Self-Pity

[Melodia]

The world around him was dark, even during midday. For the bright greens of the trees and the vibrant yellow-gold of sunlight were absolutely dulled with sunglasses, the large shades that covered any trace of his eyes. He adjusted them, pushing them up to the bridge of his nose as he strolled from the house, not even bothering to lock the door. Spade rested his thumbs in the pockets of his skinny red jeans, chewing on a piece of gum and scanning around the little opening of forest casually. He wore a black shirt, closed jacket and a blue and black tie today, somehow matching and yet not matching all at once.

The trees loomed up before him, the dull amber color from the lenses still making the same scene seem lighter than the previous night. He shook his head, laughing quietly as he looked around. Images flashed by in his head, dark to light and light to dark, how one area of forest could look so familiar in such different views. Spade walked a little bit until he came to a stop, resting his hand against a tree. He spat out his gum and wiped off his mouth with the back of his hand, stepping down into a hollow little clearing, the fallen leaves and dirt soft under his shoes.

He could see it even with the dark glasses on. Heck, if he'd not been looking up at the canopy he could spot the thing from a mile away. The carcass of a buck lay sprawled out there, a horrid stain of red against the peaceful forest canopy. Spade shuddered only slightly, sniffing a little and stopping a few paces away from the thing. He played with his dark hair subconsciously, staring blankly at it.

Damnit. He still could not get the taste of blood from his mouth.

He felt his teeth clench and turned away quickly, rocking his hands behind his head with anger. Suddenly he whirled around and yelled with frusteration, punching a nearby tree so hard it nearly sent him sprawling backwards. He hissed air inwards and sucked on his soar knuckles, spitting out a woodchip and staring back at the dead deer in hatred. He thought he'd had it last night! Control! Everything was fine until that damn thing had run out in front of him! He had lost weeks of concentration and practice all for that thing. But it hadn't been all so bad...

He sighed. Giving into instincts meant that he was stuck in that house for as long as it took to get better. Only out for groceries, that was all, his manager and mother had told him. No shopping. No parks. No swimming. No communication.

No life.

He turned around and started to walk back, his head and shoulders drooping in defeat like a wounded puppy.

["Parker!"]

Traveling wasn't always easy for most travelers. It was a hard, uncooperative process that took time and hard work. Atelast for walkers. And some people were stubborn enough to make their luck worse by traveling without a map. But hell with maps! The beauty of sound could egrave the way! For her atleast. The intensity of city life was far off but just about reachable to hear. She was heading north now, trying to get to the land Lordlight. What a odd name, but she'd been told tales of unimaginable power prevaled in such a place. Some things way over her, but she couldn't resist to follow. To become one with her inner power. Pretty cheesy, yes, but hell she needed something new. Infact.... the girl passed running though the tree's with an athletes quickness. Even with earphones in and music flowing though them she could still feel it. The intensity of the sound, followed by a slight...crack. The girl pulled her headphones off and intensitfied the sound, naviating where it came from. She closed her eyes and hesitated. After a second her eyes peeled open with a grin. Her feet brought her over to the place of the noise.

"Why so glum, Jack?"

A girl stood if not only a few meters away from the un-inspired boy. Her brown hair flowed in the wind in a tight, high pony. A black trucker's hat was placed on her head the ponytail flowing in the little hole though the back. She wore what looked like a black sports bra, barely covered by a half jacket. Down past her belly button her pants came down to below her knees tightened with a draw-string. Her hand was placed on her hip curiously looking at the distraught boy with weird sunglasses. Those were some girly sunglasses...

[muhaha! =D btw they ARE girly sunglasses- don't deny it!!!!]

[Melodia]

[Not very girly xD See? Haha and the second one cause it's so hot]



His head snapped to attention suddenly, his straight brunette hair lightly following the motion of his head, like so many times when he flipped it running around onstage in the good old days. His hands were still hanging loosely from the pockets of his red skinny jeans. He squinted, the world a distracting amber color through the lenses of his sunglasses. This was pretty deep woods and Spade had been forced into isolation here for a few weeks now. Never a sole had wandered near the house or the woods surrounding, and only at night had he picked up a few stale scent trails. But this girl had appeared out of freaking nowhere. Though not as sharp as he was when he, well, transformed, his ears still worked normally. Perhaps he hadn't heard her because this glum attitude was eating away at him like it did so often, forcing him to retreat to the silence of his living room and the sounds of pen on paper as he scratched out song lyrcis so painful that he'd never sing them aloud.

He stared at her for awhile, a small twinge of panick twisting around his insides. He was wearing glasses but no hat, he'd left that back at the house. His clothing was normal for him but easily reconizable by any major fan, which this girl looked anything but. So maybe if he made a quick escape, hello-goodbye situation, there would be no foul. "It's not Jack," He said plainly, shrugging a bit, his hidden eyes still scanning over her and trying to decide what look she was going for and what sort of threat she may posses to his disguise.

["Parker!"]

[*cough*homosexual!*cough*]

The girl kept her dark eyes upon the boy in wonder. He was quite the looker. Not attractive wise (she hadn't noticed how cute he looked) but how he was dressed. Red skinny jeans? A black shirt with a button jacket topped off with a blue and black tie. How...interesting. Oh and she couldn't forget the shades! They looked cool on him, even if his style was running on modern eighties. Diffrent though, worth talking too. However she wasn't here to judge him, she was here to chat. Saddly enough the long road she had taken was lonley and silent. Her music was her only comfort and suprizingly that was starting to bore her. And when that happened, things were not looking good. The girl flipped her head slightly, letting her long hair fall on her shoulder her hat turned slightly. Well, wasn't he Mr. Grumpy, with his rough tone and bitter looks. Someone not get enough outside time? He was looking sort of pale if anything. Unlike her, with her golden tan skin etched thoughout her body from all those years of sports.

"Well then, why don't you correct me then?"

She spoke back intriged how he was still standing there. From his attitude he seemed like he wanted to walk off and just leave her. Her eyes fixated on his glasses trying to see though. No sucess. She exhaled and took a better look. He didn't look like he was traveling... Maybe he was a resident... And she was just on the outskirts of Lordlight. Oh my god... The girl's eyes widened as if she was realizing something. Could he...? Could it be? No!! ...YES! He had too!!

"Woah... Wait..."

She took a even better look taking a small step foward. He had no packs... no compas. Just him and his glasses...jacket...tie...and red...jeans...

"Oh...are you...?! ohmygod--"

She gave a huge smile her eyes wide and bright as if she was about to burst,

"AreyoufromLordlight?Doyoulivehere?Ohmygod,doyou,doyou?!"

FINALLY somebody from Lordlight! She gave a small jump her hands in fists as she egarly waited for him to respond.

[xDD haha i wanted him to be freaked]

[Melodia]

This was going to be easy. The girl was very laid-back and casual, and Spade figured he could easily outsmart her and get the hell out of here. But he had to admit, a little human contact wasn't so bad. And the more he saw, the more he liked. Behind the mask of whatever look she was going for (somewhere between sporty and carelessly good-looking) she was actually pretty attractive. Long hair, tanned skin...

He sniffed, shaking such useless thoughts away. Lordight was no place for interaction, especially with females, and especially in his condition and with his situation. It was a safehaven, a hideout, a place to stay until all his troubles were fixed. No girl was going to mess that up for him now, he was sure. But, then of course, he was quick to notice the sudden dawning realization appear on her face. He panicked, his mouth opening a little bit. He staggered backward, his eyes darting around for exits off through the trees. He heard his blood rushing through his eardrums and his heart pounding quickly. His legs felt a tad bit shaky, too. He had always stayed under cover, telling himself over and over, Spade, stay hidden, be quiet, be invisible, but never thought much of the consecuences if he didn't. Now that this girl in front of him seemed like she was going to explode in his presence like every other fan, his mind racked through the possibilties. Living here was a priveledge, that would be gone and he'd be transported to some government facility; his cover would be blown, the tabloids would go crazy; he would loose fans; the band would suffer.

His life would practically come to an end as he knew it.

These past weeks were bad enough--living alone, eating alone, watching TV and sleeping alone--but having to face criticism and isolation during the "real" course of his life would be too much for him. He'd miss the screaming, fainting fans, and the flash of lights and the jumping around onstage and the cameras and most of all, the music and especia--

"Are you from Lordight?! Do you live here!?

A recognizeable expression of confusion crossed his face momentarily. His heart slowed and the rush of color drained from his face. He adjusted his sunglasses with one hand and cleared his throat. The sun lit up the clearing, casting glowing lights about everything and glinting off his glasses. He took a few steps back towards the way he'd come, casually, brushing a few leaves around the ground with his foot. Relieved was what he felt.

"Yeah," Spade said, laughing uneasily and clearing his throat. He was still a little shaky since the "almost discovery," and he was still trying to mentally compose himself. "I live in Lordight. It's only temporary, don't ask me to show you around 'cause I don't get out much. Sorry." And that was it; he turned around to leave her standing there, still laughing and shaking his head in wonderment.

[Hahaha. xD Well this is just his character, I don't mean for him to leave the thread so feel free to do whatever to him.]

["Parker!"]

[XDD muahah not a problem]

Egarly the girl watched him with ancipation. Yes, she caught him now!! He was from Lordlight! Muahah, she knew it! What human would be so oddly close to the city of Lordlight. Not that she's ever seen the darn place before but still- it was on her radar. Her mind radar. Gah, whatever! The girl noticed his attitude change from dull to surpized to carefree. Raising a brow the girl relaxed and remained calm. She was excited but she returned back to her natural mellow attitude. The attitude that guys had when they were just chilling. The ol' I'm-so-cool that I don't need to show much expression. She played it off pretty well. As he turned she faultered the attitude and frowned lightly. What...? Where the hell did he think he was going? She unfolded her arms and sped up a little to catch up to him. She kept pace right next to him, her eye height not to far from his.

"No, I'm not. But thats cool you live here...even if it's temporary."

The girl tried the word 'temporary' on her lips. Heck, she wished she could live here temporary. Something was better then nothing. Perhaps if she got a job she could live here...but... ugh, there was so much to do. She almost stopped to let the boy go but she figured her first obsitcal was to meet a friend. Objective one: get a connection. Everybody needed connections, maybe this boy had a few on him. She smiled gently letting her hair sway at her shoulders.

"I'm Rane Marrion. New here, I guess."

She flashed an innocent smile before looking foward to wonder where the hell they were going. Or where he was leading her to.

[Melodia]

[Haha, a few connections xD]

He right on kept walking, dust from the ground finely layering over the tops of his converse. No matter how this girl tried to keep up, or how long she talked for, he would have to ignore her. It would be rude, he knew, but he could spare a bit of rudeness in order to keep his cover. This girl seemed friendly enough and hadn't noticed him yet. Yet being the key word, of course. When someone was of his status they couldn't stay hidden for long. Heck, people did this kind of thing for a living--checking out drug stores, patrolling the streets for people wearing hats and heavy shades and baggy clothing, usually paired with baggy ponytails for girls and a cup of Starbucks coffee.

Do not get distracted.

His silent commands were scattered and far off as she drew closer. Spade could sense every inch of her, smell the heat of her skin and the curiosity hinting behind her eyes. This happened sometimes, werewolf senses crossing the imaginary barrier between human and, well, not. He coughed and turned away, breathing into the collar of his shirt very nonchalantly and hoping she hadn't noticed.

And then, of course, the expected and unexpected happened all at once. She introduced herself. And he, well, slowed his pace. He hadn't talked to a soul since his weeks here, and now this girl was...talking to him. Just talking, that was all. It was quite the different experience, because every female within the range of his age was usually screaming or throwing herself at him, or blushing like no tomorrow or all three. But this girl, no, "Rane" was what she'd said, did none of that.

Only because she doesn't know, Spade hushed himself quietly.

"That's nice," He said, staring up at the sunlight flickering through the treetops. Spade's memories flashed from light to dark and in front of him he could visually see the scent patterns of prey, bright trails of pink and blue splattered on dull orange. He blinked rapidly behind his glasses, as though his contact was out of place. The trees they passed were thinning out now, and he recognized familiar scratch marks from previous nights and those that had been there since he came to Lordight, all leading back to--

He stopped dead, his heartrate quickening, and turned on one heel in front of Rane. His lips parted into a quick, nervous smile, for he was never one to be quick about correcting his mistakes. For the little white modern box that was his house was just up above them, over a grassy hill and a two minutes walk and clearly visual from here. He'd led her there completely on accident, of course; he had nowhere to go but home, so subconsciously that was what he did.

He gulped, speading his arms out wide with that grin still on his face. "So you want to see Lordight? How about we turn around and take the, uhh, roadway? It'll be faster and leads right into town," Spade said, fully planning on ditching her within the first few mintues.

["Parker!"]

Rane glared slightly at the guy as he just kept walking. Just idly walking back home, as if she wasn't there. Sure, she was used to people not having all their attention on her but this guy wasn't even giving her the time of day. How rude! She kept up with him though, being persistant. He was the only one out here and her only chance for a human to human conversation. And right now he was ruining that- and of course that didn't fly with her. She frowned as he said 'thats nice' of course he was probably not even realizing what she was talking about. How rude, she oughta burst his eardrums right now! She just about did though his quick movements made her flinch and jump back slightly.

What the? The boy had spun around blockading her off from the end of the forest. She held her breath wondering what the hell he was doing. Quickly he spoke his eyes hidden behind the dark shades. So now all of a sudden he wanted to talk? Even walk her into town?! Hm. Something wasn't right. She glanced back at the tree's behind him, noticeing their marks. Odd marks. Not very familiar-- unless there were bears in this woods. However, she wasn't exactly sure if a bear was strong enough to do...that. She slowly rebounded from the change and turned her head to the boy putting off the odd tree's.

"Uh, sure, lead the way."

She grinned looking at him oddly under the shade of her trucker hat. Rane wasn't slow at catching onto his caution of the area up ahead... maybe she should go check it out later. But for now... she'd just follow this guy. He did insist on taking her into town so why the heck not?

[Melodia]

“Good,” Spade said with quiet relief, nodding once and all together composing himself. He swung to her right and adjusted his tie, ruffling his feather-brown hair with his right hand. The sunlight was strong today, casting a golden edge around both of their figures as they made their way down the road. The road itself was long, gently curved and made of light dirt. The forest edged the pathways and the area smelled like spring, Spade noticed absently. He could sense the new buds popping from the soil, the fresh leaves and the slightly obsessive, tasty musk of a herd of deer a while away in the trees, behind them.

His teeth clenched together and ground them back and forth, testing temptation and forcing himself to resist. Prey was so close and he could feel them, munching away on the ground, completely oblivious to his presence. It was the perfect situation, his fingers itched with the first tingles of transformation…No. He couldn’t screw things up now. Spade coughed, breathing into his collar opposite Rane. He’d have to find something to distract him, even if that meant an actual, potentially harmful conversation. “My name’s Chris, if I haven’t mentioned it,” He lied on the spot. His gaze still stuck straight ahead as he talked, as if looking at her would somehow trigger her realization that his name wasn’t exactly Chris.

The town of Arbet came into view over the next curve. The dirt road turned to smoothly paved cobblestone. The buildings and shops reached a maximum of three stories, all clustered together neatly and then as it progressed were more spread apart. The shops were a various degree of colors with thatched roofs and, in those that created centers there were worn out wooden park benches and newly-working fountains. It was quite a sight for Spade; he had only gone into town during the winter since he’d been here, and back then everything was covered in ice and snow and not so…green.

“Well, here it is…” Spade shrugged as though he’d lived here forever and the sights were already familiar and boring to him, when really they were as new to him as they were to Rane. His hidden eyes flickered to and from the sights in a split second. And then he realized his error—he was supposed to ditch Rane when they’d got here, but instead he’d walked right into the center of town. His heartbeat thumped in his ears and he suddenly tensed, acutely aware of everything around him. But luckily, he saw no girls ranging from ages twelve to twenty within his radar, and if he could duck out of here quickly enough, his error could be quickly corrected.

A mumbled beginning of a word cut off as someone ran into him from behind. Her shoulder jammed into his back and he fell forward. And then an entire year and a half of concert stunts paid off and he caught himself and spun around all in one. But while the impact of the spin caused his straight, almost scene-ish hair to flip wonderfully, his glasses slipped off and fell onto the ground. He blinked and cursed loudly, the sun’s bright rays temporarily blinding him. He blinked and rubbed his eyes, and when the splotches of light cleared he was staring right into the girl’s face. She was a bit taller than him and skinny, with dishwater blonde hair, bangs, a fedora, converse and four completely filled shopping bags. And, oh yeah! The most familiar look of shock on her face.

“Shit,” He said, quickly dropping to the ground and picking up his sunglasses. They once again shielded his eyes, and above him he could hear the girl stuttering. “S-S-Spade D-d…oh my freaking….no way!!” She choked, immediately digging into her purse for her camera. “NO WAY!” She exclaimed, her voice higher pitched with excitement. Spade stood shakily, his head lowered, every inch of him weak as a wave of failure came crashing down on him. This whole time he had been hiding from Rane, only to be noticed by some faceless fan. And being recognized was like a death sentence for him, especially in Lordight, especially when he was supposed to be in “rehab.”

His eyes were wide behind his amber glasses, and though she had no knowledge on the situation, he looked to Rane for help before the girl mauled him.

["Parker!"]

Rane was enjoying those nice spring breezes, her pony like a banner. She had her face nicely shaded from the sun. Being not so fond of sunscreen she had to be sure to be safe. Being outside all the time she was a pro at being sun prone. She walked a little more perky feeling excited for her new catch. Chris? Wow. What an boring an ordinary name... She gave a fake smile and it tilted then vanished when she noticed he wasn't really looking.

But finally they reached their destiation. Rane was born in a nice area with a cute little town just like this. Except these weren't your ordinary people, these were specials. Gifted. She felt a slight pang of nervousness pinch at her. Rane gave a grin as he said 'well this is it'. He said he was new here too? Well, it didn't look like he was out much. However what did she know? He could have been the most popular guy in this whole town right now.

This was great. She could come here every day- hey maybe even get a job! And then she could-- Her thoughts were cut off by the sight of her new friend being pushed foward and falling straight towards the ground. She helplessly reached out to grab him but suprizingly he made it without a scratch on him. Woah, that was an interesting move he just pulled there...

"Woah, that was a close--"

Rane cut herself off as she turned her head to see a panicking girl behind her. She was staring straight at Chris her hands shaking. She spoke stuttering and stammering. Spade? Who was spade? Rane glanced at Chris to notice his shades had fallen off. Awww, he was cute. She hesitated confused as her eyes snapped back at the girl as she screamed. Good lord, what the hell?! She watched panic spread on Chris's face and Rane acually caught his look.

It was the look that sports players had to know. That look of dispair when they really need help. Rane blinked once and watched the girl grab Chris, screaming. Rane knew nothing that was going on but she acted almost instantly. Aggresively, she grabbed the girl prying her hands from Chris's shirt. Almost snarling she pulled the girl off who was screaming and trying to fight back. God, this girl screamed loud. Rane winced and took a breath before the girl's scream started to drone out.

"Are you CRAZY? Get lost, chick, you obviously have the wrong guy."

She snapped at the girl defensivly her stance powerful yet strongly sexy in a way. Her hair flowed to the side her hip jutting out in the same direction as her hands balled into fists. No way did anybody jump her new friend! She glared the girl down as the hypervenillating girl started to walk away talking to herself saying that maybe she was wrong. Or maybe...maybe she was right...but she couldn't mess with this girl.

Rane made sure the girl was out of sight before exhaling deeply and her stance litteraly relaxing. She hesitated then turned on her heels. Her eyes flashed up to Chris's-- if that was his name-- and stared at him critically. She called him Spade. Had... had he lied to her? Obviously this girl thought she knew him...so...he had lied? Folding her arms slowly she gave a sigh and lowered her gaze.

"Man, I thought you were cute, but that... was just over the top."

She smirked gently her eyes flashing back up the look saying 'wow i so caught you red handed' was clearly spread on her face.

[buahaha]

[Melodia]

[Yeah, I totally ripped his last name off DeviantArt. Haha w/e I was trying to find something that went with his odd first name. So the band is like, The Devious Brothers or something lamishly cool like that. xD]

He was practically blind to the world in his numb state of panic. He blinked and watched as Rane practically took care of everything. It was like she analyzed his facial expression and understood at once what course of action to take, practically defending him and scaring that fangirl out of her wits. When his head cleared she was walking away, utterly confused, and Rane was basically standing over him. For a second he nursed his bruised ego, having to have her shoo the girl away. Then again, he consoled himself, he really was defenseless; she could tell him by his looks, and if he tried talking his way out of it the fan would’ve recognized his voice immediately...Spade swallowed, then looked at Rane and the amber-colored world. He would’ve totally ditched her as soon as he could have. But…now that he thought about it, even if it was her fault that he was in the city of Arbet in the first place, she did protect his disguise. In his book, that meant he owed her. A least a little bit.

Spade’s brown eyes quickly glanced around the shopping court, looking for the quickest out with the least amount of people. He reached forward without her consent and took her hand. The sensation was an oddity for him, who had no human contact for quite some time. Her hand was soft and warm, and if he wasn’t in a state of declining panic he felt the urge to slip their fingers together like he would with his past girlfriends, before he and his brothers had hit it big.

He swallowed, two sets of instincts going insane at her touch. On one hand he could hear her pulse and the blood rushing through her veins, begging for him to sink his teeth into her precious, soft flesh. But then again he felt flutteringly nervous, worried that she might pull away and thrilled all at once that he was touching her. “Follow me,” Spade said, clearing his throat and pulling her through the crowd, his head down and eyes concentrated on their path outside of the town.

When they had reached the outskirts of the town he stopped. They were among widely-spread trees, behind one of the stores so that no one could see them. His hand released from hers and his fingers lightly brushed her arm as if by accident, though really Spade just dreaded the coldness of being alone again. He looked over his shoulder hesitantly and then took off his sunglasses, wincing momentarily at the sunlight. He rubbed his eyes and then looked at her. Damn, she was prettier in color.

“Yeah, so, my name’s not Chris,” He said, laughing a little at himself, shaking his head a bit. He looked everywhere but at her, and when their gaze finally caught he felt almost…compelled. His tone grew in seriousness. He told himself he was crazy, that what he was about to do he shouldn’t, that his disguise was everything and this girl meant nothing but somehow…that didn’t matter. “It’s, uhm, well…Spade actually. Deviant.”

He waited for her reaction. Usually that was enough.

["Parker!"]

[rawr i post!]

Rane had just settled herself in a perfect 'i got you now' pose before the soft flesh of his palm had took hers and grew tight. Rane hesitated for a moment, suprized more then ever, but she had no time to stall. Chris -if that was this kids name- was pulling her along thought the croud. Slithering though the shopping people Rane followed but didn't let her hand unclasp from him. You could almost say that...she was holding his hand as much as he was holding hers? Okay, so he had a rougher touch but she was holding on too. Why? Curious probably got the best of her. Being new here and all she didn't have much friends and maybe Chris-real name?-could be her friend. Maybe. With this sketchy attitude of his and all she might have to think about it.

Making their way to the outskirts Rane let herself be taken away from the city he had just brought her too. It was a quick visit but she was sure she'd be able to see it or even visit it again. Anyways this was her new home. Fingers brushed her forearm leaving Rane in unrecognizable chills. It was accident. Rane calmed herself making her mellow appearance turn back again. But the look of curiousity was clear as day on her face. When the white large sunglasses fell from his face she stared at his eyes again noticing how cute they looked. Aww, why would he cover them with sunglasses? Oh well. She watched him, inspecting his moves, listening to every sound he made.

When words started from his mouth Rane watched his mouth for a momment before flickering up to his eyes. Ah, his name wasn't Chris! She raised both brows in a look like 'wow, liar'. But she wasn't mad. He obviously had a purpose... Looking nervous the boy hesiated before speaking again. Spade....spade... Spade Deviant. She tried the name out mentally as she hesiated looking at him. The brown hair, the cute face, the red...pants. Red pants! She unkowningly let a quirky smile run across her face.

"Deviant? Hmmm... yeah, you look more like a Spade then a... Chris. Cool name, Spade."

She let a precious white smile peek from her lips as she pondered. He looked so familiar now. Out in the open and uncovered from those sunglasses. She folded her arms leaning on one leg a hip going out a little.

"Spade Deviant... A singer right? I think I've heard your band... The Deviant Brothers, correct? Ah, I thought I recognized your voice somewhere! Cool beans."

Rane was calmer then a nice spring day her eyes twinkling with a brightness that her mellow attitude concealed at times. She was a huge music listener but there were some genres of music that just put her off. Techno was her true style but there were others. She heisiated a moment before giving a small laugh and running her fingers though her long pony.

"Heh, I thought that girl was crazy. Actually, now I see she was just a crazy fangirl. Good thing I saved you from being mauled huh?"

She smiled playfully as she joked lightly with him not realizing that maybe he might be confused by her attitude. It's not that she didn't like him she just wasn't a fan. She hadn't gotten into certain bands, she liked the low key croud that didn't get much attention. However, they were amazingly good. They just didn't get mauled on the street by fangirls. Rane looked at him curiously for a while letting her banner like hair drift of in the wind.

[cutteee.]

[Melodia]

[ totally =) ]

Spade stared at her hollowly. His brain could not register her words, as though they were sent through his ears and then stuck somewhere, so that he could just hear their ringing remains like some foreign language that he couldn’t translate. His mouth opened slightly and he blinked. The sunglasses felt suddenly heavy in his hand and he looked down at them, his thumb swiftly running over one of the dark lenses. “Ah…I…” Was all he managed in a rather confused voice, his eyebrows drawn together in a slight frown as he examined them.

He should have guessed. Since that last show things had never been the same. After learning of his condition he had separated from his family and moved here to be on his own, two things that were completely new to him. Isolation was a third; he should have seen this one coming. You know, the whole girl-recognizing-him-and-not-caring sort of thing. The entire day he’d been hiding from Rane, only to see that there was no purpose from the beginning. He had strained himself into deceiving her, into calculating a thousand different plans to be rid of her, the only person in Lordight Spade had really talked to since moving here. It felt bizarre—an explosive mix of relief, caution, confusion, and…pure bliss.

“I guess I didn’t need these after all,” He laughed lightly, looking back up towards her. His choppy, silk hair fell in front of his eyes a little bit and blocked his view of her with his right eye, but he could still imagine what she looked like with the screen between them. He shook his head and his hair fell back. There was this silence that prevailed around them but not at all awkward. More like quiet realization and the forest together in one, and he liked it. It wasn’t like the silence he often felt pressing down on his chest. This wasn’t a lonely silence.

“So…Rane,” Spade began as if meeting her for the first time. That really was the case. He wasn’t tense or high-strung or cautious anymore, now that she knew. There was no worrying about blowing his cover, no trying to hide his voice. No being someone he wasn’t. “I’m supposed to be in rehab. In California,” He said in a bit lower, serious tone. His eyes caught her as if explaining its importance, as if he was thrusting his darkest secret upon her and knowing she wouldn’t tell a soul the rest of her life because he commanded it.

He suddenly lightened, though, swaying on the backs of his heels and then putting his glasses back on. Spade itched again to hold her hand. He wasn’t sure why, though, not able to pick out if it was the lack of human interaction he had received or…something else. Something, most likely, forbidden to his condition. “Walk with me?” He asked, motioning her to his left where a new path lay trodden into the ground, veering off into the golden-dappled forest. He liked the feeling of solid ground under his converse, a particular thing that always pleased him, and what better an afternoon than solid ground and a person to talk with? Something this rare was difficult to come by, and he wasn’t about to let that chance slip away. Rane seemed still interested in befriending him, after all, and now that she knew…

“What are you doing in Lordight? It isn’t the…safest place in the world, you know. Gifteds and everything.”

["Parker!"]

Feeling at a pause of ease between them Rane kept her blissful smiling up. Gently adjusting her black trucker cap she nodded smally with a light silent laugh as he realized he didn't need to cover himself around her. So now that she new his secret he would be more relaxed right? He seemed more cool with her. He was probably planning to ditch her from the start. As he said her name she glanced away then returned her gaze back to him as he started to speak. Her eyes looked confused for a momment before she caught onto his words. Oh, so he was hiding here in Lordlight? Supposing that rehab was the natural place for stars to go when they have problems they just check themselves into rehab. But why was he here in Lordlight? He had to be a gifted? Famous and gifted? Oh what a lucky dog!

As he shifted and asked her to walk she immediately walked forward but casually paced herself beside him. The trail was easily visible but she could easily her that within miles ahead that nobody was on the trail today. So why not spend her time with a famous guy?

"Yeah, well I am gifted after all."

She replied simply letting her head turn and look at the dense woods around them. After a few momments of utter nature she realized she should tell him what she could do. She hadn't told many in the past. But hey, everything was new now.

"Oh, I manipulate sounds... Um, I can mimic voices, increase sounds, decrease sound, all that stuff."

Explaining her power was tricky. She could probably do alot more with sounds she just didn't know much yet. With so much to learn she hadn't really explained her power alot. The peaceful silence kept up for a momment before she turned to look at him. He was just barely an inch taller but looking more colorful then her in her black attire. She smiled before asking curiously with a sly smile,

"So what's somebody like you doing in Lordlight? Shouldn't you be in rehab? Heh heh..."

Her eyebrow raised for a momment her hazel eyes cearly staring at his though his sunglasses. She joked around with him about the rehab part. He did say he was 'at' rehab right now--or atleast he should be. Maybe his gift was so cool he couldn't be around other people. Maybe he came here to learn more about his power. She kept up more pep with her walk anxious to know why he was here.

[Melodia]

This was nice. The breeze was warm and lightly ruffled his hair and kissed the back of his neck. The forest was alive with light and (he knew but tired to ignore) little animals like mice and squirrels that scurried beneath the upheld roots of the trees and the scattered leaves. Taking his mind off them was easier than he had imagined, now that his more human intellect was focused on conversation. Though the world was withheld in its usual amber color now, it didn’t seem as dim as it used to. Maybe it was, he didn’t know, sunnier than most days today? =) Spade listened as she talked. He was a good listener, having to sit through one too many talk shows and interviews and phone calls to fans that had entered contests. But at least she wasn’t chiding him about his success or his female followers or physical appeal or any of that like they had.

“Sound? That’s useful. It’d be really cool if…” He cut himself off. He was about to say it’d be really cool if she would come to a concert once and they could play with the sound a bit, do some awesome effects. But then he remembered he wasn’t doing any concerts for awhile. “If you could show me,” He ended, his lips twitching into a smile that showed it was not his intended ending but good enough for him. And most obviously he was avoiding her last question and any mention of why he was in Lordight, particularly because thinking about it stole away from his fun.