Frozen (kay, someone needs to join this.)

A willowy figure stood on the edge of the woods, cloaked and shadowed by the trees. The wind picked up suddenly, and a fiery lock of hair drifted out of the person's hood, though the figure kept her head down. Finally, she rose her head, one violet colored eye visable behind her curtain of red hair. She scanned the city before her, the residential section stretched out to the fringe of her forest.

Her stomach growled demandingly, and she clutched at the black silk covering stomach, her graceful eyebrows pulling downwards as she frowned. Dinner time, then? She thought randomly. Pulling her hood up further to concealing her face, she started out into the city.

She wandered the streets, violet eyes searching for something. Her eyes abruptly zeroed in on a noble man pulling a small silk bag out of his pocket, giving a gold coin to a merchant. She watched him tuck it into his belt, pausing by the merchant's stand to chat for a while. She dropped her gaze, keeping her eyes on her shoes, and walked in his direction. She bumped into him, stumbling a bit. Keeping her gaze down, she murmured, "Sorry, excuse me." And kept walking.

She continued down the street, feeling eyes on her, and took a right turn into an alleyway. Her elegant white hand drifted out of her cloak, and she shook the item in her hand, hearing a satisfying clink, clink of coins hitting each other in the small silk purse...

Akio was perplexed. How had he gotten here again? He couldn't remember. Well that's certainly no good sign he noted to himself. What was he supposed to do in a place where he'd never been anyway? Feeling foolish he stumbled around the general area, looking for something to make himself fit in. He hated attention, absolutely loathed it. He paused thinking. What if they were watching him right now. Akio spun widely to check behind himself, about to scream an attack when he realized no one was there. People kept walking on, giving him odd looks he hated. Denial struck him in that instant. No, you know what? There was someone watching him, he just couldn't see it was all. Best not worry about it and move on. At first he thought things couldn't get much worse, but of course in the next instant...

"Hey AKIOOOO!!" A girl screamed and then proceed to slam into him quite as well as she could manage, knocking him over to the ground. Of course she chose to attack from behind... He sighed internally. What else would she have done? Picking himself up, he stood Mae up with him as well. "Do ya have to do that Mae, in public?" He moaned, picking up his trampled bandanna from the ground. Suddenly there was a very big something, in his face. Akio twitched realizing what it was. "Get your ASS out of my FACE!" He shouted at her, pushing her frame off of his body and watched as she toppled to the ground.

Strangers who were intent upon giving him 'what a freak show' looks, had now stopped alongside the road and began to stare, watching the spectacle as it progressed. Not that he cared now; Mae hated attention almost as much as he did. She stood up, scowling. "It's not nice to throw your baby sister you know."

"You are thirteen years old today, so don't give me that load. As of today, that kinda crap won't sail."

"I don't see any water." She responded looking around quizzically.

"You know what I meant dumb ass!"

"Why don't you let me enjoy my birthday some where's else? You can go now."

Akio began to seethe now. This was just like her. "You were the one that suggested we go into the city. I even let you picked. Just because we ended up in some god-forsaken jungle doesn't mean you need to push everything on me whe--"

"Let's just go. I don't need to hear this lecture, I have school for that." She said, cutting him off.

"You're hardly ever in school to begin with, no wonder you couldn't tell the mage the right directions to get where you wanted to go. Now, we're in this sort-of mess." Mae looked at him as though all of this was indeed his fault. She was about to say as much before he noticed yet another scene beginning right across the street. A hooded figure advanced on a rather paunchy individual, which looked as if he could afford a no food diet for the next several weeks. A causal bump into the man caused her to ruffle his side, and the figure smoothly stole the pouch of money that had been jostled inside. Very practiced.

"That bitch just robbed that guy?!" She exclaimed, phrasing it like she couldn't believe, a question.

"How do you even know she's a woman?" He asked, though now as he concentrated it was true, the scent coming off her robes was indeed feminine.

"Because, look at the way she walks." She stated, as though this were an obvious fact and he was just missing it. "You're just too sexist to get past your preconceived notions."

"Go drown in a bath tub." He told her plainly. Stammering behind him, she seemed to be more in focus with her witty retort, than wondering about the mysterious girl as he was. Deciding to have a little fun which both of them would enjoy, Akio leaped up on the roof tops, ignoring the shocked and murmuring from the crowd behind him. He slowly trilled along the shallow wooden pallets, which smelled as though they were drawn from the odd trees near the edge of town. He perched himself on the edge of the top, and waited for the girl to make another movement. Watching her now, he could see her mentally tallying her score from the big man from the alley way. What would she do next he wondered? Akio heard Mae drift to a stop next to him. She bent down on her knees, and leaned his head against his shoulder. Now was not the time to fall asleep, but she didn't even appear tired. Sure enough, she was becoming alert as he was, to the possible threat that was this cloaked woman. They both waited with slight apprehension for the rest of the events to unfold.

Quote :

OOC: *dies laughing*

Rainie paused for a moment, for she swore she heard something above her. Sensing eyes on her again, she looked around warily. Not seeing anyone on the streets, she scanned the rooftops out of habit.

Her strange violet eyes landed upon two figures upon a rooftop, watching her. A lavender haired boy with a matching color of eyes, and a young girl with the same hair...only she had reddish eyes, maybe maroon. Rainie blinked, but they were still there, watching her warily. She gave them an odd look, wondering if they watched random strangers from rooftops for fun. She blink twice more, rather bewildered.

Then, she very deliberately dropped her gaze, ducking her head, turned on her heel and walked away. She hated being noticed, for was usually dangerous. Just lie low, and no one can haul you away some random dank prison. Rainie was quite good at being invisible. Her face wasn't on a wanted poster, now was it?

Rainie peered back at the two people on the rooftop, a strand of red hair slipping from the inside of her hood. Her eyes flicked back to staring straight ahead.

"Weird..." She muttered under her breath.

Quote :

OOC: lol, have Mae follow her or something? It can't end here, obviously.

Edit: HEY!!! You edited my post!!!!

Akio watched slightly wary as the strange girl continued to ignore them. Well, not completely. She did look at them, but either she had no interest, or she flat out didn't care. Well, it suited him fine. People were robbed everyday, the fatso was no different. Mae had other intentions, of course. Well if she wasn't going to talk to him, he mine as well take a peak into her annoying head. Learning his mind peaking powers was a great effort, especially for one like himself with limited magical abilities. Eventually, over time he was able to realize it was more like fitting your own mind inside theirs, and joining a connection so you could read both the person in question and you own. Being able to hear some of the personal space of another while keeping your respective comments to yourself. Actually, Akio had a theory; that if he found another like him, one who could read minds, the connection could grow stronger, flow easier if they were both reading each other in the same instant. But it could always work out for the worse. That person could use that easier connection to draw back into the intruder's mind. He was quite good at it, and he learned to do it without Mae noticing the causal probes he aimed at her. He now knew how to simply place his mind inside hers and thus draw out her frontal thoughts for him to see, smoothly, and without alarm to the girl herself. But now, of course, he regretted the decision of intruding almost immediately.

"What a freakin' whore. Well I've never seen anyone so indifferent to the lawlessness that is this god-forsaken island. Just like the slums, this girl would fit right in. OHH!! I hate her..."

The ranting continued but Akio saw no point in listening further. He was looking to see if Mae would be taking rash action, but it looked like maybe she had considered another plan. Just in that instant, Mae decided to jump down off the roof, and land with a loud bang on a wooden cart below. The cart buckled under the steep fall and her substantial weight that accompanied it. Before anything could get really ugly, Akio realized he'd better step in. Everything physical was almost too easy for him. Taking a more graceful approach, Akio leapt up on the balls of his feet, and landed with a muted thud against the dry earth that made up the small alley way there were grouped in. He studied the girl, more closely this time. Able to discern the shadows that hid her face beneath her cowl. It was a soft face, one he might have considered beautiful if he didn't really think like that. She had flowing red hair, quite vibrant, even compared to his own or Mae's hair, this strange woman's might stand out even farther! Not something you saw every day it seemed. The most curious part, was her eyes. They weren't exactly the same shade as his, they seemed to, swirl almost, as if purple clouds were circling inside them.

Akio grew tired of the boring nothing that was happening, and decided he mine-as-well have a little fun. Mae needed to be distracted anyway...This other power he'd managed to acquire, came from a strange book he found on his travels with her. The tome spoke of an old magic, that enabled a vampire to split themselves into multiple, identical entities or clones of that person, in order to fight with a larger more intimidating force. Of course, this power also split all of his attributes in half, but there is always something to consider about strength in numbers. Akio concentrating, willing his body to separate and realign itself next to him...silently, the clone sharing his conscience used his speed to appear right behind Mae as well as him in front of her. She'd seen this before, but that still didn't help in her jump-out-of-her-clothes reaction.

"What the hell was that for?!" She screamed at him.

"You seemed like you could use a healthy distraction, all that glaring at a person you don't even know." He sated calmly in retort.

"Why do you have to be such a hoe? What, do you take yourself out all night long and..and just prey on all the innocent women in town do you? Probably gang up on them and--"

"I'm gonna stop you right there because now you're getting ridiculous. Plus, I would consider it quite rude if a random stranger started arguing with her brother next to me about how he's a hoe?" He phrased the last part as a question, proving his point about how moronic it sounded to accuse him that way. How would it look to the stranger he wondered? It must be a little odd, considering the circumstances. Akio waited this time, not giving his name quite yet, and ignoring the fuming Mae.

Quote :

OOC: HEY!!! I got Akio's description right from the charrie sheet!!! DECIDE ON AN APPEARANCE ALREADY!!!

A sudden loud thud from behind Rainie made her stop and look towards it. It was the young girl, jumping from the roof and landing noisely on a wooden cart below. Rainie blinked, wondering what she would do.

She watched the boy with wide eyes, for his descent was ten times more graceful than the girl's. Even his landing was quite and muted. Rainie wondered for a moment how that was mastered, for even she stumbled every once in a while. And she was quite nimble. She pondered if there were certain excersizes of sorts to train one's self to move with complete silence.

A sudden flash of something, a dream or a memory, flickered in front on her eyes. Straining to keep the arrow steady, one eye squinted to get a better veiw of the target, the taut string cutting into soft fingers. The release of the arrow, briefly peircing the air before lodging itself in the hay-stuffed canvas target, not five inches from the bullseye. Laughter seemed to ring in her ears as the scene shifted, as if she'd turned, then faded out completely.

Rainie blinked the memory away, frustrated once again. As always, she could never see anyone's face. How she loathed her unclear her flashbacks were. There was someone she was supposed to find. But, no matter how hard she concentrated, she could never clearly remember their face.


Irritated, Rainie turned her attention back to the present. The two people seemed to be arguing. Her head tilted to the side slightly, her expression perplexed as she watched the odd pair.

"What the hell was that for?!" The younger girl shouted.

The boy said something too low for Rainie to hear, seeing as she was a good fifteen feet away.

"Why do you have to be such a hoe? What, do you take yourself out all night long and..and just prey on all the innocent women in town do you? Probably gang up on them and--" The girl ranted, only to be interrupted by the boy again.

Rainie watched the little argument, her expression one of bewilderment. She blinked when the boy suddenly looked up at her, seeming to ignore his angry companion. Rainie decided they must be related. There was no doubt about it. They just acted so familiar with one another, and they did look slightly similar. Plus, the girl had just called the boy a "hoe", which Rainie found quite amusing, but her expression didn't betray any of her amusement.

After a while, Rainie became rather tired of the situation. Time to mix it up a bit, She thought to herself.

Holding the stranger's gaze, she raised her chin a bit and spoke. "May I help you?" She asked dryly, wondering what their deal was.

Akio choosing not to pay any more attention to the still ranting Mae, listened to the girl who decided to speak.

Rainie wrote:

"May I help you?"

She asked a little miffed. Well, they certainly couldn't be considered conventional at this point. What would it be like, if she knew who, or what he was? That might prove to be interesting...He considered for a bit. He definitely wasn't going to say outright what he was. But who? That couldn't be so bad could it? It's not like they could just slip away...not after Mae.

Akio lifted his face and enunciated clearly so his voice could be heard throughout the narrow alley way, certain to reach the girl standing across from him. "We're not really looking for help so much as something to do. My name is--"

"Why did you steal from that poor man?! That's how you can help us." Mae interrupted. Akio considered muttering something along the lines of don't be so rude, but thought better of it. If she was going to flip out, best to let the craziness run it's course. They both waited calmly for the girl to respond, but he decided to at least finish his statement. "...Akio."

Rainie's eyes flickered from the boy's face down to the girl's, her lips pursed in slight chagrin. Poor man? What about me! A voice in the back of her head growled. These people had noticed her. They would turn her in. It would be wise to duck her head and run now, but, of course, she didn't. That would merely prove herself guilty. And, in truth, she wasn't proud of being a theif. She'd much rather survive with honor, but she couldn't. And she'd merely be taken advantage of. Her stomach growled again, and she bit the inside of her cheek to stifle a whimper.

In her musings, she'd nearly missed the boy's introduction, which had been interupted by his sister.

Nodding politely to Akio, she looked back to the girl with a smooth, gentle, slightly confused expression. The alley's narrow walls carried her low, clear voice. "I haven't a clue what you're talking about." She lied so smoothly she almost convinced herself.

The girl looked confused, or at best, contemplating as Akio gave his introduction. Mae was quite now, waiting for a response from the girl. But in that instant, she claimed ignorance. Better known as idiocy. Akio corrected in his head. Did she think they were stupid? They both saw her rob the man...not like he could put up much of a fight, and it presented an easy get away. It wasn't as if he could chase him. Akio didn't like fat people. They were always in his face. He even recalled the incident back in his head, knowing what he thought when the man was robbed. She's doing him a favor actually...less money for him to buy food. Mhm, pwned. Just robbed. There goes the money for the lipo. The weird shaman in town claimed he could cure fat by sucking it out of one's self. He called it liposuction. Odd man; but Akio chuckled over his made up joke, and got a 'What the hell are you doing' look from Mae. He corrected his composure, and starred back at the girl, remembering the matter at hand. As a precaution, he took one step closer to Mae--she noticed.

"You know it's only polite to return your name once presented with another. But I can see perhaps why you wouldn't want to. We know you stole the man's money, just not the reason you did it. I believe the better question to ask would be why, you stole it." He stated calmly. The girl didn't look like much, but if she was confident enough to steel, and good enough to get away with it, there must be some form of danger that evoked her. Akio looked closer, but didn't see much. The cloak that obscured her entire frame would only too easily hide any number of weapons in a wide assortment. Mae could sense the bristling in him, she knew that now was the time to shut up and stayed prepared. He could most certainly take her, it was true. But Mae was no more human than he was, or at least, half of him was. It was her that he worried about. He shifted his weight just so, possibly noticeable enough for the strange girl, but if that were the case, she'd know now was the time to run or back off.

Rainie watched the two closely, gritting her teeth when she decided lying was a waste of effort. The boy, Akio, stayed close to the girl, shifting his weight towards her as he spoke. Rainie analyzed the situation before her, noting escape routes and other plans of action. She could distract the boy a number of ways, for she'd decided he would pose as a threat. She ran through these plans breifly, shying away from a few. Eventually, she chose to talk her way out of trouble.

She took a deep breath. "I pose no threat to you or your sister. I'm terribly sorry for my rudeness. My name is Rainie." She said carefully, biting her tongue to keep herself from adding the words I think. Having no memories prior to a year and a half ago got in the way at times. She could never be sure of who she was. Sometimes, it nearly drove her into madness.

Rainie realized she'd dodged the stranger's main question, though she'd done so unintentionally. Her teeth pressed into her full lower lip, her thoughts a wordless jamble of stress. "And I needed it." She murmured simply, deciding to be honest.

She did need money. Not only that, but she'd need a job soon as well. With the coins from that portly man, she could fill her empty stomach. With a job, she could fill her empty quiver. If she could find work at an Inn, even better. She could barter herself a space to live in for a short while. Her back ached from sleeping in trees and on the forest's unforgiving ground. At least the woods held secret hot springs and sweet smelling herbs for cleaning, but shelter from the elements was a little iffy.

The girl surprised him by being observant. The careful step in front of his sister was not to be missed then... he mused to himself. But she did apologize for her apparent rudeness, never mind Mae. Well that was nice. She stated however that her name was Rainie. Okay then, Rainie. Certainly not a name he'd heard before, but they were a good way from any form of trust. Before he could gather his thoughts further, the girl Rainie spoke softly, muttering that she needed it. So all she needed was food? And perhaps a place to stay? Honestly, Akio saw no crime in this, even though the entire event was centered around that fact. He could sense Mae wanted to protest but silenced her with a look. Choosing to speak instead, he started,

"Hello Rainie. As mentioned earlier, I am known as Akio. And this..." He said taking the final step to reach Mae, and softly laying his hand on her head, "Is Mae, my little sister." At least if she already hadn't figured it out, they were related and that was the reason for his perhaps over protectiveness. "As long as you had a real purpose in taking the money, please don't feel ashamed or in the least bit remorseful about it." Akio studied her again, only this time paying attention to the shadows under her eyes, the strange arch in her back, she even had a slightly weary stance if you paid attention. He could at least give her a place to stay, and maybe even a speak of food.

"How about we all go to a bar somewhere in town? I'm sure many of them here double as inns and I'd only be too happy to offer you a room to stay. Your welcome here so long as your intentions are pure." Of course, he could have verified that fact by lifting the veil in front of her mind, but it really was a courtesy to not do that without permission. Keeping inside his own mind, he merely shifted his stance to one more relaxed, and waited for her answer. Either way, he would be moving on with Mae towards the main city. If she wasn't too tired of traveling, they could even go there. Perhaps a stay at a local in, and then movement on Emeline. Akio wondered idly whether or not Rainie would accompany him. After a good night's sleep, she might be up to it. Something about her told him that she liked burning things just as much as he did...

Akio introduced himself again, something Rainie found odd, then introducing his sister. Rainie nodded, slightly smiling timidly at Mae in greeting. She watched Akio lay his hand gently on the young girl's head, showing he had a soft spot for the girl. Rainie tucked this bit of knowledge into the back of her mind.

The air was still uncomfortable, tense with distrust. This didn't go unnoticed by Rainie, her eyes tightening a bit. He doesn't trust me...He could turn on me at any moment... She thought paranoidly. Her thoughts turn exasperated, annoyed at herself. Damn, I've got some major issues.

Despite her wariness of these odd strangers, she could benefit from a person who knew their way around. It would make her life easier, for a brief amount of time anyways. She casted a glance over her shoulder, and the forest that lay behind her. She stared at it for a moment, her violet eyes no longer tight and mistrustful, but younger, and sad. I don't want to live like this today, A voice in her head murmured. After a moment, turned back to Akio and Mae and nodded hesitantly. For good measure, she smirked a little. "Sure, sure, I'll be good." She said indifferently, straightening up and taking a timid step towards them.

Akio watched just as carefully when the girl was examining him. She was watching both him and Mae, probably looking for something she could either use as an escape, or else to her advantage. She finally seemed to decide on something, after looking back towards the forest she may have been headed to, she took a tentative step in their direction. He was surprised, momentarily he believed they might just go their separate ways; but it looked like she had something to gain from him anyway...maybe she really hadn't slept any where's decent in a long time. An unexpected wave of pity held him then, but he passed it along because he really didn't know the girl yet. "Okay, I think we can find a place. Let's just...Er, never-mind." He just realized that he had been about to suggest they follow a scent trail of food, but that had to seem weird to this girl, obviously not a vampire. Mae didn't like to talk about the whole situation with him, but she also didn't mind him for it. She seemed to think of him as a brother either way. It was nice knowing that someone accepted him no matter what.

"Just follow me." He finished rather lamely, and began walking off to the nearest scent he caught. It was harmless enough. Basic stew and fresh bread. He'd been looking for a good potato dinner for quite some time. A memory hit him in the face, the one time he'd agreed to let Mae cook. It didn't end well. Putting that sour memory behind him, he took the right turn around the dirt path that led them back onto the streets. Would anybody remember the incident that had just occurred there? What would the fat man think of him, Mae, and Rainie all walking back out into the streets as if nothing happened? Well, they couldn't complain, not really. A quick glance to his immediate left told him the fat man had indeed realized his money had been stolen, but a few moment examination confirmed that he hadn't the slightest clue who the culprit was. Taking on a smug smile from a crime he had not even committed, Akio strolled across the slightly narrower lane into a substandard bar with a trashed up sign hung over the door. It was hung with small copper wires with one slightly detached, causing the sign to tilt on it's would-be-straight axis and add to the whole roughed up look. It was the kind of place he was looking for, one where fights were just expected. He almost wanted to cause a scene immediately, just by walking in, but that felt wrong. It would take the fun out of the entire event, as a production.

Rather than follow his first notion, he led Mae by the heel into the bar and pushed the door open more forcefully than quite necessary. The wooden frame came around and knocked into the opposite edge for which it was set. Perfectly as if nothing had occurred, Mae played along with the theme he was setting up and pranced in after him with causal indifference. She loved fights just as much as him, and though he was protective, he wasn't going to deny her fun at every turn. She sat down at the turn table and motioned to the bar tender as though she were a regular here. "I'll have one elven wine, and for my brother here..."

"I'll just take her drink." Mae looked at him venomously. She had understood what he'd meant. But the bartender was now confused.

"Uh...wait, so is that one or two elvish wines?" He asked questioningly.

"One, thank you." Akio responded calmly. Mae was disheartened, she did really want some. "I'll let you sip on mine." He told her. No way was he gonna let her drink past her limit. Which was...perhaps two sips?

Rainie trailed after Akio and Mae, still keeping a generous distance between them. Realizing they were going back to where she'd been pick-pocketing someone just a moment ago, she ducked her head, hiding behind her hood. Carefully, her violet eyes slid to the left, allowing herself a sideways glance at the fat man she'd stolen from. She had to purse her lips to keep from breaking into a wide grin. He noticed the money was gone, but hadn't a clue as to who took it.

A faint girlish chuckle passed her lips without her consent. Startled, she bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't laugh often. It wasn't something she was used to. It made her feel odd, as if she weren't the person she was supposed to be. As if there isn't enough to make this girl complicated.

Eventually, they reached a rough-looking bar, Akio opening the door with more force than necesary. Rainie couldn't help but smirk, anticipation swelling inside her as she breezed into the building after Mae. She closed the door quietly, analyzing the room carefully. Not many elves in here, but there were a few human men, a dwarf or two, and, surprisingly, a couple orks. Ought to make an interesting fight. Rainie tried to stifle her excited smile.

Not wanting to be stared at like the strange-person-wearing-a-cloak, she pulled back her hood, untying the black ribbon and folding it over her arm. She felt exposed, her scabbard and daggers no longer hidden by her cloak. At least she'd left her quiver and bow in the branches of a hickory tree just outside the city. She smoothed her red hair back, tugging her bangs when they fell into her eyes. It was thick and realitively straight, falling to her waist. There was a dagger strapped to her left wrist, now exposed, and she slipped it into her black leather bag, tucking it into some of the clothing in there. There was no hope for the sword, so she just let the men ogle at the strange woman with a great sword at her waist and the mane of bright red hair.

Rainie had the oddest urge to snicker at young Mae's desire for wine as she took a seat at one of the stools. She draped her cloak over her lap, an attempt to hide her elaborate collection of weaponry. A vain attempt, seeing as most of the men in the bar had already noticed. She was hard to miss, red hair and all. She hated how much she stood out.

The bartender eyed her warily, making Rainie wish she'd kept her cloak on. "May I 'elp ye, miss?" He asked. (A/N: I love giving NPCs weird accents)

Rainie nodded, speaking in her low, clear voice, "I'll have some bread, and whatever stew you have in the kitchen today." She smiled a bit, hoping to soothe the man.

"Aye, that'll be two silvers." He said, heading off to the kitchen after Rainie nodded in agreement.

After the bartender disappeared, Rainie crossed her legs in her dress, reaching up and stretching her back, before relaxing again in her stool. She peered at Akio and Mae through her curtain of red hair selfconciously. She wanted desperately for the silence to end, and also hoped a fight would break out. Something to alliviate the boredom.