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 Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 3:45 pm
Anya ignored Nik's comment about whether or not she was in actuality being hostile. She didn't feel like arguing with anyone right now. Especially about something so minor. Besides, she barely knew Nikolai at all, so why yell at him? Also, why was she even talking to this guy to begin with?
She only half-listened to what he said about Russia and why he was leaving the country he appeared to be from. However, when he asked if she was running from something, she scoffed and leaned back in her chair. She'd hardly call what she was doing as running. "Pfft! You think I'm running? Now why the hell would you think---?!" That was when she realized that Nikolai was referring to the contents of her duffel bag, and a deep scowl came to her features. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm not packing heat, if I'm guessing what you're referring to as heat being any sort of weapons." she replied. The only reason she was being cautious now was because now she really wanted to know exactly what kind of person Nikolai was. Was he an Owl? Was he working for the UNS? No. Not likely, as Anya hadn't told anyone that she was leaving.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 4:13 pm
Nikolai continued to smile unassumingly at Anya, even when she scowled at him. He laughed lightly at her dismissal of his semi-accusation. He hummed lightly when she glared at him, he figured she was paying attention to him now, whether that was a good thing or a bad thing had yet to be determined. She was studying him, obviously trying to figure out whether he was her friend or her foe. At this point, Nikolai would prefer friend so he shrugged dismissively and said, "Alright, if you say so. But the shadows don't lie." Nikolai placed his hand flat on the table, about a foot away from his coffee cup, and his shadow flowed out from under his hand, wrapped around the coffee cup and dragged it over to his hand. He picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. Nikolai had just manipulated the shadows and the density of the matter surrounding them, making his shadows tangible and able to move objects around. Luckily, no one seemed to be paying attention to him other than Anya. He smiled lightly and said, "It's easy to see inside a closed duffel bag; there's only shadows in there. Now don't go getting even more hostile than you already are, I'm not gonna do anything, I'm just here for conversation, like I said. I don't particularly mind what you do, but I do want to know. Why? Because I like interesting things, that's all." So long as Anya wasn't going to go on a massive killing spree, with him as the first target, Nikolai didn't particularly mind what Anya was going to do with a bag full of weapons.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 6:47 pm
So she hadn't been seeing things before when Nik's shadow moved on its own. And it also confirmed Anya's suspicion that Krane was in fact an Owl like she was. Only his power appeared to be shadow manipulation of some sort. Anya's eyes narrowed a tiny bit. "I'm not being hostile. The only reason I seem to be getting hostile though is because you keep trying to bring up stuff I don't want to talk about." she replied, placing her now-empty coffee cup onto the table and getting up out of her chair. She hefted the duffel bag up to her shoulder again, and glared down at Nikolai before starting to walk away. She paused though to say something at a low volume which on Nik would be able to hear. "For your information, I'm not some kind of psycho who totes guns into public places and randomly shoots people, so you can cross that off your check list of information about me to find out." With that, Anya stalked out of the coffee shop after throwing her empty coffee cup into the trash bin.She then headed for the track that had been posted for her train just now.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 7:44 pm
Nikolai smiled when Anya lowered her voice, he figured as much from the way she acted and how she carried herself. He finished his cup of coffee, stood and headed out of the coffee shop, his own bag slung over his shoulder, much like Anya's was, only his wasn't filled with weapons. He sighed and followed Anya with minimal distance between the two of them. After a short walk he caught up with her, he smiled as he was walking and said, "I never thought you were that kind of person, actually, I think you're quite kind. I'm a good judge of character and you seem like a good-natured person, even if you're easy to annoy." Nikolai looked around, apparently he was simply following Anya to the train, he figured they were going to the same train. He pulled back up beside her again and said, "Since we're both apparently headed for the same train, would you mind sharing a compartment with me? I won't be awake for a little while, so I won't be bothering you with mindless chit-chat. I just prefer a bit of company. I do get so lonely sometimes." Nikolai fell back behind Anya and smiled to himself, with luck, she'd accept and he'd have someone to talk to, if not, well it was going to be a long train ride, he could probably find her on the train eventually.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:07 pm
Anya scowled again as Nikolai caught up and fell into step beside her. She was annoyed by now and couldn't believe he had the audacity to even open his mouth to her right now. Why did he insist that he was capable of reading her like a damn book!? Before she could really stop herself and think, Anya was already giving Nikolai an answer. She stopped walking, and turned to face Nikolai, standing directly in his path, glaring at him. "I suggest you leave me alone now, unless you want me to pound your face in." she retorted, staving off a low growl before she turned on her heel and headed down the train platform to try to leave Nikolai behind her. She didn't bother to give him an answer to his request of some travel company. She merely boarded the train and found herself an empty compartment. Once she found one, Anya stepped inside and stuck her bag in the tiny closet space before flopping herself down on the cot.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:46 pm
Nikolai smiled blankly when Anya scowled at him and confronted him. He blinked lightly, before saying, "Wow, I guess she's annoyed, huh Niki?" A shadowy black crow flew out from inside Nikolai's coat, settling on his shoulder, the pitch black bird tilted its head slightly, to which Nikolai responded, "Yeah, you're probably right. Well, let's go see what we can see." Nikolai started forward and got on the train, following Anya so he could see where she was. He had his headphones back on now, and hummed lightly along with the music. Stopping just outside the compartment Anya went in, Nikolai knew he'd get hit if he went in there as he was. He looked to the crow on his shoulder, smiled and closed his eyes, concentrating as he sunk into his own shadow.
A word about the shadow world. Nikolai's "shadow world" is simply the inverse of the light world. When he sinks into a shadow, it becomes like a puddle of shadow to everyone else, but to him, it's a window back into the light realm. The shadow world is much like the light world, the difference is whatever is dark in the light world is light in the dark world.
As Nikolai walked under the door, he smiled to himself, knowing that to Anya, he would merely be a puddle of shadow on the floor. If he stood still in a shadowy spot, she wouldn't even know he was there. That wasn't his plan however. Nikolai moved himself up onto the cot opposite Anya and said, his voice still perfectly audible even though he was still a puddle of shadow, "Tired huh? I may just rest here for a while too. Don't mind me, I won't bother you." Nikolai smiled to himself and waited for Anya's reaction.
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Posted: Tue Apr 12, 2011 10:03 pm
Anya was laying on her respective cot, arms folded behind her head as she stared up at the ceiling. She was trying her best to calm her nerves. Since she was in fact staring up at the ceiling, Anya did not see the puddle of shadow moving across the floor towards the other empty cot in the cabin. She sincerely hoped that Nikolai would just leave her alone. Unfortunately for her, that wasn't going to be any time soon.
"Tired huh? I may just rest here for a while too. Don't mind me, I won't bother you."
Nikolai's voice coming from seemingly nowhere jolted across Anya's thoughts. "Get the hell away from me, Nikolai!" she growled and bolted upright, looking towards the door, but found no one there. 'What the hell!?' she thought as she slowly looked over the room. Her eyes fell on the puddle of shadow in the center of the empty cot across from her own. Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Get the hell out of my room, Nikolai!"
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:19 pm
Nikolai audibly chuckled at Anya's reaction, smiling lightly as he ran the shadow up the wall and stuck his head out of the puddle. He tilted his head slightly and said, "Well, I believe there are two beds in here, so technically, the room isn't only yours. And besides, I said I wouldn't bother you, I'm just going to be laying here taking a nap in the shadow world." Nikolai grinned before pulling his head back inside the puddle and stretching out on the cot. He continued too smile lightly and closed his eyes, sighing lightly and saying, "Well, goodnight. I'll be here if you need me." Nikolai laughed and removed his headphones, listening to the train as it slowly started moving. The rhythm of the wheels on the tracks made him smile as he slowly fell asleep. He didn't terribly care if Anya wanted him out of the room, it was too late to leave now, and he was so very tired. If she wanted to make him leave, she would need to climb into the shadow world and throw him out herself, but then she'd be stuck in the shadow world unless he let her out. And getting in was difficult enough on its own.
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:31 pm
When she saw Nik's head appear out of the shadow on the wall. "Nikolai, you a*****e! Get out here and face me like a man! Stop hiding in your stupid shadow world!" Anya let out a frustrated growl when she heard Nikolai's reply. In her frustration, she threw her pillow at Nik's head protruding from the wall. As Nik moved the shadow back to his cot, Anya glared at him and his stupid shadow. "Ugh!" she growled before going over to the puddle of shadow that was sitting on Nikolai's cot. She glared down into it, as if she could see into it. "You're a mindless idiot, Nikolai Krane." she replied before going back over to her own cot, laying down and turning over onto her side her back facing Nik's cot, so she wouldn't even have to look over at her new traveling companion.
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:20 pm
Nikolai opened his eyes when the pillow hit him and looked through the puddle of darkness at Anya as she called him an idiot. He stuck his head out and said, plainly, "Thank you for the pillow. They are in such short supply on this side. And mindless? I think you should give me a bit more credit. If I were a mindless idiot, I obviously wouldn't be smart enough to know you're an owl like myself." Nikolai chuckled deeply before settling back down on the cot, sticking his hand through the shadow portal and waving to Anya, saying "Good night, see you in a few hours. Hopefully by then you'll have calmed down a bit." Settling down quietly, Nikolai listened to the sounds of the train as they lulled him to sleep. Nikolai sighed, it was so much more comfortable on the shadow side than on the light side, maybe it was because of Nikolai's particular problem. In the shadow world, everyone has an opposite, a shadow version of themselves, they live breathe and die together, albeit for different reasons. Nikolai does not, his opposite died, but he lived. Nikolai wasn't sure why, but the fact that he lived made him not question it. He sighed as he looked over at Anya's opposite, just a good looking as her light world form, and probably just as annoyed. But she might not be sure why due to Light-Anya's interactions with Nikolai. It was in this way that Nikolai kept an eye on the people he was following from time to time. He let himself slowly drift off to sleep, closing his eyes and smiling comfortably.
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:46 pm
A couple of seconds after Nikolai finished saying good night, Anya bolted upright once again. He had figured out she was an Owl?! Without her saying anything out loud!? How?! She wanted answers and she wanted them now. The Poison Owl got to her feet and all but dove across the tiny room to Nik's cot and looked down through the shadow portal/mirror or whatever it was. "Wait just a damn minute! How the hell did you know I was an Owl!? I didn't say anything about that! Unlike you who's shadow knocks over empty coffee cups when it gets restless or bored or something!" she demanded, her expression quite serious. When Anya got like this, she wanted her answers and she expected them quickly. She didn't care if her question kept Nik awake even longer, but Anya wanted to know and she wanted to know now.
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Posted: Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:03 pm
Nikolai was used to rude awakenings, but none quite as rude as this one. He blinked lightly at Anya's question. He moved the puddle of shadows up onto the wall and stuck his head through and said, yawning lazily, his eyes half-lidded, "Your opposite. She's got more color than a simple shadow-opposite... only Owls have colorful opposites. Now if you don't mind. I thought you didn't want to talk to me, so I'm sleeping. I've been up for three days straight and my caffeine buzz is wearing off. Dasvidaniya Anya. Talk to you later." Nikolai yawned again and turned off the portal, so his shadow blended with the nearest source of darkness in the light world, in this case, it melded into Anya's own shadow. Nikolai would be able to recreate the portal when he woke back up. it was a simple thing for him and all he needed was a shadow in the light realm.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:19 am
A confused look appeared on Anya's face when she heard Nikolai's explanation. Her opposite? What the hell was he talking about? Unfortunately, before she could demand more answers, it appeared that Nikolai had already dismissed the shadow portal and fallen asleep. The Poison owl scowled and let out a low growl of frustration. "Ugh! Fine! I was through talking to you anyway..." she grumbled before turning away from Nik's cot and going back over to her own. Flopping down to sit again on her cot, Anya lay there staring up at the ceiling. She lay there, listening to the sound of the train rattling down the tracks, trying to go to sleep. But she wasn't really tired at all. Besides, Anya knew if she fell asleep, she'd end up with another nightmare about her past.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:38 am
After a few hours of sleep, Nikolai awoke feeling unusually well rested. He sat up and looked around, seeing that he was in the shadow realm made him grin. He saw Shadow-Anya sleeping rather fitfully opposite him. He frowned and thought to himself, "What could make a woman like her sleep so badly?" Nikolai stood up. drew a circle in front of him with his finger and stepped through the newly created shadow portal. Stepping out into the room, he saw Anya was sleeping just as, if not more fitfully than her shadow counterpart. He frowned again and thought, "This calls for some nice breakfast." Nikolai headed out of the compartment and towards the dining car. He smiled and hummed to the music that was playing on his headphones, tapping his feet silently every now and again. After ordering two full course breakfasts consisting of eggs, bacon, pancakes and two big glasses of orange juice. Nikolai had a waiter help him carry the food back to the compartment and set it on the small table that folded out from just below the window. Nikolai set everything out, thanked the waiter and hummed lightly to himself. He walked over to Anya, shook her lightly trying to wake her up. She didn't look like she was having a very good dream, so maybe breakfast would cheer her up.
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Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:53 am
Anya fell asleep without really knowing that she did. And fitfully would be the correct description of how Anya slept right now. Whenever she went to sleep after a bad day, she would always have the same dream. Well, it was more like a nightmare: about her past. Memories playing back in her mind just so her subconscious could torture her. Even though the occasional rocking of the moving train was usually comforting to people, it just made the dream seem worse for Anya. Her opposite in Nikolai's shadow realm may not be having the same dreams as she did, but that was something Anya didn't want to know nor cared very much about at this point. All she knew was her nightmare.
That was, at least until she was jolted awake by Nikolai shaking her. The Poison Owl jolted awake, panting slightly. Blinking herself mind back to reality, Anya finally seemed to realize where she was and that she had only been dreaming. Nikolai was standing next to her cot, looking down at her. Her expression slowly portrayed the recognition as she remembered that she had met Nikolai yesterday at the train station in a coffee shop. She wasn't exactly pleased to see him, but she wasn't annoyed either. "What? What do you want?" she asked Nikolai, her face going serious. Her expression told him that she wasn't comfortable with him invading her personal space. Especially since Anya had only just met him yesterday after all.
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