Preparations

[Ayden]

Ayden found herself lying on her back faster than she had expected. Ayden tried to grab for her power as the raven haired girl started towards her, but she stopped and Ayden lost her concentration. That hadn't happened in a long time. Connor was at her side and helped her sit up. He was angry at her. Honestly she was angry at herself too. What did she think she was doing, attacking an Atharim who was trained to kill monsters.

But she looked so nonthreatening, but the way Nox was speaking to her made Ayden think twice. Ayden stood up with the help of Connor. He was ever the diplomat as he tried to stop things from escalating. Ayden nodded to her fiance. "I'm done."
She wanted to kill her still for kissing Connor, but she'd let it go - there was a missing girl after all.

Ayden turned to the screen and looked at the date stamp and the images. There wasn't enough information to go on, they didn't even have a clear shot of the license plate.

Ayden heard a scuffle from Aria and Nox's direction and turned to watch...

[Nox]

Nox barely heard Connor over the thrum of power in his ears. Aria never took her eyes off of him. He could see the darkness sliding around. There was fury and pain in her eyes. The loss of Lucas was fueling the rage inside. She struggled against the wall of air. Pounding on it. Pushing at it, but it was immovable. Nox wanted to smile and reveal in his own godhood, in his own power but he pushed the thought away as quickly as it came. He was not a god, he was just a man with a gift. A hunted man with a gift.

Nox let the air wall dissipate, Aria fell forward but she caught herself on his arm and he could feel the pain she tried to inflict upon him. It ran through his body and he wanted to cry out but it was no different than the pain she'd used before, except this time she meant to over power him.

It was moments before Aria went on the offensive. Nox was thankful Aria didn't have her sword or a gun handy, either were not so fun to spar barehanded. Not that hand to hand was great either. Aria was far superior in technique and speed. It was her go to workout. Nox had only started really trying after meeting Aria.

The power coursed through him and he could see her move seconds before he should have. It wasn't like seeing the future, but he had watched her enough, sparred with her enough he anticipated. She came at him with a series of punches and kick and while they landed, he had blocked almost all of them. She managed a leg to his side.

Nox heard Ayden speaking to Connor. "They're going to kill each other."


Aria came at him again. Her speed slowing only slightly. He had to put a stop to this. Nox wove a quick weave of air and tightened the grip on Aria's neck and pushed her against the wall. Her hands went to her throat. She was gasping for air.

"Stop it now."


Nox felt the distinct cool tingle of a female embracing her power. He turned and flung a fireball that landed just in front of the the couple. "Don't!"


Nox turned back to Aria still actively held by the bounds of power.

[Aria]

There was nothing but the desire to inflict pain and fear. It had started out as something so infinitesimal that Aria hadn't noticed it growing with each passing second. The taste of blood in her mouth made the feeling grow faster.

But she couldn't take out her fury on the intended target - her father. There was just the bitch that hit her. And then there was Nox. He got in the middle - foolish boy. In the back of Aria's mind she had a fleeting thought, this is what he was training for. But the "for" part slipped her mind. What exactly was the reason? The fog of her fury quickly overrode everything and Aria started lashing out at Nox.

Aria pushed fear and pain into him the moment she touched him, but nothing happened. He stared at her with nothing on his face. She wanted to punch the emptiness away, make him feeling something. Aria sent her hands and legs and feet his direction. It felt good to unleash the pent up fury.

Round one managed only one hit. Nox had gotten better, he was empty of everything. He was embracing his power and Aria wanted to make him lose it. She spurred another set of movements at him.

Nox in an instant had her up against a wall with bounds of air around her throat, it was natural reaction to reach up and grab the bonds as you gasped for air. But Aria knew deep down inside that she could do nothing against the bonds of power that were now slowly suffocating her.

He threw a fireball at Connor and Ayden, it landed just at their feet before he turned back to her. Nox stalked up to her like an evil praying mantis. He leaned down and put his forehead against hers and pushed her wrists against the wall. He whispered. "Don't do this Aria. I need you to help me find Aurora. Please."
He begged and pinned her wrists to the wall, Aria could feel the strength in his hands. He let the air around her neck go and he stared down at her. He kept repeating the same thing and Aria could feel the need, the sadness and the anger.

He sank to the ground his head against her stomach. Aria wrapped her arms around him and sank to the ground with him. He was in so much pain, Aria had to push away the thought of taking it and making it worse. It was so caught up on the fury of it all. The fight was gone from her. When had it fled? Aria whispered, "I'll help you."

[Connor Kent]

Fire seemed to erupt from Nox and hit near his feet and Connor jumped back, puzzled. But Nox had turned his attention to Aria. He wanted them to stay out of it. Connor was irritated and started to say something but stopped.

He watched as Nox pleaded with Aria. The look on her face was that of a demon or something- malevolence playing across her features, hungering for their pain. She was alien.

And Nox begged her to not force his hand. He just a kid, poor thing. His sister was gone. And now he was forced to pull Aria back from the brink of...whatever it was. It was too much. He had broken.

Somehow, he was reaching Aria. Nox fell to his knees seemingly overwhelmed. The Aria he remembered was there, the compassion and the kindness. It was as if that other thing, that creature, had been pushed away and caged. A slither of fear touched Connor. To live with such darkness, to be normal and free and kind and yet have such evil inside you, holding it at bay. It was a terrifying thought.

Because the woman he saw now sank down and took Nox in her arms and held his lankiness with her small frame, as if she were the strong one. And Nox wept.

Connor echoed Aria's words. "We all help, Nox. We'll find your sister."
He looked at Ayden for a moment, trying to understand was was going on behind those eyes. Was he asking too much of her? He shrugged weakly. "I have to help him Ayden."
He wasn't sure he could explain why right now. He just had to. But she didn't. He looked at Aria again and then at her. "I'm sorry. This isn't fair to you."



Edited by Connor Kent, Aug 25 2015, 10:03 AM.

[Ayden]

Things ramped up quickly into the violent factor. Ayden watched as Aria tried to kill her supposed friend. She said something to Connor but there was nothing he could really do. She on the other hand could. But it was already too late, Nox was throwing his partner up against the wall with what Ayden could only assume was air. She was turning a sad shade of blue.

She had to put this to rest now. Ayden grabbed her power, but before she could do anything there was a ball of fire speeding her direction. She wasn't exactly sure if she wanted to jump out of the way or push Connor. But the fireball fell several feet short of the intended target. Had he intended to miss? He had said "Don't" Don't what? Ayden was about to interfere with her power and he stopped her. The power still danced happily along the edge of her vision and she let it drop. She would give him the benefit of the doubt on this one - he hadn't meant to hit them to begin with.

His attention was whole heatedly on Aria. He looked like there was more between them than just friendship. He pinned her to the wall and begged. If it he wasn't begging her not to kill him it might have been sweet.

Ayden watched as he gently diffused the situation. The girl he pinned to the wall wilted like a dying flower as he broke into pieces around her. It was definitely more than a friendship they shared as they collapsed together.

Connor took the moment to confront her, to tell her he had to help him. It was obvious she wasn't exactly wanting to be there, he was giving her an out. But there was a girl missing, and that girl needed someone. It called to her, she had to help her.

Ayden nodded, "I will help him find her, but for her not for them."
She nodded in the direction of the pair on the floor. She wasn't going to help them - they were Atharim, but this girl. She needed finding.

[Nox]

Continued in Finding Aurora