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Post by ALDRIC DALEY on Feb 14, 2011 3:03:29 GMT -5
Something was odd about today, though whatever it was, Aldric couldn't tell. The weather seemed fine, there wasn't some planned job or event he was forgetting, everything seemed perfectly normal. So why was there this nagging feeling in the back of his mind, like something was amiss?
The sun was shining behind a thin veil of clouds, the slight breeze blowing through he trees that were planted throughout one of Brack's few parks, the grass and flowers almost covering the smell of the city completely. It was a nice day off-- for some reason, there seemed to be a lot of 'free days' recently-- and the weather was nice, so Aldric was spending some time in the park.
With a book in hand, the magician walked along the gravel walkway, stopping to sit down on a bench that was sitting in the shade of a large oak. It was sitting across from a playground, and after reading a few pages of his book, Aldric couldn't help looking at some of the children playing there. One of them kept catching his eye; that fluffy brown hair, it looked exactly like...
No, it couldn't be. Could it?
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Post by FELIX LANGLEY on Feb 14, 2011 6:39:28 GMT -5
There was something off about today. You didn't have to be a genius to work that out. But you would have to be significantly more interested than Felix, who at that moment only cared about bragging to the other kids that his mother was getting him a piano for his seventh birthday. That didn't sound quite right either - no, 'seven' was not the right number. The others were suitable impressed, though, so he let that slide too.
He was going to practice every day and be a super famous pianist, he said. He'd be in all the big shows and his name would be on those sign things outside theatres, and he'd have lots of money and a big house and no-one would ever tell him to go to bed or eat his vegetables or anything! One of the others asked if she could be a famous pianist too. He replied maybe, if she was super talented. But you have to be really lucky, he insisted, and it was a lot of hard work.
Felix felt he was the centre of attention, and he rather liked it. But childish minds worked quickly, and soon his aspirations were forgotten in favour of an impromptu game of tip. The boy didn't join in straight away, though, because he could still feel someone looking at him. A glance around confirmed it - there was a man, sitting on a bench, looking right at him. The girl's dad? Probably - they looked awfully similar. And why else would there be someone older here? Because the boy had noticed that people seemed to stop playing at parks when they reached a certain age, and they only came to watch their children having fun. It sounded really boring. Who would ever want to grow up?
He went and chased the other children for a bit, but didn't actively engage in the game - he didn't like it much. Even with gloves and his thick jacket, it felt awkward. Being touched. Besides, he was far too preoccupied with that man. He had such unusual eyes, he couldn't help but stare!
Eventually he gave up, as more and more of his playmates left for home. Soon the girl was gone too, and the man was still sitting there. Who was he? Was he lonely? Felix couldn't place it, but the gold-eyed man seemed so familiar. Like it was fine to ignore the rules of stranger danger and approach him. Which is exactly what the boy did - ignoring all he was taught (and there was no-one there to watch out for him, since he'd come here on his own) and asking a simple question.
"Hello! Do you want to play too?"
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Post by ALDRIC DALEY on Feb 14, 2011 16:55:34 GMT -5
Aldric continued watching the young brunette, his attention now focused on the boy, trying to figure out why he looked so familiar. That kid, he looked exactly like... well, exactly like Felix. But, that kid must be five or six years old, ten years younger than Felix. Though... they just looked so much alike!
The magician was so focused on the similarities between the teen and this child, that he didn't notice when the other children started leaving, one by one, until the young brunette was alone. Then the boy was walking over to the bench where Aldric was sitting, the dark-haired man wondering what this Felix look-alike was doing.
"Hello! Do you want to play too?"
For a moment, Aldric didn't quite understand what was going on. First of all, now that the boy was closer, the man realized he looked completely identical to Felix. It was as if someone had brought a photo of his younger self to life. Second, this young-Felix person asked if he wanted to play. Play.
"O-oh, sure. That sounds fun." the magician said, smiling at the young boy. He set his book aside on the bench-- it wasn't that interesting anyway-- and left his set, following the little boy back to the playground. It felt a bit odd; surely some other people would wonder who this unfamiliar man was, playing with a younger boy who obviously wasn't his son. But then again, the park was nearly empty, so there was no one to question the two. "My name is Aldric, by the way. You look kind of like a friend of mine, do you have an older brother or something?" he asked, wondering just what the boy would say. Felix never mentioned having a little brother.
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Post by FELIX LANGLEY on Feb 20, 2011 8:20:11 GMT -5
He smiled as the man said yes, glad to have a playmate for a little longer. Smile was the wrong word. It was more of a grin, a bout of that cheer that seems to radiate from children. He reached out to grab the corner of the man's sleeve, pulling him over to the swings standing tall and proud in the middle of the park, because they were empty and now was the chance to grab them before someone else did!
"I'm Felix! I don't have a big brother. I wish I did." Was that a tinge of sadness, no, loneliness in the boy's voice? If it was, it was quickly lost as he hurried on with a laugh and a smile. "But maybe you can be my big brother for today? I'd like that a lot." The closest thing he had to a brother was his cousin, and Silas, well... sometimes was a bit clingy. Oh, Felix loved his cousin, to be sure; but he didn't like getting too close to people. But for some reason that didn't seem to apply to Aldric - maybe because he knew how to stay the exact distance away?
"What do you do? I'm going to be a pianist. My Mum's getting me a piano for my birthday." Bragging again, then again, why miss the opportunity to? He was sure the man would be impressed. Who wouldn't? It wasn't every day you met an aspiring musician. He let go of the man's sleeve and hurried those last few steps to the swing, jumping up on the seat and starting to build up momentum. He didn't go too high, though, because he was a little scared. What if he went too far and swung all the way around? Or what if he went flying out at the top? Imagine how much it would hurt to land! No, he was quite content with keeping close to the ground. His ambitions didn't include flying. At least, not just yet.
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Post by ALDRIC DALEY on Feb 22, 2011 22:52:19 GMT -5
It was too much to be coincidence; the same name, same fluffy brown hair, and that face. But Felix couldn't possibly have turned his age back... could he? Well, there didn't seem to be any other kind of explanation. Aldric smiled at the young Felix, deciding not to worry about the details and just enjoy this. He sometimes wondered what the boy was like when he was younger, and now he had a chance to find out. If this was really Felix, that is.
"I'm a magician, I do magic tricks." he said, in answer to the boy's question. Perhaps a younger version of Felix would enjoy his tricks more, Aldric thought, as he watched the small boy run the last few steps over to the swings. "I can do lots of things, pull rabbits from hats, card tricks, make things disappear, and also--" the dark-haired man reached behind the brunette's ear, pulling a piece of candy 'out of thin air', then placed it in one of the boy's small hands. "-- make things reappear."
Smiling, Aldric sat down in the other empty swing, adjusting himself until it wasn't too uncomfortable to sit. When did they start making swing-sets so darn small?? Holding onto the chains that held up the seat, the man just kicked at the ground to move himself back and forth; not really 'swinging' but not sitting still.
His eyes kept shifting back to the boy, golden orbs following the to-and-fro movement of the swing. Could this really be Felix? he thought. If so, he must have gotten amnesia or something, since he apparently didn't remember ever meeting the magician. Perhaps the memory loss occurred along with the reverse aging?
Shifting his thoughts to other things, Aldric grinned, looking back over at the younger Felix. "So, a piano. That's really great. Do you play really good?" he asked, though he already knew the answer. He had heard Felix play, and the boy was good. Though it was obvious his younger self liked to brag, so why not let him?
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Post by FELIX LANGLEY on Feb 24, 2011 7:53:11 GMT -5
He chewed on the sweet as he came once more to a stop, legs growing weary and mind growing just a little frightened of the heights he was reaching. The man was a magician! That was so exciting - he could do actual magic, and make things actually appear out of thin air!
"I'm not that good yet, but I will be!" Words muffled slightly as he chewed, dragging his feet along the ground to stop completely. "You know, I think I saw a magic show once. At the hotel. My parents were at a party, I think, and Dad must've taken me. I - I don't remember much." Strange. It was like he could almost remember, like whatever had happened was lurking just beyond where he could recall it. Taunting, teasing. Ah, no matter - if it had been really exciting, surely he'd remember it?
Feet swinging just above the ground, every now and again scraping cuts in to the earth. There was something he was missing, forgetting, and it was annoying.
"Can you teach me magic? Like a card trick or something? Can I be in your show?" Question upon question upon question - it'd be exciting to be in a magic show, he thought, with everyone watching in awe, the applause while standing in the spotlight, everything! He didn't think about how nerve-wrecking it would be, to have to get up in front of all those people, or how hard it could be to improvise when things went wrong. All he could see was the glamour, and hey, why let the negatives outweigh the positive?
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Post by ALDRIC DALEY on Mar 2, 2011 16:57:31 GMT -5
Well, it seemed that this young Felix-- at least, if he really was Aldric's Felix-- could remember some things. As long as the boy enjoyed being with him, though, then it was okay. After all, Aldric thought, it might be kind of awkward--not to mention downright creepy-- if this little kid remembered everything that happened between the two of them.
Holding onto the swing chains, Aldric kicked at the dirt with the heel of his shoe, marking lines in the mulch. A smile crossed his face at the boy's request. "Of course, I'd be happy to teach you a few tricks. I'd enjoy having someone to help out with the shows." Like a cute little assistant. he added, the last part said in his mind.
Removing himself from the swing-- which was rather difficult, those things were obviously made for small children and not grown men-- Aldric pulled a deck of cards from his back pocket, kneeling on the ground in front of the small brunette.
"Okay, now this one is really easy. First thing you need to do is shuffle the cards, like this--" the man instructed, making the cards seem to fly from one hand to the other, cutting the deck, then shuffling them back together. "--got it? Here, you try." Aldric said, handing the red-colored playing cards over. Part of him always wanted to teach Felix some magic tricks, he just never thought the boy was interested.
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