Silent Hunter and Spotted Beast

((Okay... I'm sorry for how long this is, I REALLY got carried away. But this was so much fun nonetheless..!))

Nothing had been going as planned lately. Nothing ever did. The door to the theatre opened and shut with a slam, and she couldn't help but scream at the unfairness of it. Of course, there was pretty good reasoning behind her tantrum, after all, she'd spent the past few days cooped inside a few rooms. She hadn't gotten along with anyone, and not only that, she'd been forced to vomit all over the floor early during her ordeal.

The emptiness of the room was almost a massive relief. From here, nobody could look upon her with judging, scathing eyes. Nobody could berate her with irrational accusations. Nobody could tell her 'no'.

She stormed across the room, her loud footsteps echoing in the large room, past the empty seats and empty tables, heading towards the stage. Solasta didn't intend to stand anywhere but in the spotlight - it was just the way she was. Clearing the staircase to the stage in about one step, she looked upon the setting already arranged. Scenery for a romance story of some kind? She had no interest in such gushy tales. The two lovers never fought each other.

She recollected the reason she had even come here in the first place - to lift her curse. Holding out the palm of her hand before her, she allowed a small fire to set alight in it. It danced and twirled briefly, before she clammbed both of her hands together, extinguishing it. A trickle of smoke escaped from the gap between her palms, and a dark, ashy colour was left behind on them. Her hands felt hot. If only she could create those fires without burning herself.

Her red gaze looked towards her empty audience as they peered at her expectantly. Her normally grumpy expression began to grin wryly; she almost felt inclinded to perform for them. Of course, her tale wouldn't be the sappy romance drama that they had been anticipating. In fact, just as a treat, she'd share a favourite childhood story. It would probably cheer her up after all this mayhem.

"De silent huntah and de spotted beast" she began, allowing her rough, sharp voice to fill the auditorium. Her imaginary audience fell silent. "Rookdei was a lone traveller, he never talk to no one, he never speak a word his 'ole life. No need fo' words! His voice is his actions!" Demonstrating this, she kicked one of her legs high in the air, before crouching down and sweeping this ground with her other leg. Her tail lashed in anticipation. "Everyone t'ink he's an idiot! He no talk, he no know not'ink, dey say!" Standing up, she kicked a leg again, her expression showing nothing but focus, apparently completely immersed into her act.

"Rookdei say not'tink to dis though, like he not even care! He jus' stare, wi'out no expression! All de other junkai hate 'im!" She crossed her arms huffishly, almost as if it meant something to her also. "So dey tell 'im one day, dey say, yo' go out dere and yo' hunt the biggest beast you can find! Yo' rip out its fangs and show us!" She bared her own teeth at this, poising in an almost animalistic manner. "An' Rookdei nods, and he takes up de challenge. Little he knows, dey set him up to die!"

"So he walking through de forest, looking fo' his prey," she hissed, lowering her voice to a loud whisper. "He got no weapons wi' him, just his own two hands! Den suddenly!" She crouched to the floor, poising one hand like a claw, while her narrowed angry glare looked out at the audience blindily. "Otgen pounced out! A massive, spotted beast, eyes like de burning sun, claws like mighty tusks and a tail like a cracking whip!" A low growl emitted from her throat roughly, before she continued. "He a cruel beast, famous among de junkai fo' eatink de young! Tearing flesh wi' little effort, an' toyink wi' corpses like puppets! An' he tells her, 'you'll pay fo' disturbing my slumber'! "

She stood again, a proud look reflected in her eye. "But Rookdei ne' scared! He look de beast in the eye, and wi'out no words, he take two step forward, an' he kicks de thing in da face!" She kicked strongly again, accidently setting her foot alight slightly as he did so. Screeching slightly, she stomped on the floor to put it out, before huffing and realising her epic moment had been rudely interrupted. She continued on regardless. "He kicks 'im sah hard his jaw comes flyink off! Like a cowardly kitten, Otgen scurries aweh, fo' Rookdei is to be feared!"

"Sah he takes de jaw back to de others. Dey all are sah surprised! He is alive! But dey don't believe he actualleh did it, so dey say 'Yo' show us de fang or we throw you out'!" She paused for a moment before smirking defiantly. "So he takes de fang out and he stabs all o' dem! 'Cause actions alwehs speak louder dan words, and yo' no let anyone 'old you down!"

Finishing her tale, she bowed slightly, feeling exhausted after her performance, even if no one else saw it. Actually, she hoped no one else had seen it, this was her own special thing. The imaginary audience remained silent, watching her as she sat down with her legs dangling over the edge of the stage. That was all she had needed right now - the time to herself and something to cheer her up. It didn't matter that she was alone, she needed no friends. A small, distant smile played on her lips. Things were okay.

Raye had been sleeping curled up and hidden under a table as a wolf in the theatre for the best part of three hours. Her grey head rested on her paws and her tail swished languidly.

Footsteps thundered past her, jostling her from her nap. Her turquoise eyes cracked open and she followed the great form of the girl she recognised as Sol from the lock-in as she fondly remembered it as.

Seeing the girls bad mood and knowing she preferred to be alone when she was in said sort of mood, she stayed quiet, just watching silently.

They play the girl put on was spectacular. She listened to the words intently, missing one or two of them due to the girls strange accent. From what she gathered, it was about a man that was treated unfairly for his lack of speech and sent off to death. Well, that's not pleasant. He did right, killing those idiots, Raye decided as they play ended.

A yawn passed through her wolf-ish lips as she stretched under the table before padding up to the stage, sitting a few feet from Solasta and just staring.

A finger trailed lazily along the edge of the stage, and she let out a sigh. Admittedly, after her performance, she was rather bored now. There was little to do in here, and she didn't feel like telling another story. This 'alone time', although an initial relief, wasn't as nearly as fantastic as she first thought it to be. She crossed her legs, resting her chin on a flat palm.

It was then she noticed a small furry creature approach her, and while she dismissed its existance at first, her eyes eventually widened as she raised her head, staring at the creature in bafflement. She could sense a certain familiarity with the creature, but she couldn't quite put a finger on who it was.

"You-!" she began, pausing to purse her lips in thought. She'd assumed the theatre was empty, but apparently not. "How long yo' been here?!" she demanded, appearing to be rather flustered. She really hoped that it hadn't seen her entire act, that would be beyond embarassing. Lowering her legs from the stage, she stood before the wolf, her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Raye merely yipped and wagged her tail when Sol stood to her feet in front of her.

She wouldnt kill a helpless dumb animal, would she? the Jinn asked herself as her tongue lolled out of her mouth. She would play the part anyhow for as long as she could. it had been a while since she had shifted and she found she enjoyed being in her animal form again.

"Hmm." Staring down at the wolf, Solasta began to consider that this may actually just be a normal animal, if not a rather dumb one. Did wolves even live here? And why would they be inside the building? She frowned, wondering whether or not she really had just stood there trying to talk to some unintelligant animal.

She lifted a foot, reaching to nudge it with an outstretched toe. "Yo' even listenink to me? I bet yo' magical, everywan is!" There was a hint of annoyance in her tone, and her gaze was sharp and apathetic. Neither the tail wagging nor the dopy expression succeeded in winning her over. "If yo' just goink to sit dere all day an' stare at me, den I'm not havink dat," she growled, baring her teeth.

Raye bared her teeth and growled when Sol lifted her foot. She may be acting brainless, but she wouldnt let anyone touch her with their feet.

Her hackles raised and her growl loudened when Solasta bared her teeth.

Solasta stopped reaching halfway, pulling back her foot and placing it back on the ground. So it seemed this animal wasn't just an idiot friendly dog. She raised an eyebrow quizzically, sneering. "Not sah friendly after all?"

Crouching down, she stooped to its level, peering at her with a mocking, almost challenging expression. "You just goink to growl at me?" she said, pressing her palms flat against the ground, almost trying to mirror Raye's pose. Her tail lashed in anticipation behind her. "Or you actually goink to attack me?"

Raye snorted loudly as her growling ceased and she sat down again. She wasnt in the mood to fight. She had just woken up from a nap. She wasn't functional until she had copious amounts of fizzy drinks in her system or if she'd been awake for a good few hours. Neither was the case, so she just wasn't up for fighting.

When the growling subsided, she smirked, relaxing her pose as she resumed simply crouching to the floor. "Dats what I thought." Despite her challenge, Solasta didn't fancy fighting this creature either. She preferred duelling with things with a bit more sentience, it was so much more satisfying that way. Besides, animals were on a lower plane to her - challenging one to a duel of equals was an almost perverted notion.

"Is dere somet'ink you're hiding from me?" she asked, peering thoughtfully. It had responded well to her cues, but she couldn't be certain if it was just because it knew English or that there was something else. The whole thing was too suspicious for her to stay quiet over.

Raye curled up again and rested her head on her paws. A quiet snort escaped her when Sol asked her that and her tired eyes rolled up to meet Junkai's. Wasn't everyone hiding something from others?

The junkai's jaw gaped open slightly as the animal rested down on the floor. She let out a loud huff, clearly offended by the action. "Are you- are you ignorink me?!" she yelled, her own voice echoing slightly in the auditorium. It was, so to speak, one of her most common irritations. She hated it when others started ignoring her.

She reached an arm forward, aiming to grab the wolf by the scruff and yank it onto its feet. "Pay attention!" she snapped irritably. "I am not havink you just curl up an' sleep while I am talking..!"

Raye just snorted again and let the Junkai yank her to her feet. She yawned and stared directly at Sol, waiting for her to do something. She was just too tired for this...

Solasta was surprised that the dog allowed her to touch her - she had half expected it to snap off her hand. In fact, it hardly even reacted to her. She had at least hoped for some excitement - she felt somewhat as if she were talking to an inanimate object when she talked to this creature. She let out a loud, exhasperated sigh of boredom, half yawning, thanks to its contagiousness.

She returned the stare, before standing up again, looking away, as if uninterested, beliving it to be a lost cause. It seemed the only thing animals were good for these days was punting, and she wasn't in the mood to do that right now. "You know what? It's not even worth talking to yo'! Yo' just starinik at me like some sorta idiot, ai!" To emphasize her point, she spat on the ground next to her. "Yo' go back to yo' kennel or wherever de hell yo' live!"

Mustering up the energy to shift, Raye sat up, crossed legged. She didnt have the energy to shift into a full-humanoid form so she made do with having ears, a tail, claws and glowing red eyes. "Sorry to disappoint, Sol, but I dont live in a kennel."

"That story... You acted it out really well," she complimented quietly.

Solasta expected the dog to just walk away or something, so she payed little attention to it, instead focusing on her plans to come next. Where would she go? She certainly had no interest in staying here if it meant sharing her company with this animal.

Suddenly, she heard a voice, and she whipped around to look at the nearly appeared Raye, instantly recognising her. Noticing the wolf ears and tail, her jaw gaped open for a moment, finally coming to a realisation. "Y-you..!" she stood shocked, and mostly embarrassed. It had been Raye this whole time?! And she had assumed it was just a wild wolf, if not a rather strange one. She stood in eerie silence as she complimented her. If the junkai could blush, her face would be bright red.

"I don't--" she began to snap, before the words got caught in her throat. She put a hand to her head in disbelief. "What are you doink in here?! Dis place was meant to be empty!" She pasued for a moment, before shaking her head. "You saw not'ink of my act, remember dat!"

Raye smiled and rubbed her visible eye tiredly. "What act?" she played along.

"I was tired. I needed a nap. So I chose a quiet room and curled up. This just happened to be the room I stumbled into." Literally, she added dryly. She was even more clumsy when she was tired.

"You know very well--" Solasta cut herself short, suddenly realising what Raye was getting at. Snorting, she crossed her arms and eyed her with a slightly knowing glance. She continued regardless. "Dat storeh is old junkai fantasy! Yo' wouldn't geddit!"

"I bet'chu followed me in heah," she sneered accusingly. "A-ai! Can't get no privacy nowhere! Yo' dirty stalker yo'!" She smirked, believing she'd just won the argument, and she flippantly raised her chain to emphasise her height above Raye.

"I get it just fine. I think Rookdei did well, killing those cocky villagers. Being belittled and thought idiotic because you dont speak too often is stupid beyond belief. I would have done exactly the same thing in his position. Letting no one hold you down is something I like to preach. It's why I end up fighting with people a lot; I force people away so they cant hold me down."

She rolled her vibrant eyes. "Aye, ya caught me," she replied sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm a dirty stalker and you're my newest victim."

Her arms slipped and swung down to rest by her thighs. "I was honestly just here because this seemed to be the quietest place and I wanted some alone time to catch up on my sleep. I'm sorry if I interrupted your alone time. I know I'd be ready to kill someone who interrupted mine without a good reason."

"Hmm." Solasta peered at Raye as she described the meaning of the tale, and how it was relevant for her. She nodded sharply. "Rookdei could talk. He could speak. But he chose not to - no wan should be 'eld down fo' who dey choose to be!" She couldn't be sure if the story was the truth or a lie, but it did seem to have some meaning significant to the Junkai, and she remained silent as Raye continued to speak.

Her eyes narrowed, and she stepped closer to Raye, bending down closer to her level. Finally, she spoke. "I accept yo' apology," she began, raising a hand to ruffle Raye's hair slightly. "But if yo' stand 'neath my feet again, I'll treat you like a new doormat, you see?" She held out her hand, glaring at her for some sort of handshake of agreement.

The Jinn shook her head, making the ruffled mess Sol had created worse.

Raye smiled at Solasta. "Fair enough. If I stand under your feet again, I'll remember to paint welcome on my shirt first." Her hand slipped into the girls easily.

"Dere will be no welcomes - onleh goodbyes!" The smile that Raye recieved back seemed more reminiscent of an arrogant smirk. As her hand slipped into her own, her grasp tightened, latching onto her fingers with a knuckle-cracking intensity. She shook her arm briskly, almost as if she had the intention of tearing it off completely. "A-ai! It is agreed!" She narrowed her eyes dangerously as she shifted the balance of her weight to the other side, placing her unused arm on her hip. "We realleh need to fight again sometime. Chu won't be so lucky."

An odd look flashed over Raye's face before she could school her features back into a smile. "Never did like goodbyes. I've had too many of them in my life."

She winced slightly when the taller girl's grasp tightened around her hand painfully. Well, that was a little less than comfortable.

"Fighting would be fun, methinks." A cocky grin pulled at the girls lips. "It wouldn't be fun if you didn't give me a challenge, hon."

Goodbyes? This was probably the opening for a soppy tale of her past, no doubt. Solasta had no sympathy for such things - enough had happened to her in her past and she'd gotten over it. No use lingering around, she'd say.

"We'll see about dat," she spat sharply, grinning. Her hand still holding Raye's, she smirked, then allowed the centre of her palm to set alight. It wouldn't be a big fire nor would it leave a nasty burn, but it would be at least hot enough to surprise her. As far as Solasta was aware, Raye didn't know about her fire powers.

Raye flinched in shock when she felt her palm heat up. "What the hell?" she yelped when the heat became uncomfortable. She froze up and hoped to god the heat wasn't fire. She had severe pyrophobia.

Raye's shocked reaction pleased her, and she raised her hand, revealling a small flicker of fire in the centre of her palm. It was merely a small jest - akin to an electric buzzer. Although it seemed Raye had a slight overreaction to it, which made her curious. A possible weakness? She closed her fist, extinguishing the fire as a small gasp of smoke whisped from between her fingers. "Dis is what I can do," she proudly bragged, creating another fire on the back of her other hand. She slid her hand over it, setting it out.

She wouldn't normally show her powers to those she wasn't in a fight with - the element of surprise was often a valuable one. But giving her opponent an advantage would allow her a more satisfying victory, and she almost felt like she deserved to know anyway for putting up with her for so long.