Of Magic and Danger (Open for 1 female role)

[gagonthis]

Now Closed for MissMarbles​

Hey all, I've been on accidental hiatus for almost a month now and before I try to reopen relations with people I left high and dry I figured I'd post a new thread to try and kick start my creativity again.

I'm looking for 1 female role to be filled in this story about magic set in modern times. My character is a reformed practitioner of dark magic and is on the run from the cabal he abandoned. I'm looking for one female role to play pretty much whatever you'd like. It's magic in a modern setting so just run any ideas you have by me either by posting a character profile here or PMing me.

Note the intro is fairly long but I'm not anticipating all the posts being this long, though I do tend to grind my teeth at one liners

And yes this is a scenario I've run a couple of times if any of you old timers are looking into it
___________________________

The demon turned and opened his mouth, breathing fire at the young man. He was pushed backwards, barely raising his circle of protection in time as the bottoms of his jeans caught fire and his firey red hair was singed. "Christ already. Time out!" He yelled as the demon drew in for another breathe launching another blast of fire, forcing him to duck out of the way. The demon laughed evilly, at least Sharn thought he laughed, the sound that came out sounded like nails on a chalkboard. "I am bound by another to rend the flesh from your bones mortal, but even if I were not so bound I would kill you anyway to harvest your soul." The demon growled and launched himself forward, choosing to abandon his supernatural abilities to tear the youngster apart with his bare hands. Sharn panted, he was nearly out of juice, this fight having drained him. Still he focused all his energy into the ring on his right hand and held it out in front of him, forcing his will into a shield. He cringed as the demon flew towards it.

CRACK! The demon struck the shield and it crumbled instantly as Sharn's concentration was wrenched away by the blowback of magical force. It still saved him though, the demon was blasted backwards twenty feet, landing in a daze. He started to rise, but Sharn was already hoofing it away, as fast as his 5'10 stance would allow. He heard the demon coming at him again, and knew he had to find something to combat him with or he would be dead very soon.

Sharn had been on the run for the past week, ever since he'd defected. He had had enough with the killing. Since he was old enough to remember he had been raised in the manner of evil. Dark ritual marks scarred his body, tributes to the power the Order of Shadows served, the high balor Dravic and his mind burned with the evils he had performed in the demon's name, innocent sacrifaces, drinking the blood of the living, all in the name of power. Sharn had reached his breaking point when the Order had presented him with a means to ultimate power.. through bathing in the blood of infants. They tried to bend his mind to their wills, but he found inner strength and fought them off long enough to escape. Now he was on the run attempting to find safety somewhere, but demons like ole' fire-breath back there weren't making it very easy on him.

He dodged to his left sharply as he felt rather than saw the demon descend on top of where he just was. "Gotta be faster than that!" He yelled, taunting the demon as his emerald green eyes scanned the darkness for anything he could fight with. Sharn was an elemenal warlock, meaning he was one whose magic was of a primarily elemental nature, fire, cold, lightning, earth, that type of thing. Unfortunately Sharn was stunted in his magical development and found the only two elements he had any mastery of were Fire and Cold. This demon was obviously fire based and most likely would resist any attack as such. That left only cold for him to work with. He smiled in triumph as he saw what he was looking for. A large fountain was spouting high dead ahead. He ran for it with all his strength, pulling up just short and turning to face the demon. "I give up! Jesus almighty you're persistent!" He yelled as the demon slowed down, walking towards him tauntingly. "I'm sure they'd rather have me back in one piece right? You don't have to kill me." He kept talking, buying time to gather his strength for his last desperate attack. The demon bared his teeth and Sharn steeled his will, preparing for the creatures attack. "Actually the one whom bound me made no stipulations about bringing you back alive." And with that the demon launched himself into the air, gathering his breathe for another burst of flame as he set his long claws forward to impale Sharn. The young man stood, prepared to meet the assault and at the last possible moment unleashed the power he had gathered, forcing his will into the fountain. Time slowed as Sharn decelerated the molecules in one of the jets of water forcing it into a solid lance of ice that he mentally shoved forward to meet the demon's attack.

SHINK! The icicle lanced upwards, catching the demon under the chin and impaling him straight through the brain as Sharn ducked under its claws, rolling to the side and standing up shaking. The demon hissed and began to smoke, a dark miasma filling the air as the demon was sucked back under. It was impossible to kill a demon in the material world, only banish it back to where it came. Sharn sighed softly realizing he'd just made another enemy on top of the Order in the form of a demon angered at its banishment. With a heavy sigh he turned and limped away, hoping to put as much distance between him and his pursuers as possible.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn groaned as he forced himself to keep walking, pulling himself along on one leg and a make-shift crutch. The first demon had been tiring enough to fight off, but Sharn didn't expect to face a full blown member of the Order immediately afterwards. It had taken the last of his will to survive the fight, finally escaping by grabbing onto the side of a moving truck as it whizzed by after having his leg broken in what he could tell was at least two spots. The speed of the truck had dislocated his shoulder when he grabbed on, but at least he was still alive. He quickly passed out in the bed of the truck, thankful he still had a little luck left on his side.

Reality flooded his eyes and the pain came rushing back to meet him as he awoke to consciousness. He sat up, noting his surroundings with a groan. He had no clue where he was. Some small town he'd never heard of before, likely a town most people had never heard of. Boonestown, he wasn't sure how long he'd lay passed out in that truck so he wasn't even sure if he was in Illinois anymore or how far away from Chicago he had come.

Sharn grabbed a two by four out of the back of the truck and rolled out it, landing carefully on his good leg. Walking away from the parked truck he ducked into the shadows, making sure he was not seen. Pulling his sweatshirt hood over his head to hide his ritual marks on his neck he limped away, seeking a 7-11 or some other open store where he could ask directions to the nearest holistic medicine store or Wiccan bookstore. It would be as good a place as any to start his search for someone who would understand his plight.

 

[showdolly]

Gonna shoot ya a PM....

LOL But you can ignore it. I see now you've found a player! Have fun!!!

 

[MissMarbles]

Sharn had indeed ended up in a small town. The tiny town of Brave was home to less than 100 people, was unmapped, and lied somewhere between Lake Huron and Toronto. Of course, Sharn was clueless to these facts, but as he looked around the small town from where he stood, he would most likely realize that he probably wouldn't find a 7-11 or a specialty bookstore in a town so small.

The old, beat up work truck had parked accross the street from a well kempt, single story home. There was no fence to divide the property, or even to offer a shred of privacy, but the exterior of this home looked as if it would have come out of some country living magazine. It was pristine. The lawn was lush and green. Flower beds lined the walkway up to the wrap around porch - vibrant, fragrant flowers thrived and flourished. The driver of the truck had apparently not noticed he'd toted Sharn along and brought him home. The other houses scattered along down the street appeared much more drab than this one - which made it stand out like a diamond in the rough.

______________​

Keira stepped out of the shower as she tossled long ebony tresses with a large fluffy towel. Moisture evaporated from her smooth, olive skin, causing goosebumps. She'd had a terribly long day at work, and the long hot shower had been just the thing to help her relax. The towel went in the hamper as Keira slipped into her white terry cloth bathrobe and wandered out of the bathroom, through the bedroom and living room and into the kitchen.

The young woman quickly flipped on the stove, filling a kettle with water and plopping it down on the stove top to boil. A nice hot cup of Earl Grey would also help her relax! She smiled in anticipation of the tea's effects, before heading back out to the living room. She was about to turn on the television and have a seat while she waited for her water to boil, but.. Was that someone outside?

Kiera's brow furrowed angrily and she half-pouted as she heard a ruckus coming from across the street. Was someone messing with that truck again? She was almost sure of it. A long, exasperated sigh parted full lips. So much for my relaxing evening, she thought to herself. She crept over to the window, pulling back the lacy curtain. Keira's eyes strained to make anything out, but the shades and shadows of dusk were working against her. Maybe I'm just hearing things?

Letting the curtain fall back in place, she stepped away from the window, and made her way back to the television. Keira turned it on and was just about to settle down into her sofa when a loud, high pitched whistle caused her to jump back up on her feet. The kettle had startled her, and now her heart raced as she walked back into the kitchen to prepare her tea. Relaxing evening.. right.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn muttered angrily as he gazed around his new surroundings from the shadows. He’d arrived in the boonies that was for sure. It figured that his one means of escape would dump him in the middle of fucking nowhere he thought angrily to himself as he looked at the dilapidated homes that compromised the “inner” city portion of the small community. He knew that there would be no members of the arcane persuasion in such a place, only the type of backwater hicks that would make his life even more of a living hell than it already was.

With a groan he forced himself to consider his options. He could keep moving, but with his leg in the condition it was he wouldn’t get far without some sort of medical attention and this didn’t seem like the type of town with a fully functioning hospital. He muttered out some more curses under his breath against all country bumpkins as his brain continued to count down the possibilities, finally deciding his only option was to go to ground till morning and pray he could find a way back to civilization. The only problem was the longer he stayed put in one place the more likely it was the Order would track him down. He let out a deep breath. Counter magicks had never been one of his strong suits, especially long duration spells, but he could whip up a counter scrying spell if necessary. He’d just need some provisions. Looking up and down the neighborhood he figured his best bet was the home in front of him. It looked in better repair than the others nearby and at the moment looked quite empty. With a grunt of effort he shuffled across the street, making sure his hood was still pulled high on his head as he once more snuck into the shadows, casing the dwelling before him. If he’d been more careful he might have noticed the faint glow of the television and the heat of the fire burning under the kettle.

He had not noticed though, and thinking the house was empty, the occupants likely at a square dance or something else equally hickish, he crept to the back door, dragging his bum leg behind him. He growled slightly when he realized it was locked, figuring this was the type of community where everyone trusted everyone. With a tiny focus of his energy he chilled the lock to near absolute zero, freezing it instantly. He put his good shoulder against the door and shoved, hearing the faint sound of the lock fracturing as the door swung open. He was greeted with a high-pitched scream that at first he thought to be an alarm before realizing it was a screeching kettle. Shit! He thought to himself as he realized what the kettle indicated. Knowing he couldn’t run in time he thought fast, sprawling himself out on the floor, trying to play every part the victim for whoever was coming to check on that water.

 

[MissMarbles]

Keira felt the chill from the back door being open as she stepped into the kitchen - and immediately she knew that something was wrong. She always kept the back door locked since it jammed so much, she'd just stopped using it altogether. So, not only did someone come into her house, they'd broken in! Almost instinctually, Keira reached for a frying pan that was hanging from a rack above the stove. She moved the kettle onto a cool burner and turned the stove off before she crept further into the kitchen.

The cool night air filtering into her kitchen and lack of clothing gave Keira goosebumps. She stifled a shiver. Her heart raced - she could feel it pounding in her chest, in her ears. Carefully, quietly, she tiptoed towards the end of the counter. Keria's knuckles turned white as she gripped the frying pan. As she appraoched the end of the counter, nearing the corner of the kitchen that would become the nook, she caught sight of the open door. Confused, but slightly relieved at not having seen an intruder with a hockey mask, she stepped around the corner of the counter towards the door - but froze on the spot seeing the hooded man unconcious on the floor. Had he knocked himself out busting down my door? she wondered. In fear of her own safety, Keira, wielding her frying pan, slowly started backing up towards her telephone which hung on the wall behind her. She continued back pedaling and, because she hadn't been watching how close she was to the phone, bumped into it with her shoulder, causing it to fall and skitter accross the tile floor with a clatter. Keira gasped, having startled herself, now hoping that the racket she just made didn't bring the intruder on her floor back to conciousness.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn watched the woman carefully from under his hood as he feigned unconsciousness on the floor. She wasn’t at all the type he expected to be living in a bum fuck town like this. He’d pictured frumpy housewife, not the image of beauty peeking over the counter at him. Her dark hair and tanned skin seemed out of place in a town Sharn suspected consisted mostly of the Caucasian race’s dredges. He was so distracted by her appearance that he nearly failed to notice the large frying pan she was holding in her hand. He cringed inside, hoping she didn’t decide to just make sure he was out cold. He summoned a small flame into his close palm, prepared to defend himself if she decided to come at him, while still maintaining the façade of helplessness on the cold linoleum floor.

Sharn watched in a slight panic as she backed towards the phone, knowing that she would likely call the police, which would just lead to a whole new mess of problems. He exhaled slightly as she slammed into the thing carelessly, sending the device skittering across the floor. He released the small amount of flame he had gathered, his magical site picturing the wires within the receiver frying silently as he rendered the phone useless, the fall giving him a good alibi. He gasped loudly as his mind reeled with a splitting pain, a magical blow back caused by his lack of focus. He swore silently, knowing his cover was blown and groaned loudly again, trying to play the whole thing off as his recovery to consciousness. He rolled over, rising slightly on shaking legs, his eyes opening weakly, sapphire green orbs peering out from the darkness of his hood to make contact with the beauty in front of him. “Please….” He gasped out, doing his best to sound weakened and pathetic. “Help…” and with that he allowed his eyes to drift close and collapsed back onto the floor in front of her praying his deception was complete.

 

[MissMarbles]

Keira's eyes bulged, her whole body tensing as she watched the intruder turn over and the rise. Though terribly frightened, she noticed that we was far too battered to have just knocked himself out busting down her door. His plea for help was believable, and she gasped as he collapsed onto the floor.

She stepped closer, setting the frying pan on the table as she did. She reached down for the telephone, planning on calling the town's doctor. She held the phone to her ear, pressing an array of buttons, to no avail. No dial tone. "Ugh..!" she exclaimed, frustrated as she tossed it back onto the floor.

The man. Right. Keira wasn't too sure how to go about this whole situation, but ended up kneeling next to his thrashed body. She reached over, managing to shut the door to protect them against the dropping temperature. Keira looked back to the man, shaking his shoulder gently.

"How badly are you hurt? I won't be able to move you by myself.." she said, trailing off a bit, observing his bumps and bruises a bit more thoroughly now that she was close to him.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn again raised his guard, unsure what he'd be able to do against her in his weakened state, as she came forward. He was relieved to see she had left the frying pan on the counter but was once more alarmed when she picked up the phone, fearing that his attempts to disable it had failed. Luck seemed to be on his side again though as she smashed the phone on the ground. He groaned again slightly, trying every bit to play the victim while still preparing to defend himself at the first hint of aggression from the woman.

As she knelt down close to him, closing the door against the cold night air Sharn allowed himself to shift slightly, trying to hide his face from her. He obviously could not keep his scarred face a secret forever, but the longer he had to explain his situation before she saw his disfigurements the better off he would be. He gasped as he felt her hand on his shoulder, his muscles tightening up again in anticipation. He forced himself to relax, realizing she was trying to get his attention. A moment later the words she had spoken reached his brain and he croaked out a reply, "My... left leg, broken in at least two place.." He groaned slightly as he began to rise again, keeping his face turned from her. "And I think my shoulder may be broke as well.. dislocated at the very least." He grasped the counter for support as he put all his weight on his strong leg though it immediately began to buckle from the exhaustion his whole body was feeling and he collapsed, half dangling off the counter, dangling precariously on the kitchen counter.

 

[MissMarbles]

Keira rose as Sharn did, watching as he stumbled against the counter. She winced, throwing her hands up as if she would be able to catch him from that far away. She rushed to his side, realizing he probably wouldn't make it anywhere other than the floor without her help.

"C'mon," she said as she wrapped a small arm around his waist to support him. His arm draped over her shoulders, and she clutched his hand as she escorted him out of the kitchen and into the living room. She shuffled him along until she was able to help him take a seat, and then lie on the couch.

"You're really going to need a doctor.." she said, trailing off. She was lying, poorly - she knew very well she could take care of him by herself. But should she risk it? "How did this all happen, anyway?" she inquired, tilting her head to the side a bit - expecting some exagerated man-story of fighting bears or some such. Keira kneeled next to him again, taking his hand in hers, stroking it gently.

A faint golden aura, hardly visible to the human eye surrounded Keira as she stroked his hand. The sensation she created was warm and comforting - it was slowly dulling his pain. Keira was unsure why she decided that it would be okay. She wasn't entirely sure how she would explain to him that in five minutes she was able to completely mend his wounds. For the time being, she was attempting to distract him with questions to buy her some time.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn's eyes widened in surprise as he felt her arm encircle his waist and she began helping him rise to move towards the adjoining room. She'd actually bought it. These country folks were gullible as all get up. Sharn was used to suspicion and mistrust as the name of the game and her willingness to help caught him off guard. Still it was the best he could hope for given his present condition so he let her help him hobble to her couch. The interior of the place matched the exterior, warm and inviting Sharn instantly felt more comfortable in the surrounding and had to remind himself that this was no time to let his defenses down. He lowered himself onto the couch with a painful thud that knocked the air out of him momentarily.

He looked her over as she sat down next to him, found himself pleased by what he saw. A small grin came to the corner of his mouth as he reminded himself that now was certainly not the time for such thoughts, but he couldn't help himself. His face was still buried deep within his hood but he turned himself more slightly towards her to respond to her question. "I... was hit by a car..." He lied. "A little outside town... hit and run, dragged myself into town looking for help..." His voice trailed off as he felt her hand against his, felt the warmth and comfort radiating inside his body. His eyes again widened with surprise, amazed that a simple human touch could make his pain ease so greatly. "I'm... sorry for alarming you... I thought I could find a phone to call for help with." He continued as he swallowed slightly, his body wanting to sink into the warm comfort she was providing while his mind fought against the dulling sensation it was creating within him.

 

[MissMarbles]

Keira continued caressing, massaging his hand as he spoke. "A car? Seriously?" she asked, sighing and shaking her head in disbelief. "Some people," she muttered, almost inaudibly. The warmth radiating from her small hand increased to a comfortable heat - almost like a hot pack - as her magic coursed through him, working on the most damaged parts of his body. Hazel eyes studied him as he continued to speak.

"I'm... sorry for alarming you... I thought I could find a phone to call for help with," he said to her. Secretly, she was wondering why he chose her house - the house in the middle of the long stretch of road with houses scattered up and down it - but she let it go, figuring the impact from getting hit by a car probably left him dazed and confused.

"It's.. okay," she said. "Though it's probably a good thing you busted in here and not one of the other houses around here," she paused, feeling the heat start to dissipate. For a moment she panicked, though she did her best to hide it. She'd healed him a lot faster than she had expected - and she was still unsure of how she was going to explain it to him. "Uh.. yea," she continued, "Most of the other families around here carry shotguns, not frying pans.." she trailed off, trying to think of some other way to keep his mind off of his no-longer-existing injuries.

"So, stranger.. Have a name?" she asked, studying him again as she continued to stroke his hand.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn felt as if he were floating. Where a moment ago every fiber of his being cried out in pain he now felt nothing but a numb warmth coursing through his entire body. His eyes began to weight heavily and only her questions kept him from falling completely into a deep relaxing sleep. One small part of his mind called out to him, warning him of the dangers all around him, but he pushed it aside for the moment, focusing on the sweet sound of her voice, his green eyes locking with hers as he listened to her words, soft as silk to his tired ears.

The only part of his body he could feel now was his hand, where her feather touch sent waves of heat through his body, alleviating his pain. He was curious about this, perplexed that something as simple as human contact could so fully remove his pain. It had been many years since Sharn had last shared a moment so gentle with anyone, and tears threatened to well up in his eyes as his memories of that moment came rushing to him. His mother... God his mother... what had he done? A nearly silent sob caught in his throat as the small voice in his mind screamed at him and suddenly he realized what was happening and he nearly swore, fear flashing in his eyes. Shit! She was an attuned! He forced himself to remain steady, studying her now with new eyes. He opened his third sight slightly, seeing the damning faint aura of gold around her. A fucking attuned. In a town this small. What were the chances?!

He just prayed she hadn't realized that same about him. He'd used almost none of his power, the minuscule amounts necessary to torch the phone and break the door shouldn't have alerted her, but he still prepared himself to run, surprised to discover she had mended almost all his injuries. She asked his name and for a moment he looked at her as if she had spoken a different language, before the words penetrated his addled mind. "Ah ummmm Shane..." He said, deciding it a good idea not to give his real name. "Wow... I feel a whole lot better... whatever you did it really did the trick." He said, knowing it would be smart to not let her know he had any idea what she was.

 

[MissMarbles]

Keira smiled as she continued to to play with his hand - it was almost as if she weren't even concious of it. Certainly, there was no point anymore, since she was well aware she had finished healing him - at least, as much as she could at that time. It was innate, her nature, to be so.. trusting, so empathetic. Honestly, it probably got her into more trouble than it ever helped her - and that was part of the problem. She was never looking out for herself, constantly putting the needs of others before her own. One would most likely call that naive, but she was aware of it. She was aware that she'd been walked on, stepped all over. Keira was also aware that it would happen again. Quietly she wondered if this would be another one of those times as he stammered out his name. "Ah ummmm Shane..." he told her.

"Shane.." she repeated softly with a slight nod. Part of her was unsure about his presence, unsure of his intentions and that part felt as if she should remain on guard - but the other? The other part felt strangely comfortable with him.

"Wow... I feel a whole lot better... whatever you did it really did the trick," he said to her. Again, Keira felt panicked, but managed to hide it. Her heart raced. Did he know? Her eyes fell back upon the both of their hands - she bit her lip slightly, realizing she'd continued caressing his hand. Slowly she retracted her hand into her lap, letting out a nervous laugh.

"Pressure points," she said simply. Keira could feel her face grow hot and she attempted to change the subject. "Are you hungry? Or.. thirsty? I could make you something.." she said, trailing off as she looked over to the kitchen.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn was doing everything in his power to keep from chuckling now. He had been surprised by how upset he was when she pulled her hand away from him and was slightly shaken by the realization that he genuinely enjoyed the feeling of her skin on his. They were both lying to each other about who they were, but unlike her Sharn knew the truth. This brought its own set of problems though, as he now feared she would recognize the ritual scarring on his face for what it really was. Perhaps she was not versed enough in the arcane world to know, but common sense told Sharn that now was the time to make his exit, using his newly healed legs to carry him far away from this attuned woman.

His common sense was quickly overruled by his stomach however as she mentioned the possibility of food. Magic was not a force gathered from without but rather came from within a person, and every use of magical force weakened a person, overzealous neonates had been known to burn themselves out by attempting to draw out from power than their bodies could sustain. Sharn had used a lot of magic the past couple of days, calling upon more power in desperation had left him exhausted and starving. “Yes… food would be wonderful right now.” He said, letting her line about the pressure points appear to have sated his curiosity. He rose with her, again making sure the hood of his sweatshirt hid most of the damning marks on his face as he followed her into the kitchen, admiring what a thorough job she had done on his injuries. "Ah.... I didn't catch your name..." He said, doing his best to sound sheepish, but listening very carefully.

 

[MissMarbles]

As Keira rose, she noticed that her new guest had as well - again, causing her to panic. "Ah.... I didn't catch your name..." he said. Her eyes widened and she turned quickly, grasping him by his arms as if he'd lost his balance and she was trying to catch him. She meant to ease him back towards the couch, but practically shoved him instead.

"I'm Keira," she said softly. "..and you.. you should rest.. your leg.. y'know?" she stammered, obviously a bit shaken by the fact that he might discover something. "I insist.. I'll fix you whatever you'd like.. but.. you should rest.." she said, and with that she slipped back into the kitchen. When she was out of his view she smacked herself on the forehead and let out a groan. "So.. any requests?" she called out to him as she opened the fridge.

The chill air from the fridge caused Keira to get goosebumps again. She clutched her robe closed to protect as much of her skin from the chill as she could. Blinking, almost in disbelief, she looked down realizing she was still only wearing her bath robe. Keira sighed, wondering when she would have the chance to slip away and change.

 

[gagonthis]

Keira. He focused on the sound of her name, making sure he heard the exact proper pronunciation. Knowing someone's name gave you power over them. A person's name, their true name, was a doorway to power over them. Sharn filed away the way her name sounded for future reference. As he watched her rise, his eyes took in the way the robe hugged certain parts of her body, accentuating her curves. He licked his lips slightly as he began to follow her into the kitchen before she halted him.

Sharn grinned again from under his concealing hood. He could tell she was very nervous that he'd dig too deep into her method of healing him, that perhaps he'd realized something was not as it should be. "Oh... I don't know, I don't really feel the need to rest anymore. My leg feels fine. You certainly seem to have a magical touch..." He chuckled silently at his choice of words, seeing the panic on her face once more. Still he lowered himself back to the couch, watching her swaying rear as she headed towards the kitchen. The things he could do he thought with a slight chuckle as she rounded out of his sight.

He immediately set about sizing up the small dwelling, looking for any glyphs or wards she may have set up. His third sight opened fully, causing his head to reel slightly. Even the little amount of energy necessary to do such was weakening him further and with a growl he shut it again after a cursory glance around the living room. He'd seen no marks of protection, but that didn't mean they weren't there. He was still in much danger and needed to find a place to go to ground, to set up his own protections if he didn't want to be tracked during the night. "Ahhh ummm whatever is easiest on you..." He said, unsure what answer she was expecting as he continued his search around the room for anything he could use for defense.

 

[MissMarbles]

Keira plucked at her bottom lip as she half contemplated what she should make for him and half pondered his choice of words - and his reaction. Magical touch, hm? she thought to herself, figuring he had to know.. or in the very least, had an idea that she was attuned. But if he did know, why hadn't he said anything to her? Keira began to worry again about the intentions of her visitor. It was unlikely she had brought any attention to herself to have caused anyone, attuned or not, to come for her - she lived and worked fairly modestly, but it was definitely possible. So why was he here? Keira's mind was flooded with questions. First thing's first, though.. She needed to find out why he wasn't intimidated by her magic..

"Ahhh ummm whatever is easiest on you..." he called back to her. Keira arched a single brow as her attention snapped back to the open fridge in front of her. Easiest.. Keira rummaged through the fridge, setting some bread and several other items on the counter next to her. She began to prepare a sandwhich - avocado, lettuce, tomato and cucumber - Keira was empathetic in almost every conceivable way, including empathetic towards animals, and, therefore, she was a vegetarian and didn't keep any meat in the house. Speedily she finished and placed the sandwhich on a plate, shuffling her mess back into the fridge. Also, not wanting to let her water to go to waste, made two glasses of mild tea. Bringing everything back out into the living room, she set the two glasses and the plate on the coffee table in front of her guest.

"My apologies if you're a carnivore.. I don't keep meat in the house," she said, motioning to the sandwhich. "I still think you'll enjoy it.." she paused, trying to study his expression that was still shrouded by the hood of his sweatshirt. "If you'll excuse me," she continued. "I really should change.. Make yourself comfortable?" Keira half smiled as she departed to her bedroom, still pondering the intentions of her guest. She would most definitely feel less vulnerable wearing real clothes. She turned to eye him before slipping into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. Keira slipped out of her robe, lying it on her four post bed as she rummaged through her dresser, silently deliberating what exactly she should do next..

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn probably should have expected that she would be a vegetarian. All the goodie goodie types were. Still he did a good job keeping the disgust from showing plainly on his face as she brought the food back into the room. If nothing else it would at least fill his stomach and give him a bit of energy back, even if it tasted like cardboard going down. And of course there was tea. Sharn wasn't sure what it was with practitioners and tea. They all seemed to prefer it as their beverage of choice, probably something about the roots of mysticism being based in Asian or Indian society. He much preferred a black cup of coffee but he took the tea without complaint, even managing a small faked smile of gratitude to her. He was going to have to hit up a burger joint to get the taste out of his mouth though.

He was surprised again that she had been so trusting thus far. She hadn't even tried to determine what it was he was hiding by keeping his face shrouded in the darkness of the hooded sweatshirt. He gobbled down his food as she excused herself to go change, his eyes focusing on her rear as she sauntered away. When she was out of sight he rose up fully testing the weight on his previously broken leg. It felt as good as fixed, which meant it was time Sharn fled before things came to a head with his benefactor. First though he needed to procure some supplies from her. Looking around again he slipped into the kitchen and began scrounging around for anything that would work.

He had slipped three small dining room candles, a kitchen knife and was in the process of gathering up some table salt in a small bag when he heard a noise behind him. Cursing slightly he turned to see Keira reemerging from her room just as the hood of his sweatshirt slipped off. His eyes widened in fear as he realized he wasn't going to be able to hide his face or his actions in time...

 

[MissMarbles]

Keira had quickly decided on a pair of old blue jeans, white tee and sandals. She modeled for herself momentarily in front of her mirror. The jeans she chose were fitted, but shredded and torn - comfortable. As she peered into the mirror, she couldn't help but think of her guest. Something wasn't right, but Keira couldn't put her finger on it - nor dare she try in fear of putting herself in any more danger than she already may be. She quirked a brow as she stared into the mirror. She smirked to herself, placing the hand she had used to heal Sharn flat against her mirror. A dim blue aura encompassed her hand, and as she pulled it away from the mirror, the mirror shook, though the glass appeared to be liquid. When it settled, Keira no longer saw her own reflection, but saw the world through her visitor's eyes.

She grinned, watching as her guest stomached the rest of his food, even his tea. Scrying was, indeed, better than television sometimes! Keira continued to watch as she began brushing her long dark hair. Again she smiled, although almost nervously, as Sharn "tested" his previously injured leg. There's no way he can't know.. she thought to herself as she watched him wander into the kitchen. What is he looking for? Keira wondered as she continued watching him, seeing that he was snooping about her kitchen. She set her brush down, leaning forward on the dresser. He's stealing candles!? A surge of anger began to flow through her body, but it quickly faded as she watched him confinscate one of her sharp kitchen knives. Keira was still angry, but also quite scared. What was a girl to do?

Honestly, Keira had no idea. She flung open her bedroom door and made her way into the kitchen to confront him. If looks could kill, Sharn would be eviscerated. Why was she so angry? Keira was never.. angry. Truth be told, it went entirely against her nature. Perhaps this moment was "the last straw," and she could no longer take people taking advantage of her. Maybe it was all a facade, and she was scared out of her wits. Maybe it was a combination of the two? Either way, Keira paused as she finally set foot in the kitchen. Sharn's hood had fallen to reveal the markings on his face - and while Keira was mostly naive about other magics, her grandfather had told her about the dark arts and their cabals - who often marked or disfigured their people in such a way. After her moment of realization, Keira panicked and began backing up into the living room.

 

[gagonthis]

Bloody hell he thought to himself as he saw her glare at him in anger and then in fear. Even if she didn't know what the markings on his face meant, she clearly knew it wasn't natural for a man to be scarred in such a way. Great how was he going to explain this one way? It didn't look like she was going to have the chance as she began backpedaling away from him into the living room. Fuck it he thought, he was healed, it was time to run. He'd be long gone before she gathered her wits enough to call the authorities or do anything about him. Yet he found himself strangely immobile. He couldn't bring himself to just run out on her though he had no idea why. He'd created a whole mess of trouble just by coming to her home and he'd be doing a disservice to her if he fled now. That bullshit reasoning sounded hollow even to him.

He raised his hands in a sign of peace, letting the bag of salt drop onto the counter as he walked towards her slowly. "I'm sorry... I came here under false pretenses..." He said softly as he followed her into the living room. "I know about you. You're attuned, the magic, it flows through you, and quite strongly if my healed leg is any proof." He said thinking to himself that if he could keep talking, keep her attention focuses, she wouldn't do anything too rash. "I'm on the run... some very evil people want to do some very bad things to me... I'm trying to escape, I just needed some reagents... I didn't mean to bring trouble to your door." He was quickly running out of things to say, instead now just staring keep into her eyes, trying to make her see the sincerity of his words.

He took another deep breath weighing his options again. Should he flee? He hadn't been here too long, and he had enough energy left to make a run for the next town if need be, though the idea of dodging anything the order would throw at him made him cringe a bit. He had just settled on fleeing, seeing the overwhelming fear in her eyes when he heard a sound outside that drained his face of blood. A low sorrowful mourning cry followed by the sound of large wings beating through the air. Ah shit. This night just couldn't get any worse could it?

 

[MissMarbles]

Keira continued backing up through her living room as he approached her, glaring at him skeptically as he spoke. He hadn't drawn the knife on her yet, but that didn't mean he wouldn't.

"I'm sorry... I came here under false pretenses..." he said to her softly as he followed her into the living room. "I know about you. You're attuned, the magic, it flows through you, and quite strongly if my healed leg is any proof. I'm on the run... some very evil people want to do some very bad things to me... I'm trying to escape, I just needed some reagents... I didn't mean to bring trouble to your door."

As Sharn crept closer to her, the golden aura once again became visible - and the closer her crept, the closer she came to being trapped, the brighter it became. "And why should I believe you!?" Keira demanded, shouting, tears filling her eyes and startling herself as her aura bumped into the sofa, causing her to step around it as she continued backing up. She stared back into his eyes - so truthful. However, she had already been fooled by him once, and refused to let it happen again. Her heart was racing as she inched towards her front door - suddenly she froze, arching a brow as she noticed Sharn's expression change. She had already been frightened - but what was that eery cry coming from outside? Keira's heart sank into the pit of her stomach, her voice a hushed whisper. Several tears dripped down either cheek. "What the fuck is that?"

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn heard her question but didn't respond. He was thinking hard. Part of his mind told him to run. Just tear ass out of the house. There was a good chance the thing outside would be too busy tearing her apart to notice he had left until he was far away. Then again the banshee was likely sent here to deal with him, and going out in the open would certainly be inviting an impossible fight against the winged apparition.

Besides he couldn't just leave her to die. Turning over a new leaf and all that shit had to start somewhere he told himself, and he'd already fucked up enough coming here and endangering her, much less fleeing and leaving her to her own devices to battle a major sidhe force. He sighed heavily as her question finally seemed to penetrate the haze around his brain and he blinked, looking at her, seeing tears running down her face. Good start Sharn. Real good start.

As he began to answer her he walked over to the couch she'd put between them, grabbing one of the throw pillows and on it and cutting it open with the knife he'd procured. "Study much Irish Mythology? Don't both answering, it's rhetorical. Looks like the people who're after me sent a fucking major Sidhe to come track me down, a fairy, in this case a banshee." He continued talking as he stuffed the cotton stuffing into his ears. "You're going to want to plug up your ears. They've got a voice that hits like a truck..." He muttered to himself some more as he ran glanced around the room, trying to formulate the best strategy he could to deal with the damn thing.

 

[MissMarbles]

Keira stared at him as she waited for him to answer - a few more tears trickling down her cheeks as she did. Her eyes watched him carefully as he stepped over to her couch, picked up one of her throw pillows and.. gutted it. The initial slashing frightened her, but the fear was short lived.

"What the Hell?!" she asked - but he ignored her.

"Study much Irish Mythology? Don't both answering, it's rhetorical. Looks like the people who're after me sent a fucking major Sidhe to come track me down, a fairy, in this case a banshee," he said as he stuffed the cotton into his ears. "You're going to want to plug up your ears. They've got a voice that hits like a truck..."

Keira eyed him suspiciously. She knew little of magic and mythology other than her own powers and what her grandfather had told her when she was nothing but a child. She was skeptical of him, of the banshee, of.. everything. "Again," she said, calming herself from her previous outburst. "Why should I trust you?" Keira was obviously still frightened and confused.

 

[gagonthis]

Sharn just stared at her as kept talking. "Why should you believe me? What the hell kind of lie would this be? I mean honestly..." He was going to continue ranting but then he heard the sound, the moan getting louder. "Ahhhh shit..." He leapt forward, tackling Keira to the ground and clamping his hands over her ears as tight as possible.

The moan reverberated through the small home, shaking shelves and knocking things to the ground. The concussion of sonic force hit Sharn and Keira squarely causing Sharn to yell out in pain despite the cotton stopping his ears. He saw Keira quivering too, and knew she was feeling the penetrating force of the banshee's scream, though perhaps not as acutely as he. Then the despair set in, the creeping darkness that followed the mourning cry. A crushing blackness that spread through the soul, leaving the listener feeling dead inside. Sharn forced himself to fight against it, calling up his will to push it away. He only hoped Keira could do the same.