Don't I Know You? [Illia]

[elle]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/mtqyde.png] As was becoming habit, Vera found herself wandering the streets, looking so helplessly lost though maintaining an air of confidence that showed she knew exactly where she was going. Of course, she really didn't know where she was going. But that didn't mean she was lost either. Rather, by wandering around she was doing exactly what she intended to do. Since arriving here, she had grown much more accustomed to the behaviors of this world's inhabitants. However, there was just so much left to learn. So she spent her days wandering, going in and out of stores, wondering what all the objects did. She'd even begun to keep a journal of sorts, and every time she learned a new fact about an object or a person, she would record it. Unfortunately, for some strange reason, the simple act of walking down a street brought unnecessary attention to herself, especially from the male population. She was still unable to understand why they found her walking to be so fascinating. Nowadays, she only ignored them, as she had only needed to record that act once, though it still made her feel uneasy when they called out to her like that. She soon seated herself upon a bench and took to watching as the people walked by her. Again, she could hear a few whistles and strange words from the men across the street, which held her attention for a few moments before she tired of them ad looked away. The remainder of her time was spent noticing the chill in the air and wondering if she maybe should have purchased a coat. The Valkyries bodies had been made to withstand one temperature and one temperature alone. Hot and cold were two concepts that she was still unable to grasp. All she knew was that they felt very strange.

[Iƪƪia]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] They told him he needed to act evil; told him that was his purpose. Well he did a damn good job at being evil! But constant evil? Everyone needed a break now and then. Besides, even on those occasions he was rescuing puppies from trees, he was still working on a grander, evil scheme. Yeah, that's it... It was all part of a plan. If only they were smart enough to understand that. Still, he decided that it might be time to do something actually evil. In all honesty, he hadn't done much since he was released. Well, no better way to get back into the swing of things than by... Giving wrong directions to poor, lost mortals, of course! Unfortunately, he quickly tired of this, and after giving one of them directions to the town hall rather than the inn, he abandoned the plan in favor of wandering around aimlessly. It served a higher purpose, of course. After all, he had some of his best ideas during his wandering. For example, he had just gotten the idea to wander down a particular street where he picked up a most peculiar scent and he decided to follow said scent to its source. It smelled like bird. And person. A lot like that man-bird he found at the falls, only different, as there was a third scent mixed in there. Smelled kinda like... Was that alcohol? Rounding a corner, he located the mortal giving off that delicious scent. Mortal? No, not mortal. Not quite a god, but similar. It intrigued him, so he stood there, watching it. It acted like any normal mortal, just sitting there. Maybe its power came from benches. Or maybe it liked to people watch, like him! Speaking of people, it was then that he noticed the people across the street. It was kind of hard to miss actually, with all the noise they were making. Why, those bastards were ogling his bird. His woman, even. Not one to ignore this travesty, he decided to take matters into his own hands by marching right up to... The bird-woman. He slid onto the seat beside her, draping an arm affectionately over her shoulder as if he'd known her for years. "Hey, sweetie, sorry I'm late." He spoke loudly enough so that everyone in the area would be able to hear him, grinning with satisfaction as the other men quickly lost interest and dispersed. It wasn't that Argus looked particularly threatening, but there was just something about him that let you know he wasn't to be messed with. Or maybe it was that whole "able to instill fear in anyone he chose" thing. Whatever. It worked. Jumping to his feet, he offered her his hand. "There we go. Well, 'sweetie,' would you like to accompany me as I wander down the streets with no clear idea about what I should do?" Just how many people, he wondered, would agree to wandering around town with a weird, though ungodly handsome stranger? Sounded like a fun experiment!

[elle]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/mtqyde.png] Running a hand over her bare arm, she noted the difference in temperature between them. Her arm felt chilled, though her fingers felt even colder. Yet were they not parts of the same body? The way it all worked was lost on her. Never was it something that she needed to know. She did want to know, though. She'd have to learn everything on her own. Or perhaps someone could teach her. She always learned much better with a tutor. She heard a movement beside her, though she ignored it, thinking it simply another passerby. However, as she felt the warmth of an arm sliding across her shoulders, she decided that it might be someone different, and so she glanced up at him just as he muttered something quite loudly into her ear. What he said confused her greatly, though after noticing how the men across the street quieted after he said it, she assumed that there must be some reason behind his words. Perhaps that reason was as simple as getting the men to be quiet, though she was still unable to understand why he had said it. He then quickly rose to his feet, offering her his hand and asking if she'd like to wander with him. It was an odd request indeed. Never had she thought to invite someone along as she wandered the streets. Perhaps it was because she knew how odd it must sound to the person being asked. She knew it was abnormal and she knew that she should probably decline his offer, and yet some strange curiosity caused her to place her hand in his, rising to join him. "My name is Vera," She said, "And... thank you?" She couldn't be sure what she was thanking him for, but she felt strangely obligated to. She had been gazing into his strange eyes for quite sometime now, watching as they appeared to change. Now, she turned her eyes away, looking up and down at the rest of him. She had never seen a person quite like him. Not only was he obviously non-human, but there was something else about him. Something that inspired this seemingly endless curiosity that she felt.

[Iƪƪia]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] As the pretty bird-lady took his hand, he flashed her a wide, toothy grin, revealing perfect, though strangely sharp, canine-like teeth. It was a gesture that might have been seen as threatening if the smile wasn't also foolish and disarming as well. It was an excited smile. He was excited to have someone to walk with, especially someone who smelled as nice as her. Ah, he could inhale her scent all day, as he had been right now. He was seemingly drawn to her, leaning in really closely, toward a spot just beneath her jawline and inhaling deeply. ”Hi, Vera,” He greeted her from that angle, ”My name is Argus.” He chuckled at her hesitant thanking of him. She sounded unsure of herself, and he was unsure of why she should be thanking him as well. He had helped her out because it was the right thing to do. And because he was bored. He would have never asked for her gratitude or anything else in return. Wasn't that just so damn nice of him? ”Oh, don't mention it. Well! Let's go!” Clasping her hand firmly in his own, he took off down a street – which street didn't matter. However, as the ambled down the street – well, he ambled, she kinda got dragged along – it became obvious from the many groups of people shuffling in and out of buildings that they'd stumbled upon a market street of sorts. Just perfect! Oh, he sure did love to window shop. Maybe she could help him pick out a nice set of drapes. And then they could go into a nice field and set those nice drapes on fire. Or they could give them to a poor, lower class, drape-deprived family. ”Hey, wanna go shopping?” He asked , lifting her hand and pressing it against his, noting how small and dainty hers looked beside his, ”Ooh, we could get our nails done.” Laughing as if he'd just heard a great joke, he grasped her hand again and began walking down the street, though this time he went at a much more leisurely pace. ”So tell me, Vera. How long have you been here?” He wasn't talking about how long she'd been in town. He knew his mortals. They had a distinct smell that you never really noticed when it was there, but you certainly missed it when it was gone. This bird wasn't from here at all, and that intrigued him. He liked to know all the aliens that were living on his island. He'd already met that adorable, blond, effeminate kid, and he could tell that there were even more out there that he was missing. Well at least he'd found another one of them, and he'd find the others eventually. Nothing would stop him from making a new friend.

[elle]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/mtqyde.png] Though not a native, it didn't take Vera long to understand what was typical behavior and what was classified as atypical. She had met many atypical creatures here so far, and even she, herself, would be called atypical. However, this strange man who was sniffing at her as if she gave off some sort of delicious scent was about as atypical as she'd seen. Even she had to take a step back and stare at him in confusion. And yet she was becoming more intrigued by the second. Before she'd actually given him a response, she was seized by the arm and pulled down the street. She nearly had to run to keep up with his strides, and in doing so, she neglected to actually notice where they were. Instead, her thoughts were consumed by him. He wasn't really pulling her too roughly, and she was certain that she could escape from his grasp if she really wanted to, but she was already able to understand how powerful he was. Not just any normal sort of power, however. It was... not quite a god's power, but very much god-like. When he finally slowed his pace and inquired about going shopping, she only stared back at him in mild confusion before turning to face their surroundings and realizing that they were, in fact, in some sort of shopping district. As she allowed herself to be led down the street again, she took a moment to glance over the shops, though quickly tired of it and returned her gaze to Argus. Shops, she had seen before. But a person like him... "Oh," She caught onto the question he had asked her and though about it for a moment, "About one year, I think." She thought nothing of his ability to sense that she was not from here and answered him honestly. That wasn't a god-like trait, though. Many people recognized her as an alien. "You are from here? You know this place well?" Her initial thought had been that he was from a different world, much like herself. However, the very fact that he asked her how long she'd been here made her question that. Could a native of this world truly be so powerful and strange? She hadn't thought so, but he may very well have just proved her wrong.

[Iƪƪia]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv235/Illia_the_Bat/Chimera%20Academy/Argusmiddle7.png] He had begun to hum to himself as he listened to the pretty, bird-like.. thing speak to him. He still wasn't quite sure what she was. Not a mortal, of course. Not a god either. She was tied up with gods though; she must be. There weren't many creatures out there who knew how to interact with gods. You were supposed to be polite and soft-spoken around them, and when they asked you out of the blue if you wanted to go wander with them then, damn it, you went wandering with them. ”Aw, so you're like, only a year old,” he mused, ”How adorable.” He had stopped walking and was giving her his full attention. It was something that she seemed to like, and he couldn't say he blamed her. In his opinion, he was a devilishly handsome guy. And this was just his human form. If she had a thing for dogs, she would surely like his other forms better. ”Why yes, I am from around here and I do know this place well.” Laughing at her awkward phrasing he guessed that she was still unused to the spoken language. Indeed, he had to agree that words were very limiting. They could never truly adequately convey an emotion; a feeling. But the mortals of this world did love their words, and so he made due. She would need to learn to do that sometime if she was ever gonna make it in the... well maybe in the business world or something. Or something indeed... ”Oh! I know,” he started, seizing her by both arms, ”I could teach you. About the world and what they do here, I mean.” He nodded excitedly, all too happy about the opportunity to play teacher. It had never been a goal of his, but it sounded like fun, and who was he to pass up such fun? ”I've always wanted to be a teacher, but for some reason people don't trust me with their kids.” Smiling broadly, he draped an arm across her shoulders and began leading her down the path again. ”Just stick with me, kid, and I'll teach you all you need to know. For starters, people here usually smile when they hear a joke.”

[elle]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=cellPadding,0,true][atrb=width,450,true]

[atrb=background,http://i51.tinypic.com/mtqyde.png] When they stopped walking and he turned to face her, she tipped her head in curiosity. She saw no reason why they should have to stop talking to be able to speak, although she didn't particularly mind it. She also didn't understand how she was "like only a year old." In actuality, she was quite older than most creatures on this planet, even if she was young when compared to the other Valkyries. He must not know that. Or perhaps he was using a type of logic that she was very unfamiliar with. When he seized her arms, she became startled, and would have taken a step back had he not held her so firmly in his hands. She didn't quite enjoy it when people moved too quickly or startled her. It made her want to react to them, which would end up harming them, and that was something that she tried not to do. Unless it helped her in some way, of course. Argus seemed to be rather excited about his proposition to her, which was... to become her teacher? It took her a moment to understand what it was that he meant, but when she did, she rather liked the idea. She had wanted to learn so much more about the world, but it was much too difficult to accomplish on her own, and the other inhabitants of the island tended to lead lives that were much too fast paced for her liking. "That would be good. Thank you." When they started walking again, she looked at him curiously, unsure of what to think of his first "lesson." She decided that it would be best to remain quiet and listen. She was still unsure of what exactly he was, but she still felt like she should remain polite and quiet around him. Not that she had much of a concept of either, but right now she felt like she did.