Chapter Text
Rakan
It was about 5:30 pm, and Rakan was preparing to perform. Winter was just extracting its roots, so it wasn’t dark yet, so the vastayan was warming up behind the stage. It was your typical slow song, but near the middle it evolved into something much quicker, which was more to Rakan’s liking. (The Ionian version of salsa if you will.) As he leaped, he tossed his cloak in the air and unfurled his wing, reflecting countless shades of gold and yellow in the mirrors. He landed as the music stopped, breathing heavily. Slow clapping was heard from behind him, and he spun; facing his best friend, Xayah.
“Well, someone is ready for tonight.” She said simply.
“You know it!” He exclaimed, tone completely contrasting from his friend’s. “Are you?”
“I am!” She spoke, with a hint of a smile. She allowed a little more emotion in her voice.
“Let’s kill it out there!” He offered a fist, which Xayah bumped reluctantly.
They walked out to a field of cheers. Whispers of their shows had reached the outskirts of Ionia, even the small town of Hakaro, which they were residing in currently. The music started, and so did they. Making an entrance, someone caught Rakan’s eyes, a man with stark white hair.
Is that a cherry blossom he’s using as a hair tie??
He thought it was quite pretty.
“Hey, we’re on.” Xayah stated.
Right.
And so they danced. Every time the song changed, he would check to see if the man was still there. And every time, he was. He was paying only slight attention when the show started, but became more interested as it went on. By the penultimate song, he was enthralled.
The finale came. Rakan felt the need to impress, so he would. Looking directly at the man, they locked eyes. The white-haired man raised an eyebrow. Again, Rakan tossed his cloak into the air, and leaped, letting his wing from his side, giving it the glory it deserved. And it flashed, marigold, osage, an entire spectrum of yellow and gold. Xayah slid under him, tossing a few feather-daggers into the air. They stole the light from Rakan, transforming the warm light into a deep purple. The color danced across the walls of the stage as the feathers gained and lost altitude. Rakan landed just behind her, and bowed. Drawing a feather from his wing, he pointed it at center stage. Xayah did the same, and they created a shifting beam of light, alternating between yellow and purple. Xayah caught the falling feathers with the opposite hand, creating a fan in front of her face, and Rakan pointed a feather at his audience, the man. They held those poses, breathing heavily.
With a ghost of a smirk, that same person was the first to start clapping, everyone else soon following. Rakan grinned, and Xayah simply relaxed her posture. Rakan waved to the crowd upon making his leave. Xayah tossed a feather, a dull one, into it, and they could hear the noises of joy after a young woman caught it. They made their leave. Typically, there would be a few stragglers afterwards, and Rakan desperately hoped that would be the case today. There was a certain someone he wanted to see.
He was sweaty. The sweat itself wasn’t unexpected, but the amount of it was, and to make matters worse, it had dripped into his feathers. Not just his wing, but his chest plumage as well.
“Whyyy?!” He groaned
“What?” Xayah called from the room next to his.
“Oh. nothing! See you in a few!”
He made a quick pass over his wing and chest with a towel, and decided to do the same to his legs and armpits.
‘Alright! I look fairly presentable!” The vastayan whispered excitedly.
He walked out of the changing room in one of his better looking cloaks, and Xayah followed a few minutes later.
“We’re just going to get a drink, like we always do after performances. Who are you trying to impress?”
Not you…
“Ah, no one! I just wanted to look a little nicer than I felt, since I was sweating a lot, heh…” He felt his face flush from embarrassment.
“You’re a horrible liar.” She sighed.
“I knowwww, just don’t ask please! I’m sorry..”
She laughed. “Don’t be. Good luck.”
Rakan was in a great mood as they walked out. He hummed, and he was grinning widely. That was until they heard it. The wind was roaring, and at the center of it, katana drawn, was just the person he came to see.