People watching, For Sheebz

The buildings weren’t the most inviting area for observation she had been to, but it was somewhere she was able to do such things constantly. It was her last year in the campus of buildings. A graduate of the high school in not too long now, and she would be free to go to college and start working on a degree in psychology, despite the fact that interacting with many people scared her. But, that was in the future, right now it was time to leave the school in the smallest, quietest and most unnoticeable way she could.

Her first step was to slip out of the classroom as the bell rang, making sure no one was pushing her too much as she made it to her locker. She grabbed her bag as quickly as she could and slipped through the hallways, absently noticing the groups of girls in one corner, boys in another, staring at each other in obvious lust, it was disgusting and she was glad to be away from them within the next week. Kimi was small which worked to her advantage in maneuvering through the people, muttering quiet ‘Excuse me, pardon me’s as she passed.

By the time she made it outside it was a short walk to the housing district and to home, but she didn’t really want to leave just yet, she thought she might make some notes in her notebook on how teenagers behaved when in school, as she had done all day, much to the dislike of her peers and teachers. They didn’t understand her interest in what was going on and so she kept it to herself for the most part, only showing those that looked over her shoulder and never intentionally.

It was easy enough to find a spot to sit, there were some trees in the area, some large enough to provide ample shade in the sweltering heat that was outside. As she found her spot and settled, slipping out a brown leather notebook, she glanced around, shy of who was around and slowly relaxed, almost as if waiting for something to happen.

An oak leaf fell into the soft white spikes of Julian Belrose's hair, but the boy took no notice as his cool gray eyes scanned the school grounds below him. He had only been in Sairan for a few weeks but he already had half a notebook full of photographs and entries of his discoveries of Human and Hybri relationships throughout his travels.

The particular notebook he had clutched in his hands was a dark red leather-bound one with 'Sairan' written in neat cursive on the front. The end of a fountain pen was caught lightly between his teeth as his other hand was holding a camera. I was one of those old-fashioned ones that spit out the picture after it was taken. He snapped a shot of the school front and waited as it developed before tapping it down and jotted notes down on the side. Sairan High School- Human and Hybri attendants. Interaction between species, although limited. Observation day #1.

His small wings twitched from the wind currents way up in the tree he was occupying. He had chosen a very tall oak tree as his base of operations so he could be high up enough to watch over most of the school without being easily spotted. He didn't want to get thrown out for trespassing school grounds without permission. He was still of high-school age but he no longer belonged to any schools.

He had come from a very rich family with maids, gardeners, the whole nine yards. Most of all, he had tutors from a very young age. He finished his main schooling at 15 and started college courses until he left home at 16 to travel the world to take on a self-given project. He was curious to find out if Humans and Hybri could coexist peacefully in any area with the right circumstances. He didn't have his answer yet but he was defiantly having fun gathering data.

His eye was caught by a dark figure out by some trees and he raised the camera to his eyes to focus on the target better. It was a small girl, probably around his age, sitting down in the trees' shade. He smiled and snapped a picture of her and attached it right below his last picture. Local resident-Specimen #1 (?)

The kids were pouring out of the school now, groups followed by other groups, groups of girls and boys, hybris and humans, all sorts and all shapes. They didn’t often intermix but when they did, it was interesting to watch. The girls flirting with the boys, animal features mixed with normal human features. She was lucky enough to only possess wings that drew attention every now and again because of how darkly colored they were. The blue of her eyes told more of her coloring as a hummingbird hybri than her wings. They were dark and black, that wasn’t very descriptive of a wing, but that was what they were.

But, she looked as lion ears and wolf tails walked by, absently noting the proud stride they exhibited, puffed chests and smirks. Yes, even human jocks looked like this when they felt confident. Many similarities were there if only people looked beyond the outer shell. Kimi frowned at that thought, remembering being teased by the young women in middle school when she had finally entered the public school system. She was excited to meet people, albeit a bit nervous as well, and having being kept home for years, being shown the outside had been thrilling. Until she met the girls who eventually tore her confidence she had held down to pieces and stared at her as if she was from another planet.

Shaking her head of those thoughts she looked up for a moment, the sun had caught a glint of something in a neighboring tree and she blinked a moment but then released the idea of something being up there and turned back to the groups of kids. The fields were on the far side of the building, meaning she would have to follow in order to watch them further, or she would stay and watch the younger children that got out later, which brought a small smile to her face. Slowly, she thought she saw more acceptance in the younger generation coming up.

She sighed, smiling still and thought about a world that accepted differences with understanding instead of hate.

Julian was having a field day observing all his little subjects from above. Children and teenagers proved more interesting because they were more open-minded than adults. The older a person got, the more media or politics could influence a person's point of view on another race. They also practiced the ability of self-control so that they could hide their true opinions through careful wording and blank faces.

Teenagers, specifically those just about to be thrust in the adult world, gave away the most information. They were up to date on the workings of the world, yet they didn't fully understand their meanings or didn't care. They spoke their minds with limited restraint and open disgust if they felt strong dislike towards another.

However, this site was proving that inter-species interaction could be tolerated and they could work around their differences. This was a public school so there was no heavy enforcement for the students to get along. The peace over the campus was one the students made and kept themselves.

His stomach was starting to protest, he hadn't eaten yet that day, so he started packing up his belongings in his leather back slung across his shoulder. He left his notebook balanced precariously on a forked tree branch as he wrapped his camera carefully and reached for the book out of the corner of his eye as he threw the pen to the bottom. His fingers brushed the edge as he knocked it from its perch and tumbled down.

"Oh Shi-" he cursed as the book hit several smaller branches on the way down before hitting the ground. He glided down as gracefully as he could with his small wings and sighed when he saw the book had fallen open and several pictures fallen out over the ground.

She had returned to reality slowly, wanting to stay in her fantastical world of nice places and nice people to talk to. Not one where there was silent disgust and anger directed from both sides to the others. She sighed quietly, returning to her book and notes, absently noting the changes the girls made in their walks when they left the school, more hip swinging and a taller stance showing off confidence many did not have if you read their faces close enough. She somewhat envied their bravery but knew better than to ever try that herself. It just wasn’t in her personality to stand out.

As she went to stand and head over to the smaller buildings that housed the younger school children she noticed a book fall and blinked at the sight. It wasn’t a normal occurrence for inanimate objects to fall out of trees around the school. She wasn’t quite sure whether to pull out her notebook again from her backpack and make note of this or to just move towards it to find out what it was.

It was just after she had started to move towards the book, curiosity coming over her, when the young man had fallen down out of the tree gracefully, catching her attention fully and surprisingly. He was a pretty young man, from what she could see of him, probably not much older than herself but he held himself differently than the people around the school. She hadn’t seen him before and wasn’t sure what to make of him. What should I do? He can’t be from around here… She would know, having stayed behind late many a day and having known what just about everyone looked like.

Unfortunately for her, she had forgotten to stop walking until she was too close to not at least say hello without being thought rude. Once she noticed her predicament she bit her lip gently and cleared her throat as quietly as she possibly could, “H-hello.” Her voice was high pitched and sweet sounding to the ear, quiet though it was, it carried far enough to grab attention of a few people whose hearing was impeccable to turn their heads towards it. Not that it was magic to the ear but just so uncommonly heard that it was different to those around. “I-I noticed your book fell, is it alright?” She blushed a light pink that complimented her eyes and gave the young man the most shy smile as ever was seen, hopefully he wouldn’t be angry with her for talking…

Cursing himself for his clumsiness, Julian started picking up his fallen possession scattered on the warm summer grass. The wind was picking up, tugging at the edges of the Polaroids tauntingly. He picked the notebook up by the spine and frowned when more of them tumbled out, along with odds and ends of souvenirs he had collected over time.

He bent over to grab them as they started fluttering away in the breeze when a voice startled him. He just about jumped out of his skin when he saw a girl just a few steps away. Julian hadn't even noticed anyone walking toward him. It was the girl from earlier, the one he had labeled 'Specimen #1'.

He turned bright red at being caught in a vulnerable position such as he was now. She had asked a question but his racing mind barely caught on to any words. He was a very shy person that became extremely nervous when being around new people, that's why he spent most of his time watching from afar.

"B-book? Oh y-yes! Its fine it's just-" The wind was picking up strength, along with his precious photographs. "No, no, no!" He jumped after them as they played their own version of inanimate-object-tag with their owner. "C-come back here!" He snatched at anything within his reach. Pressed flowers, old ribbons, and the photos teased an mocked him as they tumbled farther away.

At seeing his distress over the situation at hand, she panicked herself and set her bag down and began to help collecting the things. She felt as if it was her fault he hadn’t gotten everything together. It was nice to help someone finally, even if she was embarrassed and pink. She snatched some pictures, and held a couple of pressed flowers gently as she approached him. “U-uh, here you go, sir.” She didn’t know what to call him and she wasn’t sure how he would want to be addressed. She had gathered everything she had seen, her hands were full as well as her arms.

She came as if she were baring gifts to the young man. “My name is Kimi Yukimura… I live in the Housing District…” She felt a need to let him know who she was so that he didn’t scare more. He seemed frightened by something and she felt responsible, not knowing what to do for the man, having never spoken to a male outside of the occasional teachers and teasers. It was…nerve wrecking to say the least. “I-I hope I got everything for your book, I’m sorry if I didn’t.” Her shy manners were becoming more and more pronounced as she spent more time with the young man.

After handing him the rest of his things she straightened and picked her back up carefully, slowly so as not to frighten him and slung it over her shoulders. “Uhm, I… I should probably go…” But she didn’t move, she didn’t really want to leave him alone. She bit her lip, trying to decide what to do.

Julian was shocked when he turned in the other direction to chase after his belongings to find that the girl had already gathered them and introduced herself. "Thank you so much Miss....uh....Miss Yukimura." He took his flowers and photos back and placed them in a random spot in his journal to be fixed later. He took out a small pressed sunflower and held it out as an offering.

"Take this as a small token of gratitude for assisting me," he smiled warmly and placed it in her hair. "Such a beautiful young lady deserves a flower to match." He threw his journal in his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He bowed theatrically kissed her lightly on the hand. "I am the person whom they call Julian Oliver Alaric Damien Belrose the 5th. Traveler of distant lands and seeker of all knowledge." He laughed and stood up. "But you can just call me the scoundrel that ruined your good day."

She took a half step back when he turned and found her with a shocked face. Her instincts were to bow and head straight towards the fields on the other side of the buildings, not to stand there and be amazed. The soft gray of his eyes and the brightness of his hair almost made him look angelic, the wings on his back did not take away from the image, either. He seemed distracted by his things, putting the flowers and pictures back in his book and throwing the book inside his own bag he brought.

And though she assumed he would just thank her and be on his way, he surprised her into blushing. He had called her beautiful, causing her red cheeks to grow darker. The flower was pretty and her jaw dropped when he placed it in her hair. “A-ah, thank you, Mr. Belrose.” Shyly, she ducked her head a bit, overcome with a sense of embarrassment, she wasn’t thinking straight. But she did take into account that he said he was a traveler, something she had wanted to do, to go see new lands and understand other cultures.

A burst of awe came over her and she looked up in amazement, “You’re a traveler?” Her shyness kept her voice quiet but the need to know what he knew came through her tone. “What is it like elsewhere? Is it just as… hard? Are Hybris liked anywhere?” The questions came out before she finally replied to his statement, “A-and, you aren’t a scoundrel.”

"Thank you again Miss, and yes some places are harder than other for Hybri, others for Humans. I came from Reora, a beautiful little town overflowing with Hybri. Although my little sister was one of a few handful of humans tolerated in its gates." He laughed and dug his journal back out again.

He took out a picture of a girl, no older than five years old. She had long dark hair in tight ringlets and bright gray eyes. "This is the little darling herself. Both our parents were Hybri but she only took her mother's eyes. She is the light of my life, she's my best friend. I write to her almost everyday and send her back postcards wherever I go."

He took out photographs of dark forests, small bustling towns, and downtown life. "This here is Blackwood Forest, not many people go there because hardly anyone live there." He shuffled through and took one out of a bright, sunny beach. "This here is Bex, anyone can come here but,....let me see," he took out a photo of a large town, "this is Elk Ridge. I couldn't get a close up picture because it took me a long time just sneaking in. Its Human-only, no Hybri allowed." He winked at her, "Although I have my ways."

He put his things away again brushed the dust off of his pants. "The world is a fantastic place to view. Many hidden sights to uncover and," he coughed and scratched his head in embarrassment. "people to meet."

Kimi stood surprised at the fact he answered her so quickly. This was more to write in her notebook later, the oddities of behavior when you met someone from another place on the planet. But, as much as she was surprised, she was also secretly pleased. This traveler of the world was taking time out of his journey to talk to her only because she had helped in collecting pictures and flowers. A hand went to hair to make sure the flower was still there and smiled a bit as she listened to him talk of his young sister.

“She is very pretty.” And he was very sweet and cute to write to her every day and to tell her of his journeys. He was being very charming and kind, something new and different for the shy young woman who was used to being teased and excluded from the group of teenagers due to her quiet and observing ways. She didn’t know how exactly to react but she nodded a bit to let him know she was listening.

When he talked of a place that only humans dwelled she frowned a bit. Hybris were still human, too, just with some added genetics that allowed animal traits to come through. But the wink he made her way brightened her humor a bit, and when he ended his some-what speech, she smiled again. “The pictures are beautiful, I wish I could go to those places right now just to look…” Her voice trailed off as she daydreamed of traveling once again, “But, soon enough, I suppose, only about a week until I graduate and then I can go wherever I want for a while before going into college, no matter what Momma and Daddy say.” It was like she had forgotten he was standing there a moment and started to monologue but she quickly came back to reality. “W-well… It was nice to meet you, bu-but, I probably should let you back to your travels.”

Julian's smile faltered a little when the young woman hinted that she was going to leave. He didn't get to talk to many people on his journeys like he was now. Usually he only interacted with others was to ask for directions to the nearest main road or building. It was very, VERY rare that he talked to someone his own age. He found that he really enjoyed showing Kimi about his travels.

"Ah...I-if you want to travel you could..." he flushed while his hands fiddled with his bag strap, "I mean I was going to stay in town for a few more days before setting off again. If you wanted to..." his eyes darted between looking at the ground and looking up at Kimi's face, "you could c-come with me. B-but It's not like I'm forcing you or anything!"

Julian laughed and waved his hands frantically. "You know what? Never mind. You would never want to tag along with me anyway." He tried to look serious as he folded his arms and nodded his head in agreement with himself. "A nice, young lady like you would never want to trek through the great unknown with a mess like me."

Kimi bit her lip, wondering what to do. Her parents weren’t going to go with this plan of action very well, and she would need their help financially… She wasn’t gifted with money like her counterpart was and she didn’t want to rely on his money the whole trip. Her shyness was screaming at her that this was not a very good decision. He was still a stranger to her and she was still in school.

She bit her lip carefully, she really wanted to go out and explore with him, but what if something happened to him? How was she supposed to make it home, and did he really want to travel with her or was he a rapist…? You never knew these days. The young woman thought long and hard, the silence was only interrupted by wind and the rustling of trees and leaves. “I graduate in a week… Would you wait until I leave school?” This would allow her to get to know him, finish her schooling and talk to her parents about the situation, she nodded as if to agree with herself.

“I would really like to go with you… I want to see everything and learn more behaviors, I just need to talk to my parents, I need money and to pack… Please wait for me to be able to go with you? We have a guest room if you need somewhere to stay and I know my mother will want to meet you and my father will want to ask questions…” Now she was rambling a bit, desperate for him to say it was alright and he would wait. Such an opportunity would not come around again, especially not with a kind and handsome young man, she had to take this chance now or never go anywhere.

Julian resisted the urge to hop from one foot to the other as he waited for her reply. He knew it was foolish to offer what he had. Any sane person would have turned him down in an instant. After all, who would trust a lone boy like himself. It was just...he was tired of always being alone. True, he loved to travel in minimum noise and no one to look after but the nights seemed to grow longer with each passing month that he stayed in hotel rooms or in small tents pitched in the middle of a field under the starry sky.

He almost wept with relief when Kimi agreed to travel with him on the condition that he wait until she was out of school and that her parents approved. "Of course, my lady. I would love to take up board and greet the king and queen of your castle." He laughed and took her hand gently in his. "After all, if all goes well, I would be escorting a fair princess across the country. If money if an issue, I have full access to my accounts back home. I pack fairly light because clothing and personal belongings slow me down. Of course, if you want more clothing along the way I can give you anything you desire."

She grinned when he agreed to her terms and could have hugged the young man if she had known him better but she refrained and just half bowed. She was going to have a chance to go around the world when she thought that was so far off. She had time to convince her parents, finish her life in this city and move on. Gripping the straps of her bag, her smile shrank and softened at her thoughts. She apparently had gotten very lucky today and now she would have to hold onto the luck or have it all disappear before her eyes.

He took her hand so gently she had to blink to make sure it wasn’t a day dream. Looking to her hand in his, she noted the size differences and almost forgot to listen to him as he spoke to her. “I-I’m not really a lady yet.” Her blush was light and her delight was large as she relaxed a bit. “But… You shouldn’t have to pay for everything I’ll need…” She ducked her head a moment, unsure how to explain her need to be independent with him. “I don’t want to pack too much, just… I’ll need to take some things.” She stood still, unsure whether to lead him to her home now or to let him lead, she hadn’t talked to many people, let alone handsome young men that fell from trees so gracefully.