A Stone's Throw Away (Vyn) *Finished*

[seraaches]

It had all began a few days ago. It'd been a simple black rock, but, for some reason, he'd needed to pick it up... he'd -had- to pick it up. And he had and he'd held onto it tightly for the last few days. He tried to put it down, but.... he still didn't want to. It was hard knowing he was addicted, no, obsessed with this little piece of stone, but the hybrid couldn't make himself put it down. Maybe this is wot the Sorgaire Rangers felt about their little piece of home. Then again, maybe not. He hadn't heard anything to prove that they so desperately -needed- the rock like he needed this one. He chose to not think about it.

He had a simple pouch slung about his neck to hold the small, black stone, but he still had to take it out from time to time to touch it. He absently stepped into the park near his dad's suite, oblivious to anyone who might be nearby.

[Vyn]

Xylia was still in a mild state of shock.

Three days ago she had decided she would wear the bracers...all night. Just like Cauter had warned her not to. She spent the evening walking with the bracers on and noticed nothing unusual. No pain or even mild tingling. Nothing. She had returned home to the apartment she shared with Solo around sunrise and stumbled straight into bed. Nothing seemed amiss. Cauter had just been being silly, she assumed.

How wrong she'd been! It wasn't until Xylia passed a mirror that following afternoon that the results of her experiments made themselves clear: She was...different.

Not just slightly different, but utterly and entirely not herself. So entirely not herself that she had even momentarily not recognized the face in the mirror. When she had, however, the results had been quite unpleasant and the resulting freak out had been longer than Xylia expected. In fact, it took up until today when Solo wisely kicked Xylia out onto the streets for any sort of sanity to return to her.


Now it was night again and Xylia walked quietly down the street. She had left the bracers at home, but the damage was done. Her coat was solid black, her mane was black, even her eyes were black. Overnight, Xylia had become entirely melanistic and what was worse? Her rank had changed as well. The brilliant red 10 of Hearts that had been emblazoned on her breast was now...well, nothingness. She could assume she was a Spade only by the abilities she had mustered up the curiousity to use but to everyone else her chest was as blank as a Joker's.

The doe stepped into the park shortly after the winged mixed breed and for a moment she froze in thought. That was...surprising. She'd never seen someone like him before. Absently she stepped forward, tail twitching in thought before she called out gently. It was the first person she'd spoken to since her experiment and, well, she needed to get her mind off of it.

"Hi! Is everything alright?"

[seraaches]

The canine/equine hybrid leapt in shock, wings flailing outwards in a sudden series of flapping motions that only managed to throw him further off balance. The pouch fell open and his little bit of obsidian dropped out with a soft sound. Before he even thought to reply, Se pounced on it, paws covering the little stone protectively. Pupilless green eyes shot up to the girl in near suspicion, especially when he got a good look at her. Wot was this? A Joker? Here? Why? Paranoia seared through him and pulled the stone closer to his body as yellow ears went flat uneasily.

"Who are you? You can't have it, it's mine." Oh, snot. Now he sounded NEEDY! The hybrid made a distraught noise and dropped his head firmly onto the ground. Crack. *#&$, that hurt. Could this day get any worse?! All he needed was for this strange doe to take his stone or for one of his *#@& siblings to show up.

[Vyn]

Xylia's eyes widened in shock and the doe quickly sprung backwards rather than pouncing forward for his stone. Sure, for a split second she felt the need to possess it but the stranger's need obviously outweighed her own. If he wanted the stone that badly he could have it, Xylia was already troubled enough without another odd object to add to her confusion.

"I-It's alright! I don't want it, honest!"

Xylia had originally intended to stay well back from the odd, winged horse mix but when he lurched forward and whacked his head on the ground she couldn't just stand by and do nothing. She didn't have it in her to be apathetic. Thoughtless as to whether he might be friendly, or even safe to approach, Xylia stepped forward and crouched down before him.

"I'm Xylia. Are you alright? The sounded like it hurt."

The older teen's voice was soft and very compassionate, contrasting greatly from her unusually dark appearance and obsidian black eyes.

[seraaches]

Well, he was absolutely humiliated. Great. Just &#%$ing great. "I'm fine," he mumbled into the ground, but it was unlikely she could understand the muffled words as his muzzle was still eating dirt. He groaned inwardly again before carefully raising his head just enough to get his mouth clear. "I'm fine." He tried to repeat the words with the same finality and authority that his father managed, but the best he could do was sound sulky and miserable. Life bit. Hard. #@*% it.

Her tone slid him into a vague sense of guilt and he felt that threatening to spiral out of control as well. Wot the *&## was wrong with him?! After several moments of angry contemplation, he tucked his wings closely to his sides and rose, carefully scooping his dark stone back into his pouch. After a deep breath (that only had a hint of shakiness in it), he finally turned regally to face her, head held high. "I'm Se," he said flatly.

[Vyn]

Xylia was a good girl, she took his mood and his frustration in stride. The younger male could huff and puff all he wanted, Xylia could tell he wasn't all that bad. Or, perhaps, that was her assumptions getting the best of her again. Had she not made that assumption about her 'dear sister' and had gotten nothing from it. Just the sad truth of the doe's murderous intentions.

She grit her teeth slightly but quickly unclenched them as the stranger spoke into the ground. What was he trying to say? Xylia moved to lean closer only for Se to sit up at last, trying to speak with authority he didn't quite seem to feel.

"It's a pleasure to meet you then, Se. I am sorry for startling you like that, it wasn't my intention."

The doe cocked her head lightly to the side, admiring the regal male. Where she he get wings like that? Or...those colors even. Did he appear to be a Yarrow cross or was it just her imagination?

[seraaches]

She was just making him feel worse and worse, which was rather odd because normally he -tried- to make people dislike him. Though, perhaps that was because he was usually surrounded by a whole mass of siblings and he couldn't be himself. They were always competing for attention and Eir, Ira, and Hadyn always got the most of it, followed by his other drug-fiend brothers and sisters.

Still, something about the doe was awakening strange feelings within him and Se gruffly replied, "Don't worry about it." It was the closest he'd ever come to being outright nice to someone; closer, perhaps, to how he treated Helena who was the brunt of a lot of jokes and teasing because of her need for love and attention... well, that and her penchant for chasing down anyone who caught her eye and smothering them.

Why was the girl looking at him like that? It made him uneasy even as he wanted to preen slightly beneath her gaze. He tried to force it away. "Why are you out here?" If it came out a bit defensively, it was still less hostile than his previous words.

[Vyn]

Xylia's head remained tilted slightly to the side as she settled down to sit across from him. A little company was actually very nice, it got her mind off of...well, herself. Her gaze dropped down once more, alighting on the utter expanse of black that had once proudly displayed her status as a 10 of Hearts. Her rank had not diminished, she knew, but her loss of proficiency with weapons and being forced to readjust to all of her abilities was just...so very unsettling.

For a moment the doe felt her head spin with the overwhelming details of the last few days but she quickly forced herself back to reality, back to Se. It was very good she had met him today or she was sure she would've ended up wandering off and getting herself lost in this awful daze.

"My roommate kicked me out." She admitted lowly, scuffing her hoof in the dirt. "Apparently I've been moping too much and he thought I ought to get some fresh air." Xylia heaved a rather heavy sigh before smiling weakly. By the looks of her, there was definitely something wrong. "If you don't mind my asking, what brings you out here?"

[seraaches]

Moping? He sent her another glance with his unnerving gaze; so often people thought he could read their minds, though he could not. At least, not yet. He practiced sometimes to see if he could figure out wot was going on in his retarded siblings' brains, but all he'd discovered so far was that they were just that: retards. As far as he could tell they were largely empty-headed. He hated them so much.

Trying to read the doe's mind didn't seem to be working too well either; he had no clue why she was upset. He didn't really know her, but there was an underlying edge of tension in her whole frame that was thought-provoking. So he ignored her question to ask his own, "Why are you moping?"

Tact wasn't his best trait either, and he seemed entirely oblivious to the fact that he didn't have any.

[Vyn]

Xylia had been staring down at her unmarked breast for a moment, disturbed by the invisible suit which laid there. It wasn't right... Even three days after the incident she could barely cope. Would she ever grow adjusted to it?

Abruptly, however, a strong sensation of being watched overcame her and Xylia lifted her gaze. "Hm?" Se was staring, and staring hard. His gaze was even rather intimidating and, in a very not!Xylia moment, she looked away rather quickly. It had almost felt as if he could see into her mind and Xylia simply could not take that. She already felt rather diminished as she was, to feel vulnerable as well was not something she wished to add on to it!

"Oh... I..." She fidgeted beneath Se's question but soon forced her thoughts back in order. Lord! What had become of her!? Was she losing her mind on top of all those Bracers' other crazy affects? "I seem to have had a bad experiment." Xylia looked herself over slightly before meeting Se's unnerving gaze once more. "Would you believe I was a Heart roughly three days ago? And sported the neon green markings of a Corvistownien?" Xylia gave herself a once over as best she could, her expression befuddled and just a bit off.

Even for someone not in her shoes, the shock was easy to understand.