~An rp by Tachigami and NekoLen~

The sun was slowly sinking in the sky as the markets and fair opened in the large park, the carnival workers opening their rides and stalls, the lights flickering on and the music starting to play. The carnival would only be on for a few nights, celebrating the new year, before packing up until the next cause for a celebration.

Performers danced and sung and played their instruments, while stall holders cried out their wares and prices to passer bys. Strange and usual items were sold next to junk that most people wouldn't be interested in. An old lady sat by her run down car, selling alchemy ingredients and strange bottle with faded labels on them.

"Just 2 guld a bottle!" she cried to anyone who looked at her stall. "Rare and exotic potions from an old witch who lives on top of Mt Wellsprun! 100% authentic ingredients picked fresh from the garden! Make your own potions and elixirs!" Half of what she said was true, and most people didn't fall for it. Her old, dusty bottles sat untouched on her stall, while her herbs and spices sold. One green bottle glowed slightly, as though a small light had been placed in it.

When a young man looked interested in the bottle, the old hag of a woman grinned toothlessly and grabbed the bottle, placing it in the man's hands. "It's a magical wishing beetle, caught in the forest this morning. Only 5 guld to you, young man. I think it was fate that you would find it here."

Raven only just got out of the theater where he had performed for the coming evening. His magic tricks and hypnotic illusions were the talk of the whole of the island, because no one could do what he could, not naturally. Raven's magic was in his blood, though no one else would know that. He didn't need special effects or a 'magic wand' or a special assistant, because he didn't need to rely on any outward sources for his magic. He was going to his vehicle, but decided to stop at the festive carnival on his way, peer around at the various things for sale and watch as the rides were set up and started. Some were more complex than others, after all. He passed a garment salesman, but didn't do much more than glance at his wares. He made his own clothing, and it was evident in what he wore, a combination of stage-clothing and his everyday clothes. Mostly black, and very complex, a black leather vest over a lighter black shirt, and belted, chained pants. His black tattoos were hidden under a couple wrappings over his left bicep and right forearm.

Passing an old woman who no doubt fluffed up her stories, he contemplated buying some of her herbs to replace the ones in his greenhouse, but decided against it until she grabbed him and forced something on him. Raven tried to pull back, but the woman was stronger than she looked and her green-painted nails dug into the flesh between the wrapping and fingerless glove on his right arm.

"No---No thank you, I don't want some cheap trick---"

"Cheap trick!" The woman howled with laughter. "Young man, this little thing will heal all your ills, or if you have something else in mind, might even give you a little company! C'mon, just a measly five." She pulled her other hand up, holding it out expectantly and grinning even wider when Raven relented, digging in his pocket for five small coins and slapping them into her hand. When he pulled back with the slightly glowing bottle, massaging his wrist, Raven gave her a glare with his curiously yellow eyes and moved back, nearly running from the park to avoid another situation that would free him of all his pocket change and laden him with even more useless parlor tricks. But the glow from the bottle was rather soothing, he had to admit as he walked to his car. When he got in, he used his strategically ripped black duster to nest the bottle in the passenger seat, then joined the rest of the vehicles. His home was farther away, and it would be nightfall by the time he got back.

The bottle jostled about slightly as the man drove to his destination. Occasionally he would glance over to it, as if curious as to what was inside. The light was a strange reddish-purple colour, not really the colour of any known insect. It was common on the island of Tande, with its many forests, rivers, lakes and mountains, for new and exotic species to be discovered. The forests were so expansive, that they usually found a new species of insect every year. Maybe the prospect of having an undiscovered species named about him crossed his mind, as he watched the light undulate, as if the creature inside was struggling to move about in its small prison.

As he slowed down and pulled into his driveway, a small tapping could be heard coming from the bottle. Whatever was trapped inside wanted to escape, so desperately that it was now rushing up against the glass, hoping to break it. Such wondrous and strange glass it was! It felt as though it had been made with magic, a sealing bottle of some description, used to capture spirits and demons. Maybe the creature inside was really an imp. This thought made the man doubt even opening it. Imps were malicious and evil, and surely it would seek revenge on the one it thought had trapped it inside a small bottle. But then again, imps didn't glow purple...

Pulling outside the garage, Raven stopped and shut the engine down, looking over to the bottle. Now it was moving slightly as if the thing in the bottle were hitting the side. But the glass was too thick for it to break. Picking it and the jacket up, Raven got out, brushing back his black-purple hair and moving up the walkway, going up the stairs, then opening the door. He hung the jacket on the hook beside the door and went left, into his den. Sitting on the nearest couch, he sat back and stared at the glowing bottle. It couldn't be an insect. It had more intelligence, he could tell already. No insect would be so adamant to get out of its prison---it would crawl about the glass, little else, or rest on the bottom.

Standing again, he went through to his dining room and to his kitchen, grabbing a corker and screwing the corkscrew in, pulling swiftly. It took a moment to lever it out, but when he did Raven braced himself for anything to happen.

The glowing dark purple light shot out of the bottle like a bullet, zooming about the room and finally coming to a rest on the bench in front of the man. Freedom. After 5 years of being trapped in a small bottle... The light glowed brighter and started to change size and shape, until a man sat on the bench in front of Raven.

He had bright purple hair and large, round blue eyes, his skin was the colour of moonlight and he was rather small and slight, looking a lot younger than he probably was. A pair of glowing reddish-purple wings sprouted from his back, and they flapped slowly as he stretched and looked about his new surroundings and then finally, his eyes rested on the man standing before him.

He could sense magic. This man must have magic in his blood, like the creatures of old did. It was rare to see a human with such unlimited potential hiding just below the surface and the fairy smiled slightly, sliding down from the bench and hugging the dark haired man around the middle. "Thank you so much for rescuing me," he said, his voice very light and quiet. He had once been a singer, but it had been so many years that he was unsure if he ever could sing again. "My name is Zap, what's yours?"

Raven gasped, dropping the bottle, but it didn't shatter---it bounced and rolled a little, though now it was the last on his list of interests. He was staring, though he didn't often do that---not much shocked him, beyond formally extinct creatures flying out of a bottle and returning to their natural human-sized state in his kitchen. And what he said, so quiet, so faint, it barely registered until the figure hugged him tightly.

"R... R.... Ra...a..." He shook his head, blinking. "Um, Raven." He managed at last. "I'm... Raven. What---?" Pausing, he breathed in quickly. "Um... So... are you...?" Sighing, Raven stepped back, leaning against the wall. "You're a... fae?" It was impossible---or he thought it was. The Fae had been extinct for a very long time---several centuries. And this one had been mistaken as a beetle? An insect? No one would have let a fae in a bottle go for any amount of money. Of course, they wouldn't have let it out, either.

Zap giggled at the human's reaction. It was true that his kind rarely interacted with humans, mainly because what had happened to him used to happen to the Fae a lot. Being captured for entertainment, something pretty to look at, being killed for their wings and bones, which were potent ingredients in powerful potions and elixirs. Humans used to think that the Fae stole their babies and replaced them with Fae children, but that was just a myth. It brought Zap's kind to near extinction, so they had to hide in the depths of the forest.

Or at least, Zap hoped they were still around. He couldn't tell exactly how long he had been trapped in the bottle. It felt like five years, but it could have easily been 500. Fae were immortal and it took a lot to kill them. He blinked and glanced about the house again, admiring the reds and browns of the furniture. "Yes, that is what I am, and what are you? You're not a simple human, I can sense the magic in you."

Raven was opening and closing his mouth, searching for a response but finding none at the moment. Fae hadn't been seen for at least six hundred years, so far as anyone knew. They had been searched for, and were continuously searched for, despite no evidence that they were alive as a whole. Their cities, little villages, and even tiny homes were abandoned, if not entirely wiped from existence.

He shook himself to reality, blinking a little. "Um... I'm... human. I just... have a talent for magic that no one else does. I perform on stage, but I don't admit my magic is... real magic." He shrugged, touching the various necklaces around his neck absentmindedly and studying the Fae---Zap---carefully. His wings were beautiful, they seemed to be there and yet, not quite. Could he hide them? Did they really lift his form? He had questions, but they didn't seem appropriate at the moment. "Zap...? How did you get in that bottle?"

Zap pulled himself back up on the bench, sitting and watching Raven with interest. His choice of clothing was very curious, and Zap liked it. His own style was simple, with a jacket and shirt combination and black pants. The magical human seemed just as interested in him. Had it really been that long since a Fae had been seen outside of their forest sanctuary? Come to think of it, Zap hadn't really seen a human this close before. Raven looked like him, only he was wingless. Surely they didn't walk everywhere? He knew they used vehicles, like the carriages the Fae used to use.

"I was captured by some man," he said, trying to remember. It had been a long time ago, and his memory seem to consist of nothing but the inside of the bottle. "I was flying around this really cool pond I found and he came up from behind and..." He shuddered. "Then I was in the bottle. A small area... I could barely move my wings... And there was something magical about the glass, because I couldn't transform to break out of it..."

Raven shuddered at the thought, though he had never been crammed into a tiny prison he couldn't escape from. All his escapes had been carefully planned in advance, so when he vanished from a container or switched from one to another, he always knew he could escape. "That sounds awful." He said after a moment. "But... You said a man came up behind you." He bent down, picking up the bottle and looking in. "I bought this thing from a little herb stall from an old woman that basically gave it to me." He said, setting it down on the bartop. "How did it get to her if...? Did she even know what you are...? She wouldn't have given it to me so cheaply..."

Raven put a hand to his forehead, brushing back his purple-streaked hair and sighing. "I don't even know... He must have wanted something from you but that usually means a Fae is killed." Why did the man want Zap? And how the hell did he get from the man to the woman, who sold him as if he were a simple insect?

Zap shrugged, feeling suddenly energetic. He hovered, using his wings to move about the room. He had been couped up for so long, he longed to go outside and stretch his wings, to fly through the forest again. But he would come back to Raven, of course. The man had saved his life, had freed him from his tiny prison. He was indebted to the human, and when a Fae made a promise, they kept it.

"I couldn't see or hear much in the bottle," he replied after thinking about it. "I know some time had passed, but I don't know how long. I'm starved... Do you have any honey?" Fae loved to drink and eat pollen and honey, as well as sweet human foods. They never ate meat, however.

Raven's shock had ebbed, and he smiled automatically when Zap flew a bit. His kitchen wasn't the largest, but it was well-sized, and he moved around as if he hadn't been shoved into a tiny bottle for who knew how long. He nodded, stepping around. "Sure, I have plenty of the stuff." Going to one of the cabinets nearer the refrigerator and pulling it open. Several glass jars of honey sat in the middle, and he pulled the larger of the three out, unscrewing the top and giving it to the Fae. "I like to harvest the stuff on my own, there are a few big hives near my home that I go to anytime I can." He smiled, thinking about his greenhouse and garden. He enjoyed mixing potions, elixirs, and whatever else he could make to find cures or curses, depending on his mood.

Zap went to the big jar instantly and dug in, eating the honey like it was a soup. He couldn't believe how long it had been since he had last tasted the delicious sweetness. He ate until his stomach felt full, and the jar was almost empty. "I'm sorry," he apologised, hoping the man wouldn't mind that he had basically finished the jar of honey. "It just... feels like forever since I last ate..." He sighed and took another look about the room. "Say, you know what year it is? I think I can remember when it was that I was captured, so we can estimate how long I was trapped in that godforsaken bottle."

Raven smiled a bit, taking the mostly empty bottle and setting it beside the sink. "It's okay." He said quickly. "I have more, and can get more tomorrow." Smiling, he hoisted himself up onto the bare counter behind him to sit. "The year...? It's 2101, June. Do you know what year you were bottled up...?" Or had he forgotten? He wasn't sure what the details were, but he wanted to understand it, as much as he could. If Zap could remember everything that was his past, maybe he could read the markings along Raven's spine. It was worth a try, but he didn't want to bring it up yet.

"What were things like when you were trapped?" He asked. "Maybe I can go by what's changed in the world between today, and the day you were caught." He loved history, after all, and followed it carefully.

"It was about 17... No that can't be right..." Zap's wings stopped fluttering as he thought very hard. How long had it been? Possibly longer than he had initially thought. "It was about 1700... But then that would mean..." He glanced about the room again, noticing obvious things that he knew the Fae never had. The thing he had that kept food cold, the thing that looked as though you cooked with it... His blue eyes were wide with awe. "I thought it had only been a few years but... I think I was trapped for a lot longer than that.

He hovered again, moving out of the kitchen and into the den, gaping at the new things he saw there. He found a large bookcase and stopped, looking over what was on the shelves. So many books, from atlases, to books on alchemy, to romance novels. It seemed Raven had his own personal library. He turned to face the man, who had followed him into the next room. His purple-ish glowing wings were dimmer now and they drooped slightly as tear began to well up in his eyes. "My family would be dead... My whole town... My kind... Am I the last one...?" He fell to the floor, sinking to his knees and covering his face. It hadn't felt like that long ago that his father was teaching him how to ride a frog and his mother warning him not to get too close to humans... Were they still alive? Even 500 years was a bit old for a Fae. Something in the bottle had prevented him from aging, from guessing how much time had passed.

Raven jumped off the counter and followed quickly, running through the dining room and into the den. He opened his mouth to try to respond, but couldn't find the right words. What could he say to a creature whose entire kind was gone? Who had been trapped in a cursed bottle since the year 1700? He stepped forward, kneeling alongside Zap and putting a hand on his back, just under his wings, which seemed to give off a gentle heat. "I'm afraid... to tell you this, because it's kind of hard. But I don't want to keep it from you at the same time... So I'll tell you." He sighed. "No one has seen a Fae for... centuries. The homes, and cities, have been abandoned for a very long time. Anything someone sells with the essence of a Fae clinging to it is incredibly rare, or sold for a huge amount of money because it's usually gone in moments."

He sighed, cupping the Fae's face and making him look up. "I'm sorry this happened to you. You must feel awful... But I don't know what I could do. I'll let you go if you like, of course, and I won't tell anyone about you so you aren't hunted down... People can be cruel, and they won't care that you're the last of your kind. If they don't kill you for your wings or bones they'll trap you to show off. And I wouldn't let that happen." He pushed his hair out of his face to look at Zap more pointedly.

Zap sobbed quietly, looking into the eyes of the human who saved him. Should he go? Where would he go? He would be terribly lonely. He hugged Raven tightly, until the tears stopped flowing. He suddenly felt exhausted, from all the emotions that rushed through him. "I want to stay with you. You saved me. You are the closest thing to family I have now." He hoped Raven would let him stay. He didn't need much maintenance, and would try to be as quiet as possible.

He got to his feet and walked to a window, looking out of it and into the large gardens Raven's house seemed to have. Maybe the human would let him make a little house he can sleep in, outside under the moon? Zap sighed and glanced at the sky. The moon was hiding, it seemed. He cried a little, putting his hand on the glass. "Did I make it mad? Where did it go? Does the moon still exist? Rain? Snow? Oh God... So much has changed, hasn't it?"

Raven's answer was caught in his throat---stay with him? He had so much room, many bedrooms, but he had lived---almost---alone for a very long time. He had a cat, Salem, but he didn't even resemble a human. And he couldn't speak, not in a way Raven could understand at least. He stood to follow the Fae, looking outside. There was a new moon tonight, so the sky was rather dark beyond some scattered stars behind he clouds. "A lot's changed." He said, putting a hand on Zap's back. "But the moon is still there, it's just not visible tonight, and it still rains and snows. Nature is still the same, only... there are differences now with town, with the people, with what we have other than what we used to have. Lots of new things that could hurt you, but... I want you to ask if you want to touch something you don't recognize."

He sighed, pursing his lips a bit. "You can stay with me if you like. I have plenty of bedrooms that aren't used, so you can take your pick." He went quiet when a small mew at his feet startled him, and he looked down to Salem. He had looked at Raven, but was now circling Zap rather cautiously. The cat wasn't a fan of new people, but wasn't a coward that would run away.

Zap flinched when he saw the cat and sneezed, moving away uncomfortably. Cats used to hunt and kill Fae, and he was still a bit afraid of them. He smiled at the offer, however, and rushed off to have a look at the rooms. Raven did seem to have many rooms, all of which looked as though no one had slept in them since they were made. Even though he wasn't used to sleeping in human rooms, he picked one with lots of purple and big windows.

He lay on the bed, his wings resting against his back so he wouldn't hurt them while he curled up on his side to test the bed out. It was strange, and he was unsure if he would ever be able to sleep. "I'm not used to big people beds..." he said finally, sitting on the edge and looking up at Raven. "Maybe tomorrow I can make a house in your garden?"

Raven scooped up the black cat, rearranging his collar and setting him on the piano beside them. He was aware of Zap's fear, since Fae could and usually would live in a small, insect-like form and cats loved to catch insects. He followed the Fae up the stairs and watched him investigate each room, choosing the one he felt was one of the two darkest in the house. Its walls and carpet were red, its curtains a dark, plum-purple, matching the bedsheets. "I don't see why not..." Raven muttered. "You can use the wood I have stacked against the back of the house for the fireplace, and I can help you out if you need it. I kind of like woodworking, anyway..." He shrugged a little, leaning against the wall nearest him. "I do tend to make little dollhouses... sell them in town." Sometimes he would base it off his own home, even, because it was easy.

"You do?" Zap jumped to his feet and hugged Raven tightly, going on tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek. "We could make me a mansion! Like this house... But smaller... For me!" He felt excited and almost totally forgot the fact that his entire race was extinct and he had been trapped for 5 centuries. "And when the moon finally comes out of hiding... I can dance in it again!"

Zap used to sing, dance, read, paint and write. He hoped he could do these things again, maybe make something for Raven. He let go of the man and did a flip, using his wings to ensure he could do so with ease. He returned to the bed, placing his face to the sheets and rubbing against it. "Smells so good," he commented, glancing at Raven. "Why do you have so many rooms? Do other people live here? Did they use to?"

What kind of magic did Raven know? What kind of potions and elixirs did the human make? Zap knew some magic himself, but most of it was tricky Fae magic, or auras to promote creativity, love or well being. He lifted his hand and let a few sparks jump from his fingers, catching them with his other hand and juggling them until they burst into glitter. "I can do magic too! See?"

Raven laughed, stepping back and watching Zap. "I lived here with some family, but... something happened. It's mine now, so I basically live in a mansion." He shrugged when the Fae released him, and thought. "What magic can I do...? Ah..." He thought. "Well I can do a lot. Illusion magic, destructive magic, charms and curses. I can do small conjurations." He cupped his hands and a small apple appeared as if from nowhere. "And it's perfect." He handed it to Zap---if he knew anything about the extinct Fae, it was that they ate sweets and vegetables, but never meat. "And I make up mixes that'll help you with just about anything. Or hurt you, depends on the type of things I use." He didn't often have reason to make something that would harm, though.

Absently, Raven untied the wraps from around his arms and threaded them through his belt. "So Zap... if you want to look around, you can feel free, but don't mess with anything if you don't know what it is---just ask me, okay? He didn't want the creature to be hurt in any way, though he didn't doubt either of them could heal the wound it would produce rather quickly. "I'll go downstairs... I've got some reading I wanted to do tonight." Stepping back, he went out of the bedroom and closed the door, going to his just across the hall and to a small alcove to the left, where his room was. It was best to get into simpler clothes, after all.

Zap was left to wander, but he stayed in his room, staring out the window at the sky. He thought about his life before he was trapped, about his small town built into the side of a large tree. About his neighbours and family, who rode the back of frogs and mice like humans would horses. Zap and his sisters were well known for their artistic genius, and they were often asked to sing for the King and Queen. The royalty that lived in another place, near the foot of a giant mountain. All of these people... These Fae... Were most likely dead. He wiped the tears from his eyes and left the room, opting to explore the house in his true form, which resembled a ball of darkish purple light.

It was quicker and easier for him to fly about the house, dodging the cat when he could and coming to a rest inside a grandfather clock. From this position he watched Raven reading, looking as though he was studying something fascinating. He covered his ears as the clock rung and then swung on the large pendulum that moved from side to side.

He moved on, transforming back to his bigger self to sit on an armchair and read one of the many books Raven had on his bookshelves. This one was a history book, and Zap enjoyed reading about a time he could remember, and then the following decades he knew nothing about.

The night was still early, barely eight 'o clock, and Raven knew he had to take a bath. He had a vague combination of scents clinging to his skin, amongst human, animal, vehicle exhaust, and sweat, all rather uncomfortable things to sit with. But his book was too fascinating---it was a romance, not something to further his alchemic endeavors or focus on history, but he'd had to abandon it earlier for town. Looking around, he watched Salem stare at the clock, then widen his eyes a moment before Zap appeared. "A lot of history's passed by since you were trapped... you should go to the top shelf of the shelf by the archway." He pointed behind the couch, where two tall shelves stood. Most was history relating to the 1500s, 1600s, and 1700s, going into the 1800s, and finally ending in most recent history. Ancient history was at the topmost of both shelves.

"You should be okay." He said, closing his book as it ended its chapter and tucking it under his arm. "I'll be upstairs, okay? Just call if you need me for anything." He smiled, stepping around the couch and going upstairs and into his bedroom. He left the door open, but when he went into his bathroom he made sure Salem wasn't inside, and closed it, sitting on the edge of the claw-foot bathtub and starting a stream of hot water from the tap. Setting the book on the side of the sink, he pulled off his clothes and stared at himself in the mirror, looking at the various black tattoos on his skin. They were different forms, writings in languages he knew, but were dead. The one on his back was always a mystery, though. Simple lettering, but he didn't understand any of it, and they were dark red, sometimes painful. Shaking his head, Raven turned the water off and grabbed his book, sliding into the hot water and smiling as he felt the worldly scents flow off his skin.

Zap gave up on the book a few minutes after Raven had gone upstairs. It was oddly lonely in the den, with nothing but the sounds of the clock and the cat, who was now sitting on the chair next to him and purring loudly, watching him with large green eyes. Zap got to his feet and made sure to put the book back exactly where he had found it, remembering the library from when he was younger. He would get told off by the grumpy old gnome if he didn't put the book back where he had got it from.

He climbed the stairs quietly, keeping his a look out for Raven. He wanted to talk to the man more, get to know him better. He was quite attractive and if the human had been a Fae, Zap would have married him in a heartbeat. He stopped when he heard and smelt the tell tale sign of someone in a bath. He grinned mischievously and changed back to his small form, shooting across the hall and sneaking into the bathroom, where he sat on a shelf and hid behind a bottle. At first he was going to prank Raven, maybe give the man a fright, but then his eyes fell on the human's naked form and he became bewitched, unable to look away. Those strange tattoos in a language Zap knew, the ones etched onto his back... What could this mean? He blinked, but found himself utterly entranced. Raven was simply beautiful.