From Light to Shadow » Places

         Alex had fallen into a state of sleep momentarily after passing out. At first, he could see a face. A strange face. But he couldn't quite make it out. Also, his head hurt a lot. His mind also seemed a bit...blurry...or clouded.

Heal. Health. Blood. Wind. Nicole. Blurry. Family. Blurry. Street. Blurry. Blurry. Textiles. Explosion.

Alexi woke back up. Alex tried to get up, but at this point, the adrenaline was gone, the pain was kicking in, and he had a good amount of pain. Alex then noted "May I suggest we get to someplace with proper healing supplies......just a thought....". Alexi then coughed up a hacked cough, and Tammy tried to help him up. Thats when Alex added "I think....there is a place close by..."

Alexi then started to get a headache. Tammy took off his sweatshirt and let Alexi use it as a sort of bandage kind of. Alexi then started to fall over, but Tammy caught him. Alexi noted "Ill be fine, im alright", which was blatenly obvious that it was a lie. Although, he was actually much better then everyone thought and then how he looked.

Just then, Alexi became aware of what everyone else was saying and doing, including the necklace of bullet casings, although he didn't really register that as strange or anything important. Thats when Alexi also was about to say something, but then decided against it, instead saying "Tammy, I think Nicole needs your help more....". Alexi was fairly clueless about how bad his own injuries were, so he really had no idea if she was more wounded then him or not.

(Beta, this place would be where your characters long lost sister is? Or you want that to be later)
(Meh, my head was foggy during this post, so It might not be as good as my others >.>)

         A flurry of emotions pierced Rei painfully during these few moments, so much that his bullet wounds felt like nothing to him. He lies there, trying to keep the shield up, trying to protect the first friend he's ever had, the friendship that was formed just a few minutes ago. He's never felt this way in a long time, having the need to have something to protect in his life. The idea of having absolutely anything precious to you was just plain wrong to Rei, a burden that will possibly kill you. But Rei felt quite different, of course he was correct about the killing part, but this wasn't a burden, not at all. He felt refreshed finally, a sort of bliss that rivaled with the bliss of death. He finally felt a cause, a cause that he would fulfill in these last moments, a cause that will help him attain peace of mind. Rei, although blind, closes his eyes, it was time...or not. Suddenly a surge of pain fills Rei's mind. Grasping his head he is able to shakily keep the shield up, but it quivers and wriggles, struggling to retain its shape. He starts to grind his teeth, wondering what could cause such pain. He heard the remnants of a small girl's voice, "Boy. Don't look into my eyes. I don't like it when my companion's toys break so quickly." But Rei didn't need to look into her eyes. He felt it, he felt her madness exuding out of her already, crushing and piercing into his brain. Rei could only roll and groan trying to keep his own sanity, but alas, it was done in vain. He didn't notice the new...the darker and more twisted version of Mari prepare to kill these men, instead his mind was slowly being assaulted into a deep void of insanity. But suddenly the pain dissipated. Rei opens his eyes.

He was standing up, but...but now he was at home in his room, and in front of him stood his little sister. A smile fluttered across the boys face, as the girl in front of him giggled. He didn't question whether or not this was an illusion, whether his sister was alive or dead. He didn't even question himself when he obviously was given the ability to see. Instead he smiled at her sweetly, just staring at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. He blinks once, and his sister is gone momentarily. He once more his sister is there again, but the smile that was donned unto her face was gone. He blinks once, she's gone, he blinks again, and this time he sees a more battered and hurt version of his sister. There were small cuts all over her body, her nails digging into her arms, the only sound was her soft whimpers. He blinks once more, and opens his eyes to a terrifying sight. Her sister screams at him, clawing at her eyes, each orb being ripped out as she exclaims in pure terror, "I have her eyes!!! I HAVE HER EYES!!! I have her eyes!!! I have her eyes...!" Rei starts to run for her sister, trying to stop, but no words came out of his mouth. He runs towards her even faster, hoping to stop this madness, but instead the distance between the two children grow. As he runs, Rei trips over, falling down into a pit of darkness, closing his eyes in sheer terror, opening them once again to find himself on his back, a bright light blinding him. Was it just all a dream...? The frail boy tries to stand up but finds himself unable to move. His eyes adjust to the light, finally able to see where he was. From what he sees, the background around him is pure darkness. He looks down where he was lying, and slowly his eyes become consumed with pure horror at the realization of where he was. It seemed he was strapped onto a lab table, and before he could cry out for help two arms that have been gloved in latex and a scalpel on hand. The empty hand places itself on the boy's forehead, using its thumb and index finger to open his right eye's eyelids. The scalpel descends slowly as a whisper fills his ears. "You have her eyes."

And as the blade slowly descends, Rei screams finding himself shrieking on the pavement holding his head, followed by a sudden feeling of bliss. He looks around hazily finding all of his adversaries dead...and Mari in the midst of the gore. Rei could barely hear her...something about tag and being tagged....but it didn't matter to Rei, because a few seconds after he fainted into a deep and dreamless sleep, from the lost of blood and the traumatizing experiences from the madness. All from just one little girl.

         It was late in the day when a man, wearing a heavy coat, hood, and scarf that covered his face, walked briskly down the streets. He drew some stares, partially because of his odd choice of attire considering the weather, and partially because of the very large suitcase he carried in his right hand. He checked behind him quickly to see if any followed him, before ducking into another alley and on to the next road. It had been four years since he'd last set foot in the city, but he wasn't about to believe for a second that Niamh had stopped looking for him.

After a few sharp turns he spotted the building he was looking for. 'The store of Knowledge' seemed like an odd and slightly redundant name for a book store, but he wasn't here to judge the owners naming sense. Making one last check behind him for any pursuers, he entered the store. "Excuse me." He called out, closing the door behind himself and setting his large suitcase down. "I'm looking for the shun brothers. I was told they owned this shop?"

         Why can I never seem to keep control over my brain? she thought as she turned about on her heel, facing away from the shopkeeper who happened to bear a bit of a resemblance to Vincente. With a still red stained face, the teenager honestly felt like a total idiot for telling someone she’d just met that he looked like her brother. Although, she had heard him say, almost begrudgingly, that she indeed looked like someone he knew. In a way, even if his words had not been the happiest of the bunch, the fact that the man had said that she resembled someone herself, it made her feel a little less like an idiot for blurting out that he looked like her brother. Of course, just flat out saying something like that to anyone was anything but normal. . . . One step at a time, Nicoletta, one step at a time. It’s a problem, you’re aware of it, and you are trying to remedy it best you can, so relax. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she did her best to regain her composure, and to stop feeling like a damn fool.

No matter what happened, she always seemed to have a tendency to go ahead and think aloud, and to make things as awkward as hell for other people. Eventually, she somehow managed to make it happen. Scratching the back of her neck in an uncertain manner, Nicoletta simply allowed herself to take a couple of steps forward, moving around the store while trying to figure out what to do while she waited for the business exchange to be completed, magic and sleight of hand, neither were things she could say she was particularly interested, unlike the twins it seemed. Momchil remained where he had been before, curiously seeming to examine product after product, perhaps attempting to figure out and understand what made the items so ‘magic.’ Amalia, on the other hand, was still standing at the counter, staring at the blonde man who was going to be looking at the package she’d brought in for her mother. The false humanoid’s pallor face was near expressionless, save a semblance of intrigue that was barely notable on her features. Whether or not Momchil and Amalia were slowly becoming more and more humanlike, the two still were unaware of the simple decencies of manners, which included not staring at people for long increments of time. . . . The very sight of seeing Amalia with her faze transfixed upon the man’s face caused Nicoletta to sigh to herself, and place a hand to her forehead.

It wouldn’t matter if she went and told the girl to stop, because Amalia would end up just doing what it was she choose to. . . . The only true sorts of orders she followed from her human sister were those pertaining to labor, or things to do with the Sundries shop. While it was that Nicoletta was looking at her ‘sister,’ that someone shouting at her, using one of her nicknames caught her attention. "Cole!"

How many times have I told people to not call me Cole? she thought, feeling a touch of annoyance well up in her. Nicoletta wasn’t sure how many times she had told people to not call her ‘Cole,’ but she had done it a lot. . . . Though the girl had a powerful urge to give the person using the nickname a good tongue lashing, she refrained from doing so, because the voice was coming from a child, or one whom she considered as such. And . . . also, she knew who it was. Although she wouldn’t go so far to say that she was best of friends with the boy in question who was calling out to her, she did at the very least know him enough to call him a ‘friend.’ Of course it’s him, he’s one of the only people who will not stop calling me ‘Cole.’ she sighed, turning herself around to face the entranceway of the magic shop, knowing full well where he would be coming from.

Sure enough . . . it was him, Alexi. He darted right up to her, getting into the space Nicoletta liked to call her ‘personal bubble.’ The result was a startled look on her face, and her taking a small step backward before the boy could continue with what he had to say to her, "Cole, listen, I just discovered something big, but I need you to promise not to tell anyone first. And I mean not anyone.” he informed her, his voice sounded both serious and frantic, okay, she knew enough about Alexi to know that when he was serious . . . he was indeed serious, whatever he had to say was obviously important. But, the need to go and make her promise not to tell anyone was sort of ridiculous, because, the boy knew that she herself barely had anyone in her life she could call a friend. Yes, she had her brother, but that’s what he was, her brother. . . .

The instance of Nicoletta being called by her unliked nickname garnered the attention of both Momchil and Amalia, who turned their distant gazes to look upon their human sister and the one she called her ‘friend.’ Yes, they knew him too.
Although she found it pointless to go and vocally promise the boy that she wouldn’t say anything about his news to another, the blonde teenager went ahead and opened up her lips to do so, but before the words could even leave her throat . . . Alexi was suddenly shoved right into her by a man she did not know. A man who was not alone, Nicoletta did not know them, but she at least knew where it was they were from. Government agents . . . just like those who detained Aylin. While a small exchange took place between Alexi and the man with a scarred face, Nicoletta felt her small hands tighten into fists at her sides, a terse expression passing along her face. Her jaw tensed up as she bit on her tongue to keep herself from fully speaking her mind toward the arrogant acting bastards.

Control, keep control. she told herself, her heart beginning to pound in her chest from the anger. Ooh, how she loathed these sorts of men. If they even had the rights to be called ‘men’ for what they went and did. They just bust into a place, shove a child out of the way and begin to aimlessly search about for no stated reason. They also went about aiding in taking children away from their families, and they made those left with ‘gifts’ live in fear within Portum Animas’ bounds. Why had he spoken to Alexi? What did that man want with a child like him, or his friend Tammy? Who knows what these asinine, supercilious nimrods are up to. . . . What they could want. There was an obvious look of anger on Nicoletta’s young face, and her very presence had shifted from one of normality, to a slightly foreboding one. One look at her, and it could be easily deduced that she was not happy. The truth was, while she herself was a Gifted, she should have been scared to be so close to those sorts of people, but Nicoletta was just filled with rage. She hated them; she hated all officials from the government like them. . . .

Alexi still standing in front of her, and her still having an apparent glare on her features, Nicoletta set her eyes upon those men while Momchil and Amalia stood as silent as before, being the natural onlookers they were. Oh, those two false humans knew well the extent of their human sister’s displeasure, they knew. . . . "Excuse me there, sirs. Do you need something, or can I just see the search warrant that you were issued to search my store?" the voice of the store’s keeper came from behind her, almost startling Nicoletta from her rage induced transfixion, but it didn’t do enough. She could hear the civil tone in his voice, but at the same time she could hear it, she could feel it was a false one.

With that heart of her still pounding away within her chest, and her body beginning to quiver from the mounting irritation . . . Nicoletta could feel her body beginning to grow a little too warm, a certain heat was beginning to come from her skin that could not be considered a natural occurrence. No, no! Not now, not now! she mentally hissed, realizing just what was happening to her. What her anger was doing to her body . . . to her powers. A few minutes ago, the girl’s upmost concern was the fact that she’d just acted like a total idiot toward the man who she was suppose to be making the exchange with, and now she could not have been in a more opposite situation. Now she had to make sure she did not lose control over her powers in front of the worst people possible, no one could know of her status, what she was. Only her family knew . . . not even Alexi had been made privy to what it was she could do.

Just calm down Nicoletta . . . c-calm down. she told herself, breathing out a shaky sigh, trying to quell her raging heart, and to suppress the unnatural heat beginning to come from her bones.

It was when Momchil spoke up, that the girl was utterly caught off guard however, “Sirs,” the boy began as he set the item he’d been holding onto to the side, “May I please inquire the reasons of your being here? Though I do believe I know the reasons of your presence here already. . . .”

Following this, Momchil’s words were followed up by Amalia’s own, “If your persons would happen to be at this location based upon the threat of bombing within Xibalba or Dominion Hecate, I believe the location of your investigative efforts is wrong. Am I correct, brother Momchil?”

To this, Momchil nodded calmly, “Yes, sister. I am certain that it was reported within the very news this morning that areas under threat for bombings lay upon another street, two blocks over.”

“Indeed so, brother. That is what was stated, or, was it that false information was given out?” Amalia accused, her voice without emotion. This little accusation caused Nicoletta to stop breathing . . . the things Amalia said at times sent a true fright through her, she was so unabashed, fearless.

Nervous now, heat still radiating from her skin, Nicoletta took a step to the side, and forward, ahead of Alexi, “She is not mistaken, Amalia’s memory is never wrong . . . sir.” the blonde strained herself to show even that much respect to the scarred man, a look of obvious tenseness and irritation lay over her as she spoke. “You coming in here and beginning to simply ransack the place without stating a reason, or asking permission from the store’s owner is a violation of the law, being from the government and all, however, I would expect you of all people to know and understand this simple matter.” Nicoletta’s voice took on a sarcastic edge to it, “ After all, that is one of the most basic principles of our city’s existence and establishment, is it not? A certain granted freedom to its citizens, both private and otherwise. So, you are either have proper designation to be on these premises, to carry out a search, or you don't. If the case is the latter, well, then it might be best for you to leave.” A very, very bitter look took over the girl’s face as she had spoken, that mouth of hers running on again. . . .

Even if the store in which she was in was not hers, and even if she were not truly associated with it in any manner beyond the exchange she’d come to carry out, Nicoletta could not hold back her tongue toward men such as them. So, whether she seemed to be a fool or not, that was simply something she could not help.

         

Wei Zhen Shun ~ Feng Chen Shun

"...please, brother...those bastards deserve it!!!"

"...be careful with your language...and the answer is still no"

"...pretty please?"

"no"

"...come on...don't be such an ass, brother...I promise I...we won't make a scene"

"for the last time, Feng...I won't just let you go out and kill someone because you feel like it...we have to keep our cover!"

Wei growled out finally and turned his head, avoided his brother 'super puppy eyes' as they stared at him pleadingly. Who did his brother learn it from he would never know. But personally, Wei would prefer if he never figured that out. He sighed and covered his nose as he continued dusting the old books, completely ignored his younger sibling. It was a rather hot day today and truth to be told, Wei would love to have some relaxed time, eating ice cream, feeding his birds or watching the sunset ...or even simply laying on his bed, sleeping. Of course, he couldn't do that now, could he? The nineteen-year-old boy refrained himself from sighing again as he put some books on their respective places. He ran a hand through his sweaty long hair, silently admitted that he was quite bored as well...maybe a change of scenario was what they both needed right now. He turned his head and looked at Feng, whom, at the second of seeing his brother's defeated look, had begun to jump up and down, grinning like a fool. Wei snorted and said finally, empathized each word he said "don't.even.think.about.it" Feng just continued to grin and jump up to hug his brother, resulting in the older of two blushing furiously "...you're the best brother in the word, Wei!!!" Wei pushed Feng out as he turned his head to hide his pink cheeks, pretending to busy himself with another stack of books "...just shut up, you damned brat..." Feng chuckled and waved his hand in a dismissive manner "...yeah, yeah, love you, too, Wei..." Wei pursed his lips and said after a while "...though we won't go anywhere until we close the shop, you understand?"

Feng was having a fun time teasing his brother. Wei was so shy that he could freely tease his brother and still get some kinds of reactions from him. Seriously, teasing his brother had become somewhat of a new sport for him now and Wei's blush could always make Feng grin wider. He nodded his head frantically as he heard his brother asked him a question. Well, he didn't say they had to go out now. He just wanted to stretch his legs...and hands...and everything else after so many hours sitting in this crampy bookstore and acting nice to the customers. Why did he even agree to sell books again? Oh yes, his brother had practically forced him into doing it...with those blasted eyes of his. Feng rolled his eyes. What time was it again? Oh yeah, still had 4 more hours to go. 'Just great!' Feng thought sarcastically 'at this rate, we'll turn into old men before we could even think of helping the nature' Wei sent him a glare. Apparently, he could read Feng's facial expression...again. Feng could only look apologetically. 'Well, sorry for doubting you when what we only do is selling information for some cheap cents' Feng thought heatedly with an irritated huff. He vaguely heard Wei spoke slowly, as if carefully explained himself to him again. Dammit! Feng was not some kinds of toddlers. He understood the plan perfectly. He just didn't understand why it had to take them so long to prepare. He wanted some actions. He was stirring crazy here!

"Feng, you must understand...we have to be patient...It's the key to success! And it's not some information we are selling for cheap cents! By selling them, we can to a certain degree, access to a person's information...and we know what they know...don't you see it?" Wei said, nearly in tears because of his own anger and helplessness in making his brother realize how important their jobs were right now. Feng looked at his brother and bit his lips as he saw the other teenager had nearly cried...like usual. He sighed and patted his brother's back "...stop crying, Wei...I'm sorry...I shouldn't haven't been so...impatient...It's just...It has been so long since I last...had a mission...and I couldn't bear feeling like a sitting duck" Wei sniffed and wiped his face with his sleeve "...I'm sorry for being such a crybaby...I just want to make you understand..." The bell rang and Wei looked up, hastily wiped his face before Feng's hand stopped him "...I will go and talk with the customer...you stay here and clean your face..." Feng finished sternly.

Wei hiccuped and asked silently "...you're sure you can handle it...I can help you if you-" "...no need to make a fuss of everything, brother...there's no bastard I can't handle" Feng said confidently and pointed at his chest before walking out of the room. Wei corrected his brother half-heartedly "...language, Feng..." but shut up after Feng had walked out to handle their job. He sighed and mumbled "...do I have to be such a weakling?..." But no one could answer Wei and right now, Wei didn't have the answer to his own question. He would have to wait then...He looked out from the window. It's getting dark...He hoped he could close the shop soon...maybe a trip to lake Kalliope would help him clean his head and 'de-stress' himself...God knew he had worked a little too hard lately. He checked the wall clock. Wei wondered if there's any 'special' customer tonight...