Quite the Adrenaline Rush [closed]

[Anonymous]

[center:2gpyz5ah]it's a beautiful day.[/center:2gpyz5ah]
Allaeria felt brand-new already. For the past few days, she'd been on the road in pursuit of a new, exciting life in the city, and it was her sheer passion for a new adventure that fueled her body over every step. It's been said that adrenaline can make people do crazy things, and she was Exhibit A: she'd gone over a day without eating anything, and she still wasn't tired; the excitement was sustenance enough for her body, or at least her mind, which in turn satiated her legs and lungs, both working hard to keep her headed in the right direction, towards Reajh.
sky falls, you feel like..

The path to Reajh was foreign, not to mention covered in snow, but the way had been explained to her at least thirty-two times by her mother, Solange—Allaeria figured she didn't even deserve to make a new life in the city if she couldn't even remember something like that, that had been emblazoned into her head to that extent. At the thought, she felt her pink lips, chapped by the cold weather, curve up into a smile. Her mother's love had always been shown more than amply, almost suffocatingly so..  But she knew it was something she would miss. Hell, she was already starting to miss it; she wanted her mother's warm arms again, to see her smile her wide, crooked smile, and to hear her remind her just one more time that she could do anything, be anyone, if she just tried hard enough.
[center:2gpyz5ah]it's a beautiful day.[/center:2gpyz5ah]
In her mind, she reminded herself that the memories felt fond now, but if she devoted her thoughts to the past, she'd have no time for her future. She'd end up getting homesick, and longing to feel the cold wood floor of her house once again—the smell of her mother's cooking in the mornings. It was all the past. She was fully on her own now, and going to the most dangerous place in the world for her, to boot. If there was anything she needed to do, it was to keep her wits about her, focused on the present. And so, blinking away her previous thoughts, she opened her eyes wider to what was around her..
[center:2gpyz5ah]don't let it get away.[/center:2gpyz5ah]
It was then that she took in the snow—blankets of it covered the ground she walked on. She opened her ears, and heard the crunching sound of the substance beneath her feet, the chirping of birds above her head. She allowed herself to feel the cold wrapping its way around her, her warm body welcoming it, embracing it. There were too many beautiful things around her now to revel in the past. The world, as she saw it, had reached the point of snow-fallen perfection. It was like earth was taking a nap, wrapped under a cozy blanket, and this was its good dream. She felt her lips smile lightly at the thought, just as a breeze rippled through her hair. And then she heard it.

[center:2gpyz5ah]you're out of luck and the reason that you had to care.
the traffic is stuck,
and you're not moving anywhere.[/center:2gpyz5ah]
The sound of yells tore through her peaceful state of mind with such force that she was completely flustered, confusion falling over her and leading her a little ways off the path en route to the source. Part of her mind advised her against it, for as she got closer the sound of fists hitting bones echoed in her ears, making her even more wary of the situation. Snow wasn't falling at that moment, so she could clearly see that a fight was taking place. There was a crowd of men, and in-between them she saw the body of a white-haired man, who looked to be around her age, pummeling a man who seemed to also be around the same age range. Back on the farm, these things didn't happen. Everyone was basically peaceful towards one another—that is, when they had a moment to interact. Her first thought was to stop it, somehow, and she went with her gut before even taking a moment to evaluate the situation.

Her feet began to pound against the snow, her long, wavy hair flying behind her in the wind. She could feel her heart beating faster, and as she saw splashes of crimson against the snow, she became overwhelmed with a fear for the defenseless man. Her heart sped up even more, if possible, and he wind slapped at her face. All in one instant, she felt herself jumping into the fight, pulling the white-haired man away, and grabbing the other man, cradling him in her arms. It all happened in a blur. She could hardly breathe, everything had moved so quickly.. she was expecting to be pummeled as a result of her compassion, but her conscience told her that it was well worth it—she might have saved this man from death. And it was then that she looked down at him, noticing that he was even weaker than he appeared to be from a few yards away. His eyes were drifting shut, his jaw was hanging open, knocked out of its socket, and his body was limp. Her heart stopped, and she found her eyes trapped in their open, awestruck state.

[Anonymous]

"So boring." Kain had thought. The man he was fighting could hardly even stand after 1 punch. Looking around, the large circle of men jeering and cheering at him thoroughly amused him. The man that he had simply punched started to stir as he stood on his 2 feet. He had hoped for something that would cure him of his groggy tired feeling, and was hoping the job that little dorky kid had offered him would suffice. Obviously he was wrong. This guy barely looked to be above 19. He looked pretty thoroughly confused also. I mean, when a random demonic looking guy walks up and asks if he can kick the crap out of you, I guess its not the best way to start out your day. The kid ran at him, charging and with some sort of weird yell, through a punch.

Before the arm had even managed to stretch, Kains foot had already connected with his wind pipe. Watching him fall to the ground, he shook the foot he used around a little, wincing a little as he did.

"I didn't stretch before this." He said out loud, talking towards the kid. Although he was sure he wasn't listening. Coughing and wheezing, he rolled over on his side, looking like to be on the verge of tears. Kain cracked his neck to the side, and sighed at him, a very, obnoxious and bored sigh.

He had woken up in his little field outside of Reajh. Far away from the mordecais and any other magic hunters. He only woke up due to a well placed snowflake that flew down into his nostril. The climate was always unkind to him. Scowling at the sky, he let out a loud yawn, and walked towards the road, where all the hustle and bustle was. Of course, heads turned, seeing Kain jump down onto the road. Not exactly the most ordinary entrance, jumping from a tree, but they would all get used to his presence eventually.

About an hour dozed by and Kain thought it was gonna be one of those lazy and do nothing days, like it seemed it always was. How bored he was, and how he complained about it. Consciously, he would catch himself letting out a groan or a whine of raw boredom. Until, some kid, looked to be about 17, walked up to him, and asked him for this job. Kain had to double check, because this kid was a little to young to be ordering hits on people. He remembered the kids words:

"You're the White Flash! The guy that only takes jobs that interest him!"

It was half true. He only took jobs when he was in the mood or if they sounded like they might be fun. He nodded a little, wondering where all these rumors had floated from. First he was the Phantom, then he was the Silent Wolf, now hes the White Flash? A annoyed look passed his face, lips forming a small grimace.

"Someone better be getting paid good for these stupid nicknames He thought.

The kid explained his deal. Apparently, some guy was bullying him and his sister. Threatening to burn down there home, and even do obscene things against the girls and kids will. They were both only there for themselves, parents killed because they had been accused of having mage blood. Of course, Kain figuring it was a lie, let a small portion of pity course through his emotions. Kain must have looked bored when he told him this, because he started talking about the bully being a mage. He laughed a little and told him that lying wasn't necessary, and that he would take the job. The kid didn't want the bully dead, just roughed up.

Although it was entirely up to Kain, and he wasn't a fan of mercy.

He was on the kids side now, one hand on his hair and dropping elbow after elbow on top of the mans forehead and nose. Even when he tried to complain Kain gave him a firm backhand, that seemed to dislocate his jaw. Kain got up, and reeled back for a kick, the kid barely conscious, before hands grabbed him and threw him back.

"What the---"

Kain put one hand on the ground, in the snow, eyes of the fox looking up and staring at the short, rather cute girl, attending to the man. Did she seriously get in the middle of Kain and his bounty? What the hell? He really was not amused. Not even in the slightest. He straightened up and dusted off snow on his cloak. Walking over and standing over top of the girl. One hand reached down, and grabbed her by the hair, and pulled her up, turned her around, and made her look into his eyes.

"What do you think your doing?" He said in a calm, cold voice. "You are now standing in between me, and my money. Now I don't know where you come from, but you are lucky I don't strip you naked and let the guys here run a train on you, you wench." He said still in the same, calm, cold voice.

"Now, get lost" He said again, and put quite a bit of force behind the hand he placed on her back, and pushed her towards a nearby snowbank. Looking down at the guy again, he sighed and grinned a little. "Think of this as a cruel karma, boy."

His leg reeled back, and his foot connected with the kids neck. Kain knew he didn't kill him, but he would have caused severe injury.

[Anonymous]

Upon feeling her body pulled up by her hair, her awestruck gaze grew wider. This terrible, wretched, scumbag of a man—no, he wasn't even a man, he was just a senseless killer—was actually touching her. Her hair. Her brown, dull, highlight-lacking hair was being manhandled by this beast. Feeling herself being turned to face him, she replaced her shock with a scowl, which rested firmly over her once-angelic features. She was prepared to give him the glare of his life, but was stopped.. His eyes were.. not like other eyes. They were strange... gold... almost.. cat-like. And before she even had a moment to study them further, she was placed on her feet, shoved in the back, and told, "Now, get lost."

His voice was cold, and she could almost hear pure loathing dripping from his every word. His cruelty was contagious, and began to rapidly spread through her like the plague. Her brow became knitted in irritation, and she clenched her hands into fists. If only her mother could see her now.. she'd be absolutely appalled. And oh, her brothers.. they'd have taken on every one of the scumbags around her by now. That man—that strange, golden-eyed, white-haired man—would have been dead right now. Any one of her brothers could have taken him, she believed. So why couldn't she?

Empowered, she took two hulking steps closer to him, before she heard, "Think of this as a cruel karma, boy." and then an ear-splitting kick of his foot sounded against the man's neck. Blood spattered from his mouth and down his face, trickling onto the white snow. Pain was tainting her wonderland, and she found herself growing sick as she watched it happen. Her stomach began to boil with bile at first, which quickly turned to a pure, unadulterated hatred as she registered his words. He was a disgusting portrayal of what a man should be, and she found herself wondering if he was one of the Mordecai in that instant.. She knew they were the biggest danger to her, but she didn't know much besides that.. So maybe he'd just killed her fellow mage?

Her lips curled up in disgust and she turned to face the foul, winter-like man. At first, all she could do was stare with the purest look of disdain creasing her features. Never had she felt such a feeling of derision for anyone in her life. Mustering her voice so that it wouldn't shake, she spoke evenly, "You're a monster. Is this truly what the Mordecai do? They beat innocent people for the fun of it?" She swallowed, shaking her head slowly. "Well, you know what?" She spat at the ground beneath the man's feet, never losing contact with those terribly beautiful golden eyes. "I spit on what you stand for. I disgrace your name for all to see."

And with that, she took a step closer, squaring her shoulders and taking another step closer, hearing the snow crunch beneath her. Gasps sounded from the men around her, and she realized that she was indeed being rather bold. But she didn't care. It felt right to stand up for the underdog, even if she wasn't so powerful herself. "You're a beast; a wretch. And you're a coward for not taking a look at yourself and realizing how inhuman this is." Her voice remained completely steady, brimming with revulsion. She took a few steps closer to him, and the snow continued to crunch beneath her feet with every step, as if warning her that it wasn't wise to keep moving forward. But she didn't care. He was vile and he deserved to know it.

[Anonymous]

He started to turn away from the man he had just beaten. Knowingly, he knew that if he did not get treated, he might end up choking on blood and dieing there on the spot. He could hear people pick him up and race him to the opposite of where he was walking. The buyer always seemed to come back to him. He never needed to go and search and tell the guy that he had done what they asked him to. They simply came to him. He figured this would be no different. Eventually that kid will come and ask what happened, he will tell him in full description (which he was told he had a knack for) what happened, get his money, and continue living quietly.

Although this wasn't the case today.

Sensing a angry intent, he eventually found himself looking down at that idiot of a girl who through herself into the midst of a fight. He didn't really look at her, he kind of tilted his head to the side and let out a annoyed sigh. Words reached his ears though, and a surprise look etched his features when she accused him of being a mordecai. That.. was something he had never been accused of. Of all the things, a mordecai? He almost screamed magic user.

"Not the smartest girl around" He thought on a whim.

He looked down when she spat on the ground before him. She actually called him a coward? That made no sense at all. He knew exactly what he was doing, and it was what he did. Unfortunately, this fool didn't really get it. He looked at her with a very annoyed and angry look. His brow curling down a little, his eyes narrowing down at the girl.

"Mordecai?" He said with a little bit of shock. His lips stretched into a cold, deadly grin. "Not exactly the smartest person around, are you? Must be all the men. You don't exactly look like the innocent type. We call you the loose goose where i am from." He said insultingly.

"For your information, the guy I just beat the crap out of was someone who threatened to rape a 16 year old girl, break the thumbs of a 16 year old boy, kill there pets, and burn down there house. Now, I don't know where you get off telling me what I can and cannot do for money, but I advise you watch your mouth, you annoying little whore."

This was new for Kain. Never before had he spoken so much in a public place where people might be listening. He didn't think people cared, and looking around, no one was really around, or paying attention. This girl annoyed him, quite a bit.

"As.. for being a Mordecai.." He said, one of his hands coming up. They were alone, except for people coming from the north that were heading to Reajh. They couldn't see this though.

Flames started to curl around the air a few feet from his hand, swirling down toward the outstretched hand and arm, tightly compacting themselves in the middle of his palm. The amount of fire that appeared grew every slightly every milisecond, until he was holding a ball of fire, that was still absorbing fire from the air, and looked like it could grow forever.

"I know magic that you can't even imagine." He said amused, looking at the ball of fire, before the ball started to disipate, the fire going back into the air where it came, seeping into the world until finally the fire was gone, and so was the ball.

Kain flipped his cloak, and headed past her.

[Anonymous]

This guy was arrogant. Oh, was he arrogant. He held himself with the utmost amount of pride, completely disregarding everyone around them as if they just weren't worthy.  Typical of a Mordecai, she presumed. Her thoughts of loathing continued to progress in that direction, branding him as a magic-killer and hating his guts for it more every second. And then he threw her a curveball. "Mordecai? Not exactly the smartest person around, are you? Must be all the men. You don't exactly look like the innocent type. We call you the loose goose where i am from."

Now, a jab at her intelligence, she might have been able to take. But to automatically assume that she was a mere whore was simply out of the question. Outraged, she stuck a long, thin finger out at him and yelled, "What could you possibly know about me? The most you've done is rip me up by my hair and shove me away! You won't even look at me, for God's sakes! How could you possibly know who I am in that regard?" She paused for a moment before adding, as if she'd just gotten a second wind, "Why you impertinent, derisive, spiteful man! You deserve to be cast away in the Hivan Ocean and never be seen again, you unimpressive brute!" With every word, she took a step closer, insults flowing from her lips like acid.

He interrupted her rant, however, delivering a shocking response. "For your information, the guy I just beat the crap out of was someone who threatened to rape a 16 year old girl, break the thumbs of a 16 year old boy, kill there pets, and burn down there house. Now, I don't know where you get off telling me what I can and cannot do for money, but I advise you watch your mouth, you annoying little whore."

Her eyes grew wide, and her first thought was to apologize for making the mistake. And then, gaining her anger back after that brief pause, she picked her rant right back up from that point. "You stupid, insolent man! I had no idea that was the case, and you can't expect me to just pass by and let two total strangers kill each other! It isn't right! And besides, you shouldn't be making money off of someone else's tragedy! You should be helping them!" Her voice had managed to raise a few octaves since the first word, and she took a moment to catch a breath after her fast-paced rant. After a few seconds had passed, she added, "And don't call me a whore!"

By now, she was completely in his face, rage taking hold of her senses. But it was the next thing he did that made her completely stop in her tracks. Made her heart skip a beat, and sink after she realized she'd made an unfair judgment. There, in his palm, rested flames. They curled up over his hand, fighting their way, to the top. She'd never noticed how violent fire appeared to be. It was like it was having a constant war with itself, one side always trying to conquer the other. It almost made her heart heavy looking at it, thinking that all these years she's just passed fire off as an element.. but now it seemed to have it's own personality. It seemed almost sad, how angry the flames looked. In seeing that, her anger began to sizzle, and evaporate, as if it had been doused in water. And then, all in that instant, it disappeared.

She watched, stunned, as he pulled his cloak over his head and began to move from her. Seconds later, she snapped out of her reverie and called, "Wait!" She ran up to him, elated to have found someone like her, someone who seemed much stronger with magic than she was. But when she opened her mouth to confess that she, too, had magical abilities, she stopped. Could she really trust this man? She was too unsure to take the risk. He'd been cruel to her, and didn't exactly seem like the social type. So she bit her tongue, and instead asked, "What's your name?"

[Anonymous]

Kain confessed himself in his mind extremely amused now. When she saw the fire dancing in his hands, fighting and roaring like a blaze, it seemed all her anger disappeared. Vanished. As though someone had just slapped the mad right out of her. He had to fight down the urge to laugh, and look remotely serious. The smile still coursed his face, looking down at the fire with his own form of admiration. Magic was such a amazing thing to him, and to have such control he felt was his own blessing.

Of course, for someone like him, this is obviously the wrong place to be in.

He stopped, when he hears a wait pass through his ears. One eye looked over his shoulder and glanced at her. Looking like she was forcing a question back, she instead asked for his name. Kain was bewildered. Do go from one emotion to another in the manner of a second, due to seeing such a low form of magic?

He put 2 and 2 together. This girl was a mage.

Should really control your ADD he thought grinning. No, he wouldn't tell her he knew just yet. He would play along here. God forbid he over-do himself and give away something too revealing of her nature. There could be magic hunters about too. God knows what people are thinking these days.

"What?" He said abruptly. Stopping and turning, one eye and one side of his face completely over his shoulder now, looking at the girl. Could she even be any more obvious?

"... I'm pretty sure you just insulted me so many times that a scholar couldn't even remember. And now you ask for my name?" He said with a confused yet amused tone in his voice.

"It's Kain." He said. Normally he would never give out his name, but technically, it was a fellow mage. And the situation was so amusing he couldn't not give out his name. He didn't know if she would follow or not, but he walked towards where he was going. Slowly, though. As to give her time to catch up. Maybe she'd try and be friends with him now or something.

"Who wants to know?" He said with a half-smile. She wasn't bad looking. Kain didn't know if he himself was any good looking, and found himself wondering what she thought about it. Deciding not to think about it, looked down at the snow crunching beneath his feet.

[Anonymous]

Allaeria was still dumbfounded. She'd found a fellow mage, and he just so happened to be one of the biggest jerks she had ever met in her entire life. He had an aura of arrogance about him, like he was constantly sitting up on his own personal, invisible pedestal, looking down and jeering at all the little people. It was irritating to know that she was under the 'little people' category, but she tried to ignore it. She knew for herself that she was just as intelligent as any city-dweller, and definitely not the whore he said she was. There would be no 'trains' on her, and she would not respect this man. He didn't even remotely deserve it. He didn't even deserve the slightest amount of kindness.

But she digressed.

It was the fact that he was another magic user, like her, that made her bristle at him a little less noticeably. It wasn't that she liked him—she may have wanted to like him, but his nasty attitude was far too much for her handle. Liking someone like that would have put her right down on his level [a quite low level in her book, might I had—she'd have to fall a pretty long way to stand alongside that]. Still, she forced herself to momentarily hide her resentment. There was no use in trying to truly alleviate things; he was a cruel man and there was no getting past that. But she mustered the will to take a step closer, somehow able to keep her snarling face at bay.

"It's Kain."

Kain. A good name, she thought. It seemed almost rough.. strong. As much as she hated to put a positive word in his description, she thought it fit him. This man—this Kain—was indeed a strong being. She heard him ask, "Who wants to know?", and she blinked a few times, surprised that he had bothered tossing the question back in her direction. But it wasn't only his curiosity that she found astonishing; it was his smile. Just seeing a smile on his face at all was strange, for cruel people didn't smile, did they? Unless it was a wicked, malicious smile, that is. Yet, his lips didn't seem to be pulled up in malice... he merely appeared to be entertained.  

Frazzled, she stumbled over her words, saying, "Um, I.. I'm Allaeria Leone." She bit her lip, thinking, 'I shouldn't have said that'. "I mean.. Lyons. Allaeria Lyons. I'm, uh, moving to Reajh from the country to.. find work." Her face, as she spoke, gradually began to pick up a pinkish hue, until her cheeks were completely flushed. Biting down harder on her lips, she diverted her eyes to the snowy ground believe, staring at the footprints he'd left behind. He was walking away by now, and she began trailing after him.

As she walked, she felt the snow begin to fall again, leaving little flurries to gently caress her cheeks, nose, and eyelashes, softly landing on her skin and leaving splotches of wetness where it rested. She smiled at the cold feeling, reveling in it. And then she realized that he was leading her in the completely wrong direction. Her eyes widened, and she chased after him, yelling, "Wait! Wait!" Once she caught up to him, her breath was still steady. "Where are you going?" She paused, thinking how badly she needed him to tell her where to find more people like them, but reminding herself that she couldn't trust just anyone with her secret. It didn't matter if he used magic; not everyone with magic was a saint, and the reward he would get for turning her in would be quite the sum of cash. Besides, he had a record of hurting people for money.

And still, she felt the need for another mage to be around her. So she asked, surprising even herself, "Won't you.. come with me?"

[Anonymous]

Kain had stopped suddenly once she mentioned the name Leone. The last name rung a bell. He turned to pursue the last name, until she had corrected herself. Letting a bit of a "hmm" noise, he continued to walk his way away from the cursed town Reajh. He never liked being close to the place after he left. A city filled with Mordecai and mage hunters. Such a unhealthy place for a being like himself.

He started to hear snow being crunched from behind him. Was she starting to follow him? Of course, if he was right, and she was indeed a mage, then of course she would, he thought. Obvious control over such power would peak the interest of anything.. even mage hunters.

....Then that thought hit him. What if she was after bounty for mages?

His eyes narrowed in front of him. Maybe he had heard that last name before this.. he always kept track of famous family mage hunters. And she knew it, and thats why she corrected herself! His eyes opened a little. This.. kinda pieced together perfectly. Maybe, she was afraid that he was going to kill the kid, and she wouldn't be able to collect bounty! Maybe the kid who gave him the job wasn't lying about him being a mage!

Kain snapped himself out of the brief trance. He was getting way far ahead of himself. She could end up being a mage, and he was right at the beginning. Now, with these thoughts in his head, he would watch a little more. Wonder a little more.

Something.. he did not expect was asked. She asked for him to come with her? With a even more amused look on his face, he turned completely around, facing her. Maybe he should find out now.

"...What?" He said with a bit of a laugh in his voice. "Not exactly a fan of holding grudges are you?"

Straightening himself up a little, looking down at her with curious eyes, he continued. "Reajh is filled with Mordecai. I can't stand being in there unless its night, or close to. Why the sudden friendly gestures after I show you magic?"

The grin spread across his face again.

"You're a mage, aren't you?" He said. "The way you talked about Mordecai with such destain when you thought I was one. The interest you showed when you saw the fire, and now this." Now that he was saying it out loud, he was sure he was right.

[Anonymous]

Snow continued to fall over the two, picking up a swift dance as the wind blew, and falling gently over their heads. Allaeria's brown hair was speckled with the frozen rain, which stood out against the pigmentation, but Kain's white hair lent the snow camouflage. It was like the snow took refuge in something similar, becoming lost in it; blending with it. Kain and snow... were very much alike, she decided. There was snow, moving on its own accord through the wind, and staying so cold only so it could survive in its form; and then there was Kain, who traveled where he pleased, when he pleased.. who seemed to be such a cold-hearted person that it made Allaeria wonder. Maybe he was just that way so he wouldn't be corrupted? So he could stay exactly the way he was made, without outside influence..

She shook her head, simultaneously making snow drip down from her hair to her nose, and then onto her chest. It did no good to read too much into his character; she didn't even know if she trusted him at this point. But she did know that her previous adrenaline had died out... she could know feel the arctic air, the exhaustion coursing through her body. It was in her best interests to end their dialogue soon and head to warmth, but she wasn't going to let up that easily... And then his voice touched the air, just as a gentle breeze picked up and tossed her hair to the west. "Not exactly a fan of holding grudges are you?"

Normally, I am, she thought.. But this was different. There was a sort of 'inner battle' going on inside her mind, to where she didn't know whether or not to trust herself in telling the difference between friend and foe. Excuse me, she though, acquaintance and foe. With the very core of her being, she was convinced that they could never have a healthy friendship. He was too solitary, for starters.. And then there was his bad attitude, which she just found absolutely repulsive. Nope.. the crux of her sudden shift in moods was that she needed to know whether he was good or bad, because quite honestly, she needed help. She knew that entering this city was practically a suicide attempt, but she was taking up residence their anyways—now all she needed was to find a coven, that could teach her how to learn and then conceal her powers.

With a small, almost unnoticeable smile pulling awkwardly at the sides of her lips, she replied, "No, I suppose I'm not for the moment. I'd rather.. not be sour during my first adventure into the city," –lies. She would be inwardly sour towards him for at least a few more weeks—"and I'm sure you're not complaining." Laughing lightly, she added, "Or do you prefer 'impertinent brute' over Kain?"

And then his smile twitched into a grin, and she heard him say, "You're a mage, aren't you? The way you talked about Mordecai with such disdain when you thought I was one. The interest you showed when you saw the fire, and now this."

Her breathe caught in her throat. Was he really accusing her of her worst fear? Not even one step into the city and she'd already been discovered. A panic began to rise in her, but she tried to keep her cool, replying, "What are you talking about? Do I look like a mage to you?" She laughed, as if it was all one big, huge joke. "Honestly, I just don't like what the Mordecai stand for. They've always sounded like cruel people to me.. which, I guess.. is why I accused you of being one." She didn't mean that as an insult, but the second she said it, she knew it could easily be taken as such. So she cleared her throat and reached out for his arm, attempting to remain covert and continue with her little façade.

But something happened.

The second her hand connected with his body, she felt like an electric shock was moving up through her finger tips, over her arm, and then, for some reason, it was like it turned around.. It began coursing back down towards Kain, and all in one split second, they were blown apart. Allaeria, being pretty light weight, was thrown into the air, rather painfully, and she landed in the snow a few feet away from where she was standing. The snow curved around her body when she landed, covering her arms and legs as if it was trying to bury her. The sheer force had sent her at least seven inches down into the snow, and she remained there for a few seconds, giving herself over to the shock completely.

And then she gave herself a moment to think about what she would do, for it had felt like Kain was blasted away from her as well... And just after she'd denied being a mage. How insanely ironic that this happened once she finished speaking those words. She knew that there was no way to pass this off as coincidence; it was a little obvious now that there was something different about her. Unless he didn't find being blasted a few feet from her touch to be strange. He would probably be heading over right now to accuse her yet again; she could practically hear his words already, sounding in her head. Then she realized, suddenly, that there was a reason to the strange occurrence.

It was the first time she'd ever even touched a fellow mage. Sure, he'd touched her before, but her fingertips-- her willing touch-- had remained completely disconnected from his skin.. And now she felt as if she'd just been energized; like she was a dead battery that had been charged for the first time.

Adrenaline: back.

[Anonymous]

He thoroughly enjoyed her reaction to his accusation. It looked like the air she was breathing turned into a giant ball and caught in her throat. His eyes narrowed even deeper as seemed to arise from the girl. Once she started laughing, Kain was convinced. This girl could not be more obvious. Like an open book. Passing it off as a strange thing to accuse someone of, she even made a jab at Mordecai being cruel and that would be the excuse she would stick with. Kain had to fight down the laughter that arose in his throat, turning away from the girl and pretending to look at the sky.

He always related himself to the snow. It could be peacefull, or violent. Depending on his mood, he could also be like this. The white puff that came down from the sky gently landed in his hair and on his clothes. Now that he thought about it, that really is all he and the snow had in common. The element always would seem so peaceful before the blizzard came.

As he came out of his trance, the girl was closing in on him, looking down, it looked like her finger tips were.. sparking? They closed in and the sparks intensified, before he realized what was happening. His eyes shot open, and he made a move, but it was much to late. The explosion happened.

He didn't know what happened to the girl at first, but he put both arms infront of him and braced himself, the explosion squarely hitting him where he had put his arms. His feet slid backwards against the snow, all together being blown back probably about 4 feet. Putting his arms down slightly, he could see a sprawled out small imprint in the snow just ahead of him.

Slowly moving towards her, a smile still imprinted on his face, he stood over her, looking down and grinning.

"I forgot normal people can make random explosions of light appear when they touch someone with magic." He said calling down the snow she had fallen in. "Not only are you a mage, you're a pretty inexperienced one at that. You seriously let out a discharge just from touching me? This is the wrong place to be if your that fragile."

"Now, while you are laying there, let me explain something." He said before taking a seat right beside the hole she had made. Looking down at her, tilting his head to the side, he made sure she knew of his amused look.

"When you touch someone for the first time that possesses magic, the magic that courses over you instantly reacts to the other. Magic, inexperienced magic at that, doesn't know what to do exactly, so it expands. The experienced magic, however, tries to reject the inexperienced magic and thus expands also, to block the increase."

"So." He said, grinning. "Incase you are wondering what that means, basically, you are an inexperienced, rookie mage who doesn't know anything about her own magic or magic in general, and completely lacks the ability to control it. So, now, what do you have to say for yourself, little miss mystery?"

Feeling proud of himself, he let out a small chuckle. Standing up, he was happy that she turned out to not be a mage hunter. Even though that this was a girl he didn't really like or know about, he didn't care much. Worse came to worse, he probably would have killed her if she tried to take him down.

[Anonymous]

She'd never really seen snow as something that could cause pain, yet, as she continued to lay a few inches into it, she felt her body temperature dropping. Parts of her felt numb, and parts of her felt like needles were being stuck into her skin. The frozen rain continued to land along her face, chest, and other scattered areas.. the rest of her was already covered in the icy substance. It was as if her legs weren't even a part of her body anymore, and her arms had followed suit. She was in dire need of a blanket, a bed, warm stew, anything that gave her even the slightest bit of comfort. But for now, she was too embarrassed to climb out of the snow and walk away. She almost wanted to stay there, frozen forever... to drift off into another place, where she wouldn't feel like her entire life had just been handed to someone else.

It was like her life wasn't hers anymore. It had been based off of a secret... and that secret—that information—belonged to him now. She breathed quietly in and out of her nose, only slightly listening to his speech. It was a halfhearted attempt, for she was far too mortified to really hear his voice, which sounded so egotistical and matter-of-fact right now, and resigned to simply hold her place in the snow. It had made room for her, welcoming her to its chilly confines. Would it have been right to climb out then? No, she told herself, not right at all... The snow was her friend. A true friend. It welcomed her to join it, never casting her away, or pulling her by the hair.. It would never hurt her... Snow was kind... like a gentle blanket, cradling her away from the cruelty of the world. The snow was so warm... It felt so nice against her skin... Faintly, far in the distance, there was a low hum.. Nice; peaceful.

Allaeria continued laying there, her eyes slowly drifting shut, lost in her own wandering thoughts. There was no doubt that her mind was traveling to a different, less conscious world. She hadn't eaten or slept in days, with her sheer adrenaline fueling her path. And now... her previous charge was wearing off. There was no more energy left in her body to move any farther, and so she allowed herself to leave the current stresses of the world.. to momentarily become vacant; an empty shell. The thoughts inside her mind were so much more comforting than what was going on around her. The steady hum was encouraging her slumber; welcoming it with open arms.

Subconsciously, she could feel that snow was still falling, dotting her nose and eyelashes. And then, when she felt she'd reached the maximum feeling of calmness, her rhythmic hum ceased. Startled, her eyes opened, and she looked around. She tried to shake the sleepiness from her head, and discovered that the snow had crowded further over her body. At that, Alla panicked. Inhaling sharply, she received a mouthful of snow, and began a series of loud, hacking coughs. Her arms, long and thin, shot up from the snow, and she felt herself begin to climb out.

Eyes looked frantically at the ground she was pulling herself from, and she noted that her arms had lost their pink flush.. they now appeared inhumanly pale; almost blue. Biting her bottom lip, which was dotted with snow now, she was nervous to examine the state of her legs. And then, with another bad feeling falling over her, as if draping her in its negativity, she was reminded that Kain was still beside her, possibly waiting for some sort of response. Blinking slowly, she tried to gain her full state of mind back... if she could just get her mental condition in order, then maybe she could begin to touch on her physical condition.

Now standing on two legs, just above the snowy imprint of her body, she allowed her eyes to move back up to Kain, surveying him. He seemed to almost blend in with the snow, she noted, wondering what on earth she was supposed to say to him. She'd nearly forgotten what had even put her in the snow, and she didn't have even the slightest inkling as to what he'd been talking to her about. Reaching up an icy hand to scratch at her wet, snow-covered hair, she mumbled, "I need to get to an inn." Then it hit her, leaving her spirits down and her wallet light, that she had no money. Biting her lip, she added, "But.. I don't really seem to have any money. Do you.. know anyone that I could stay with?"

She may have been hinting at a coven; she didn't really know. What she was really hoping for was a bed—it didn't matter who provided her with it.

[Anonymous]

Kain let the snow embrace him during his speech to the girl. Although, for lack of a better term, he was pretty sure she couldn't even figure out what he was saying. Hell, he was pretty sure she couldn't understand what her body was saying, which was: Get out of the snow. Kain didn't feel that much of the cold. He had always liked it. Weather, in general, he appreciated, the hot or the cold.

Gradually, he could start to see the snow embrace her body. The hole that she had made herself after the explosion started to fill itself with the fluffy white substance loosely falling from the sky, kissing her face and body in general, seeking to cover the girl entirely. He was almost a little worried. She didn't look like she was responding to the cold piercing her core, from above and behind.

He tilted his head back and let out a puff of air, a annoyed groan escaping him. What does someone do in a situation like this? A half frozen girl that just caused an explosion asks you for a place to stay.

God, what a day.

But a idea came to Kains mind. A very clever, evil, and just plain mean idea. Oh the urge to laugh was strong. He looked down at the snow to avoid looking at the girl, because he just could not take it. This was perfect! And mean!

"Im good. I'm damn good." Kain thought.

"I know where you could stay. I'll take you there, you look way to cold to walk." He said moving up. He turned around, wrapped his arms around her legs, and picked her up. His hands moved her hands around his neck. He did the same for the other, keeping the other arm tight over it.

He headed back towards Reajh, praying that there would be no Mordecai. Looking up, the sun was going down. The place he had in mind had to be open. It opens mostly at night, if he recalled correctly. Kain completely forgot when exactly the bed he had in mind opened, but god, if it was, this could be the funniest moment of his life. He started to do a light jog, his hands over her arms. Of course it probably seemed like an act of kindness, from her eyes.

Moving into the city of Reajh, the snow started to fall harder. Kain could hardly see infront of him now. The wind, didn't seem to be very strong. At least he could look on the kind of bright side. An idea crossed his mind though.. what if she gets pissed for this?

The smart idea would run away after this, but, he couldn't risk losing her exactly. What if she touched someone with magic again, and set off another explosion in public? Instant execution. He needed to stay with this girl. At least for awhile. She could end up storming out of the place he had in mind..

Something furry brushed against his face. "Wow, have I had my eyes closed the whole time?" He said frustrated. Brushing the snow off the nearby fur, he could barely make out the letters that appeared infront of him, but he knew what it said exactly. A sly grin appeared over his face.

"The Dirty Dozen." He said outloud.

Walking in, bells ringing, he looked into the eyes of the one of the rare people he was friends with.

"Tarya." He said grinning.
She was a short woman. Looked to be around 5'2''. Short, red hair, green eyes, plump chest, not so much boom in the back, but a cute girl none the less. She smiled, looking at him with a surprised, yet amused grin as she noticed the girl on his back. Not knowing if she was conscious or not, he moved into the building.

"Got a spare room?" Kain asked.
"Why?" She asked curiously.
"This ones been in the cold for god knows how long. You can tell by her breathing and ribs that she hasn't eaten in days, and--"
"Oh shut up, I don't need your healthy jibber jabber." Tarya said, annoyed.

Kain rolled his eyes. "So, is that a yes?"
"I guess.. I sent the other 11 girls home today. Probably be out of buisness for awhile. No men want to have sex when there's a snowstorm blazin'. Would rather just stay inside with there wives or something." She said with venom in her voice.

"Great. That means no random screaming of "Harder" or "Don't stop!" in the middle of the night like most of the time I'm here." Kain said grudgingly.

"Hey now, you step into a hostel, and you expect not to hear sounds of sex? Sounds like a double negative to me."

"Whatever. Just keep the dildo in the drawer, okay?" He snarked.

"Whats that supposed to mean?"
"What it sounds like." He said with a small wink, carrying the girl up the stairs.

"I don't want those rooms to get messy, I just cleaned them!" she called up the stairs.

"Oh please Tarya, You run a whore house. If I were to jump in a swamp of radioactive dog crap i'd feel safer about getting an infection." He roared over his shoulder. Catching the scowl of Tarya before he opened one of the doors, he walked in and sat down, gently sliding the girl off his back. Using just a tiny bit of force, he pushed her ankles to the end of the bed. Grabbing one of the pillows from the beside beside them, he placed her head above it. Also, reaching back, stealing the blankets from the said bed, and covered her up.

"Might as well be comfy. And.. just incase you don't get the joke at first..." He said straining, reaching over and grabbing one of the near by portraits of all 12 girls lined up, with a autograph. The name he couldn't quite make out, but the printing on it, was very easily readable, saying:

"To the dirty dozen, the best damn house of sluts I've ever been to!"

Grinning at his work, he slowly walked out of the room, closing the door on his way out, calling over the railing.

"Hey tarya, whats hot and liquified that I'd like?"