A Different Perspective }{ [Absolutely Open]

[Felix]

Felix's eyes flashed from having a sense of awe and wonder to a cold, serious, and alert look. "I have a feeling we're being-"

Before Felix could finish his statement, the source of his anxiety revealed itself by plummeting to the ground between him and Ainutsa. Felix jumped back out of instinct to provide a little more distance and whipped out his dagger from behind his back. His eyes narrowed as his body prepared to leap upon the body and force his dagger near the individual's throat, but Felix hesitated. It's the same girl that was talking to Ainutsa before. Usually he would never hesitate in a situation like this, but Ainutsa drew closer to the girl to check on her. However, the girl seemed to just calmly stand up and brush herself off as if falling from the roof in the midst of a conversation was no big deal. She also didn't seem to care too much for the cut on her arm. Felix had to agree. It's wasn't bad, she'd live. But even with this bizarre girl acting very calm, Felix wasn't about to let his guard down yet.

What troubled Felix the most was what Ainutsa said. He didn't see it right away, but sure enough: the girl's eyes were different.

They definitely were not that color earlier.... he thought.

"Who, or what are you?" He said coldly, his dagger still raised and ready for any sign of a fight.

[vain]

Vain looked at the dagger, her expression bored. She could feel the cut already beginning to heal. "You mean you've heard of an elf first before you've heard of my race?" Vain asked aloud. "We're, I'm, one of those blood sucking leeches that you humans call a ." Vain studied Felix. Vain grabbed Felix's hands that were clutching the dagger and shoved them down and released her grip on him. "Please. You're going to need a lot more then that." Vain took a step backward. "That's the thing. You humans think you rule the streets. You live in total ignorance about what's around you. You never ever pay attention to things. You think you're safe from everything with your big army tanks and your AKs. Oh sure, you see the danger that's right in front of you. If it's right on your doorstep. But you humans never look at the bigger picture." That was the longest speech she had said to a human in a long time. But it didn't matter...

[Felix]

The fighting instincts of 'fight or flight' kicked in. Having his hands forced down caused Felix's body to naturally lean forward. Taking advantage of the given momentum, Felix pushed off with his powerful legs sending a crushing head-butt straight for the girl's head, followed by a swift hook with his left hand to her jaw.

Felix spits at her feet and adds some distance between the two by taking a few steps back. He switches his dagger over to his left hand and remains posed for anything. His right hand calmly waiting down near his left waist.

"You should think twice before approaching someone like that, filth! You think too highly of yourself and what you're capable of. Don't be surprised when that leads to your ultimate undoing."

A sly, smug smile spreads across his face while the girl rambles on.

"Ha! You think we're ignorant? Look at you! You strut around this place thinking you own it. Take a look around, wretch!" He motions around with his head, never taking his eyes off the girl. "Where do you think we are, hm? This town, these buildings did you build this place? These streets you walk on, are they yours? When was the last time your kind ever built such marvels? Do you not live in our cities, our nations? When was the last time your kind had it's own governing nation, or united community? Was it perfect, or did you face problems much like our own?
We rule these streets because they are ours. Maybe you should stop pretending you know the world and open your eyes, because if you haven't noticed, you're in human territory."

[Summerchika]

Alarmed at Felix's tone of voice and the dagger that he held, Ainutsa tensed her body, ready for anything that might happen. It was imperceivable to most of the animals of the forest, but she had a feeling it would not be imperceivable to the girl in black. Still, with a weapon out and the tense feeling between the girl in black and Flelix, Ainutsa could not let her guard down.

As Felix's demeanor changed from warm and flustered to cold and angry, Ainutsa changed her demeanor as well. She had seen travelers do this many times. These people liked to fight over the silliest things in her opinion. Still, the fact that these were the only two people she had talked to in town was not lost on her. She found it hard to distance herself emotionally from what was going on as she had in most cases in the forest.

Quick as lightening, Ainutsa jumped in between the two after Felix switched dagger hands. "Stop this! Must you fight a fight for your race? You do not even know who you are fighting. Have you really offended each other in a way that merits this kind of fighting?" she scolded them, her eyes flashing. She knew her words would not do much in the state they were in, but she had to try. She took an open stance, ready to do anything she had to do.

[vain]

"And look at you." Vain said to the elf-girl. "Do you always try to do what's right? A saint?" Vain looked at the human, her dead eyes starring into his dark, stormy blue ones. "And YOU..." Vain growled at Felix. "You humans think you go through the most hardest of problems." Vain took a step forward. She had taken punches before, so this one didn't faze her in the least. It was just another night. "You have no idea what it's like to live night after night, seeing the world change before your eyes, knowing you can't die and feel what humans feel. You don't know the pain of what it is is to become practically imortal." Vain took a quick glance around the street, and, not seeing anything to use as leverage to her words, she looked at the dagger and it yanked out of the mands hands. She used her ability of moving objects with her mind and pointed the blade at the mans throat. She had no intention of killing him though. He wasn't worth it. "I have lived at least one human life span. Do you know what it's like? Do you?" Vain demanded. She took a step forward, staring at the dagger, keeping it rested against his throat. "You humans can die so easily..." She said, even though she knew she wasn't going to kill him. "You have absolutley no idea what it's like to have everything ripped out of your life. What it's like never being able to see your family again because you have to let them think you're dead...Not everyone goes out to become a . Some of us, didn't get a choice."

[Summerchika]

"Hardly." Ainutsa replied calmly, attention split between the two she stood between. "I simply dislike letting my anger blind me. In my experience, it leads to terrible mistakes and tragedies that I would rather not repeat."

As the girl in black kept speaking angrily while advancing on Felix, Ainutsa's attention diverted to the dagger that moved seemingly of its own accord and pointed itself at the man's throat. She narrowed her focus on the girl in black who advanced again and whose eyes were centered on the dagger at the man's throat. She looked for and did not see the intent to kill in the girl's eyes. Still, Ainutsa knew better than to take chances with someone's life.

Taking all of one second to respond, Aintusa raised her left hand behind her, grabbing the air behind her as if grabbing the hilt of the dagger that was in actuality a few feet away. Muttering a few words that her grandmother had taught her, Ainutsa took hold of the dagger with her mind as well, freezing it in mid air. Twisting her wrist and thrusting downward, Ainutsa sent the dagger deep into the ground.

Instructing the earth to hold onto the dagger until she needed it, Ainutsa released control of her mind and redirected her attention between the and the human. This earth may be underneath the human's city, but it was still the same earth that responded to Ainutsa's wishes in the forest. It was a united being.

Despite her intention to calm the fire, Ainutsa's heart tugged at the girl's words. Her hand went to her necklace that held so much meaning and pain. She knew what it was like to not get a choice in how things played out. She knew how painful that could be. She also suspected that Felix knew it as well. She suspected that she would be hard pressed to find anyone who did not know how that felt.

However, the 's words were not directed at Ainutsa, they were directed at the human race, or in this case, Felix. So Ainutsa stayed quiet, gripping her necklace and waiting for the next drastic action, hoping she could stop these two from hurting each other.

[vain]

Vain tried to rip the dagger out of the ground, but it held, refusing to budge no matter how much Vain tried. "You don't have any idea what it's like to be a . Sometimes we try to be good, like you humans do, but it never works out." Vain looked at Felix, disgusted. Not just with everyone, but herself too. "God you humans are so......Ugh." Vain turned around and lept onto the nearest roof top, leaving the two of them starring at her back. She didn't care what they thought anymore. She had a feeling one of them might follow her, but that didn't concern her either anymore. She bounded from rooftop to rooftop, not really sure of where she was headed. But soon she found herself in a dark forest, the silver moon shining it's ghostly white rays through the trees. Vain stood at the edge of a stream and looked down into the flowing water. The calm sound of the stream eased her mind and helped her think. She could see the bottum of the stream, and fish swimming lazily through the water. Vain could also see her reflection, her tired red eyes, pale skin and sharpened fangs...Suddenly she could hear the sound of rustling leaves behind her. She pretended not to hear them, to see if it was enemy, friend, or just a forest animal...

[Felix]

Having his dagger ripped out of his hand by some unknown force and then turned against him threw Felix for a huge surprise. Not only that, but Ainutsa sent it into the ground without laying a hand on it. He was shocked by all these supernatural abilities, but also thankful to have someone with similar powers looking out for him. At least for now.

"Well if being immortal is too difficult to bare," he growled looking up from the grounded dagger and back to the girl "I can easily help you with that."

But then it struck home. Felix's heart tore when he heard "no idea...everything ripped out of your life...never being able to see your family again..." His mind suddenly became full of vivid nightmares and horrendous images. His lips curled in a snarl of rage, his nose flared, and all positive and happy emotions were utterly void from his eyes. His pupils constricted even further to the point of barely being visible and his eyes narrowed. Hate, vengeance, and a blood-crazed look was all that his eyes showed. His piercing blue eyes were now as sharp as the deadliest sword. His cold stare could freeze the hearts of some, and the rage would send people running.

"Do NOT speak of things you know NOTHING of, wretch! At least they were still alive! At least you could still protect them from afar! At least you knew they were safe! Do NOT think I have no idea! I have lived with more sorrow than your pathetically extended life could ever DREAM of experiencing!" he roared as the girl jumped and leapt away.

He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, trying to calm down. Trying to get the images out of his head. He opened his eyes and glared at the spot where he last saw the girl. A frigid cold glare, colder than death, but void of the raging passion.

"It may not have been your choice to become a , but that doesn't mean you had to abandon your family entirely," he mumbled under his breath.

He paused.

After a moment he looked over at Ainutsa, some positive emotions returning to his eyes.

"Thanks for that," he said nodding toward the dagger in the ground. "I'm sorry that that was getting out of hand. There are just certain buttons you don't push with me."

He sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

"Well, what now?"

[vain]

Vain heard the rustling again and looked up. A small buck was on the opposite edge of the clearing. Usually deer were quiet creatures, but this one was stomping around, feeding. Vain titled her head. The smell of the deer's blood filled her nose. She would have to go with deer blood tonight. She didn't feel like going back into town and risk crossing paths with Felix. Nex time they met, she probably wouldn't be so conciderit. And Vain had a strange feeling they would meet again soon. Too soon for her liking. Vain quieted her thoughts and concentrated on the deer. She edge forward, careful not to fall into the stream and ruin her chance. The deer looked up, chewing a leaf and Vain froze, watching it carefully.
After a moment or two, the deer flicked it's tail lazily and put it's head back down and began nosing through the leaves, looking for food. Vain lunged.

[Summerchika]

The events that played out next caught Ainutsa off guard. As Felix's anger burst and the girl ran off over the roof tops, Ainutsa gathered her strength. The force of Felix's rage threw Ainutsa off guard, but it was his eyes that truly shocked her. Humans were truly different. And Aintusa thought that she was more emotional than she should be. These two definitely beat her at the game, human or not.

Waiting for Felix to calm down, Ainutsa took a few steps toward the direction the girl ran off to. She put her hands in front of her, feeling the wind twirl around her as her necklace grew warm from the use of her powers. She made a soft, high-pitched sound with her voice that carried on the wind toward the forest. She asked her hawk friend to watch out for the girl. Despite herself, she did not wish for the girl to be alone. Ainutsa knew all too well what that felt like.

Turning her sorrowed eyes back to Felix, Ainutsa waited for him to come back to himself. As he looked at her with more of himself returning to his eyes, Ainutsa gave a small smile, the sorrow not leaving her eyes.

"I do not mean to offend you, but I did not do that solely for your benefit." Not moving from where she stood, Ainutsa raised her left hand at a forty-five degree angle from the ground and thanked the earth for its assistance. Raising her hand and with it the dagger to the man's chest level, she waited for him to take hold of it.

A sound from her beloved forest made her look up. Her hawk friend circled above a cluster of trees that she knew held a small stream. She felt the danger the buck was in from her connection with the hawk, but could do nothing about it. Gripping her necklace, she sent her condolences to the buck whose life would end quite soon.

"I do not know what to do now." she responded to Felix's question honestly. "Is the girl in black really that offensive? Or was it what she was that offended you?" she asked, honestly curious. Humans continually surprised her. She had never thought that she was that different from the humans. Apparently, she was. But she was unsure whether that was from her up bringing or her tendency to act as an elf.

[vain]

Vain grabbed the buck by it's legs. The buck let out a wild sound, but Vain ignored it as she snapped it's neck. Vain looked at the buck with annoyance. Animal blood wouldn't completly satisfy her hunger, but Vain wouldn't have to eat until tomorrow night. The blood felt good as it ran down her throat. When Vain was done, she looked up at saw a hawk circling over head. She narrowed her eyes and began to run once again through the forest. Vain had thought that the hawk was interested in the deer, but when Vain looked up again after she had stopped running, she saw the hawk circling over her once again. The hawk let out a sudden screach, scattering a group of birds flying off into the night. Vain swung herself on the branch of a tree and climbed to the top of a tall pine, hoping to get a better look at the hawk, to see why it was following her. Vain unseather her dagger from her belt. The hawk looked like it had a band around one of it's feet, telling her that it belonged to someone. So was it spying on her? An enemies hawk? Vain gripped the hilt of the dagger and watched the hawk, trying to decide if it was enemy or foe. Or if Vain was just parinoied after her arqument with Felix...

[Summerchika]

Sensing her hawk friend's danger, Ainutsa forgot temporarily about Felix. She sent her mind into that of the hawk's, experiencing what the hawk was experiencing. The hawk looked down with Ainutsa's unique green eyes at the red eyes below. Ainutsa told the hawk to fly higher, out of harm's way. She would not have the hawk suffer on her own account.

Trying to send a message with her eyes alone, Ainutsa circled out of harm's way, using the hawk's voice to calm the girl. Then, speaking to the hawk, she told him to fly if the girl attacked, but stay if she did not. She would not force her presence on the girl in black if she did not wish it.

Coming back to herself, she felt confident in her hawk's abilities. He was the strongest of his race. He would not be caught, despite the girl's unnatural strength. Looking at Felix, she waited for his answer. Her mind would not have been gone for more than a couple seconds.

[vain]

That hawk was like no other Vain had seen before. Vain watched it for a while and decided she was just parinoid. Vain sheathed her dagger. Vain didn't mind being alone. But she didn't mind the hawk either. Vain had been alone for 102 years. She was used to it. Vain watched the hawk, trying to understand it. Vain might have been alone for 102 years, but she hadn't slept for that long either. As Vain wondered what it would be like to dream, Felix's words echoed throughout her mind. Vain would have visited her family...If they were still alive. She could see her house burning, hear her family's screams as they burned within the fire. After seeing her family burn and her house burn with them, she went out, seeking death. But instead a found her. She could remember him biting into her skin, drinking her blood. Her heart had stopped at one time, and thinking she was dead, he left. But when he left, her heart skipped a beat, bringing blood back through her body. The pain she felt all night was excrusiating. She wanted to scream, but she thought she was dying, and she didn't want anybody to stop her. The next morning the pain was gone, but she wasn't dead. At least not completly.

Suddenly Vain's thoughts flashed to the present, the dagger seathed in her belt. The only ways she could die were by fire, but she really didn't feel like setting the forest on fire, and the second way was a thrust through the heart with a sharp metal object, which she carried on her belt at all times. Almost unconsiously, Vain's hand gripped the hilt of her dagger, the sharp edges of the blade comferting for once...

[Felix]

Felix watched with silent awe as Ainutsa was able to cause the earth to relinquish it's hold on his dagger and have the dagger float harmlessly before him. He stared down at it for a few moments, intrigued with the fact that his dagger was being held in the air by some unseen force.

Amazing... he thought. Such an incredible ability. I wonder if all elves have similar abilities, or even if someone can learn something like this.

He reached out his hand and took hold of his dagger. "No, no offense taken." he said. The dagger felt normal enough. There were no longer any supernatural powers affecting it. Felix smiled to himself before returning the dagger back to its sheath.

Hearing that girl mentioned again, Felix could feel some deep anger heating up.
"There are ignorant and proud people in this world, no matter what race or species or thing you are." Felix answered. "She being a doesn't offend me."

Felix sighed again, trying to quench what was rising inside. "What she said was what I was offended by. She spoke ignorantly, as if her problems were far greater than anyone else's. As if, because I'm not immortal, I can't have significantly upsetting and difficult problems. It seems that she thinks that no one, except for her and her kind, can comprehend what she has gone through. Well. She is dead wrong."

Felix found that his hands were clenched tightly. The thought of what that girl said made his blood want to boil, and because his mind was thinking on what she said, a few nightmarish images began to creep into Felix's mind. Felix closed his eyes and took a deep breath, allowing a calming thought to spread through his body, relaxing his nerves and his hands.

He opened his eyes again and looked over at Ainutsa. She had her eyes closed, but soon they met his gaze. He didn't know anything about elves or how they reacted to certain incidences. Was she upset about what happened? Was she tired? He had no way of knowing that she was actually speaking to and seeing through a hawk's eyes.

"How are you holding up?"

[vain]

That night flooded Vain's mind, and no matter how much she tried to push it out of her mind, it kept coming back, stronger and more vivid, until finally she felt like she was there, like she had to do something. "No!!" She yelled suddenly, closing her eyes shut. The pain of the memory felt like she was turning into a again, turning into an evil that she couldn't understand. Her hand holding the dagger shook...A low growl ripped from her thorat, but before she could do it, something smashed into her wrist. She was caught by surprise and her grip loosened from the dagger. She could hear it smashing through the tree, to the ground where the blade embeded itself.