Post by Wisp on Feb 15, 2019 2:47:05 GMT
Days off were a pretty uncommon thing for Leon. When he wasn't either planning or working an operation as Wisp, he was busy at his day job as a courier, and on the odd occasion where he wasn't doing any of that, Zephyr was usually putting him through the wringer in the name of 'training'. He still swore that sometimes she was just messing with him. Anyway, that was great for keeping him in shape and further developing his skills, but it meant that in order to get some peace he usually had to sneak out into the city by himself. All of that meant that situations like this one were an exceedingly rare thing.
Leon was stretched out on the couch in the living room, lounging in the late afternoon in front of the television. He could feel a soft weight against his arm as his sister Iris used him as a pillow, and no fewer than three cats were purring as they cuddled against the greatest source of heat in the room; his stomach. The smell of the start of dinner cooking wafted in from the other room, and in general a lazy mood hung in the air. This had to be the single most comfortable moment for Leon in recent memory.
"So, what did you think Leo?"
Leon turned his gaze to see the girl's Hazel eyes glancing at him around the rims of her glasses, her chin still resting on his shoulder. "Not too bad." The ending credits of a show she'd wanted him to watch were scrolling across the television screen. It had been some old scifi series that followed a ragtag crew of outlaws as they tried to make a living on the frontiers of space. The setting had a distinctly western feel, which was supposedly a much rarer thing back then, and the show seemed to focus largely on the interactions and relationships of the main cast. All in all Leon had found it pretty enjoyable, but with the last episode it just kinda stopped without any real conclusion. "You said they canceled the rest of this though? Can't really see why they'd do that. Seemed like it had a lot of potential"
"Yeah, a lot of people complained. They made a movie later on to try and tie things up, we can watch that next time if you want."
"Sure, sounds good to me." Leon said with slight shrug, knowing full well just how long it could be before the next time he had a day off. Iris must have thought of it too, because rather than getting up she reached for the remote and started looking for something else to watch, seemingly trying to stretch out their quality time as much as she could. That was just fine with him, and while the girl flipped through the channels, he found himself smiling as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
How long had it been now? The Kastavel family must have picked him about seven years ago, and even still moments like this caught him off guard. He'd been so angry at the world back then, willing to tear down anything as long as it meant he could survive. He'd been left behind, forgotten, betrayed, and beaten down. The scars and rage of those days probably wouldn't ever go away, it was what had made him him after all... But days like this? They made that anger seem so far away. He had a life now that was more than just trying to tear his way up from the bottom; he had a home, people to look after... That's right, he wasn't alone anymore, that was probably the biggest difference. He used to use people and discard them, like so many had done to him, but now he had people that he probably couldn't ever betray.
He could still remember when the old lady first signed the papers and brought him to the house. Iris had been so excited to suddenly have an older brother, she didn't even care where he came from. Since then Leon had grown just about as close with his foster sister as he had been with his brother Nico, the only flesh and blood he'd ever known. If someone had ever tried to suggest such a thing would happen back then, his younger self probably would have tried to rip them a new one, but here he was, with a new family and a new reason to keep on living.
As his thought's continued to wander, Leon just barely noticed the sound of the door opening on the far side of the room. 'Right one cue...' His head tilted back and his eyelids cracked open to see a head of wavy brown hair poking through the gap in the doorway. The pair of green eyes that peeked in softened at the scene that they stumbled upon, but only for an instant before they realized they'd been noticed, and promptly returned to the sharp predatory gaze that Leon had become so very accustomed to. Raelyn 'Zephyr' Kastavel pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped into view just long enough to give instructions.
"Kid, change and meet me in the basement, we've got some things to go over before dinner."
There wasn't even the slightest chance for Leon to talk back before she disappeared back around the corner, leaving the boy to smirk in spite of himself. That's right, even if some part of him really did want to leave his old way of life behind, the decision wasn't only his own anymore. This new family of his was probably the only reason he was still kicking, he knew that, and so the debt he had to pay back was twofold. If the old lady really wanted him to take up the torch and burn the rotten parts of the world away from the inside, well he'd just have to do it. That's what that rage of his wanted to do anyway.
He turned back toward his sister to see a look of disappointment, but he just smiled softly and ruffled her hair a bit. "You heard the lady, time for work. Set up the console and we'll play some games after dinner, I promise. Alright?"
"Fine, but you'd better keep that promise, or else your suit might just accidentally miss a maintenance session or two."
Leon was stretched out on the couch in the living room, lounging in the late afternoon in front of the television. He could feel a soft weight against his arm as his sister Iris used him as a pillow, and no fewer than three cats were purring as they cuddled against the greatest source of heat in the room; his stomach. The smell of the start of dinner cooking wafted in from the other room, and in general a lazy mood hung in the air. This had to be the single most comfortable moment for Leon in recent memory.
"So, what did you think Leo?"
Leon turned his gaze to see the girl's Hazel eyes glancing at him around the rims of her glasses, her chin still resting on his shoulder. "Not too bad." The ending credits of a show she'd wanted him to watch were scrolling across the television screen. It had been some old scifi series that followed a ragtag crew of outlaws as they tried to make a living on the frontiers of space. The setting had a distinctly western feel, which was supposedly a much rarer thing back then, and the show seemed to focus largely on the interactions and relationships of the main cast. All in all Leon had found it pretty enjoyable, but with the last episode it just kinda stopped without any real conclusion. "You said they canceled the rest of this though? Can't really see why they'd do that. Seemed like it had a lot of potential"
"Yeah, a lot of people complained. They made a movie later on to try and tie things up, we can watch that next time if you want."
"Sure, sounds good to me." Leon said with slight shrug, knowing full well just how long it could be before the next time he had a day off. Iris must have thought of it too, because rather than getting up she reached for the remote and started looking for something else to watch, seemingly trying to stretch out their quality time as much as she could. That was just fine with him, and while the girl flipped through the channels, he found himself smiling as he tilted his head back and closed his eyes.
How long had it been now? The Kastavel family must have picked him about seven years ago, and even still moments like this caught him off guard. He'd been so angry at the world back then, willing to tear down anything as long as it meant he could survive. He'd been left behind, forgotten, betrayed, and beaten down. The scars and rage of those days probably wouldn't ever go away, it was what had made him him after all... But days like this? They made that anger seem so far away. He had a life now that was more than just trying to tear his way up from the bottom; he had a home, people to look after... That's right, he wasn't alone anymore, that was probably the biggest difference. He used to use people and discard them, like so many had done to him, but now he had people that he probably couldn't ever betray.
He could still remember when the old lady first signed the papers and brought him to the house. Iris had been so excited to suddenly have an older brother, she didn't even care where he came from. Since then Leon had grown just about as close with his foster sister as he had been with his brother Nico, the only flesh and blood he'd ever known. If someone had ever tried to suggest such a thing would happen back then, his younger self probably would have tried to rip them a new one, but here he was, with a new family and a new reason to keep on living.
As his thought's continued to wander, Leon just barely noticed the sound of the door opening on the far side of the room. 'Right one cue...' His head tilted back and his eyelids cracked open to see a head of wavy brown hair poking through the gap in the doorway. The pair of green eyes that peeked in softened at the scene that they stumbled upon, but only for an instant before they realized they'd been noticed, and promptly returned to the sharp predatory gaze that Leon had become so very accustomed to. Raelyn 'Zephyr' Kastavel pushed the door open the rest of the way and stepped into view just long enough to give instructions.
"Kid, change and meet me in the basement, we've got some things to go over before dinner."
There wasn't even the slightest chance for Leon to talk back before she disappeared back around the corner, leaving the boy to smirk in spite of himself. That's right, even if some part of him really did want to leave his old way of life behind, the decision wasn't only his own anymore. This new family of his was probably the only reason he was still kicking, he knew that, and so the debt he had to pay back was twofold. If the old lady really wanted him to take up the torch and burn the rotten parts of the world away from the inside, well he'd just have to do it. That's what that rage of his wanted to do anyway.
He turned back toward his sister to see a look of disappointment, but he just smiled softly and ruffled her hair a bit. "You heard the lady, time for work. Set up the console and we'll play some games after dinner, I promise. Alright?"
"Fine, but you'd better keep that promise, or else your suit might just accidentally miss a maintenance session or two."
"Scaaary." Leon teased as he dislodged himself from the pile of dozing cats around him and made for the basement.
Raelyn Kastavel appearance:
Iris Kastavel appearance: