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The unfaltering cheer that Asrafel radiated was hitting the empath in Akina hard, and before long, she found herself smiling just as brightly as he was, much to Brimstone's dismay. "Yes, Asrafel," the elf began with an added pep in her step and zest for life, "You are perfectly welcome to walk with us. We were just stepping out for some fresh air as well."

At this, Brimstone snorted audibly and folded his chubby arms across his narrow chest. He did this for two reasons. 1) He didn't enjoy the company of this strange fairy thing, and 2) he didn't want any fresh air at all! It was Akina who had snatched him from his beloved spot in front of the television in the middle of another Star Wars marathon, and it was she who craved this blasted fresh air, not him. Quietly, Brim wondered what Darth Vader would do in a situation like this. Probably cut someone's hand off.

But the toddler didn't have much time to fantasize about ways to remove hands as Akina quickly began moving down the pier again, laughing along with the intruder all the while. Really, she was such a stupid creature. "What would you like to know?" the elf volunteered at last to Asra's proposal, sidestepping a loose board as she continued to walk down the boardwalk.

Letting Brim continue to sulk at her side, Akina continued to carry on a conversation with Asrafel, smiling and laughing as his ways of happiness emanated throughout her. "Oh, well, it's actually a strange story," she began, letting the euphoria cloud her judgment as to how open she should be about it. "I was attempting to conjure up some alchemy when my vial broke into the cauldron. When I was cleaning it all up, there was a strange piece of glass that was too large to have come from the vial I was using. So, I saved it for a bit, out of curiosity, and then, poof! Brimstone just appeared one day on my kitchen table."

Continuing to behave as if she was discussing the weather, Akina was really starting to like this Asrafel fellow. He made her all full of sunshine and sparkles. "And what is your story?" In her arms, Brim inclined his head slightly, making it obvious he was listening in even though he did not make any eye contact with them.

Lost in the euphoria, Akina just nodded along with Asrafel's story, chuckling a little at his excited words. "Yes, Brim came from a shard too. It must be a common origin for you," she explained further, though there really was no need.

Brimstone had huffed at the fairy boy's uneventful explanation and was already back to pouting when the word "cotton candy" reached his ears. Candy? Was that like the sweet stuff that Calliope snuck to him when Akina wasn't around? "Yes," Brim suddenly quipped, reaching grabby hands toward the cotton candy on display. "I waaaant... I waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaant..."

Struggling to keep her hold on Brimstone, Akina wiggled a little until she had him against her side again. "Alright, alright, B. Just be patient. Tell the nice man that you want some." She turned so that Brimstone would be looking at Asra, refusing to move until he spoke to the other Shattered.

Holding his tongue for a while, Brimstone could no longer contain himself. He was practically drooling at the sight of the puffy stuff, and no matter how lame it looked, he was sure it would taste delicious. Finally breaking his stand off, the neon-haired Shattered tossed his gaze up at Asra as he muttered a quick, "Give me some cotton candy."

Brimstone watched Asrafel with the same cautious gaze that a mother watches her child playing alongside the edge of a pond. Was this all some trick? Were these fluffy sugar things merely a mirage used to lull him into a false sense of security and companionship? Aw, screw it. He was too young to understand and too immature to deny his impluses.

"Blue!" he declared definitively and without hesitation. Pink? Yellow? Hah! No, blue was the only option for him. It would be like eating a much paler version of his hair! How exciting!

Akina, meanwhile, watched with amusement as her son struggled to be civil, wondering if there was a subtle way for her to give Asrafel money for the cotton candy.

Brimstone eyed his blue cotton candy warily, wanting to make certain that Asrafel wasn't going to be able to slip in some posion or roofie into it without him knowing. Still, the older Shattered didn't seem to want to do much other than give Brim some cotton candy. How odd. There must be a devious plan here somewhere!

Greedily snatching the blue puff from Asra, Brim gave him one last stare before abruptly immersing his face in the sugary goodness. Having never had cotton candy before, it was such a rush to taste the food melt away on his tongue so quickly. For some reason, Brimstone really enjoyed the feeling of disintegration. How strange.

So, face covered in sticky sugar ooze and tummy quickly filling with candy-shaped love, Brimstone reduced his wicked ways and instead began to chomp happily on the candy. To be honest, Akina was a little impressed that Asrafel had so quickly realized one of the ways to tame Brim's temper: food.

"No, thank you, Asrafel," Akina responded politely, slipping her hand into her pocket and pulling out a few bills. As slyly as she could, she tried to pass them over to Asra in the most culturally-appropriate way, but being from outside of culture and all, it more or less looked like she was trying to buy drugs off of the strangly dressed (or not dressed) man. "But thank you for getting some for Brim." She smiled and waited awkwardly for Asra to take the money so that the odd exchange could be over.

Brimstone hugged the sugary delight to his chest at Asra's words, somehow interpreting them as a threat to his food. He quickly swallowed down a handful of quick, indignant bites with a flourish just to communicate to Asrafel that it was his. Now nearly finished with his cotton candy, Brimstone was beginning to grow bored again, and there appeared to be a new rumbling in his stomach. Something was telling him that running around would be fun right now. Or doing cart wheels. Or spinning in circles on the floor. Or trying to swim across the ocean. Whatever it was, it was making him very, very jittery.

Akina, meanwhile, had realized that Asra was not going to accept the money, and very sheepishly, she slid it back into her pocket, uttering an earnest, "Thank you so much again, then." The elf began to sway back and forth now, but not of her own accord. In her arms, Brim had begun to wave his body weight violently back and forth, feeling constrained beyond all reason. One look in Asra's eyes, and he knew what to do.

It was a RACE.

Breaking free from Akina's arm, Brimstone hit the ground running, cackling as he sprinted down the boardwalk on his sugar high. The elf stood shocked for a moment and shouted, "Brimstone, no! Don't run off! I'm tired of chasing you for today!"

(( Maybe Asra should go catch him? XD ))

Standing back in the wake of Asrafel, the elf was tempted to sprint after the pair, unsure of just how much she could trust a near stranger with her son. Then again, Asra probably had more to fear from Brimstone than Brim had to from the gentle fairy man. Keeping a moderate pace, Akina refused to let them get too far out of her range; atleast, she could still sense their emotional auras from this distance.

Brimstone was still cackling wildly when Asra came up faster than he had imagined, killing his buzz. The young Shattered wrinkled up his nose and tried to run faster, but the simple fact was that he couldn't fly. Watching Asra float away, Brim began to get mad, very mad, and with him, that was NEVER a good thing.

Curls of smoke began to rise off of his skin as his body heated up. If he could just fly like Asrafel did, then he would surely win! That was it. He would fly. Squinting his tiny eyes, Brim attempted to focus all of his energy on moving his wings, but truth be told, he had never been able to in his whole life. They always just followed him around in wisps, that's all.

Perhaps a height? The boardwalk rail seemed to be a viable means, and the Shattered wiggled his chubby behind to stand on it as quick as he could. Closing his eyes, the neon-haired child screamed of determination as he leaned forward and bent his knees to provide for a powerful jump. Without thought, he dove forward, hovering in the air for a moment before he began a steady descent toward the concrete beneath him. He panicked, and in his fear of pain, Brim felt a sudden jolt go through him.

His usually near-transparent wisps of smoke behind him exploded in a thick cloud of smoke, much like a rocket as it ignites. It appeared, for just a moment, that Brim bore a pair of large, full wings of thick smoke and fog. Yet, just as they came, jolting him forward several inches, the wings faded once more, unable to be sustained by such a weak and limiting body. He somersaulted on the soft sand past the concrete, hitting his elbow and hurting his pride. Brimstone's ears rang with the approach of a headache, and unable to contain himself, the little child began to cry.

It wasn't a big cry, but there were thick drops of corrosive material pouring down his cheeks, leaving hints of pale green stains streaking his face where the path of the tears had been. He was confused, tired, and DAMNIT, he had lost the race too.