Almost like home

After a few days of walking, Theo finally came out of the forest to find a large vast field of lush grass. Finishing his apple, he buries it in the ground, stands up, and breathes in the air.
"There's so much pure magic here compared to Ragalia. Almost as much as Revalon... sorta reminds me of it." He smiled sadly.
The sparrow chirped and flew busily around him until it landed on Theo's finger.
"Thank you my little companion." He gently brushed the birds breast. "You ought to fly home now."
The sparrow turned around and jumped off of Theo's hand, singing as it flew back to where it came.
Theo turned to where he could see a grand city that seemed to be overflowing with magic. Even though he didn't know where he was going, he felt pretty safe.
"There's so much Earth here too... I'll be able to regenerate fast."
He hurriedly started running before it reached noon.

Theo wandered the crowded streets, which were full of magic casters. Some where even displaying their magic in public. Theo only smiled and shook his head as he walked past them.
Finally his search has come to an end. He opened the tavern door and walked in. A waitress escorted him to a table, where he sat down and waited patiently

-------------

Finishing his last plate ravenously, Theo placed it upon the other five he had finished. He sat there, content and sleepy after finishing his meal. The waitress approached, obviously waiting for something.
There was a silence.
"Oh right..." Theo laughed nervously. He searched his clothes, without any success so far. The mistress tapped her foot impatiently.
"Hehe... one moment. I knew i put it somewhere... Aha!"
Theo pulled out a pouch that seemed to be filled to the brim with something heavy. He opened it and reached in, taking out 10 coins and putting on the table. "Will that do?"
The mistress stared in disbelief. She snatched one and put it up to a light, where it glistened. "I-is this solid gold?"
"Um... yes I believe so."
The woman sighed, seeming to be in some odd trance. Feeling a little awkward, Theo asked, "C-can I get a room? I-I mean, with just those." He pointed to the 9 other coins that still lay on the table, but the woman didn't look. "Oh yeah, yeah sure." She said in a dreamy voice. She motioned for one of the girls in the inn to come over.
A small girl with bright pink hair and ponytails arrived. "Yes ma'am?"
"I want you to give this man one of our finest rooms..."
"Of course." The girl turned to Theo and froze. Uneasy, he smiled and waved at her. She blushed and put her hands to her mouth. "Um... this way please!" she squeaked as she scurried over to the stairs.

"This is your room s-sir." She stammered in a high pitched voice. She opened the door and held out a key. Taking it, Theo said, "Thank you."
The girl didnt move.
"Oh um... I guess you want something too?" Theo reached into his bag again and flipped a coin over. The girl caught it, looking up at him.
"Go ahead, keep it."
She turned even redder, and hurried back down the hallway.
"Well... that was... interesting."
Stepping into the room, Theo closed the door behind him. He went straight to the bed and fell right onto it. Stretching out, he relaxed, slowly closing his eyes. Finally, he fell into a deep sleep.

The guards really are everywhere, even just for one little rat who managed to get through without their consent. Neon laughs mentally as they passed by him yet again, unaware that he's smart enough to disguise himself as one of the townsfolk. And it's still morning. It'll be so much easier and that much more fun when night falls.

Not long after entering the town, his duffel bag is restocked with first-aid, more field rations, and a few new rounds, not to mention some cleaning supplies for his rifle. So far, no one has mentioned anything about his eyes.

Maybe gold eyes aren't so strange in a place where people use magic so freely.. But that doesn't mean he's letting down his guard. Even if they're not strange, they still stand out and would leave an impression easily.

"Thank you, ma'am." He smiles at the elderly woman, thanking her for the directions to the nearest hotel, and moves away from her stall. "I'll be sure to stop by again sometime if I never need help!"

He tugs the hood down over to shade his face and heads off in the general direction of the hotel, hoping he has enough money left for a room.

--

The mistress of the hotel looks up when Neon enters quietly, making little sound despite the heavy-looking boots he's wearing. With a sigh of relief, he lets the hood down and straightens out his hair before turning to the owner with another dazzling smile (though still rather false).

"I'd like a room for a few days," He says, pulling out a few silver coins and two gold ones mixed in. "I'm not sure how long, but I'll pay for more if I need to. Is this enough for today, at least?"

As if for the second time that day, the innkeeper stares in disbelief at the gold coin and inspects it closely. When she realizes that it's real and not a fraud, she replies, "Y-yes, of course!"

One of the girls working there immediately come over to take him to his hotel room. Just as he starts admiring how nice her hair looks, she stops in front of a door.

"Here is your room." she says softly, keeping her head lowered more to hide her blush than out of respect.

"Thank you," Neon replies with a small smile, handing her a few silver coins. She flushes again and scurries out of sight. He laughs softly, amused, and opens the surprisingly unlocked door. "Funny people, they are."

He closes the door behind him and lets out a sigh, dropping his duffel back to the floor with a soft 'thump'. Before he can do anything else, though, he notices something wrong with this room.

One being the lump in the bed that should be empty, and a patch of blonde hair sticking out from under the covers.

"..They gave me a room that's already occupied." Neon muses, not at all alarmed. Well, it's a nice room, and he doesn't plan on sleeping yet, nor will he disturb the one still asleep. He shrugs and moves his bag over to one corner of the room, heading for the window instead to see if the guards are still looking for him.

((ooc: Hope you don't mind me jumping in. And using present tense. 8V And putting Neon in the same room as Theo. Rose gave me that idea. Please blame her. 8D))

Theo aroused a bit, thinking he heard something. Eventually, he forgot about it, and in his sleepy daze squinted from the bright sunlight that poured into the room.
"Joshua... could you close the blinds..." he murmured.
Nothing happened. Irritated, he turned with his eyes still closed and reached for the blinds. He caught some cloth in his hands, which was actually a shirt, and tugged quite hard, tossing the person that was wearing the shirt to the other side of the room. Still unsatisfied for not getting the result he wanted, Theo got up from his bed, with his eyes still closed. He stretched his hand out, but tripped from being tangled in the bed sheets. And with that, he lay on the floor, his loud snoring continuing.

(OOC: Of course I dont mind . I need someone else to post in this thread anyways =_=; )

Engrossed in the view from where the hotel room window, Neon didn't hear the words and would have probably passed it off as sleep talk anyway. What got his attention as the tug at his shirt and he looked back just in time to be tossed clear across the room with a cut off yelp of surprise.

Thankfully, his reflexes were quick to step in and he managed to land his feet instead of rolling on the floor like a normal person would have. Still, the force caused him to stumble back until he hit the wall. For some reason, he found the situation amusing and stifled a laugh as the blonde fell out of the bed and lay sleeping on the floor.

Shaking his head, Neon straightened up and moved to drag the sleeping man back onto the bed before looking out the window. Again.

((ooc: hooray~ 8D))

Blood... Her mind thought for the 10th time that second.
She had been searching the area where all the people had been killed not too long ago. Her eyes darted around to another dead corpse and her eyes scanned over the body, trying her hardest not to take in a breath of air though the blood was already done coursing through the person's veins.
She noticed a hole in the person's skin then a bullet on the ground not far after. She strained herself and took in a quick breath, covering her nose after a moment.
No... She thought to herself with that unbearable smell. "No." Her voice left her lips as a growl, a growl of hatred.
He can't be alive... he just can't!... She thought to herself over-and-over.
She jumped to her feet and walked away from the human corpses, not wanting to take in their scent but the one's she was so drawn to now.
--
About 50 feet away from the dead bodies she took in a breath, her eyes closed, and her arms holding herself to a tree.
Amina... She let her eyes flutter open and then she glanced to the gates that rested not to far away, her lips forming into a crooked smile.
The guards couldn't even tell she had entered the city due to the swiftness she had. She slowed her pace when there were many around, keeping her motives set on the scent of that man, that one man.
She came to an inn, a small one, but hell it was an inn. Rolling her eyes, she leaned against the wall, pulling her hood up and over her face. Her hair didn't like to be hidden for some weird reason but she didn't care. She leaned her head back and looked up at the sky with a small sigh.
I seriously thought he was dead... She closed her eyes and then brought her right arm over her face silently.

Really, the guy had fallen asleep without even taking off his armor, let alone his clothes. Though if he did do the latter, it would be a bit more disturbing, not that Neon would mind. He found it quite amusing, really, that a human would be so tired as to sleep with clothes and armor on.

After making sure that the blonde was still asleep, Neon pulls his bag over to a chair and takes out his rifle to clean it up a bit before getting to work.

Sometimes I wish there was something to get rid of the gunshot sound.. The sound often attracted too much attention and told the enemy where he was, thus making the point of hiding rather useless. Thus, Neon often didn't hide because it was just that useless.

Not long after he starts cleaning, an extremely familiar sound reaches his ear through the walls of the hotel. Or maybe it was through the window... The smell is faint and his senses, though sharp, are nowhere near the level of the person (if it's even a person) outside. Despite this, he recognizes it.

And he smiles, because his day has suddenly gotten so much better, yet worse at the same time. He doesn't remember the smell very clearly, but it's familiar and he knows. He doesn't know who it belongs to, but he does know what came with that smell.

"Hnn..." He sighs and stands up, making sure the rifle is fully loaded before zipping up the duffel bag and tossing it under the bed. "..Such a nostalgic scent."

With interested piqued now, Neon straps his rifle to his back and opens the window, quickly checking to see if any guards are around, and jumping out when sees that there are none. The scent is stronger now, not at all comforting or reassuring in anyway. It's just... a strange feeling.

Neon slowly makes his away around the side of the building towards the general direction of the smell, hiding his rifle under the cloak with an amused tint to his smile.

"I wonder how long it's been since we last saw each other."

Removing her arm from her face, a pair of feet were heard hitting the ground around the corner from where she was. Her eyes searched calmly for whom this person might be. Then she found it.
That smell... No... She covered her nose and stepped back, only to be tripped by the back of her cloak.
She stumbled back further and turned around only to see a wall there as her head neared the rocky figure. She put her hands out in front of her as she saw this, just so then she would be safe from any pain.
She brought her left hand back and over her mouth, then turned, bracing herself against the wall, to look at the person walking behind her and her eyes widened at the creature she saw.

At the sight of her, Neon thought he might be met with some kind of feeling or bombarded by memories. But neither happened. So he just smiles at her. He knows they've met before, and is surprised at how much, or how little, she's changed.

Almost like himself.

"Looks like you haven't changed a bit, m'lady," He begins to say, shifting the hood of his cloak to hide his face from view of everyone but the one in front of him. He tilts his head to the side, a curious glint in molten gold eyes hidden behind dark green hair. "Care to explain at all?"

Waking up from the light breeze, Theo propped himself upon the headboard of the bed. He rubbed his eyes and streched, noticing he hasnt taken off his armor. Looking out the window, which surprised him since it was supposed to be closed, he heard voices that seemed to be coming from right outside the inn. Getting up, he went to the window and looked down to see a green haired man and a red haired woman that seem somewhat familiar.
Bending over, he tried to see if it really was that person from before, only to find him falling and landing flat on his face between both of them.
Scrambling to get up, he rubbed his head. "S-sorry." He brushed the the dirt off his tunic and bowed. "I didn't mean to interrupt." He stood up straight and looked at the two standing in front of him.
A shiver ran down his spine. Their eyes...
He laughed nervously and said rather quickly,"Well I'll be out in the field. I'll be seeing you."
Turning, he briskly started walking toward the entrance of the city.

Neon blinks as the figure starts walking away. Normally he wouldn't care who saw him, there were always chances that someone would notice something strange and come running like the idiots they were. Which, in this case, really wouldn't turn out well.

"No, no, please stay!" Neon chirps, getting a good grip on the man's arm and tugging him back as best as he can. If the other managed to get loose, though, Neon wouldn't follow him. "We'd really enjoy the company. Right, missy?"

The eerie smile on his face, though, seems to convey a different meaning.

((ooc: so the posting order, supposedly, is Theo, me, and then rose, yeah?))

Rose stood there stunned, staring at the green haired man standing in front of her. She glanced to the other man, finding the blonde hair to be very familiar. Before anything was done, she shook her head to get her out of her shock and then turned to the gold eyed man.
"You..." She said, anger running through her voice - for what reason, not even she knew. "I thought you were dead..." She narrowed her eyes at him, shoving a finger into his chest.
She stepped back and kept her eyes full of hatred but her voice didn't reflect that. "...Where... Where the hell have you been all this time?" Her voice seemed to be filling with worry and something like happiness, but a hint of anger still remained.

Although a little confused, Theo knows when he should keep out of a situation, especially after how the red haired one acted, not to mention the other person's haunting smile. "No no, really I should leave you two alone," he said, shaking off the green haired one's grasp.

"I have things to... think about."

And with a sad expression, he started to walk off again.

(OOC: yes that sounds good . Although I'm gonna be gone for a lot of the weekend, so i might be on sat morning and sun night, but not anytime in between unless i get comp access TT^TT.)

Neon looks visibly disappointed, though whether it's an act or real is hard to say. Then he remembers something. The hotel room. And the key. Or lack therefore of. Meaning...

"Oooii~" He calls after the blonde, waving at him even though it probably won't get his attention. "If you're going to be gone for long, can I have the key to our hotel room, at least?"

Well, they're both staying in the same room, even if they paid separately. Plus, Neon is looking forward to seeing the man's face at knowing that they have the same room... supposing that he'll be staying there for long.

((ooc: 8VVV nuuuu... we'll get as much done as we can before the weekend then!))

Same... room? what the...? She thought, crossing her arms infront of her now.
She put on another angry face, letting herself talk again, "Same room? The hell is wrong with you?!"
She turned her head and then stared at the blonde, her blue eyes shining with curiousity now.
"Same room..?" She asked again and then thought for a moment. Do they even know each other? wait wait... they're in the same room, of course they do. She closed her eyes and stood straight up again.

"W-wait what?!" Stammering, he waved his arms in front of them. "N-no! It's not like that! I don't even know him!" He turned to the man. "Wait... you were the person who opened the... oh nevermind." He tossed to key to him. "You can keep the room. I'll sleep outside tonight. Now if you'll excuse me..."

"I didn't break into your room." Neon huffs as he catches the key. "I paid for a room and it just so happened to be yours. I'm not cruel enough as to chase others out of their hotel rooms, so feel free to come back anytime!" He returns with a smile and another wave. "I won't be using it much anyway~"

Well, I won't if I search this town quickly enough. Neon turns to the red-headed and shrugs, tugging at his hood again.

"What's wrong with sharing a room?" He inquires with an 'innocent' look. "Besides the fact that I might suddenly get hungry and decide to eat him, but I'd never do that." He holds up one hand and places the other over his heart. "Scout's honor."

Yeah. Really.

Her eyes widened at his comment. He eats people..? She shuddered at the thought and then turned away from him.
"Disgusting."
She let a sigh out after a a half of a second and then turned back to him. "Why was the room occupied in the first place?" She put one hand on her hip and let her other fall down to her side. "Surely you would've known, yes?"

Vast green fields of lush grass with outlying forests... perfect environment for training. Putting down his bags, Theo took off all his armor. He layed them down next to his belongings, then took off his boots and shirt. Before anything else, he did some stretching exercises.

Okay lets see... 1000 pushups with each hand... then 2000 crunches. Then with weights... 3000 jumping jacks, and 100 laps around the city... I wonder if there'll be enough rock here to equal 5 tons...

After that is magic training... I should be able to finish by sundown.

He got onto a handstand stance. I should really find out about this world... and whats going on... Hm, I'll do that after dinner.
For some odd reason, he remembered what that man had said before as he was leaving. "Hm... well maybe I will come back, even though he reminds me of him*..."

He took away one hand so only one arm is supporting him, and then lifted it so only his fingertips touch the ground beneath him.

"Okay... here I go. 1, 2, 3..."

*Related to Theo's own story. He knew someone who had... a bad past and came up to be something even worse, even though the person thought what he was doing was good. Theo regrets that he couldn't help him.

"I didn't know~" Neon replies honestly, waving his hands in front of him in defense. "I paid and she gave me the room so of course I'd assume it was unoccupied!" He pauses for a moment. "Then again, I didn't get a key so that should've been a clue..."

At the mention of it, said key is tucked safely away into his pants pocket. Well how was he supposed to know they gave out keys? He hasn't stayed in a hotel since... forever!

His head tilts to the side again, and he gives the woman an inquisitive look. "What's so 'disgusting', if i may ask, hm~?"

((ooc: fffff Theo you superhuman person 8V))

She rolled her eyes and then looked back up to the sky, her hand still rested on her hip and the other one down at her side. Her cloak had come back over her body and her hood had fallen back behind her head so her hair was now visible.
Her mind back to normal and her head no longer pounding, she said with ease, "Oh nothing."
Though for some weird reason, her stomach was turning at the thought of eating him.
She wanted to grab the courage to smack this guy behind the head and ask how he's still alive but she didn't want to at the same time, he might end up wanting to eat her instead.
"Anyways!" She finally spat out. "Where have you been?" She asked again, narrowing her eyes.

(OOC: You two may continue. Theo wont be back for a few hours unless you go and bother him >_>)

Nothing? Really? He's not convinced, never is easily, but he doesn't let that show and lets the subject drop like a.. 5-ton rock. Yeah.

When her hood falls back, he's reminded of the first time he saw her. They were both rather young, one moreso than the other, though he can't remember which. He's forgotten how long it's been since they've last seen each other. He's glad, however, that she's still alive. Of course she is, because she's a vampire.

Of course he knows, but she doesn't have to know what he knows. Or something like that.

"Oh.. here and there~" So he just shrugs and gives her another one of those carefully stitched together smiles of his. "I, um, had some jobs to do. Still working right now, actually!"

Jobs? Really now? She thought to herself and then put her hands behind her head, letting her eyes scan up and down the man.
"Oh! Forgot to introduce myself, Rose Curel." She didn't know if he remembered her but from what was said back and forth it seemed like he did. "And really, jobs? That's kind of, I don't know... vague. Is that the best you could think of?" She scoffed.

He stands completely still, yet relaxed, as she examines him from head to toe. He's not afraid, of course. He has no reason to. Except for the fact that she may want to get his blood, but that's about it. Maybe.

"Ah, that's what your name was!" He claps his hands together in mock glee. "I'd forgotten it after so long." He truly did forget. Even though it's rare he make friends, it really has been so long.

And her scoff only makes his smile widen. "Oh, but it's the truth, my dear. But before we get into that... let's find some cover," Lifting a hand, he points above him at the still open window on the second floor of the hotel. "In there, or anywhere else. Just not out in the open. I'm kind of being hunted down by those guards and I'd really rather not get caught."

She rolled her eyes and then looked back to him. "Sure sure. Whatever suits you." She said with and easy going voice now.
She didn't know what to call him, his name was on the tip of her tongue but she didn't know what his name was.
"And how could you forget a name like mine? It's so simple and elegant at the same time!" She growled behind her clenched teeth.
Whoa whoa... Relax. I'm acting bipolar... Not good. She thought to herself and stepped back again.