to one side.

*

Kevin wags himself silly, his paws swimming the air. He barks with joy, then snuggles in against Jay's arm. He has no ego, no dignity. His tongue lolls out the side of his mouth and he grouses and growls with pleasure, his tail going a mile a minute. Kai snorts and shakes his head. "Kev, you're just giving it away." Kev don't care. When Kevin comes over to Kai to share the love, Kai ruffles his ears and squinches up his face so when he leans in for puppy kisses, Kevin doesn't get him in the mouth or eyes. Up the nostrils is awkward enough.

Kai sits back up as Kevin goes to nose at things on the ground between the two humanoids. There are things to be smelled that aren't going to smell themselves. Kai turns the sketch toward Jay. It's good. It's not quite photorealistic, but for a pencil sketch, it's about two centuries worth of practice good. "I'm going to hang it on the wall," he says. Is this a nice community? Do you like it? I like it."

*

"He's just pittyin' me," Jay smiles as he lets the useless animal bounce back toward his owner. Jay leans forward, bent at the waist, his hands slipping into his pockets as he peers at the sketch, the young man's brows loft upwards appreciatively. "Wow. You weren't kiddin when you said you were an artist, huh? This is really good, Kai. Kevin should pay big fer that one."

It's with a bonelessness that Jay folds into a sitting position on the grass, primary feathers bowing and splaying over the green grass and the hidden appendages tilting awkwardly a little forward to compensate. He pulls the guitar strap over his neck and sets the instrument down beside him, scooping a hand through his hair and out of his face while he looks around the park. The neighborhood. "It's sort of weird. People have this attitude of mindin' their own business an' fear most of the time. Every once in a while you'll get folks watchin' each other's backs, but," he sighs and drifts, a sad little look turned to Kai. "Could be better. It ain't bad, but it's basically a slum compared to lots of parts. Folks just haven't figured out how to stick together, dig. Lots of the mutants here got kicked here by their families too soon an' jus' been scrapin' by since. Could be /so much more/, y'know? Folks here are incredible." Tilting his head at Kai, Jay pulls apart pieces of grass. "What do you like about it?"

*

Kai even managed to catch Kev's somewhat rounded belly. He's been eating well, has Kevin. The blond grins when Jay declares him an artist. "He's the talent. We pretty much let him do what he wants." Kevin is off to the side marking a tree so other dogs know what's what around here. Deathhound is in the house.

Kai tilts his head and looks at Jay for a moment before he says, "You don't let them out even here?" he asks. He looks around, then shrugs a shoulder and says, "I live in Hell's Kitchen. Things are getting worse, but…" But what can be done? Except dressing up in a costume with a cloak and hood and moving among the people bringing succor to the suffering? He nods toward the kids playing and says, "I like the children playing, and the boys playing basketball, green-skinned and not giving a damn." He lowers his voice and adds, "What I like about this place is that the squares that would put you all down are outnumbered."

*

Looking over his shoulder toward the ever-present bulge he has, nowhere near where a man /wants/ to feature a bulge, Jay shrugs mildly toward Kai. A little color in his hidden ears spreads down his cheeks and neck. "Ah've never let them out in public b'fore really." The admission sounds like a sheepish one. Like talking about walking around without pants on. "Not unless Ah was performin', or Ah was with Jules. Feels weird t'me. And besides, ever since what happened over at Bert's place, there's been some tension and some weird folks snoopin' around. Some tiny lady came around the other night when I was over there and seemed /convinced/ some mutant tried t'kill Bert, even though he told her like four times that wasn't the case." He sighs and smiles helplessly at the curly-headed man. "Maybe some time. Jus' not really ready t'go flyin' my freak flag, y'know? Bert hides his tail an' his ears when he's out, too. Not lahke Ah'm all that discrete if folks are payin' attention."

Jay leans in when Kai does, smiling lightly when he explains what he likes about the place, a spark of something bright shining in Jay's eyes at the last notation. A whisper of sound likely meant to be a chuckle upon first thought makes Jay's shoulders shake as he rocks back and looks around again, over at the kids playing basketball. "Yeah. That's true. So funny. Most folks here jus' wanna get by an' live their lives. They ain't a threat to nobody. An suddenly wakin' up with scales or purple skin or whatever kinda gives you a weird perspective on all the stuff people get bent outa shape about." slowly shredding the blade of grass while they chat, Jay shrugs. "But lots of folks are convinced places like this are gonna turn into prisons an' camps or extermination ghettos. People are ugly sometimes, man. Ah don't get it."

*

Kai's smile dims, and he nods as he says, "It's terrifying how quickly these things can turn." He looks to the children again, and his lips press thin. Something grim, and determined, and not entirely Kai-like hardens those clear blue eyes. "So we don't let that happen, Jay. We stay vigilant, and we protect those like us: not just mutants, but colored and women and queers, and anyone else who just wants to get by and lives their lives, you dig me?" His gaze goes to Jay. "We look after one another, is what we do. I don't like to throw the first punch, but I'll sure as shit throw the second. You picking up what I'm laying down?"

*

Jay nods, quietly at first while Kai lets his thoughts percolate. Looking back up from where his fingers tear apart pieces of grass, those big green eyes seem somewhat surprised when he notes the shift in Kai's usually carefree demeanor. Jay's mouth forms a wordless and silent 'o' while he listens, eventually turning into a small smile, his expression softer than that of the elfin man's. Sentimental, perhaps. Or just tired. Either way, it's a kind look that meets Kai again when he turns back to Jay. Quiet and calm by comparison. "Solid." The single word in complete agreement. "After th' last couple days, Ah needed t'hear someone say that." Exhaling a quick puff of soft laughter. "You wanna know what's funny? The only cat who stood up t'the squares back home for my family was colored. Colored man in Kentucky standin' up fer a family of freaks. Damnedest thing, man."

*

Kai smiles, and his features soften into blithe again. Joyful, but not naive. "I'd believe it," he says. "Suffering breeds compassion, man. Sometimes, you see it happen where, like, you're put down all the time and there's only so much you can do about it. Then you see someone else getting a serving, and you say no more. It's easier to stand up for your brother, you dig me?" He leans forward to chuck Jay on the shoulder lightly. "So you should pay it forward. Honor that man by standing up the next time you see someone getting put down. Right?"

*

Jay moves easily when Kai shoves at his shoulder lightly, straightening his spine as he sways with another whispering chuckle. Jay drops the piece of grass he was shreading and shoves a hand through his hair to clear his face. "Man, Ah couldn't do enough in a lifetime t'pay forward what that man did fer us." Jay leans back, propped up on his palms and a quick sweep of his hands behind his primary feathers to push them forward to stick out along his knees rather than bend until they break. "So what do y'do when folks are rabble rousin' fer justice an' protection and rights and ain't nobody seems to be listenin'? Don't you mistake it, either, the squares ain't the only ones gearin' up fer a fight. Some cat was tellin' me about a bunch of crazy mutants sound like a bunch of Hawks to me, itchin' to start somethin'. I ain't exactly the quarrelin' type." The fair man smiles, a little warmer while he teases himself and reaches over to pat his guitar, a single dimple prodding on the left side.

*

"When that happens," Kai says, "you take the vulnerable to safety." The answer comes so easily. Experience is a good teacher. "Do you know what I do when I'm out and about playing hero?" He closes his sketchbook and stretches out on his back, angled so he can look at Jay, and he cradles his head in his folded arms. "I visit the homes of the old and infirm, and I bring groceries, or I get them their medicine. I use the powers I have to ease their suffering. Does it stop the gang violence in Hell's Kitchen?" He shrugs. "Maybe not, but to Mrs. Jensen who can't shop for her own milk, I'm a pretty big deal." He winks. "It's not all violence in the street, man."

*

He can't help it, there's a small chuff of a chuckle when Kai uses the phrase 'playing hero'. He doesn't seem the sort, huh? But the explanation as Kai lays back and tells Jay all about his good deeds, still helps keep the red-head warm. "Hell, that's just bein' a decent human bein'—" Jay halts and winces a little bit when he realizes that /Kai isn't human, idiot/. One green eye squeezes shut and the other rolls skyward slightly while Jay searches for an appropriate substitute. "Person? Yeah, that works." Satisfied, Jay nods and looks back to Kai again. "That's jus' bein a decent person. Not that all folks are decent, Ah suppose, but that's the sort of stuff yer just supposed to do fer yer neighbors and folks around you. Maybe Ah've had too many years of Sunday school under my belt, but folks so worried about bein' ugly to each other they forget that Jesus hung around with folks everyone else decided were untouchable. Sometimes it just feels like too little too late, y'know? When big stuff happens, an' Ah don't know what the answers is." Jay rolls a shoulder and tips his head back to meet the sunny day, peering up at the leaves. "Ah just keep askin' people what they wanna do about it. Lots of fear out there."

*

Kai flashes Jay a bright grin at his correction. Not offended, at least. Nice save. "Exactly. Being a decent person is an admirable goal. I've got so, so many failings, some of them carefully cultivated. But I try." Of Jesus, he says nothing. The story is a good one, but if it's true? Honestly, Kai has no idea. It was before his time. He sighs quietly. "Fear is the worst enemy you'll never have to fight. But listen, man, turn up your audio and dig me; every age thinks it's too late, and every age passes into another. People die, and the sun still shines, the birds still sing, and the rest of the world has the audacity to keep turning." He smiles faintly, and those expressive eyes show a twinge of longing, such is sorrow.

*

Good thing that Jay isn't looking for any acceptance or validation for his faith. He doesn't need it. It's just so ingrained into his being that sometimes it worms itself into conversation. A little too edgy to be a conventional hippy, he still carries a lot of qualities with him, and likely will find more before New York is done with him.

The call to listen makes Jay smile a hint, enjoying the conversation, absolutely. Not a whole lot seems to /offend/ him, he enjoys conversation rather than debates or arguments, and no better place to have one than in a park in the grass. Leaning back and angling some beside Kai so he can stretch his legs out and drop down to an elbow, Jay reclines and stretches briefly before going lax again. He's attentive, a good listener, deep green gaze holding on to the other fellow's face as he speaks. Thoughtful. Appreciative of that perspective, though it's clearly not one he's had too much immediate thought on. Jay murmurs, "That's deep, Kai."

*

"Thank you." Kai gazes up at Jay, smiling softly, clear blue eyes gentle and warm. Kevin comes over to the pair of them and licks Kai's face, causing him to scrunch his nose and squeeze his eyes shut as he laughs. "Kevin! Augh!" He scoops up the little dog and holds him just out of licking range, which doesn't stop the dog from trying, swiping the air with his tongue as he strange to get slobber on Kai's nose. Tries so hard! "Kevin, you silly boy!" He puts him down, steering him toward Jay. It works. The dog goes over to Jay next, wiggling his rear end from all the wagging. The spell somewhat broken, Kai stretches and slumps lazily upon the grass, curls splaying. "This world isn't all bad, though," he says. "There are ridiculous little dogs, and those chewy pretzels with cheese on them, and Nathan's hot dogs."

*

Kevin inserts himself between them and Jay flashes a broad grin, brief as it is, whispering on a bubbling of soft chuckles that make his shoulders shake while Kai sputters and tries to push the little dog out of his face. "Good boy, Kev. Good boy." The feathered oddity lets his elbow slip in order to melt down into a stretched position on the grass, rolled onto his side to use his outstretched arm as a pillow (and likely to help with his wings as they loll a little bit together, straining the entire back of his overshirt. Of course that can only last for a moment before the little dog is pointed in his direction and Jay's assaulted by the little creature. Not so adept at blocking the wriggling mass of fur, Jay sputters as a tongue goes up his nose. "Ack! Kevin!" Another whispering laugh, and Jay scoops him up with a hand and holds running feet off the ground while he wipes his face off. "Ah don't kiss on th' first date, Kev. Keep yer tongue to yerself." Jay 'drops' the dog gently onto its side between himself and Kai, ruffling his belly vigorously.

Green eyes flick up and down between Kevin and Kai while he tries to keep the little beast at bay. "Yer not wrong. Ah just wish there was more Ah could do. Makes me nervous t'hear about groups like the Friends an' Brotherhood and junk. Corpses runnin' around and whatnot." Jay takes another pause to blow another puff of air in Kevin's fluffy face. "An' music. Music's gettin' good, man. Honestly, Ah think artists like you are gonna help make a difference, too. Art matters. It can /speak/ to all sorts of people. Th' brain can do plenty of thinkin' but without heart, we're nothin', and art can change hearts."

It's a nice sentiment, but what Jay says next may just overshadow it. Innocently, he looks over to Kai. "What's Nathan's hot dogs?"

*

Kai laughs when Kevin gets a nostril shot. Better Jay than him, man. Kevin is just so happy to be a part of whatever this is, he wags and wiggles and practically trembles with joy. How could someone have abandoned such a good boy? "As long as you're doing whatever you can," Kai says. He rolls onto his side facing Jay, propped up on one arm, and he ruffles Kevin's ears. At the puff of air, the little dog looks around this way and that. What happened? Where did that come from? REVEAL THYSELF! He sneezes, then wriggles and licks at Jay without having enough energy to really try to make contact.

"You've never had a Nathan's?" Kai says. "We should go to Coney Island and get hot dogs and funnel cakes, and cottaon candy, and then ride rides until we throw up."

*

Jay recoils when Kevin sneezes, laughing once again, though this time has a little more voice to it and less muted whisper to it, straight from his chest. He ruffles a pale hand against Kevin's chest again, the hyperexcited dog making him smile, warm and natural. Yep, he only has that one little dimple, unsymmetrical as that little light floods his features until they nearly glow. Figuratively of course, ahem. Bright eyes flick back up to Kai, he arches his brows and shakes his head. "No, Ah've never been down to Coney Island. Oh, is that the place that's supposed t'have games and stuff? Ah heard someone talkin' about it the other day."

*

Kai nods as he says, "Yes, it is." He watches Jay, his fingers tangled in his pale curls, and his blue eyes warm. Affectionate, even, though how much of that is for the silly little dog is anyone's guess. Kevin get another ear ruffle, and Kai lets him lick his fingers since it makes him so gosh darn happy to be able to slobber on people. "It's not as cool as it was in its heyday, but it's still pretty cool. There's also the beach there. If you don't mind sand getting everywhere. I don't get over to Brooklyn very often, but we should take the train sometime, just to say we did it."

*

Jay likely assumes that it's all for the little dog stuck between them, just so happy to get attention. From anyone. Anywhere. Relaxed and easy, Jay drops his head back down, playing red across the grass to make for a color blind person's nightmare. He doesn't roll over entirely onto his back, but it sort of half and half, wiggling bare toes into the warm ground, but it all seems very natural for Jay. He isn't someone who seems out of place laying in the grass not paying attention to anything in particular in the world.

"Beach, huh?" Jay thinks about that and wets his lips, looking up toward the sky. "Ah don't know how that'd go with th' feathers, but Ah'd be willing to go. Sure. So long as you don't mind weird looks." He crooks a lopsided smile to Kai and tries to seem casual and not at all anxious about that prospect. Be cool, man. Be cool. "Man, Ah was at this concert, an', well, long story short, I /still/ have glitter in my feathers. Every time I flap 'em, I feel like Ah'm trying to go t' Neverland."

*

"Birds manage it somehow," Kai says. "But I'll level with you, I'm not an expert." He sounds so serious, too. Like there was some danger he might be mistaken for one. He might even be able to pull off that solemnity if not for the sparkle in his eyes. Then he laughs, unrestrained and, well, gay. In the traditional sense. "I was at that show! I was washing glitter out of my everything for days."

*

"Ah'm no expert, either," Jay arches an eyebrow to dispel that assumption. "Ah've only had these things fer like…three years? Two? An' Ah haven't been to a beach since then. Not a lot of beaches in Kentucky." Amusement in his eyes as he shifts his head slightly on the ground to peer up at Kai, smiling. "Ah'm willin' to try. No, skip that, Ah /wanna/ go." Answering in the affirmative in all certainty. Vividly colored brows arch upward suddenly at the revelation that Kai was there. "That /was/ you! Ah though Ah saw you fer a second, but I had a lotta glitter in my eyes and such. Ah /still/ got it nestled away in there. Ah tried flyin' back from Hell's Kitchen th' other night because it was gettin' late and Ah was late t'meet a friend. Figured if it was dark nobody would notice, you dig me?" Jay /rolls/ his eyes with the best of them, his head rocking back and forth slightly to emphasize. "So much fer discrete." A hand flops out and bump against his guitar lightly. Pale digits crawl up the old faded body and splay across the pickguard, affectionately. Like one would lazily drape a hand over to a lover just because, for comfort. "So. When're we goin? You got a job or anythin' asides from bein' an artist that we gotta plan around? Mine's mostly mornin's but my schedule's flexible."

*

"I thought I heard someone say my name," Kai says. "I was with my, ah, friend." He glances to the side, about as subtle as a brick to the forehead. The way Kai's face lights up at the mention of him, and he dips his chin just so, lashes flitting low. Then he lifts his his gaze to Jay again. "He decided it was time to leave, otherwise I would've come by and said hello." He lays back and thinks, laying a hand over Kevin's snout when the little dog goes in for another face lick. "I have a job," he says, "but I'm free a couple days this week, barring any kind of emergency."

*

Jay is /oblivious/. Bricks to the forehead and all. Sure, the reaction seems a little weird, but when Kai says 'he', it sort of negates any suggestion of thought to a romantic pairing. He's naive and trusting. If Kai says 'friend' he figures that's what he means. "No problem, you know? It was a situation. No use in gettin' yerself in trouble. Ah got snagged after, too, so not like I could'a stuck around long." Jay shrugs a shoulder, but then his smile spreads again, seeming sheepish around the edges and the young man rocks inward, closer to the curly headed fellow in the grass nearby. His voice lowers some with the reflective feeling of sheepishness burgeoning on the possibility of excitement. "If there's another concert like that in town, would you wanna go with me? It was excitin' to go, but it's always better with people you know. If you like stuff like that, of course. Bring yer friend, too, if they're cool." And that's how you accidentally invite a nordic god of tricks to a rock concert.

Jay's face is stupid after he makes that offer out to Kai. A little on the anxious side, his gaze rests hopefully on Kai's profile while he tries to not seem desperately excited for the prospect of someone who actually enjoys the things he does. A friend. He's desperate for an activities friend and it's a little stupid. All warmth and encouraging hope.

*

Ah, Jay, that sweet summer child. Kai can see the cluelnessness, God bless the poor feathered boy. "I'll ask him," he says, "maybe we could all go together." Surely Loki won't mind if Kai wants to bring a gorgeous, sweet boy with them to a concert or, even better, to just go with said sweet, gorgeous boy. And Jay thinks his is a jealous god… Kai grins broadly at Jay and his anxiousness. "It'll be fun," he tells him with firm reassurance. "We'll have a good time. I've declared it."

*

The anxiousness daring to lean over the edge to excitement vanishes and /relief/ takes over for a moment, green eyes crescent slightly as a rare honest to goodness smile rouses up for the second time in this conversation, that single dimple standing out for a moment before Jay relaxes once more and nods, habitually licking the corner of his mouth and leaning back once more. "Cool." Oh my gosh the epitome of cool! Wings tremor gently, the whisper of friction from his feathers audible. "Next time you hear about somethin' cool comin' around, let me know. An' likewise." Jay lays his head down on his arm and there's another brief jump of a smile that appears before it fades once more to his natural, muted but pleasant expression. Forest-green eyes still shine with light and excitement though. "Ah think Ah know someone Ah want you to meet, too. Fer the art project we talked about. If you were serious about doin' it? She's pretty shy, though." Because now his mind is whirring and everything is excellent.

*

In another time and place, Kai would, in a heartbeat, ask Jay if he wanted to go somewhere discreet, and then Kai would make a man of him. He's aware of this as he looks into those forest green eyes, and the way relief washes over the youth's features. It would be a lie to say the elf's lower nature isn't poignantly aware of the way those wings tremor or the light in Jay's eyes. He grins. He can't help it, and while he doesn't mean to flirt, his lashes flutter out of simple pleasure. He pets Kevin to distract himself, and the little dog, currently sacked out on his side, wags in his sleep. "I'm dead serious about that project," he says. "I think it might be the most important artwork I've done in a long time."

*

Flirtation is flirtation, and while Jay seems to glow under the attention and friendliness from the dimpled little curly-haired beatnik, he either flirts with everything under the sun, or he's just that blissfully unaware of how he comes off. Whatever it means from Jay's side of things, he's happy and grateful for Kai's company, and lately, 'happy' has been a hard-won state to be in for him. Hey, man. It's the 60's. Men are 'allowed' to foster close friendships for a couple more decades yet. Don't be /square/, ugh. Yeah I'm sure that explanation to Loki would go over /real/ well.

Confirmation that the project is still on, Jay nods and wriggles his bare toes into the grass again, smiling lighter as his focus falls onto Kai's fingers as they pet the sleeping pup. "Okay. Then Ah got a couple folks Ah want to ask, then. An' whenever yer free, Ah can come on down to Hell's Kitchen or wherever you want, an' sit for you. Do you paint or just pencils?"

*

"I do everything," Kai says. He strokes one of Kevin's soft ears. The one that is perpetually flopped over. The other one stands straight up. Of course. "Why don't I give you my number? And I can come to you or you can come to me. Look, you know this might be dangerous, right?" He looks to Jay, and though he seems fairly serene, he's not all smiles either. "People might see these pieces and react badly. True art isn't safe. But I can do whatever I can to keep the subjects safe. Shadowing faces, that sort of thing. But the hardest impact will be seeing people for who they really are."

*

Kai has partially disconnected.

*

"Cool. Ah know someone who would probably be best with color," Jay mentions thoughtfully and stretches his legs out, hyperextending the muscles until his toes point and limbs are just a little bit longer. Relaxing a moment later, bonelessly relaxed, the southern boy sniffs and allows his eyes to slip shut for a couple beats while he enjoys the warmth, the shade, the feeling of the grass and the ground. His restricted wings shift slightly while he tries to feel the breeze and of course don't have much success.

Kai's tone isn't alarming to Jay. Not in the least. But his eyes slip open once more anyway when he delivers that warning on the tail end of offering his number. Attentive as always, his expression remains open and at ease but for a soft draw of his brows together slightly. "Ah appreciate that, an' Ah know it," murmuring thoughtfully, Jay inhales a breath and thinks about it for a second before he responds further. "Ah'm more of a lover than a fighter. Ah ain't great with words. Ah don't even have a useful mutation. But if just…bein' me can help in any way?" The young man rolls a shoulder gently. "We all gotta be brave to do whatever we can do, raght? My body is weird, but it's…not a terrible weird." His words hesitate, trying to pick them out carefully. "If my body can be helpful, then I gotta use what Ah got." Says the guy still wlking around in public with his extra limbs crammed up under a covering. "The others might feel differently, but that's what Ah think about it. Besides, what're they gonna do? /Kill me/?" Jay offers a humored, lop-sided smile from his relaxed place in the grass, a hint of enigmatic humor in it.

*

"They might try," Kai says. He still doesn't seem too worried, though. That smile is as soft and warm as ever. Moreso. There's an innocent intimacy to it. Jay is a friend now in Kai's book. "Your body is beautiful," he says, looking the youth in the eye. "You should let your wings go free, if only here in your neighborhood. As for useful, even if you can't fly, wings can shield. They can protect." He rubs Kevin's chest, and Kevin makes a weird little smecking sound, still fast asleep. "For what it's worth, I'm more of a lover, too. But I've fought, and I know I'll do it again." He hesitates, then mentions, "I've fought in a few wars. I'm a little older than I look."

*

"Well, they're gonna have t'get creative about it, if they do." Jay seems perfectly fine with the idea of people coming for him if they truly feel moved to. Which seems strange since he is so very keen on keeping his wings covered and drawing attention. He meets Kai's eyes right one when he says that Jay's body is beautiful, his lashes flutter slightly, trying not to be bashful about it and hold his eyes, but he can feel the heat rush into his cheeks and his fair skin does not hide any of the color that floods his face. Ignore it, Jay. Ignore it and it'll go away. "Feathers are a little less resiliant against real threats, but they can hide. Shelter." It's then that he looks down with a tiny smile, trying to veil something private. "Someone used to tell me that their favorite place in the world was wrapped up in 'em." Fighting a tightness in his chest, Jay breathes in deeply, expanding his ribs against the compression. "But! Ah can fly." Steeling himself, that vivid color reappears to Kai as Jay looks up again. "Ah can carry someone, too. Ah'm just not very practiced at it." But Kai mentions war and Jay looks confused. "War? Yer not more than a couple years older than me, ain'tcha?"

*

"Oh yeah?" Kai asks. "Are you immortal?" Ho hum. Left-handed, lactose intolerant, immortal. Just things people are. That blush holds Kai's attention wholly. Even Kevin is ignored for the moment, but the dog is asleep so he doesn't notice. He grins, dimpled. Oh, that blush is just awesome. Then his features go all sappy, and he flops onto his back, laying a hand over his chest. "Oh, my heart! That is the sweetest thing." He gazes up at the blue sky, and he sighs. Ever the romantic at heart. Then he looks toward Jay again, and he says, "You can fly? And carry someone? You're 'useful' inasmuch as value should be placed on, like, utilizing. He sighs again. Someone wrapped up in those wings. Oh dear, the imagery. "I'm older than I look," he says again. "By a bit."

*

Jay thinks about the question for a moment, his gaze rolling upward, then falling back to Kai. "Ah don't know." Completely honest. He doesn't know. "Ah still can get hurt, but it don't last. Ah've died a couple ways. Just didn't…take?" He squints at Kai, unsure. It's all foggy for him. That color doesn't even time to fade before Kai is gushing about the private moment that Jay shared with him, and bolsters the heat in his cheeks, drawing a sweet, embarrassed smile forth from the young man as well. Another soft flutter from his wings, feathers whispering and rubbing up against cloth, like extra limbs trying to reach foward and wrap him up. Shield him from that embarrassment. Of course, they can't at the moment, so he just deals with it, smiling sheepishly at Kai while he rolls around on the ground, hand clutching his chest. Whispering on a chuckle, Jay reaches over to shove lightly at the elf's shoulder. "Be /cool/," though there is a wistful sense of pride and longing over the story. He is just a soft-hearted thing, himself. "So, okay, how much is a bit? How old are yer parents? Is that a safer question?" Arching an eyebrow at the young seeming man. "It can't be /so/ much. Ah promise not to spaz out like Ah did last time, okay?"

*

Kai laughs when he's shoved. "How can I be cool when you're telling me the sweetest stories? I'm the coolest cat around, and look what you've done to me." Kevin opens an eye. Is something going on? Is Kai under attack? Maybe? Eh. He stretches, grunts, and goes back to sleep. It's a lazy day in the sun for this little dog. Kai sighs as he watches Jay. "You really are too sweet," he says. And if not for a certain trickster god… well, if not for a certain trickster god, Kai would be in deep denial of sweetness having any meaning whatsoever. That's the real prank.

"You'll spaz out," Kai says. "But that's okay. I'm not sure how old my parents are, but I'm a little over two hundred sixty-eight." He pauses, studying Jay's features, waiting for the freakout. This time, he's prepared.

*

Jay winces but he's still smiling, ruffling his fingers through his hair and scattering it in streaks of bright color against pale (blushing) skin and that newborn spring grass. "Ah can't help it. Ah got my heart on my sleeve, man. A musician with no heart ain't much of a musician." Still seeming kind of embarrassed over this revelation, he still accepts it. No use in denying it, Jay smiles gently, his eyes flicking down, lashes nearly touching his cheeks while he looks bashful and ridiculous. Jay murmurs softly, "Who doesn't wanna feel loved an' accepted? That's what we're tryin' t'fight for, right?" A quick flash and all eyes back on Kai, warm and hopeful. Oblivious seeming of the little assaults on his friend that he's committing.

Man, Jay tries to keep cool. He tries to be the coolest. He's a freezer. He's practically antarctic. But that is a /high/ number. His brows go up and surprise makes his smiling mouth go slack, falling open softly. He can't even fathom two hundred sixty-eight. That gaze roams all over Kai's youthful stupid dimpled face, scraping down his frame with nearly palpable fingers, trying to find /some/ sign of that age. "Yer screwin' with me." Has to be a joke.

*

Kai watches Jay in turn, studying his features as he's studied. He really does seem young. Then again, for his ilk, he's just a baby. "I'm telling you the truth, mate," he says. "I was born in London in 1695. My parents were visiting, and I was a, ah, unexpected blessing." He rolls his eyes. Yeah, he knows he was an unplanned complication.

Kai seems to thrive under the scrutiny, if for no other reason than sheer cheek. "Besides, listen to this coming from a man who has died before and walked it off. That's conceivable but I can't be a little older than you?" He laughs. Then he says, "Don't ever change, Jay. You're perfect."

*

"Yer a 'little older' than mah great, great, great grandfather," Jay gapes with a quick blink-blink-blink into those big blue eyes. "Yer /older than this country/." Jay points out emphatically, a sudden grin flourishing over his mouth for a startled moment. "No /wonder/ yer a Brit! Hah!" There's some small sense of victory in this realization followed by gentle denial. "Ah'm broken. Far from perfect, Ah promise. You jus' don't know me well enough, yet." Though he says it lightly, there's a slightly uncomfortable shift as if he feels there's some serious truth in this comment. "Yer amazin' though. Ah can't even imagine all that. You probably /fought/ in that war, huh? Mah family did, too." Meaning once again, the Revolution. Shit. Mind blowing. "Man…that's gotta be incredible." Squinting his eyes, there are a couple seconds of thought. "And lonely." The realization comes quick and while there is still wonder in the young man's face, there's a gentle empathetic maudlin edge to it as well.

*

"That was the first war I fought in," Kai admits. "My first revolution. I fought with the Americans." He smiles faintly. There are mixed feelings there. The comradery of people now long dead, the Hell that is war. He laughs then, if a little dimmer than usual, and he says, "I'm only a Brit because my parents left Norway and moved into England when I decided to make my debut." His smile softens when he sees it dawn: the loneliness. "The people here are so fleeting," he says, "but I love them." As for him being amazing, he just waves a hand. No, no, no, he's just a lone scone elf.

*

"So fleeting," Jay repeats, still awed over that entire perspective. "My great grandma lived t'be a hundred and two. Fleeting." He holds on to the softened maudlin feeling while he searches over the insanely young looking man's face while he tries to wrap his brain around everything that Kai's seen. Everything he's done. "Ah can't imagine all the time you've had to practice yer art. No wonder. But…why don't you go back home? It's gotta be hard to watch everythin' change so fast for you." Jay's concern palpable in his tone, written all over his face. "Not like Ah want you to leave now that Ah know ya, but that can't be easy. Just watchin' things come and go from how my momma says they were, and seeing how things are changing all the time. That sounds…a little like torture. You gotta be so strong to deal with that and still be so…" Bright green eyes flicker quickly down Kai's person for a moment while he finds the proper word, then meet his gaze again. "/Warm/."

*

Kai pulls a face a returning home. "Alfheim isn't home," he says with a small, winsome smile. His curls splay on the grass as he sprawls. "It's where my parents are from, and it's where my grandmother thinks she'll turn me into a proper sort." He wrinkles his nose. Yeah, not on his watch. Then he sighs quietly. "I miss Midgard when I'm not in it. The people are fleeting and the culture changes, but it's… it's mine. It's home. Besides, I'm not so lonely anymore."

*

The mention that he's not so lonely anymore seems to reassure Jay somewhat, calming that gentled sense of concern softly written into his features. "Well, it's good t'know that grandmothers are always the same no matter where you're from. Even on other worlds," The southern man murmurs softly, and though his conversational tone is already rather muted and light, his tone has fallen into a more intimate version while the two converse, even in the heights of joking and embarrassing revelations, there's a quietude and peace there. Trying the word out on his tongue, Jay seems thoughtful as he carefully manages, "Alfheim (Aalf. Hahme.) What's Midgard, though?" In the meanwhile, Jay's attention falls to Kai's hand resting on Kevin's sleeping body. Reaching into his pocket, Jay pulls out a pen and rolls over, sitting up in the grass on his elbows. He attempts to reach over and gently take Kai's hand, turning it over to write his number on the elfin man's palm. A tiny, charming flick of a smile appearing momentarily. "Just ask fer me when you call that. Ah'm stayin' in a dorm, so whoever gets to it first gets it. It might take a little time, but I'll get it." He doesn't sound particularly thrilled at his situation right now, but it is what it is. It's a roof.

*

Kai grins as he says, "Grandmothers never change." His demeanor has dimmed as well, the warmth like banked coals rather than a flaring bonfire. "Midgard is what my people call Earth," he says. When Jay turns his hand, Kai grins reflexively, and he holds still for the writing. Kevin wheezes and snores. "I'll call you," he promises, and he watches his hand in Jay's, enchanted despite himself.

Once the number is written, he pushes onto his side and reaches for the pen. "Here, let me." Kevin stirs, wags, and lets his head fall back to the soft grass. Dog tired is a term invented for if not by Kevin. "If you need to get away, just ask. I've got a new couch and, get this, a color television. I have no idea how my friend could afford it."

*

It's unmistakable. The last digit is written down and the soft hand bracing the back of Kai's gives him a warm squeeze before dropping back. "Good. And if that rubs off before y'write it down somewhere, you can usually find me at either the Eight Ball, Bert's or the community center 'round here. Heh, we don't seem to have a whole lot of trouble runnin' into each other." Jay smiles as he gives a short list of places he's usually found at in the neighborhood. Handing over the pen pretty easily, Jay holds his hand out, expecting something similar. Huh. No calouses from the guitar. Weird.

"A color television? That's righteous. Ah mean, Ah kinda get in hot water if I don't keep up appearances," Jay explains, exasperated for whatever reason. "But maybe Ah'll take you up on that. A guy just needs a break sometimes. Peace and quiet. Ah don't really know if that place is my bag, just yet."

*

Kai takes Jay's hand in his, and he writes his name, then under it a phone number. His writing is a rich, flowing cursive. One might have an easier time believing he's from olden times after giving his penmanship a gander. "If I know you're coming, I'll stay over at my friend's place and you can crash on the bed. If you're willing to watch Kev, you'll be doing us a favor. We can go paint the town red and not have to worry about him being lonely." He tilts his head as he studies his handiwork. Then he draws a smiley face and a happy little bird on either side of the number before offering the pen back. "There. Now we won't lose track of each other."

*

Jay peers at the script on his palm and smiles gently. His by comparison is still in cursive, but not nearly as flowing. They /do/ teach handwriting in the south, still. The second mention of letting Jay take his bed draws a click of Jays tongue in the softest reproach one could consider and a look to match before all the chastisement melts out of it like butter. "Ah'm not gonna chase you out of yer home, Kai. Wouldn't be raght. You keep sayin' stuff like that, yer gonna guarantee that Ah don't call ya t'crash over." His eyes squint with humor, peering down at his palm with the little drawings on it, exhaling a soft breath of laughter. He takes the pen back smoothly and puts it away in his pocket. "Good. It'd be a shame t'lose ya after all these plans." A light-hearted comment, Jay blinks and pauses, stealing one of those long, pregnant moments of silence where he seems to really /look/ at Kai, his thoughts locked away behind his eyes, but one may certainly be able to see them churning around behind his eyes. "Ah like you," it sounds like a decisive comment. Confirmation. A Truth with a capital 'T'. "Ah'm glad Ah ran into you. Even if Ah shoved mah foot in my mouth off the bat."

*

"How is it chasing if I offer?" Kai says with a laugh. "Fine, fine, I will not let you sleep anywhere comfortable, I promise. In fact, I won't let you sleep at all. Dig me? If you start to nod off, I'll have Kevin trained to poke you with a stick." Kevin's ears perk when his name is spoken, and his tail wags a few times. Kai says, "Look, he wants to do it." More wagging. His smile comes easily when he's looked at. His deep blue eyes have silvery flecks in them, like white caps on cresting waves of a moonlit sea. "I like you too," he says gently. "Don't worry about that first meeting. I liked you then, too." Which is why it stung so, but. Water under the bridge.

*

Another whispering laugh when Kai makes Kevin his accomplice in making sure Jay doesn't get any sleep. "Well, Ah suppose Ah'd deserve it then. Ah can't say no to that face." Jay reaches down to ruffle Kevin's chest once more and collects himself up to a sitting position, brushing grass off his palms. "Good. Ah'm…relieved t'hear that." And he sounds as much as well, genuinely. He holds quiet for a couple of beats longer, enjoying that moment of connection. Something he's missed and seems a form of its own nourishment. Those moments between people that helps them find faith in the world for another day. Jay then blinks and looks down, grabbing for his guitar. "Um. So. Drop me a line when y'want to start on that project, all raght? I'll actually take a shower an' find ya, an' you can hold m'hand an' tell me what t'do while I awkwardly sit there. It'll be fun." A warm smile flashes and Jay pushes up to his feet. "Ah'll catch you later, Kai." His hand unfolds, showing that number. "Promise. Take it easy." Intent on shoving off, leaving the artist and his subject to the rest of their lazy spring day.

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