|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 12:49 pm
"Is that so? Well then, I'm glad that I amuse you." She rolled back onto her stomach to face Hyde again, her tail swaying back and forth with more vigor at X's words. "Hmmmm, really?" Her grin widened considerably, and the look she was giving the snake might have even been a little affectionate, "I like him too. He's very elegant."
She probably would have tried to pet him had he not been relaxing right now. Deciding to leave the creature to its peace, Althaia moved back to where X was, deciding that it would be more fun a better idea to bother the master than the familiar. Eying the pen-shaped shadow curiously, she stretched out her hand, hovering it over his. "What would happen if I tried to touch it? Since you've already formed it..."
Hmm, would her hand just go through? Or would she actually get to feel something? It was an interesting thought, and Althaia had never actually touched a dense gathering of shadows before. It would make a good experiment, and interesting research! While shadows were not really related to her own magic, it never hurt to expand one's knowledge with new information.
And of course, this was Althaia--she always seeking new information. Honestly, her insatiable curiosity in new people or things--in this case, X and Hyde--was probably what was overriding any fear that she should have felt.
She met the man's dark expression with a cheerful smile, nodding in confirmation. "Weird. And mmm, so if the three words I used....dangerous is your favourite, huh?" Putting a finger to her lips, she looked him up and down, before nodding again. "Yes, it fits you quite well, I think. Kind of scary, really."
Althaia lifted a hand to point to herself then, grinning brightly. "And what words would you use to describe me, Mr. Dangerous Shadow Man?" She was genuinely interested in seeing what he had to say.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 2:33 pm
"You should be glad," said X breezily, waving a hand. "Not many people can say that they amuse me, and it's rather a good thing, I think. It means I won't tire of you easily - at least, that's how I see it..."
He trailed off, eyeing Althaia with a somewhat suspicious look on his face.
"...what are you doing? You like Hyde a bit too much, methinks."
With a small sigh, X leaned back against the tree, still playing with the shadow. For several moments it was quiet, the kirin clearly entertained by Hyde, and X too lazy to do much else. After a bit, however, there was a rustling noise, and X opened his eyes to see the kirin back in front of him, her fingers stretched out and hovering above the shadow he held in his hands. His gaze lifted, meeting hers, and the dark grin touched his lips again.
"You could find out, you know," he said, and reached out, abruptly wrapping his fingers around hers. He pulled her hand down, spreading his palm out with the shadow in the middle, and tugged her fingers towards it. It would have felt solid in her hands, smooth and smoke-like.
"I don't just play with the shadows, you know," he said quietly, his voice a low whisper as his eyes flickered. "I use them. They are mine to command."
Briefly it seemed as though there was a hint of danger to his voice, something sharper as his fingers tightened, just for the smallest amount of time, around hers.
But then the moment passed and he was back lounging against the tree, his fingers linked lazily behind his head, one leg crossed over the other at the ankles. It was not in X's nature to do anything if he didn't have to, and at the moment, at least, he did not feel a threat from the kirin, so he did not make a move to either run away or sedate her.
"I like dangerous," he said, cracking another grin and this time, throwing a wink in her direction. "Makes me seem mysterious, which was another one of your words."
Her question, as he was starting to figure out, amused him, as the rest had. X's gaze flickered towards Althaia as he gave her an appraising sort of look.
"Confusing," he said, with a hint of amusement to his voice. "Secretive. Definitely strange. Takes too much of a liking for my familiar, and has a love for trees. And pretty, of course."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 5:16 pm
Althaia had been expecting a verbal answer to her question, so the sudden feeling of fingers wrapping around her hand surprised her completely, so much so that her expression temporarily broke away from the smile that had been steadily gracing her face. Her golden eyes widened, but she made no effort to jerk away, and then...
Amazing! So she could touch the shadows after they had been manipulated! Her eyes had lit up in delight, but fact that her brows were creased and she was leaning in indicated that she was trying to study the substance as best as she could.
The slight change in his tone and the tightening of his fingers had not gone unnoticed, but as usual, Althaia's voice was light and casual as she spoke. "It has quite a pleasant texture," She lifted, her hand to stare at her fingers, as if searching for evidence of the shadows she had just touched. After a moment, her gaze slid past her hand to fall on X, lips quirking into a smile. "At least, it feels nice when it's just sitting in your hand like that. I'm sure it would not so pleasant if you were to...use them against something. Or someone." There was a beat of silence, and then her voice grew flat, "Like the tree."
Her bottom lip might have been jutting out a little as she turned to look at the tree again.
The pout didn't last long, as a grin came along to replace it almost immediately after. "So you like mysterious, and you like dangerous...but how well do those words fit you, I'm wondering? Especially the latter..." Was he dangerous? Althaia was confident that he was...if he wanted to be. However, as he did not seem to have an interest in harming her right now, she was content was teasing him as she would an old friend.
The kirin emitted a bright laugh at his choice of words to describe her with, waiting until her laughter dissolved into giggles before she attempted to speak. "You're quite amusing yourself!" Grinning thoughtfully, she pressed her fingertips together, steepling her hands. "Let's see...! I wouldn't really call myself secretive--you just haven't been asking my specific enough questions. And as for the other words you used..."
Okay, she would agree to most of those. The "pretty" part earned him a face though and the familiar part? "What's wrong with taking a liking to Hyde?" Lips pulled up in a smile, she cast a look over her shoulder at the snake.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Feb 15, 2012 9:21 pm
Rarely did X actually show anyone else how to feel the shadows he was so very fond of, but something told him that Althaia would not use the knowledge against him. Therefore he felt no qualms against letting her know what it felt like, since most just assumed their hands would pass through it.
Until he sent the shadows through their stomachs, or their arms, or their legs as bullets or daggers - then they would know, but it was usually only against his enemies that X used this method, since he preferred not to overuse his magic. It would not do to tire himself out needlessly, but doing this - showing Althaia the feeling of a shadow - at least took little to no effort on his part.
"Yes, it does," he conceded, and his lips stretched into a dark grin. "At least, until you use them against something. Or someone," he said, mimicking what the kirin had just said. His eyes followed hers as she looked back at the tree, at the blatant spot, the bark ripped free and unfixed. He thought he'd had rather good aim, but from the way that Althaia's lower lip was jutting out, she was clearly still very put out over it.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop attacking trees, jeez," said X, with a roll of his eyes. "No need to get all weepy over it."
His gaze flickered back towards her, and he smirked, the corners of his lips quirking upwards with amusement. "I could tell you, but that would be no fun at all. You'll just have to find out now, won't you?"
No one had ever called him amusing before, so her compliment surprised him - and confused him, X giving her a suspicious look. "Not exactly a word I've heard used to describe me much," he commented dryly. "Narcissistic a*****e, certainly. Obnoxious jerk, definitely. Arrogant son of a b***h - if I had a coin for every time, I'd be very rich..."
Laughing to himself, X glanced over at Hyde, rolling his eyes. "Because he's a familiar and he's supposed to be loyal to me," he said, emphasizing the last part, but Hyde just made a lazy sort of hissing noise and X sighed.
"All right, little kirin," he said. "I'll tell you something nice, just because you've kept me entertained for so long. But you can't tell anyone else," he added, raising a finger and pressing it to his lips. "I'd lose my street cred, and we can't have that, now, can we?"
"My name is Xander Demetri."
There was a slight pause, a wicked sort of grin across X's face.
"Professor Xander Demetri."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:08 am
Althaia looked like she could hug him when he promised to leave the trees be, but she (fortunately) made no move to actually do so. Still, she was clearly very pleased, her tail sweeping the grass behind her. "Thank you. Though, I suppose since I've probably just inadvertently taken away your practice targets..." Frowning, she folded her arms over her chest, tilting her head to the side, "On the off chance that you're in Clarus Arbor often and you need something--or someone--to practice on..."
She suddenly smiled. Was she suggesting that she wouldn't mind playing target? Why yes, yes she was. Did she look at all concerned at the thought? No--in fact, the look in her golden eyes relayed the fact that she was quite confident that she would come out in one piece. She was certain that her magic would be enough to protect her from the most basic of his attacks. If he were to get serious, though...
But he didn't seem like the type who would waste all his energy on simple training.
Clasping her hands over her mouth, she tried--and failed--to suppress her giggles at the small list of nicknames. "My, you're well-loved, aren't you? Perhaps I should add something more positive to your list of nicknames, like..." Leaning back, she squinted at him thoughtfully. "Something about your hair, maybe. I quite like your hair." Fortunately, the little giggle that followed indicated that she was just teasing. Probably.
"He is loyal to you, isn't he? Can't he be loyal and like me at the same time?" Althaia asked, turning to wink at the snake, "And--something nice?"
She immediately fell silent, eyes widening with interest when he raised a finger to his lips. Ooh, a secret? She gave a little nod to show that she understood--that she wouldn't spread whatever it was he was going to tell her--and then her face immediately lit up when he revealed his secret. Or rather, his name. Xander Demetri--it had a nice ring to it, didn't it? Much better than Xylograph in any case.
The kirin smiled, but before she could speak, she was caught completely off guard by his clarification...and by the title that preceded his name. Suddenly, her focus was no longer on his name, but on the "professor" part. Professor. Professor? This man was...
She was straight-faced when she blurted out, "I'm surprised, you don't seem to be the type to like kids. Or teaching."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 12:51 pm
He really hoped she wouldn't hug him, her starry eyed gaze making him suspicious, but, then again, he was wearing a daisy chain crown on his head - yes he was still wearing it mostly because he'd forgotten to take it off.
He gave her a slightly incredulous look. "Are you volunteering to let me use you for target practice?" he asked, his tone light, but inwardly he was somewhat startled. No one had ever willingly volunteered themselves for something like that - especially since X did not usually consider asking for volunteers. He just took them when he liked, after all - that was his prerogative for being what he was, and he'd be damned otherwise.
"You're...strange," he muttered, slightly out of sorts as he glowered at her, but the sulking disappeared quickly, replaced by a sardonic snort of amusement. "I'm totally well-loved," X deadpanned, and then shook his head, letting his hair fall about his face. "And I'm glad someone does; it's been looking rather pathetic lately, and I feel as though it could use a bit of...complimenting."
This was said as though he were trying very hard to not laugh, the hint of what might have been an actual, genuine smile tugging at his lips. He only managed to hold it in for a few moments before it came out, the thunderstruck expression on Althaia's face priceless.
"Maybe not," said Xander, with a smirk. "But a professor is what I am, in spite of what I may seem on the outside. I happen to be the Arcane History professor at Makai Academy."
He reached up, his fingers finding the daisy crown on his head as he pulled it off, examining it. One of the flowers fell off into his lap, and Xander stretched forward, placing it on top of Althaia's head instead.
"There," he said, and smirked obnoxiously again, tilting her chin up with a gloved finger to admire his own handiwork. "Suits you better than me."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Feb 16, 2012 9:40 pm
Had she surprised him with her offer? It was hard to tell with this man, but Althaia had a feeling that she had at least caught him off guard. She scanned his expression silently, the grin on her face growing amused. "Maaaaaybe. It's not really that strange of an offer, is it?" The mononoke seemed to be acting as if offering oneself up to be a target was perfectly a-okay. Her smile became a little cheeky as she added, "Not that I'm sure I'd be a good target--a good target would sit still and let itself be hit. I would run."
She only seemed to grow brighter when he told her that she was strange. Maybe she just liked throwing him off guard and confusing him. At the topic of his hair, the girl's fingers twitched slightly. "Pathetic, you say? No such thing! Though, if you wanted to spruce it up a little..." Althaia not-so-subtly shuffled closed, her hands clasped in her lap. "I could do something about that, maybe. Like, I don't know--braid it?"
And suddenly those sparkly stars were back in her eyes.
"Xander Demetri, professor of Arcane History at Makai Academy, hmm?" Once the initial surprise faded, Althaia didn't even try to hide how impressed she was. That was quite the job--what was he like as a professor, she wondered? Knitting her brows together, she tapped at her bottom lip with a finger, humming thoughtfully. Makai Academy...that wasn't too far from here, was it? Easily traversable by foot. And since he had just given her his name and what he taught...
"It's decided!" She declared suddenly, eyes bright and smile cheerful, "I'm going to visit you the next time you're teaching a class!" She didn't even bother asking his opinion or for his permission--she had decided for herself that she wanted to see Professor Xander in action, and that was that.
She lifted a hand to touch the daisy that now rested in her hair, making a face at the man as she allowed him to tilt her chin up. "What a pity--I thought that you looked so sweet with the daisy crown atop your head." And indeed, judging from her tone of voice, she was very disappointed that he was no longer wearing it.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Feb 18, 2012 7:04 am
"It's a completely strange offer," said Xander, with the faintest hint of a growl to his voice as he stared at the mononoke and her cheerful, cheeky smile. What on earth did she think he did for a living, anyway? Throw fluffy little pillows at things for target practice?
Strange, strange girl.
"You wouldn't run very far," said Xander, rolling his dual colored eyes in mild exasperation. "It's not as if I got where I am by being bad at what I do, you know. I would probably hit you."
There was a slight pause.
"A lot."
With a small sigh, he glanced down at his hair. Normally he wore it down - like today, in long, unruly black and red strands, but there were times when he felt it got in the way and it was thrown up into a hasty, messy knot on the back of his head. He did not really care for spending too much time on it - his vanity had nothing to do with physical appearance, after all, and everything to do with power and strength.
He gave her a Look.
"No need," Xander replied dryly, which contradicted what he had said earlier, but he was nothing if not a hypocritical enigma. "It's fine the way it is, thank you."
And if he didn't know any better, he'd swear her eyes were sparkling...that was a bit unnerving. Xander stared at Althaia, blinking blankly at her.
Then he abruptly got to his feet, a scowl on his face as he stepped over to Hyde, lifting the snake (who hissed unhappily) up and settling the creature around his shoulders once more.
"I don't understand you," he said, in an almost angry tone of voice, but there was a distinct sense of interest and curiosity in it as well. "Normally people avoid me, but you're just all sunshine and rainbows."
With a sigh, he reached up a hand and rubbed at his face, pinching the bridge of his nose between two fingers. This girl is exhausting. Where does she get all of this happy happy joy joy stuff?
Though he couldn't say it was all bad - in spite of himself, he was actually enjoying her company - a first, since Xander usually hated talking to people if he didn't have to, and he especially disliked talking to women, but considering Althaia's blatant lack of fright when it came to him intrigued him. Which meant either one of of two things: she was just plain stupid, or she was a lot stronger than she appeared. And after having talked with her for this long, Xander was quite certain it was not the first option.
"Fine, whatever, visit me at Makai," he said, and the devilish grin had snapped back into his face as he walked back towards her, hands on his hips as he peered down at the kirin. He reached out, plucking a flower from her daisy crown with a smirk. "But who says you'll find me?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2012 6:32 pm
As if she only wanted to annoy him further, Althaia reached out and gently tapped his nose with her finger. "Ah, you underestimate me, Mr. Demetri. I assure you that hitting me would not be as easy of a task as you think it is."
She laughed, but dropped the topic there, meeting his Look with a sweet smile of her own. "No? What a pity--I think you would have looked quite nice with a braid." Maybe. In reality, Althaia had just really wanted to play with his hair, but she made no move to do so since he had turned down her offer. What a pity--maybe next time.
Xander, she had decided, was a very interesting sort of person. She hadn't been lying when she told him that he seemed both mysterious and dangerous, but he didn't exactly seem like the bad sort either. At least, the man was definitely fun to tease, if his reactions were anything to go off of. The mononoke couldn't help but laugh at his description of her. Sunshine and rainbows?
"Maybe I seem like sunshine and rainbows beside you, because you're all doom and gloom," She replied teasingly, grinning up at him, "And as I said, don't underestimate me--I will find a way to seek you out at the academy, trust me on that. Anyways!"
She stood up then, stretching her arms over her head. As fun--and interesting--as talking to Xander was, she was certain that they both had their own duties and chores to attend to. Althaia, for one, still had to go and gather those wild herbs to replenish her stocks. If she wanted to gather everything by nightfall, she would have to start now. "I'd best get going--I can't leave my chores undone for much longer." She turned her attention to the snake draped around the man's shoulders, reaching a hand out towards it and--if it would allow her to do so--tried to give it a gentle stroke on the head.
"I'll see you later, Hyde." Her voice had suddenly taken on an affectionate tone again as she regarded the snake. Drawing back, she looked up to regard Xander, then. Giggling, she grasped the sides of her dress and dipped down in a curtsy. "It was nice to make your acquaintance! I'll be sure to drop by Makai Academy in the near future, Professor X." The kirin grinned a bit at the "professor" bit, but she made no comment about it aloud.
Skipping backwards a few paces, the girl's body suddenly began to change as she shifted into her kirin form. Personally, she found that it was easier--and more comfortable--to navigate through the trees in this form. Though it was not visible on the creature's face, the amused smile could be heard in her voice as she chirped a cheerful, "See you later!", gave a little flick of her ears, and then darted off.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
