//------------------------------// // 8 - Bright Fuzzy Feelings // Story: Leaving Me // by ScurryBelle //------------------------------// I arrive back at Lyra's place. There is half a foot of snow already on the ground, but I wear tall punk boots regularly, so I walk in it. I knock, and Lyra appears in place of the door. "So, how was it?" She says cheerfully. "Great, can you help me get the equipment back inside?" I ask. "Of course." We get all the equipment inside into the extra room, where it sits at a small setup for me to practice. We head to the kitchen and I get a bowl of corn chips and soda. "So, what happened?" she says eagerly. "Well, I got there a tad early, so I make sure things are set up right, and get a little snack before the show." "Get to the good part!" She complains, leaning on her arms on the counter in enjoyment. "Alright. So I was playing my songs before the game, and Spitfire, the leader of the Wonder Bolts-" "-I know who she is, dummy!" She goes silent with an uncontrollable grin, then starts laughing. "Ha haha...Continue." She smiles. "Well..." I stop and check for her to say something, then continue. "She came up to me and told me that she was gonna have me fly with them, I agreed. By the last song they sent one of them to manage my setup. I had that song pre-made, and he just had to press a button, and make sure nothing went wrong. Anyway, I put on a suit and jetpack, and Spitfire controlled my jetpack remotely, basically mirroring her." "That sounds like the experience of a lifetime..." She says in awe. "Yeah, and afterwards we talked about things, which I can't tell you, because its a secret of hers. And I made a promise to myself not to tell anyone else." "Oh really? I'll get it anyway, when you talk in your sleep. "I don't talk in my sleep." I gripe back. "Or so you think." She says smiling with a soft giggle. "Oh, and I ran into someone at the Kitamu cafe..." "Tavi?" She says. "I told her to go there. I said she would like the coffee there. I didn't think you would end up being there though." "Yeah..." I sigh. "Your right. Hey. I need a minute." "Alright, I'll be back in a few." She walks away to her room. I get up and head to the back porch. There is a small layer of snow, with more piling on quicker as it comes down. The city of Manehattan is beautiful from the third story of the apartments. I clear off a chair and sit down, my winter coat keeping me warm. The night sky is filled with the brightness of the surrounding city. There are no stars. A glimpse of the full moon shows through the haze. "Hello Luna... Nice to see you again." I speak to the moon as it flow in and out of the haze. "I would love for a good night please." I pause. "Its been a while huh? I don't look at you much anymore." The city never seems to sleep. If its two in the morning, there is still tons of traffic. I love the sounds of the city. I sit there, in a peaceful moment. Lyra opens and pops her head through the door. "Jesh, it got even colder out here, and its snowing like a snow cone maker!" "I can bear it." I say with a strait face, even though I hate being cold. "I really think you should come in, please? For me?" She says with a puppy dog face. "Fine." I tell her, as I get up and head inside, taking off my winter coat. Its much warmer inside, and bright. I make some toast, and put some jelly on it. I sit at the island Lyra put in her kitchen, and eat my toast. "I wish I could do what you do. I would love to be famous some day." Lyra says. "Its not all its cracked up to be." I tell her. "I know, But it would be a change." She sits down next to me, and makes herself some toast with jelly. We sit together in silence while many toasts with jelly are eaten. I walk into the livingroom. "I know its hard for you Vinyl." Lyra spits out behind me. "Hard for me what?" I turn around and look at her. "Hard to live without Tavi." I go silent. She is right. She knows my heart deep down is aching. I miss her. I slump down onto the couch. I don't want her to know how depressed I am though. "Its not that bad." I say, not looking up at her. "I know it is." She corrects me. "You can't help but sit on your butt all day, unless you have a gig, which you don't even enjoy doing as much as you used to." I'm silent for a second. "I hate when you read me." "Its one of my many skills, like anthropology." "I still don't know why you like anthropology so much." I say as I lay down on the couch. She walks away into her room and turns on her iPod. "I'm going back outside, I need more fresh air." I say as I head back out the back door with my coat. The moon has been covered by a thick cloud, making less white light on everything than there was. I slump down on a snow covered chair and close my eyes. The peacefulness is soothing. I open my eyes, and I see nothing. "Not again." I say. '"Wait... I can hear myself!" Lyra comes from the door with a flashlight. The whole area of Manehattan had a blackout, which is insanely rare. What in the world happened? "People are saying that someone blew up the power area thing, you know the transformer setup somewhere." She answers my thought. "They are saying it will be a while before it comes back on." I get up and head to the television stand and grab a flashlight out from the cabinet and head to my equipment room. "Please tell me nothing was plugged in?" "Nothing was plugged in" She says with my back turned to her, investigating wires. I get back up. "Thank god, because if they were, half of my system would be fried." I tell her. "Yeah..." She says in a breathy voice. "Why are you talking like that?" "Its calm in the darkness. And I feel kinda nervous near you right now..." "Why?" I ask heading into the livingroom and setting my flashlight shining up from the table. "Well, I kinda felt weird since I woke up on top of you." "Oh that... Yeah, that was kinda awkward." She sits next to me and curls up next to me with a blanket over our legs. She looks at me and rest her head against the couch. I burst an awkward smile. "So?" I say with my mouth still in a weird smile. "Nothing" she says starting to smile back. "Its cold." I grab the another blanket, but Lyra stops me. "Just use this one." She pulls it over both of our shoulders. "Better?" "Y-y-yeah?" I feel really nervous now. She leans in and whispers. "Let me do this." She places her lips against mine. Soft, warm, pleasing. I didn't notice this before. She grows closer to me, still covered by the blanket. I lay back and wrap my arms around her, she smells like strawberries, and the jelly from earlier makes her taste like them too.I run my fingers through her hair as she shifts to a more comfortable position. Her phone rings. She goes silent. She looks at her phone. "I need to get this." She says as she sits back down on the couch. "Hello?" I listen in to the conversation. "Hey, Its Octavia. Do you have power?"I hear on the other end. "No, we just lost it." Lyra replies. "You should use the space heater in your back closet, It's a record low tonight. Like less than zero." "Right, that would be a good idea." Lyra glances at me, with a frown, to see if I heard it was Tavi calling. "I'll do that, thank you for reminding me." The next message was mumbled. "Okay, Bye." "Who was that?" I ask in a oblivious tone. "A friend, they told me I should get the space heater out of the back." "Alright, I'll go grab it." "I'm coming with you." She says, getting up to wrap her arms around my right arm. We walk to her bedroom, I haven't actually been in there before. There is roses painted on the walls, obviously her own work. She owns a queen sized bed with nightstands to the left and right. There is a cute dresser with a big landscape mirror above it. And many small vinyl figurines of little ponies set up as a display. "Whats with the little girly show figurines?" I ask her, confused. "Hey! Its my favorite show, don't judge me..." She grips harder onto my arm. I pick one up, it is blue, with a little wizard hat on to, and a cape with a matching pattern. 'Trixie' is printed on the bottom of it next to the shows stupid logo. I place it back down and head to her closet. "WAIT!" She heads to the closet and rummages around a little. "Okay... You can go in now..." I go inside and see tons of dresses, skirts, and frilly clothes hung or folded up in neat piles. The space heater sits in the far corner of the closet under some hanging dresses. I reach for it and get shoved in. "Whoa! Whats going on?" I sputter out. In the pitch dark I feel around for anything, and I touch a foot. Lyra's foot. "Why are you doing this?" "Because." I can't see her expression in the dark. "Because why?" I ask her. "Because... I adore you Vinyl." I feel her cold hand run over my thigh as it goes up under my shirt. She climbs around the stuff in the closet and kisses me timidly. Her hand rummages around in my shirt, feeling my stomach and caressing my body. My emotions are on rapid-fire. I don't understand what to do, or why this is happening. Why now? Why EVER? I run my hand across her chest, soothing, wonderful. Something I haven't experienced in a very long while. A light appears on the other side of the closet door. "The lights are back on." I murmur out. "That doesn't stop me." She says as she reaches up higher in my shirt and continues to kiss me. I pull her hand back down to my stomach, and pull her close. We continue for a few more minutes then lay back on the wall inside the closet. "I'm not sure what just happened." I tell her. "Bliss." She says as she snuggles into my side. We lay there for a few more minutes, and take the space heater to the living room. Since the power is back on we turn on the TV and watch a movie under the blanket we had before. I can't keep my eyes open half way through, and dose of next to her.