never mine to own ❥ kalon tryout form

[Cheeb]

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name; kyros "ky" nicolaides
gender; male
age; 28
origin; cathoria
current residence; earth -- location unknown
occupation; inventor // robotic engineer
alignment; chaotic neutral


back to main form
“my own self-consciousness cries out to me coldly: how does one love zero?”
― villiers de l'isle-adam, tomorrow's eve

[Cheeb]

xxxxx"it's called, um, uh... a cath... cathora -- cathoricallia? i think? but, either way, are you sure you don't know how to fix it?"
xxxxxthe yellow kalon slid his goggles up on to his forehead. "i've never seen anything like this in my life. sorry, sir."
xxxxxkyros huffed. his wings were uncomfortably tucked inside of the trenchcoat he was wearing -- while he'd cut holes into most of his shirts for them, he had simply resorted to shoving them inside of jackets. they would draw less attention that way, he mused. still, he found himself feeling anxious, getting glares thrown towards his way every so often.
xxxxxhe felt bad for the boy he'd enlisted for help. ky had a sneaking suspicion that the strange machine was a rarity even in his own world, so he shouldn't have even bothered trying to find someone to patch it up. "it's fine. thanks very much for trying."
xxxxxthis earth was a strange place; nothing like cathoria. cathoria had rhyme and reason to it. one king, one set of laws, one land to live in. there was more technology than here, yet much less at the same time. this earth had too many different subdivisions of people; too many bridges to cross and roads to follow. it was chaotic.
xxxxxky liked it.
xxxxxhe made his way out of the small repair shop, letting the door shut behind him. he hoped that the boy in there would have a better day after his untimely appearance. he seemed like a good kid. but, for ky, it was back to the hotel room. he needed to figure out what he was going to do with himself. kyros had traded in many of the trinkets and baubles for quick cash, and that was going to run out sooner or later. he needed to situate himself; to find something here that made sense for him, even if he enjoyed the hustle and bustle. he strode his way down the sidewalk, pride in each step --
xxxxxuntil he realized he forgot the machine.
xxxxxkyros sprinted back towards the repair shop, going as fast as his tall, skinny legs could take him. he felt panic surge through him, almost as violent as the electricity that coursed through his veins. ky couldn't lose this. it was all he had. he swung open the door once again, the boy at the counter looking slightly freaked out. and then, on the step leading up to the entrance --
xxxxxky lost his footing.
xxxxxhis whole body slammed fowards onto the ground. one of his boots had caught the end of his long coat, the force of it ripping a large tear in the back of the protective layer he'd swaddled himself in. instinctively, he unfurled his wings, with bright sunset hues radiating and setting the room aglow.
xxxxxgoggles boy's face was completely pale. "u-um... sir? a-are you... what the... what are those?"
xxxxx"a mistake."

[Cheeb]

xxxxxthe past.

xxxxxthere was a little house.
xxxxxit wasn't the quaint, cute kind; rather, it was plain, and nearly identical to all the others that sat around it. it was built just beyond the city limits, close enough to see the towering buildings, but far enough from the relentless noise of the city itself.
xxxxxthe house was loved, though. on the outside, it was bleak, but on the inside, it was full of an indescribable warmth. it was unremarkable, but pleasant in the life that thrived within it.
cathorian life wasn't all too much different than life on earth in some ways. domestic life was almost the same, after all, with little families trying to get on their feet. however, there were... big differences. some that were better than the mess called earth, and others that make earth seem like a golden paradise.
xxxxxregardless, kyros lived there once.
xxxxxthe tall, white-furred kalon gently closed the mailbox shut. his mail was piled on top of a large brown box, and he seemed to be struggling to keep it steady, however, a bright smile was stretched across his face. coming up to the doorstep, he didn't even think about the pile of bills in his hands. he fumbled with his keys, letting out a small sigh, and swung the door open.
xxxxx"xenia! i'm home! i have a little surprise for you!"
xxxxxhe was greeted by the sound of a wooden chair creaking, and a, "whatcha got there, honey?" kyros walked into the kitchen, putting down the box and mail while sliding his large bag off his shoulders.
xxxxxa female kalon, much shorter and rounder than kyros, came down the stairs. she had tired bags underneath her eyes, but was still rather pretty. "let me guess," she said, with a sly smile, "is it..." xenia cocked her head to the side. "a cake? possibly... a vanilla one?"
xxxxx"bingo," said ky, giving her some finger guns.
xxxxxxenia laughed, and gave him a peck on the cheek. "you know, you don't have to buy cake every time you pass the bakery," she said. "but... i do appreciate it."
xxxxx"i know ya do, xe," said kyros, blushing. even after all this time, he couldn't stop his cheeks from turning red whenever xenia kissed him. the two had known each other for eight years, been living together for two, and, well... kyros was trying to find the right moment to ask her to stay with him forever. it was a difficult task, of course, and one that made his head spin; but ky was just as enamored with xenia as he'd been on the first night they met.
xxxxxxenia toddled back to her chair, and kyros followed in suit, wrapping his arm around her. their lives were unimportant, that they both knew; but they were happy.
xxxxxthat is, until kyros opened the letter that night.

[Cheeb]

xxxxxmr. nicolaides,


xxxxxwe have a task that we have deemed suitable for you. it is very urgent, and of utmost importance. please report to the castle at 7 am tomorrow morning. you will be authorized to come in to the throne room; and will be escorted in from outside the premises. do not worry, for we are benevolent, and will not penalize you for being late. this is the one thing ms scrimine can't this is of top priority for the safety of our kingdom.



his royal majesty

[Cheeb]

xxxxxthe next morning was somewhat of a blur.
xxxxxkyros pulled himself out of bed groggily. the night before, he'd read the letter by himself, after xenia had already laid her head to rest. he couldn't tell her. not yet. after all, it was vague, and could be about anything. at least, that's what he told himself.
xxxxxin his heart, kyros already knew what the king's command was. the big white building in the heart of the city -- one of the only ones that wasn't so colorful past the massive wall -- was his second home, his workplace. most of the other monarch-appointed inventors despised their jobs, but kyros absolutely loved his. he worked on the art of building replacement limbs; arms, legs, even tail fragments. mechanical organs weren't his forte, but he'd picked up the trade from another fellow in the department. kyros was considered to be talented with his craft. even ms. scrimine binghurst, the inventor who worked on the king's personal projects, had come to respect his work in one way or another.
xxxxxwhat most didn't know, however, was what he made behind the scenes.
xxxxxxenia loved birds. none dared to live near the city, but she spoke fondly of them from her childhood, where she lived far past the outskirts of cathoria's capitol. there were no domesticated species, either, but she joked about getting a pet bird from time to time. perhaps her love for them was a reflection of her free spirit. (maybe it wasn't.) either way, ky thought it was adorable.
xxxxxthat's why he knew how to build them. small ones, of course. he made small, remote-controlled birds; ones that could seamlessly fly around the house without a single soul knowing about them. every single bolt, every piece of metal that mimicked a feather... they were all made of love. kyros spent so much of his free time in the past figuring out the exact proportions and strength required to carry the tiny, ornate avian bodies he'd welded so carefully.
xxxxxthe metal birds quelled xenia's thirst for a real one. kyros gave her the first one on their last anniversary, and she cried through a smile, hugging him closely to her. it was ky's favorite memory, even if it was embarrassing.
xxxxxkyros found himself lost in thought, in panic over what to --
xxxxx"ky," mumbled xenia, her head still beneath a pillow in bed. "i thought today was your day off, babe..."
xxxxxkyros could barely understand her, but he still cracked a smile. "go back to sleep, xe. i have a little errand i've gotta run, okay?" before she could protest, he darted down the stairs, getting dressed while he did so. he figured that even though this was "of utmost importance", it was work related, and he should just wear his work clothes.
xxxxxhe quickly shuffled his way through his morning routine. it would take an hour to even get close to the wall, and it was already 5:30. however, before leaving the house and making his way to the city, ky slipped one of the birds in his bag. maybe it'd bring him luck.

[Cheeb]

xxxxxthe present.

xxxxx"they're so... beautiful!"
xxxxxkyros squinted. sitting on a stool in the back room of the mechanic's shop, he was being poked at and prodded by the young man with the goggles. the boy had introduced himself as giles carrell, and while he wasn't so interested in the little machine, he was certainly fascinated by the wings. giles had offered a decent sum of money in return for being able to learn about how they worked, and ky decided to take it.
xxxxxhe was uncomfortable, though, as the boy fiddled with the massive pair of wings. kyros just wanted them off his back, but no. it had to be like this.
xxxxx"um, anyways, sir... what happened? when you talked to the king?"
xxxxxky snapped back into reality, and felt his face flush. "he was very... intimidating."
xxxxx"intimidating? to you?! but you're so..." giles trailed off. "...scary?" he blushed. "uh, sorry. that's kind of rude. but, really, he must be a pretty huge guy!"
xxxxx"sure."
xxxxxin truth, the king wasn't even as tall as kyros was. he was much thicker, however, and his muscles were rather nicely toned. his majesty was dauntingly handsome, exceptionally confident, and, most of all, fickle. half the time, he was a jolly chap, laughing along with ky's awkward banter as if they were old friends. however, ky knew that with a snap of his fingers, his majesty could have guards rushing at you from every angle possible.
xxxxxkyros couldn't remember too much of the meeting, in all actuality. he just knew that he was terrified of the king. and, of course, he remembered the request. those damn wings. he wished it had never happened -- that the king had just asked his little lapdog, binghurst, to make them. he would probably be at home right now, with xenia, or at work, doing something beneficial with his time.
xxxxxhowever, ky was here, in this foreign workshop, having his wings touched much too intimately by a complete stranger. beads of sweat ran down his back, and he was dizzy. kyros usually never panicked like this; but, then again, he wasn't used to this kind of attention. he just didn't know what to do.
xxxxxif only xenia were here, he thought.

[Cheeb]

xxxxxthe past.

xxxxxwings. it had to be the wings.
xxxxxkyros had known that the king was going to demand him to build him a nice, functional pair of wings, but he wasn't ready for the emotional toll it would take. this would likely be a time consuming project. the doubts swarmed through his mind. if he wasn't able to see xenia except for in the late hours of the night, was it even worth it? ky shook his head. he knew that he didn't have a choice. he'd have to spend lonely days without her.
xxxxxbut, while nervousness and dread filled him, kyros felt something else, too. he was... excited, in a way. perhaps he'd be promoted at work -- maybe he'd even have binghurst's role someday! his pride was buried underneath the crippling self-doubt and reluctance, however, and so it laid dormant.
xxxxxwell, mostly dormant.
xxxxx"ky," said xenia, fiddling with a strand of her hair. "it seems like you really don't want to do this." the man had rattled off his fears, his worries, and everything else to her. she seemed to be taking it rather well, although a hint of sadness showed in her eyes. she, too, had seen nights where a patient's condition kept her away. as a doctor, she dealt with troublesome situations very often. xenia was strong enough, though; she could take it. she tried to reassure her worrywart lover. "i mean, you could tell his highness no, but that wouldn't be a great idea."
xxxxxkyros smiled as xenia giggled to herself. "i guess you're right, doll. i... i'm sorry about all this. i just hope that whatever sort of compensation his majesty provides is pretty darn good, to make up for everything."
xxxxx"oh, nonsense, ky! i'll drop in whenever i can!" xenia said, a bit too cheerily. "i'll just have to adjust my schedule a little bit. that's all. um... where's your building, again?"
xxxxx"xe, don't do that to yourself. we'll just make do," he said. "but i'll tell you that no matter how long it takes, these things are going to be spectacular." xenia raised an eyebrow quizzically. "i mean, once i get a prototype working, i'm going to deck out the whole thing! i'm thinking that i might use pinks and purples, just to add a little piece of me to them. of course, they've got to be functional before they're aesthetic, but --"
xxxxxxenia' smile faded. "honey, don't let this mess you up."
xxxxx"w-what?"
xxxxx"i said, don't let this mess you up. just make them functional. i-i mean, thought you were no frills about most things -- aren't you?" she asked, her voice wavering. "i know it's important, but, i just... i don't want you to get too big for your britches. that's all."
xxxxxkyros blushed. "i-i won't let it get to my head."

[Cheeb]

xxxxxtwo months later.

xxxxxkyros couldn't remember a good's night sleep.
xxxxxin fact, he could barely remember being at home. he spent most nights on a blow-up mattress he bought in a shop buried in the city. after a week or so of falling asleep on the cold, hard, floor, he figured it was worth buying one. ky could only bring himself to sleep four hours or so at a time, since he needed these wings to get done.
xxxxxit started with the check-ins from binghurst. she marched into his workshop, poking around a bit, and asked him what he was up to. "his majesty wished to see your progress," she would say, without any emotion or expression. "he requests that your project is completed soon. after all, nobody wishes to see him... upset." there had only been a few visits from her, but in each one, she let a tiny bit more anger escape into her tone of voice.
xxxxxhowever, binghurst had given him a few pointers. she offered technology that their colleagues had been working on: devices to improve the likelihood that the wings would connect to his nerves and receive signals from the brain, among other things, and a pinch of moral support as well. kyros was grateful for the matronly woman's help, even if he tried not to let it show.
xxxxxky had gone through several prototypes. most of them were horrible failures. half of them barely functioned, and when they did, they were wonky and strange. once he worked that out, he attempted to make them less bulky, as he was sure that the king didn't want a messy hunk of metal strapped to him.
xxxxxhowever, his newest design felt... natural. and, it worked. he'd managed to lift himself into the air, using only the controls of his mind. after a few hours of fooling around, kyros barely even thought about flying. it simply happened. they made him feel heavy, yet weightless. trapped, yet free. but, most of all, kyros felt confident that his royal highness would enjoy using them.
xxxxxxenia's words stuck with him. in fact, he heard them rather often, despite not being home. he called her three, four, even five times a day. without her face, he felt weary, but the sound of her voice was enough to reassure him. ky heard xenia's own attitude falter a bit, as she sounded much more tired than she used to. he tried not to worry -- he knew she wouldn't want him to -- but whenever he looked at the small metallic bird he stuffed into his bag that morning, he couldn't help but think of her.
xxxxxso, he took her advice. kyros tried to make them functional before being pretty, as he didn't want this to be a project to bring him fame -- just a little more cash in his pocket, and respect from his majesty. he couldn't help adding a few finishing touches to the wings, however. kyros added borders of purple around the edges of connecting plates, a shimmering hue of deep orchid that would look rather regal on the king. they matched parts of ky's own massive mane, which seemed rather cocky, but... he considered them a signature of sorts. a sign that said, "kyros nicolaides made these."
xxxxxwith this final touch, kyros hoisted them over his shoulders, securing the metal plates on his shoulder blades. they were still heavy, but felt more comfortable. perhaps it was from wearing his other prototypes so much. regardless, ky was excited to perform this final test. it was time to see if the wings were ready. he turned them on, and --
xxxxxkyros felt a great surge of power course his body.
xxxxxit sent him tumbling forwards. he didn't lift off the ground; he fell. ky picked himself up tried to gather his thoughts after the abrupt, painful crash. what had just happened? nothing was different about these wings, other than the cosmetics. how... why... why was he so dizzy? and the lights... they were so bright...
xxxxxhis head spun in circles. he fell to his knees, gasping for air as another shock overcame him. every vein in his body felt like it was about to explode, leaving him powerless. the pain was searing; so strong that tears welled up in the corners of his eyes.
xxxxxanother burst of electricity flooded his body.
xxxxxhe screamed.
xxxxxeverything turned black.

[Cheeb]

[Cheeb]

xxxxxhis eyes fluttered open.
xxxxxthe room was dark and quiet. everything in it was exactly as kyros had left it. "damn," he mumbled, "how long... how long was i out for? wh-what happened?" kyros stood up, feeling the weight of the wings that were still on his back. suddenly, all the memories returned to him.
xxxxxpanicked, he grabbed the plates on his shoulders, attempting to rip the wings he'd so carefully crafted off of his back. they refused to budge. his claws dug into his fur, nearly slicing through skin, until ky felt the veins on his shoulders. he stopped pulling for that moment, and slowly traced a claw up towards the metal base of the wings. his veins seemed to connect directly to them.
xxxxxkyros halted. how could this be possible? it couldn't be. technology couldn't simply attach itself to a host. yet, there was no one who would have been able to do this to him.
xxxxxhe shook his head. he needed to get himself together. kyros pulled open the curtain of the only window in the room. the sky was pitch black, and the street below was deserted. "middle of the night, then," he told himself. "okay. let's freshen up."
xxxxxky put on his coat, threw his handy bag over his shoulder, and crept his way down the hallway -- which was completely empty -- towards the bathroom. he barely made a sound, to his own surprise. the wings folded against his body in a rather compact way, allowing for them to go unnoticed.
xxxxxin the bathroom, he flipped on the light switch, seeing himself. kyros looked terrible. his eyes were bloodshot, and beneath them were dark circles. his hair stuck out at all angles, and although it was usually messy, it was especially disastrous. kyros sighed, and ran a hand through it, before taking off his jacket.
xxxxxhe unfurled the wings -- no, his wings. kyros would never admit it, but his first thought was about how stunning they were; not on him, but in general. they made his usually large figure look so small in comparison.
xxxxxas ky blushed, a bright light began to pour from them. ky's eyes widened, and as his heart began to beat faster, the glow became brighter. "what... what is this?" it wasn't a feature he'd included in them, and while the king probably would have enjoyed it, ky had other things to worry about. it was almost like the wings had a mind of their own.
xxxxxsplashing water on his face, the glow dimmed back down. kyros felt himself become more calm. in his head, he outlined a plan. first, he was going to talk to ms. binghurst. she was very intelligent, and could probably find a solution to this. if that didn't work, then, well... he'd have to try and defend himself against the king. he really, really didn't want to, but it was his last resort.
xxxxxtucking his wings back under his coat, kyros left the building. he was a different man now, a stranger to even himself, but he was ready.