Outpost 1264, Devaria discussion

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Aislinn walked along the length of the tightrope, her eyes following the movements of the guards.

((Sorry! I forgot ): ))

Haley looked up at a girl walking the tightrope. She shuddered. She’d never have enough concentration to balance to do that successfully.

She jumped off the tightrope and her hands caught the trapeze. She swung around in the air before doing a couple flips and then lightly swung to the ground.

Wow. Haley couldn’t believe that. Maybe it was some heightened reflex she had gained from the animal. Or maybe it was just pure talent. Either way, she was in awe. She stared at the girl for minutes on end.

"Whatcha lookin at?" Aislinn asked the girl, smiling.

Hayley was busy imagining herself up there. In her dream world, she had perfect balance, and her wings worked. It was beautiful. A sudden voice jarred her out of her thoughts. “Hmm?”

"You were off in space, weren't you?" She asked the girl.

“Space? Well, not exactly space … but yeah,” she cracked a smile. “How do you do that? It’s so … balanced.”

"The tightrope? It's like balancing on one foot, you steady yourself and don't doubt your movements."

“But … how? If you make one wrong move, you’re dead …” she trailed off as she noticed a bright feather on the floor a few feet away.

"Is that a feather?" she asked when she noticed the girl looking at something on the floor.

She picked it up and her lips tilted in a smile. “It’s mine,” she said. “Whoops.”

"It's very pretty," she said politely.

“Um, thanks?” She wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

"That was a little weird, wasn't it? I'm Aislinn," she said.

“Hi,” she said, smiling softly. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m Haley.”

"How long have you been here?"

“A couple years, give or take.” She shrugged. “Have you ever thought about clouds?”

"Yes, and birds and planes, worried family members, all that," she smiled sadly.

“What? No.” She frowned. “Water that’s in the sky! And it’s floating! Isn’t that just so amazing?” She stared up at the roof of the building like she could see right through it.

"I never thought of clouds like that. That is amazing."

“Yeah. There’s like a whole ocean up there or something.”

"What would you do if you got out of here?"

“I’d fly,” she said quickly, and then turned her head shyly. That was something people weren’t supposed to know about.

"You don't fly here? Oh...I bet they don't let you," she nodded towards the guards.

“Yeah, they clipped my wings.” She sighed sadly.

"They clipped your wings? That's awful! What's the point of giving you wings if you aren't allowed to use them?" she said angrily.

“For studying, I guess,” she replied. She wasn’t really mad about it. Just sad. She could see their reasoning. But it made her unhappy.

"I suppose they want to make sure you'll actually be able to use them without getting hurt first. I bet they'll start training all of you hybrids with wings on how to fly eventually."

“I hope,” she said wistfully, and immediately began imagining the scenario where she could fly.

"I could teach you how to swing on the trapeze if you'd like. It kind of feels like flying if you close your eyes..." Aislinn said. She could tell Haley really wished she could fly.

“Trapeze?” She asked nervously. “I’m not sure I could stay on.” Aislinn was nice for offering an alternative though.

"It's fine. You don't have to. What do you do when you come here?"

“Um, I watch people,” she said truthfully, blinking a bit self-consciously.

"You don't do anything except watch people? Don't you get...bored?"

“No.” She shrugged. She had a totally overactive imagination.

"That's cool. At least you have something that keeps you occupied," she smiled.

“Yeah.” She smiled back.

"What else do you do for fun around here?"

“I draw. I like to read. Sometimes …” she blushed embarrassedly. “Sometimes I just watch other people.”

"I like to read too! And watching people is nothing to be embarrassed about...I think," she added. "You aren't on the stalker-level, are you?"

“Depends on the person,” she answered truthfully.

"That's a good answer. I don't mean to be rude, but I'm gonna go back to practicing now," she said, nodding toward the tightrope and trapeze. "It was nice meeting you Haley.

“You too!” She smiled and sat down, crossing her legs.

She smiled back before running to the trapeze ladder and climbing it to the platform. She calculated her movements and then jumped, hands outstretched. They connected with the bar and then she flipped to the second one.

Haley watched in silence, eyes wide. She had to squeeze them shut sometimes because she was so scared Aislinn would fall.

"You sure you don't want to try it?" she called to Haley as she went back and forth between both bars. "There's a net that I can hook up so you don't fall."

“Um … maybe?” She watched Aislinn for a few more seconds and tried to decide.

She waited patiently for Haley to decide as she swung.