Chaos is known as the being that never became a star. It is everywhere and yet nowhere at the same time.
Neither good nor evil, the ultimate expression of nothingness. The antithesis of the cosmos, creation itself.
Although Chaos claims to be the very state of existence from which the first entities appeared, it cannot form into the entity it wants most.
So it has been cursed to stay in the form of a dark and shapeless void. Floating between existence and nonexistence.
Longingly watching as stars are constantly born and lives are lived. The seeds of malice had been planted, flourished and transformed Chaos into the purest form of evil.
Mistakes had been made. This much was true. For one, Ayakka had underestimated just how dense the shield around Julius' skull was. She sighed to herself, only having realized the implications of what she said after Julius responded.[break][break]
"One...should not...talk about...kidnapping...so lightly." What was the best way to go about this? [break][break]
"Marriage Julius. What I joked about doing was not kidnapping when I said stealing." Ayakka gestured, flipping her hand to drive across the point. "How do I explain this...hmm...." Ayakka ignored the stares of the man in front of them, choosing to focus on the difficult task at hand. "In that...context, stealing doesn't mean kidnapping stealing would mean I would marry your brother thus...taking him away from you...huh..." Ayakka scratched her head. "Okay it sounds kinda like kidnapping but it doesn't mean kidnapping. Like, imagine your mom getting married to your dad. Someone would say, 'oh your mom is stealing your dad!' but you and I both know that that doesn't mean he's kidnapping her he's marrying her. Please god tell me you get what I'm saying I don't know how to explain this any better."[break][break]
"I...don't...trust you," Well, it didn't hurt as much as the first time he said it. Plus she wasn't exhausted, covered in soot and burning up so that really lessened the blow. It did still...sting a little. But hey, what could a girl do but beat the metaphysical idea of friendship and trust into the deadpanned until it took? Defeat, which meant giving up, was no longer an option. She was already knee deep in this swamp and by god was she gonna clear it up. [break][break]
"Still ringing that same old tune?" Ayakka blew air between her lips, refusing to let the boy see any sign of deflation or dejection. Confidence, or at least that was what the fire fighter felt she was exuding, radiated from Ayakka as she puffed out her chest in a pretend pout while she crossed her arms. "Has our trial by fire not stoked the flames of camaraderie and friendship in you? Then by the Evokers I shall try again today! I swear, with you as my witness, that we shall find your big bro the very greatest of presents!" Ayakka declared, completely forgetting the line they were standing in. [break][break]
Funny thing was, Ayakka was actually a bit of a light drinker. It never actually really took that much to tip her over and get her to where she wanted to go. Mainly burying whatever it was she had to bury through intensive alcoholic therapy. And hey! It worked this time so...maybe juuuuust maybe she didn't have to forgo that idea entirely right? Right. Not like it hurt anyone anyways....minus her liver. [break][break]
Taking Julius' silence as compliance, Ayakka laughed merrily. For what else embodied the joy of Christmas, if not laughter and merriment? The girl would be damned if at least a little bit of that attitude didn't spread to Julius by the end of this. Influenza had nothing on Christmas. Or Ayakka, if one were to ask the girl.[break][break]
"Etsy?" Ayakka snapped her fingers. That was it! [break][break]
"I forgot that was a thing!" Ayakka punched Julius in the shoulder. "Leave it to the sleuth to see the missing link eh?" Etsy, why didn't she see this before? Hell she could order her mom a matching pair of pants if she wanted to off that thing if she wanted to right? Perfect, thought as she rubbed her hands together a little manically. Now all she had to do was fire up a computer and wrangle together a present right? Easy peasy. Sure, she didn't really understand that a prosecutor had little to do with doing police work but...well a computer should ideally be easier to figure out. [break][break]
"It's...of...not..importantce..." Ayakka eyed Julius with a wicked glint in her eyes. She'd seen sand deflect questions better. This was gonna be easy, if not fun. "Focus..on...yourself," [break][break]
"Julius, don't worry." Ayakka clapped a hand on his shoulder, doing her best to not only keep a straight face...but also keep the the eager grin off her face so as not to give the game away too easily. "I won't be stealing your brother away from you or anything. You'd have to call me Onee-san then huh? Ayakka frowned. She screwed up. "...Shit I forgot you're not Japanese. In-laws! I meant to...godddammit." Ayakka took a deep breath and started over. "I ain't stealing your bro so cool your jets. You don't gotta call me your older sister or anything."[break][break]
While Julius talked, Ayakka sized up what she thought a female Julius was. The picture bounced around her mind as she walked beside her Christmas shopper in arms. It wasn't like thinking of a slightly taller, more feminine Julius was hard per se. The guy was pretty slender to begin with, so something like that wasn't the problem. The problem was she couldn't really put a face to that build. Though she doubted that Julius' mother was a bright, bubbly little bulb of energy that buzzed back and forth constantly...it wasn't as if she really had proof. [break][break]
"but my eyes...are like..my father's." That was easier to imagine at least. Probably a taller, more muscular Julius look alike maybe? Or maybe his dad was like hers...not too tall not too short. A guy that looks a little wimpy and isn't really all that muscular with a stubble that he doesn't cut because it adds to his 'style.' Large square glasses that made Ayakka think Mr. Atland had a hard time in elementary school. Stuff like that. "I also...look similar...to my brother...kind of."[break][break]
"Your brother huh?" Ayakka eyebrows scrunched up. Now...what was that? Something scratching at the edge of her mind. Something saying, this was how his brother looked. A tall, not quite middle age but not quite young anymore guy. Someone that looked like he was standing at the crossroads of his life and was close to either falling off or taking a turn. "Hmm, hrnggg." Ayakka scratched her head, annoyed at the dull buzz that had chased away her thought. "...I think I should cut back on drinking. I can't be forgetting stuff already." She murmured to herself, discarding the passing idea as lost. [break][break]
Not like it was anything important anyways, right?[break][break]
"Argument?" Ayakka raised her eyebrow again then mentally smacked herself. Right right, this was Julius. Mr. Everything Flies over my head, Julius. [break][break]
"Its a figure of speech buddy. ...I really need to get you a book on that or something." If she had to spend every conversation explaining to Julius what x and y meant, well...it would be kinda fun. At first. Regardless, things need to change a bit. I.e. someone needed an upgrade to their speech module. [break][break]
Not that Julius was a robot. No no the guy was a bona fide mage, that much Ayakka knew. And an idiot. That much she painfully learned. And probably a good person. Buried somewhere underneath that social inability. [break][break]
"I'm not...Santa Claus," Ayakka felt tempted to ruffle the boy's head of hair and laugh. But no if she did that too much he might get spoiled by it. So instead, she chose option b. [break][break]
"Well ho ho ho my merry friend, NOT WITHOUT THIS!" Digging around her bag, and with a grin far too wide for a human being, Ayakka pulled that which Julius needed to became old Saint Nick. It wasn't really much, just a hat and a really fake looking white beard that she'd taken from the station after no one else decided they wanted it. Strapping the paper beard to her face and throwing on the red hat, Ayakka put her hands on her hips and thrust her chin proudly into the sky. "With this, even I may be Santa!" Without waiting for his complaints, or consent, Ayakka shoved the red hat on Julius but kept the beard. "And together, we shall scour the earth for presents!"[break][break]
"Ice cream...then watch...and...that's it." Right right, priorities. Ayakka shook herself out of the Santa Claus spirit. ...For now. [break][break]
Trying her best not to laugh manically, Ayakka followed Julius as he led her to...a line. A very long line. For ice cream of all things. Not that she didn't like ice cream, quite the contrary. Its just that Ayakka knew that, or at least thought that, most people didn't like ice cream in the dead of winter. Cause you know, ice cream is cold and the outside wasn't grade A ice cream eating atmosphere. It seemed, however, these people were like her and either didn't care that it was cold or didn't feel it and had lined up at the shiny place that held her delectable frozen treats. Treats that her stomach demanded.[break][break]
"Do you...need help...with..the scarf? I...might know someone...who might know...about scarves." At that Ayakka shrugged. [break][break]
"Mom isn't exactly the kind of person that cares a lot about how much you spent on a present." Although she did care about how much her only child went drinking at bars. 'I didn't raise a sailor!' Were the words of that Japanese woman. "I don't suppose you know how to knit do you? She's a sucker...eh...she really likes that kind of thing." Ayakka let out a nervous laugh. Leave it to the magi to forget that Julius wasn't one of her fire fighter buddies. Leave it to Ayakka to use language that might juuuust fly over Julius' head and cause, another, misunderstanding. "What about you? What does your brother want for Christmas? Does he like expensive stuff or homemade stuff or?"[break][break]
Well, that was some reaction. He squinted at her. Did he not understand the concept of curiosity? Ayakka, unsure of what the proper action was, defaulted and grinned back at Julius. Her second would've been to squint back but she wasn't feeling particularly sarcastic so she passed. [break][break]
"What? I got something on my face? I'm thinking out loud." Ayakka said. "I'm wondering if you look like the rest of your family or vica versa." [break][break]
It was kind of nice seeing the kid again. Even better that it was in a nice, relatively calmer, mall rather then a burning apartment complex. Less of that fearing for your life thing and smoke. Unless someone really got excited and set fire to something in their holiday frenzy. Oddly enough though, with a fire fighter and prosecutor nearby they'd probably be fine. Magic and powers notwithstanding. [break][break]
"I...might know...of a place..for watches." Bonus, she didn't have to hunt for watches. Granted, Ayakka didn't really mind wandering around looking for something nice to buy. It was part of her holiday ritual, to just wander till the shops either close or she finds what she was looking for. But, breaking up the rhythm wasn't bad. Plus, it looked like Julius needed help. "I...can also...buy you...some ice cream...for you...to finish,"[break][break]
"So I get help finding my dad a watch AND I get more ice cream huh? Hmmmm...." Ayakka rubbed her chin, jokingly considering her options. "You make a pretty compelling argument."[break][break]
"I...it's...not..." Ayakka almost chuckled to herself. The kid was nervous, that much was obvious. And it was kinda endearing to the girl. "It's..my brother...mentor...two...of my interns...and a...fellow...tenant of...mine." Ayakka grinned, then whistled. [break][break]
"Damn Julius I should start calling you Santa Claus." Yeah, she had bought presents for the rest of her station already. But that was her. And this was Julius, a guy that didn't really seem to be oozing in friends and Christmas presents. So five of his was more then a match for her station in her opinion. [break][break]
"If..." Ayakka's ears perked up, waiting for the next part of Julius's words. Which never came. Ayakka waved her hand in front of Julius' face. What was she supposed to guess what he wanted to say? Interrogation was his shtick not hers, he was the one with the lasso of truth. Still...if she had to guess... "Shall..we go?" Ayakka sighed. He wasn't going to make this easy was he? [break][break]
"Yeah, sure. Lead the way tiger." Ayakka linked her arms behind her head as she fell in step behind Julius. Boy, she was gonna have to make it obvious huh? "So, when are we gonna go find some shiny computer bits for your bro? Ice cream first or presents first? What's our game plan?"[break][break]
Ayakka's eyes narrowed. He didn't apologize. Seriously how was this boy raised?! Fair point that an insincere apology was bad, but it was better then nothing! A courtesy at the very least! The magi made a mental note to get the boy back for this later. Among other things. [break][break]
"yes. It's...a...present," That made sense. The idea of the guy sitting at a computer plugging away at some first person shooter or mmo was somewhat unsettling to Ayakka. It did not fit with her mental image of the guy. Now him sitting at a computer typing away at some monotonous court case about jay walking? Now that was easy to picture. Five years for the heinous jay walker, Ayakka joked to herself. [break][break]
"...Oh right you have family huh." Ayakka idly remarked, not remembering whether or not Julius said what family that was. They were in a house that was on fire so that wasn't exactly what she'd been intently focused on at that moment. "....You know I can't picture what your family looks like."[break][break]
"Do...you...know...about...computers?" Ayakka blanked. Her eyes shifted a bit as she scratched the back of her head. Did she know what a computer was?[break][break]
"Y...yeahhh..." Did she know how one worked?[break][break]
"I mean, I kinda...I know it works kind of...?" Did she make her partner write up their reports? "...There's one at the station for writing reports? Its really old...I don't know how it works honestly..." Indicating the box she held in her hand, Ayakka felt she had to admit the truth. "I only know what that is because it says it on the box."[break][break]
"never mind." Well now she felt silly. Ayakka put the box back on the shelf as she felt the sting of defeat. "Are you...shopping...as well?"[break][break]
"I was eating ice cream." Ayakka pointed out, not daring to hope that Julius would pick up on the apology she was waiting for. "And yeah I was shopping around, seeing the sights. Figured I'd pick a new scarf for my mom and maybe a watch for my dad." Stuffing her hands into her pockets, Ayakka looked at Julius. "Father Christmas give you any insight on what you wanna get for a present? Who're you shopping for anyways?"[break][break]
Christmas! Holiday shopping! HOLIDAY FOOD. This was, for sure, the season which Ayakka felt most at home at. A bustling, lively, fantastically decorated mall for her to wander around and have a good time in. And maybe spy a present or two for her parents. Cause why not? It was in the holiday spirit and she for one was definitely feeling it in the air. If there weren't too many people around, the off duty fire fighter would've likely been swinging her bag around. As is, hitting people on the holidays was somewhat of a bad thing.[break][break]
Thankfully though, she had her ice cream keeping her busy. Yeah, ice cream in winter seemed like a bit odd but in Ayakka's opinion that made it taste better. And she didn't have to worry about it melting in the blistering heat. So for once, she took her time instead of greedily devouring the mint treat that currently occupied her attention. In fact, it took so much of her attention that she failed to notice the familiar face boring holes into the shelf that was in front of him. In place of her usual grin and yell, Ayakka yelped as she walked into Julius and fell over surprise registered on her face. Blank eyes stared at blank eyes as Ayakka looked at the cruelly uneaten frozen delight now splayed over the floor, and Julius' jacket, while her brain slowly registered what was happening. Dusting herself off, Ayakka stood up and finally formulated her answer.[break][break]
"...You know Julius this is the part where you say you're sorry you know." It wasn't a question. With anyone else, it might've been phrased like a question. If she had learned anything from their last meeting, it was the amount of things that went over his head. Direct was the best approach. "And not stand in the middle of the aisle. And stare gormlessly at..." Ayakka picked an item off the shelf, waving it slightly as she made her point. "Graphic cards...?" Ayakka looked back at Julius questioningly. He did not look like a gamer. Or a computer person. ...Or a prosecutor. "Huh?"[break][break]
"...You should focus on your social skills more." Stooping over and trying to keep her composure, Ayakka whipped out a napkin and cleaned up the mess Julius had made. "Or is this for someone else?" As it was, Ayakka didn't have the faintest idea about how to tease Julius about being a gamer as...well...she was fairly incompetent in that area of life. Being an outdoors person didn't help that in the slightest. [break][break]
What a nice, exceptionally well armored person. Ayakka nodded to herself, this was the kind of person someone wanted as a comrade in battle. Also a person that was hopefully willing to overlook, or unable to see, her glaring weakness in a fight to the death. Mainly the death part. [break][break]
"I'll pay for some eggnog when we end hunting youma for the day."[break][break]
"Oh!" Ayakka almost jumped at the idea. "One condition! We gotta get some nog together, knock some glasses back you know?" She wasn't one hundred percent sure that was how that phrase worked but...eh. Language was subjective wasn't it? [break][break]
"I'll pay for some eggnog when we end hunting youma for the day." Ringo offered. "As for what I'm doing here, yeah chasing youmas. I need to make sure they're not attacking anybody and plus I need the grief seeds for myself and others." Ayakka nodded. That made perfect sense. More sense then grabbing your paycheck, running excitedly into a blinding snowstorm then getting lost in it and dropping your reward in favor of chasing an otherworldly monster. But hey she met someone new and they were willing to help! So...not a net loss then. [break][break]
"You ever think the youma have an off day? Like, I don't know, a holiday or something? Maybe, " The words on Ayakka's mouth died as she saw the shadow dart in from the left. "RINGO!" [break][break]
Instinct kicked in. Her powers flared up. What little heat existed around her rushed in as Ayakka leaped forward, shoulder tackling the youma and redirecting its course. A harsh grunt and a leap back, and Ayakka had drawn an arrow and notched it as she watched the youma recover from the unexpected attack. [break][break]
"Guess break time is over huh?" She really, really hoped that the howls around them were from the snowstorm. It would be a welcome change of pace. [break][break]
Ayakka looked at Alex as he snatched Julius' business card out of her hand and placed it on the table. Slowly, her head turned toward the card and her hand slowly reached towards as it as she only caught bits and pieces of what Alex was saying.[break][break]
"Especially like this... You're drunk off your ass." However Alex seemed to have other plans as Ayakka felt the push back from her attempts at contacting her friend? Acquaintance? Friend-to-be. A whining noise escaped Ayakka's mouth as she slowly slid back into Alex's couch, giving up her attempts at reacquiring the prosecutor's business card. Her mouth blew up in a pout.[break][break]
"But he said to call if we wanna talk! I wanna talk!" Ayakka pointed out, unaware of the fact that context of that conversation was most likely completely lost on Alex. [break][break]
"Look I know you can use magic, so would you please just let me.. help you!" At that, Ayakka's mouth clammed up a bit as she eyed the flask. Was...was she really that bad at keeping this a secret? Maybe...just maybe...she could convince the man to drink enough so that he'd forget it! No...wait...he'd already turned her down once. And it wasn't like he was trying to repress anything, right? "I-I have the ability to remove unwanted thoughts... it-it isn't permanent.... but.. you know... just... enough to ease your pains BE your Fairy Godmother!" Oh...OH![break][break]
"Huh...that's pretty useful actually." Ayakka remarked idly, considering her options. She looked at Alex again, eyeing the grim face he had set and decided to loosen him up. Slapping him on the back, she let out a bark of a laugh. "Cheer up buddy, its not everyday you get to meet another Magi right? ITS A CELEBRATION!" Standing up again, Ayakka excitedly grabbed the card on the table and held it up to the ceiling for all to see.[break][break]
"OH! I SHOULD CALL JULIUS AND TELL HIM! We can make a party!" In her babbling excitement and wonder, Ayakka placed her foot on the table and crumpled Julius' business card in a triumphant fist. "And I don't even have to destroy my liver and forgot who his contractor is! LOOPHOLES AHOY!"[break][break]
"So, fairy godmother, how does this power of your work? Do you transform? You got some magic words?!" Ayakka grabbed Alex by the shoulders and shook him, attempting to forcibly transfer her energy to the older man. "TELL ME YOUR SECRETS!"[break][break]
Content. That was the part of her mind that was sane could describe its feeling as. Content. There was a way forward where everyone gets to live and everyone gets to be friends. Even if...it meant lying and cheating and throwing away something that someone trusted you with...it was the best way forward. So her face crinkled into a smile. Her mouth laughed. And Ayakka felt happy that there was a way out of this. [break][break]
If Ayakka were currently in her right mind, she would've noticed the frustrated, almost panicked atmosphere that seemed to fill the room. But nope, she was blissfully, and energetically, recounting the tale of meeting a friend. Even if the friend was a bit of a dick. Sinking deeper in the couch, Ayakka brushed the yellow...something off the couch and settled in more comfortably.[break][break]
"di-did he just ask questions? Wha-what kind of questions? " Ayakka huffed. "What did you trust him with? Yo-you really... Wish to forget about the whole encounter? Even a little? Even though its so important?" [break][break]
"HE ASKED SOMETHING SUPER PERSONAL!" Ayakka emphasized, sinking deeper into the couch as she brushed the yellow something off the couch. "And I... Ayakka crossed her arms, her expression softening as a single beam of clarity sliced through the liquor haze. "I kinda just...trusted him you know? Thought I had a...good read on him, thought he was a good person... Ayakka turned into the couch, facing away from Alex as she spoke. "He's not...a bad person though. He's just...stupid. Really stupid. Like he doesn't realize all the sad things he's saying..." Ayakka scratched her head, trying to dig through the cloud she had willingly put on herself. [break][break]
"Do-do... you believe in magic? you know the alcohol.." Ayakka turned around, grinning a lopsidedly at Alex. [break][break]
"What, you got a magic wand to wave and make all my problems go away fairy godmother?" She joked, sitting herself upright as the haze slowly descended again. "I think I'm a little old to be chasing princes and go ballroom dancing though."[break][break]
"But do I wanna forget everything about meeting little ol' Julius huh?" Forget how he cornered her, even as she tried to run away. Forgot how he used his powers on her because he felt that he couldn't trust her. ...Forget about looking up and seeing some moron douse himself in a bucket of water and run into a burning building to save someone else's sibling? Her fingers closed around the silver flask in her pocket as Ayakka pulled it out and stared at it, her eyes burning into it. "...My Mom told me that there are things in life you can't pave over. Harsh, painful things that really hurt whenever you think about it. Why? Ayakka set down the flask on a table nearby. "Because you might end up burying something that meant a lot to you too." The magi paused, cocking her head to the side. [break][break]
"Although...I might've already forgotten a few things about Julius...." Ayakka shook her head, letting her pigtails shake wildly. "Meh, if its important he'll remind me right? OH! I CAN ASK HIM!" Ayakka dug around, fishing out her wallet and triumphantly pulling out a somewhat wrinkled business card. "WE CAN ASK HIM! I GOT HIS BUSINESS CARD!
Ayakka could see the gears turning in Julius' head, processing his answer as thoroughly as a computer before slowly letting the words come. [break][break]
"I..won't know...if...you're...telling..the truth...or not," He really didn't see it, did he? The sad things that came out of his mouth. The lonely things that he implied, the truth of life he had chained himself to...Ayakka felt it in the way he spoke. Assured. Unflinching. And knowing no other way of life. Not knowing what it meant to just laugh and kick back and just laugh and trust the people you let close to your heart. Not knowing what it meant to have friends...real friends. Not people that were friendly with you, or laughed at your jokes every once in awhile, but people that knew you. Knew your ins and outs, your ups and downs....and trusted you like you trusted them. How was that any way to live? Ayakka blinked once, refusing to let herself drown in the thoughts that plagued her mind. If he didn't have anyone he could unequivocally trust, then who else but his present company to step up to the plate? Not like there was anyone else lining up nearby, so first come first serve right?[break][break]
"Right." Ayakka muttered quietly. "And what if I, a humble Magi in the service of saving this little blue marble we call home, were to do nothing but speaketh the truth?" A goofy grin spread on her face. "All day everyday, each and all questions you can think of? I'll answer honestly." A fire spread in Ayakka's chest as she spoke. This was something she was deciding now goddammit! Perhaps a bit too intensely, she fixed Julius with a defiant look. Daring him to rise up to her challenge and prove her wrong. "You can even use your lasso of truth Wonder Woman."[break][break]
"Next time?" Ayakka nodded in affirmation.[break][break]
"I mean you handled running into a burning building fine, so I think you could make the career change." Ayakka cocked her head to the side, joking lightly. "I'll vouch for you buddy." Soon though, they reached where it had all began. Thankfully, the fire was out and the firefighters nearby were sifting through the rubble making sure there no flare ups. [break][break]
"if...you...ever...need....my help." Ayakka blinked at the card in her face. Did this mean she was making progress on the Julius front?[break][break]
"With....?" Did he mean magic stuff? Because there was a problem with that. ...Besides the fact that she didn't want him to know that, despite her physical prowess, she was actually terrible in a fight because of...personal reasons. Yet anyways. "So does this mean we're friends now? Or have I not hit that flag yet?"
The guy sounded young. Not child young, no but like someone around her age. Ayakka wondered just what his face looked like under the steel mask he wore. Maybe there was a huge scar from a youma across his face, like outta some anime. Or maybe he looked like another normal person under all that. [break][break]
"Alright." He certainly didn't sound like a gruff fighter, at the very least. Certainly gave the air of someone that knew what he was doing though. "Let's go, stay close. We don't know if the snow might get more intense if the youma are behind this."[break][break]
"Roger." Ayakka turned her head side to side, scanning for any forms in the storm as she fell in behind the armored man. "So what got you wandering around in this sack of fun and snow? Chasing youmas' too? Or did you want to take a nice bracing walk?" Ayakka nervously chuckled to herself. "Me though? Grocery shopping. Stupid I know, but hey you gotta get some nog somehow. ...Course that's probably buried under a foot and a half of snow now...I don't even remember where I dropped it." [break][break]
God was it impossible to make heads or tails of where they were going. Ayakka cursed inwardly as trudged through the storm with Ringo in the lead. On the bright side, her party member was fairly easy to spot so there wasn't any real risk to getting separated. ...By the storm at least. [break][break]
This was fun. She was having fun. Wandering lost through the blizzard had sucked, but hey she found an interesting person to talk to while she waited out the storm. And he was even nice enough to let her into his house and not leave her frozen like a jerk! Ayakka nodded to herself. People were great. Alex was good company, even if he seemed like he was one stressful thought away from a panic attack. He needed to calm down a bit, maybe have a drink. [break][break]
"Yes... You can leave when the storm dies." Nodding once to signal she understood, Ayakka followed Alex inside and took in his house. In her bleary glory, Ayakka noted the feeling of...comfortableness that emanated from the place. Like it was, or is, well lived in. "Make yourself at home."[break][break]
"Appreciate the assist Alex." Ayakka called out after him.[break][break]
Gently, Ayakka took off her snow boots and set them side by side away from the main door. In case Alex was expecting anymore company. With a sigh, Ayakka comfortably wedged herself in a chair and stared at Alex as he tried to clear something out of his throat. Before she was fully settled in, Ayakka eyes settled a piece of...something stuck to the armrest of the chair she sat in...and decided to ignore it. [break][break]
"What did this Julius do to you, anyway?" A pout formed on Ayakka's face as she hazily recalled the events of that night. [break][break]
"He tied me up!" Ayakka yelled, throwing her hands in the air. "I trust him and go out and a limb and you know what he does?" Ayakka mimicked a tugging motion as she copied Julius' voice to the best of her ability. "He goes all COME WITH ME and drags me away. You think being a prosecutor would mean he knew how to say please but no its all awkwardly direct questions and rope with that guy." She was paraphrasing, and drunk, but Ayakka felt Alex would get the point. "I mean that whole...thing was just a weird ass day. Although...he was a lot thinner then I thought he would be." Ayakka stared Alex in the eye. "Now do you know why I needed the miraculous properties of alcohol to work its magic?"
Doesn't pick up girls he said. Somehow, Ayakka knew that her joke had gone through. Even if he hadn't laughed. BUT! He had at least understood the point she had painstakingly driving home. Even if it took several repeated attempts and had really only gotten one half success, it was progress. How far down the line was she to getting the dark looking man chuckle? Ayakka felt that a dry grin was a more realistic approach. Trying to imagine a Julius laughing out loud was like trying to set a house on fire. In the middle of a hurricane. Technically not impossible, but definitely not easy. [break][break]
"I'm teasing you Julius. You didn't really give off that kinda vibe." Cocking her head to the side, Ayakka continued her train of thought. "Or run headlong into a fire."[break][break]
"My apologies...I..didn't mean..to be...aggressive." First real chance at a conversation and he was apologizing huh? Ayakka considered giving him the book of jokes she had gotten as...well as a joke for her birthday once. At the very least the boy might learn something...right? "What...would...you have...liked me...to do?" Ayakka exhaled loudly, not entirely sure what the right answer would be. Technically, technically he did ask her nicely at first. Kind of? And then it went tumbling downhill, really fast. "As for...the lasso...it...it assures me...what you speak..is the truth."[break][break]
"Huh? Uh...." Ayakka bit her lower lip. "WEll...your lasso of truth wasn't exactly a comfy fit if you catch my drift. I mean, really did you think I'd lie to you Wonder Women?" Run, yes. Lie? No..she wasn't very comfortable with doing that. Or very good at it. Really, Ayakka was more of a...stream of consciousness person. And every so often someone like Julius sent a boulder crashing into that stream, scattering coherent action to the depths of that stream. "But if I had to choose, I guess....if I knew you a little better I wouldn't have minded telling you. If I knew who you were as a person, then...if you asked me then I would've trusted you with it." Gnashing her teeth in frustration Ayakka felt the strong desire to yell and heave the fumbling words and complicated thoughts away. So she did. "AAAAAAH! This is a pain in the ass. Look, if you tried to be my friend first then ask potentially life changing questions later I'd have had a better response to it okay?" He...did understand how to make friends right? It was rude to ask but...Ayakka felt like Julius did at least have some friends. Couldn't think of what they were like for the life of her, but they had to be there.[break][break]
"It..." That was not a good start. "It..felt like..falling." Oh boy that was not a good start, Ayakka guilty looked at Julius as he spoke. "I..didn't..like it...sorry. It's..not your power...I just...I didn't...like...feeling...powerless." Her guilt fell away. The kid really did need a lot of help, Ayakka thought to herself.[break][break]
"I don't think anyone likes feeling powerless." Ayakka wistfully looked off into the distance, watching the embers of the fire they had escaped from die down in the cool night air. "No one wants to be in a situation where they can't do anything but watch and despair." She turned her head back at Julius, cracking a broad grin at her walking buddy. "But's that's why we are the people we are aren't we? Because we couldn't stand back and watch. So when that chance appeared, we made that choice." Ayakka weakly patted the back of Julius' back with the arm that he was supporting. "Next time you'll be pulling my dumbass out of a fire because I exhausted myself again, right?" With her free hand, Ayakka ruffled the messy head of hair that stood atop Julius' head. "So don't apologize for something I ain't holding against you."
Timid. He was too timid! Ayakka flared up internally, trying to bring out the lion in her walking buddy. It was days like these where yelling and swinging around made a person feel warm and alive inside! Also didn't hurt to have a constant supply of hard liquor in case the positive reinforcement wasn't working. [break][break]
"No thank you. You're drunk enough for the both of us.... Alex.. My name is... Alex." Which was odd, because it seemed Alex was refusing to warm up. Well, his loss he could freeze his ass off and Ayakka would only be somewhat worried about the man. [break][break]
"Eh, yeah I guess...I might have partied a little too hardy..." Damn brain cells wouldn't forget as quickly as she wanted to, so she had to take drastic measures. Her liver was certainly going to antagonize her, but that was the price she had to pay for the reward she was looking for."But how else am I supposed to forget about friggin Julius? I'm young! My memory is still good!" Sighing to herself, Ayakka tucked the silver flask back into her pants pocket. "I mean the only way I can face that guy again is if I pretend I barely remember him." Still following Alex, Ayakka stamped her foot into the snow in impotent frustration. "I'm telling you, without this? Next time I see that guy, it'd be awkward as hell."[break][break]
"Oh good.. We're here.." Ayakka looked up, notably surprised they had reached their destination so quickly. "Di-did you want to stay... At least till tomorrow? Storm really bad.. and you seem... Uhh.." Ayakka squinted at Alex. "Tipsy..."[break][break]
"Are you accusing me, Ayakka, of being tipsy Alex?" Ayakka fixed the admittedly taller man with a look that was underscored by the redness of her cheeks. "Because I will have you know I am plastered good sir! And I appreciate your offer. But!" Ayakka dramatically held up a finger, emphasizing her point. "You cant catch me off guard that easily! I may be piss drunk, but I know a fast one when I see one!"[break][break]
Any sense of shame long since gone, Ayakka continued her tirade on Alex's porch. [break][break]
"What would you do if I was a murderer? Huh?" Her brain had been on to something. Its just that her brain was currently firing off the wrong neurons. "Buuuuuut if you wanna let me stay inside till the storm dies and I can get a cab....?"
Ayakka grinned. It was always nice giving someone a fitting nickname. Sometimes names didn't fit too well, and sometimes all they needed was a nice nickname. Life was, sometimes, simple like that. [break][break]
"Stuck, it looks wounded to me..." That was...yes that was true. Ayakka shiftily looked away from Ringo as she spoke. [break][break]
"Well, you just happened to come by at the right time. He was giving me a real good fight before I managed to pin a good hit on him." Mentally Ayakka scolded herself. Not only did that sound lame, but she was giving familiarity to a youma. A youma! It was trying to kill her earlier and now what, she was complimenting it and saying him! It, she should be calling the youma an it! It made it easier that way...[break][break]
Thankfull, the armored man seemed less like the type to take advantage of a situation and exploit it.[break][break]
"Hm? Well sure...but you don't have to cough up most of them. Let's split them fifty fifty at least." Ayakka visibly relaxed at the sound of that. That really helped, honestly. That really made it easier to get through and dodge a bullet.[break][break]
"Ah, you can call me Ringo." Apple? Ayakka smirked, thinking of another nickname she could call the guy. Ayakka opened her mouth, ready to introduce the world to Ringo's next nickname before he dug his spear dug into the youma. The word's died on her mouth as Ringo ended the doglike youma, impaling its grief seed on the end of his weapon. "Here you go." [break][break]
"Thanks." Right. That was a proper Magi was like. They couldn't bat an eye at this sort of thing. Not when they had a world to save. As it was, they owed a debt didn't they? So pay back a debt and save the world, everyone wins. Pocketing the offered grief seed, Ayakka did her best to stay calm. This wasn't the place to panic or yell or say something. Even if the sound of that spear killing the dog twisted her gut into knots, she had to get over it. You wanna take the lead then? I'm not much of a front line fighter."[break][break]
It was...the cowards way out. She knew that. But it was the only compromise she could think of. If he did the killing, if she just helped him...it would go by quicker. [break][break]
The skin LIGHTS OFF was made by JAWN of WICKED WONDERLAND.
HALATION was created by KOJIHIME. Images belong to their respective artists. All codes and scripts belong to their respective coders. Please DO NOT take anything without the owners' permission.
