(Untitled)

[songofthedeep]

Who: Cerceus, Ark, OPEN TO ANYONE
When: Morning
Where: The Village
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Nudity, Language
Summary: Ark is naked. Naked!Ark needs clothes. Cerceus dislikes clothes, and likes naked!Ark, but is willing to show her to the shops anyway. Hilarity may possibly ensue.

Comments

[archive_sky]

Ark took in his posture - and his newly acquired pants - before threading her arm through his and offering him a smile. She was already in the process of deciding how she would behave once she met the other occupants of Sheol; Cerceus knew who she was and what she was and so there was no need for pretense. But the others, they would be a test... a chance to see if she could truly make use of the knowledge she coveted.

"Lead," she said simply.

[unseeing_sight]

Hans went crimson, tried to speak and sort of managed an incoherent stutter. Eventually he managed a "N-naked?" and then pulled himself together a bit, constantly telling himself that she didn't seem to mind. It was just that the little bit of experience Hans had had with naked women had been him stumbling on them occasionally by the river, which invariably ended in him being seriously attacked before they had a chance to realise he couldn't see them.

"U-um..." he added intelligently, and then forced himself to answer properly. "Ah...I would...if I could find my staff...maybe?"

[songofthedeep]

Practically before the words had left his mouth, Cy had stooped and scooped up his staff, taking his wrist in one hand and slapping the length of wood into his hand with the other.

"There you are," he said cheerily, clapping Hans on the shoulder. "Have no more fear. I'm sure Ark would be happy to lend you her arm on our way up the path. Wouldn't you, luv?" He grinned at her, good-natured wickedness glinting in that smile

[archive_sky]

"I would be happy to," Ark said, "If the situation doesn't discomfit you. I have a very steady stride."

She held out her arm so that he could loop elbows with her if he chose.

"My arm is 14 inches to your left at an angle of 117 degrees, if you would like to walk with me."

[unseeing_sight]

Rather surprised at the sudden rush of attention, and incredibly wary of touching somewhere he really shouldn't, he reached out a tentative hand to find her arm. 'Left' he understood, but 'inches' and 'degrees' were something of a foreign concept to the medieval boy.

Happily for him, he managed to find her arm without finding out just how naked she was, and laid his hand on her elbow, offering a very shy smile.

[songofthedeep]

"She's such a nice girl, isn't she?" Cy wondered aloud, grinning at a private joke. Fortunately, Hans couldn't see it. "Well, let's be off, then." He resumed the walk toward the far end of the village.

[archive_sky]

"Thank you, Cerceus," Ark said, eying the merman - she wasn't sure if it was simply a legitimate compliment, or if there was some other meaning. But since she wasn't sure, she chose to let the matter lie, placing her other hand over Hans' and following Cy towards the shops.

Her step was almost preternaturally even and confident; even though she was barefoot, she walked the path with ease. It would have been hard for Hans to stumble, and if he had, she would have caught him before he could have fallen.

"I'm glad that you've decided to walk with us, Hans," she said in a cheerful voice. "It's nice to meet you. Face to- face."

[unseeing_sight]

Hans gave a small nod at Cerceus' comment, taking it at face value, and followed alongside Ark.

Giving her another smile, he agreed quietly, "It's good to meet you too, Ark." He wanted to make more conversation, but the blind boy was not renowned for his people skills and, honestly, he was really worried about saying domething wrong. Nice people were harder to deal with than cruel people, in his opinion.

[songofthedeep]

Cy stayed a couple of steps ahead of him, but walked slow enough for their pace, thumbs hooked in his pockets. His stride was nonchalant... he didn't seem to be paying attention to them.

[archive_sky]

"Do you remember what year it was when you died, Hans?" Ark asked, keeping her voice casual. "I understand that we all come from very different temporal and spacial locations."

[unseeing_sight]

"Ummm..." Hans thought for a moment, biting his lip. "I left the village in the year of Our Lord 1438...so..." He counted in his head, slowly. "1445?" he ventured.

[archive_sky]

"That was a long time ago," Ark commented, feeling excited - records from that time were scarce. Actually speaking with a human from that period would provide her with information that otherwise might have been forever lost.

"I hope you wouldn't mind telling me more about your life at some point."

[unseeing_sight]

"Really?" he asked, curious. "When did you die?" Mind you, from what he had gathered, his time really was a long time ago for most other inhabitants of Sheol who had come from his Earth.

"Um, I'm happy to tell you about it...if it isn't too boring..." he added, rather gratified at her interest.

[songofthedeep]

Up ahead, Cy laughed. "I'm sure she'd LOVE to hear all about it," he said. "She's a good listener." This, apparently, was another private joke, because he started snickering.

[archive_sky]

"I didn't die," Ark answered, automatically and without a trace of concern. "But Cerceus is right. I would enjoy hearing all about it."

[unseeing_sight]

"Ah, um, sorry," he replied, a pretty much automatic reaction to any disagreement. "I, um, I don't think my life has been very interesting, but..."