A Star's Life : Growing Up, Growing Old

Old friends, new enemies

Ezibeth did not want to be at this stupid party right now. She did not want to be in this stupid dress. It was too tight, who puts a voidling in maxi dress. Specifically a velvet maxi dress. Lesser be a green velvet maxi dress. Ezibeth huffed, balling up her fists and slapping them by her sides. She leaned against the wall, visibly shivering at feeling the cold bricks meet her blazing wings.
Ezi stared at the glass in her hand, her eyes narrowed at the red brimming from where hot skin met the cold cup. She lethargically slushed around the champagne. Ezibeth stared into the glamorous  liquid with disdain as it reflected the other occupants of the ballroom. She held back a snarl at the idea of getting closer to the half drunken crowd of rich people in equally tacky dresses and suits.
Ezi's tail swept on the cold tile floor. She shuddered as even more cold seeped into her skin. Ezi's gills flushed back against her neck with irritation at the beginning of yet another boring waltz song. She scowled at the men and women acting as if they'd not been talking for what the voidling lady perceived as hours now.
Ezi had been ready to lash out when an obnoxious looking figure came from her right.
"You're far out from the party madam." He chimed out with humor. Ezi wanted to slap him silly right then and there. All that kept her from doing so was her self-preservation and the crown on his head. "Newly crowned King Solstice? What brings you to the only chaim wallflower?" She snapped from the irritation, slapping her tail against her right leg as it made a thundering slap. Lucky for her the waltz music covered the disgruntled noise from any participants.
Sol chuckled at her dismay. "Maybe we could head somewhere less forcibly social. What do you say Princess Ezibeth of the void isles?" Sol spoke smoothly, with the confidence a man twice his age would have. Ezibeth figured him a sly bastard at age 18. "Oh please, I wouldn't want to take you from your own coronation celebration." She hissed looking down her nose at the cavu who stood at just above half her height. "I would give anything to be away from this froufrou party!" Sol spat with genuineness one would never expect of a king. "Fine, if the king demands it so, it shalt be done." Ezi mocked as if a servant.
Sol giggled waving Ezibeth on as he headed for the stairs. Ezi giggled along, she trampled up the stairs following the young king. Sol opened the door to a cozy room. It was quaintly lit, the bed was swaddled in large blankets. A large window framed the night that shown over the glorious sunny kingdom. As Ezi glanced harder, she saw the window was an opening to a balcony.
Sol plopped himself atop the comfy bed without as much as a single thought beforehand. With a flick of his hand both he and Ezibeth had achieved new clothes. The fabric was so soft and open to allow both of their wings space to freely lay out stretched. "Much better. So actual introductions. I'm Sol." Sol held out his hand. "I'm Ezi." She responded shaking Sol's hand.
"You can shift back into your Void form, it's pretty late and I'm sure you're tired." Sol offered reaching for his necklace. To the untrained eye one would assume it was just an average pendant necklace, it was a pretty little thing. A small cone shaped metal with small spiral indentations and a red translucent resin around it in a flame shape. But Ezi knew it was more than just a pretty necklace. That was an illusion charm. She'd have to thank Aunt Esper for that.
"I'll go back to my true form, if you take off your illusion charm." Ezi struck up the offer. Sol looked shocked, Ezi giggled at his surprise. "Close your jaw, you'll catch a fly." Sol bellowed over in laughter before taking off his illusion charm. His golden hair curled up tight and started descending from his cheek, to his chin, down little ways past his shoulders. A small dark pink horn sprouted from his forehead. It couldn't have been longer than his smallest finger.
"Well aren't you a strange one." Ezi courtly commented. She didn't miss the mildly hurt expresion Sol bore at it. "I thought I was the only one." She continued healing his ashed face. With a snap of her finger her current form melted away to reveal the true her underneath. Her gils a bright red with transparent orange gell like skin protecting it with her tail matching. A larger black horn erupted itself from her ghost gray forehead. Freckles of dark gray splattered itself across her face and shoulders.
"Well, I guess it's great we both hated parties that much." Sol cracked a smile. Not the polite one he would greet everyone with. It was that big kind of smile that tickled his eyes and lit up the room. It was such a contagious smile that Ezi couldn't help but copy it. While Sol's was bright and cheerful, Ezi's looked like something one would see in anti-chaim propaganda. One of those that framed voidlings as vicious rabid animals.
Ezi only realized her smile closed down after it had been diminished entirely. Sol noticed quicker than her. His expression posed questioning. "What's up?" Ezi shook her head and blinked away the extra water in her pure white eyes. "Nothing, just thinking too much." She quickly replied, Sol didn't take that answer too well. "Nugget for your thoughts?" Sol quipped slyly whilst pulling a chunk of gold that had to be bigger than what's considered a nugget.
"Where did you even get that?" Ezi giggled at the comically large piece of gold. "From my pocket? I've got more." Sol joked, or at least Ezi thought he was joking when in reality he wasn't. He pulled yet another, even larger piece of gold from his pocket. "Fine, I'll just take the one gold since apparently you have more than enough to spare." Sol grinned and let out a small chuckle. "Thoughts first Flicker." He teased. Ezi's gills ruffled up once smooth edges now sharpened even if just a little. "Flicker?" She questioned with an accusatory tone. Sol laughed a little harder. "Cause you're a phoenix of your kin. You run hotter than any other voidling I've met. I saw what you did to that glass of champagne you had earlier." Ezi huffed in relief. "Fine you can call me Flicker."
"Now. Thoughts." Sol demanded playfully. Ezibeth sighed. "Fine, I kept remembering some anti-chaim propaganda I saw whilst wandering with Aunt Esper." She shamefully admitted. Sol cooed in sympathy sounding eerily similar to a mourning dove. "Some people are cruel, some more than others." Sol opened his arms for Ezi to lean to a hug, and so she did.