Lost Stranger [One on One]

[Anonymous]

Axel froze when he saw her fox ears. He stared at them delaying her question when he snapped out of it and looked off. She noticed he seemed a bit off.

"Um, no it doesn't. Quite the opposite actually..." Axel said as he cleared his throat.

"I find them....well...attractive" Axel said as he drank from the cantine and looked to her not really sure what to say at this point.

He was even more taken aback by the fact that she also used fire magic similar to his heat manipulation. The two of them seemed to have alot in common.

[Anonymous]

Amber looked quite surprised. She had never heard that before. The usual response she got was 'Oh my god you aren't human so you must want to eat my children get away freak'. This change had taken her off guard. Well, that was interesting. This man was just becoming more of a curious person with every minute! She said, "Really?" She sounded surprised. She took off her hood again as she finished up her fish. Her wild red hair was plainly in veiw. She said, "I also have tails."

[Anonymous]

Axel choked on the food he had in his mouth for a second. It was obvious his reaction was the same, so it was clear he too found that attractive.

"You don't say" he said as he swallowed the piece of fish. He took notice of her red hair and found it beautiful how it gleamed with the same beauty fire had when in abalaze.

"Would you like more fish?" Axel asked as he ate the second to last piece of fish.

[Anonymous]

Amber looked a bit amused at his reaction. She shook her head. "I'm fine, thanks." She smiled. "Never found someone before that actually liked these." She pointed to her fox ears. Then, she took off the cloak, as it was rather warm. Her three tails were in view. She wore clothes that were easy to move in, practical. She said, "Good thing you don't mind. That would be a problem if you did." As she smiled, her rather sharp canines came into view.

[Anonymous]

Axel smiled in return.

"The canines are a nice touch to your beauty as well" Axel said as he stood and dusted himself off. He re-attached the straps to his collar so his face was somewhat hidden once again. He then noticed how she was walking comfortably and didn't want her to think he wasn't comfortable with her. He undid the straps once more as he smiled to her.

"So is there anywhere in paticular we are making an effort to get to?" Axel asked as the two of them walked together.

[Anonymous]

Amber nodded. "Thank you." She looked around herself, and she said, "Let's stay in the woods and other places where we won't be seen. I figure, since we're going west, we'll end up at the mountains. That isn't a bad goal, to go there." Her ears twitched at the sounds of the forest. She said, "I must let you know that the person I'm searching for is rather dangerous. If she appears, it is very unlikely for her to attack you, and she will most likely attack me. I do not think she is in Connlaoth any longer, so there isn't much need to worry though.."

[Anonymous]

Axel smiled as he looked towards the mountains ahead.

"If she goes to attack you, she might as well be aiming to attack me. If its a personal fight I won't intervene, but if she seems to be of fatal danger to you then I will. I myself have some enemies as well, but none that I think will find me anytime soon" Axel said as he walked with her.

"I have no problem staying in the woodland areas either" Axel said as he looked to her.

Axel looked to her and smiled lightly to himself. It had been a while since he had been around someone and even more so she had fox ears and three fox tails. She was beautiful, but saying so would be impolite.

"So do you want to tell me a little bit about this person you're looking for? In return you may ask whatever it is you'd like about myself" Axel said.

[Anonymous]

Amber frowned slightly. She said, "Well, this person is my sister. She also uses a sword to fight. She can litterally melt into the shadows." She looked displeased at the topic of her sister. "I'm the one hunting her down, so as I said, it's unlikely for us to run into her." She said, "I'd rather not go into the reason of why I dislike her so." She looked at her companion and said, "Is there anyone you wish to get revenge on?"

[Anonymous]

Axel could tell it bothered her to talk about it.

"I believe revenge is a double edged sword. While we seek to pursue vengeance on one we only bring more problems onto ourself. Vengeance begets Vengeance. I have a couple of people I can think of who I believe deserve to be punished. However I can't take it upon myself to do so since I am not directly involved to their crime." Axel said as he jumped over a fallen tree. He took Amber's hand and helped her over it.

"Don't get me wrong. I don't doubt your motive is proper. For whatever reason you are pursuing your sister I support it, because you seem to not seek revenge on minor things. You also have my help if you so wish for it" Axel said as he walked.

"Is there anything else you would like to know? Its nice to know a traveling companion" Axel said as he smiled kindly to her.

[Anonymous]

Amber was silent for a moment, thinking, then she said, "Why do you like my ears and tail? I've honestly never met someone who has not found it too strange." She thought about all the encounters she had lately and once again realized how crazy her life was much of the time. The displeased expression had gone away from her face. She kicked aside a stick in her path into the bushes.

[Anonymous]

Axel placed his hand on his chin as he thought to himself.

"I can't really put that feeling into words. I guess it must be like how some men like brown hair, or green eyes. I just like fox ears and fox tails" he said as he shrugged.

"It's a feeling. I don't see them as strange, I see them as attractive" Axel said as he was getting a tad shy on the subject.

"Not to mention your fiery red hair, I mean...well, you're beautiful" Axel said as he decided to stop talking and just walk forward. When they encountered a large number of thorn bushes Axel unsheathed his sword. It had a red color and a strange design on it. He sliced the bushes at the trunks and threw them aside. He was unaffected because of his gloves and outfit. He cleared the path until it was now a clear path. He resheathed his swords as they walked. The canopy blocked out alot of the light, so it was dim as they walked on the dirt pathway.

[Anonymous]

Amber smiled to herself, looking at him with a bit of amusement. She didn't remember the last time someone commented on her beauty. She said, "Why thank you." She watched as he threw the bushes aside and they continued. She looked at what she could see of the sky, the patches of blue visible through the dense green. "You're rather handsome yourself, you know." She glanced at him,.

[Anonymous]

Axel looked back at her and smiled.

"A good looking traveling duo. At least we'll look proper together" Axel said as he smiled.

"So where are we heading next? Will we be staying in an inn tonight or outside?" Axel asked her as they walked.

"Either or is fine, sort of wish I knew the area better'' Axel said as they came to a fork. Axel looked at both paths and then walked left with her.

"The right was a makeshift path, created by theives or bandits'' he said as they walked.

[Anonymous]

Amber nodded. "How about outside? It's simply what I'm used to. After all, we should be staying away from people..." She shrugged. "I'm used to not having a home to stay in. I sleep under the stars for the most part. I can't go back to the house I once knew, I'm not welcome there." She looked at the ground for a moment, lost in thought.

[Anonymous]

Axel looked to her and smiled.

"Who cares? You're strong and independant anyway. If you want to be around people then do so. If you want to stay in an inn then you will. You're not walking alone any longer and neither am I'' Axel said as he smiled to her.

The two eventually saw a small village come into sight. Axel looked to her, he wanted to know what she wanted to do. It was based on what she was comfortable with and he respected it.

[Anonymous]

Amber put her cloak back on as they sighted a village, pulling her hood up. She stopped for a moment, then said, "I'm still not sure whether going into a village is a good idea, but nonetheless, I guess it's fine." She stayed close to him as they walked to it, her eyes narrowed slightly. She said quietly with a small smile, "I'm glad I'm not walking alone any longer, Axel."

[Anonymous]

Axel smiled at her comment.

"Me too Amber, me too" he said as they walked into the village.

Axel walked over to what seemed to be an inn with Amber.

"Do you have a room for two?" Axel asked as a man spun around and smiled to him.

"Sure, sure" the man said as he spun around and looked through something. The man then turned his attention back to the two and smiled. Axel placed the accurate amount of money down as he looked displeased while doing so.

The man led the two into the small inn and opened the door to a single room.

"Unfortunately we only have a single room left, but I'm sure you and your wife won't mind" the man said as Axel nodded to the man. He was about to correct him but decided to simply leave it as it was.

Axel walked over to the window and looked outside at the dusk sky.

"Well I call the floor" Axel said as he stretched. He held up his hand as it glew a slight red and he pressed it against his chest as some steam shot off and the cloak came undone. Axel slid it off revealing he was wearing a light red shirt underneath it.

Axel rotated his neck as he stared outside. He wore the red t-shirt along with the long red pants. Around his neck was a leather necklace with what seemed to be a glass fang. His arms were well toned as he took his hat off revealing his black hair. It was medium length, not short but not long enough to be in his eyes. He sat back against the wall as he folded the cloak and placed it against the wall, resting a red book on top his cloak and hat.

[Anonymous]

A faint blush came to her cheeks when the man mistook them for being husband and wife. She didn't say anything. As they entered the room, she sat on the bed, looking at him. "You are quite the gentleman. The guys I've known in the past were rats compared to you." An amused smile came to her lips. "You are quite the curious person, Axel. I've never met someone quite like you."

[Anonymous]

Axel looked over and smiled as he stood and leaned against the wall.

"Likewise Amber. I often get people filled with arrogance and an undeserved sense of accomplishment. They hear of me trying to learn about the cultures and philosophy of the world and they critisize me for it. I guess vast people aren't truly wanted any longer. To be honest it bothers me you need to hide your ears and tail. Makes me in a sense wish that people could find them attractive like myself" Axel said as he looked off.

"Alot has changed" he said as he stared off into space for a couple seconds.

"I used to be part of a group called the Red Outlaws. They were a group that fought against cruelty or discrimination against others. For a couple months it was a good thing, I learned the cultures of those that fought alongside me and learned their styles. However on a single day a group of men claimed they wanted to negotiate peace with us and another local group of people. I didn't trust them but the leader assured me that I had to be open minded and accepting of all people. I didn't go and was kicked from the group so to say. However on that day the group were attacked with firearms and the group of people and the Red Outlaws were killed. Coincidentally enough, my red outfit was not given to me by the group. It's a clan heirloom, I too cannot return home." Axel said as he looked to Amber.

Axel noticed the room they were in had a single bed and a dresser by where he was standing. There was a mirror across the room and a bathroom with a faucet for water, hand washing and the water could be used to bathe.

"Your personality shows you're different Amber. Your way of speaking, your actions, and your eyes. Beautiful and stunning as they are, they don't appear to show harm to me" Axel said as he smiled.

"Sorry. I guess I started rambling a bit" Axel said as he looked off a bit embarrassed.

[Anonymous]

Amber listened to his story carefully, nodding in understanding. How she knew what that felt like,  being unwelcome. She said, "It's fine, I know exactly what you mean by your words. I know all too well." She continued, "And I only hide what I am when I think that it will attract hostility or unwanted attention. I may stop wearing this clo She said, "Also, sorry if I come off as rude by anything I say. I mean, I was raised to be fighting, not being a princess, if you know what I mean." She sighed, with a faint smile "But compared to my brother, I act like the queen."