Lydia Vivire's Story

As Kai looked worriedly at the boy, the other one reacted differently that expected. He jerked forward, only to drop back again, groaning in pain. He said he was alive, but was then distracted by a voice calling a name. Kai guessed it was his, because he responded. After a short conversing with the girl, Ryu turned his attention back to Kai. How many of them are there? Kai asked himself inwardly. "Where's Takashi? Did she come? Where'd that Fallen go? Who are you?" The boy asked frantically. Kai simply looked at him. He wasn't about to answer any of those questions without knowing what was going on.

"I don't know. Do you expect me to tell you? I don't even know what the hell a fallen is. And do you think I would tell you?" Kai said. His words were sharp, but he kept his voice low and calm. He stood up and took a few steps away from the boy. Just as he was about to begin asking his own questions, Takashi came flying through the trees, landing with a painful thud. She stood up, looking furious, bloody and somehow still gorgeous. Kai surprised a smile. The same girl from before came after her. The once white hair was streaked with blood and dirt, although once again it didn't diminish her exotic beauty. Ryu stood up and said something about another round, but the pageling was focused on Takashi. They all said some things, but Kai's mind was drifting. He didn't start paying attention until he Ryu stepped in front of him, protectively.

Kai literally had to fight to not roll his eyes. He did not need protecting. The cruel smile on the "Fallen's" face faded into a scowl. Why was she looking at him that way? She turned and disappeared into the woods, and Ryu started going on about how they would get her, but Takashi sharply cut him off. Kai listened to the exchange between the two of them, but he kept his eyes on the trees. When he brought his mind back to the people with him, he turned to see Takashi leaning on Ryu, and he was patting her head. He raised an eyebrow. Surely somewhere he had missed something. Ryu called the others out, and said it was okay not to hide anymore.

"Alright. I have been extremely patient while you fight some hot blonde chick," he pointed to Takashi, " and while you bombarded me with questions, talked to some hidden girl and then tried to protect me," he said his voice raising. "Now I want answers Takashi. What is going on? Who was that girl? What is a ward? And am I yours? What happened to your last one? Am I just a replacement until whatever the hell you do goes wrong?" He asked, hardly taking a breath between questions. "Why were you surprised when I did this?" He began making a sword, using long movements. Soon enough a sword appeared in Kai's hand as he took it out of an invisible sheath. This time he did it quickly, and threw it on the ground almost as soon as he'd made it. It took a few seconds to disappear, but it did. He began pacing back and forth. He was very impatient and as illogical as it is, he wanted all of his questions answered right then and there at the same time. Waiting was not on his list of things to do.

Suddenly, a hawk flew above the sky, cawing out. It wasn't a rare sight, but it was enough to distract Kai. "Hey Takashi look at that!" The childish glee was back to his voice, but it didn't last long. "No wait. Don't. Answer my questions."

---

Lydia

Lydia bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. She breathed in and out, shaking out her arms. Her brown hair was pulled into a tight knot at the back of her head. She took one last breath and began running across the mat. She flipped forward, placing her powered hands on the ground. Her movements were flawless, or so it seemed. She always found mistakes while watching her recorded practices. Although, this wasn't gym practice, it was agility and fighting practice. Her moves were a mix gymnastics, Hankido and Hapkido. The combination created a beautiful show, however if you were to come across her, it became deadly. Losing her balance, she slips and fell hard on her back. The wind was knocked out of her, but it wasn't anything she wasn't used to.

After showering and putting on her favorite outfit, coral colored shorts and a cream colored v-neck, she walked out of the gym seeking out her father. Today, she had her whip fashioned as a belt. It was hidden by her top, but if anyone were to see it, they'd take it as a fashion statement. After talking with her dad for a few minutes, she was given a piece of paper with the information of her ward on it. His name, age, and grade were written next to a picture of him. He father gave her the advice that he might hang out at the library or possibly the park considering it was nice out today. She thought she'd seen him around school some, but she'd just have to see now wouldn't she.

Lydia stuffed the noted in her pocket and began making her way towards the park. "Hi," she began speaking to herself. She kept her voice low though, so that no one could hear what she was saying. "My name is Lydia Vivire. No need to introduce yourself, I know who you are. No, no, no! That sounds so stalkerish," She sighed. Taking a deep breath, she tried again. "Hello, I'm Lydia. It's really nice to meet you finally." Lydia clenched her fists and let out a frustrated sigh."Finally? That's even worse! Okay, alright Lydia. you got this. Hi, I'm Lydia. You're special, and I'm here to protect you." She slapped her forehead and gave up. Maybe the right words would come to her when the time came. She entered the park and began looking around. She pulled out the paper again and studied his picture.

Yeah, just…. Wait for me. Adelaide and I will go with you. We gotta get you a Guardian and soon. Without one you’re going to be in a lot of trouble. Especially with Ivy…” Fletcher nodded with a sigh as he made his way with them out of the woodsy area. “Okay…. Yeah, I know…” He bit his lip and stared at the ground. The questions from before flooded into his mind once again. Who, Where, When, How? All these needed answers, and Fletcher wasn’t sure if they’d be answered fast enough. He watched the leaves that crunched underneath him slowly fade away into a bare path, and let out another sigh. They were coming up to the park. Fletcher began pondering what he wanted to see in a new Guardian. Definitely a girl, he knew that. And around his age, like a proper guardian should. Beyond that…. Fletcher really didn’t know. He would know when he met her, though, if she was a good Guardian or not.

Finally, they made it to the park area. It was as if nothing had happened in the deeper woods. Kids still bounced about on playgrounds as if nothing was wrong in the world. What innocence! What ignorance! What bliss it was to be ignorant! He watched them for a while, a sad look on his face. He really didn’t pay much attention to Ryu or Adelaide at this point. Glancing around, he looked at the adults that were around. There were a few that were walking around, a few that were jogging, one looking at a piece of paper, a couple others sitting on a bench. The one looking at the piece of paper looked pretty to him. He liked her outfit, though he couldn’t see her face. He glanced down again. Now, where did he park his car…?

Even after the violence had ended, Ryu still came to help her up. She was almost frightened by the endurance of the guardians, both with serious injuries but somehow able to walk about. It was beyond human.
But they were kind, and they cared. And those are about the most human of all traits. Adelaide took his hand yet again that day and they wound their way about the trees and out of the forest. She spared a glance back at the other two. The easily distracted one had alarmed her with his outburst, but he did not seem to be malevolent. The bold guardian seemed to have crumpled up, feelings from a distressing past crashing over her shoulders. The attack had wounded her in more ways than one. The same must have been for Ryu.

Adelaide felt guilty that she was the one being supported away from the ordeal. The experience left her tired, frightened, but completely capable of walking and in much better shape than her partner. As they entered the relatively bright park area, Adelaide placed herself right at Ryu's side and pulled on his shirt so that his weight would fall on her. This way, he could lean on her and rest a bit, as well as hide some of the blood and wounds from the curious eyes around them.

A thick drop of blood splashed onto her supporting shoulder. It must have been half congealed, but what made her shiver the most was the heat of it and the thought that Ryu's health might be deteriorating more rapidly than she thought. Fletcher looked distracted, like he had spotted someone of interest, but Adelaide followed silently so that they may find medical treatment quickly.

The look in Takashi's eyes was terrifying to Kai. He had hurt her feelings. Tears began streaming down her face and Kai was flooded with guilt. He never got angry, and he had just yelled at a stranger! Not only that, but someone who was trying to protect him! Her rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at the ground. He didn't want to see her cry. "You're my ward. You're what's called a pageling. That sword you created is your papercraft. I knew about it, that's why I wasn't surprised. I'm your guardian, I protect you from the Fallen. That's what Ivy is. She used to be a guardian, like me. But she abused her power and now she takes pagelings for her own personal use. She has no problems with killing pagelings, overusing them and their power, driving them to their limits until they simply. fall. apart. My last ward is..." Takashi said, her emotionless voice trailing off as she turned away from him and Ryu. Wow, did Kai have it mixed up. Takashi really was on his side, now he felt even worse.

“Am… Can I go, now?” a boy asked as he came through the brush. He tripped over a log, but quickly got up, regaining his balance.


"Yeah, just... wait for me. Adelaide and I will go with you. We gotta get you a Guardian and soon. Without one you're going to be in a lot of trouble. Especially with Ivy... Well, you know that already I'm sure. Come on, lets get going. We really need to go find Matthew, Takashi." Ryu said, as he helped a girl out of the thickets. Kai ran his fingers through his hair. There seemed to be a lot of people involved with this whole thing. Because he had been so thrown off by what Takashi's reaction was, he hardly had time to react to what she said. So, he was a Pageling, and what he could do with his swords and knives was called paper craft. That was pretty cool.

"Go, I'll catch up later." Takashi said, still not facing them.


"You better. What would I do without you Takashi?" Ryu asked, then turned and started making his way back to the park. Without trying to do it, Kai mentally noted that he wasn't taking the shortest, nor the easiest route. He would have said something, but for once he knew he shouldn't. He turned to the red headed girl and kneeled down next to her.

"Takashi," he began. "I'm sorry I yelled at you, but I had to get some answers. When my life and other people's lives are threatened it never is a good thing. I was just sorta freaked out," he said. Guilt was plastered all over his face. "I'll make it up to you! We can go and get some ice cream, and you can explain anything else you need to say.. and I will tell you when I discovered I was a Pageling. We can be friends. We can start new," he said. He was so worried that things weren't going to work out. That he'd ruined it. Granted, it wasn't really anyone's fault. She never had a chance to explain what was going on to him.

After a few moments, he began to speak again. "Hi, my name is Kai. And it's very nice to meet you. I like to go on adventures, and swim and run and meet cute girls like you. I'm a Pageling," he said, and his smile returned. He stuck his hand out to shake hers. He was determined to fix this.



Lydia was chewing on the inside of her lip, this shouldn’t have been that hard. She looked around the park again, hoping she might catch sight of him. There were a few people coming out of the woods, a girl and two boys. One was wearing a green hat. Sitting down on the bench, Lydia began putting her hair into a French braid. She watched the people walk for a while, but the one with the green hat seemed familiar. When she was half way done with her hair, she glanced down at the picture, then up again, and back down once more. She squealed as she recognized the boy. She stood up quickly letting go of her hair. It fell down around her face as she shoved the paper into her pocket. She made sure to readjust her shirt to cover her ‘belt’.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, she began to walk towards him. She tried to convince herself that talking to him was going to be easy. She couldn’t remember the last time she talked to someone first. Her heart pounded in her throat. Ten feet away now. He saw her coming, she knew it. When she got in front of him, she had to look up slightly. She just stood there for a few seconds without saying anything. She got nervous and spit out the first thing that came to mind. “You’re cuter in person than in the picture.” It didn’t come out flirty, but just like she was stating a fact. Immediately a blush covered her cheeks. “Uhm, what I meant to say is, I’m Lydia. I uhmm…” She hesitated. “You’re a Pageling and I’m your guardian. It’s nice to meet you, Fletcher.” Inwardly she was screaming at herself to run away. She didn’t even know if he knew what he was. She was speaking nonsense. Her heart beat quickened, but still, she slowly put her hand out to shake his.

Fletcher thought for a long moment… He had parked his car… over there! Of course. Fletcher glanced toward Ryu and Adelaide, not sure what they were doing. He heard a squeal over from the girl that he had seen looking at a piece of paper. Wonder what that was all about… He thought, turning back to the path ahead. The young man was about to head off toward the parking lot, but he noticed the same girl heading towards him.

“What now…?” He muttered to himself, his lips barely moving as he watched the girl walk with eyes closed. Now that he could see her face, he thought she was prettier than before. Although he was confused, he didn’t back away from her as she stopped in front of her. He met her gaze silently as an awkward silence ensued for a while. Fletcher was about to say something, but the girl blurted out, You’re cuter in person than in the picture, blushing right afterward.

“I’m…” A grin spread across his face. The matter-of-fact way she had said it made it come across as hilarious to him. Crossing his arms loosely over his chest, he struggled to maintain his calm as she continued, “Uhm, what I meant to say is, I’m Lydia. I uhmm…” She hesitated. “You’re a Pageling and I’m your guardian. It’s nice to meet you, Fletcher.”
All thoughts of humour immediately left him. She was his new guardian?! His eyes bulged out for a moment, then his grin widened even farther, and he shook her hand warmly. “Thank goodness you found me, Lydia. It’s good to meet you too.” Letting go of her hand, he looked her over with a quick sweep of his eyes. She looked pretty athletic, like she had been training to be a Guardian for a while. That was good…. He wondered how much she had been trained in fighting, and what weapon she used. He also noticed a spiral mark along her forearm near her wrist. Whoah, what’s that? He thought, but his curiosity about it remained inside.

“So…” He glanced back at Ryu and Adelaide momentarily, then speaking to Lydia, “I was just heading back to my home-business-place. Would you like to come with?” He watched her hopefully as he waited for her response.

Kai

"I'm Takashi and I'm your Guardian. I promise to protect you from the Fallen, upholding my honor as a Guardian in doing so. I swear upon my own life that I will never use your papercraft to my own advantage, nor use you in any ill way possible. My life for yours," Takashi said. Kai liked it. The last part seemed a little intense. Well, all of it did actually.

"Thank you," he said to her, not sure of what else to say. "I can't promise you I will stay out of trouble. It's hard to find me when I'm not in trouble," he said, running his fingers through his hair. He couldn't help himself, he reached out and pulled her against his bare chest. "Now we're friends," he said, grinning. He refused to let her go as he awkwardly pulled her out of the forest. Only then did he let her go. "What now?" he asked her. "Are we supposed to train? I don't want to be babysat," he said crossing his arms. "I want to be a team," he said. Based on what she had said, he wasn't sure if it worked that way.

Lydia

“Thank goodness you found me, Lydia. It’s good to meet you too.” Fletcher said as he shook her hand. He looked her up and down, and his eye lingered slightly on her arm. She didn't mind, it was obvious, and she had nothing to hide from him. “I was just heading back to my home-business-place. Would you like to come with?” He asked her. Lydia's words faltered as she tried to think of a rule for this. Was there one?

She shrugged and smiled. She couldn't think of any reason why not, except she had just met this guy. He couldn't be dangerous, he was her Pageling! Sudden;y her nerves returned to her as she thought about having to get to know him. Making friends was hard, let alone with people you had called "cute" in the first two seconds you met them. She clenched her fists at the embarrassment of the recent memory. "Sure," she said. She couldn't bring herself to say anymore, and she hoped he might start conversation. She was dying to find out everything about him, but she wasn't sure if she should tell him about her first. Were they supposed to go about this as friends, and let things happen like real life, or were they supposed to swap life stories and become best friends immediately? She sighed once more and absently started playing with her hair.

Waiting for her to respond, Fletcher let his thoughts run with him for a moment. Was Lydia really a nice girl? He certainly hoped so. She looked pretty. Hopefully she didn’t turn out to be another Ivy or something like that. He wanted to learn more about her, and wasn’t afraid to start a conversation. But that could wait until they got in the car and on the road.

Finally, after what seemed like an hour, she smiled and shrugged. Sure, she said. Fletcher smiled a bit more and nodded. “Alright then. Follow me, Lydia. We can take my car.” He gestured with one arm and took her back to the parking lot, opening the door to the passenger seat of his car for her. After climbing in himself, he started the car and pulled out of the park. A thought crossed his mind about Ryu and Adelaide, but he quickly dismissed it. They would be fine, they had Takashi. And Ryu knew how to take care of himself, anyway.

“So, Lydia…” Fletcher began once they were out on the roads. “Do you go to school? Which one? I don’t go to school right now, a couple of classes online but that’s it. I gotta focus on making money. Speaking of, do you have a job? ‘cause if you don’t, I’d be happy to have you helping out at my business. It’s an archery range, if that piques your interest. “
Blinking, Fletcher swerved a bit to avoid a reckless driver, who honked his horn at Fletcher and continued speeding down the road. “Crazy drivers,” he muttered. “No sense at all, I tell ya.”

Kai

"Kai... you have blood on you..." Takashi said quietly.

"Huh?" Kai replied, looking down at his blood stained chest. It looked like he had been stamped. From far away it might look like he was the one shoe was bleeding, but up close you could tell that it was from someone else.

"Train. We can start with that. I'll take you back with me to head quarters. It's where I stay anyway. I need some patching up, but I hope you're ready. I'm not an easy trainer," The red head said and began walking away from him. Kai wasn't sure whether to be worried or excited. He settled on smiling as he followed the girl.

"You know, you didn't get to stay in Eden for that long," he commented realizing just how short lived their little adventure had been. He wasn't complaining, just implying that they would need to go back soon. "Anyway, I left my shirt there. Don't worry, I'm fine like this," he added quickly, smirking at her. "I hope it doesn't bother you too much," he said. He was tempted to say something about all the blushing she had been doing since they met, but he figured he had done enough to upset her today. Best wait until things cooled down a bit. He was glad he got that reaction from her. That way he knew she wasn't completely stone, and he would be able to break down he walls. Kai was dying to know what happened to her last ward. He almost forgot to be worried that she wasn't capable of her job, but he figured she was just a girl, and he could defend himself.

For all he knew, the last one could have run off. He could be perfectly fine. Maybe she just had her heart broken. Kai knew little about how things worked between Pagelings and Guardians, but he was eager to learn more. "So, how did you know about me?" he asked. He figured that would be a good enough place to start. Was he being followed? Or was there some sort of powerful machine that could track paper crafting?

Lydia

Lydia smiled and followed silently to Fletcher's car. She blushed slightly when he opened the door for her. What a gentlemen! She sat down and pulled on her seat belt. When they pulled out, Fletcher began asking her lots of questions. [b]“So, Lydia… Do you go to school? Which one? I don’t go to school right now, a couple of classes online but that’s it. I gotta focus on making money. Speaking of, do you have a job? ‘cause if you don’t, I’d be happy to have you helping out at my business. It’s an archery range, if that piques your interest. “

She fiddled with the bottom of her shirt. "Yeah, I go to the public school here. No, I don't have a job but that sounds very interesting!" She said. "I have never used a bow and arrow before. I'm a gymnast, so I spend a lot of my time at the gym. Maybe I could help out some. I need to be with you, so I think that would work out very well," the girl concluded. She seemed a bit nervous, and her fingers were visibly trembling. The car swerved and Fletcher murmured about crazy drivers. This only added to Lydia's nerves, but at least Fletcher was paying attention.

"So what kind of paper craft do you do?" she asked him. She was curious as to how much he understood of it, and if he knew his try capabilities. She was eager to start practicing with him, and she hoped they could start right when they arrived to the archery range.

"Yeah, I go to the public school here. No, I don't have a job but that sounds very interesting!" She said. "I have never used a bow and arrow before. I'm a gymnast, so I spend a lot of my time at the gym. Maybe I could help out some. I need to be with you, so I think that would work out very well,"

“Public school?” Fletcher grinned, sticking his tongue out a bit. “I never liked the public school that much. Too many stupid people in non-stupid zones… Never used a bow? Well, that’s gonna change, and pretty soon, that’s for sure. It’s awesome.”

Nodding slightly as she continued, Fletcher spoke on, “Yeah, gymnast stuff… I’ve never gotten into that before. Maybe I should. You go to the same gym all the time? …Yeah, that’s what I was thinking, too. My last Guardian always was with me, since he didn’t have much to do other than protect me…”

“What Papercraft do I do?” Fletcher shrugged a little bit. “I’ve trained a bunch for Inanimate Papercraft, but never got the Animate stuff down. It’s really convenient to make pretty much whatever you need, especially running a business like mine. Kiddos like how the arrows and bows are really light, but still fly and shoot like normal ones that the grown-ups do.” He grinned at the thought. “Then again, so do the adults.”

He looked over at Lydia’s hands. They were trembling, visibly. His brow furrowed, and he asked, his voice a bit softer, “Hey, what’re you nervous about? My driving? I’ve got it under control, we’re almost there.” Not wanting to make her scared, he slowed the car down a little bit. He had been going over the speed limit, so he just decelerated to the proper rate of travel.

Kai
Kai listened as Takashi answered his question. He had many more to ask, but shed seemed a bit worn out so he bit his tongue, literally, to keep from talking. Ryu began chirping to Takashi, but she seemed rather annoyed. Eventually she told him to shut up. After a bit of walking and silence from Takashi, and rambling from Ryu, they climbed the stairs in front of a large building. It looked like a regular office building. "Welcome to Guardian Central," the girl said as the entered the lobby.

"Pretty cool," Kai said, putting his hands on his hips. He took in the people walking around and the pictures on the wall. It seemed like a regular building, even on the inside. Maybe things changed when they went further in. "So are we starting immediately or do you want to.." Kai looked Takashi up and down. She was a blur of black, white and red from head to foot. Sometimes her skin would peek out, but it was usually masked in crimson blood. "Clean up," he said. He wasn't bothered by looking at her injuries, but he was worried about what pain she might be in. After knowing her for an hour or so, he figured out she was pretty tough. As he looked at her though, he wondered just how long she could pretend she was actually hurting. Sure anyone could mask the pain, but she as in need of some medical attention.

Lydia

"I'll take your word for it," Lydia said in response to him mentioning she would learn to use a bow. Maybe she could show him that she could handle a whip pretty well. She wasn't exactly sure that would help her with archery, though.

"Gym is fun. There aren't a lot of guys into it," she giggled slightly. "I am there everyday, so yes same gym. I go a lot," She said. She thought of explaining the amount of time and the actual time of day varied depending on which day of the week it was, but he would find that out soon enough. She didn't need to give him every detail of her schedule in the first 20 minutes of knowing him.

She smiled as he explained that he had a guardian in the past, and also that he had some practice. She wondered what happened to his last ward. Suddenly she became a little frustrated. She wished her father would have gathered more information for her, but maybe that was her responsibility. She made a mental note to either take notes on what Fletcher said, or go to the Headquarters and get his file herself.

"Hmm?" she asked, as he asked why she was nervous. "Oh. I uhh. I'm just shy is all," she said, her voice softening. She tried her best to keep her hands still, but to no avail. Instead she just sat on them. "Your driving is fine," she said. "It's not you. Well, it is. But only because I'm in a car with a strange boy, that I just met and I'm not exactly sure where we're going.." She let her voice trail off. "But it's okay!" she reassured him, smiling and looking at him.

"Oh. I uhh. I'm just shy is all," Lydia replied to him after he had slowed up a bit. She sat on her hands, continuing, "Your driving is fine. It's not you. Well, it is. But only because I'm in a car with a strange boy, that I just met and I'm not exactly sure where we're going.." She let her voice trail off. "But it's okay!" Fletcher’s brow furrowed a bit. She really was nervous, wasn’t she? I’m probably her first ward… He thought to himself, then smiled softly back at her, ignoring the “strange” comment.

“Well, I’ll tell you exactly where we’re going. We’re going to my home, which also happens to be my business.” After reciting the address to her, he continued, “And being shy is normal, I guess. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna be mad at you if you mess up or anything.” He laughed softly. “If I did, I’d be stuck without a Guardian again, and then where would I be? Probably dead before too long.” He winked at her. “I need you, so don’t think you have to be perfect to me.”

Just then he pulled into an empty parking lot. Pointing over to his left, he nodded a bit. “Ah, here we are, Fletcher’s Archery Range. … I think I need a better name.” It appeared to be just another multi-level brick business along that particular street, which in fact it was. He shook his head ruefully before pulling in front of a garage behind the building. Putting the car in park, he turned to his new Guardian and asked, “Well, this is it. You wanna go inside, or is this good?”

Fletcher's reassurances sure made Lydia feel better. She now knew the name of where they were going, so that helped a little. She looked at him as he spoke and once again blushed when he winked at her. He was right, he did need her. She inwardly started to build up her confidence. She could do this. "I think the name could use some work, yeah," she agreed with him and laughed slightly. She smiled, "Well if we stay in the car, how are you going to teach me to use a bow and arrow?" she asked and opened the door.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air helped her calm her nerves, and being in the sun was nice as well. She liked it, but could never stay out for too long. "Plus," she continued, "I think we have a lot to talk about," she nodded, almost as if she was agreeing with herself. She stood there awkwardly, deciding whether to keep speaking. "And," she continued, her voice lowering slightly, "We have to start training ASAP. I heard there was a Fallen here. Her name is Ivy. I've only heard of her," Lydia said. She had no idea of Fletcher's run in previously that day. "I can't let you get mixed up with her," She concluded with a set look on her face.

As they walked to the door, she lifted her shirt up a bit and undid her "belt". "Since you told me about your bow and arrows, not that it's much of a secret," Lydia said, gesturing to the sign that said "archery", "It's only fair I show you my choice of weapon," She held out the long whip and smiled. She wasn't going to tell Fletcher. about how she came to use it unless he asked. Lydia was embarrassed for being in Ribbon Dancing, even if it helped her become good with her whip. "And, I know Hankido and Hapkido. But, those are the most terrifying martial arts... Just helps with agility and if I'm in an up close situation.." she let her voice trail off. She hated rambling. Well, really, since there was meaning, it wasn't rambling, but she didn't want to overwhelm him and not give him a chance to speak.

Lydia

The girl was relieved, but somehow even more worried all at once when Fletcher admitted to knowing about Ivy. She was glad he already knew so much. Some people believed knowledge was power, and others believed it would be the death of a person. Lydia wasn't exactly sure where she stood on that, but she didn't want Fletcher to be subjected to the horrors that is a Fallen. He seemed impressed when she showed him her whip. "Yeah, it's a scar," she agreed and wrapped the whip around her arm. It covered the winding snake-like scar around her arm perfectly. "I used to keep it on here non stop and it would always rub my skin. Since the whip was always there, it never had time to heal, so it just scarred," She shrugged as he opened the door for her.

“So, here we are,” he started. ‘This is the back of the place, and it’s part of my home. If we go over to the right, we can go to the business part.” He pointed to each door in turn. “If we go through that door, that leads to my bedroom, that one’s the bathroom, and that leads to my living area. This is just the hall of doors, the portal to everything on this floor.” Grinning he gestured towards the doors. “Pick your poison, which do you want to see?” She looked at each of the doors. She was so tempted to ask to see his bedroom. She was dying to know if he was a neat person or not, but she figured that could send the wrong message. Maybe she'd just ask him.

"How about the living room?" she asked. She couldn't exactly remember which door was which, since she was still wondering about what condition his room was in, but that would have to wait. And anyway, she might be able to tell that form his living room. "Lead the way." As they walked down the plain hallway, Lydia organized her thoughts and which questions were a priority. "So, what happened to your last guardian?" she asked. Immediately, she covered her mouth. That was so rude! "I-I'm sorry. What I meant to ask was.. Are you a neat person? Like.. clean. Well, I know you're clean, I mean you smell nice," she could feel the blood rising to her cheeks. "Do you like things organized?" she finally asked, her eyes wide. She looked shocked and embarrassed. Normally, Lydia didn't stumble over her words, but she was so focused on learning about him she forgot her manners. She was always outspoken, but only when she got to know a person. So far, she had called him cute, strange and told him he smelled nice. She had also let on that she thought he was a bad driver, made her nervous, and that she was nosy. And possibly that he seems like a messy person.

Kai

"I'd like to clean up first. It'll only take me a few minutes. The healers here are quite good," Takashi said and walked towards an elevator. Kai smiled and followed after her. She seemed to be in pain, or deep thought. Kai hadn't learned how to read her.. Yet. He watched her for a bit, but her eyes stayed closed. Soon he grew bored and looked around the elevator. It was extremely boring. Nothing to even imagine about. He looked over to Takashi to ask her if she wanted to play I Spy. Right as he looked at her, she was looking away with flushed cheeks. He bit the inside of his lip and scrunched his eyebrows together. Why was she blushing? Once again, Kai was going to ask, but the doors of the elevator opened, interrupting him. The girl stepped out and started walking down the hallway. She seemed quite focused now.

"No need to sprint, Red," Kai said. He knew she had told him not to call her that, but he just couldn't help himself. As they walked through the hall, he tried to remember as much as he could, but it didn't work so well. Instead, he got distracted smiling and waving at the people greeting Takashi. He was receiving a few weird looks and he assumed it was because he was shirtless and covered in blood. Also, most likely none of them knew who he was, unless they were all forced to memorize the files of Pagelings, and so it was strange that Takashi was bringing a half-naked, blood covered boy down there. But then again, maybe that was normal. Okay, the blood part. He smiled a couple of girls as his guardian walked into the Nurses station. One smiled back and the other smirked and rolled her eyes. "Ladies," he said, half bowing as he backed through the doorway.

Kai followed, not really listening to the doctor or Takashi. He was getting bored again. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the doctor lift Takashi's shirt slightly. He looked over at her and saw the fierce red color of her cut flesh. It was pretty awesome. He obviously knew it was real, but couldn't help comparing it to the wounds you see in the movies. This was so much better. And they were on a hot, bad ass girl. He grinned.

"Take it off, love. We'll get you fixed up in no time." The doctor said. He though he had heard Takashi call her Miss Le. Once again Kai looked at each of them. When his eyes went back to Takashi she was taking her shirt off. His brown eyes widened as she removed her weapons.

"Uhh," he said, turning red. He wanted to look so bad but that wasn't the way he was raised. Sure this was for medical purposes, but damn she had a nice body. "I'm just going to..." he physically covered his eyes. "Yeah. Okay," he said, turning his covered eyes away from her. He kept peeking anyway, but hey, at least he tried. Finally she was done and buttoning up her shirt. She looked at him and he dropped his hand.

"Come on Kai, lets see what kind of fighter you are," She said.

"Ooh, sounds like a challenge," Kai smiled. All of his previous embarrassment had gone away and he was quite comfortable again. He followed her out and into the training arena. It was pretty empty and he was appreciative of that.

"Get ready," She said. She had her daggers out, ready for him to make his first move. He wasn't sure where to begin. Normally, he wrestled. Takashi was a lot smaller than him and he could easily take her down if she didn't have her weapons. He thought about it a little more and second guessed himself. She was really tough, so he wasn't worried about hurting her, but he still didn't know what to do first. He dropped back slightly, lacing his fingers together. He pulled them apart, just as he had done in the woods. He broke it in two and two knives appeared in his hands. When he looked back up at her, all he could picture was her in the nurses station. The knifes disappeared from his hands just as soon as they'd come and he sighed.

"Uhh, you know what? I normally just wrestle.. Like hand to hand combat. No weapons. And anyway," he said, running his fingers through his hair and taking a more casual stance, "I can make the knifes and swords real easy, but they don't last that long and aren't very strong." He gave her a weak smile and shrugged. Hopefully they could still fight. He tried to convince himself it wasn't just so that he could get close to her.

"How about the living room?" Lydia decided after a moment. Fletcher nodded, starting to lead her down the hallway. Thankfully he had cleaned up the day before so everything was neat and in order in each room. Before they reached the door, the girl next to him started talking again. So, what happened to your last guardian?”

Startled by the bluntness and plainly spoken question, Fletcher started a bit. “I. Uhh…” He hardly had time to gather his wits before she covered her mouth and continued spewing out words. I-I’m sorry. What I meant to ask was.. Are you a neat person? Like.. clean. Well, I know you’re clean, I mean you smell nice.. her cheeks turned bright red as she finished with, [b]Do you like things organized?[b] Fletcher didn’t pay too much attention to what she was saying. What he was really focused on was her face. She looked so shocked and embarrassed, he felt some sympathy for her.

“Hold on, there, Lydia,” He started. Putting his hands on each of her shoulders, he spoke gently to her, “Before I answer your questions, there’s something that needs to be addressed.” Fletcher slid his hands down behind her and gave her a hug. After a couple seconds he pulled away, and spoke some more with the same tone.

“There’s no need to feel like anything is rushed, or that you have to be perfect, or that I’ll hate you for making mistakes. Just… calm down a bit, okay?” Gently guiding her with one hand at her shoulder, he led her into the living room. It wasn’t overly done, or very simple. The walls were painted an earthy-gray-brown, and had drawings and paintings of bows and arrows as well as famous archers scattered along it. The carpet was the common light tan that most people see in the average household. Across from the entertainment set, which didn’t have much on it other than a TV, he sat down on an old but well-maintained couch and gently urged her to sit next to him. Once she was seated, he started talking anew.

“So, let’s start from the beginning… what were you asking me again? Keep it slow, okay?”