❝ temper us in fire ❞

[returnanew]

{ and we grow stronger }
💮 gaja 💮 cian brennan 💮

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[returnanew]

Though he couldn't speak human language in this shape, Gaja understood it. Something in the softness of that voice was so familiar. It wasn't quiet out of fear of being noticed, no, Gaja could sense a different, a deeper fear in it than that. Tucking himself back into the tub, the bird snapped its bill and made a gesture somewhat like a nod as if to say 'yes, water is safe now.'

[shydeath]

Nodding, Cian carefully got up and went over to sit on the edge of the tub with his feet in there. Grabbing the hose nozzle, he turned the water on and made sure the water would be comfortable. Then he started to gently spray it over those feathers to help the ash fall away. More and more colors were revealed and the banshee smiled a little as he saw them.

"Let me know if there are places I miss."

[returnanew]

Gaja replied with a soft cooing sort of sound. Once the water started, he shifted the bathtub, spreading his wings to aid Cian in getting the ash off. This all could've been easier if he just shifted into his human form. Alas, he is but a bird and, in this moment, was not capable of holding more than a handful of thoughts.

The warm water felt good. Gaja clicked and chittered happily, though still quietly, under the spray. He was careful to only shake himself a little so as not to splash Cian in the process. Please don't think him less dignified a creature if he does play a little in the water.

[shydeath]

Smiling more, Cian eventually just held the hose for him to enjoy the feel of the water. To play a little while he settled. He probably needed time. That was fine with him. His father was out right now so he had nothing but time to just stay with his new...friend? Was that what he was? He'd never been allowed to have anything like that or more before.

It was nice though. Even if it was only a short while. Just pretending for a time.

[returnanew]

Under normal circumstances, Gaja doesn't enjoy being wet. But he enjoys being dirty even less than being wet. After a few minutes of totally-not-playing-and-splashing, he finally gives himself a little shake and starts to waddle away from the water. That's enough, please and thank you. He's ready to be dry now.

The water made his colors a bit darker, more saturated, but he was definitely a bright thing. Unbeknownst to Cian, Gaja definitely considered him a friend. He only had an impression of him, but anyone willing to help him at his weakest was a friend in his mind. Gaja would've smiled and said 'thanks' if he were capable of it. Since he can't in this form, he just clicked his bill and, instead of following with a quiet chittering or deep chirp, the phoenix sang him a few soft notes.

[shydeath]

Eyes widening, he listened to the song, enchanted by it. He'd always wanted to hear a phoenix sing but had never been able to. This was an honor he never expected to have given who his family was. Cian listened quietly to the few notes then gave the bird a soft smile before reaching out to gently stroke his face. Turning the water off, he set the hose aside then just ran his fingers over him.

He didn't want his feathers to get messed up, after all. Best to help him get them in order at least.

"When you feel safe I will help you escape," he promised him.

[returnanew]

This was nice. He couldn't recall having anyone around immediately after being reborn. If it happened before, Gaja didn't remember it. SHaking a little more of the excess water from his feather, the bird cocked his head, peering with unmasked curiosity at Cian.

It was as if he was asking without you?

[shydeath]

Not understanding the tilt of that head, he just stroked his feathers and sighed a little. "You might not remember but it's dangerous here. So I'll help you get away so my father won't find you."

Another little sigh and he put his hands in his lap. "We can use the garden."

[returnanew]

Dangerous? Oh! Oh, that's right! This was a banshee's house! Then, this one helping him? That must be why he speaks so softly. Gaja made a small, mournful sound. No, he wasn't ready to leave at this moment. He wanted to let his feathers dry completely so he could properly fly. That would give him more time to spend with Cian. Cian, who helped him, but who seemed so heartbreakingly lonely.

Without any conscious thought on his part, Gaja's body shifted to take on his human form once more. He's capable of creating clothing when he changes, but since he was wet, this time he didn't. Or maybe because he didn't think of it. Just like his bird feathers, Gaja's hair was now obnoxiously bright orange. Blinking over at Cian, he simply said, "Come away with me."

[shydeath]

Gaja shifted before his eyes and he blinked in surprise. Oh he was ready to change already? He really must feel so much better. But more than that there was recognition in those eyes. Recognition of him. Eyes wide, he listened then gasped softly.

He couldn't have heard him right. That was impossible...

"What?"

[returnanew]

“You’re not happy here,” Gaja stated simply. “Something other than your power frightens you.” He paused, flicking his tongue across his lips. Lurching to the tub’s edge, the phoenix reached out to grasp Cian’s wrist. “You helped me. Let me help you.”

[shydeath]

Cian reached out on instinct to support him, keep him from falling. It got himself wet but he didn't care. They were just clothes and he couldn't get sick anyway. Licking his lips, he stared at the beautiful bird. "I...I don't want to put you in danger..."

[returnanew]

At that, Gaja chuckled. "If anyone's putting me in danger, it's me. I absolve you of that worry."

The mirth quickly faded away, leaving an expression far more serious than Gaja usually wore (not that Cian would know that yet). His fingers tighten ever so slightly around Cian's wrist as if he might just drag him away regardless of what the banshee says. They're warmer than a normal human's but not nearly as hot as his skin had been several days ago. Gaja tipped his chin down slightly, brows lifting as his gaze focused more intensely on Cian.

"Do you want to stay here?"

[shydeath]

The way his eyes opened so wide said how surprised he was very easily. No one, absolutely no one, had ever asked him that question before. Did he want to stay there? They just all let him know it was his duty to stay but never actually asked him what he wanted. Never.

And he was so startled by it that he hesitated to answer at first. He just...wasn't used to anyone caring about what he wanted. Enough so that he usually forgot what he wanted as a result.

Slowly, he shook his head before he even realized it.

[returnanew]

Though he's only just been reborn, Gaja recognizes that look. It's the face of someone who's never been given a choice. How pitiable. But Gaja refused to pity him. Cian's making a choice now and that's brave of him. He made a choice to help the phoenix, too. He's clearly someone who wants autonomy. And that's all Gaja's offering: a taste of freedom. If Cian decides he wants to return to this house, that will be his choice, too.

As it should be.

"Tell me," he urges. "Say the word and I'll take you away."

[shydeath]

If his heart could beat it would be rushing, pounding right out of his chest honestly. Instead he was just left in shock, mouth opening and closing. He really did want what Gaja was offering, more than he fully could even comprehend. Yet he was so scared. So scared of what saying yes could mean. Biting his lip, he tried to resist the urge because could he really escape this life? Was it even possible?

But then suddenly he was speaking again before he realized it.

"I don't want this life..." The words were whispered so softly they were almost inaudible. But they were said.

[returnanew]

Gaja's hold on Cian's wrist didn't loosen at the utterance. Nor did it tighten. Raking his freehand through that fiery hair, Gaja nodded once. They should leave soon. The sooner the better if Cian's fear of what's in this house is any indication.

"Is it safe to go outside now?"

[shydeath]

It had been safe when he came in here but now? Now he wasn't sure. Time had passed since then and that worried him. He looked to the door then back to Gaja.

"The servant passages are..."

That was the safest way to get outside from here.

[returnanew]

His fingers slip from Cian's wrist to clasp his hand. Carefully, he lifts a foot to step over the edge of the bathtub. There's an urgency to the gesture, burning in those dark eyes. Is he worried Cian will change his mind? Maybe.

"Show me."

[shydeath]

Rising to his feet, he let Gaja pull him from the bathtub then nodded. He shouldn't do this. He should let the phoenix go. He should forget he ever existed. But, could he really do any of that?

The answer was no.

So he led the way to the hidden passage, his cold hand holding tight to the one holding his as he brought them out into the gardens.

[returnanew]

It was dangerously close to the house, but Gaja didn’t want to risk his savior getting dragged back into it if the didn’t make their escape quickly. His feet barely touched the grass before those brilliant feathers sprouted and Gaja’s very body began changing. Would he burst out if skin as a giant bird of fire? No, not with Cian in tow. Though he now had full control of his fire, Gaja wanted to draw less attention to them, not more.

They were still moving through the garden when he shifted into a bird far larger than even an albatross. Large enough to easily carry off a grown man. Or, in this case, a slim banshee. Only once they ascended above the clouds did Gaja spark and catch fire — all in an attempt to keep the cold from their altitude and the rushing wind from making Cian colder than he was naturally.

[shydeath]

He couldn't believe this was real. He couldn't. This was freedom and he gasped as he looked at the world beneath them fading away. Growing smaller and smaller. He'd done it. He'd run away.

Cian was startled by a little laugh that escaped him, putting a hand over his mouth even as he kept smiling, trying to look at everything at once.

[returnanew]

That note of laughter made everything worthwhile. If he were capable of it in this shape, Gaja would've smiled. As it was, he could sense the awe rolling off his companion.

"This won't be your last time flying." Rather than a spoken voice, the words were more like the notes of a song on the wind, a deep sort music that almost seemed to resonate more in Cian's mind than outside of it. As large as Gaja is in this form, he can cover a lot of distance quickly with those powerful wings. Which prompts his question:

"What do you want to see first?"

[shydeath]

Cian shook his head simply because he had no idea. The idea that he could actually escape hadn't even been a dream. It had just been literally impossible. The fact that he was doing this now? It didn't even feel real. So he had no idea where to even start, eyes staring at everything at once.

Eventually he just...pointed. That way. Wherever that went. That was where he wanted to go.

[returnanew]

That way. Eventually that way led to the ocean. As much as Gaja didn't enjoy being wet, he did admire the beauty of the sea and all its wonders. It held a vast number of creatures he could never know or even see; as true a mystery to him as the deep dark of space (which he probably could survive if he were ever inclined to leave the Earth).

It made him wonder if Cian has ever been over the ocean. It's so different than peering at its amazing size from the shore. Either way is amazing. But Gaja thought soaring above it was the best way to truly appreciate how long and far it goes. Even for as large a creature as Gaja is, the ocean was immense.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"