.:One.x.One:. ~*Gene and Jade Mystic*~

[Jade Mystic]

Surprise and a small hint of fear briefly flashed across her features. She'd made him angry. She'd made him angry. For a second, Meissa looked like she might bolt, but she held her ground. No. She'd look like a coward if she acted all high and mighty and immediately fled at the first sign of danger.

There. Now she saw the viper's fangs.

His words hurt, just a little. More than a little, they stung like a swarm of bees, but she had to tell herself no, no matter how much he tugged on her heartstrings she couldn't give in, couldn't relent under his act. Meissa lifted up her chin and glared into his eyes, the smoldering ember slowly growing hotter and hotter. She didn't try to hide the fear she felt toward him, because yes, she was afraid of him, but who wouldn't be? She knew all too well that Darren could easily reach out right now and snap all the bones in her body and she wouldn't be able to do anything to stop him.

"So what am I suppouse to believe? That someone just followed us without both of us noticing?" The forest that they practiced in, this forest, was miles and miles away from the village. They made sure of that so that no one would trace their footsteps. Darren, at least, would catch any and all intruders that intended to follow them. Meissa heard that the only one who was capable of sneaking up on Darren was his old mentor, and he lived in another village. It made no sense for him to follow them; he wouldn't gain anything from their disgrace. Or maybe Darren hid something from her. Dark eyes narrowed in suspicion. Whatever the case, it was his fault. She made sure of it.

"You think a few petty words would make me believe you? Keep dreaming. I'm tired of your lies." Strike me, her eyes seemed to say. I dare you. Even if she died in the process, it would still be her victory. Oh, she longed to see Darren snap, see him break the careful bonds of control he'd built over the years. He'd already made her suffer so much. Now it was his turn.

[Gene]

Darren hated himself when he saw the fear in her eyes. He didn't want her to be afraid of him, even though she should be. He was built for it, trained for it. He could kill her and he could do it almost effortlessly. Physically, anyway. Emotionally, he didn't think he could do it. He'd kill himself afterwards from grief and regret if he managed to plunge a knife into her heart.

Darren couldn't help but feel a bit surprised when she dared to keep talking. Surely, she could see how close to the edge he was, how close he was to letting the anger wash over him. He knew there was logic behind her words. They were both skilled, both alert. How had both of them missed something so important? "Yes, that's what you're supposed to believe!" he finally yelled, gripping his hair tightly and almost pulling it out. He was a mad man, or he was heading there.

Darren was literally seconds away from losing it and hiting her at least once. He didn't want to do that, not at all. So he turned to the nearest tree and drove his fist into it, fully expecting the pain but listing off a few swear words all the same. The skin over his knuckles had split and he was now bleeding, but he was more concerned about the crunch he'd heard and the sharp pain in one knuckle. He'd probably broken it or crushed it...or something. But, the truth was, he really couldn't care less. Only a small amount of tension had been released and Darren brought his attention back to Meissa. He drew a knife from the belt at his side, smoothly and quickly. Not even a second had passed before the tip of the blade was resting on her jaw line. His hand was shaking with the effort of not bringing it down just a bit further to cut her throat.

And then he was leaving, sheathing his dagger and running almost at a sprint away from her in the general direction of the village. He had to get away before he lost control in his wild tangle of emotions. Fear, anger, frustration - there was so much that it confused him. Darren didn't want to do something he would regret terribly.

[Jade Mystic]

A sharp squeak left her mouth when he pointed the dagger at her neck and she unconsciously stepped back. If she hadn't been watching him as intently as she was, Meissa doubted she would've seen the knife being drawn out. He was fast. Far too fast. Her hands instinctively settled on the knife hidden within her skirt but she knew it was for naught. Darren could stab her in half, no, a quarter of the time it took to draw her weapon out.

Was she going to die here? The girl swallowed, feeling cold metal against the sensitive skin of her neck. I don't want to die. She didn't want to die. Dammit. Dammit. No matter how much she told herself she didn't care, when it came down to it she still wasn't willing to throw away her life because a coward is what she is and all she can be. She had half a mind to lean into the knife just to prove that yes, she could throw her knife away even as she prepared to take another step back.

And suddenly it was gone and he was running and she just watched him leave. He'd been that close. That close to snapping.

Meissa was scared.

The girl stared after his retreating form until he was but another whisper within the trees.

(** Time skip to... sometime? **)

[Gene]

((Damn.
I apologize....))

Darren wandered around the marketplace aimlessly, looking at everything dozens of times over. A caravan with various items to trade from other areas of the world had come into town and Darren had decided to spend some time there to kill some time and keep his mind busy. But, unfortunately, he was unable to be distracted from his thoughts. Despite the fact that they had plenty of interesting and new items from across the planet, he couldn't divert his attention from the problem at hand.

This problem was not that the older woman he knew as his neighbor (who lived at least five miles from his little cabin in the woods) had declared that whatever he'd punched had crushed part of the bone in the knuckle of his index finger. It wasn't that he was now forbidden from using his dominant hand for even the most simple actions. It wasn't even the people of the village, which included a few people that enforced the law, were all watching him and avoiding him with suspicion - nor was it that rumors of varying degrees of insanity were spreading to almost everyone. It was that he was becoming as crazy as those gossiped stories as a result of grief.

He had come so close to killing his apprentice, an innocent young woman that had every right to be angry at him. Every night, Darren dreamed of that frightened look in her eyes as he brought a blade close to her throat. She knew how deadly he could be, which made Darren feel guilty. He didn't want her to be mad at him, but he absolutely hated that she was scared of him.

Darren, staring at but not really seeing a necklace of sparkling jewels, wondered not for the first time what he would say to her should he ever see her again - let alone if she would listen.

[Jade Mystic]

"You're an idiot."

"Shut up."

"Honestly. You had your chance but you threw it away. See, you could've learned to fight before we came here but no."

"Shut up."

"Now look at you."

"Shut up, Issy."

Meissa stopped just beyond the edge of the caravan and glared at her sister. Issiahrel rolled her eyes. [b]"I'm just saying, she bit out before she wandered off. Apparently she was friends with one of the traveling gypsies. Yeah, one of the most selfish, arrogant, hotheaded girls of the village actually had a friend. Who knew?

It didn't help that Issy was snappier than usual today, and she knew it was probably because their aunt's mind seemed to be slowly sinking into dementia, but damn. Mei let a feral growl bubble in her throat before she stalked off. She knew what the villagers said. They said that Kahlia was going crazy as a result of her impudence. Some even tied the fact that people were going crazy to her, her and Darren both for breaking the ancient laws. ... was it strange for her to be more livid at the insults they threw against her previous mentor than to her? She hated him, right? Hated him for betraying her. Mei decided to not dwell on that thought.

Who needed them, anyway? The girl wandered among the stalls, barely paying attention to the exotic fare and dances and music. Maybe she should leave. Obviously she was unwanted here. Yeah, leave. And later she'll surpass Darren and come back and she'll show them, show them how strong she can be and--

What was she thinking? The girl stopped and leaned against a rickety stand, eyes wide as she gulped in deep breaths of air. What was wrong with her mind? Why were thoughts of slaughtering the entire village dancing through her head, lifeless bodies heaped higher and higher at her feet, felled by her own blade...

Calm down. You're just... frustrated and stressed. Yes. Everyone has those thoughts once in a while. Thoughts of slaughtering their entire village? Yeah, she didn't think so, either. Maybe the dementia was starting to affect her, too? Maybe it really was punishment from the gods? No. Stop it. It couldn't be. Couldn't be... So focused was she on distracting herself that she didn't notice her steady approach to Darren.

(** Sorry about that >.> School's been eating my time lately. **)