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Post by Arianna Ravenscar on May 16, 2011 17:04:06 GMT -5
The sun was setting when Arianna finally left the Institute to resume her ritualistic exploration of the city. This was far later than normal; she'd become thoroughly distracted by a new book on demon lore her parents had sent her, and had lost the entire day in its pages.
She was unglamoured, as usual, Shadowhunter armor replaced with clothing that didn't stand out nearly as much. Her blonde hair was tied back from her face, a long sleeved burgundy shirt of a light material hiding the permanent Marks that ran over her upper arms. Jeans and sneakers completed the ensemble, though the later hour had prompted her to come a bit better armed today. Two runed daggers lay in sheaths at her waist, concealed by the hem of her shirt. Her stele was in her back pocket, as per usual.
Every day she explored further and further from the Institute in an outward expanding radius. Today, she found herself in an unfamiliar neighborhood with rows of terraced houses. It wasn't unlike several other areas she'd been through, if perhaps a bit seedier. This didn't deter her; when one's idea of danger consisted of monsters and demons, a potential mugging didn't even make the list.
The block was deserted, as far as she could tell. No abnormal ruckuses, sounds of alarm, anything. It almost brought a twinge of disappointment. Lately here it seemed she was almost looking for something, anything, to happen. Even if it meant trouble.
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Post by Reiichiru on May 16, 2011 17:22:44 GMT -5
K:anode hummed cheerfully to himself, walking through the neighborhood, a bag of groceries in one hand. The past few the days the weather had been terrible and he'd had to lock himself up in the house. At long last the heavy rain clouds shifted away and he could enjoy the sunlight and the fresh taste air had after a downpour.
He turned unto his street, a nice enough road of terrace housing, with little gardens, some concrete, others grass. His had formerly been filled with well kept plant life, but in the six months since he moved in, he had to leave it be. Plants and the half demon did not agree. They gave up all the energy they held upon his lightest touch, draining them dry of life within seconds. He sighed at the thought. He liked flowers.
"Heh?"Suddenly his humming and feet stopped as his eyes came to rest on a single figure walking down the street. He glanced over her clothing. She looked normal enough, but he had a sneaking suspicion. For one, she concealed more of herself then most of the local girls and secondly, her gait was one of caution.
Without thinking, one hand came to check on the cresant-moon shaped charm which hung on a chain around his neck. It was there. Supposedly it would mask (though not completely hide) him from less experienced shadow hunters. He sighed at his own paranoia. She was probably just an ordinary girl, who now thought him strange.
Not that a 14 year old -looking- boy with sharp, messy red hair and pink eyes was already strange. Still cautious, he dropped his eyes to the pavement, keeping them away from her as she came closer. They'd need to cross paths. |
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Post by Arianna Ravenscar on May 16, 2011 17:58:53 GMT -5
The appearance of another walking down the street instantly caught Arianna's attention. Her gaze moved over him in a rapid assessment; he appeared young, though she wasn't making any bets on his age, and he had quite the odd hair-eye color combination. This isn't what piqued her curiosity, however. It was the equally analytical glance she received from him, the fact that he stopped in his tracks, and what could have only been a nervous gesture as he fiddled with the jewelry around his neck.
He diverted his gaze as she neared, though he didn't attempted to avoid her. The young Nephilim tensed unconsciously and her pulse quickened, as though she were preparing for a fight. She scolded herself mentally; he was probably just some weird kid walking home, and here she was gearing up to kick his ass. Besides, had he been a downworlder of some sort, she'd have sensed it by now, surely.
That thought was immediately proven false as she walked past him. She sensed...something, in the second that they were actually next to each other. Nothing so strong as to indicate that he was a demon, maybe part demon? Was he a warlock? Well, she simply couldn't carry on as if nothing had happened. She turned on her heel and simply blurted out, "What -are- you?" Completely and utterly tactless? Oh yeah.
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Post by Reiichiru on May 16, 2011 18:14:59 GMT -5
K:anode's heartbeat started to quicken as he came closer to the most probably innocent girl. Though, from a glance he noticed she too tensed. Maybe she was just nervous, lost and thought he might attack her? That would be a nice alternative. He almost breathed a sigh of relief as he set foot on the first step into the small garden of his home, when she spoke.
He cursed under his breath something which sounded like fire crackling, before turning on his heel to face her.
"Huh? W-what you mean mi-iss?"He asked, his voice more wavered then he wanted. Traitor. He glanced her over. Now that he could see her more clearly she looked older then his assumed age. Maybe he could play the innocent child card? He always felt guilty when he did, particularly with people who were in fact younger then him.
He took a breath, clearly his mind and deciding what he should say.
"Sorry miss. You threw me for a moment there."He explained, smiling a little, though not enough -he hoped- for her to notice his slightly pointed teeth. Hopefully she'd assume his eyes to be contacts, "Aahaha, I just got back from an anime convention."He explained nervously, hoping she'd believe it. It was pretty believable, right? All sorts of strange people went to those places. He'd be -normal- there.
Despite his attempt to look cool, his heart beat was still racing. He needed to end this conversation quickly before he started freaking out. How the heck did she notice?! What would he do if she started waving weapons about and trying to kill him? A noticeable shiver ran down his spine at the thought. |
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Post by Arianna Ravenscar on May 16, 2011 19:19:21 GMT -5
Arianna instantly regretted not thinking her words through a little better. Her tactlessness seemed to have only freaked the guy out. She eyed him as he offered up an explanation, that he had just come from an anime convention. Perfectly plausible in any other situation, but she knew she hadn't imagined that feeling she'd gotten.
The Nephilim smiled slightly. "Nice try, but the jig's up." She raised her hands in a placating gesture. "Don't worry. I'm not here to start a fight." she said. Well, she may have been initially, but if her sudden shouting hadn't elicited an aggressive response, why should she antagonize him further? "I'm, uh, sorry for just sort of shouting out you." she said, looking slightly abashed. Many downworlders already disliked or distrusted Shadowhunters; she was doing her fellows no credit with blatant rudeness.
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Post by Reiichiru on May 16, 2011 19:29:15 GMT -5
As she saw straight through him, K:anode swore again. He glanced to the side, planning of course, in his timid nature to flee. He hated to hurt -plants- never mind humans, and worse yet, Shadowhunters, who'd probably send a group after him.
"..You serious?"he asked, his eyes narrowing clearly suspicious and disbelieving. He knew there were good shadowhunters out there, they just seemed to be few and far between. Then, she did seem more startled then angry with him. "... I guess I can drop it... I should work on better lies..."he muttered, still cautious, but trying to be a little more friendly. He certaintly did not want a fight. Not with mundanes, and certaintly not with her kind. Had they any idea how much pain they could cause with those weapons?
"So.. what are you doing here anyway?"he asked, suddenly curious. "I haven't done a thing -and I haven't heard of anything that would bother you.."He explained, raising a hand in defense. |
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Post by Arianna Ravenscar on May 16, 2011 20:28:58 GMT -5
Arianna nodded, as though to reassure him that she had no ulterior motives. He still seemed very suspicious of her, and she couldn't blame him. Before downworlders had been given seats on the Council twenty years ago, there had been a rather sizable divide between them and Shadowhunters. Hundreds of years of animosity didn't just disappear over night.
At his question, she tilted her head slightly. "Oh, I'm not here on any sort of any ah, official business. I've only been living at the Institute here a couple of months, so I don't know my way around just yet." she admitted, a bit sheepishly. "I've been trying to get out every day and ah, explore a little bit, I guess." It sounded mildly ridiculous when she said it out loud, even if it was the truth.
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Post by Reiichiru on May 17, 2011 1:22:39 GMT -5
K:anode nodded, taking in the information, though not really too concerned. It didn't matter to him what some shadow hunter did in their free time.. so long as it wasn't finding weaker demons (and half demons) and giving them grief.
"I guess you could come in for a bit.."He muttered in suggestion. To his mild surprise the sun only barely hovered over the houses on the otherside now. Night had almost come. He'd overheard that alot of downworlders were going to be out tonight. Not causing mischief, but in their most likley drunken states, one or two might be stupid enough to start a fight with a shadow hunter. While that one would be easily quashed, the others would surley rise up against her in response.
"Or I could drop you back to.. where-ever it is you came from. There's going to be alot of downworlders out tonight. Full moon and all."He explained, assuming she'd know that most quite liked a full moon. It added atmosphere. |
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Post by Arianna Ravenscar on May 17, 2011 2:48:05 GMT -5
Arianna smiled at the invitation. "That'd be nice." She pushed back her sleeve to have a quick look at her watch. She hadn't been out too long, good. Why that concerned her, she wasn't sure; she hadn't been at the Institute long enough for anyone to be particularly concerned when she'd been gone for long periods. As of late, she'd secluded herself from the rest while at the Institute anyway, the result of a resentment for being sent there in the first place.
A brow raised in momentary confusion at his mention of downworlders being out and about during the full moon. That certainly wasn't news to her. It took her a moment to make any connection to herself, to understand that she may be a target for simply being a Shadowhunter. A frown creased her brow at the thought.
"Guess I'll have to be more careful tonight." she muttered, glaring at the sidewalk. It may have been one of the few times in her life where the thought of getting into a fight was particularly irksome. It was a lose-lose situation; she could fight back, win, and garner more animosity, or try to run, perhaps try to reason with them, maybe end up as a punching bag, or worse. Neither situation was particularly appealing. Never mind that she'd never even met a downworlder, much less done anything to one to deserve an attack. It was frustrating, to say the least.
A sudden thought brought her out of her angry reverie. "What's your name?" she asked, gaze returning to the strange boy. He had never answered her initial question, but she'd get to that later.
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Post by Reiichiru on May 17, 2011 16:11:31 GMT -5
K:anode frowned, "Should you really just walk into someone's -and more so, a downworlder's, so easily?"He asked, giving her a look mixed with both irritance and a hint of worry. "You could seriously get hurt acting like that."He pointed out, but turned to unlock the door and let her in anyway. He almost admired the stupidy of mundanes -which essentially, Shadowhunters kind of were. He had expected more from them though. Less navity for one.
"I'm K:anode Dechrau."He replied, before pausing at the old wooden door, "Son of Dinistr Deachrau.. though I doubt we're much alike."He pointed out, almost hastily and with distaste. He didn't usually affiliate himself so closely with his father, but it would probably be best to mention it now rather then later. She might freak out. Dinistr's reputation paled in comparison to most other demon's, but he loved nothing more then causing pain and confusion to mundanes.
"Come in if your coming in."He told her as the streetlights flickered on and he turned to walk into the dim hallway of the house. |
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Post by Arianna Ravenscar on May 17, 2011 17:04:22 GMT -5
Arianna grinned, lifting one shoulder in a half-shrug, palms up. "I'll admit, there's a bit of blind trust being given here. But, if I was concerned, it'd be more because you're a stranger, not because you're a downworlder." she pointed out, following him to the door.
Her brows rose slightly as he introduced himself. Ah, so he was a half demon! That he even knew the name of the demon that had sired him was odd, and that she had heard the name before was curious. She couldn't blame him for trying to distance himself from his father's name by saying they were nothing alike. Was he a warlock as well?
"Nice to meet you. I'm Arianna Ravenscar." She paused at the door only a moment before following him inside.
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Post by Reiichiru on May 17, 2011 17:15:55 GMT -5
"Nice to meet you too."
Inside, K:anode flicked the light switch, lingering for a moment, his fingers on the white plastic. For a second, a blue electric surge could almost be seen.
"Cuts the bills."He explained, as the light flickered, showing the hall to be coated in old, dog-eared paper in an old style. Ahead was the door to the kitchen and dining room and to one side, an old staircase with strangely coloured carpet, dirt matted into it. On the other side was a smallish, sparsely furnished living room. There was one long sofa, some wooden chairs and a large, old looking television. Nothing in the house seemed to be newly bought. He didn't see the point. He broke most electrical goods before long and since he had yet to get employment here, he was living off his savings. He still wasn't sure how much longer they'd need to last.
"You can take a seat if you like."he said, pointing into the room, "uh, you drink tea or something?"He suggested. Personally he only drank fruit juices or cola. He avoided water like the plague. But he remembered his mother liked tea and that other mundanes seemed to like it alot, so he suggested it anyway. He didn't have much of it.. just some left by the former owners. |
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Post by Arianna Ravenscar on May 17, 2011 18:29:47 GMT -5
Her eyes roamed over the now-lit hallway, just barely catching the faint blue surge. Ah, perhaps he was a warlock, then? She moved further down the hall, peering into each room curiously. And wouldn't ya know it, she wasn't attacked or assaulted in any way. Score one for blind trust!
Following his gesture, she moved into the room, taking a seat. She waved off his offer of a drink. "No, thanks." she said. She plucked at the fraying end of her sleeve in what was likely a nervous gesture, returning her focus to K:anode. "So, how long have you been in the city?" she asked.
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Post by Reiichiru on May 17, 2011 18:37:47 GMT -5
K:anode looked a little surprised that she didn't want anything. He got himself a can of cola though, knowing he's get fidety with her in his presence. As much as he tried, he still felt nervous knowing she could pull out some shiny weapon, stab him through the heart and kill him. Or worse, make it slow. He averted his thoughts from it though.
"About 6 months I think... maybe a little more now."He replied, taking a seat on one of the wooden chairs, and gesturing that she take the sofa. The fabric covering was a little frayed and the blanket, which looked considerably newer then anything else in the room, hung loosely off the back. He felt a little guilty, knowing his mother would have the place looking far better for guests, but he wasn't even sure if he'd stay here yet -and never expected to ever have guests anyway. Why bother?
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Post by Arianna Ravenscar on May 18, 2011 2:14:50 GMT -5
Arianna moved to take a seat on the worn couch, propping an elbow on the arm and leaning against it. Seems K:anode hadn't been in the city much longer than she had. Yet most of his furniture looked older than he was. Go figure.
Absently, she sat up and rolled her sleeves up to her elbows. Her arms were covered in the thin scars of past Marks, the permanent one on her hand marking her as a Shadowhunter now fully visible. She couldn't help but notice that K:anode still seemed rather uncomfortable around her. Had he had some trouble with Shadowhunters in the past?
Without warning, the sensor in her pocket pulsed gently, once. Brow furrowed, she drew the device out of her pocket and studied it a moment, but it didn't go off again. "Hmm..."
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