Fortuitous Run-In Again (Rising Light)

"Stupid piece of lying paper!" the young shadow-master shouted, crumpling up a map into his gloved hands before tossing it into the confines of his dark leather pack that hung at his hip. Ralis groaned slightly as the sun had begun to set on him and the night became chillier.

"Stupid map, saying that there was a town up ahead..." he said, rolling his eyes and his black boots stomped angrily through a foot of snow. Because of his anger, his body had started heating and the footsteps he left in the snow made small puddles of water, before freezing over again from the night's chill.

"Oh... uh, wait a second," Ralis blinked, fumbling through his pack and yanking the map out, his fingers working with all of their dexterity to fix the map from its balled-up state so it would be somewhat legible once more. He was traveling east, towards where the sun was setting. He needed to be going north.

"Er... I'm sorry, map!" Ralis apologetically pleaded before neatly folding the parchment up and gently storing it within his pack again. He corrected himself, now traveling north. Night had soon conquered the skies and darkness then hung above his head as he walked. Perfect. Ralis grinned as his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, his eyesight greatly improved and he marched happily throughout the slightly snowy environment, seeing clear as day.

After what seemed like an eternity, or maybe it was a few minutes later, Ralis didn't care to know but what he did care about was the walls of a city up ahead. "Yes, finally!" Ralis exclaimed happily, breaking into a sprint towards the giant gates of the city. He was a bit discouraged at the sight of the two armored guards holding their armored hands up towards him.

"Halt!" the one of the left yelled. He was in glimmering silver armor, covered in the bulky plate-mail from head to toe, as well as being much taller than the guard to the right.

"State your name and your business!" shouted the shorter, stockier guard to Ralis' right. The shadow master chuckled slightly. It was always humorous when short people yelled at him for some reason.

"Well, my name is Silar Nirel, and I've come for merely recreational purposes, sight-seeing, traveling and whatnot!" Ralis lied, smiling innocently, rather proud of his deceitfulness and the fact that he could spell his entire name backwards.

"Well... all right then, Mr. Nirel, you enjoy your time here and stay outta trouble!" the taller guard barked in an almost cordial tone which again made Ralis chuckle.

"Oh don't you worry, trouble is a fickle woman and I am done trying to woo her," Ralis smirked before saluting both guards in a mocking fashion before trotting into the city merrily. He glanced back and forth, seeing the buildings and blinked, his pace began to slow.

"That architecture..." he murmured. "I recognize those homes," Ralis muttered, going further into the town until he came upon the great hall that stood proudly upon a hill, overlooking the rest of the town. "I've been here before!"

His memories of this place flooded his hand. Dancing, punch, lightning, shadows, fighting, bouncers, rivalries, friends... could it possibly be? Has fate led him to this same town from before? Or was it just a coincidence, dumb luck, the fact that he can barely comprehend a map?

"It can't be," Ralis stubbornly said, folding his arms over his chest and shaking his hand, his snowy locks of hair moving back and forth in front of his eyes. "That little lightning-bolt, weird talking, punk better not be here... maybe... just maybe she might," he wondered to himself, blinking slightly.

"No... impossible," he shrugged. "Then again, stranger things have happened to me."

Ooc: Here's a link to Erin's profile in case you need it. Sorry for the wait (my bad!).

BiC:
“Just try focusing a little more, Erin.”

“I can’t, I’m too tired!”

Panting heavily, the young woman collapsed on the ground. In an attempt to increase her skill and psychic endurance, she had been practicing her skills. No, practicing wasn’t the right word: drilling was a closer description. For hours, Irala had been acting the part as drill sergeant, giving her command after command with hardly any rest. However, as the sunlight began dwindling, the sun sinking below the horizon, Erin felt ready to call it a day.

“How about this,” Irala said after a moment. “You make one more portal to a place of your choice, and we’ll find some lodgings and you can rest, capice?”

Although she was exhausted, the brunette nodded and took deep, calming breaths. Above all, she had to focus; concentration was key, or else there would be no way she could possibly open a new portal. She searched her mind for a place to go, and images of the places where she’d been flashed in her mind. A grand building flickered through the wave of memories, and she stopped with that.

A ball…dresses swirling around their owners’ feet as their partners led them in a graceful waltz. Two young men, naïve and foolish, fighting over her heart, unaware of the game that she was playing...it felt like it was ages ago…

She didn’t know why she chose that city; the memories were less than thrilling. Perhaps she felt she needed a reminder of how her irresponsibility affected others; perhaps she just felt drawn to that place. For whatever reason, she channeled the remainder of her energy on that one location, drawing in the forces both within and outside of her. Spreading her hands out in front of her, she projected the energy in the space before her.

The air wavered, much like on a hot summer day, before it seemed to split open. The dark landscape before her contrasted sharply with her heavily-wooded meadow; snow was everywhere, with naught but a few footprints revealing any signs of life.

“You did good,” the Pabali said softly.

“Don’t you mean well?” Erin replied weakly, opening her eyes to see her work. He calculations were off; instead of opening the portal within the city, she placed it outside of the city gates. She blamed her fatigue.

Taking time only to pull on her winter gear, stowed in her backpack for such an occasion, the young woman stepped in the portal, inhaling sharply as the cold air bit her face. The meadow in which she was practicing was warm; it was late spring, and the weather was ideal for her to practice. This weather, however, did nothing to improve her weakened state.

She closed the portal and trudged through the deep snow towards the gates. As she neared it, she saw there were guards, and remembered vaguely that she needed to state her name and purpose for entry.

“Halt!” Erin saw the guard command. Not having the energy to do anything else, she stood in her place. “State your name and your business!” Erin wondered vaguely if the guards were cold with their heavy metal armor wrapped around them.

“My name is Erin Connors, and I’m just here for lodging,” she tried to say, but it felt like it was garbled speech. It was harder for her to talk when she was tired; it was bad enough that she couldn’t even hear herself speak.

“I’ll take care of this,” Irala told her before turning her attention to the guards. Although Erin couldn’t hear it, Irala said, “This young woman is Erin Connors, and she’s traveled a far distance to get here, if you can’t tell by her current state. If you could tell us where the closest inn is, that would be great, because I’m not sure she can last much longer on her own.” She was very formal and polite, speaking with the native accent to make the guards feel more comfortable.

The shorter of the two guards looked into the young woman’s weary face and dropped his stoic façade. “Miss, are you alright?”

“She’s just tired,” Irala replied before Erin could. “It’s been a long day. Please, could you tell us where the closest inn is?”

“I would be uncomfortable just telling you where it is,” the taller guard said, “but unfortunately neither of us can leave our posts.” He frowned.

“Really, don’t trouble yourself over her, she’s tougher than she looks.” Irala fluttered on Erin’s shoulder, and the young woman smiled, unsure what was really going on but not extremely worried; Irala would fill her in later.

“I still don’t feel right just letting a young woman like her out on her own though,” the same guard said, addressing Irala for the first time, “but I don’t suppose it’ll do much good to not tell you. Just enter the gates and follow the main street until you see the inn. It has a sign in front of it that says it’s an inn.”

“Thank you very much, noble sir,” the Pabali said, flicking her wings in thanks.

As the two entered the city, Irala said to Erin, “He was only so nice because he has a daughter around your age, I hope you know that.”

“You shouldn’t pry into people’s minds,” Erin scolded.

The grand buildings around her brought about such a wave of memories that it was almost overwhelming. Hugging her coat around her body, Erin tried to brush off the images. She walked down the road that she had been told to follow, but when she neared the inn, she walked right past it, instead walking further into the city. When Irala questioned her, she just told her there was something she wanted to do first.

Although most people were returning to their homes, there were still a few stragglers milling about for a few last words before dinner. Many noticed the stranger, an attractive woman, walking by herself, and some of the attention was for less than savory reasons. Nevertheless, the woman wasn’t worried, knowing that, if need be, she could protect herself with her skills and her daggers.

Her destination loomed in front of her on a hill, looking like an overseer to the houses below it. There was hardly anyone here, just an older man with snowy white hair. Ignoring him, she looked up at the building where so much had happened…her heart hurt just thinking about it.

So much for moving on, she told herself, knowing she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself for her actions any time soon.

She felt the old man’s eyes on her and turned to glare at the pervy old man. However, when she whipped her head around, she saw that she was looking at a man just a few years older than her, rather than decades older. His dark eyes were questioning her, and she felt a wave of déjà vu looking at his face.

He looks familiar…but from what? she asked herself. She searched her memories for a white-haired man like this, but none appeared.

“Do…I know you?” she managed to ask after a moment, unsure what else to say.

OoC: Hey, no problem, RL! Thanks again for wanting to do the RP with me in the first place XD

IC:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The darkness enthusiast rolled his emerald eyes as he heaved a heavy sigh of moderate disgruntlement. His boots trudged through the inches of snow that blanketed the ground beneath him, leaving their prints behind only to be covered up again by the falling snow. Ralis' body soon began to radiate with heat and the footprints that he left trailing behind him slowly morphed into puddles.

His attitude sparked a flare of anger which in turn made his blood boil, of course, heating himself as well as a small circumference around him. The shadow master averted his cold gaze back and forth. Memory after harsh and unforgiving memory suddenly washed over his mind, refreshing his loathing for this town. For the ball. The bouncers. The spilled punch. The ruined shirt. The dancing. Nathan... Nathan! That daft, slimy, back-stabbing punk! Ralis had been longing to show that little runt who had REAL strength, who was the actual better one!

Suddenly his demeanor shifted, Ralis' rage deteriorated, being replaced by a feeling that he hadn't felt in a very long time. In fact... he never felt this sort of indescribable attitude since he was last here. It was not of anger since his body began to cool and the snow around him kept cold and crystallized, nor was it depression or sadness or even indifference. The word... it was on the tip of his tongue... oh, c'mon... almost! No!

"Ugh.." he groaned, shaking his head as he continued to stomp throughout the town, surrendering his pursuit on such a fruitless task. Brunette, shimmering hair. What..? Unique, sparkling hazel eyes. Huh..? Mental powers, telekinesis? His mind was slowly piecing together this conundrum. Her..! Her!

"Erica!" he shouted out, making whoever was nearby at the time, which luckily wasn't too many, stare at him with confusion. Ralis blinked and shook his head. "No no.. Emily! Elizabeth... Eliza..." he listed off, counting on his fingers before crunching his hand into a fist, grunting with frustration as well as disappointment.

"Maybe I'll remember after a drink or something... what am I thinking, that won't work. Then again, that is contempt prior to investigation, my friend! I do not know that completely because I haven't tried yet! Have an open mind..." he rambled off to himself, a smile appearing in his countenance as the young man marched towards what resembled an inn of some sort. It was certainly large enough.

Soon his path led him up a hill, happily shoving his feet through the snow and blazed his own trail up the incline, seeing that oh-so-familiar hall perched ever so ominously upon the peak. His intuition urged him towards the fateful destination, up atop the hill. It really gave quite a nice view of the city and of the landscape surrounding it. Surely it was a picturesque scene. Snow gently fell upon the tiled roofs as lights illuminated a number of the homes' windows. The nearby trees were stained with white, their leaves releasing the captive snow upon the ground with every breath of wind.

"Boring..." Ralis rolled his eyes, shoving his arms across his chest, letting out another sigh. "I sure hope that boy decides to come out of hiding some time soon. I'd hate to have to actually search for that urchin. His demise shall be slowly and excruciatingly painful indeed... who am I talking to?"

Ralis shrugged, pacing back and forth, forgetting why he had marched all the way up here. His eyes blinked, then darted over to see a feminine figure move her way up the hill as well, towards him. One of his hands raised up to sweep the strands of snowy hair out of his eyes. He then examined this attractive newcomer, his eyes straining to see her clearly. Brunette hair. Similar eyes to what he was envisioning before.

Ralis decided to "play it cool" and "make himself scarce". He walked off to the side, waiting for her to approach. As soon as she did, he thought it was alright to peek over and see if he could recognize her. Bad timing. She didn't finish passing him yet and Ralis was pretty sure that she saw him glance. Quickly averting his gaze, he heaved another heavy sigh, shaking his head. He didn't get to see if it was her. One more try...

Again, Ralis turned his head to gaze at her... this time, she knew it and gazed back. Her eyes focused in on the shadow caster with a cold glare. Her expression changed as fast as her head whirled around to stare at him. He stared back curiously, wondering, pondering... was it her? The young woman from before, at this exact same place where they had first met? Impossible..!

“Do…I know you?" she asked, staring up at his face, centering in on him. Ralis tilted his head to the side and nodded absentmindedly. He was sure now!

"Erin..!" Ralis blurted out, finally remembering the correct name, nodding his head up and down rapidly. "You do know me!"

The young woman was slightly taken aback by his small outburst but she slowly nodded in return. "I...do?" she asked him, squinting to examine him more closely.

"Yeah! I'm.. Ralis, do you remember me?" he asked the psychic woman, moving a bit closer. "We met together here in this same place.. the ball, at that dance thing, with that other guy... he's not here too, is he?"

Perhaps it was due to her exhaustion, but Erin believed the man said he was Ralis, the young man with whom she had flirted at a ball in the same place they were now. She remembered Ralis quite clearly: brown hair, warm brown eyes, and a very nice smile. This man before her wasn’t Ralis; he couldn’t be. His description just didn’t match the image in her head, the one that she knew was correct; she may have forgotten many other things, but she never forgot a face.

“Erin,” Irala started, “I’m getting a reading of his powers, and I can tell that it really is Ralis. But there’s something you should know about them.”

“Wait, this is Ralis? But it looks nothing like him!”

The brunette felt Irala bouncing uncomfortably on Erin’s shoulder. “I don’t know why he looks like that, but…look, you remember how he could manipulate a variety of powers?”

“I guess. Yea.”

“Well, his powers over darkness seemed to have overpowered all the other ones. I mean, the others are still there, but…I don’t know how to describe it.”

Erin looked the man before her cautiously, unsure whether to really believe it was true. “So, is he evil then?”

“You know as well as I do that evil is a relative term that cannot really classify a person. Real life isn’t like a fantasy novel.”

“You obviously haven’t heard of Hitler.” Of course, she knew that the only way Ralis could know about that night was if he was there with her; nevertheless, she still was reluctant to believe that it was him, despite Irala’s reassurance. What could have happened to him that changed him so much?

“Ralis?” she asked. “Is it really you?”

Looking at his face closely, she could see a vague semblance to the boy whom she’d danced with on that cold winter’s night. However, she just couldn’t get past the pale hair and strange eyes. If this fellow really was Ralis, she wanted to ask him what had happened that changed his appearance so much. However, she couldn’t think of an eloquent way to ask it, so instead she awaited his response, trying to ignore her heavy fatigue.

((Sorry about the shortness and crappiness of this post v.v I was really busy with a new job and some family issues. ))

Ralis blinked slightly, tilting his head ever so slightly to the right as she stared at him in confusion. She didn't seem to believe that it was really him. He had no idea why either, which only made it worse for him. Looking to the side a little, he managed to smile and outstretched his right arm outwards. After a brief moment of concentration, a small pile of snow ripped away from the ground and slowly floated towards his gloved hand, spiraling in orbit around his arm.

"See? It's me.. I did that with punch at the dance, I remember," he said quietly before the snow fluttered down back to the ground below. His eyes focused on the ground still, however. Many thoughts were storming around in his mind, clouding his thinking. He needed more evidence. She might not believe him without more proof. He didn't want to be a liar.

"And.. and, you were being annoyed by this other red-haired guy.. and we, including the little other annoying kid, ganged up on him," he nodded, recalling more bits and pieces of that night when they met. "It was kinda fun at the end.." Ralis shrugged, not recalling the last part, the most painful. Perhaps his subconscious was attempting to repress these memories from him, despite his desperate efforts at racking his brain to find them.

Ralis had lost his train of thought at that moment and finally looked up at her. "So.. after all that, do you believe me? I'm not lying, I'm Ralis. Why would I want to be anyone else?" he asked, nodding once more as his hands gripped at each other, interlocking his gloved fingers in a sign of small hopefulness. He remembered how friendly she was towards him and he didn't have anyone act in such a way towards him a long, long time. He sort of liked being liked.

"Why didn't you think it was me, by the way? I'm a little curious about that.." he blinked, looking at her again with confusion, crossing his arms behind his back for what seemed like no apparent reason.

Still room in here?

OoC: I’ll be going on vacation the following week, and although I’ll probably have access to the internet, I don’t know if I’ll have time to post a reply. So don’t rush yourself for a response.

BiC:
Erin felt herself growing weak at the knees as the young man before her repeated the events that had occurred at the ball months ago. A ball of snow flew around his arm as he proved to her through his powers that he was the boy from the dance; he also mentioned a red-haired man who, in a drunken rage when she had rejected him, went after the young psychic.

He finished his explanation by asking, "Why didn't you think it was me, by the way? I'm a little curious about that.” He crossed his arms behind his back, as though settling in a comfortable position while awaiting her response.

Erin wasn’t sure if he was joking or not about her inability to recognize him. Surely he’s realized that he doesn’t look the same as he did when she first met him, Erin thought. He must know that his appearance has changed… She fought the urge to bite her lower lip as she continued, If his outer appearance has changed, does that mean he’s changed on the inside as well?

“You don’t look the same as before,” she said reluctantly. “You look…different. Older, and….” She wasn’t quite sure how to tell him his hair was white as the snow around them and his were no longer the warm shade of hazel brown that she remembered. He memory never lied to her; yet, he seemed surprised that she didn’t recognize him.

Erin just didn’t know what else to say.

The weakness in her legs was too much, and, before she could fall down and hurt herself, she kneeled down, one knee touching the cold, snowy ground. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she was sure that if she could hear anything, it would all just blend together; that’s how characters in her books described the sensation, so she could only assume that’s what it must be like in real life.

Feeling vibrations from the ground as Ralis ran towards her, she forced herself to look up into his concerned face and smile weakly.

“Sorry,” she said in a tired voice, fighting back a yawn.

“Don’t mind her,” Irala told Ralis nonchalantly. “She’s just tired. Opening portals to other worlds does that to her.”

OoC: Ahaha, sorry for the utter lameness of this.

((OoC: Sorry again for the long delay, I'm finally got a better shift at work so this should be much easier. I also wanted to finish Ralis' extended biography/short story before continuing any RPs with him so it'd be easier for everyone ^^; Again, sorry. ))

The white-haired individual stood there in the slowly but steadily increasing snow with his arms crossed and folded behind his back in a comfortable position, eagerly awaiting her answer to his question. Ralis was ever so curious as to why she didn't recognize him. Then again, his memory wasn't as great as it used to be. He had forgot why. Still... he waited her response, his new emerald green eyes focused on her intently.

Erin however, was in a state of what seemed like disbelief and hesitation. Maybe he was just assuming random assessments about other people again, or maybe she was just fatigued from traveling just like he was. After a few moments of pondering, she had finally forced out an answer to his questions.

“You don’t look the same as before,” she began. "You look…different. Older, and….” she spoke with even more hesitation. Ralis blinked a bit in curiousity. He didn't remember becoming... different, or older. Maybe something had happened to him? Did... did he always look like this, how he did now? All these questions of his were zooming around, back and forth, up and down within the fragile workings of his mind.

He brought a black leathery glove up to his forehead and gripped at the hair covering his temple, pulling softly in an effort to relieve this sort of pain that was brewing in his head. It was then he realized that Erin was also experiencing a bit of pain. Her knees wobbled slightly and finally buckled, heaving towards the snowy ground. His eyes shot open and he immediately sprang forth towards her.

Erin managed to catch herself, planting one of her knees against the ground, preventing a worse fall. She strained herself and caught eyes with him, soon forcing her lips into a weak smile. Ralis neared her when her companion, Irala, caught his attention. He always wondered more about the strange little creature that accompanied this young woman, but now wasn't looking like the best time to ask.

"Don't mind her," she said ever so matter of factly. "She's just tired. Opening portals to other worlds does that to her."

He was right beside her and with extreme care, he hooked his hands under her arms and gently lifted up. Her knee slowly straightened and she soon stood up beside him. Ralis looked down at the ground in thought, blinking again. "Portals to other worlds, huh?" he asked, amazed. He didn't quite recall her ever mentioning that power, let alone displaying it.

Before she could answer, Ralis glanced back and forth around the pavilion there were in. There was a large two-story building with a sign hanging from a balcony. The sign swayed calmly with the wind, depicting a bed as well as a large flagon, overflowing with whatever beverage was within. "Let's continue the conversation inside, all right? I think that'd be better for the both... er, all three of us," he corrected himself, remembering Irala.

"It looks like an inn is up ahead on the hill there," Ralis pointed out. "What do you say?"

((Sorry if this post is lame too, I couldn't come up with that much ^^; ))

Erin vaguely felt herself being lifted from the ground. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she felt Ralis wrap an arm around her, supporting her. Her knees were cold and wet from the snowy ground, she was exhausted, and she wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in a comfortable bed. Her legs started moving as she was guided to some place nearby.

“We’re going to a nearby inn. Sound good to you?” Irala fluttered by the girl’s head.

“Sure. Whatever.” Erin briefly wondered if the strange creature felt guilty about pushing her to exhaustion, but something told her Irala wasn’t extremely worried about her. She’d probably just tell me to suck it up and deal with it, the brunette thought with a smile tugging at her lips despite herself.

Her legs were not happy with walking. She was not the most physically active person, and a day’s worth of exercise, however much it may have been mental, drained her. Adding to the mix, it was growing continually harder to move, as if there was some resistance. As she looked around, she realized that she had been climbing up a fairly steep hill. Up ahead was a modest building with a sign depicting images that reminded Erin of an inn. She assumed that was their destination.

She felt Ralis’ breath on her cheek as he whispered something to her, and the woman couldn’t help but wonder if he remembered she was deaf. She thought it was a pretty big thing to forget, but then again, he was different from before…

“He said he could carry you if you can’t make it,” Irala said.

“Please tell him that won’t be necessary,” Erin replied. “I’d rather not depict the typical damsel in distress.”

“Your fainting spell back there ruined that for you, unfortunately.”

“Fantastic.”

The cold wind rushed through her, causing goose bumps to course up her arms despite her warm jacket. A few scattered flurries attacked their faces. She leaned into Ralis, his warmth feeling so comfortable in the cold air. The inn grew larger as they approached it, and the ground leveled out, much to Erin’s relief. The night had grown darker, and a lonely lamp flickered in front of the building, lighting the swaying sign. They reached the door, and Ralis opened it for Erin.

There was a fire burning in the fireplace, with a few chilly customers warming themselves in chairs next to it. A few tables were scattered about, filled with people enjoying their evening meals. They hardly paid attention to the newcomers, too concerned were they with their meals. Everything was fairly well-lit, and Erin approved of the place well enough.

The three of them approached what Erin assumed was the front desk, and the man behind it asked how he could help them.

“Some rooms,” Erin replied.

“One or two?” He smiled as he said it, and Erin, whose cheeks flushed at the insinuation, would have very much liked to throw something at him.

“Two.”

She threw down two twenty-dollar bills, which the man seemed to accept after a curious look and some close inspection, and he handed them their keys. The two went up a set of stairs next to the entrance room and walked down the hallway until they reached Erin’s room (which she had claimed simply because it was the closest of the two).

The bed looked so wonderful. Barely having the energy to take off her shoes, Erin collapsed on the bed and succumbed to her exhaustion.

Meanwhile, Irala lurked outside the hallway with Ralis. Having made sure the psychic got to her room without fainting again, she turned her attention to the young man present.

“Alright, Ralis,” she said, attempting to cross her paws across herself in an intimidating fashion. “What’s your deal?”

“Uh…what?” he asked, confused.

“Why are you so different from the last time we met?”

OoC: I’ll probably be using Irala for a while until Erin stops being a loser and wakes up or something.

The young shadow master did his best to escort Erin up the snow covered hill, trudging upwards towards the inn. Her pride attempted to prevent his help, but he didn't mind. If were in Erin's position, he wouldn't want to be helped in such a fashion either. Then again, if he didn't try to help, he was afraid to come off as insensitive. He also didn't want to baby her. This was already difficult. She then leaned into him and he gave a mental sigh of relief, now a bit more confident in helping her make her way up to the inn.

Soon they had reached the top of the hill as well as the comfortable-looking inn and he gave another quiet exhale of relief. Ralis was very fatigued as well, it was a long while since he had rested from his traveling. He also hadn't had a large, satisfying meal either. It seemed to be a little late for that however, he was far too tired to try to interact with anyone except for Erin and her companion.

He followed her to the counter where she had asked for rooms. The innkeeper's assumption of them sharing a room left the young man a bit flustered as well but he did his best to try and keep his reaction to himself. Ralis escorted Erin towards the rooms and watched her claim the nearest one, not objecting. Ralis took mental note of her companion, Irala, who was still in the hallway with him. He found it a bit strange that she had not accompanied Erin into her room.

She then turned her attention to Ralis, speaking bluntly. "Alright, Ralis,” she began. "What’s your deal?”

Ralis blinked slightly, tilting his head to the side and looking at her curiously. He had honestly no idea what she meant and he gave a half-shrug, trying to pass out from exhaustion. "Uh...what?" he asked Irala.

“Why are you so different from the last time we met?” she continued to question him.

Ralis' eyes averted down to his feet, then to the room adjacent to Erin's. He remained silent and tiredly made his way towards the room. "I... don't really know what you're talking about," he hesitantly responded. "I'm different?" he asked, answering her question with yet another question.

"You look sort of older, your eyes used to be brown. They're green now. Your hair was brown too, now it's as white as the snow outside. Obviously you've changed and that has to happen for a reason, so tell me," she ordered, clearly not too happy with his answer.

Ralis' subconscious had buried that memory deep within his mind. It was an extremely traumatic experience. He endured pain like he had never imagined, felt power in a new extreme magnitude. That's all he remembered. He was captured, tortured and finally escaped. The who, when and why eluded him. He brought a gloved hand up to his forehead, gripping slightly at a lock of his hair.

"I'm.. not quite sure, Irala. I'm sorry... I know I changed, though... the reason why, it's hard to remember, to explain. I wish I could explain it as easily as you expect me too," Ralis sighed. The fact that he was ravenously hungry and dreadfully tired wasn't helping the situation much either. He sluggishly opened the door to his room and walked in, keeping the door open for now. He looked back over his shoulder to her, an expression of sorrow in his countenance.

"I'll sleep on it, ok..? I promise I'll try and tell you and Erin tomorrow morning. I need my rest though, and I'm sure Erin needs you, right..?" he asked as he slipped off the heavy jacket, carelessly letting it fall onto the floor. Irala seemed to nod in agreement and departed to let him sleep. He snapped his fingers, a tendril of shadow sprouted from the floor and pushed the door closed. Ralis kicked off his boots and yanked off his gloves, removing the holster from his revolver and finally plopped down behind him on the bed. He shut his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

(( Sorry about the wait, classes and family life got to me v.v Hope I got Irala right ^^; ))

Irala watched the boy as he entered his room, still suspicious. Perhaps he was telling the truth; but he could also be lying as well. She couldn’t tell whether he was being honest or not, but she chose to be wary. That way, she could be sure to protect Erin.

With a reluctant flutter of her wings, the Pabali turned and nudged Erin’s door open, flying into the room. Seeing her companion fast asleep on the bed, Irala sighed and rolled her eyes.

Wimp. I was going easy on her today.

Seeing an empty spot on Erin’s pillow, Irala swiftly claimed it as her own and soon found herself falling asleep.

***

She blinked her eyes once. Twice. Three times. Looking around at her surroundings, Erin noted a moderate-sized room with matching wooden furnishings. Her heart was pounding, most likely from her dream. She was having trouble remembering it; all she could recollect was darkness surrounding her. It didn’t seem like such a big deal any more, now that she was awake in the daylight hours, but she still wondered what else was making her so frightened.

She sat up and grimaced as her tired muscles protested. She slowly swung her legs off the bed, noting that her legs were even worse than her arms. The wooden floor was cold even through her socks, and the brunette quickly made her way to the small brown rug on the ground. She tried to work the stiffness out of her arms, but that did little to alleviate the discomfort. Wincing slightly, she tried some of the stretches that her younger (and more athletic) sister would do before running, but quickly gave up.

Seeing Irala curled up peacefully on her pillow, Erin couldn’t help but wish for some form of revenge on the creature.

There was a square window overlooking the town in the psychic’s room. She walked over to it, trying very hard to ignore her aching muscles, and looked outside. The sky was murky gray, a barricade of clouds blocking the sun from the world below. Small white flakes were falling, creating a fine dusting on top of the already-snowy ground and buildings. She touched the window, her fingertips growing cold from the glass. Erin frowned; she hated cold weather, regardless of how pretty the snow was.

Noting that she was still wearing her clothing from the day before, she looked for a door that would lead to a bathroom. When she saw only the door that led to the hallway, she grimaced, realizing she would have to use a public bathroom. She grabbed her backpack, hoping she wouldn’t have to travel far for it.

She closed the door gently and went off to explore. She could feel the wooden floor creak every so often, and she would occasionally glance behind her to make sure no one was yelling at her to be quiet. Finally, after climbing up a set of stairs (which her legs thoroughly hated) and wandering around the hallway, she found the bathroom.

It was fairly large, with numerous toilet stalls and showers. It appeared to be empty, which suited her just fine. Claiming a shower stall, she made use of it, pleased that the water was warm. She let the hot water massage her tired limbs, feeling much better, as if the hot water was washing away her troubles.

Once she felt clean and fresh, she turned off the water and grabbed a towel from her bag. Drying off, she wrapped it around her body, deciding to use to toilet before getting changed. She walked out of the stall and turned, immediately running into someone. She nearly fell, grabbing onto the nearby sink to stop herself from landing in an awkward position. She saw the person into whom she ran was unable to do that and was on his back. Erin saw white hair.

Ralis saw her and immediately blushed, looking away. Feeling her face grow very hot, she quickly bolted back into the shower stall.

It turned out the bathroom was co-ed.

***

The man saw the town in before him. Small, secluded. Surrounded by nothing but snow. He was sure they wouldn’t have heard of him so far out in the middle of nowhere. He walked through the snow, leaving behind his solitary footprints.

Despite the overcast sky, he wore dark sunglasses. His dark pants were pulled over his boots, but he hardly seemed to notice their wetness from the snow. The long trench coat he wore billowed out behind him as the wind caught it. There was a glint of metal at his side, but it was quickly covered by his coat as he tied the belt around it. The neck of his gray turtleneck was all that could be seen from under his coat.

As he approached the entrance he saw two guards standing by idly, noticeably cold and uncomfortable. He briefly considered them, but it would be too easy a fight – neither looked especially intimidating.

“Halt sir!” the shorter of the two commanded. “State your name and business.”

He smirked. Lying through his teeth, he said, “John Smith. I heard good things of this town and thought I’d check it out for myself.”

The taller guard inspected him closely, and the man knew there was suspicion in his actions. He just smiled, giving him no reason to follow through with his thoughts.

“Very well,” the second guard said reluctantly. “You may go through.”

The man could feel the guard’s eyes on him as he entered the town, but it didn’t mean much to him. He wasn’t planning on staying long; just long enough to find his next target, whomever it may be.

His eyes settled on the inn in the distance, and he grinned, stroking one of the numerous knives at his belt. He’d found a location. Now he just needed a target.

OoC: Well, let the fun begin.

It was a regular nightmare to awake the shadow manipulator in the morning. Ralis awoke with a sudden start, his breathing was heavy and laboring. Some of his snowy white hair was stuck to his forehead, dangling in front of his eyes as they darted back and forth to try and make sense of what was going on. One hand wiped the locks of hair and beads of sweat from his eyes while the other hand shoved down against the bed, lifting his upper body so that he may sit up straight. His body was covered in cold sweat, his clothes clung onto his skin.

With a grimace of disgust, he threw his legs over the side of the bed and stood up, throwing the covers off of him, his hands grabbing his shirt and slowly peeled it off, dropping it onto the ground to dry. Ralis yawned and tilted his head harshly left and right, hearing some pleasing popping sounds that relaxed him as he made his way towards the door, half awake. He pushed the door open, quietly shoving it closed as he departed down the hall, searching for a place he could wash up.

He finally found what looked like a large bathroom and sure enough, there were showers. One of them seemed to be occupied, hearing the water spit out of the shower head, seeing the steam fill the room. It was comforting to feel the warm stuffy air on his cold skin. Ralis assumed another man was using the shower, so he felt free to walk close to the stalls, looking for an unoccupied one.

The young man stopped in his tracks as he heard the water stopped. Ralis turned and left the bathroom for a number of reasons. One would not wanting to see another guy get out of a shower, and two was that he forgot to bring a towel too. He remembered seeing some in his room. A quick backtrack to the room proved to be successful, scooping up a clean towel and made his way back to the bathroom.

As soon as Ralis opened the door, he walked straight into the room, as well as walking straight into somebody else. Of course, he had thought it was a man, which would've made him a little angry... instead it was Erin. She accidentally shoved him back down towards the counter and sink, Ralis had to lean over backwards just so she wouldn't fall flat onto the ground. They met eyes for a brief moment, but he turned his head, blushing darkly for a moment, allowing her to make a beeline out of the bathroom and to her own quarters.

Ralis closed his eyes and let out a brief sigh of relief. He hadn't expected to catch her coming out of the bathroom, she caught him off guard. Still... he had other matters to attend to, heading into one of the shower stalls after undressing completely and turning on the hot water. He leaned against the tiled wall and tilted his head back, letting the warm shower water cascade down his aching body, weary from the traveling. He let his body take in the soothing steam, relaxing him down to his core. After a few long minutes passed, he stopped the water and grabbed the towel, drying off before heading to his room.

After lying back in his bed, he couldn't help but wonder how Erin was doing and how she slept. He sighed softly, staring up. He decided to get dressed, waiting to see how this new day would unfold.

OOC: Bleh, nothing really happened and long delay. Sorry for sucky post T_T