cat scratch fever [saphy] (Read 625 times)

[Hakkai]

Skaldi drank down the last of the alcohol, and carefully disposed of the beer bottle in one of the many trash cans that had been strategically positioned along as the boulevard. He lifted his arms above his head and stretched, letting out a low grunt as he felt his shoulders pop back into place. Skaldi maintained the position for a while, flexing his arms slightly, and nodded in satisfaction as he felt the muscles loosen all the way down his back. As strange a sight as he made right now, thankfully there was no else around right now to stare at him. Shirotsume was dead quiet at this time of night. He stared solemnly at the crescent moon for a few moments, marvelling at how large and clear it looked.

Shirotsume may be a wealthy town of commerce and business, but it was considerably more subdued and restrained than Magnolia. That meant less night life, which meant less lights on at night, which meant brighter stars at night. Which Skaldi was in a good position to appeciate right about now. The sandy-haired man let his bare, tattooed arms drop to his side once again, smoothing down the black sleeveless shirt he was wearing. True to form, he wasn't dressed for the part at all. He had left his jacket back at the hotel room, so he more or less resembled a punk rocker with a grudge, who'd somehow managed to crash into the neighborhood where the one percent lived. Skaldi tilted his head back slightly, and inhaled deeply.

He didn't particularly care for Shirotsume's opulence, but he appreciated the clean mountain air. And, to be perfectly honest, he was looking forward to crashing in a comfy bed at the hotel he'd booked into. A night up here would be just what he needed to clear his head and recharge his batteries. It was a break he could afford to take two days after his promotion to Guild Master. He had finally caved and put the the shredder AJ had left in the office to good use - it would be a while before his in-tray was that choked up again. Besides, this was ultimately for the good of the guild, because if Skaldi kept going the way he had been he was convinced he was going to crash and burn.

The reason he had decided to take a night off and clear his head was because he had been going around with his head shoved his ass for far too long. Skaldi blinked once or twice, frowning as he tried to decide if his vision had gone very slightly fuzzy around the edges. In any case, he knew he wasn't drunk, all he had going on was a pleasant buzzing inside his skull. Where was he? Yeah. His head up his ass. There was no denying that there issues at play here, issues which seriously compromised Skaldi's right to the position of Guild Master as far as he himself was concerned, but the problem was, he'd been letting himself get too bogged down in them.

That was one reality. But the fact that many people were now counting on him to lead them right was also a reality. So he needed to reconcile both those realities, right? Right. Skaldi veered off the boulevard, hands in his pockets, and began to make his way through the cat's cradle of streets and avenues that would eventually get him back to the hotel. And how was he to reconcile those realities? By accepting that he was in the situation he was in and putting the power at his disposal to good use. Because ultimately, the thing that Skaldi truly, genuinely feared wasn't an external threat, some unknown enemy he wasn't weak enough to defend his guild against.

No. Skaldi knew nearly everything there was to know about the thing he feared the most.

Himself.

And that had to stop now.

[Rome]

- - - - -

And speaking of throwing things, who would've known that stinky bags of garbage would come in as handy as it did on this particular evening? It was definitely an odd way for someone to shield themselves from the impact of a crash landing, but since her limbs are all still in the right places, AKA attached to her torso, it worked out rather well. But now, she was using them as weapons, of all things. There was a twitch on her right heel when she walked, and she probably sprained it during her impromptu dumpster diving session, and the last thing she needed right then was for two perverted macho men to bump into. Lo and behold, that was exactly what happened, though it was partly her fault for wandering around, dressed in an outfit like this, but given her stroke of luck, she didn't complain, but instead, opted to fight them off via the usage of those plastic bagged stinkbombs in disguise.

So how'd it all come to this? Why on earth would the self proclaimed silent avenger be in Shirotsume at this hour, holding a tiny wooden box that only God, her, the owner of the box, and the client that wants it knows of its contents? Well, the answer already laid in the previous statement, but the most ironic thing about this entire scenario was that her day had actually begun in none other than the town of Magnolia. As per usual, she was minding her own business, sightseeing around the place, in hopes to trigger some long lost intricate details about her childhood and early teen years, before that incident happened, causing her to lose 3 months worth of time where she stayed in a coma, and a good year or so after that for physical and mental rehabilitation. All frustrations aside, there wasn't anyone who should shoulder the blame for that but herself. Herself, for being so weak minded, weak willed, and weak hearted. That all changed over the years, but there was no doubt in anyone's mind that there were still things that needed fixing. It was just a matter of time, really. Every single day when she woke up and stared at her own reflection in the mirror, it felt as though she was somehow harnessing the air of courage, gathering it within her being to finally get the boost that she needed, that one final push, before she could tell him what needs to be told.

But anyways, back to the point, it had been a relatively boring day, up until that phone call. The next thing she knew? She was on the next train to Shirotsume, where there had been an art gallery of sorts to reveal an apparent new exhibition from a child prodigy, filled to the brim with illustrious guests from all over the world. She hated the term 'an offer that can't be refused', but this was exactly what it was, even though she could have pushed the task away for someone else. The client had offered her a reasonable sum of money for something that she could have gotten wtih relative ease,, since it had been a part of last month's display, almost all the items would be boxed up and kept in the storage room. Though the security there had indeed been top notch, and she had accidentally triggered an alarm system that caused a wild panic to erupt among all the guests, Salazaria, or rather, NightShade, made it through that without much trouble, despite the fact that a guard dog almost bit a chunk of her flesh off.

And now, as she stood there in the back alley, her back leaning against the brick wall as she nursed what she presumed to be a sprained ankle, two bulky looking middle aged men whom have probably had a bit too much to drink, saw her from a distance, and started approaching her, even going as far as to lick their lips and chuckle, and because it was in the dead of the night, where most of the citizens had already curled up in their comfortable million jewel mattresses, needless to say they didn't bother to keep their tone down as they spoke.

"Come here, kitty kitty~ We just wanna have some fun. Cats loooove havin fun, don't they?"

"I can even let you play with my balls of yawn, pretty pussycat~"

Of course, they weren't offering her much of a choice. Hence, she started throwing the garbage bags at them. It wasn't really effective enough to deal any substantial damage, but she'd have expected no less from plain ol' trash. To them, they might have thought that it was only supposed to be a distraction of sorts to delay the inevitable, but to her, those were warning shots. She didn't like tapping into her magical reserve too often, but if it comes down to it, she wouldn't hesitate to defend herself, even with a sprained ankle.

WORDS: words
TAG: skaldi
SPELLS: spells
NOTES: lalala

[Hakkai]

Skaldi could quite easily have failed to notice the commotion in the alleyway altogether. His mind was on other things as he strolled past the narrow gap between the buildings, and pretty much missed the two middle-aged men waking into it completely. He was a few feet further down the street when he heard the raised voices coming from the alley he had just passed, and when he registered the words they were saying he immediately ground to a halt. There could be no doubt as to what was going on behind his back. He stood motionless for a few moments, staring blankly down the street. If anyone else had been in Skaldi's immediate vicinity at that point in time, they would have noticed a definite chill in the air. Some inner switch had been flipped.

He reached the opening to the alley just in time to see an indistinct figure, crouched in the shadows, toss a pair of garbage bags in the men's faces. The projectiles found their targets, and while they would do little to impede their progress, they nevertheless drew forth a stream of enraged curses. The woman in the alleyway might just have made her position worse. Still, though... Skaldi walked a short way into the passage, and leaned one shoulder against a wall, crossing his arms. "I think that's pretty conclusive, don't you, fellas?" he called out. "No means no, even when you say it with a garbage bag." Skaldi grinned, but there was no mirth or good humour in his smile. The corners of his lips had simply tilted upward, and you could see every one of his teeth. The grin had an edge to it.

Unfortunately, Creep Number One and Creep Number Two weren't the most perceptive of types. As one, both men wheeled around on their heels to glare at the intruder. "Who the fuck asked you for an opinion, punk?" Creep Number One growled, flipping up the tail of his shirt to reveal the hilt of a broad knife wedged into his belt. "If ya know what's good for ya, just turn around right now and forget you saw us." Creep Number Two made no contribution, but his expression was meaningful enough. Get the fuck out of here, Kurt Cobain, or you'll be leaving here with another smile slashed across your throat.

Skaldi regarded the men for a few moments, as if he were seriously considering their words. "Huh... Interesting suggestion." He reached carefully into the back pocket of his jeans, extracted a battered pack of cigarettes, pulled one out and bit onto it. He glanced up enquiringly. "Any of you guys got a light? No?" Creeps Number One and Two simply glared back at him, clearly not amused in the slightest. Maybe it was just the shock of a scrawny-looking punk rocker talking back to them like that, but neither of them made a move or made another reply, though it was clear they were just itching to. Skaldi shrugged and stuck the packet back into his pocket, but he left the unlit cigarette in his mouth, talking around it. "Filthy habit, anyway. I'm tryin' to quit, you know. Anyway, digressing...."

The sandy-haired man fell silent for a few seconds, scratching idly at his cheek. Then he turned to look at the men once more, and shrugged. "Ummm, no. Nope. Can't do that." With a grunt, Skaldi pushed himself off the wall, and moved to stand in the middle of the alleyway, back straight, fully facing the would-be rapists and the cornered woman. He wasn't even feigning a smile anymore. His dark brown eyes, usually soft and innocuous, were hard and cold as flint. "You see, I have another bad habit - making it my business when I see people acting like scummy cunts." Skaldi smacked his clenched right fist into his open left palm, and squeezed. He bit down harder on the unlit cigarette as the menacing sound of his knuckles grinding and cracking echoed down the alleyway. "So I suggest you scram before I bend both your spines so far back you'll be able to toss your own salad, Mister Casanova."

[Rome]

- - - - -

There really was no secret as to explain Salazaria's calmness, even in situations like these. Guess when you almost died once, death doesn't seem all that imposing anymore, eh? Still, she'll be damned if they think she'd just stand there and let them do whatever they wanted to her. Come to think of it, it wasn't really all that different from what she has to go through on a daily basis, but at least she could actually fight back in situations like these, instead of being forced to put on a fake smile and saying yes to everything.

Thump.. thump.. thumpthump.. thumpthump..

In the span of two whole seconds, the feline femme fatale's heartbeat sprung off the charts with the appearance of a newcomer. Out of all the people that could have stumbled into them, out of all the towns that he could have been in, what on God's green earth was he doing here in Shirotsume when its probably well past midnight?

'Okay okay, calm down. You're not Salazaria here. You're NightShade. Don't say a word, take advantage, and leave as soon as you possibly can.'

Though that inner monologue was something more of a motivational speech to calm herself down once more, it didn't really stop her from noticing the rugged changes that the blonde male had undergone ever since the last time she's seen him in person. Sure, there were times where he'd randomly appear on television screens because of some weird event, or to promote Fairy Tail, or something of the sort, but it was a different thing entirely when it came to seeing someone in the flesh. While she was glad that he more or less remained the same over the years, as evident with his fashion choices - and she was glad that she managed to restrain herself from chuckling out because of it - and the way he kept his hair, still relatively messy, giving him that lazy rockstar look. The downside to all of this started when he pulled out a cigarette and wedged it between his lips. She didn't know that he smoked, but in a sense, she sort of knew what caused him to start.

Still, she would be a fool to not take advantage of this distraction. It was funny how whenever someone new comes in to the mix, the targeted victim is seemingly pushed to the back of the attackers' minds, to a section that she'd like to think is labelled as 'afterthought'. Now, even though Skaldi was in the middle of speaking to the two burly men when she decided to take action, which wasn't really that honorable, but then again, she wasn't an honorable person to begin with.

What happens when two heads are smashed together when a C-class speed and strength boost is active?

No matter how you see it, the answer still spells disastrous. Not for NightShade, but for the two overly masculine middle aged sex offenders.

WORDS: words
TAG: skaldi
SPELLS: spells
NOTES: lalala

[Hakkai]

Skaldi's entrance and subsequent ultimatum, if rather over-dramatic, at least had the advantage of giving the woman in the alleyway some space. And she took full advantage of her would-be-attackers' distraction. The two men didn't even have time to spin around on their heels and utter a curse. There was the briefest, silky whisper of movement, and then their heads were dashed together, skull against skull, with a sickening crack. A sure-fire ticket to Slumberland. Utterly senseless, the would-be sex offenders slowly crumpled to the ground in a sorry heap, leaving only Skaldi and the woman in the shadows still standing in the alleyway.

The sandy-haired man didn't say a word for a few moments. He simply gazed down at the motionless bodies, an expression of mild surprise on his face. "...Huh." With this fantastically deductive comment, Skald hunkered down to get a closer look at the unconscious creepers. It could only have been a hasty sneak attack, but it was done precisely enough. Judging from the bruises, their skulls had collided against each other in just the right places to ensure they wouldn't be waking up for several hours. Skaldi was no phrenologist, but he felt able to hazard a guess that when they did, they would be guaranteed a pair of massive headaches, possibly with a side serving of permanent brain damage.

"Well, there's a thing. And I was starting to look forward to dishing out some GBH on this pair of deserving fuckwads," Skaldi said, not bothering to disguise the note of disappointment in his voice. It was true that he'd been itching for a fight, something to work his frustrations out through, for a while now. And while these two nimrods could only provide laughable competition for him, it would have at least been something to see the looks on their faces as he yanked their heads backwards by their teeth and threatened to pop the tops of their heads off. He'd even had a killer line ready. You're both men of the world, ever seen someone take the top offa soft-boiled egg...?

Looking back on all of this, it didn't make Skaldi feel any better about himself. He knew where these urges were coming from. His expression darkened slightly, and he chewed down harder on the cigarette. The act caused him to properly register its presence again, and he pulled out and stared at it for a moment. "...Why's this still in my mouth?" he asked, of no-one in particular. He stared at it again for a few moments, then slowly crumpled it up and shoved it in his back pocket. First trash can he passed by, he'd dump it there along with the rest of the packet. The corners of his mouth twitched downwards slightly in a grimace - like he'd said before, filthy habits. He felt dirty enough on a daily basis without them.

Eventually, he remembered that he wasn't alone in the alleyway, and he quickly straightened up. Skaldi had realized quickly enough that he probably wasn't going to have to offer comfort to the type of woman who would take advantage of such an opening to crack her attackers' skulls together, but what he saw still took him by surprise. The person in front of him was clad head to toe in a skintight suit, her features indeterminate. Skaldi spent about half a second taking this in, and filed the information away as incidental. He'd seen weirder things in his life than people going around in the dark of the night wearing skintight catsuits and face-masks, and while in his experience the motives of such people were usually more than a little suspect he wasn't about to start giving this person the third degree. That wasn't his thing.

He did focus straight away, however, on the fact that the masked woman was clearly limping. Skaldi's eyes quickly flicked to her ankle, and then back to the mask, trying to find some hint of expression there. Eventually, he spoke, pitching his tone to avoid giving the impression that he was patronizing her. "...You're favouring that ankle. Need a hand getting to a hospital or something?" Skaldi raised both hands in a passive gesture, hoping to signify that it was entirely the woman's call. If she preferred to be left alone, she wasn't about to find him tailing her through Shirotsume.

[Rome]

- - - - -

Guess she still hadn't missed a beat, even without Len here, huh? Well, she couldn't depend on others for everything, not even this. But still, it was always good to keep an eye out for anything dangerous, and in situations like these, where she was granted the opportunity to free herself from what was to be a burden, she took it. Normally, she would've been rougher. Cutting people up, giving them scars that couldn't be healed by normal means, just as a reminder to never mess with her. There were two things that forced her to hold back on that evening, really. One, was her lingering emotional attachment to her blonde savior, and the other, was the fact that she knew she was no match for him either. Mentally, physically, and even when it comes to magic. Compared to Skaldi, she was probably a little Burmese cat, compared to the king of the jungle.

Imagine the look on her face when he noticed that she was hurt. Well, technically, no one could, since they did not know of her secret identity, and the only ounce of visible emotion that they'd get out of her while she was still in this form was through her eyes, but thankfully, even that was covered up to a degree. It had to be, after all, what with her floral pupils and such, one would recognize her almost instantaneously without any effort.

Naturally, she shook her head in response to the blonde rocker's offer, both out of self pride and self protection, not that she was expecting Skaldi to hurt her in any way, but she had to do what needed to be done, just so she could continue doing this for a steady income. But just at that moment, her injured heel decided to give in, and she went crashing backwards against the wall. The impact hurt just a little, but that wasn't the focal point there.

She cried out.

It was more so a yelp, if anything, but.. fuck. He couldn't possibly recognize her only due to that, right? Hopefully that was the case, because the last thing she needs was for someone to get on her ass about what she was doing, and how wrong it was. Nevertheless, walking would be a total pain in the ass right then, that's for sure.

WORDS: words
TAG: skaldi
SPELLS: spells
NOTES: lalala

[Hakkai]

Skaldi couldn't honestly say that he was surprised when the masked woman replied to his offer with a negative shake of her head. So far his initial impression of her, whoever she was, seemed to carry water. He had to wonder, though, just what she actually planned to do if she was going to insist on moving on without his assistance. Moreover, what was with the silent treatment? She couldn't be in that much pain that she wasn't able to phrase a refusal. Maybe it was all part of the cloak-and-dagger thing, whatever she was actually up to.

The guild master had by now noticed the box the woman was holding onto, but he opted not to say anything. He was approaching ninety percent certainty that he might just be dealing with a cat burglar here. But again, Skaldi wasn't about to jump into rash actions. As much as he hated to even think it, this wasn't, strictly speaking, his jurisdiction. If it came to a choice between manhandling an injured woman and letting her go about her business, he'd pick the second option any day or night. If it had been going on in any other town, he might have approached the problem differently, but right now he didn't much care how money and valuables were shifted around between the crème de la crème of the upper class.

And then the woman went and ruined her facade of total composure and dignity by stumbling backwards, her injured heel giving way under her weight. She hit the wall with a crash, and let out a strangled cry. Skaldi grimaced sympathetically - then a slight frown creased his brow. The masked woman's cry had been choked, distorted, little more than a yelp, but still its tone and pitch seemed somehow familiar. How could that be? Skaldi spent all of one second on that thought, before quickly dismissing it. Number one, it was unlikely, and number two, it was pointless. Other things came first right now.

"I'm gonna take that as a yes," Skaldi said dryly, but his expression showed genuine concern. Still with his hands raised, he slowly moved closer to the woman, again trying to show that he wasn't about to make any smart moves. "Look, I don't know what you were doing out here and right now I don't really care, alright? I'm not about to pick you up and dump you at a hospital, that's just gonna lead to a shitload of awkward questions neither of us wants to deal with. So just like... Use me to lean on and point me in the direction of wherever you wanna go to get patched up, okay?" Carefully, he extended he right arm for the woman to grip onto if she decided to accept his offer.

At the same time, he was still keeping on his toes - he had seen what she was capable of when given an opening like this. If she decided to try something smart, he wouldn't hurt her, but he wasn't about to let her pull a fast one on him either.

[Rome]

- - - - -

The woman formerly known as Salazaria knew better than to underestimate that man. After all, she would bet hard earned money that no one else in this world knew him better than her. Not even himself. Sure, there were certain things that she hadn't gotten the chance to know about yet, but after spending nearly a decade growing up together, training together and just having fun together, there was hardly anything he could do that would surprise her at this day and age.

And so, for the time being, she decided to go through with the gimmick of being that helpless damsel in distress, all the while clinging to the box that she went through so much to secure. However, since they were pretty much alone right then, it wouldn't hurt for her to savor the moment and enjoy a bit of time together, right? To say that she was coming onto him, well, that wouldn't be entirely wrong, but she was determined to let her actions speak louder than words, seeing as she, in her current getup, would never speak at all.

With the extension of his hand, she slowly, hesitantly reached out and took it. And while there was nothing in the way of the small space that stood between them, she 'stumbled' forward, pressing the entire 130lbs frame of her body against his bulky build. Now, there were two situations that her actions could have resulted in. The first being that he somehow maintained enough balance to catch her, while keeping the both of them upright, or the second, she'd send them both spiraling down to the ground. If Skaldi paid enough attention, he'd even see the small crescent that had formed on the part of the mask where her mouth would be, signifying that a smirk was present on the girl's face.

Whichever the case, it wouldn't stop her from pressing her masked cheek against his chest, as well as her own chest against his abdomen. After so long, these sensations of being so close and so familiar with someone, it was almost foreign to her, but at the same time, it left her wanting more, even though she knew that there was a time and place for everything, and this certainly wasn't the time for her to present herself as of yet. Someday. Just not today.

But nobody said anything about her stopping these mischievous acts anytime soon, right?

WORDS: words
TAG: skaldi
SPELLS: spells
NOTES: lalala

[Hakkai]

It seemed that Skaldi's offer had been accepted. He was actually glad about that. Even though the woman was probably capable of working around her injury even without his help, he would have still have felt bad walking away and leaving her like this. In spite of everything that had happened over the last five years, the losses he had endured, his journeys to the absolute worst places that stained the face of this earth, and the things he had learned about himself that still kept him awake at night, there was no killing the man's almost boyish idealism. Skaldi was probably the only person in the world who would actually feel bad about letting a girl in a gimp suit, whom he'd just seen take down a couple of ruffians in the course of what was probably some illegal pursuit, deal with a hurt heel on her own.

The fall took him by surprise. It wasn't as if there was anything to cause it. The distance between the two of them wasn't even that great, and the masked woman didn't even seem to place her injured foot on the ground, but she still somehow tripped over just as she took his proferred hand, cannoning right into him. "Gack!" Skaldi rocked slightly on his feet, but in spite of the surprised grunt he'd just let out, it was going to take a lot more than a lightweight in leather to knock him off his feet. As much as it might feel like it at times, he hadn't spent the last three years since his return to the human world just moping around. He might not have fully come to terms with the true nature and extent of his powers yet, but he had diligently trained his body to be able to handle the part of them he dared to use. His balance, stamina and reflexes were exemplary.

The next thing the girl did, though, nearly knocked Skaldi off his balance in another way altogether. He felt pressure against his chest and abdomen that had nothing to do with the fact he was supporting the full weight of the unbalanced girl. Glancing down, he saw she was pressing her cheek and chest against him - and in the dim light of the alleway he thought he saw the cloth of the facemask creasing around the curve of a smile. Skaldi entire frame stiffened, very slightly, not to the extent that he was flinching away but still enough that the girl would be able to feel a certain coldness there. It was reflected in his eyes, too - their expression was nowhere near as menacing as it had been when he had faced her would-be-attackers, but they were still hardened, stony.

It was more than five years since someone had touched him like that. Had been allowed to touch him like that. There were certain things, certain feelings that Skaldi had locked away from the rest of himself. He had managed to make himself numb to them, because the alternative was something he could never forgive. He couldn't stop this woman from playing whatever mischievous game she thought she was playing right now, but she could expect no response from him. Those impulses were as dead as the only person that had ever provoked them within him.

Rather than reprimand the woman, however, he simply pretended not to notice, aside from that slight stiffening. "Jeez, is it that bad?" was all he'd reply, referring to her oh-so-convenient fall. However, realizing she probably wouldn't make a verbal response, Skaldi quickly shook his head. "Nevermind... Let's get going." Carefully passing his left arm around her shoulder, and lifting the woman's right arm to curl it around the back of his neck, he cautiously began to steer them both out of the alleyway, speeding up his pace slightly as he became... not comfortable, acquainted with the motion.

Once they reached the wider street, Skaldi turned his head this way and that, before addressing the masked woman again. "Which way?" Though questioning and gentle enough, his tone was still more than a little flinty.

[Rome]

- - - - -

She felt really sorry for him.

Yes, despite having to forcefully create the facade of a stoic, yet mischievous and overly quiet kitty cat, the only thought in her mind at that moment was about how much she wanted to make that reveal here and just get it over with, to rid the air of coldness and unwillingness radiating from Skaldi's body when the collision happened, but as much as she wanted to, she just couldn't do it. Love works in many different ways, just like magic. For his sake, for the well being of her guardian, and for herself, there would come a time where it becomes unavoidable, but for now, she'd have to push away those lingering thoughts that even though they were so close, even to the point of them technically holding each other, they were still so far away.

Her eyes probably betrayed her right then, as her mischievousness was suddenly replaced by a flash of sadness. Thankfully, it was only dominant for a few seconds, and she snapped out of it, pointing towards the location of what was to be the hospital, before she remembered something very important.

Weren't wanted criminals supposed to be in hiding, instead of going to a hospital to get medical treatment for an injury she sustained while trying to steal an item that drove her to being in said wanted status in the first place?

The sudden realization of that nearly caused the girl to break character and smack her forehead, and for good reason. Still, the hospital was pretty close to the train station, and that's exactly where she planned to go anyway, so it wouldn't really that bad to get some help before she ditches him. As heartwrenching as it would be for her to leave him, it was inevitable.

But for now, the feline would be more than happy to enjoy his presence, for just a little bit longer. The change in position did little to hinder her from having fun and teasing him, just like how she used to tease him for being so tiny during their pre-pubescent years. Occasionally as they walked, she trailed her clawed fingers around Skaldi's chest, while lingering down to his abdominal section. Of course, she was careful enough to not tear his shirt apart.

She didn't want him to hate her, after all.

WORDS: words
TAG: skaldi
SPELLS: spells
NOTES: lalala

[Hakkai]

Skaldi had more or less resigned himself to the fact that tonight was going to be one weird little footnote of a memory. What had started out as a brief, overnight trip to Shirotsume to get his head straight had, all of a sudden, turned into an altercation with a pair of middle-aged sex offenders, followed by a midnight stroll while a woman in skintight leather and a mask clung to him, teasing him all the way. Skaldi was doing his best to keep his mood level and for the most part he was succeeding, but it was tough going. Little things, like the way the woman insisted on rubbing her cheek against his chest, or fiddle at him with her fingers, were starting to get on his nerves.

He was more or less oblivious to his companion's actual emotional state. Probably if he'd been in a position to get a better look at her half-veiled eyes, he might have picked up a clue. Skaldi was better at reading people than he gave himself credit for, which was probably another reason why AJ had picked him out as her successor, even though she had never mentioned it as a qualification and Skaldi would probably never had agreed with it. As it was, he was having a hard time working out just what the masked woman was after. What the hell was this, some kind of damsel in distress complex? That was about the last thing he'd expect from a supposed badass nightwalker in leather.

As they emerged into the open street, the woman made her wordless reply to an earlier question by extending a hand to point in the direction she wanted to go. Skaldi followed the direction she was pointing in with his gaze, blinking once or twice as he realized exactly where she was pointing. "...The hospital? You sure?" he asked, doubtfully. Even though it was probably the best place for her to get treatment right now, wouldn't that just cause a crapload of uncomfortable questions, as he'd said before? He had a feeling the woman wasn't going to remove her mask before entering the premises, so that wasn't going to help matters, either.

Then again, it wasn't down to him to call the shots on this one. The hospital was the best place right now. If the woman thought she could handle the trouble her showing up there was bound to stir up, she had the right to deal with it herself. She was an adult, after all, or presumably she was. He was in no mood to try guessing at her age based on the curves she was even now pressing against him. Skaldi managed to shrug without upsetting his companion's balance too much. "A'ight... It's your call, I guess." With that, they set off again, albeit a little slower this time, because Skaldi was having to try even harder not to snap at her.

It was getting worse. It wasn't the fact that the woman's fingers were, for some reason, tipped with claws. Probably part of the suit, and the whole cat-person thing she had going on. Just the fact that she was trailing her fingers around the places and in the way she was trailing them was enough. Skaldi felt the skin under his shirt beginning to tingle, and somewhere inside he rebelled against the pleasure of the masked woman's touch. "Ugh..." He tried to stifle the low, angry snarl, but once it was out there was no taking it back. He couldn't just let it hang in the air like that, either, he had to follow it up.

Tilting his head around and down, he fixed what he could see of the woman's eyes with a glare. It wasn't angry, and it was nowhere near hateful, but it was intense and completely serious, and it said very clearly that enough was enough. "Look, I don't know what kinda itch you got needs scratching, but I'm not the man for that job," Skaldi muttered, turning away again. "So would you stop doing that, please? Thank you."

He was starting to feel like the sooner he parted ways with the mysterious cat burglar, the better off he'd be. But he already knew he was going to get no sleep tonight, even if he managed to make it back to the hotel while there were still a few hours of darkness left.

It wasn't that Skaldi was scared of the things he knew he'd see if he dreamt tonight. It was the inevitability of waking up from them that made him feel sick.

[Rome]

- - - - -

He was acting so grumpy.

Yes, his earlier comments showed his compassionate side, not only towards the injured, but to most people in general, had they not committed any sins in front of him, or any that he knew of. Salazaria knew that he wasn't the type of person who would judge a book by its cover, nor would he judge a person based on what they were wearing, because if he did, she'd probably be ignored.

Well, since he already pretty much knew that she wasn't going to the hospital anyway, why on earth would she have him go through all the trouble just to ditch him? They might as well head toward her real intended destination, right? With a small shake of her head, she quickly shifted her gaze to look around the openings of the street, in hopes to find any signboards that she could actually use to point out where she wanted to go. And, just like before, her stroke of luck pretty much guaranteed nothingness, and so she was left with the thought and image of a train station in her head. How would she even begin to convey her thoughts to him?

"Uggghhh.."

Good God, another slip up? Twice in a few short minutes. That's a new record that she'd hope would never be broken. The last person in the world that she needed to figure out her identity stood right beside her with an arm wrapped around her shoulders. They weren't really close to the train station at the moment, and it would take them about a good 10 minute walk to actually reach it, but the worst part has got to be the fact that she had no idea if there are any trains operating at this hour.

Still, with his warning, she decided to ease off, just a bit, as a small pout could be evidently seen on her cheeks. It wasn't as big as her usual balloon sized pouts, but it was still a start. And with little to nothing for her to even begin using for the sake of describing her intended destination, she did the next best thing. As childish of an action as it may have seemed to be, the rubber-clad feline raised her fist in the air before pulling it back down, and while she repeating that motion several times, she mustered out a tone of speech that was eerily identical to someone with a severe case of throat cancer. "Choo choo.."

Clearly, that whole scene did not match her image at all, but she's already broken character one too many times today, and fuck it if she's going to break anymore, it might as well be for something useful.

WORDS: words
TAG: skaldi
SPELLS: spells
NOTES: lalala

[Hakkai]

As much as the current situation was ticking him off, Skaldi couldn't help but feel concern when the woman let out another groan. This one was even more protracted than the last sound she had made, and again it stirred up that weird, uneasy feeling of deja vu, as if he'd heard her voice before somewhere. But again, it was muffled by the material of the mask and he couldn't place it. Plus, right now it wasn't the most important thing to be focusing on. Just how badly had she hurt her foot, anyway? Or was this just another ploy to try and catch him off guard.

The whole thing, Skaldi realized, could be entirely feigned. The woman's rubber leggings provided full cover, and he hadn't been able to see for himself the bruises that should even now be developing after such an injury. All he knew was that the woman was trying not to place weight on her foot, and as such needed someone to support her to get where she needed to go. But anyone could pretend to have a hurt foot and limp around a bit. Skaldi's mouth tightened slightly. He was not a suspicious person by nature, but life had slowly worked to change that.

At any rate, this was just a possible scenario, not something that was set in stone at all. Given what he'd seen the masked woman do back in the alleyway, it probably just paid to keep in mind that her behaviour right now, from the apparently injured foot right down to her silent, physical flirting, might be a ruse. It wasn't something he was about to act on - but if he had to, he would be prepared. Aside from that brief tightening of the lips, Skaldi made no other indication as to his train of thought.

"Hang on, it's not far..." he muttered, trying to keep his tone soothing after his earlier annoyed outburst. For now, he was choosing to take the 'innocent until proven guilty' approach. So he was going to keep supporting the woman until they got to where she needed to go. Skaldi had been referring to the hospital, obviously, but the woman suddenly shook her head, finally seeming to decide against having him carry her there. "...I think?" Skaldi found himself adding, glancing at the line of buildings in front of him. He wondered, glumly, how much longer she was going to end up clinging to him.

What happened next provoked nothing but an utterly deadpan expression from him for a good few seconds. In a childish gesture that utterly killed what little remained of her masked persona's mystique, the woman tugged her hand up and down several times, mimicking the sound of a train in a deep, guttural growl. It sounded like she had cottoned on to the fact she'd nearly given her identity away with her yelps earlier, and was trying to preserve her facade by doing an impression of a black metal vocalist. Normally Skaldi would have burst out laughing at this point, but right now it just seemed so ridiculous that it wasn't even funny.

"...Okay, you're being serious," he grunted eventually, rolling his eyes towards the train station. Great. Another ten minutes stumbling through the darkness with a flirtatious cat burglar hanging on his arm. And after that, who knew how long he'd have to wait with her? 'Cause he sure as hell wasn't about to dump her and leave until she was either where she needed to be or on a train to wherever that was. Skaldi sighed. "Fine, choo ch- I mean, the train station it is, dammit."

They set off again, Skaldi trying his best to ignore the way the woman was puffing out her cheeks under her mask, as if in a pout.

It was like she could see straight into his personal Memory Lane and was determined to run him over while he crossed the street.

[Rome]

- - - - -

One thing's for sure. When it came down to pure improvisation techniques, Salazaria now knew that she needed to work on that to the extreme. Choo choo? Seriously? Out of all the words and phrases that she could have used, and even a hint of body language here and there, she chose the most childish way to destroy whatever remaining reputation that her mysterious persona had? Oh well. Although the entire episode might have wounded her pride just a little bit, there was little that she could have done to correct that, and even if it happened the way it had, at the end of the day, she got her message across, and they were finally heading towards the right place.

By no means was she an expert when it came to things like these, so despite her efficiency when it came to her magical prowess, her techniques and overall presentation lacked that oomph so many other jewel thieves possessed, but of course, they had been in that same line of work for nearly ten times as long as she had. Hopefully, as hard as it was to not screw up time and time again, the longer she continued, the more experience she'd gain, and the better she gets. Not that it was an act that she'd be proud of, really, but what's the harm in stealing a couple things from rich people who would probably forget about its existence entirely over the following week?

Whatever the case, there was no denying that she was in dire need of medical attention. The sprain on her foot was really eating at her, and she couldn't even shift a small bit of weight onto it without a jolt of pain being sent up her spine. Still, there was absolutely no way in hell that she'd stop in the middle of an open road. Even now, the Knights whom were supposed to be on guard duty at the museum are probably hot on her heels. They even had those guard dogs, and lord knows how good they are at tracking someone's scent.

And so, the girl continued trekking forward with a whole shitton of pain coursing through her entire body, but even with that, there was not a single second that she regretted being in this position. If it hadn't been for her sprained ankle, she probably would have left the moment she got out of that museum. It was this injury that caused her to slow her pace down considerably, and.. she got to see him again. Thank god her mask shielded her face from view, because she could have sworn that at that very moment, her eyes teared up a bit. Not from the sadness that came around every time she thought back about this, but rather, it was from all the nostalgia that she's harbored, ever since the last time they've actually spent time together.

'You've grown so much.. you look just like a rockstar now, Skaldi.'

WORDS: words
TAG: skaldi
SPELLS: spells
NOTES: lalala

[Hakkai]

The fact that only one of the two people making their shuffling way towards the train station was playing with a full deck of cards did nothing to stop them from reaching their destination. Skaldi, oblivious as ever, managed to more or less cut his thoughts away from the woman he was supporting, focusing only on completing the next step with efficiency of movement, while at the same time causing her as little discomfort as possible. The ten minutes it took them to reach the train station passed without incident, as the masked woman seemed to refrain from any further fiddling, which Skaldi was silently grateful for. Eventually, they reached the place where they were to finally part ways.

"Okay, this is us," the sandy-haired man grunted, slowing his pace a little to glance cautiously around the platform. Aside from a light in the ticket office, it didn't look like there was anyone else around. He breathed a sigh of relief. "Seems pretty empty. Graveyard shift, I guess. Good thing too," he said absently to his companion. It was only for something to say, really. The silence was starting to feel awkward, even to him. He led the masked woman a little further down the platform, towards a row of seats right up against the wall, half-hidden in shadows. She'd be even less likely to attract attention there.

As gently as he could, Skaldi lowered his charge onto a seat, and stepped back. Swiping the back of his hand across his forehead, he looked down at the woman, trying to meet her veiled gaze. It was difficult, though, when he couldn't even properly see her eyes. "Sit tight here and you oughta be fairly inconspicuous," he said, but he failed utterly at keeping a straight face. "Well... Just try and stay in the shadows. I'll be right back." With that, he turned on his heel and walked off.

Skaldi's first port of call was the trains schedule. He squinted at the tiny print carefully, comparing times with his watch, and groaned. He had no idea which train the woman would be going for, but it would be at least thirty minutes or so before the next one docked in Shirotsume. That meant they had to keep her out of troubles for at least another half hour. Skaldi let out a sigh, and walked over to the ticket office. This much at least he could do. He ended up buying a one-way network ticket, which hopefully ought to get the woman wherever she needed to go. Assuming, of course, she wasn't aiming to hitch a free ride.

He waked back over to the place where he'd left her and passed her the ticket, wordlessly. Instead of sitting down next to the woman, though, Skaldi remained standing, propping his back up against the empty wall just next to her, and fixed his eyes on the train tracks. After a few moments, his hand drifted automatically to his back pocket, extracting the battered pack of cigarettes, and the single one he'd put away. Skaldi stared at them for a moment or two, then flung the pack away, almost angrily. It was a clean shot, and the pack went straight into the waste bin.

Skaldi was about to throw the cigarette away, too, but something stopped him. After staring at it for a few more seconds, Skaldi grimaced and clamped it between his teeth once more. He snapped his fingers - there was a zip of static, and the cigarette was suddenly lit. Skaldi inhaled deeply, slowly breathed the smoke out through his nostrils, and leaned back against the wall. He buried his hands deep into his pockets, head lowered slightly so that his bangs fell over his eyes, shielding them from view. Not looking at anything, not the tracks, not the masked woman, not anything.

Just taking a few minutes to lose himself in his own head.

So much for quitting unhealthy habits.