Love & Deepspace (One Shots)

omnipotent perception. 🎨 (s)

At the end of a wonderful, fun-filled couple of weeks, it was the last day of Rafayel and I's trip to a country on a peninsula renowned for its literature and art. After he'd completed his work for an art exhibition in its capital city, we'd travelled south along the border for sightseeing and for our final stop, had ended up in a small city that truly encompassed the essence of the arts and literature. We hadn't arrived that long ago, but I was mesmerised by every single detail of the place.

The blazing sun pierced through the clouds scattered across the crystal blue sky, and the chatter of other tourists filling the streets made it feel incredibly busy. In this small city, tourist attractions were scattered like stars and the roads wound like a maze, so I suggested to Rafayel that we travel by bike to avoid a lot of the traffic. He quickly agreed though created quite a bit of fuss over which bicycle to get - specifically that he wanted a tandem one - but after I managed to persuade him that individual bikes were the best choice, we made our way outside and begun our journey. I made sure to ride at a somewhat slow pace to allow Rafayel time to get used to cycling again.

After a walk around the town square and a quick stop at the local art academy, we continued our bike ride along our planned route as the sun set and the sky began to darken. My mind wandered as I rode, my thoughts drifting back to the brief discussion of Rafayel's past that we had whilst at the academy; ever since I've known him, he's never really told me much about his life back in Lemuria, and he still gave very little away. All I really found out was that he once lived and studied in this city for three years as one of the youngest students at that time, and that's why he's so knowledgeable about it... I was sure, as there often is with Rafayel, that there was more to the story, but he refused to explain much more than that.

The road soon dipped into a downward slope, and the increase in speed allowed the dry yet slightly cool summer night breeze to caress my skin. It was refreshing, and I kept my eyes closed to enjoy it until to road levelled out again. Once I was able to slow my pace back to normal, I was able to glance over my shoulder and was surprised to see that Rafayel was no longer behind me as he had been five minutes ago. Did the hill cause me to speed ahead that much, or was he struggling with the bike so much that he'd just fallen behind?

Unsure how far back Rafayel was, I decided it would be best if I pulled over to the side of the road and waited for him to catch up. I leaned against the guard rail and took the opportunity to pull out the book I'd bought from an antique shop earlier that day in an attempt to learn more about his kind; it was entitled, 'One Lemurian On A Stormy Night'. I wasn't sure if it would provide me with genuine knowledge or if it was just another meaningless romance story, but I figured it was worth a try.

The more time Rafayel and I spent together, the more I slowly realised that although Lemurians and humans look similar, their habits are vastly different. Lemurians adapted to the water pressure of the deep sea, they're used to the temperatures down there, and they don't like hot places in particular. Of course, in the eyes of a human, they're very picky about what they eat, wear, and use. I found them absolutely fascinating... or maybe it was just him that I found fascinating.

I felt myself becoming lost in the words scattered across those old, dirt-stained pages the more I stared at them, though the sound of distant screaming caused me to jump and look in the direction of the hill. Slowly appearing over the top, I saw a panicked figure on a bicycle moving way too fast, completely out of control. I was surprised they were even staying upright, and there was no doubt they were going to crash once they reached the bottom.

The closer they got, the sooner I realised who the person was. "...Rafayel!"

Before I could say or do anything further, he reached the bottom of the hill and a cacophony of clinks and clangs echoed through the air; he was unable to stop in time, and he tumbled into the bushes the moment we locked eyes. Seconds later, he rubbed his ankle and slowly pulled himself to his feet, looking around in a daze.