Road Full of Promise (Shizzy~!)

[Anonymous]

The forest seemed to be growing thicker with each passing moment, though she was unsure if she wanted to consider this a good or bad thing... Dense forest meant she was probably getting further from any sort of civilization than nearer, but it was more likely for there to be food hiding somewhere out here. Of course, that food was probably sneaking around eyeballing her for a meal, but as long as the creatures here weren't particularly threatening, she didn't think that'd be a problem... In fact, she hoped for it, seeing as it'd ultimately take the factor of hunting down some timid little woodland creature out of the equation, and she'd just have to wait for whatever to pounce on her before slicing it open.

She wasn't about to take the risk of that not happening at all, either, though, and was carefully discerning her surroundings in attempt to figure out if there was anything edible she could wrangle up in the meanwhile. It wasn't as if the wildlife was scarce, but she didn't particularly know if one berry was of the 'instant death' variety, or 'turn you into a frog', or just a hallucinogen. She'd rather not start hallucinating in the middle of this experience, after all. Things were strange enough as it was... Not that she hadn't dealt with stranger.

"Hey," growled the low, raspy whisper of a voice at her side. It almost tickled in her ear the way it echoed softly at her, which she figured was the result of his whole... being attached to her. "In the thicket ahead... aw, hell, you're too slow."

She was about to come up with a retort of some kind, but all too suddenly the black beast ripped out from the shadows at her feet, lunging into the brush. Standing there, she stared, blinking in surprise as he seemed to vanish for a moment, and she half wondered if there wasn't some invisible boundary, some limit to how far he could part from her that had simply caused him to immediately recoil, but after a moment the black hound was padding back to her, a rabbit in its jaws.

"Geez, you're more handy than I thought!" She clapped her hands together, beaming, but Cerberus only gave her a glower before tossing his head back and swallowing the small creature whole. Hands still joined in front of her, her eyes wide, the young womans jaw went slack with heartbreak as her stomach gave a small roar of anguish. The wolf was grinning, licking at his muzzle with a wispy tongue.

"It's not like you need food," she whined, slouching. The mongrel barely had need to take physical form like he had for the minuscule moment it took him to devour the creature. The rabbit, which probably dissolved into his shadowy nothingness like a small snack, that would have been a meal that kept her satisfied for at least several hours. A small snicker came from the hounds jagged teeth.

"Sure tasted delicious, though," he said as he came nearer to her, his body becoming less visible with each step, his voice losing some of its clarity as it returned to that tickling whisp. "Besides, there's something that'll be a bit more substantial for you coming closer... It probably caught scent of the rabbits blood. Now, do your best to look as vulnerable as possible, hmm? Ah, ahah, well, not that it's really much of a stretch for you."

"Ksh, shut up," she hissed, glowering at nothing in particular, kneeling down closer to the ground, keeping her vision low, but alert. She needed to look as unaware as possible, without it actually being so. There was no telling how smart any of the predators here were, though if part of the prey was rabbit, she couldn't imagine anything too super-intelligent. Several minutes seemed to pass, and she found herself getting impatient, wondering if the damn mutt wasn't playing some stupid trick. She was just about to open her mouth when she heard the faint rustling of branches somewhere behind her. It gave a twitch of vulnerability down her spine, and her body tensed in preparation, fingers wrapping around the handle of the dagger sheathed at the side of her boot. She had no idea what it was, but it couldn't have been exceptionally large. Low to the ground, too, so probably -hopefully a quadruped.. She could only start envisioning the creatures from her home though... The teeth, the claws and razor-sharp tentacles... Even something that sounded small and unseemly could give one hell of a fight. Hunger was a powerful motivator, after all.

Survival.

Whirling around, she rose while in motion, spinning so she moved away from the open jaws and out-stretched forelegs of the creature as it lunged from the brush. She quickly looked it over, seeing it as appearing to be nothing more than a common wolf, something she was much too thankful for, but wolves rarely traveled alone. Even as she the thought occurred, she heard another burst of movement from the thicket that was now angled behind her again, and quickly spun on one leg to dart away, keeping both creatures in her gaze. They were moving, snarling and snapping their teeth as they prepared themselves for another attack, but it seemed no others were joining in the fray.

"That's all of them, it would seem..." Cerberus crooned, as he stepped out from her shadow once again, seeming to stretch a little as he did so. The other wolves were clearly caught aback by this strange creature, and they whimpered a little and took backwards steps of uncertainty. Animals weren't stupid, after all... surely they could plainly sense the bloodthirsty aura the shadow creature was always so thickly bathed in. Blood thirst and blood.

As he gave a sharp, bestial howl, Kira quickly lunged forward before either of the two could escape, even as Cerberus was reaching out for the other, his paw-like hand stretching out into a larger, clawed, five-fingered limb that wholly wrapped around the throat of one of the beasts, squeezing to allow the satisfying crack of bones and a final gasp of a whimper. The other wolf had turned tail, though, and despite her attempt at a pre-emptive move, trying to wrestle it down would probably end in more wounds than she had desire for. Not to mention, her means of subduing it would leave much more a mess than the one Cerberus had already left splayed out for her.

She glanced back at him, sitting, looking very much the normal hound if not for the eerie red glow to his eyes, tail wagging innocently as he cocked his head to the side. He couldn't hide his grin, though, and she sighed as she sheathed her dagger, glancing around the area. The sun was low, and it was as good a place as any to make camp for the night, along with getting what she could out of the meal the mutt had provided for her.

Extending an open palm toward the ground, her blue eyes seemed to brighten a little, a spark like an ember appearing and swirling around the iris, overtaking it with a golden red, as sparks spiraled from her palm and came together at the earth as a sizeable flame, crackling and snapping, dancing almost joyfully. A small smile appeared on the young blonds lips as she knelt down to it, holding her hands inches above it, and it warmly responded, licking at her palms. She glanced up at Cerberus again, glowering a bit.

"Well, its definitely cuter than you."

"Hey, I have no problem eating that too," he snarled, nodding his head at the wolves body. Quickly she clapped her hands together in front of her and bowed her head.

"I am sooo grateful for this meal, thank you sooo much, most benevolent guardian." The sarcasm in her voice was so thick it should have choked her.

"Ugh, stop that, its gross. Shut up and eat." Again, he came closer to her, seeming to grow a bit larger by the light of the fire, and yet his form, again, was slowly dissolving from view. Sighing, she shrugged to herself, leaving the obedient little flame as she moved over with dagger in hand to begin preparing her meal.

((I swear I'll NOT write a near-novel in my next post, kay? :D))

[Anonymous]

Golden light, all around us, golden light, enveloping us, golden light embracing us, oh Golden God above, you do us wrong, oh Golden God, you do us right, oh Golden God, we bow to your might. Golden light, Golden God, we beg of you to clear the black fog. Golden God...we pray to you, Golden God, we sing to you...oh Golden God... It was a simple little tune, nothing very impressive, and it certainly hadn't been made by the singer. Though, it had been made for him...though he wasn't sure if he had really...forced the song to be made. Even still...it had been a nice touching little tune. Granted, no one knew that it had been him that they were singing to...

How fun that had been.

At the edge of a small creek did a strange man kneel. His outfit was completely foreign in the world, it was a suit, black with golden pinstripes running vertically along the clothing. He wore a long sleeved silk shirt under his coat, as well as a white tie with a strange golden floral print along it. It seemed to be a delicate ivy print that ran all along the tie. This man was kneeling at the edge of the creek with a towel of some kind across the ground to not dirty his suit. Even his black sleek leather shoes didn't have a mark or speck of dirt upon them.

His pale skinned hands had a silk handkerchief in his hands, and he was currently dipping it into the water to wash his face with. He was a handsome young man, and indeed he looked so young. He had those boyish looks of a man just entering his twenties perhaps. His skin was perfect, flawless, save for specks of dirt here and there. His golden blond hair fell lightly around his face, though most of it was kept in place by the hat on his head. He had pale lips, which seemed to go with just about the rest of his pale motiff. The only thing off was his eyes...these liquid pools of light, where no eye actually rested. Golden light seemed to shoot from his sockets, illuminating the dark forest around him where ever he looked. Of course, right now he was just looking at the stream. Carefully he washed his face of the dirt before wringing out the cloth and returning it to his pocket.

Carefully he reached to his side and picked up a large strange object. It almost looked like a small golden shield with leather belts along the side. It was however, a mask, which he affixed to his face with the help of the leather belts to hide his features. The strange tune suddenly faded the moment his face was covered. Standing up, he looked around, hearing a strange noise on the wind. Odd...there wasn't usually anyone in the forest. Of course, it sounded more like...animals yelping and whining. How very unusual.

The towel was left forgotten by the creek side as he began to walk away. It didn't take long at all for wolves to come suddenly bursting through the foliage. They smelled of fear, pure...animalistic fear. It was almost palpable. "Stop." His voice, so velvety soft, but so forceful as well. There was a power behind that voice, one that one wouldn't have expected from the fresh faced young man. Instantly the wolves stopped in their tracks, lowering to their bellies and whining uncontrollably. They seemed more frightened of him than of what scared them away. He approached them, crouching slightly to take one of their heads in his hand. There was a strange power that radiated between the two of them before he let go, and the wolves took off running once more.

"How interesting." The man murmured quietly to himself as he stood up and began to walk again. He was careful and deliberate not to make very much noise as he walked. He avoided walking straight through bushes, and seemed to take the utmost care not to scuff his clothes or dirty them. That shadows did well to hide the man who clothed himself in darkness, though he doubted it would do him all that much good. Whatever had scared the wolves no doubt could be aware of him easily. He decided it would be best not to antagonize whatever it was by sneaking up on them...at least by hiding his presence.

If they couldn't hear him and sense him coming, that was their fault.

It wasn't a long walk until the strange man came upon an interesting sight, a woman who was preparing to eat a wolf. In his hand he held a gold coin, which he began to flick into the air and catch, leaving a pinging noise in the air as he did so. It was unable to tell his emotion, though his posture was relaxed and calm, he didn't seem at all threatened by the woman, or her strange wolf creature. "Well, what do we have here?" There was almost a purring tone in his voice, pleased by this particular development.

"A nice fine fire you have there. Is there perhaps a spot for another, or should I continue walking on?" He asked as he stood outside the circle of light that the fire gave off. He didn't want to intrude after all, and he wasn't sure if the darkness creature was tame. Though he was almost completely sure that he had heard it speak. He'd like to say that it was odd of course, but he had seen some very odd things in his time.

[Anonymous]

Cerberus had seemed slightly on edge in the few moments before the strange, masked man appeared. He hadn't said or done anything to cause her any real concern though, so she'd continued with her task of skinning the wolf, mindful of what she was doing. She felt she hadn't done anything like this in a long time, but she was sure she could use the fur as a blanket for the time being... Not to mention her mind was on other things, like whether more beasts would be drawn to all this mess and the ruckus that had been made. Or how it felt a pity to eat such a creature... Wolves were something sacred to her people, but it wasn't as if she'd never ate wolf meat before, or killed one before, either... Still, in her flurry of thoughts she made sure to say thanks to the meal she'd received... and not become.

It was that smooth, metallic 'ping' that had caught her attention, almost hypnotizing, yet calling her back to reality. Cerberus' focus had shifted at her side, but she didn't look up immediately. In the very least, she didn't feel threatened, but as she finished with the cut she was making, and slowly lifted her vision, a strange sensation overcame her... It was oddly familiar, though at the same time wholly new. The innate understanding that she was in the presence of something greater than herself, the sensation of fear and awe, respect and wonder flooding every inch of ones being.

Her expression, though, remained lackluster, as she leaned her head to one side a bit, curiously. Looking him over, he seemed very much out of place somehow. Even if she'd only just arrived in this world, it seemed lush and wild, and that suit just didn't seem to fit at all. Of course, at this point, what did she know? He made her feel quite small and dirty, though... The pale brown pants she wore were dirty and a little torn in places, and though they gave her the desired mobility she needed, they weren't the most flattering of things to wear, the bottoms wrapped in thin strips of leather that came around her ankles, her feet tucked into simple leather boots. She wore a long shirt - she supposed, a dress, though in its frayed condition it seemed an insult to dresses everywhere to call it that- that was a shade darker, which flowed loosely around her. Sleeveless, it came up comfortably around her neck, leaving her shoulders and the top of her back exposed.

They felt like rags, mostly, and she she supposed the probably were... But whatever it was, it was better than materializing in the middle of unfamiliar territory in the nude... which she was sure she had, indeed, endured at least once before in her extensive life.

The mans words lingered for a moment as she made note of her inferiority complex nagging in the back of her mind, and quickly shoved it aside. It wasn't like she cared, really, after all... She'd been in rags before well-dressed men before, and it'd surely happen again. She shrugged.

"Go ahead and sit," she said, nodding beside her. "I'd feel like a fool to turn away the first person I've run into." That was the whole truth of the matter... Whoever he was, she could only hope he could enlighten her to her situation, or at least her location. She raised an eyebrow as she remembered her companion, and looked over to him, laid beside her, alert. Smiling, she reached a hand out and lightly touched the edges of his head, which seemed just as wispy as real fur... "Don't worry about him." The statement could have been to either of them, really, though Cerberus visibly eased a little, resting his head and closing his eyes. She couldn't really tell if it was an act or not though, since she doubted Cerberus was ever actually at ease around new people... and he had to have sensed the same strangeness from this man that she had...

[Anonymous]

It was funny really, he flipped a coin out of habit, nervous habit for the most part. At one time in the coin's life it had ridges around the edge, and even designs on each side. Now...after so many years...eons even, the coin had become nothing more than a simple flat disk. However, over the eons, it still kept the same ring as it had before. Funny how that was. He needed a good way to announce his approach, and the pinging sound of a gold coin was usually the best. Clearing the throat or saying ahem was just so barbaric. It was for people who didn't have perfectly tuned coins to flick.

His presence wasn't meant to be too powerful, after all, the woman was holding a knife, and had a strange creature with her. They were also making a meal out of a wolf, which meant there was power of their own. These two were to be carefully walked around, being cautious never hurt anyone after all.

He loved the looks that people gave him usually. They looked at him...like he was a complete stranger, like he just didn't belong. Even in a forest, a place where there was only flora and fauna...he still looked out of place. It was the clothes, they looked just too...different. Even for royals and nobles they looked to out of place. He was alright with that of course, looking so different, looking so out of place, it gave him a feeling of power. It was impossible to explain of course, and he wasn't even sure he really understood it. Maybe...maybe he just liked being looked at and thought of being different.

Now was a time of course to slowly adjust to the emotions and feelings of those around him. It wasn't a completely magical effect of course, he thought of it as a bit of a psychic power. People sometimes called it being empathic...it took a little while, but he would soon be able to get a read on feelings from this strange woman and her...strange companion. His hope of course was to be able to spend enough time around them for that to happen. There was always a chance that she'd run him off for some reason. He could be...abrasive at times, and he wouldn't deny it.

"Perhaps a bit silly, but never a fool." The coin was pocketed, the need for it was still there, but a good impression was always needed. "Why would I worry about him?" He directed his 'gaze' toward the creature, his covered face made it hard to see of course, but his attention did seem to be on the beast for just a moment. For a moment he held a hand up, one finger outstretched as he began to draw something in the air. A golden trail followed his finger as he drew a square, which hung there in the air, a pulse running along the line that he drew. He held out his hand and concentrated for a second, and suddenly the square filled in completely. Falling on his hand was a towel now, which he used to lay upon the ground, and he proceeded to sit carefully on it. He didn't want to split his pants in front of this woman, that would be terrible!

"I wondered what could have scared the wolves however, and it appears I found the source." It was strange, his words, they seemed so articulated, he didn't appear to use contractions either. However, his voice was at least full of emotion, though, perhaps a slight bit haughty. "I am called Vec...Vec Eluhandru Lanrete. It certainly is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. I hope you will grace me with your name...and I hope he will share his as well." The other voice of course, had to be the creature before them, it looked masculine, so it made sense that it had been him. Vec at least knew that treating those that looked like beasts but may not have been beasts like animals could be trouble. Best to be polite toward both of them.

[Anonymous]

The mask was a bit strange, to be sure... and it left her feeling more than a little more tense than she might have been had he not been wearing it. Then again, if he was somehow horribly disfigured beneath it maybe that wasn't the case. She could understand a little better if that were the matter, but otherwise, it left a certain taste of distrust in the back of her mouth... People who hid their faces were often hiding much more.

"Hm, I'd have figured him to look a bit threatening to most people," she answered to his question as he seemed to direct his attention to her canine companion. There was little point in commenting much further on it, but it seemed right that most people should be warned about Cerberus. Though he was tame enough at the moment, he was like those wild beasts you saw in a carnival or other festivities... There was no telling when they'd remember their true nature, and make sure to remind everyone else, as well...

Her brow raised in curiosity as he summoned a cloth to sit on, from thin air, even! She most definitely wasn't in the presence of any normal person, but then... whatever the norm was in this new place she had yet to discover. It wasn't as if she was someone to be awed and amazed by a trick like this, though, so she did her best to discreetly return her attention to her task, cutting out some of the good meat in order to better prepare it.

"Mm, it's unfortunate, but I'm afraid... we're a little lost," she offered a somewhat feeble and sheepish smile. "This area isn't familiar to us, so we've been trying to find our bearings, food is food no matter what it is at this point." Giving a small shrug, she grabbed a stick from nearby and skewered the meat to place it near to the fire.

"And I can tell you, the pleasure is mine, Mister Lanrete. I'm Kira Ashling," the name tasted odd on her tongue, but she didn't give sign or pause as she gestured to Cerberus with her bloodied hands. "And this is Cerberus."

"I'm quite capable of introducing myself," he growled, opening one eye at her, then focusing both on their new 'friend'. He'd decided to let her call the shots here, considering as far as he was concerned, the only reason he was even around was because he was attached to her. Still, it wasn't as if he was comfortable making acquaintance with magical, masked men in the thick of a deep, unfamiliar forest.

Seeming lethargic, Cerberus lifted himself up to a sitting position, his head somewhat slouched between his shoulders. Ultimately, he had to resign himself to the situation, considering what Kira said was true. They were lost, in unfamiliar territory, and had no idea what kind of peoples and creatures inhabited it. If this man was any indication, though, of the types they'd be encountering, it'd be best to make as many good connections as possible... Enemies seemed inevitable in their lives, so making with the niceties would have to do for now.

"As Kira said, we're a bit out of sorts. Do you happen to live near here? Any information about this place would be of use, really." It seemed like the most inconspicuous question at the moment. Revealing too much about themselves, however frayed and distorted their memories may have been, felt like a dangerous undertaking.

[Anonymous]

Ah, if only it was as simple as disfigurement.

Of course, at times Vec did consider his eyes a disfigurement in a way. They weren't like normal eyes, and they cause people to stare, or shrink away in fear. For good reason too, because of the emotional power that they held behind it. Granted, he could always...stop the golden light from leaving his sockets, or from broadcasting that low level power that induced guilt into people...but he just didn't ever feel like it. He shouldn't have to at least, it wasn't his fault they naturally shot light and guilt at people. Well...maybe it was sorta his fault, since he had designed this body. Still...it couldn't be helped now, he didn't have the energy to create another body, nowhere near the energy needed now that he had taken a leave of his most awesome powers.

"I am sure that most people would find him a tad threatening." Of course, Vec had been around for...well, he wasn't even sure these people had a word for the time frame that he'd been alive for. Suffice to say, it had been a great number of years, and the strange shadowy pooch was one of the less scarier things he'd encountered. He had to admit, the creature looked to have been designed well, and whether it took on that form on its own accord or had been fashioned that way, it no doubt scared some people.

Just...not him.

"That is good, no one should be too picky when they are lost in unfamiliar ground. It leads to starvation and other troubles no doubt." The woman was smart, and very down to earth. Most people were like that though, but he had come across a few rather...well, to put it nastily, he was sure that they could have been counted as non-sentient creatures. Ahem. He wouldn't say that to their faces of course, but it was always the thought that counted. "I suppose though you would not be saying such things if it were poisonous or rotten...but then again, who ever heard of a poison wolf?" His small talk apparently left...a  little to be desired, but it was mostly because he was wary and perhaps even nervous. His attitude wasn't merely an act, but in this place, being the "Father of a Crime Syndicate Family" meant nothing to these people. The best he could call himself was a Gang Leader or head of a Bandit Clan, and those were just painfully too lowbrow for him.

"Please...no need to be so formal Kira. Just Vec will do." His masked gaze turned toward Cerberus and nodded respectfully to the creature. It was clear that this wasn't just a normal mask. His mask had no eye sockets, no mouth, no nose...it was just like a golden mirrored shield on his face...yet his sense of direction and his ability to discern locations of people wasn't hindered in the least. Perfect eyesight for the man who hid his face.

"Do I hear a touch of hostility, Cerberus?" Vec asked, his tone amused as he regarded the wolf creature carefully. He didn't want to anger the beast after all, but he had found it...amusing the way he spoke. He didn't think either of them would attack without warning, or just cause. Despite the fact the beast looked born of shadows, he didn't automatically assume evil. He of course, was enlightened, and knew that shadows were just the absence of light. There was no evil behind it, it was simply how the world worked. Individuals proved good and evil however, and though he didn't know these two, he just felt...evil wasn't the natures they had.

"Me? I am afraid that my home is beyond any worlds here. I am a traveller from...so far away. However, I have been here a few times before...it is a nice enough place. It is rather...quaint you could call it? The people are good honest folk...they use swords and magic to wage war, they wear metal for armour, or make magical shields, travel on horses, carriages, wagons...sometimes by ship if they so choose. Grass is green, sky is blue...diversity is rampant here, though the humans seem to be the ones in charge." Vec had no qualms about telling people what he was, or where he was from. People usually chose not to believe him, but he wasn't a man who would just start lying to them. No, he was quite an honest sort, when he had to be.

"It is a rather quiet place. Careful of the northwest, there is a country there that has some qualms about magic and magical folk. Seems they take to torture and death rather quickly." He couldn't speak for the girl, but the beast had to have some magical means to him. Plus, they usually didn't like things that didn't look the norm. Though he resembled a dog or wolf, he certainly was not, which meant they wouldn't be making friends with him anytime soon.

[Anonymous]

Those were her thoughts exactly... Being picky in a situation like this would only get her killed. At the mention of poison, however, she jerked to a pause, blinking at the cooking meat before her and debating it quizzically. After that moment, though, she smiled somewhat wryly, shaking her head. Even if it was poison, she shouldn't have anything to worry about...

"All right, Vec," she nodded at his invitation for a first-name basis. She didn't care for formalities herself, so that was more than all right with her. "And don't mind him, he's always a bit... hostile."

Cerberus gave a small huff, but didn't argue. Both, instead, listened intently as the man spoke, giving a rather quick but helpful overview of the world they now found themselves in. Neither missed the small mention that their new friend claimed to be from a world beyond this one, which was both relieved and set them on edge. Was he after them? It wasn't strange for either of them to be hunted, nor unreasonable to imagine that they were... He said he'd been here before though, and gave little reason for either of them to think he was actually after them, though...

"Thank you very much..." Kira said softly, but the genuine appreciation in her voice was apparent. It helped quite some bit to get a summary like that. "It doesn't sound to different from other places I've been to, though... every world is definitely unique..." Cerberus' eyes snapped to her, and she realized just what she'd said, biting her lip thoughtfully. "Well, it could help, right?"

"...feh, do what you want." His shoulders lifted in a small shrug. If it turned out to somehow have ill consequences, it wasn't as if fighting was an outcome he was entirely opposed to, anyway.

"We're... not actually from this place, either." Kira went onto say, returning her attention to Vec. "Though neither of us are quite clear on how we ended up here... or why. But its not the sort of situation we're entirely unfamiliar with, so..." she paused, suddenly wondering why she was saying this. While she didn't think she needed to keep it a secret from him, especially if he wasn't from this world either, it wasn't as though she was looking for a sympathetic shoulder or some form of help, either, despite her previous reasoning to Cerberus. "Ah, well, its not that I want to burden you or anything. I guess I was just a little surprised to bump into someone with something like that in common..."

After all, what were the chances, really? It felt relieving, though... Even if she had Cerberus with her, learning that they were in a world where magic happened and violence didn't seem like it would be uncommon made it feel a little more familiar and less imposing... Like the odds weren't horribly against their survival.

[Anonymous]

"Just a joke, nothing serious." Vec assured Kira as she looked toward him at the mention of poison. He really wanted her to know that there was nothing to fear. It was just a normal, harmless wolf after all. Well, that depended on what normal was to some people of course. To the woman, a poison wolf could be normal. For all she knew, to him, a poison wolf was normal. However, in this case, a non-poisoned wolf was the norm for this world as far as he knew.

"And he does not even wear a choke chain." There was a bit of humour in Vec's voice as he spoke toward Cerberus. The creature was a bit hostile, and it wasn't even chained up or collared or leashed to a tree. "Though I wonder...what if he wears one you can not see." The tapped the chin of his mask absently as he thought about it out loud. That was always a possibility. It wasn't hard to make a mental chain of some sort after all, so what if this strange creature had one attached to him. What if there was something holding him at bay that Vec simply could not see?

An interesting thought indeed.

"But of course, glad that I could be of assistance to you." Vec really didn't mind being helpful, especially when there was no one around. He had a bit of a reputation in the cities, to some degree. There was also a religious group that wasn't too happy with him. If only they could see him now...they might not actually mind him.

He'd still want to blast them into oblivion though.

"Mmm, this is one is quite different from my own, but it is enjoyable none the less." He felt it was like a little vacation from his own. There weren't any Gods here, no one interfering with people's lives...at least...no REAL Gods. Oh he was sure there were false Gods, but any real God would have at least stopped by at some point to say hello to him. So far, after the time spent here, and all the...meddling he had done...well, he was sure someone would have said something by now.

"You do not say..." Vec of course, seemed to already have figured this out. The fact that they asked about the area told him. Not to mention that they were okay with all the things that he had told them. They hadn't seem so surprised by his words, and so...he had come to the conclusion they probably weren't natives to the world either. Not that it was bad, oh no, it was quite okay by him! He liked that, it meant that he didn't have to be too...quiet about the things he talked about.

To some degree. He couldn't go into details about advanced technology, but even still...he would have broader subjects to discuss.

"How fascinating. Other worldly travellers with amnesia." If they could see his face they'd know that he was smiling quite a bit under that mask. He actually found it very interesting, and it was quite a nice thing as well. "No, I can understand Kira. It is quite a coincidence, but at the same time...you could argue that it is perhaps some stroke of luck or fate." Two people who weren't from this world, meeting together in the middle of the woods? The odds were...very...very astronomical really.

"If you would trust an old magic user, would you care for something to drink with your meal? I can conjure most beverages...and if I do not know them, I am sure that I can find a way to create them anyway." This was the part about trust. He would not poison them, but he was a strange man in a mask and strange clothes. They had to decide if they could trust him. He extended his hand in friendship, and now he would see if they would accept it or not.

[Anonymous]

"Ah, well, he won't get too out of hand," Kira responded at the mention of a choke chain, smirking at her companion. "Not that it'd really help much, anyway." Adding this, she moved her hand clearly through Cerberus, who didn't give any response. He wasn't like air, exactly... She could feel a strange, cold thickness that whispered around her fingers, almost like some material between water and air that reminded her of a miasma. The only real word she could give it, though, was what it was, shadow.

"Oh, its a big help, definitely," she smiled a little more brightly, nodding. "Now we just need to figure out which way the nearest city is... Ahah, as long as its not one in that area hostile to magic." Not that Cerberus couldn't just hide himself while they were there... But it'd be easier to just avoid it as much as possible, rather than having to worry about getting captured or punished for whatever inane reasons.

When Vec mentioned 'amnesia', though, she found herself a little caught aback. All this time she hadn't quite thought of it like that... But she supposed the loss and distortion of memories did qualify as amnesia, technically... For some reason, it bothered her a bit more when she thought of it like that, though. They could definitely manage without those memories, at least that was how it appeared, but it was a bother nonetheless.

"Fate, huh...?" she repeated that word in a small whisper, her gaze lowering to the ground. That was a word she felt like she'd known far too well in the past... It was heavy, and suffocating... made her feel like the growing darkness of the night was an ever-shrinking wall... The fire sensed this in her, and shrunk a little in response, the slight dimming of the light recalling her to the moment. The flame snapped back to life, and she gave a small shake of her head, returning to her work.

'If its a good fate, though, its not so bad, right?' the little voice in her mind whispered to herself, but she decided to ignore it for now. She noticed Cerberus looking at her from the corner of her eye, but also opted to disregard him. This strange connection of theirs gave them some vague understanding of how the other felt, though, particularly when the feelings were strong. In those first moments after waking, in all the confusion and the great swirling of emotion that resulted, it'd been quite chaotic and almost dizzying for both of them, with all their bewilderment, sorrow, and rage clashing against each other and into each other.

Luckily... they knew well how to deal with one another on levels like that. Though they'd been enemies for some time, they'd still been very close once before. He understood her nature better than most, and the same for her. Even as enemies, their clashings had only allowed them to learn and understand each other more... Of course he had to understand what her mind was thinking at the mention of that one, silly little word...

She didn't want to give 'fate' any more power over her. Even if that seemed hopeless, she knew there was something in those deep, black holes in her memory that made her believe she had to be strong against such things.

"Ah, that sounds great! Its been a while since we last had something to drink," she beamed at the offer, almost entirely unmindful of any idea of foul play. "Oh, and how rude of me, if its not too barbarous and unappealing to you, would you like some meat?"

[Anonymous]

"No, I suppose if he is ethereal there would be quite a bit of trouble trying to put any sort of harness or collar on him." Vec gave a rather jovial sort of chuckle as he shook his head. No, chaining Cerberus with anything material probably wouldn't work out too well. Unless the beast had a weakness, like Fae had a weakness to cold iron, so perhaps there was that one all-strange material that affected Cerberus. He probably would not agree to a progressive process of trying to discover said material. That of course, was just plain common sense. You could think you were invincible, but not everyone knew all the details about themselves, and he probably didn't want to know he may have some weakness.

Vec tapped the front of his mask, where one could assume his lips might be as he thought quietly to himself. The nearest city. "In the South East, there is a rather nice trading city...Ketra I believe they call it. However, for a little longer travel time, if you head North East you will find yourself in the large city of Arca. A grand place that one." Vec remembered that place well...however, it all felt a bit like a dream to him. Another time, another life, it was all like a distant memory, when it couldn't have been more than a few months...but then again, a few months ago he had been drastically different.

Funny how things came to be.

He watched her as he mentioned fate, well...it was hard to tell how he watched her, but he had a very good grasp of the surrounding area it seemed. She appeared to be very...turned off by the word fate. It bothered her. The fire dimming sort of seemed to indicate that. The shadows were creeping back in slowly, until she appeared to be realize what was happening, and all the fire returned into its proud glory. Well, touchy subject, that was good to keep in mind for the time being.

There was that profound sort of silence all around them as both Kira and Cerberus fell out of the conversation. However, it had not been ignored by Vec, who quickly decided to cover it up by broaching the subject of drinks. It was an excellent way to test friendship, and get over that slightly strange silence that both of them had fallen into. Not that Vec minded a good silence of course, but he was in the presence of two new...strangers. He did love to test the waters quickly.

"Ah, if you can spare a bit, I would not say no, but do not feel inclined to feed me. A day or two without food could do nothing bad...my figure would agree." Of course, Vec wasn't a heavy man, not even in the least. He was a skinny fellow, but he didn't have any bones showing, he wasn't scrawny, he was in the area that was just...'nice.' Then again, it was hard to tell in his suit, which fit him so well, and him look so professional. Though, to some people he might look...just plain odd.

Now, to attend to those drinks.

Vec smiled underneath his mask as he held his hand out. Creating something as simple as a glass of water was nothing, but he wanted to share something...nice. She probably had wines before, and ales (And he certainly didn't think offering her a strong draught would go over so well) as well as the various juices in the world. So the question was...what to make from his world? The answer came to him in the form of Chilled Wraith Berry Wine. It was a simple matter of remembering what it tasted like, what it looked like, and then...projecting it appropriately in the form of a bottle. This bottle of course was rather extravagant, instead of being made of glass it was constructed of what appeared to be metal. It looked almost like a knight, it even had a helmet around the head of the bottle which could be pulled up to reveal a spout. Most curiously, the spout was wooden. As well as the bottle, two crystal goblets were created it, as well as a large open mouthed glass, apparently for Cerberus.

Vec had no idea if the creature could eat or drink, but it would be rude to at least not offer him. Vec poured out the wine into the three glasses slowly, almost...carefully. Not a drop was spilt, and ensured that not even a bubble was created in the wine. When this was done, he pointed a finger at one Goblet, and then to Kira, then at the large glass, and to Cerberus. The glass for Cerberus settled down in front of him, while the other hung there in the air, waiting for Kira. "Oh, how rude of me...allow me to get you something to clean up with." It was another strange creation, Vec making a square in the air and then suddenly pushing out a cloth. He pointed once more at Kira and the rather soft golden towel floated over to her, hanging there beside the Goblet.

He was a thoughtful person if anything.

[Anonymous]

Kira blinked in awe and amaze as she watched Vec perform his task, which to her of course was no small one, but to him seemed... well, just as simple as a good bartender pouring drinks. Her curiosity towards this man grew, seemingly with everything he did... He knew a lot, and he was clearly powerful to create such things so effortlessly. Of course, she'd had a lot of painful dealings with illusions, and an old story in which a woman ate of hell's fruit tickled at her mind, resulting in her imprisonment there... If there was one thing she was comfortable with, though, it was illusions. A somewhat bitter thought, but one that made her smile softly ever the less.

Cerberus remained just as silent, observing carefully as the large glass was set before him. He wondered if the man was just inherently a show off, but with loathing gave the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't really in him to care either way. Leaning his head down a little, he willed himself into a more corporeal form, the wisps of shadow -though they largely appeared to be just like fur in the dim light- became even more defined, and the fire light played on his figure more keenly. Reaching his nose down, he sniffed lightly at the glass... It was pointless to try to smell for poison, really, considering there were many that could go undetected, and in foreign worlds there was no telling what sweet scents could be lethal. The smell of the wine itself was what he was sniffing at; even in this form he could at least have some appreciation for finer things.

Kira's face reddened a bit as Vec formed a towel for her to clean herself with. "Thank you," she nodded her head, taking it and cleaning the blood from her hands. She again, suddenly felt like quite the barbarian in front of this well-dressed man. With her hands as clean as she could get them, she set the towel down and reached for the goblet, raising her gaze to Vec and giving him a small nod of thanks.

"I have to say, you're definitely a man of much knowledge and many talents, aren't you?" She held it up to give it a careful swirl, before taking in the aroma of it, and taking a sip. Leaning her head back a little she swished it around before swallowing, looking at it considerately with a warm smile.

It'd been a long time since she'd done any wine tasting, and out here in a place like this, she most definitely hadn't expected it. "This is amazing, what is it?" she inquired, taking another, more delicate sip. Cerberus, on the other hand, had his muzzle stuck in his glass as he licked it clean...

[Anonymous]

One could say he might have been showing off, and to an extent he was. He always did love to use his powers, and he did love to impress people with them. Granted, this was minor stuff, he could have made a whole show of producing the bottles and the goblets. Of course, he opted to simply create them from thin air. It was better than producing them from his suit coat, or pretending to be a charlatan who used quick slight of hand and napkins to create things. While his power wasn't near infinite anymore, his unique...body allowed him a lot of leeway when it came to magic. Not all powerful, not like he used to be, but he had his fair share of tricks up his sleeve to appear that way. The mask definitely helped, hiding his face from the world, hiding any emotion.

Not that he wasn't good at showing only one emotion all the time.

But that was a different time, that was a different place, a whole different world in his mind. It was funny to think now he had such emotions he could display if he so wanted, but they were all...emotions that most people didn't like to see. He no longer wore the face of serenity and peace, now he could give in to his lesser emotions, the ones that were so rampant in the people around him. He made it a point to never show them on his face, but...then again with the mask, it wouldn't matter much.

"Of course Kira, what sort of guest would I be if I did not lend a hand to such a gracious host?" Vec sounded rather amused, an overall pleasant tone really. He was enjoying himself at this point, even more so after they accepted his offering.

"I like to think so." Vec replied as he held his own goblet in his hand. Curiously enough, there was already wine missing from it, despite him never having raised it to his...mask? He was a man of many talents, and many...strange ways now it seemed. People got put off by his ability to eat and drink without them noticing. It was, he would admit, some sleight of hand, distracting people one way to look away from his food, or covering it from their view while he...worked. One person swore that he ate through his hands, and tried to prove it. That hadn't worked out for the person, because it was ten minutes of trying to figure out how he ate through his gloves.

Some people were just so...fun.

"Chilled Wraith berry wine. It is a delicacy of sorts from my realm. The Wraith are these...sentient Undead creatures who live in perpetual fog. To...facilitate their assimilation and welcome into the world of the living while they concoct their vile plans, they took up a winery business. Of course, their plans always fall through, but most have accepted their fate and now work in the wine business. The end result, is this wine." He held up and swished it around for a moment. When it settled, a slight bit of mist started to emanate from the wine, spilling over the sides of the glass and disappearing. "Most people find it highly amusing when it produces a fog. A harmless effect, but after a few glasses you can even find yourself blowing fog rings from your mouth." Of all the drinks, he was sure this was his favourite. It was a sweet sort of wine, though dark, and with the slightly childish ability it had to naturally produce fog...well, it made it into a very fun sort of drink.

"So tell me about yourself Kira. Lost in the woods with your shadowy dog...there must be things you do remember." After all, she knew a language, she knew how to cook, she knew her manners. Not everything had to be forgotten.

[Anonymous]

"Ahah, I hardly feel like a host in these circumstances," she said, brushing some hair back from her face. In fact, she'd never really been much of a hostess before, either, but it seemed in her memory that she could scarcely remember much time in which she had been free for such luxuries, even though she could swear she had, indeed, had them.

Cerberus pulled his head back from the glass, licking at his muzzle to get every last bit of the delicious flavor, and watching Kira with one eye as he did. He was well aware that his memories were somewhat more intact than her own, but that was probably because of the way they were as individuals. He just didn't care. She had so many attachments to so many lost things, that she'd probably halfway willed some of the memories out of herself subconsciously, unwilling to accept the way things had come undone. And for now, he was all right with that... As long as she didn't remember everything, she was his. Well, except that for now, her attention was carefully placed on their new friend...

"Wow, that's pretty amazing," she lit up, looking down at the glass and producing the fog to watch in curious awe. At her side, Cerberus cocked his head at his empty glass, but closed his eyes in some acknowledgement of his own amusement. "You seem to come from a very... colorful world."

Her own home had been the same hadn't it? Then again, she'd had many homes, some more amazing than others. But in the end, there was really only one place she ever called and acknowledged as home, the only place where the air and the earth seemed to welcome her with open arms and make her feel... safe. Even with all of its dangers, she loved it dearly. That place was so far away, though, both realistically and abstractly. Thinking on it was like thinking on a dream she'd had a child. There were parts that were clearer than others, like she must have traced her fingers over them until the memories became well worn, but then there were pieces -important pieces- that were simply... gone. Faces pulled over with a big white eraser, a black obscuring mask. They were there, but their lack of names, voices, words and actions were... gone in the most painful ways.

"There are... some things I remember..." she said softly, "like that I've done many things, seen many places, lived many lives. Though, that might sound strange to say straight-forward like that." Shrugging, she sat back, looking up to the sky, seeing the few stars that twinkled through small patches of sky between tree branches the little clearing granted. "Back at home, I could have named all the constellations... could have told the stories behind them, but now... I can't even remember what my home was called. Let alone abstract patterns of dotted light in the night sky.

"Where I came from, though was... wild and sprawling. It was safe from other realms, but it made war often, sometimes for simple sport. To say we were a warring, barbaric kind of people wouldn't probably be too far from the truth, but..." The place where her thoughts and words met split off, and she pondered hard for a moment as to what she'd been aiming for. But. There was a place in her memories where everything was fire. Warm, and bright, welcoming and safe. But also... very, very sad. It hurt if she rested her minds eye on it for too long. "...There was something there... that made it special. That made it different from just what it appeared to be... Ahaha, listen to me," she shook her head, suddenly realizing she'd become lost in her thinking. "That wasn't even your question... As for me... I've always been a wanderer. Sitting in one place too long isn't good for me, it gets too tiresome, you make too many attachments. I just like to see everything I can, take it all in."

Smiling now, she took another drink, a little bigger this time. "Cerberus here wasn't something you could call a friend of mine, but its my fault he even exists, so I guess I'm taking responsibility now," she said with a small, twinkling glower at the wolf, who glowered right back at her.

"You said it yourself; its your fault. I'm not apologizing for anything," he growled, huffing as he set his head down, faced away from her. Now that he thought about it, it'd been a long time since she'd drank anything like this, hadn't it? He just hoped she remembered that...

"Ahaha! I think I hurt his feelings!" Kira laughed outrightly, patting him on the head, to which he gave a low, guttural growl, but didn't respond. "Still," she pulled back a little, but kept her hand atop the canines head, fingers caressing the soft, wispy fur, "there are a lot of things about me, I'd probably rather not remember, to be honest... Though, its probably bad to tell that to someone I've only just met." At this, she laughed wryly, leaning forward to grab one of the sticks of meat, carefully reaching over to hand it to him, offering it with a small smile. "How about you, Vec? Aheh, you're probably a much more interesting person than myself."

[Anonymous]

"How could you not, you are preparing a nice meal for company, graciously allowing me to stay by your fire, and even engaging in both idle and in-depth conversation. That sounds like a host if I may say so." Vec spoke warmly, rather enjoying this. He could feel at home anywhere, though granted this man before Kira probably looked out of place here, like he belonged in a city to some degree. Of course, none of the 'primitive' cities of this planet, but still, he appeared as a social creature of some sort, his attire could be called either professional, or to the people here, silly.

Some people thought he was a bard for his...extravagant outfits.

"Thank you, I would hate for it to be anything but. Though, it is darker than usual in my world, but that will pass. The shadows always give way to the light, whether the light comes from a candle, from the soul, or from the sun above." That was the old Vec talking, which occasionally he fell into at times. Some habits die really hard. He was supposed to be cold, a touch of heartless and cruelty, but at the same time...one had to be professional, ultra-modern, one had to have manners and civility.

Still, he liked his more refined manners. If anyone argued with him, well, that didn't much matter. They could be dealt with. Besides, this woman knew nothing of him, he was safe to let himself be...a little less like what he was in his world.

Just a bit less.

He wished he had a tree to rest his back against so he could relax while he listened to her tale. He opted to sit there politely, holding the glass within his hands, which slowly dwindled in contents whenever eyes were off of it. Occasionally when eyes were upon it even, but perhaps just to tweak their noses at his drinking technique. Vec had to admit, he indeed like the idea of her world to some degree. At least the idea of it being wide and sprawling. Of course, his was as well, but he always liked visiting other worlds. They were so much more interesting than the world he stayed in for...well, eons. He wasn't bored with his world, oh no, he could never be bored with what was essentially his playground...but there were times when it was nice to get away.

"I understand exactly how you feel Kira...exactly how you feel." He told her with a pleasant sigh as he swirled the last bit of contents around in his glass, causing a bit of fog to spew out. Staying still was never good, because there was so much to do in the world. There was so much to see, so many people to meet. That was Vec's greatest passion, even if it didn't look like it. He loved to meet people, he loved to watch them, he loved to just...be around them.

Vec's gaze looked between both Cerberus and Kira. They weren't friends? That was really interesting. "Is that so?" He looked toward Cerberus for a moment, the wheels in his mind turning as he chuckled to himself. The two of them were quite entertaining weren't they? Vec was amused by their interaction, finding it refreshing to be around two like this. They seemed familiar almost. He of course had never met them before, but they did remind him of people he knew, or used to know. Maybe they reminded him of his children, or people he met here. He couldn't quite remember at this time. It did make him feel a little more...interested in the two of them.

He chuckled lightly at her comment. "I just have one of those faces Kira." He told her simply as he took the stick of meat from her gratefully. "Myself? What would you like to know Kira?" He asked her as he set his goblet down and began to pour himself more wine. "Consider my life open to you, and in this form, that is rather rare."

[Anonymous]

Kira smiled at his compliment on her so-called hosting, supposing he wasn't quite incorrect. It was still all rather odd for her, considering she wasn't usually one to strike up conversation in most instances, and in others she didn't really support it, either. It helped, though, when your company intrigued you, made you want to talk and learn more about them.

Listening to him talk about his own world, he sounded so... Well, she wasn't quite sure just what. Ancient, perhaps. She'd known her share of handsome, eons-old-men, so it didn't seem like too much of a stretch... Then again, she also knew her share of really good actors, and found her thoughts landing bitterly on Cerberus once again.

He could feel her secondary attention on him. Even if she was more focused on Vec, it sent something like a chill over him when she started mentally glowering at him. Turning his head, he looked up at her again, before yawning widely and rolling over onto his back. Her eyes landed on him, and she reached over to rub his belly, unable to resist, no matter who he was under the layers of shadow-fur.

"The way you speak of your world... heh, reminds me almost of my own," she said, smiling ruefully down at Cerberus as he seemed to be enjoying the stomach rub. "The last I can remember of my world is... a very deep darkness, indeed..." Her eyes became wistful, lost in the clashing swords and countless corpses... Heads rolling, people crying, the fire in the sky... It was all just as blurred as all the other important things, but war always carried a certain, heavy clarity. This one moreso, for reasons she couldn't recall. "But I'm sure the light will come back... like you said, it always does," her smile softened as she looked back up to Vec.

How did he keep doing that? She hadn't noticed any distinct movements from the corner of her eye, and yet his drink kept disappearing. Was the wine putting her perception off? No, it wasn't quite that...

"She claims we aren't close, but she'd be utterly lost without me," Cerberus grinned, flopping back onto his stomach, stretching a little as he sat up, seeming a bit larger as he did.

"So he says," Kira sighed, shrugging. She cocked her head to the side at his next 'offer' though... His offer of information about himself. In this form? A small smirk caught the edge of her lips darkly, and the fire flickered briefly in response.

"Well, Vec, I myself am not... by most standards 'normal'." Reaching forward, she grabbed her own stick of meat, taking a bite.

"Of course, 'normalcy' for us is always changing," Cerberus took up speaking as she chewed. He knew where she was going with this... He did, after all, know her better than anyone. His tenacious claim on her embittered her towards him, but he didn't care... They both knew the truth. "We've seen a lot of things, been a lot of things."

"Usually, though, most people call us 'demons'," Kira shrugged as she finished with her mouthful, taking another, soft sip of the wine. Sitting her legs up, her long skirt hung between her legs to keep her from being indecent, her arms resting over her knees as she spoke, leaned slightly forward. "Even if I don't remember everything, I know I'm familiar with all sorts of things," pausing thoughtfully, she scratched the side of her head with one finger before resting her arm back and speaking again. "Its a rather blunt question, probably a bit rude, but... just what are you?"

Normally, she might have employed a little more tact and manner, but as it was, she still didn't know how she'd ended up here... let alone the most important part of how. How they'd come to be like this? How she'd lost important shards of her memories? He was good at making things appear from nowhere... could it be he could also make them disappear? She didn't want to suspect him of anything or assume ill of him... but she couldn't dismiss the curiosities he presented.

[Anonymous]

This was her spot, her little home as it were, and he had been invited into it, and as such, she was a host, and he was her guest. It was not something as simple as him being in her house, but in essence it was all the same. You just have to have a different outlook on it, and Vec usually had the different outlooks.

If she called him Ancient, he'd probably take it as a compliment. It was of course...the number that he would have to use in order to say how old he would probably mean nothing. He honestly couldn't even be sure how old he had been, on his world, he believed in letting evolution happen. It wasn't like some other places, where races just...sprung up out of no where. Oh no, that wasn't his world at all. He let nature take its mostly natural course. Sure, he wouldn't deny that he tampered with the natural evolution so things turned out mostly the same, but he let the amoeba grow slowly into a more complex being.

And when things got really boring or uninteresting...well, the cataclysm would start, the souls would be harvested, and the process would begin once more all over again. This had happened...countless times, over and over again. As such, he had been around for so many countless periods.

In the end...numbers at this point meant very little.

"I do hope that this a good thing Kira, and not a bad one." He didn't wish any undue stress upon the amnesiac woman. If she started to remember things that weren't good, having traumatic events that resulted in brain damage, well he could never live it down. Healing her could be possible, but in this form, healing all manners of brain damage was unknown. It was better not to try it. He just smiled behind his golden mask as he watched the interaction between Cerberus and Kira. There was something between then, a happiness, an anger, a resentment, bitter feelings, and mixed feelings. "In my world it does, we like to give no special treatment. Granted, when the light is a purpley-green, we sometimes do not welcome it." He chuckled of course at that comment, to her it would probably mean nothing, but he could explain it to her eventually. He'd just have to wait, eventually she'd know everything about him.

And now along with the disappearance of his wine, there was also bite marks in the meat. How odd it was, and yet, there didn't seem to be any movements up to his face, no movement or attempt to remove his mask. He was either incredibly fast, or had other tricks up his sleeve.

"You do not say, I never would have guessed." Vec said lightly as she said she wasn't 'normal'. However, he did let her continue as she talked, well, as Cerberus talked. He almost stopped doing anything as she spoke of being demons. However, that didn't mean too much to him, at least...not TOO much. Yes, being what he was, some might think that he would naturally be distraught...however...this was not his case. No, the whole facts were not presented yet after all.

"I come from the different spectrum of things, if you can believe it." He set his glass of wine and his stick of meat in the air, where they hung there. He removed a small handkerchief from his suit's inner pocket and began to clean his hands, though they had gloves on. He put his hands on his lap and faced her a bit better. "Not an angel though, if that is what you may call it. Higher up than that. Much higher up. I am Vec, God of Nothing. Rightly so, in my world, that means...power beyond limits." That pleasant chuckle of his as he shook his head. So many people on his world disputed that. Was the God of Nothing so powerful? What about his own father? The God Arkhanan, the Golden God of All. Most people didn't even know Vec on his world, or worshipped him, and he liked it better that way. Just a select few, that's all he needed.

He wasn't fuelled by worship and prayer.

"But do not let that scare you Kira, or you Cerberus. This world, is not my own. I did not make it, I did not alter it, and I have not claimed it. To leave my world, I gave up everything I had...or...you might say I gave up Nothing." He laughed against, this time a little louder. It was funny to him, a funny little pun if anything. "But I have no ultimate power here. I do not control the web of fate, I do not tell the wind to blow, the rain to fall, I do not tell the sun to burn. I gave up all the powers that a God would have to visit this place. I may still hold some incredible powers that most people would have to study for eons to acquire, but nothing near the omnipotence that one would assume they would have." Carefully, Vec plucked his glass and stick of meat from the air and chuckled again to himself.  "Do not worry however, I do not mind that you may be demons. You may think it odd, but demons are of all sorts...and there are tons of definitions for what constitutes a demon. Besides, you have not tried to seduce me, or steal what you may constitute my soul, so you can not be any sort of terrible or evil."

[Anonymous]

In all honesty, Kira wasn't sure if trying to remember everything was good or bad... She felt like she should, but at the same time, she didn't feel like it was something urgently needed... Whether that was because of some deeply hidden away fear or apprehension, she couldn't tell, simply that she had no forceful drive to seek it. Of course, since she knew it was important that she did remember, she'd do whatever she could to do so if the opportunity presented itself, but until then, she'd simply go with the flow and take it all as it came...

She listened intently as he spoke, her expression surprised at first, but settling into something calm and scarcely readable. So this man was a God...? But he didn't seem to have any noteworthy male-intent, from what she could see at least. With that mask though, it felt like less than she might have preferred. Slowly, one of her hands moved upwards, without her even acknowledging it, to rest over her chest. It wasn't until she felt the thumping of her heart beneath it that she was aware it'd even moved, startling her a little, though she kept her attention on Vec.

There were many God's and God-like beings she'd known in the past. And oftentimes, she'd sourly discovered that there was always something grander and far stronger beyond them... It was like an endless spiral. The discomfort in her stomach let her know without all the defined memories it was also a subject she felt leery towards. Now, the opportunity was showing itself, and her mind slowly edged towards desire for answers. A single word kept whispering itself over and over at the edges of her mind, but she couldn't properly feel it on her tongue to give it clarity in spoken form... That, and... it felt like if she spoke it, something would move. A wheel might turn that could not be stopped.

Somnia. It turned slowly around her mind, haunting, echoing to the center of her being. She closed her eyes against it, thinking she might see it somewhere in the darkness behind her lids.

At her side, Cerberus' eyes continued to watch Vec, all too aware of Kira's... 'confusion' at his side. Sighing a little, he opted to take up the discussion where Kira seemed momentarily unable.

"Oh, we're quite familiar with... 'demons of all sorts'," he smirked in amusement at the thought. Technically, he and Kira were both demons of all sorts. "Though, at the same time, we've also been acquainted with 'gods of all sorts', too... Though it seems playing around with the 'lesser beings' is a hobby they all tend to share."

"Cerberus, don't be rude." Smiling softly, Kira opened her eyes again, looking at Vec. "After all, Vec just said he doesn't mind that we're demons. We should regard him the same. You'll have to understand, Vec... many of the Gods of my world decided they'd much prefer to wipe everything out. Though... calling it 'my world' is a bit strange. The universe in which my world exists would be more suitable. The resulting war was... overwhelming, to say the very least. That we had a chance at all was-" she stopped abruptly. Sighing in annoyance she shook her head. "Sometimes my tongue remembers, but my head always catches up. But I think to put it simply, it was... 'divine intervention', of some sort." She could only give a small laugh at the irony of that, her shoulders slouching a little. It felt pointless to try to press herself further into it, but could only hope that further conversation might stir up more.

[Anonymous]

Some would argue the restoration of one's memory, of one's life would be good. Others would argue that it was bad. In his own world, he had seen the power of remembering first hand actually. He had seen what could happen to people when they remembered what was better left forgotten. Insanity was a good word for it, chaos and discord as well. The only problem was...what was supposed to be remembered, and what should lay forgotten? That was a fickle...fickle line that many people weren't sure of. Even Vec, in all his infinite knowledge and wisdom, had trouble with that. There was the safest route however, and that was simply...forgetting it. Of course, the soul couldn't permanently forget anything, but the physical mind could be stopped from remembering and accessing what the soul knew.

He almost wondered if that is what happened to Kira. Then again, it could be as simple as a bump on the head.

It was always trouble to explain what he was, who he was, at least in other realms. People heard the word God and sometimes got so out of shape about it. He was a fallible God though. He could love, he could yearn, he could hope, he could learn, and yes, he could die in some small way. He was not the all powerful, all seeing, all knowing, and all being God that some people thought of. No...he was fallible, though perhaps a little more...stable than the normal mortals of any world.

At least she didn't call him a liar and a heretic, that was quite nice of her. Cerberus too, though the dog looked less...enthusiastic.

She did seem a tad shaken though.

"I think I can...understand to some degree...but...do not misunderstand me. I do mettle in the affairs of the...lesser beings as you call them. I do provide intervention when it is in the best interest. When I grow...ultimately bored, I do in fact cause the entire universe I inhabit to change and grow anew. I am fallible is my point though. I grow fond of people, perhaps treat them a little better than others...I even had my heart stolen before." He gave a wistful sigh at that last comment. A slightly touchy subject for him, it wasn't as if it ended badly. He just...wish it hadn't ended at all. Funny how that worked. "What I meant by...my comment about demons...is that I have encountered a great deal of them in my time...from Imps, to Daemon Lords, to even generals in Hell's Army. The mortals have a lot of speculation and hearsay on Demons, some of them quite entertaining really. I apologize, I am getting...off my point. I do not view demons and devils as evil...I view them more as...different. The path they chose was not my own, but they are on a path." He reached behind his mask and scratched at the back of his neck. This wasn't what he wanted to say at all.

"This is a hard point to articulate, please forgive me. There is a lot of...negativity concerning Demons and Gods. But...you will not find that with me. If we were to be attacked, I would use what powers I possess to protect you. I do not see before me some demon of mortal lore, I see a person, who is lost, confused, and perhaps a tad...scared." Scared of what, well, memories of course, or him if she did fear Gods and their divine wrath. He however, was no God, not here anyway, and his divine wrath was not something up to par with what a God of this world could conjure.

He really just wanted to make her feel safe around him. Perhaps he felt remorse and pity for her plight, perhaps he just felt bored and was looking for something to occupy his time. The former was probably a lot more likely than the latter.

[Anonymous]

Even as Vec was having difficulty explaining himself, she smiled in some vague understanding. While the idea of Gods intervening in the lives of others due to their own boredom was... difficult for her to except, she couldn't bear them a grudge for that. If it were her, she might have done the same. She'd been around enough deities to feel at least a surface understanding, but she'd just rather they moved along elsewhere and found other ways to occupy their time than simply wiping slates clean... leaving a few pawns remaining, scattered, to continue in the twisted game.

Her leaned forward a little, in vague curiosity as he briefly made mention of matters of the heart, but decided not to think or ask on it as he continued on. She could imagine what kind of situations could arise from a God falling in love... Not just imagine, even the vaguest of ideas passing over it caused her shoulders to feel heavy, and the whole of her body suddenly exhausted.

Her eyebrows lifted at his mention of her fear, and her smile became something more of a smirk as she leaned her head to the side curiously.

"Do I seem fearful?" Her tone was amused, but not at all bitter. Truthfully, she supposed she was in some way. Her actions stemmed from it, at least. A fear of what had happened. How she'd ended up here. Why. Why she'd lost her memories. Looking down at the ground in front of her, though, she suddenly appeared withdrawn. "I suppose that is a safe enough assumption... But I'll take comfort in the fact that you would protect me," at this last statement, she looked back up at him, her expression caught between a genuine gratitude and a devilish smirk.

Cerberus huffed lightly. It seemed this guy was growing on her. That seemed only obvious though; as much as she loathed to admit it, she needed people. The fact that he was a God was less disagreeable than Vec could probably know... For while people bearing the birthright of Godhood were to be regarded carefully, the one person Kira had trusted most deeply in all the worlds and the constant movements of fate and time, had been of that same kinship. And that was something he loathed to admit.

"But you're right," Kira went on to say, shrugging lightly and setting the now-bare stick on the ground beside her along with the empty glass. Sitting back, she leaned against her palms, rested on the ground behind her, "Demons and Gods both are capable of all things. Just as humans can be saintly or fiendish. So if you're willing to protect me, would you also be willing to... help me?"

At this, Cerberus' ears perked forward a little more, suddenly unsure of just where she was going with this. Though their connection ran deep, there were always times her thinking caught him off guard... This was true in their past, and so it held true even now. Just what kind of thing was she thinking...?

"To some God's it'd probably seem a very bold thing for me to ask," Kira went on, "but it's not too strange an idea... A God acting as a guide. Well... I suppose I should first ask... If there's anywhere you're heading?" Somehow, she wondered if a God on vacation really had any set destinations. If she were here for her own amusement -and there'd been times she'd traveled to other realms for just that purpose- she'd normally go wherever the path took her. Of course, she felt far too disconcerted here as she was now to go along so mindlessly.

Even though Cerberus knew Kira to be mostly good-hearted, something he'd had a nauseating distaste for, he also knew well that she was capable of deeds perfectly suiting to one born a demon. She'd been wronged many times, manipulated and played with in the grand game the Gods had played... Not just her, but her loved ones; her parents, and children alike... Eons worth of bloodshed and sadness left a deep, infected hole in her, the depths of which light couldn't hope to find. Was she planning her own machinations? Did she have mind to somehow use this God? Vec didn't seem like the sort who'd be used easily, though, and Kira couldn't possibly be fool enough to think herself so clever to trick a God...

Laying down on his stomach again, his ears were alert, his eyes watching her from the corners of their shadow-borne sockets. Asking for help? Really? Her? There was a faint, low rumble of discontent, deep in the back of his throat, but it could have just passed for the wine settling uncomfortably. Not that it did. He only ate and drank for the taste - any nourishment or fulfilling qualities any food or drink may have given him never received. Ah? Was that what this was...? Was she trying to tangle herself up in some God's threads to find her own answer?

He closed his eyes, trying to shut it out, his form becoming even more shadow-like before, slowly carrying less and less of a defined shape. Maybe this was merely his own thinking at hand... He, too, had played part in those bitter, bloody wars. Both a pawn and puppeteer himself, though the latter of some lesser degree. As opposed to Kira, though, he hadn't minded much at all whatever path he'd been laid upon, as long as he got his enjoyment out of it. Somewhere along the way he'd lost his way of thinking from back then, but that didn't mean he couldn't look back at it and attain his own wisdom from himself and his actions. For now, he'd sit back and be the pawn again. He'd bite his spectral tongue, for now.

[Anonymous]

Love was always sensitive to talk about, and Vec was just the same as all the others. No, he would not lie and say he was perfect. For whatever grace his Father had, the All Father Arkhanan, he had been made...imperfect. He made no qualms about it, and he would always admit he was fallible. He could fall in love, he had fallen in love before. He only wished that it had ended better...well...in all honesty, he wished it just hadn't ended. Heartbreak was never nice after all, and even a God wasn't above the feelings.

Though, a God could process them a bit better.

And he would never lie about the fact that though he played with people's lives in his world, he didn't care about them. They were, for the most part, his grandchildren. They were family, and he loved all of them. People never suffered needlessly. Yes...some did suffer, and some had very uninteresting lives, but they were never without a proper reason, and people were always rewarded in the long run. People talked about how they must have done something good or bad in a previous life...well, they were somewhat right.

It was balance.

"A tad, yes, but the source is unknown to me, and I do not wish to pry...that much." He was a curious sort after all, and he did like to be a bit nosey. He was like that prying neighbour that you had no idea was actually very good at being nosey and prying. Or was a God in disguise.

"I should hope so." He almost wished she could see his emotional expressions, but it wasn't safe to take the mask off. He could probably go back to a blindfold, but that just didn't seem as...impressive as a golden mask shaped like a shield of sorts. At least he didn't make it completely ostentatious by putting some stylized mark or crest on it.

Yes...completely ostentatious.

Vec listened to her carefully, not showing any indication yes if would help her or deny her. He would of course, probably help her, he wasn't a monster after all. He was a God after all! Vec had to set some form of example. After all, she was...on somewhat bad terms with some Gods, and it wouldn't hurt to be nice and show her there were some good Gods, they weren't all bad.

"I am headed...into the future Kira. Forward and onward...and sometimes backwards...but I have no previous engagements on my agenda. I would be honoured to act as a Guide for you and your...friend." He almost wanted to say pet. He didn't know why, but it almost seemed like it would be fun to antagonize Cerberus. He seemed like the kind who would either shrug it off, or act very...animalistic and growl as a retort. However, Vec knew to watch his tongue. No need to start being nasty and get on their bad side after all. "And there is never anything to bold to ask of me. I have laid down my...temporary life before to help people." He was after all, a God, he was immortal, if he died here, his spirit would return to his own world. He only wished that it was easier to find his way back here. It took a little bit of time of course, but he always could get back here eventually.

"Now, I believe it is perhaps time for me to become a little more...personal." With that, he removed his hat and placed it on his lap. Reaching to his golden blond hair, the back of his head actually, he began to fiddle with the buckles of the leather straps. When they were all removed, he pulled it from his face. He kept his eyes closed, not that he needed them open to see, these kept Cerberus and Kira safe. If they were demons, the intense magical expulsion of light from his eyes would cause them harm. He didn't want to chance it after all. He had that very boyish look, young, almost...innocent. He had a very neutral expression on his face, very calm, poised as it were. "A little...update to my current look." He explained as he began to suddenly press down on the top and the bottom of his mask. With the help of magic of course, the mask suddenly began to shrink. Until there was only one strap left, and it looked just big enough to cover a little bit of his face. He began to mould it a little better to fit around his eyes, ensuring that it would cover his face better. Licking his thumb, he ran it along the inside edge of the visor, leaving behind a soft silk cloth about half an inch thick, maybe less. He traced it along the entire edge, and satisfied, he carefully strapped it back around his face, over his eyes to hide them.

"What do you think? Better than the full mask? Not as...intimidating I hope." He asked as he put his hat back onto his head. He liked this a bit better personally...but it was always good to get a second opinion from someone else. Cerberus' opinion may not be as good, he was a shadowy dog creature, he didn't even wear clothes. Kira on the other hand, her opinion could be trusted a little more.