Blank Dreams of the Coming Fun

Riley Cameron Fri May 14, 2010 11:40 pm

Characters: Riley Cameron, Sebastian Mosely
When: After The Side of Wild, before Chapter 002
Where: Downtown Los Angeles; abandoned subway station
Summary: An attempt to break away from the insanity he’s been thrown into brings Riley downtown, on the hunt for a thinking space to keep him sane. His search brings him to an old, broken down subway station that seems to be hiding secrets shrouded in its shadows. Meanwhile, Sebastian is sent on a mission to track down the real reason behind a string of murders haunting the downtown area. It isn’t safe for anyone to be on the streets at night, but with the two crossing paths, the safety will definitely plummet to drastic levels.

- o -

The dim streetlights cast gently coalescing streams of luminescence onto the streets below, though offered minute whispers of warmth; once upon a time, they had shone brilliantly, embracing all that traveled beneath their divinity. Recently transpired events of chaos and terror had tainted the previously bright section of town, twisted the downtown area into a malicious shadow of its former self. Usually bustling sidewalks knew no visitors, forgetting all the hustle and stampeding that they had once lived for. Cuddled up to the side of the walkways were a few vehicles, all locked up with alarms set, ready to blare loudly in protest if ever a body were to even accidentally brush up against their metal coats. The night sky, covered thick with foreboding clouds filled with angry shades of grey, allowed no astronomical rays of light to shine on the area. Selene, in her naked radiance, cast waves of moonlight that caressed the night; though, her heroism was lost to the downtown area, due to the unrelenting overcast.

Many of the residents had long since retreated into the shelter of their homes, seeking solace from the crime that had the media in frenzy. Night after night went by, each claiming a victim before it slept again. The brutality of each homicide had every resident fearing for their own safety within the once pleasant area that they had called home. Now, each one clung to their prayers in fear of being the next victim claimed; some had moved immediately from the premises, vowing never to return until the murders had been solved. The causes behind the skyrocketed crimes baffled authority and resident alike; the media reported that many bodies had been ripped to shreds, pulled apart, or what appeared to have been fed on. Though they were passing it off as a twisted individual with tactics framing wild animals, no one could keep their supernatural beliefs quelled—even the various churches had to push down thoughts of blasphemy in favor of their idol.

No matter how much coverage the area had been receiving lately, none of it had fell on the ears of the New York-hailing individual. Every superstitious rumor and unnatural belief about the murders, or even the murders themselves, had managed to pass by the boy without his knowledge. In light of recent events he had been thrown into, and the war he had been chosen for, the thoughts running throughout his mind were fixed solely on himself. The mana that coursed through his veins had been the source of much trouble ever since it was discovered. Truthfully, he thought himself cursed; he hadn’t chosen to be put into the war, yet there he was with ancient power flooding his body, at no choice of his own. Not only was he now thrust into a supernatural world that he had previously been ignorant to—well, if you didn’t count the Gentleman—but he had to actually deal with it now. The responsibility that fell on his, as well as all of the other new Arcanists, was particularly heavy on his shoulders. They had been picked as the game-changers, but the success of any of them would be a surprise to just about anyone.

The otherwise soft clicking sounds of his shoes seemed to clank against the sidewalk as he ventured into the downtown area, not bothering to take notice of its sudden ghost town appearance. Lost in his thoughts, even the clicks of his shoes filling the dead air were gone to him. He was on a mission, as trivial as it sounded. Back home in New York, he had plenty of spots where he could to lose himself in his thoughts. The bustling city had a surprising amount of ambient locations that were hidden in the nooks and crannies of various spots. Even Yale had numerous sanctuaries that he could take refuge in whenever he needed to get out of his house and get a breath of fresh air. For three years, one of those spots had included the apartment of one Sebastian Mosely, though for his last year at the University, the boy had been without the hideout. Now that he was in Los Angeles, he had no intentions of giving up the search for new safe havens; even though the City of Angels was, in his eyes, dirty, there still had to be hidden areas not contaminated by the tourists or, ideally, the locals.

His search led him to the downtown area, which seemed to be getting darker with every step he took. Still, he heeded no external warning, treading onwards while the thoughts of his new life corrupted his mind. One shocking factor that played into his situation was the return of a player he thought gone from his game for good. The—what the hell was his part, anyway? A Hunter? What good was that going to be in the war?—virile brunet seemed to be the pet of his elders, the baby of the group led by the stern woman who had been a key player in the war before most of them. Even while he had apparently proved himself time and time again to them, the hunter had made no such impression on the Evoker. The only impression Sebastian had made was one that made the single thought of him bring bile to his throat; needless to say, the reunion between the two was one that wasn’t going to bode well. The politics-major was supposed to be in Washington, D.C.; instead, he had come to L.A.? One thing that had the brunet had never been associated as was a liar, but apparently there’s really a first time for everything.

The chilly air gently nipped at Riley’s skin, cooling the flesh and sending a shiver down his spine. The action brought him from his thoughts, and for the first time he took in the doomsday surroundings he had put himself in the middle of. There wasn’t destruction, nor were there burning vehicles or homeless prophets littering the streets foretelling of an apocalypse sure to come, but the deserted properties of the place had an uneasy feeling washing over him. For a brief moment, nervousness settled into his bones, alerting him to the possibility that he had placed himself in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Still, there was no immediate sign of trouble, and that reason alone kept him walking onward, determined to find his secret spot before something bad really did happen. Blue orbs scanned the horizon before him, eyes settling on a subway opening not too far off in the distance. The steps seemed to fade into the shadows as they descended into the darkness; the abandoned station was playing with him. Without even realizing it, the blond began making his way towards the opening in the distance, the underground station lulling him to it as if with a silent melody.

Sebastian Mosely Sat May 15, 2010 1:15 pm

[[ My Time to Shine ]]
Abandoned Subway Station

You really proved yourself in the Valley, Sebastian. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t think you could handle it. Everyone needs their starting place…

The words from the mouth of Taylor Sullivan continued to run through his head. Apparently the older huntress thought he was ready to take on something bigger and badder – and on his own? Did she really have that much trust in him? If she did, he suddenly got nervous with the thought that he was walking to a place that he would ultimately let her down and make a fool out of himself. What made it worse was that he had no idea what he was walking into and he began to think it was done purposely. Taylor wouldn’t throw him into something that she thought he’d lose; at least, that’s what he hoped. Why couldn’t he go do this with Dominic? Weren’t they some sort of duo now? When thought about logically, Sebastian knew that this task was for him and had to be accomplished by him. It was his test; the baby lion making its first kill to become an adult lion. Even though he had some doubts, he was confident in what Taylor had been teaching him and that he could pull this off. It was time to take off the training wheels and do something on his own, even if it did make his stomach twist and turn.

He couldn’t believe that now he was wearing his own vest that Dominic had let him borrow. It was like something out of a movie; something that was loaded with weapons and they were all to help him survive. The only downfall was that it had a little bit more weight than the brunet was accustomed to and made him very aware of how prepared he was if something were to go down. From silver stakes to daggers neatly aligned and easy to access, on his back was his very own machete given to him as a gift from Taylor. It was a tad smaller than hers, but still, he owned a ma –chet – e. His life was definitely turning into something totally different than what he had originally planned. He partially blamed his father for what he was thrown in to, but at the same time he felt like he wanted to thank him. This life could be seen as a curse, or something that could drastically change the lives of others. It was ultimately what he would do with the cards he was dealt and starting to embrace what he was meant to be.

As the atmosphere around him changed and turned into something from a bad horror movie, as did the thoughts that took over his mind – particularly the blond that had shoved himself back into his life. He wouldn’t come to Washington with him, but he could come to LA? How did anything that that boy did make sense? One answer: it didn’t. At the same time, Sebastian started to wonder why he started to think of his ex at this particular point in time. As thoughts of the past raged through his mind, he also became very aware of how drastically dark everything around him had become. Sebastian could tell he was getting close to the station because of how eerie everything felt; the wind making its presence know, the dark shadows that disappeared into the alleys as he walked down the road. Why did he start thinking of Riley at the most inappropriate times? Maybe because the blond had the ability to make his hairs stand on end too, ha.

As he continued on his way down the stairs into the actual station, little light was offered as his blue eyes adjusted to the darkness. His heart was pumping and his hands began to shake slightly. With every step down, his senses seemed to become more heightened. Crouching tiger, hidden Sebastian; it was time to get down to business. As he got to the platform the putrid smell of rotting eggs filled his nose. Something had been down here and it was his job to figure out what and to stop anyone else from dying. He was absurdly quiet as he investigated his surroundings – looking for obvious signs or resources that could later come in handy for him. Staying out of the shadows, eyes looked up toward the entrance as footsteps began to echo throughout the abandoned station. Hand slowly went to his knife that was secured to his vest. A few backward steps were taken as he got out of the direct light and by one of the walls closer to the entrance. This could be the thing he was looking for, and now it was his time to prove to himself that he could handle this.

Riley Cameron Sat May 15, 2010 2:43 pm

His steps were the main source of noise clattering through the night air, resonating against the locked buildings and echoing through the streets. It wasn’t that he was a heavy stepper, but with the lack of any activity around him, anything he did seemed to be elevated in sound. He knew that the scenery wasn’t particularly inviting, and that he shouldn’t be headed the way he was with the obvious warnings surrounding him, though he continued onwards as determined as he was when he first left his penthouse. Even with the shrouding mystery engulfing the subway entrance in a looming corruption, the blond boy did not turn back. He had come that far; it didn’t make sense to halt his journey without finding the destination he was seeking. As he continued making his way down the sidewalk, he took to looking around him; taking in the sight of just how abandoned the area seemed to be. Was it really possible for a downtown area of L.A. to be as empty as it was? Everything seemed to be like a horror movie; as if he was the sole idiot leaving his home at 3 in the morning to be slashed up by Freddy Krueger or some other intense murderer.

If the demons and bumps-in-the-night he thought were make-believe were actually real, did it make Freddy and Jason real, too? With the way things were turning out, it certainly seemed possible. Just the other night, he had been teleported three times in one day. If the idea of teleportation didn’t seem sci-fi enough, the abilities that he suddenly acquired did. To be honest, he didn’t even know what he was anymore. Was he still human? Normal people couldn’t cause a snowstorm or freeze the flesh of an assailant; of course, demonic, undead bitches didn’t attack normal people, either. The experience still caused his bones to rattle. He wasn’t sure what had possessed him to make him show up at a graveyard of all places, but the events that had transpired after that had been a steady, horrendous domino effect. He had met Carolina earlier that day, and the two had become fast friends after being thrown into the following chaos, but that was just about the brightest part of his day. He had also met a stranger who had not only healed him, but saved his life by teleporting him away from the zombies. The thought of the creatures still gave him nightmares; as a rule, he had always avoided zombie films.

Having been lost in his thoughts, it was no surprise when he found himself colliding against something. His previous thoughts of zombies immediately raced through his head, and he barely caught himself from screaming at the contact. As he was on his way down to formally introduce himself to the sidewalk he had been treading on, he felt a strong arm catch him, pulling him back up to his standing position. As far as he knew, zombies didn’t catch their falling prey; they just tore into their victims with no questions asked. So what had caught him? Realizing that he had clenched his eyes tightly after bumping into the other individual, he slowly opened them, as if scared to see the roadblock face-to-face. Luckily, it turned out to be another, completely fleshed, human. Breathing a sigh of relief, the blond shook off his fright, then speaking.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.” Was that an apology from the Evoker? As rare as it was, it did happen every now and then; he wasn’t too stubborn to admit when he was wrong, it just didn’t happen very often. The stranger in front of him gave him a half-smile, nodding politely before give a small laugh.

“No worries, you did seem out of it.” The dark haired male didn’t say much more, other than a, “see ya’ around,” before he took off in the opposite direction. Riley turned to watch him leave; true, he hadn’t been paying attention to where he was going, but he hadn’t seen the guy coming towards him earlier. Thinking he was putting too much thought into it, his blue eyes settled on the subway entrance, studying it for a moment before he started walking again. With each step, he realized just how stupid he was being for venturing down there, but it was an adventure to him – besides, if a mugger or homeless person was down there, he could easily persuade them to leave him alone; that’s how money worked. The only thing that had him hesitant to enter the dark void as he reached the entrance was the thought of the undead woman from before lurking in the shadows. Though the chances of that were seemingly slim, she had managed to fly during their last encounter. She was way too much of a threat for him to handle; sure, she could use the money for plastic surgery, but he didn’t think that’s what she’d be wanting from him.

Descending the stairs, he took every step carefully; he had already stumbled into another person, he didn’t need to take a fall down the stairs. While there wasn’t anyone – that he knew of – to see him take the plunge, he didn’t want to risk it. With each step, the shadows pulled him into a sweet caress, at first lightly covering his body but promising to engulf his body the further he went in. As he walked, he took in the sights of various sources of light in the distance, though they were by no means the bright light of day. Plenty of shadows accompanied the place, promising to be unrelenting in their reign. He was debating on whether or not he should turn around when he reached the bottom. Did he want to go further? The station was filled with cobwebs and a stench that practically knocked Riley back as he inhaled it. Gagging, he put a hand over his mouth, covering his nostrils as well; the disgusting air of the station was enough to have him turning around to walk back up into the city.

That’s when he heard it. Soft, light breathing that wasn’t coming from his body. It wasn’t loud, but instead was barely audible, only capable of being heard if one listened very closely. With himself not breathing, he caught on to the noise, whipping around to peer into the darkness. His eyes hadn’t yet fully adjusted, though they were on the verge of beginning to. He could feel the terror yet again creeping up in his veins; he really did need to stop getting himself into creepy situations, especially with the knowledge of being thrown into a war. When he spoke, his voice was almost a whisper, carried through the relatively empty area with ease.

“Please don’t be zombies.”

Sebastian Mosely Sat May 15, 2010 3:54 pm

He tried to keep his breathing controlled but it was getting more difficult with each passing minute. There could be various Shadowkind that could stroll in because this was their home. All that the brunet wanted was for it to show its ugly face and get it over with; the wait was impossible. He wondered if any of the other hunters dealt with this dilemma. Everything automatic thing in his body was going crazy but at the same time he seemed to be more focused than ever. Taylor was right, it was like a switch that turns on and everything else didn’t matter. It was a feeling he had never experienced and couldn’t understand when it was being told to him, but he now knew something that originally seemed so foreign to him. Another hurdle that stood in his way ceased to be nothing more than a memory – and it was the best feeling.

Gripping the hilt of the hunting knife made the situation, if possible, more real to him. The once peaceful graduate from college was suddenly the total opposite and embraced something he had fought against for so long. He never thought that ’you don’t choose your destiny, your destiny chooses you’ would be the slogan for his life. It was interesting, to say the least. As the unidentified creature descended into the subway station step-by-step, Sebastian watched intently to get any grasp of who, or what, it might be. He used what little light was there with the advantage of his eyes already being adjusted to the darkness and could make out something with a human form. Blond? Maybe. It didn’t even occur to him that it might be someone he knew, his mind was numb.

Knife was taken out of his vest as he focused on not breathing too fast or loud; damn, it was easier said than done. He felt like he wasn’t getting enough oxygen to his brain considering he wasn’t breathing the way his body wanted him to. It wasn’t long before the human-like creature came within several yards of him and stopped. Oh god. Did it hear him? Was his cover blown and some awful thing was going to happen? He didn’t even get to make things right with a certain person in his life and now he was going to die?! Great. Body tensed as he waited for some sort of movement. Soft, audible words could be heard and it was even better than something moving. Even though they were soft, Sebastian knew exactly who is was.

“Riley?” The tension seemed to leave his body as he straightened his posture. “What the hell are you doing down here?” Walking forward a little bit, it was confirmed that it was the guy who couldn’t even follow him to Washington. His words seemed to have a little bite to them, but he couldn’t help it. He knew this wasn’t a safe place and he was going to be protective – it was an instinct of his, especially when it came to those he ~~cared about~~ learned to live without.

Of all the places in the world this was not the place he would expect a person like the blond to be in. Everything Taylor taught him about doppelgangers seemed to fly right out the winder for this little Eldritch considering he became a little distracted. It was evident that the emotional aspect for Sebastian hadn’t kicked in just yet. Cut him some slack! "...And wait, you've seen zombies?" Little side note thrown in there considering it caught him off guard that he thought it could be zombies.

Riley Cameron Sat May 15, 2010 4:53 pm

“Riley?” The familiar voice that had haunted his dreams countless nights in the past broke through the silence; spoken as if the speaker was unsure of himself. For a brief moment, the blond had been expecting zombies, maybe even a mass grouping of them ready to take revenge on him for escaping their bloodthirsty attack back in the mausoleum. He guessed that they would be rather angry for not being able to rip into his thin, but still very tasty, body. He was the perfect candidate for a horror scene, he thought; the slashers and demons in the movies always went for the pretty victims first. Frankly, he was surprised he had made it this far. Writing it off as luck, he groaned internally after recognizing the vocals of his Yale colleague. The multiple appearances the hunter was making in his life was definitely not luck, though the blond supposed that he couldn’t be escaping zombies and Sebastian at the same time; no one was that fortunate.

“I take it back. Please be zombies.” It was whispered more to himself than in response to the Eldritch, but he still didn’t move. Rubbing at his eyes a bit, he waited for them to fully adjust to the darkness, desperate to see again. For a moment, Riley didn’t say anything, silently hoping that Sebastian would magically poof away like they all had been doing lately. That was what had separated them the last time, anyway. After having been cast from the Fortunate Isles Penthouse, the Evoker had landed in San Gabriel Valley, along with the other new Arcanists. He had been forced to share the ground with Mosely once again, though it had just been a temporary bump in the road; after they had been ushered inside, a mysterious man had appeared, took papers that previously belonged to Sebastian’s boss, and zapped them all back to their homes. Riley thought he was going to get a break from the hunter, but apparently not.

“You smell like rotted eggs. Water and soap won’t burn your body, Sebastian; you need to bathe.” If the smell of the station was indeed the hunter, Riley did not want to know just what kind of troubles the older boy had gotten himself into to acquire that stench. His eyes by then had finally adjusted to the shadows, allowing him to take in the form of the other, as well as various objects set up around the place. There were benches, an old ticket booth, along with other various things here and there; it looked like it would have been cozy enough under different circumstances, such as the station not being abandoned or filthy. For the first time, he noticed the attire that graced his ex’s body, and he took a small amount of time studying the weapons vest. It didn’t seem like Sebastian at all; sure, Riley could imagine him fighting if need be—he had witnessed him get into two fights before at Yale, but they had been because of other people’s stupidity rather than Sebastian’s own choice—but the sight of weapons was a whole different story. Of course, he apparently didn’t know anything about the other at all anymore, given that he was nowhere near Washington, D.C. like he was supposed to be.

“Yes, I’ve seen zombies. Even they didn’t smell this disgusting.” He fought back the urge to gag again, by pinching his nose in attempt to rid himself of the putrid funk. He seemed to ignore the question of why he was actually in the station, though he didn’t acknowledge even bothering to answer it. Why should he? Sebastian should have to answer to the questions rattling on inside of Riley’s brain before the blond was going to answer anymore of his. He stepped forward into the shadows, closer to his ex, with his hand outstretched. His palm touched the vest, feeling the fabric while his eyes studied the various weapons contained within. He didn’t bother asking; they had been a lot closer than they were now, so personal space wasn’t really an issue in the Evoker’s opinion. Without warning, he started laughing, the light-hearted sound echoing throughout the station. “You’re real cool with your Trinity attire. Cosplay is for geeks; have some respect for yourself.”

Sebastian Mosely Sat May 15, 2010 5:55 pm

Part of him wanted to leave him here and fend for himself considering he knew this would not be a good interaction between the two. Well, it wouldn’t be a good interaction mostly because of Riley. He’d rather face the creature that was living in the station rather than confront and deal with everything the blond was going to throw his way. Anything that was going to be said would be straight venom and right now, he didn’t have the time nor the patience. On top of that, Sebastian didn’t think Riley had any room to bitch about what had transpired between them. He gave Riley more than one occasion to come and live with him, but it was the blond’s decision not to come and go their separate ways. His choice, Sebastian shouldn’t have to deal with his issues – at least, not anymore. Now they were different and apparently Riley had magic or whatever, which was weird. The brunet was doing something relatively normal compared to him, but he would never speak about that considering this was him being bitter about what was to come.

There it was. The wit that was Riley Cameron. “Glad to see you haven’t changed any.” Sarcasm dripped on every word that came out of his mouth. If he wasn’t going to be nice, neither would Sebastian. “Maybe what you smell is your attitude considering it is pretty rancid.” Ouch. These two seemed to be right back to square one when they first met. Of course he was happy to see that Riley was alive and well but obviously the two had some issues to work out. The knife that was once in the brunet’s hand went back into where it belonged, on his vest. It was probably not the smartest thing to do, but neither was holding the knife while talking to Riley. Kidding. Anyway, he could only imagine what the other male was thinking when he came down here. This was the first time the two had been alone and within a few of each other. It was nice to have something familiar in his life, but those times of the past were just that; times of the past.

He ignored the second smell comment and focused on the fact that he had seen zombies. It made his stomach turn at the thought of Riley being in danger. Even if he felt like sometimes he wanted to punch him in the face, he was still protective of the blond whether he liked it or not. Blue eyes watched as the one in front of him came closer and Sebastian didn’t really understand why. Within a few seconds he knew exactly what was going on. It was new, yes, but it was part of his life now. “I know it’s different..” Little was said but the meaning behind it was so much bigger. It was new and would be weird for Riley to see him like that. He hoped that him saying that would keep a comment from coming out, but nope! And the laughing didn’t help. Taking a step back he shook his head. “Wouldn’t have expected you to understand and I’m so glad you proved me right.” It didn’t need to be an insult to be venomous. Hurt? By his words? He knew better than to take anything his ex said personally, but it was different for him as it was for the blond. “Get out of here.” Honestly Sebastian wanted nothing to do with Riley – well, in this moment in time anyway. With all the changes going on in his life, he didn’t want to hear bitching constantly from the one person who he felt the best with. “Now.” Oh, so demanding but you have to admit, kind of sexy at the same time.

Riley Cameron Sat May 15, 2010 6:44 pm

“Glad to see you haven’t changed any. Maybe what you smell is your attitude, considering it is pretty rancid.” Riley took notice of Sebastian putting away his knife. The whole concept seemed too foreign to him; not too long ago, they had both shared times together at college, leading normal lives and terrorizing people on campus that didn’t conform to their ways – okay, so maybe that last part was just Riley, but Sebastian had been there, too. Even if had been trying to convince the blond that he didn’t need to ruin other people’s lives just because they were involving themselves in risqué activities, all attempts to get him to stop had been brushed off. The point was that the two had gone through a lot together, good times as well as bad times, and now everything was different. Sebastian was some kind of mystical soldier now? And just what was Riley himself? He had power coursing through his veins now and his life was teetering on the verge of peril and jeopardy, but he hadn’t chosen that life for himself. It seemed like Sebastian had. “I see that you have. Again.”

Wouldn’t have expected him to understand? So far, Sebastian hadn’t offered any explanation as to why he was in Los Angeles, and not the city he had packed up and shipped off to once he graduated. Sure, he had invited and asked Riley to follow him to the capital, but the blond still had a year of school left. He couldn’t leave Yale until his time was up; it had been the brunet’s choice to leave for an internship, not one they had made together. When Riley had found out, he was supportive—at first, anyway. Things had fallen apart when they were gone; the rigorous schedule of senior year had the Evoker way too busy for his own liking, and the internship had no doubt proved to be a time consumer. Contact just wasn’t the same as it had been; while the feelings were still there, they were masked and put away for what Riley thought had been for good. Instead, the pang he had felt when he laid eyes on the other roused up old memories that he didn’t want to bother remembering.

“If I left, I’d be doing you a favor. We both know I’m not that generous.” Still, the tone of authority Sebastian had picked up was a weak spot of the blond’s, though he ignored it the best he could. He started once more, walking past the hunter and further into the darkness of the station. As he kept on, the stench increased, growing in intensity. Riley figured he’d grow use to it in due time. Turning on his heel, he crossed his arms and faced the brunet once more, head cocked to the side with a smirk pulling on his lips. “If you believe that I’m going to follow any demands like you do as your brigade’s bitch, you’re in for a rude awakening. I’d appreciate it if you’d leave yourself; maybe go to D.C., where you’re supposed to be, Bastian.” He spoke the nickname venomously, and without waiting for a response, he turned around and walked further into the station.

As he walked, a myriad of noises fell onto his ears; the blond could hear the dripping of water, a soft humming sound as if electricity still ran through the place, and somewhere not too far off, the ticking of a clock. The noises were somewhat of a shock; he hadn’t been expecting the station to be as mysterious as it was. If it was abandoned, why did it still have electricity running through it? Did the subway still run? Obviously it didn’t pick up passengers, but it may have passed through on its way through the city. Pulling his cellular from his pocket, he got the time before placing it back in his coat. He resisted the urge to sigh; he had made up his mind – he wasn’t leaving until Sebastian did first. Even though he still needed to find a place to clear his head, he would have to continue the journey after the hunter had left the premises.

Sebastian Mosely Sat May 15, 2010 8:01 pm

It was obvious that nothing was going to get solved and they would keep taking jabs at one another until their faces turned blue, or at least Riley would. However, no matter how bad it got for the two of them, they would both have a spot for each other – admittedly or not. “What do you mean again?” How the hell did he change before? As far as he knew, he was the same brunet that graduated from Yale; same morals, beliefs, feelings. The only thing that changed was location, occupation, and his idea of being violent. Okay, so the last thing was a biggie, but the only reason why he had chosen his degree and leaned toward the side of being more verbal was because of his father. It was only fitting that the reason why he chose one life with his mom would lead him to choose a different path that his father originally hoped for. It a weird for him to think of how much he despised being brought up as a hunter. Back then it didn’t seem as important and it made him resent his dad and even hate the idea of hunting. Being thrust back into a life he had once sworn off with a different spin on things, without his father’s input, made him understand things a little bit better.

“You really wouldn’t be doing me a favor; this is more for your benefit. Isn’t that what your life revolves around?” Sebastian knew that something down there could really hurt Ry and it made him very protective and frustrated that he would not listen. Maybe if he got pissed enough he would choose never to speak to him again, and things would be easier that way. When Sebastian made the decision to go to DC, it was one of the harder decisions made in his lifetime. It was pretty easy to say good-bye to his dad and go live with his mom, but when the opportunity of an internship that was practically his dream came up, he decided to take it. He honestly thought that things between the two would work out for the one year they were separated. Unfortunately, reality got in the way and things always don’t go the way they expect them to.

He watched as the blond walked past him and deeper into the abandoned station. Did he have crazy cereal for breakfast? What normal human chooses to go into a place that’s pitch black and smells like something unpleasant has happened there? Riley would apparently. He turned around and took a few steps to follow the other male to stop him. He stopped in his tracks when Riley faced him again. Ouch, words. It didn’t necessarily surprise him but the fact that he was being so nasty about something he knew nothing about. “Yeah, go on pretending like you’re so innocent in this whole situation. You know you are as much to blame as I am. You know nothing about my life here and I don’t expect you to accept it even if I explained. If you hate me so much – do what’s best for you and leave.” Even with everything going on, Riley was the only one who knew Sebastian best. No matter what externally changed, the blond would always know more than anyone else. Sebastian’s words were spoken as he followed his ex into the darkness.

As he finished his little monologue, he gripped Riley at the elbow and turned him around so they were face-to-face. “Please, go.” If Sebastian told him that his life was in danger he knew Ry would freak out and probably not make the best decisions. Hell, he wasn't making the best decisions now! His voice had lost a little bit of the punch it had before, but it was laced with desperation and demand. The noise that had caught the blonds attention suddenly caught his own. He didn’t like the feeling he had as they stood there. They were the weirdest pair. Who else would talk in an abandoned subway station other than these two? Sebastian was only trying to protect him damn it! Ry needed to stop being stubborn for once and listen. He knew that Sebastian always had his best interests at heart – why would that change?

Riley Cameron Sat May 15, 2010 8:50 pm

“Again as in your personality shift. First you ship off to D.C. and become a lunatic happy to shout because I refuse to move there during my senior year, and again as in you showing up in Los Angeles after having months go by and hearing nothing from you. Glad to see you’re alive; now I can have the pleasure of making your life as miserable as it ought to be.” No, Riley didn’t know that Sebastian’s father had been killed and now he had to take up the reigns in the war. He didn’t know the real reason behind the hunter’s appearance in L.A., but the fact that he had left D.C. without telling Riley was enough of a sting on its own. They had fought plenty of times before ending what they had, and while it all seemed immature now with the war that they were involved in, they were still new to dealing with it all together. They weren’t used to setting aside their feelings in order to deal with the supernatural happenings; hell, Riley wasn’t even sure yet if he actually wanted to. That might have been selfish of him, but as Sebastian was quick to point out, that was how he usually ran his game.

“Oh, of course. I’m solely focused on benefiting myself. At least I admit it; I own up to what I do. Yet there you stand in front of me, acting as innocent as ever. I’m not the one faking anything, or playing dress-up like I actually stand a chance against anything that might lurk in the night.” One hand rose to brush away blond locks from his vision, holding back a shiver that threatened to seduce his body from the coldness of the station. As far as he was concerned, Sebastian was just as guilty as he was. Riley hadn’t been the one saying he was going one place, and then being somewhere completely different. He hadn’t made plans to go to D.C. after graduation, and when he did, he opted to move to the city of angels instead of returning to New York. His choices were made after the events of everything; he had nothing to own up to, while Sebastian had been in Los Angeles for an amount of time that he still didn’t even know. Had he even bothered to go to the internship at all? Had it all just been a ploy?

He had turned around, beginning to walk away and towards a bench in the distance, when his elbow was grabbed and he was spun around to face the other guest in the station. Sebastian’s mistake was allowing the desperation in his voice to go unmasked, and the blond quickly picked up on such tones. “For three years you tried to worm your way into my world, but you’ll never be a part of it again. Any plea you have is deeply beneath me; you can let go of me now.” With a small, stern smile, the blond waited for his arm to be let go, never once taking his eyes off of Sebastian’s own. As it was let go, he went to move back towards the bench. Sure, he may have secretly wanted to conform to the brunet’s request, but he had no desire to allow the hunter to be the victor in the battle they had immediately launched themselves into at the sight of one another. He was a warrior on his own, he didn’t need fancy weapons or a vest that made him look ridiculous~~ly hot~~. Once he had sat himself on the wooden object, he resisted the urge to groan at the feel of a cobweb sticking to his hand.

A few moments of silence past, at least on Riley’s end, and each minute saw the blond fighting not to turn around to torture the brunet even more. Fortunately, or not, the option was taken from him just when he thought he couldn’t fight it anymore – a small, though audible sliding sound could be heard in the station, as if a large table was being pushed along the floor. The noise was terrible to hear against the floor, though what came after it was more frightening; heavy breathing could be heard, though the terrorizing thing was that it wasn’t coming from Sebastian’s direction. He hadn’t heard the brunet move anymore than he previously had, so there was no way for the brunet to be such a great distance away from him. The anxiety pooling in the bottom of his stomach felt like bile – one thing Riley wasn’t certain of was how he always managed to get himself into deadly situations as of late. For a moment, he almost repeated his wish of no zombies, though he only did so by convincing himself the table-mover was simply a homeless man shifting around his bed. Though he knew it wasn’t, he couldn’t help put pray it was.

Sebastian Mosely Sat May 15, 2010 9:49 pm

Okay, let’s throw out every single issue that comes to our brains, shall we? “Don’t you act like I didn’t try to get in touch with you. Between your senior year and me being trained in DC, I did the best that I could do.” Riley obviously counted Sebastian going for his internship a personality shift but all he was doing was pursuing a dream of his. “You know that was an opportunity I had been waiting for..” Wow, he couldn’t believe the things that were coming from his mouth – he was grabbing at thin air. “Of course we were going to argue about whether or not you would come to DC with me, I got greedy and wanted the best of both worlds. I know I handled it wrong, but it happened. I guess from all the yelling you do, it rubbed off on me.” It was a fault of his, but whatever. He couldn't give up without a fight.

There would be a time and place where everything could be sorted out and talked about, but this was not the right time. He never forgot why he had come in the first place. The whole point was for Riley to get the hell out of harm’s way and let Sebastian do what he was supposed to. The blond made it obvious that what he was doing was useless, as usual. “Did you not just here me, I said that I was to blame too. Get it through your thick ass skull. ” Riley was obviously letting the blond seep into his brain way too much. “I know I’m not innocent in this – but there are just some things that you don’t know and reasons why I had kept them to myself. Again, you can make all the jokes you want about what I'm doing, but I really don't care. One day I’ll tell you; it’s just not today.” Something would be said about not wanting to hear about excuses or being accused of a liar on Riley’s end – he could feel it in his bones. Would it even make a difference? Maybe, maybe not – most likely not. They had come to a halt in their conversation and it left nothing but silence fill in the void. Neither of them spoke, at least for now, and Riley still walked further into the darkness?!

He opened his mouth as if he were to say something when he heard that god-awful noise. It was a type of screeching that could be equivocated to metal on rusted metal. Slowly, Sebastian moved toward Riley with his eyes glued to the darkness. Sure, it was a moot point to look somewhere where nothing can be seen; though if anything changed, Sebastian would know. Placing a hand on Riley’s shoulder, Sebastian lowered his voice as he talked. “I know we have some major issues and you don’t want anything to do with me, that’s fine – but you need to get out of here. It’s not safe.” Even though it was Riley with the powers, Sebastian didn’t like the idea of Riley getting in harm’s way. There was also the fact that if the blond got dirty he would bitch about how his shirt was just washed. He didn’t need to worry about that when he went up again the something that was making its way closer to them.

The breathing was raspy and the footsteps could now be heard. Whatever it was, it was coming this way. Adrenaline that had stopped flowing through his veins made itself known once again there. Hand took out the knife that had been situated against his chest. Giving a soft squeeze to Riley’s shoulder, he let go and jumped onto the tracks. “I’ll be fine. Go.” Sure, he would be walking into darkness not knowing what was in there, but he’ll be fine! Sebastian’s semi-badassness kicked in as he gave the blond one last look and focused in the emptiness that was ahead of him. Well, this was creepy. Fun times.

Riley Cameron Sun May 16, 2010 12:11 am

Of course there were reasons for Sebastian’s being in Los Angeles. Riley didn’t honestly expect him to drop his dream and move to the city without a solid reason, but neither of them was really thinking logically at that point. He couldn’t imagine what kind of event must have transpired in D.C. to cause the hunter to leave and change his life around to violence and the supernatural, but it did leave a lot of questions unanswered now that the two had once again crossed paths. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, Riley wanted nothing more than to give in to the urge to embrace the other. Their relationship was complicated at best, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t eventually work out their differences; the brunet had that affect on people. No matter how hard someone tried, no one could stay mad at him for too long; no one, apparently, but Riley. Because of his pride, he’d sooner die than reconcile without explanations to what had been going on with the hunter for the past year. Still, he realized, he wasn’t without his own secrets. One thing that he had kept from the brunet all throughout the time they were together was the Shadowkind who had been haunting him since birth.

The brunet spoke of one day telling him everything that led up to that moment; would the blond do the same? Maybe it wasn’t worth it. Things may not ever be the same; at best, they’d only tolerate each other, though it wouldn’t last. The two knew one another too well. Eventually they’d grow tired of toleration and Riley especially would resort back to being at the hunter’s throat. Many back at Yale had wondered just how the two managed to get together in the first place; many others wondered how they accomplished staying together for as long as they did. It had never been questionable to the blond; what had happened did, though it had taken much determination demonstrated by the hunter to get there, though. Even Riley’s best—as well as the only other one who knew the true personality behind the blond’s façade—friend had admitted not to knowing how Sebastian put up with the Evoker the way he had. Still, life seemed to work in mysterious ways; that was proven by the situation they were now in… and what a situation it was.

The hand on his shoulder had him tensing up immediately, though it was more from the fright of the unexpected rather than it belonging to his verbal opponent. The words that were whispered into his ear did nothing to quell his fear, and Riley had to bite back the defensive words that threatened to spill past tight lips. There was no way he was leaving first – or without the hunter, either. Sebastian may have been able to take care of himself in more ways than the blond could imagine, but he couldn’t just run away and not help. His body didn’t lighten; instead, a familiar feeling washed over him as the footsteps neared, breathing getting heavier. He could feel the same lull that had guided him to the station beginning to tug on his body. As much as he really didn’t want to, he stood, following behind the brunet after he had given him a last look. Whether it was his hesitancy to follow Sebastian’s orders or because of the mysterious pull happening, he was soon on the tracks himself. There was a creepy feeling of familiarity that he couldn’t place. He wasn’t sure what he was getting himself into, but he wasn’t really thinking about it, either.

Though he couldn’t quite put his finger on it, Riley knew that nothing good would be coming out of the night. The breathing seemed to increase, advancing towards the two at a drastically slow movement. Nothing could be seen throughout the darkness, no matter how hard either of them peered into it. The blond’s hand reached out to brush against Sebastian’s arm, as if letting him know that he was still behind him. He wasn’t going anywhere; while that might have presented an argument afterward, any fight at the moment wouldn’t benefit either of them. It would only alert their visitor to their presence; that is, if whatever it was didn’t already know that they were in its home. As the feet shuffled closer, he deduced that the visitor was in fact not a homeless person; the sound did sound like feet shuffling, though there was something off – like the sound was more of air roughly scraping the metal instead of actual footsteps. How that was possible Riley didn’t know, though he didn’t really care to find out, either. For a split moment, the blond held his breath, silently praying that the two would be okay.

Sebastian Mosely Sun May 16, 2010 12:52 am

Once Sebastian hit the tracks, he was ready for whatever was in the darkness. On the bright side? At least he knew that it wasn’t a Kreelock that could tear him limb from limb and it was slow moving. On the down side? That lowered the list of the actual creatures it could be to about a couple dozen. That was wonderful. He tried to ignore the thumping that was happening in his chest and the fact that his palms were acting like they were a water fountains. His best didn’t seem good enough as each step he took, the fear kept showing its ugly face and he was having an issue controlling it. What kind of hunter was he? One that had issues pushing his feelings away and one that tried his best to prove his self worth. That accomplishment would not be easy, but he was fighting so hard to be more like the ones he looked up to.

No words would be said and he could only hope that Riley would just once stop being stubborn and realize that Sebastian wanted him to be okay and did everything to try and protect him. Of course what actually happened was the complete opposite. He couldn’t pretend that he was even surprised that Riley didn’t do what the brunet asked, what a shocker! Sebastian didn’t know what made the blond so appealing, but in his mind they just fit together. Riley was always the blunt, crass one and the brunet always knew that there was a softer, sweeter man inside that hard exterior. Time and time again things would be the same, but there would be a moment – a brief moment – that would remind him why he loved Ry so much. Even through the fighting, mostly starting by the blond, Sebastian kept his patience and some of it had rubbed off on his ex. Others didn’t see how they fit, but the hunter always knew from day one.

However, things were different now and Riley was right, he was different now and he couldn’t just go back to the life they once had. Neither of them could. There was more to their past that neither of them originally realized and a lot needed to be put out on the table. Sebastian knew that he wanted to tell Riley the truth and give him a chance to glance into his life that had been turned upside down numerous times; he just didn’t know if the Evoker would do the same.

Feeling a hand brush up against his arm, it confirmed that Riley had indeed followed him onto the tracks and behind him. This would definitely be something discussed, but for right now he couldn’t just yell at his ex to get back up there, especially when they were so close to what had been haunting the shadows. The sound became clearer the more time passed; the scraping had turned into something much more complex. It didn’t necessarily down like footsteps but it was something that was making contact with the floor. The breathing that had once been soft and raspy, was now getting louder and more distinct. He ran through the list of creatures that he had read books about trying to put all the puzzle pieces together. One day you’ll be able to identify a Shadowkind by being in its presence for just a few seconds. Thanks Taylor! How does that apply to him now?! Unfortunately, it didn’t and he was about to come face-to-face with some unknown fugly beast and know how to kill it. He took a brief glance back at the person behind him when he held his breath. Looking back forward, his hand reached behind his and gently squeezed his wrist and leg go. Reassurance that he wouldn’t leave? Most likely. It was a comforting feeling that the blond came with him – even for the wrong reasons, it was appreciated. He now debated on whether or not he should have pulled out his machete intead. Cool. His first hunt wasn’t going exactly to plan. This part would be left out when telling the older huntress.

Riley Cameron Sun May 16, 2010 11:32 am

When the foreign hand was reached around to grip a hold of his wrist in slightly less than comforting squeeze, given the circumstances, the blond felt the rising nervousness kindle for a brief moment. Whatever it was that was about to attack them would be going up against more than one defendant; he hoped that the surprise of two instead of one would be more than enough when going up against whatever being was slowly making its way down the tracks. The sounds were slowly increasing, though the closer they seemed to get, the more ambiguous they became. If it wasn’t feet that were shuffling along the floor, just what was it? He wasn’t particularly fond of the idea of staying to find out, but his earlier thoughts of staying were what kept his feet glued to the ground. He didn’t understand why Sebastian had insisted that Riley leave, and himself stay – if it was so dangerous to stay, why was he alone? Did his lady-boss and the caped wonder both send him on a suicide mission? That didn’t seem highly likely, but he didn’t understand why they thought he could handle such an important mission on his own with the being he would be going up against could surely be so dangerous enough as to kill them both with ease.

After a few mere moments of tantalizing silence, a small glow began to expand throughout the tracks. The tiny streams caressed the walls as the one they belonged to continue to make its way towards them. The nostalgic sensation that had washed over the blond was intensifying to the point that he began to have flashes of the past few times of his life where he had encountered the supernatural world he had unwillingly been a part of for so much longer than he originally thought. The image of the possessed Gavin Sterling bursting through the den to stab that black girl through the head ran rampant in his mind. Flashes of Alison Abrams pinning him down to the ground of the graveyard and ripping into his chest tainted his memories; but the strongest imagery would prove to be the last in his mind. Graduation night replayed in his mind’s eye, pictures of him being held against the studio mirrors, pinned there by the fiendish creature that had been haunting him during his entire life up until that point. That had been when his powers first awoke, in defense against that beast.

Riley’s breath hitched in his throat as he pinpointed the reason behind his flashbacks. The light was all too familiar to him. Panic danced under his skin, just as the air around the two dropped twenty degrees in temperature. A hearty, choked laugh rang through the tunnel, as the body of the ghoul appeared in the darkness, taking form from the particles of light previously dispersed. The rotted green flesh hung from the corpse’s body, though it lingered on the edge of corporeal and intangible. Dark crevasses surrounded beady yellow eyes, peering at his two visitors with a maniacal grin to accompany his arrival. His top hat covered wormy black hair that hung down in strands, but matched the burlap-like coat he wore around his bed. A small, old-fashioned clock rested on his chest, though it was descending down from a long chain. In his goblin-like fingers was a long champagne glass filled to the brim with dark red liquid that was positively blood; the eyeball floating inside proved that. His long legs and feet were barely scraping against the floor, causing the mimicking shuffling noise that had graced the station not so long ago.

“Missed me, have you?” The scratchy voice whispered in Riley’s ear, though the being wasn’t near the two. A shiver wracked his body, rushing down his spine and raising chill bumps on his flesh. The putrid stench rolled off from the ghoul’s body, growing more rancid with each step he took. Now that the Shadowkind had been revealed, the blond was second-guessing his choice to stay. The Gentleman was supposed to be dead, wasn’t he? When the Evoker’s powers awoke, he had been overwhelmed with the shattering spell that had cut into his body; that’s what the blond thought, anyway. The fiend in front of them had no such signs of a previous battle, though he guessed that’s why he was still alive after that. For a brief moment, Riley wondered if he’d be lucky enough to survive a second battle with the beady-eyed monster. Now he finally understood his attraction to the subway station that had lulled him to the abandoned area, like the children pulled from their parents by the pied piper of lore. It seemed that the power that the Gentleman had over him was ever present, even after all the time that the blond had thought him to be dead.

Sebastian Mosely Sun May 16, 2010 12:23 pm

He was starting to feel the confidence that he had worked so hard to build up slowly fade away. It’s not that he doubted the judgment of Taylor, but maybe one other person to be at his side couldn’t hurt. Whatever, what was done was done, and now the two dysfunctional men had to take on something that going to make itself known... right about now. The pitch black was interrupted with a glow that seemed to expand and move toward them. Suddenly he felt unprepared for what was going to go down. Sure, he took on a couple of gang members and hunted with the group a couple of times, but the impending Shadowkind that waited for them made his insecurities rise more than fall. He was sure of one thing though, he was not about to act like he was having these internal struggles – his own version of his game face was on, convincingly or not.

Sebastian could feel Riley tense up behind him; it didn’t take an idiot to feel that everything was changing around him – atmosphere included. It was a pretty decent night in L.A., but when the temperature dropped, an unwanted shiver crept up his spine like an army of small spiders; the laugh that followed didn’t help the situation any. In his opinion, the demons that seemed to laugh or smile or take amusement in what was about to come really got to him more than the others. It made him weary of what their strengths were and why they felt like they were cocky enough to laugh. Taking a deep breath, but almost gagging because of the smell, he finally got a look at what exactly they were dealing with. It reminded him of a person who belonged to another era and well, dead. He seemed very elegant with his movements and how he went about doing things, champagne glass complimenting his tattered up outfit he wore. The blood inside didn’t irk him as much as he thought; he was good with that at least.

What seemed to be small gusts of wind making its way through the abandoned station would be the whisper that singled out the blond behind him. Sebastian seemed to get a little tenser as it seemed to be a waiting game between the two men and the Shadowkind that stood before them. In his mind this was his fight and only his. Why else would he spend the past few months training and being thrown into situations where he could die pretty easily. He was alive now and oblivious to the past the Evoker and the monster shared. It was surprising to him that the blond had seen zombies! How could he think that he had encountered something even more gruesome before that? Oh right, because Ry never told him about his past, jerk.

The irony that surrounded the group of three was… weird, at best. So much of Riley’s past was standing right in front of the brunet and it was just a few minutes ago that he was wondering if the blond would tell him what exactly went on – and how they came to this point in their lives. Nothing was happening and that was worse than them actually being attacked; he could at least try to defend himself and know how the monster was rather than looking at him. On top of that, he did not get any prettier or smell any better with the minutes that passed. In a weird way, he was anticipating a fight and ready for something to happen. Little did he know that this probably wasn’t his fight to have.

Riley Cameron Sun May 16, 2010 1:02 pm

How was he supposed to know that the reason behind his venturing into the station was because of the demon that had made him his special project? If he recalled correctly, the monster had told Riley that the reason he had waited so long was because he was waiting for him to become ripe. What the hell did that mean? And just whose eyeball was floating inside that champagne glass as if it were a lime atop a fruity drink? The growing tension between the three was steadily growing thicker, with no signs of ever returning back to normal. They weren’t safe, not with the creep in front of them already lowering the temperature with his very presence, blood drink in hand. Riley could only imagine what feats the beast was capable of; and that’s just what happened. Images of possible scenarios flashed throughout his skull, no matter how hard he tried to suppress them. He couldn’t help but think of what may possibly happen to Sebastian and himself before they would be able to escape. The only way out seemed to be if they stayed and actually fought the visitor; but would they actually win? It didn’t seem very likely, the more he thought about it.

Biting his lower lip, the blond reached out, grabbing hold of the arm of one piece of his past. Part of him knew that what he was about to ask Sebastian was futile, though he couldn’t help but try. “Go. Don’t be stupid and put up a fight, but go. He doesn’t want you.” That’s why Riley was here, right? The Gentleman followed him to the city and had lured him to the very place he would be waiting. If anything, Sebastian was just a consolation prize. The ghoul no doubt still wanted the very thing he had tried to collect at Yale, and the blond knew deep down that he wouldn’t quit until he got just that. The problem was how was he supposed to survive? He had thought he had killed the Gentleman earlier, yet here the monster was, floating in front of them as if nothing had happened in the past. Cursing his luck, he locked eyes with the undead creature, noticing the wicked smile curving upwards even more as he did so. This was his game now; one that no one really ever came out the victor of, Riley imagined.

“Haste not; his death will make yours taste sweeter.” The whisper in his ear breezed by again, coating the inside of his right ear and causing the anxiety in his stomach to rise once again. He tried suppressing the feeling, and instead focused on the mana that was bubbling within his veins. If the Gentleman wanted a fight, that’s what he’d be getting; but as far as Riley was concerned, it wouldn’t be one that involved the hunter. It wasn’t the brunet’s battle, no matter how chivalrous he may have thought he was being. Riley couldn’t risk Sebastian getting hurt because of him; any violence inflicted on the hunter would be by the Evoker’s doing only. The laugher that erupted from the ghoul once more echoed throughout the tunnel, and with a bright flash he was gone. A rough burst of wind flew towards the two, and within milliseconds the fiend was right in front of them, Chesire grin wide and sharp, yellow teeth shining. He seemed to phase right on through the hunter, grabbing hold of the blond’s shoulders and launching him back onto the cold floor. Claws dug into his skin, ripping through his clothes. Lying on his back, he turned his head to the side to avoid looking into the widening eyes of the assailant. ”I like it when you struggle.”

He tried to push upwards with his hands, but the incorporeal body let go on its own accord. Without warning, he was gone, and Riley sat up to look in Sebastian’s direction before anything else. Loud, resonating sounds of claws scraping against metal walls echoed throughout the station, as if they were being slowly dragged across the surface. Riley stood, rolling his shoulders and ignoring the pain that shot through his body at the sensation. He wouldn’t make eye contact with the brunet, and instead took to looking through the darkness for where his attacked would be coming from next. He resisted the urge to groan; he knew that the game was just beginning. Soon, clanging sounds accompanied the scratching, akin to the metal sounds that had first alerted the duo to the presence of the Shadowkind. The blond wanted to cover his ears to block the noise, though didn’t just in case something else would happen once he did so. Internally, he cursed his luck: he would have much rather found that they were up against zombies.

Sebastian Mosely Sun May 16, 2010 10:57 pm

The more Sebastian looked at the creature in front of them, the more he seemed to be familiar. In all the books that he was told to study he had to have stumbled upon a picture somewhere. He was so happy that is brain refused to do anything helpful at this point in time. The tension, fear, and drop in temperature seemed to slowly take hold of the new hunter and not let go. They wouldn’t be in this situation if it weren’t for the blond standing behind him. Was he actually feeling anger at him at a time like this? Of course not! However, he wished that he was doing this alone considering he could be a lot more reckless and not worry about anyone else around him. Things never were easy for the two of them, why should it start now? They weren’t meant to get a break when it came to being together, they should know this already.

The fabric around his arm tightened and for a split second he tensed up, but knew it was Riley. He shouldn’t go around randomly grabbing people at a time like this! Go. Don’t be stupid and put up a fight, but go. He doesn’t want you. Head turned to the side slightly and shook his head, “What do you mean he doesn’t want me?” His voice was low but obviously audible to the blond behind him. Blue eyes looked from the ghastly creature that stood before him back to his ex. In his mind this was a cut and dry, didn’t matter who it killed, as long as it killed someone type of Shadowkind. Apparently there seemed to be so much more to it than the brunet could even begin to fathom. With the thousands of questions that stemmed from a brief statement from the one behind him, he couldn’t respond in any way because of how confused he felt. It was becoming more clear that the things he had keep from Riley were definitely not as bad as the ones he kept from Sebastian.

The answer to Riley’s plea would be how still and how tense the brunet’s body was. For some reason he was feeling more protective than ever and experienced the feeling of when he first entered the station. He knew if he let his fear control him then it was pointless to even put up a fight and whether the ex’s liked it or not, they were going to get through this together. As the ghoul disappeared into the darkness, the gust of wind hit his eyes unexpectedly and caused him to squint slightly. It only took a few seconds before he came face-to-face with the ugly thing vanished so quickly before. Of course his instinct reaction was to swing and that’s precisely what he did. Throwing a punch with the knifeless hand, he didn’t expect what actually happened. What a weird ass feeling to see something and but not connect with anything. Fortunately, he had enough balance to where it didn’t make him stumble, but it made it possible for the Gentleman to walk right through him and go to Riley.

Frigid cold rushed over the hunter’s body as if he had been submerged into an ice bath; little needles pricked everywhere. In the time that it took him to readjust and turn around, the damage had been done. Wow, how inadequate he felt at that moment in time. It took some of the edge off when he saw the Evoker stand up with ease but bloody. “You all right?” The cuts didn't look too bad, but still - he was hurt, he had already failed in protecting him. The question would be followed by the scratching that had alerted them in the first place. This was all becoming a fun game for the fugly beast with each passing minute. Taking a step back, he took a deep breath and tried to block out the noise that only served as a distraction. Two seconds later, the Gentleman reappeared behind Sebastian and this time the brunet was ready; he swiped back with his blade and sliced against something solid. He could tell by how the knife resisted that it was nothing but a minor gash, but hey! it showed the beasty not to be too cocky, right? Or.. only pissed him off even more. It disappeared into the darkness once again with a high pitched scream following in its flash of light. Did he catch it off guard that he reacted so quickly? He only assumed.. Looking at the blond, his face was stone. He didn’t like the idea of pissing off something that could disappear and reappear as a form of amusement.

Riley Cameron Mon May 17, 2010 11:36 am

The noise didn’t seem to be lowering any time soon. No matter how hard he tried, the blond couldn’t seem to ignore the distraction; he knew that if he fell off guard, then he’d be an easy target. The two were basically sitting ducks while awaiting the ghoul’s next attack, though there wasn’t anything that either of them could really do about it. The cuts on his shoulders allowed blood to seep through his shirt, the sticky substance causing Riley to force himself to ignore the disgust he felt. He had always hated blood; he knew that it was what everyone lived with, but the cuts and incisions that allowed the liquid to flow freely were always viewed as imperfections. Without blood, one couldn’t truly live; one would be flawed. The thought had always been something the blond had vainly avoided throughout his life. If he were to be focused on being perfect, he wouldn’t have to worry about the end that was predestined to come for each and every person living. He never wanted to think such morbid thoughts, but they had always found a way to creep into his mind regardless. Such attacks on his body brought previous fears alive.

“You all right?” Sebastian’s question didn’t go unheard, but it was unanswered. He had gone to speak, though he had faced the hunter right as he was targeted. The scream that resonated through the tunnel was enough to make the model cringe, but it was the stone cold stare from the other that had him frozen on spot. He knew that he would have a lot to answer to if they made it out of the station alive, but he held onto the belief that he might be able to make it far enough away from the hunter without having to answer anything. He didn’t want to share what his connected was to the beast, didn’t want to tell Sebastian that he had been singled out and haunted for all of his life. There was a small gust that picked up, an eerily blowing wind that brought along a scent of decay to the boys’ noses. The blond cast a look towards the ground, closing his eyes in an attempt to hear where the fiend might strike next. The voice next to his ear, louder than the normal whispers, was disembodied, though clear to be heard by any. “I still watched you sleep; the way you curled up, thinking you were safe was delicious, even when he was next to you.”

The thought of the Gentleman having haunted him even through college, when he had thought he had escaped, sent jolts of horror through him. What was the beast’s game? What sick prize did it gain from stalking him, even when he was surrounded by others – or even Sebastian himself? He felt tremors shaking his hands; vivid energy pulsing through his body and forming bolts along his skin. He didn’t understand how he was causing the mana within his blood to react, but he knew that when he felt threatened he could call on the energy. From the racing sparks, bursts of condensed flame spread down his right arm, extending from his palm in the shape of a burning arrow. He turned, whipping his arm around and the fiery object shot forth, whizzing through the air as it cut through the darkness. A shrill laugh rang, just as a sick splitting sound echoed towards the duo. The green ghastly figure reared its form, beady yellow eyes opened wide in delight. The wound from the arrow was present on the nape of its neck, searing away rotted flesh and scorching the tuxedo the beast wore – Riley had barely scathed it.

Immediately, he looked towards his arm; there were no signs of burning present, even though the limb had been engulfed in the flaming energy prior to the attack. Secretly, he was thankful; happy that he wasn’t forced to live with the scars possible from the own power he contained. The ghoul used the blond’s distraction to rush forward once more, sharp tendrils extended and slashing into the front of his chest. The rush of wind accompanying the beast alerted the blond, though it was too late. He tried stepping out of the way, bracing himself for the impact, though he was caught in the crossfire. Claws cut into his side as the beast went on, flinging the blond to the floor. The Gentleman made his way towards Sebastian, ghastly grin glaring yellow teeth as he raced on. He washed through the brunet, submerging him once more in the frozen sea that he’d experienced earlier. From behind, he slashed once, twice towards his victim, attempting to cut into the exposed flesh that he could find. After he had done what he could, the beast was gone, voice ringing through the tunnel and directed at Riley once again.

“I have something of yours.” The childlike giggle was astonishing to say the least, though the blond forced himself up off the floor as the ghoul materialized in front of him once more. Claws were covered in globs on crimson liquid, as if he had ripped dried blood from a cadaver and covered the substance on his hands. Riley’s eyes were wide at the sight, not knowing what to do. The Gentleman only grinned, bringing one hand up to his mouth and extending a yellow tongue to lap at his coated digits. The intense urge to gag was only suppressed by his curiosity. He knew he would regret asking, though he felt he had no other choice to ask. “Wh-what do you have?” The ghoul wrapped his tongue around his claw, licking them clean and tilting his head to the side as Riley asked his question. He gave off a small moan of relief, leaning towards the blond while the boy attempted to move backwards. “Don’t be impatient. You’ll see soon enough.”

[ -1 spell point; Flame Sniper + the Gentleman. ]

Sebastian Mosely Mon May 17, 2010 2:36 pm

Damn right he had a lot to answer to! Here Sebastian had to deal with his inner demons, though they weren’t real, but either way lived with the fact that he was keeping a secret from Riley. It didn’t matter that they were in this predicament now, it was the fact that this was something that couldn’t stay a secret. Granted, Sebastian didn’t realize that the Evoker thought he had killed him so it made the situation a little tenser between the two. How could he neglect to tell him something that was dangerous to both of them? Did he not think that the brunet could handle it or it wasn’t important? No. This was very important and he didn’t even want to hear any excuses that came out of his mouth. Yes, the hunter had his own skeletons in his closet but none that put the person he supposedly loved in danger.

Ignoring the poisonous thoughts that seeped into the brain of Sebastian, everything came to a halt when the Gentleman spoke once more and this time he could hear exactly what was said. So much for putting emotions aside when you’re on a hunt.. Sebastian looked down at the ground for a brief moment before looking at the blond once more. The thoughts of some thing watching over them as they slept for who knows how long made Sebastian’s stomach do flips. It had been in their room, watching every move they made? How long had this been going on for? How long had he been waiting for Riley? The creepy ass monster award definitely had a clear cut winner. This was before Sebastian even moved to D.C., before his father died, and before his life changed forever. They were both helpless and the most vulnerable when they slept, and the Gentleman took advantage of that. He didn’t know what to feel at this point in time.

Before he had a chance to look away from the blond and focus on what was more important, he could vaguely see his hands start to shake. He could only assume that he was going through his own set of changes and had to do with his magic side of him. Suddenly, the magic issue didn’t seem so big to where they were right now; it was somewhat comforting. Oh, and by somewhat that meant a very miniscule amount. It took him by surprise to watch as the Evoker’s hand engulfed in flames similar to Torch on Fantastic Four. How hot was that? Mmm. Anyway! This was not about how hott a certain ex was, but the fact that their lives were in danger and they were both working together to try and make it out alive. So far, so good? Kind of, sort of.

The light show didn’t last long and from what Sebastian witness from the arrow shooting across, Ry had as much luck as he did with his knife. These two were really getting a leg up on this guy, ha.. right. The Gentleman went on playing his game of hide and go seek, and though Ry tried his best to get out of the way and Sebastian was too late to stop what was most likely the inevitable, the ghoul made his attack. “Riley!” Seeing someone you ~~care about~~ tolerate get hurt was no bueno and that only meant that more things were to come.

The rotting creature came toward the hunter and showed no sign of stopping. This was not going to feel good on his part, but at least he could anticipate what was going to happen. Even with the needles once again covering his body, he had enough sense to at least move quick enough forward to only receive one of the swipes from its claws. With one hand connecting, he could feel the long cuts along his back, holding back a groan from the pain it brought.

Looking back at Riley, the beast was playing with his toy in which he loved so much. Gross. He ran around the Shadowkind’s back and instead of trying to hurt it, he continued to be by Riley’s side. Kneeling down next to the male on the ground, he tried to ignore what was going on behind him but he could pretty much see out of the corner of his eye. As the Gentleman spoke his words of patience, Sebastian grabbed one arm of the Evoker to help him up. “I’m not leaving your side, let’s get out of here.” Damn straight. No more playing games, no more toys to play with. The Gentleman made his point pretty clear, in his opinion, so he wanted to live to fight another day.

Riley Cameron Mon May 17, 2010 3:15 pm

The Gentleman wasn’t going to simply let them leave. He had lured the blond to his new haunt with relative ease, had coaxed him from the safety of his home and brought him to the place where he was supposed to finally become the victim that he was always supposed to be. The hunter showing up had certainly slowed down things, but it was only a small bump in the ghoul’s plans. Those long, chubby digits reached outwards, sharp claws raking down the blond’s cheek, though the boy went unscathed. He was toying with him. The more frightened his prey was, the better their blood tasted whenever he licked every last bit of it dry from his fresh corpse. The brunet’s valiance only brought sparkles to those beady eyes. He had watched Riley curl into the hunter multiple nights, thinking he was safe from his predator, and being so very wrong. The Gentleman had unlived for centuries, and the one trick he enjoyed most was stalking a victim and torturing them slowly over time. With the blond catching on, it made his twisted game all the better. He would be the victor in his own game of cat-and-mouse. He was so close that he could almost taste the sweet source of life that kept the blond functioning.

When the clawed hand was removed, Riley bore his eyes into the dotted ones that stared back. The ghoul was inches away from the duo, though not making any sign of movement. Sebastian bent down to help him up, pulling him to his feet and helping him to stand. He knew that they needed to get out of there, but he wasn’t sure how to get past the ghoul without either of them getting hurt further. Cautiously, he cracked his neck, the bones popping and giving him a quick sensation of relief; however, at each pop, the ghoul seemed to shiver with delight, as if wishing that it were his hands that were breaking each bone apart from the others to begin his feast. “Do you want to see now? I brought it to you as a present.” The ghoul’s breath reeked, floating over the two with each rotted syllable. For a moment, the fiend backed away, incorporeal feet seeming to shift along the floor as he did so. “I’m sure you’ll like it.” Riley gripped hold of Sebastian’s wrist, pushing the hunter behind him as he felt the familiar surge within his veins take over once more.

“I’ve gotten enough ‘gifts’ lately!” The mana raced again, pulsing from his extended hands and out towards the Shadowkind. Bright lights akin to stadium posts illuminated the area, heating up the room quickly and flashing twice with forceful radiance. The heat wave devoured the ghoul, causing him to scream in shrieks of agony from the extreme heat and light that nipped at his body. Riley took the chance to grab the hunter’s elbow, jumping up from the tunnel tracks and dashing madly towards the entrance that had led them both into the pitch-black hell. The screaming of the beast didn’t halt; but as they neared the exit, the ghoul materialized, grinning wickedly with his skin seeming as if it had been close to boiling off. It started to patch itself, sewing its rotted flesh back together while it smiled. He snapped two of his claws together, a loud crack being heard as the two stopped in their tracks. Near the beast’s body, something fell from the shadows of the ceiling, having been suspended up there the whole time the two had been present. “I said you’d like it.”

Riley clasped a hand tightly across his mouth. Hanging in suspension was a body – one that had been cut open and lacerated, as well as hung. Eyes were open in a blank stare, face blue and drained. What was before the two was the body of Riley’s best friend, Nickolaus Elliot—the person he had grown up with since childhood and had gotten to follow him to Yale. Sebastian had known him too considering his status as one of the only people who knew the real person the blond was. The tears that came stung his eyes, though his stubbornness kept Riley from losing all control in front of the spectators. He blinked, hard, forcing himself to stay calm even in the light of the event. “What, you don’t like it? He was on his way here; I figured I’d make it easier on him.” The vile smirk lit up, the creature snapping his claws together once more; the after effect sent the body up in a blazing glory; flesh was angrily lapped by the fire, quickly boiling and igniting the room in a brilliant wave of light. Words were choked out from behind his hand, cursing the beast that was making his life torture. “You’re sick.”

[ -1 spell point; Daylight + the Gentleman. ]

Sebastian Mosely Tue May 18, 2010 2:40 am

Of course they weren’t going to leave that easy, but it was worth putting the action in motion and maybe if they thought it would happen, eventually it would. As if the Gentleman couldn’t get any more creepy, it went and out-did itself making sure that it was the one controlling everything and not either of them. That was a comforting feeling. It didn’t take long for Riley to stand up and readjust his aching body. The change on the rotting face to the slight cracking of the blond’s bones was noted by the hunter and knew that whatever either of them did, it would only make the game better for it and satisfy its needs.

Eyes were fixed upon the undead creature that remained in front of them. He could only imagine what sort of twisted present the Gentleman could have in store for Riley. Whatever it was, it wasn’t going to be good and something that was going to get a response out of the blond. That’s all this was; entertainment from what horrendous things he inflicted onto each person. The hunter could feel his heart race at the thought of what was about to come, and also because he wanted to vomit at the putrid vile that emitted from its mouth. I’m sure you’ll like it. They both knew that that was a big fat lie. What the hell, why can’t a creature be like ‘You’re actually going to really hate it, but that’s the point. Either way, you’re not going to be ready for it.’ Of course, that’s too much to expect out of something that’s been dead for.. well, ever.

Feeling pressure on his wrist, Sebastian didn’t resist as he was guided behind the Evoker. This was not how things were supposed to happen. Wasn’t he the one that was supposed to be saving people and not the other way around? It became obvious to him that Riley was right and what could he actually do to help out in this war? Stand behind the arcanists as they worked their mojo? No, that was not what he had signed up for. That’s not what Taylor had been talking to him about for these few months. However, there were more important issues to deal with at the moment that would be the fact that Riley seemed to be getting the hang of using his magic accordingly. He didn’t know exactly what he meant by having enough ‘gifts’ but again, more important things to worry about. The light being released from Riley’s hands seemed to do enough damage to the ghoul to by them some time. With the light intensifying, it was even hard for Sebastian to bear, but that didn’t matter because the two wouldn’t stay long enough to figure out what happened.

As the Gentleman reappeared in front of the two men trying to exit, Sebastian stopped as quickly as he could and managed to avoid running into the blond. Seconds later he watched as it a sickening cracking sound rung around them and as if it were called like a dog, the body fell before them. Taking a step back, he felt his stomach curdle and his heart wrench in all different directions. Nick. With being Riley’s best friend, it was only natural that the two would become close as well (well, it worked out that they became close and didn’t end up hating each other considering that’d be awkward). Memories flooded of them getting dinner and hanging out on the quad. He was such a happy person – someone didn’t know of any demons or magic, he was innocent. Taking a deep breath, he tried not to show that it affected him as much as it did. Placing a hand on the blond’s triceps and gave a soft squeeze. Sure, it wasn’t comforting, but it let him know that he was there. Watching a friend of yours hanging there and knowing that he went through something horrible made the hunter feel that he had to puke, he couldn't even imagine what pain Riley was feeling as the body went up in flames. He was involved now, at least in his eyes.

“So you have a couple of parlor tricks up your sleeve. Big deal. You said you’ve been waiting for this, but I must say everything was pretty bad on your part.” He didn’t exactly know where he was going with this, and the more he talked – tension seemed to rise in the room. “All you’ve showed us is that you can play hide and go seek. Children do that.” Something needed to change; he couldn’t stand any more surprises. He didn’t like feeling that all control was out of his hands. No matter how much his heart was hurting, no matter how much he wanted to cry, and even though his ability to handle the things that were being thrown at him was dwindling, it was time for a different approach. What that certain approach was... was currently being figured out.

Riley Cameron Tue May 18, 2010 11:03 am

The flaming corpse in front of him seemed to taunt him. It held so much significance to the boy; made so many beliefs come to live and force themselves out into the open. The Gentleman was a twisted ghoul, unrelenting and not human. Riley didn’t want to conform to the ways brought on by the war. He wanted to return to his normal life, one that didn’t involve monsters and demons, one that didn’t have powers and where his friend was still alive. He had never lived a ‘normal’ life, but he had fashioned his own world out of the experiences he crafted around himself. Truthfully, he would give anything to return to his roots and start fresh—that was out of the picture, though. There wasn’t any turning back now. Forced to grow up, each and every new Arcanist would have to adapt to the new environments they were placed in. Whether they wanted it to be or not, the Arcane world dominated their lives. The blond focused on his friend’s burning body, watching as the flames angrily lapped at exposed flesh and melted away the features that had once been present. He was lost in his thoughts of his last experience with his friend; they had argued about Riley leaving for Los Angeles without giving anyone a warning.

The duration of the phone call had been filled with upset remarks and explicit sarcasm. Nick had called wanting to get together for lunch back in New York; when Riley had told him that he was had moved to Los Angeles, his friend had been furious. Not understanding why the blond had picked up and left immediately, and without telling him or his family, Nickolaus had chided his friend for uprooting without warning. With ease, Riley had spat his usual poison, refusing to admit the real reason he had left his home behind without a second thought. The fury and animosity between the two had eventually calmed down, without help from Riley, and only after Nick had declared he was visiting with or without approval. Having hung up without much else, the boy had left Riley all the more aggravated. He didn’t want to involve his best friend in the knowledge of what he was going through. It was too dangerous, and that was being proven with each piece of flesh that melted away in front of him. Nickolaus had never been anything but a good friend; while he may have engaged in a lifestyle the blond didn’t particularly agree with, it certainly didn’t earn him the early death he had gotten.

The hand on his arm jolted him from his thoughts. He snatched his arm away quickly, pulling from the touch of another that he had known for too long. The blond had always told himself not to let anyone get close; his parents had stayed away from him, as did his brothers. Nickolaus had been the only other, with the exception of Sebastian, that had managed to break all of the manipulative barriers Riley had thrown up. Even still, the two had fallen victim to his schemes on more than one occasion; they had only chosen to stick around afterward. Apparently he shouldn’t have let them – Nickolaus’ corpse was proof of that. Would the Gentleman go after someone else to torture him next? The brief thought of his brother William flashed in the front of his mind, though he quickly pushed it away. His brother had to be safe; if the Gentleman was keeping tabs on whom he had spoken to recently, Nickolaus was the only one that fell in that category; he hadn’t spoken to William since before his graduation. The ghoul’s voice was unexpected, though it still had the chilling effect amidst all the flames. “Want to see what else I can do?”

“Shut up, Mosely.” Riley’s voice was coated with his normal venom. He didn’t want to experience any more that night. Overwhelmed, he stared at the ghoul past the flames, ignoring the urge to call forth another spell that would benefit him—or not, at the rate it was going. He still hadn’t learned how to craft them effectively, and any fight that the duo put up against the fiend wasn’t proving very useful. He was sick of being played with. “You’ve already ruined the surprise. Come back when you have the guts to actually attack me instead of my friends.” The fiend continued grinning, offering no words. It seemed he agreed, as his body began to fade, leaving behind an ethereal glow that still displayed the creepy entity. The body continued burning, the crackling echoing throughout the abandoned station. Riley started first, walking towards the exit and into the night without looking back, the image of his friend forever burned into his memory.

Sebastian Mosely Tue May 18, 2010 2:04 pm

What was going to come of them after everything was said and done? It was obvious that this was not something that disappeared and would heal with time. Time does not heal all wounds and this was a testament to that. Sebastian thought he felt powerless before but the feeling of helplessness he had when it came to Riley and trying to be there for him was slowly started to fade away. How much could he really do for the blond? The last thing he wanted was for him to pull away after everything they had been through. Sure, there was a period in which they didn’t talk but there was never a day Sebastian didn’t think of what Riley was up to. It was always a habit of his; making sure everything was okay and giving him the support that he needed. Of course it came with its share of fights, but somehow they both managed to push through – most of it being on Sebastian’s part.

As the Evoker spat out his words, Sebastian didn’t know what to make of it. Part of him didn’t give a damn what the blond said and wanted to be the knight in shining armor that he obviously needed. Okay, that was a tad much but the point was that he wasn’t going to let Riley do this alone and even though he would fight tooth and nail for the hunter to not be a part of it, Sebastian didn’t care considering how thick his skin had gotten from being around Ry.

A small sigh was let out as he listened to the one standing in front of him. It was evident that this was not over nor would it be over until the fat lady sang or in this case, a fugly, rotting, smelly beast. There was nothing more than could be said on his part that would do them any good. He stared at the Gentleman as he slowly faded away. The words the Evoker said obviously were true and the ghoul would figure out new ways to haunt and torment him. When people talk about looking forward to what the future may bring, I wonder if they ever thought they at the end of that would be something horrific waiting for you. This was definitely not the way things were supposed to play out and he wondering if this was the thing Taylor wanted him to kill. If it wasn’t, he’d have a trip back to look forward to and maybe this time he wouldn’t be alone. Unexpected Shadowkind didn’t bode well for anyone.

As they made their way out of the station, Sebastian made sure they were actually out and breathing relatively clean air again. When they were out of the station, it was a whole new ball game. “Riley.” If he had gotten no response or even an ounce of recognition, he would speed up to be next to him. Grabbing his elbow didn’t seem like the best idea at the time. “Riley, just stop for a minute.” Again, if nothing seemed to work, then it was time for a different approach. “Stop.” With that one word, Sebastian made sure to stand in the blond’s way so he wasn’t able to walk any further. So what if they were stopping in the middle of an empty street – there was no time like the present. His voice had been a bit more stern and less of the coddling voice that he initially used. He knew he was hurting and that he had been through something unbelievably traumatic, but there was no way he was going to be pushed out of this – no matter how much Ry would try.

“You’re not going to just walk away. It’s more than that.” Sebastian was stating the obvious, yes, but they had to start somewhere. With everything that had gone on, you’d think these two would have given up on one another and parted ways. That’s what made them unique; they were so wrong for each other that in some twisted way, they were right.

Riley Cameron Tue May 18, 2010 8:05 pm

Regardless of whether or not Sebastian was close behind or if he was far away, the blond walked into the city from the station, not looking back. He refused to see the subway flickering as it by candlelight thanks to his friend’s body. The experience was much more than he had been prepared to go through; he couldn’t help but feeling that it was only the first of many horrible things to come his way. With the war having officially pulled him into it, he knew things would steadily get worse along the way. The powers that were bestowed to him needed to be conquered; if he didn’t learn how to wield them to the best of his abilities, then he was just a sitting duck while the Shadowkind planned how to attack the Arcanists. He wanted to learn how to craft his magic, how to control it and actually be useful. Also certain that the Gentleman was lurking behind every corner possible, he knew that he needed to learn how to take care of himself – and fast. He wasn’t going to let anyone take care of him; he didn’t think they should have to watch his back. While he had guessed that he was chosen for a reason, he still wasn’t exactly sure what that reasoning actually was.

His footsteps, he noticed, were soon accompanied by rapidly quickening ones. The sound of hearing his own name was far from his brink of reality; he was focused on getting out. He wanted to be in the safety of his home, locked away from the outside world while he came to terms with everything. He trusted that his home was safe; when he had been teleported back to his home after the San Gabriel Valley trip, the being that had whisked him there had visited. After a few waves of purple light, the stranger had told him that his penthouse had been blocked from the possibility of any Shadowkind getting inside. The man hadn’t offered anymore other than mumbling something about the spell being something that his friend Carolina was able to do, and then he was off, leaving Riley alone. Nevertheless, the blond was still a bit nervous. The brunet closed in on him, coming to a halt directly in front of him. Cold blue eyes were emotionless as the Evoker came to a stop. His normally expressive features were carefully masqueraded, like they had been countless times before.

“It’s not. I’ve had enemies before, and I’ve taken them all down. This isn’t any different.” Any signs of the tears that had formed before were long gone. Lips were tight, face like stone as he focused on the brunet. They had been through things before, but with the war, everything else seemed trivial. Nothing could compare to what they were tossed into. The blond knew that Nickolaus had been Sebastian’s friend too, but talking about it was the last thing that he wanted to do. It wasn’t going to solve anything. The boy’s death was a sign that Riley should stay away from anyone that could get dragged into the Gentleman’s personal obsession with him. Involving Sebastian in his affairs again would make him an immediate candidate. He was determined to keep anyone else that he could out of it; if that meant not ever returning the phone calls from his brother William, then he wouldn’t pick up the phone again. If it meant not trying to contact his other brothers, Charlie and Alex, then he’d leave them alone too – they wouldn’t notice he had fallen out of touch. His parents were a joke. With Sebastian in the war too, it made him harder to ignore; but then again, Riley had a reputation for isolating anyone with ease.

“Move, or you’ll be the next on my list.” He knew that there wasn’t much he could do, but he’d try. Physically, Sebastian had him beat. He had always been stronger, with a dominating personality that came out usually when he was with the blond. Riley had always been seen as intimidating, though Sebastian had wormed his way into the boy’s life before. The hunter didn’t seem like it on the surface, but he had an in-charge attitude that shined brilliantly whenever he wanted to captivate the blond. No matter how hard Bastian would attempt to take control this time, Riley wouldn’t allow it. He needed to be alone, and he pushed past the brunet when he realized the roadblock wasn’t going to budge. Truth be told, he was doing everything he could not to break down right then and there; if he didn’t make it out of the downtown area soon, he’d be in danger of doing so. He stopped on the sidewalk, speaking to the brunet even though he didn’t face him. “If your mission was to kill him, you should tell your boss that it’s not her territory. It’s not yours, either. Drop it.”

He didn’t wait for any reply. He put his hands into his coat, quickly making his way from downtown as fast as he could. Leaving Sebastian was perhaps cruel, but cruelty was what he flourished in. The Gentleman would find that out soon enough.

Sebastian Mosely Wed May 19, 2010 1:49 am

Resistance was futile. It was already made up in the hunter’s mind that the Evoker would have to bring out his best if he wanted him to go away. Ultimately, if Riley didn’t want to talk and stood his ground, this would be a long waiting game for the both of them. If he didn’t have his patience, he would have left the blond a long time ago and never look back. Instead, he felt that they grew as a couple if barriers were broken down and the walls that were usually up crumbled before him. It always felt like a victory when Riley opened up, even if it was for a brief moment considering how rare that occasion was. The longer they had been together at Yale, the closer in time those occasions became but things were different now (if they couldn’t tell already).

It’s not. I’ve had enemies before, and I’ve taken them all down. This isn’t any different. . It was hard to see his face so cold, so distant from everything that had happened. To be quite honest, he’d rather see a sneer on his face as per usual than see the devastation that was hiding somewhere inside with that hardened exterior. On top of everything else, this is the game that they were going to play. Sebastian was as confident as the next person about taking down the Gentleman, but this was not the time for Ry to be stubborn even if he had a reason to be. “I’m pretty sure it won’t care about your witty banter, Riley.” Ouch. Tough, but true. It’s obvious that a guy as blunt as his ex would have enemies, but as easily as he made them he was able to shut them down with his words.. This was not the same situation. New compromises had to be made. “Whether or not you admit it, the odds are better when it’s two against one.” The blond may be good at isolating people, but Sebastian was persistent when he knew in his heart he was right. Bless his little soul, the hunter had it always in his blood – if he had a gut instinct, he was usually right.

“I bet I’ve been on that damn list ever since I moved to D.C., it doesn’t matter to me.” Sure, egging on the Evoker wasn’t necessarily the smartest thing to do, but he was banking on the fact that Ry cared and wouldn’t hurt him. At this point in time he figured his chances were about 50/50. The hunter wouldn’t move and leave him with this burden to carry on his own. It was obvious that he had already been through enough and the first time around Sebastian didn’t have a clue. Unfortunately, now that he was embracing being a hunter his determination and dominant attitude seemed to be a little more pronounced than when he was last seen at college.

Watching Riley hop onto the sidewalk, the hunter gave him his few seconds he needed to get out what he wanted to say. As expected, it fell upon deaf ears; well, not deaf but Sebastian’s mind was already made up. When the brunet looked back in Riley’s direction he had already taken off to head out of town. Even though every fiber in his body screamed to go and follow him, he gave the space that he wanted. Bastian turned around to watch his past walk away into the darkness. It was time for him to go back and do his research on the Gentleman and see if Taylor knew anything about it; he was sure to get some answers. Not his territory his ass, he would make it his territory.

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