Random Writings Of A Random Writer

First Kiss- Tesserya and Kaiden. PART 1

It was night of the Tulach Ard fire festival. Borazi Beast clan members all gathered in the center of town around a large bonfire to celebrate the turning of another year. Music played while trained dancers twirled and kicked up in front of the fire and children raced through the crowd; occasionally stopping to fight each other with discarded boar tusks or branches they had found. Clan elders sat around several smaller fires and told stories long forgotten by everyone but them. Large, elagant wooden tables held many kinds of meats, cooked vegetables, and breads. A teenage boy with light brown hair and bright hazel eyes arrived at the edge of the crowd. He craned his neck, searching. He just needed to find her. As the teen weaved through the throng around the bonfire, he searched for a glimpse of glistening bronze or her brother's scarred face. But he couldn't seem to spot either of them.

Kaiden wanted to be here for her, he made these new legs for her. He prayed he wasn't too late and that she hadn't already gone home. In his rush to get there he hadn't bothered to check the time.

Someone called his name over the loud tribal music and he whipped around to see Calmar waving at him from a distance. Kaiden jogged over to his friend who preceded to slap his shoulder firmly in greeting.

"Kay! I thought you said you had a project and you weren't going to come tonight?" The well-muscled boy announced.

"I did, but I finished them." Kaiden gestured to his legs, "right here. I made a new pair of legs. These are sleeker and the panels are smaller and more broken up, allowing for more mobility. Of course they're less durable that way but I'll only use these at festivals so they should be fine. Oh! I added a second tendon wire in the knee and calf areas and extra joints in the knee and ankle. I put upgraded stabilizing compressors too and-" He paused at the puzzled look on Calmar's face.

"Sorry, I don't speak science." Calmar shrugged. "But they sound cool. I'm glad you found a way to start coming to feasts with us. Tessa's been dying to get you to come to one." He winked at the mention of his sister, which confused Kaiden; who was slightly upset his friend didn't appreciate his ramble. Tessa always listened to him, even when she couldn't understand some of what he was saying.

"Thanks.." Kaiden responded, distracted as he once again scanned the crowd. Calmar raised a brow at him, then smirked knowingly.

"Tess, get over here!" He called out through cupped hands. Kaiden jolted at his loud friend and gave him a disapproving look.

As if directed by an unknown force, the multitude of clanspeople parted; revealing Tessa dancing with some younger children near the fire. Kaiden's jaw almost dropped in awe. The fire outlined her as if she had a flaming halo around her body. Her copper hair was loose and swayed around her shoulders as she kicked her feet up and danced with the kids. She was showing them the moves to one of B3ast tribe's many traditional dances. Tessa perked at the sound of her name, spining around the face her brother. A grin broke across her face as she saw her best friend -though secretly she hoped something more- standing next to him. She glided over to them, still half-way dancing to the lively music. Her arms and face were painted with shapes that resembled dragon wings. To Kaiden, she was the most beautiful thing in the world.

"Kaiden you're here! You said you weren't going to come." Tessa crossed her arms and glared playfully at him.

"I wasn't, you know I can't dance with my legs Tess. And that kind of defeats the purpose of being here." Kaiden defended himself. Tessa's teasing smile faltered. She opened her mouth to apologize but was interrupted. "Buuut, I can now." Kaiden added with excitement bubbling in his voice. He wanted to tell her so badly he could dance with her.

"What do you mean you can now?" Tessa asked, intrigued at his words.

"Tess, I said I wasn't coming because I didn't think I'd be done in time. But I managed to finish tonight and I'm so happy I did. I made new legs, these ones are more fluid with more joints and compressors. I designed them specifically so.." He trailed off, suddenly embarrassed by the real reason he was here. "..so we could dance together. If you want to?" He asked nervously.