set fire to the rain { open }

[DAEMEON MALUS MALUM]

; your soul is what it costs ;

[/i]

It was a dark and stormy night...

The words fell into his mind as naturally as if someone had put them there, the phrase familiar though he had long forgotten who had said it first. It was a rather stupid thing for him to come up with at this hour, but it was late, and it was raining, and his office was filled with a bunch of nincompoops. At least, that's what they were in Daemeon's mind.

He found himself smirking as he watched the downpour, completely ignoring the others in the room who had come to him because he was 'important.' It wasn't that he particularly liked rain, but it reminded him of something that he was fond of. Reminded him, as it always did, of tears. And tears brought back good memories; memories of racing through the drizzle, the smell of fear mingling with that of blood, the pure ecstasy of watching the creature underhand die a slow and painful death.

But of course, he wasn't allowed to do those things anymore. Not even when the darkness fell and falling water obscured the vision of anyone who might happen upon him. Technically, those days were gone forever, so he wasn't even supposed to think about it.

But they couldn't help what went on in his head. The hypocrites had put the thoughts there themselves.

Someone called his name, and looking away from the soaked streets, the tall dark-haired man put a pleasant expression on his face and returned to the conversation taking place within his office at the Utopian City Hall. What they were discussing was beyond him. It had bored him some time ago, so he'd simply stopped listening, getting up and walking over to the window he was currently standing by to give them the illusion of serious thought.

"So if that wraps it up..." He started to end the discussion after letting it go on for a few minutes, tiring of it quickly yet making sure to hide that boredom with courtesy. Another, knowing smile went with this statement as he followed up with a simple explanation that he had learned always worked when he aimed to kick someone out. "I'm afraid I've got some work to attend to." His gloved white hands spread in a simple, helplessly placating gesture.

Murmured words of understanding circulated through the room and they began to stand. Daemeon, ever the gentleman, escorted them to the door, holding it as each official walked through and thanked him for his time. He returned the words kindly, and as soon as the office was cleared, he shut the door with a quiet but final thud.

"Thank goodness that's over with. I was beginning to think they would never leave." His tone turned spiteful and cold as he sighed, closing his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, the scarlet irises had brightened a considerable amount, having returned to the eyes of a killer now that the false pretenses were gone.

Back to trying to figure out how to kill someone without getting on their radar... Daemeon stared out the window, finding and focusing on a spot in the distance until he could just make out the fuzzy green outline of a familiar place. One of his favorites, in fact.

How to get there was no problem. He couldn't go out into the main building, in case he ran into one of the officials who'd just left his office, so he headed to the window without a second glance, although he did make sure to lock the doors before he left. He didn't want anyone coming in while he was away.

After that, it was a simple run in the slowing rain until the rooftops came to an end and he was forced to jump for the protection of the trees. Landing in a crouch, one knee on the ground, then getting back to his feet in one fluid movement, Daemeon took a moment to truly remember the place, relishing in the pure possibility of it.

The moment was over in a few seconds, of course, as his attention span to trivial things not related to death or pain was undeniably a short one. So he began to move, taking quick but leisurely steps, head occasionally swiveling from side to side as he looked for something - anything - that might make the trip out here worth more than the memories.

{ note: erm, long, written out of my usual style, and largely filled with a topic having nothing to do with the post... so i've got some work to do here. xD next post will be much more in character and more to the point, promise ~}

; that's just fine, living

forever ;[/size][/center][/blockquote]

[AXEL LOVELLE]

The crisp, clear silence of the rainy night was shattered by snapping branches and rustling leaves as the other Special waded through the forest's thick underbrush with all the grace and subtlety of an elephant. The hem of his red coat fluttered along behind him, snagging on the occasional grasping tendril of vine or jutting log, though he heedlessly forged on, spattering muddy water in his wake.

"Daemon!" He chirped cheerfully, his tone altogether out of place in the faintly foreboding atmosphere that lingered over the woods tonight, shattering the silence even more thoroughly than his approach had. He was grinning widely as ever when he paused a few paces away to sling the water from his mussed hair with a quick shake of the head. The little behavior was distinctly doglike- and pointless too, considering that it was still raining, but he did it anyway, running his black-gloved hands through the spiky locks to push damp bangs out of his eyes and tug a clinging leaf free as he regarded Daemon.

There was a certain set to his old partner's expression, an intensity to his movements and a faint sort of electricity coursing through his veins that left Axel pursing his lips in curiosity as he blinked up at the Ambassador. He could see the predatory gleam in Daemon's eyes with a single glance-that glint that betrayed one who was on the hunt.

As far as he knew, the older man had been consigned to an office. Paperwork. He'd been a tracker once, but... not now, right?
"What're you doing all the way out here at this hour?"

"I mean," The Special continued prattling on without waiting for an answer, "I'm out here too, but I've got a reason, terrible or not- I got lost again." His admittance was punctuated with a sheepish smile and a light, hopeless little laugh as he shifted from foot to foot, gazing around. He was glad Daemon had happened along, for whatever reason- perhaps, with a little luck, he could find his way back now.

Okay, a lot of luck.

It was pitch-dark, or would have been for anyone besides these two. Even the glaring night lights of vibrant Utopia were invisible from within the cover of these ancient, dense trees, and Axel distractedly gazed up at the dense canopy suspended above, intricately woven from countless shades of green and interupted now and again by patches of starless night sky. The view to either side was much the same, with forest spread out in every direction. It was no wonder he'd gotten lost.

[/justify]

[DAEMEON MALUS MALUM]

; your soul is what it costs ;

[/i]

Barely a few moments after he'd entered Paradise Forest, the silence was disrupted, the crackling twigs and crunching leaves grating on his sensitive hearing, adding an unnecessary and unwanted focus to the already-present background noise from the rain.

Just as he started to place what could possibly make that noise, a voice greeted him - a familiar voice, one he hadn't heard for a good few years. Daemeon clenched his teeth briefly, exhaled through his nose, and turned to the newcomer with an expression that didn't quite hide his irritation. "Axel." He said shortly by way of greeting. His old partner was soaking wet and grinning like a fool, looking utterly out of place in the gloomy forest.

The very sight of him triggered a few more memories; following the oblivious fellow as he tracked, ordering him around, killing the victim when he or she was found because the other didn't see a reason to do it. It also brought back quite a few emotions he would rather not admit to himself. Jealousy at Axel's tracker status compared to his own frightfully boring one ruled, and for a brief moment Daemeon's gaze sharpened with that brief reminder that the hybrid might actually be a better tracker than himself.

But that spark of jealousy and slight glimmer of respect vanished as soon as he heard the Special's reason for being out here. A tracker who could get lost was pitiful. "I am..." He hesitated, his usual lies falling out of reach. Lying to Axel wouldn't necessarily bring any advantages his way, and he seemed to be unable to craft a good enough one at the moment. "Just walking around." He gestured vaguely with a gloved hand. "The officials in the City Hall are terribly boring."

Not quite sure what else to say, Daemeon looked from side to side one last time in a kind of vain hope that something interesting would come around and he could excuse himself from the conversation. But alas, nothing moved but Axel, who had tipped his head to the sky and was now contemplating the treetops like they might map the way home. With a resigned little sigh, the red-eyed man ventured to ask, his tone almost accusing, though he doubted Axel would notice or care, "And where were you headed when you got lost out here?"

; that's just fine, living

forever ;[/size][/center][/blockquote]

[AXEL LOVELLE]

"A walk? It's cold." He mumbled, that smile still on his lips as he absently fiddled with the double row of buttons that held his crimson coat closed. It really was, the chill of autumn already seeping into the rain and the air, though the leaves of the trees still held their summer green for now, and he wouldn't have been out here on a night like this if he'd had any say in the matter. But he didn't. No Special did.

A light little laugh escaped him upon hearing the offhand remark, just slightly barbed in that way Daemon had always been skilled at. He'd imagined that they would be boring- and not for the first time, he wondered why one like Daemon had been assigned to the stuffy building with the lot of them. The man was a force to be reckoned with, he'd knew that well enough- he'd watched him in action countless times- and in Axel's opinion, he belonged in the field.

Not that anyone ever asked Axel's opinion.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?" It was more of a statement than a question, said in a purring, teasing tone that dropped for a slightly more serious one once Daemon asked a question of his own.

"Oh, I'm tracking like always." The hybrid answered with a brief little shrug that flicked droplets of water from his already-soaked coat. "But it's impossible to scent anything in this-" He went on to explain with a sweeping gesture at the water-filled air around them. "I'm going purely by sight." It wasn't the easiest way to do things, but he'd managed it hundreds of times before. His main problem was the fact that he'd lost the trail- and thus his way- when the heavy rain had started to fall. His plan was simple enough- he'd double back to the starting point and track using his other methods- Though that relied on him being able to find his starting point. No matter. He'd figure it out eventually. He always did.

He blinked up at the slightly taller Special with honey-colored eyes, the beginnings of an idea forming in his mind. "Why don't you join me?" The offer was random and perhaps one he shouldn't have made, honestly, but he hadn't forgotten that electric light in his old partner's eyes. The hunt had been something he'd loved- Well, enjoyed. He didn't know that Daemon could love anything. If he could, he hid it well.
But anyway- it made sense to assume that he'd miss it, considering.

"What do you say? For old time's sake?' His head tipped to the side questioningly, that smile still there, his expression an uncanny mimic of a curious dog's.

[/justify]

[DAEMEON MALUS MALUM]

; your soul is what it costs ;

[/i]

Cold? The remark on the temperature made Daemeon do a quick retake of his surroundings. He'd been so intent on finding something worthwhile that he'd forgotten to pay attention. Or perhaps he was just numb to the biting frigidity of the rain, as he'd gone numb to so many other things? The idea made him smirk, just a slight uplift of the corners of his mouth.

The smirk dropped as Axel made a remark, the unshockable man actually somewhat surprised by the comment, though it didn't show. It was a random thing to say, even if it was true, and Daemeon found himself smirking again. "Of course I haven't." He scoffed, despite the fact that the question was not really a question. Then, briefly considering the young man before him, he added, "You haven't either, I'm afraid." His breath made a little cloud of mist in the air as he sighed, as if he'd been hoping that Axel would change. But of course he hadn't; he was clearly the same oblivious smiling coyote-man hybrid that he'd been when Daemeon had worked with him.

The casual way Axel stated his purpose - tracking - was more than a little bit irking. When they'd taken him off duty, it was because there were supposedly not as many rebels to find. Daemeon had always known it was a lie, but the fact that they'd taken him off the job while still actively tracking... That was unacceptable. Especially when they were using Specials like Axel, who would lose the trail in the slightest bit of rainy weather and completely lost his bearings when attempting to go by sight. "Tracking?" He repeated, his anger almost completely hidden as he ventured to ask, his curiosity barely disguised, "Tracking who?"

If it was a person of interest, he would most definitely be tagging along, whether Axel had asked or not. Yet even it if it wasn't... Daemeon fixed his crimson irises on the person before him, contemplating. Was it worth an hour or two with this idiot to have the opportunity to do what he'd come out here for? A chance to kill, without having to deal with all the blame involved?

He knew what the answer would be even before he thought it through. The demonic persona inside of him, placed there by the hypocritical scientists themselves, was screaming for it. "Alright." He agreed, in as offhand a manner as he could. "I suppose, for old time's sake." Not, he thought to himself, that old times mattered. Especially not old times with Axel.

; that's just fine, living

forever ;[/size][/center][/blockquote]

[AXEL LOVELLE]

His smile brightened further- if that was even possible- at the affirmative, noncomittal and flat as it might have been. He'd honestly been half-expecting a no. He had never harbored any silly assumptions about himself and Daemon. He'd been nothing but an assigned partner to the other Special, and a partner who hadn't been missed once they'd gone their separate ways. Of that, he was certain.
The acceptance of his little offer came as a surprise.

"You will?"

The question prompted a slightly fading grin and quite a bit of blinking, and then an unreadable glint entered the hybrid's amber eyes as his wilted smile recovered. Incisors that were just a bit too pointed to be called normal glinted in the half-light.

"Oh, who? This is interesting.."

Black-gloved fingers interlocking at the back of his neck, he shifted to the side as his face took on a more thoughtful expression, and he paused briefly before beginning. "Do you remember Renninger?" He asked, the name forcing its way past his lips with no small amount of relunctance. The woman had been one of the cruelest of the DOSE scientists and, the one who had been responsible for presiding over the training of most of the Specials. Her methods had been effective- and the scientist herself heartless.

"She up and ran off last night." Axel finally explained, pushing back memories that still stung slightly, the clear oddity of the entire situation carrying into his tone. "It's weird. She's the last of 'em I'd ever expect to.." Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he shrugged. "But she did, that's the point, and now she's out here somewhere. C'mon." He trailed off and started toward their left, following his own muddy bootprints that had been made a few hours ago. "I started here..." The hybrid mumbled, scanning the muddy pathways carefully for any signs of the missing scientist, eyes unusually alert.

He could catch the barest hints of the scent they were currently seeking now and then, even masked by the drenching rain, and he soon veered off the path in pursuit, finding the spot where he'd trotted off in the wrong direction. There, he paused to get his bearings before continuing. There weren't any tracks to follow, not now, in the leaves and underbrush that littered the forest floor. It was the main reason he'd gotten lost the first time. But there were other signs, for one skilled enough to notice them- snapped twigs, missing leaves, and the like. Seeking these out with a care that was almost out-of-character, he lead the way further and further into the black forest, unusually silent, seemingly undeterred by the rain that fell with ever-increasing force as the minutes ticked by.

[/justify]

[DAEMEON MALUS MALUM]

; your soul is what it costs ;

[/i]

The surprise on Axel's face when he accepted the offer was an expression he had forgotten he enjoyed seeing. It was almost as if the optimistic young man hadn't expected him to agree, even if it had been his hope when he asked the question. It was, Daemeon contemplated, a very human trait.

However, anything he had planned to say in response vanished at the mention of who, exactly, was being searched for. Renninger. Of course he remembered her - what special didn't? She had been a brutal teacher, if that was even the right word for what she did. Daemeon hadn't minded her all that much, but that was only because he could see things as she did: evil and heartless. Oftentimes he had wondered if his implanted personality was an exaggerated version of her own, with a few extra killer instincts thrown in, but had never come up with an answer.

Not that he didn't hate her, because he did. He hated everyone.

"It is interesting that she would be the one to run..." Daemeon's tone was no longer surprised when he finally spoke, following Axel without quite paying attention to where they were going. "It could be relevant to an experiment of hers. That would be typical of her. And besides, she knows better than anyone what we're capable of, so the rebellion would be out of the question, I should think." His rational reasoning said, the Special took to the actual business of tracking, though his mind never quite left the idea of why she'd run. It was the reason that usually led him to forming ideas about where they had run off to hide, not so much the clues left.

This might just be worth my time. Daemeon smiled smugly. His scarlet eyes focused on the hunched figure of his partner, the hybrid's gaze intent on the path they followed. It only took him a quick glance at the forest undergrowth to confirm that they were going in the right direction. Axel was, if nothing else, a good tracker. In fact, Daemeon liked him better when he was tracking. Mostly because he shut up and focused on something for more than a few seconds for once, but there were a few other reasons as well.

Lazily brushing back a strand of oil black hair, Daemeon threw another careless glance at the trail they were on. So far it looked right, but that was boring. He was beginning to regret coming along; while the tracking experience was as good and natural as it had ever been, if it was Renninger they were after, he might not get a chance to do what he'd really been looking forward to - kill. "Renninger," He said, seemingly out of the blue after a few moments of silence. "Before she ran off, was she doing anything I should be aware of?" If she was up to something, though, how likely was it that Axel would know? He was not only easily distracted, but he was just a tracker. Nothing too special to the department.

But at the same time, if he knew that could make the job easier. And if it was bad enough, he might actually get his chance.

; that's just fine, living

forever ;[/size][/center][/blockquote]

[AXEL LOVELLE]

"Doing anything...?" Axel restated the question as if to confirm and abruptly halted his progress through the dense forest undergrowth to mull the intuitive idea over.

"Y'know, I think she was- but I don't know what."

He shrugged and raked his fingers slowly through the soaking wet spikes of his brown hair, half-turning to gaze at the demonic Special with one tawny eye, the other closed in a weak attempt to keep the rain out of it. The hybrid was shivering, if only slightly, though he ignored it altogether.

"I can't say it for sure- they didn't explain anything- like always- but they're not happy with her. And they don't much care what happens to her now. They were really specific when they gave me the assignment- lotta emphasis on dead or alive."

Distant-sounding muttering complete, he trailed off and pulled his lower lip into his mouth, nibbling on it slightly.

'It makes sense." And with that, the Special fell oddly silent, gazing out into the rain-blurred distance thoughtfully. After a few moments of contemplation, he straightened up and resumed their meandering, winding path through the densest part of the woods, silence- aside from the steady rattle of the pouring rain and the occasional rustle of leaves on the forest's floor- again reigning as he returned his focus intently to the task at hand.
As the rain continued to hammer down, the clues grew more and more difficult to find, and more than once, the hybrid paused to be certain they were following the scientist's trail and not one made by some migrating forest creature.

After at least an hour of monotonous trudging through the damp and the cold, Axel abruptly froze, scanning the stand of trees ahead, eyes glittering with bright, predatory alertness. And in a voice softer than most would have thought him capable of, "She's here. Or close."

[DAEMEON MALUS MALUM]

; your soul is what it costs ;

[/i]

After listening to Axel's words, Daemeon found himself starting to smile his characteristic open-mouthed smirk. This was good. Emphasis had been, according to the other Special, on the dead part of the equation.

He liked that.

He kept his mouth shut though, and as Axel kept walking, he followed, unable to help but be reminded of the days when it would be the other way around. Back when he led and it was Axel who followed, though that time didn't last long; he'd learned instead to let the hybrid lead, so that he could lounge back and simply give orders, like a master walking a dog. But today, it wasn't that way at all. Today it was the hybrid who led and the hybrid who made the decisions - Daemeon was just along for a ride.

He was conscious of that, and had decided that, while frustrating, it was no matter. Tracking had always been fun, but he preferred high-speed chases, building up fear and suspense in the victim before coming in for the kill. At least in this case he'd get to do the latter. And after a few years of being off duty, that was enough.

For now, anyway.

When Axel stopped, Daemeon was already becoming aware that familiar growing tension, that familiar tinge riding on the air that he could practically taste on his tongue. Yes, he confirmed to himself even as Axel said it, coming to a stop beside the red-coated hybrid, she was close. Not exactly here, because he couldn't hear anything telling of life other than his and his partner's breaths and heartbeats. He found himself cursing the organs within them that made such an annoying background noise.

His gaze swept across the trees, his smile gone, having set into a little line, lips pressing together briefly as he concentrated on listening. Listening and smelling and seeing. "I say we go north." He stated, not bothering to turn down the volume of his own voice as he gestured with a gloved hand in the direction he'd indicated, giving his partner a one-eyed glance to see if he agreed. It would usually be better to be quiet, because if the prey was close they could usually hear voices well enough. But Daemeon didn't care. He was actually looking forward to chasing her if she ran, though of course, this was Renninger. She might know better.

; that's just fine, living

forever ;[/size][/center][/blockquote]

[AXEL LOVELLE]

"Mm, north? Sounds fine to me." The grinning hybrid gave a little nod, tugged at the collar of his coat, turning it up in an attempt to block the droplets of icy water steadily trickling over it, and trotted off due north, grateful Daemon had pointed the direction out.

He'd probably have headed south otherwise.

As the duo forged on through the gloomy, damp night, growing ever-nearer to their quarry, Axel's pace began picking up, his careless, noisy approach gradually replaced with a predator's measured, silent tread. Honey-colored eyes glinted with an eerie light that bordered on feral, the deeply-implanted instincts of all Specials- that innate, predatory desire to hunt, to chase- and in some cases, though not in Axel's- to kill rising to the surface.

Finally, near the edge of a stand of trees, he slowed before halting entirely, eyes glittering in the lackluster light that filtered through the clouds.

The steady, regular beat of a third, slower heart, a human heart, was clearly audible.

At least to a Special.

And the scent he'd been chasing, the tauntingly, tantalizingly faint one ever-snatched away by the rain and the wind, was finally clear.

Renninger was just ahead.

Axel relunctantly stepped forward, a resigned expression replacing his ever-present grin. Meeting the woman again was the last thing he'd wanted. She unsettled him with her coldness, with her eternally flat tone and her pale eyes that had never held anything resembling emotion save a thin, wicked sort of amusement.

But he shouldered his way through the grasping trees nonethless, casting a quick glance behind to see that Daemon was following. The woman was half-concealed in the shadows of a rocky overhang, perched on a thin lip of stone. She didn't hear them approaching, not right away- they were, after all, hunters. Created for precisely this.

But once they'd left the shelter of the trees and crossed out into the open, she raised her head, pushing her hood aside, blonde hair spilling free, a mirthless little smile crossing her lips.

"Axel. How disappointing. Honestly, I expected you to be here sooner."

She arched a brow upon noticing Daemon's presence, obviously an unauthorized one, but made no comment, just offered a little nod in the dark-haired Special's direction. "And Daemon. A proper little reunion, isn't this?"

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[DAEMEON MALUS MALUM]

; your soul is what it costs ;

[/i]

As they walked, Daemeon became acutely aware of the sudden silence coming from the Special he was following, the noisy trampling giving way to a quick quiet step. The pattering of the rain on the forest was suddenly audible, each drop against each leaf creating an individual sound that melded with the ones around it to create a simple, easily tuned out background.

He did exactly that, his refined senses honing in on the more important noises rather than letting them all muddle together. With every noisy beat of their hearts he could practically taste the death that was forthcoming until it came to a point where he was nearly salivating for it. He no longer wanted to kill - he needed to.

It was this part of the hunt that he liked. The part where he knew his goal would be achieved, the part where he knew nothing could deter him and soon enough he would be attacking, his mind a frenzy with only one clear thought.

He knew they had found her even before the telltale signs arose and he could smell her with every breath, hear her slow heart without even having to listen for it.

Daemeon followed with a leisurely stride as Axel pushed into the open with obvious reluctance. Renninger was just ahead, though it was hard to tell at first glance who she was. Well, it would have been hard, had he not been so familiar with her. Hooded like that, she could have been any runaway, unaware of their approach.

When she spoke, however, it was obvious she was no normal runaway. Curiously he found himself unsurprised; his reaction at seeing her again as she drew back her hood and spoke, her pale eyes and blond hair the exact same as he remembered it, the thin lipped smile and cold courtesy as fresh in his mind as if he had last seen them yesterday, was practically nonexistent. She seemed surprised to see him at least, which Daemeon didn't really mind, though she didn't find it frightening, which was a bit of a disappointment.

Since Axel hadn't spoken, he did, moving so he was beside the hybrid and not lingering slightly behind. With a smile that screamed of cheerfulness - fake, to anyone who dared look closer - he greeted her. "It has been a while, hasn't it, Renninger?" As usual, sarcasm was present, but it only slipped from it's perfect disguise as he said her name, a bit of venom sliding in as well, all the while still smiling his innocent fake smile.

[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

; that's just fine, living

forever ;[/size][/center][/blockquote]

[AXEL LOVELLE]

The hybrid watched the proceedings with wide amber eyes, gaze darting back and forth between the two as they acknowledged each other, both tones laced with venom and encased in ice.

Despite the weight of the situation, Axel fought a smile that threatened to force its way onto his face.

They were the two coldest people he'd ever known, and that ever-present, never-fading brisk, chilly manner only seemed to worsen when they adressed each other.

An abrupt silence, almost harsh in its finality, at last took over as the greetings died out, the steady patter of the raindrops and the shallow, unintentional sounds each of them made as they drew breath, as their hearts moved, claimed dominance once again. Axel, hands on his hips, took it upon himself to shatter the quiet- as usual.

"Well.. You know why we're here, I bet."

The words were accompanied by his eternal smile, though for once it didn't look entirely genuine, his tone one of mild, calm apology, more subduded than was usual. There was no love lost between him and Renninger, but still, the thought of retrieving the woman and consigning her to... who-knew-what (Certainly something decidedly unpleasant) was one that he wasn't in the least comfortable
with.

For what may have well been the thousandth time, he inwardly cursed his assignment, his tracker's employ, a faint darkness shimmering in his eyes as he toyed with the idea of turning and trotting off, of reporting that he'd been unable to find the scientist's trail in the rain. He would have, if not for Daemon standing just behind him, bloodlust in his crimson gaze.

"So what do you wanna do? Are you going to come back with us-- nicely?"

He kept his tone steady, refusing to let his voice betray him, though the doubt that she'd willingly give herself up did sneak into the soft cadence.

[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[DAEMEON MALUS MALUM]

; your soul is what it costs ;

[/i]

Come along nicely? Daemeon choked back a humorless chuckle at the words, though the broadened smirk that crossed his face said it all. Axel had always been so optimistic. So stupidly so.

But as he thought about it, Daemeon recognized the tone of doubt. The tone that said, 'probably not, but please?' A hopeful, irrational idea, backed up by that same stupid smile. A little damper than usual, of course, but a smile was a smile was a smile. The pure fact that the hybrid could smile at a time like this was mind-blowing.

Though, that did make him a hypocrite, considering he had been smirking the whole time too.

Not that Daemeon cared about that.

In fact, he decided, he didn't care so much that he wasn't going to speak a word. He was perfectly content with standing here, slowly being drowned by the unending rain, watching Renninger with a simply hateful - yet still forcibly, sarcastically pleasant - glare, waiting for the silence to be broken. In the meantime, he would allow his mind to wander where it was not allowed to wander. Scenes of gory deaths, the ground stained a red that seemed black in the scarce moonlight, mangled corpses littering the ground, the metallic tang of blood staining his lips and overriding his taste buds. The pleasant exertion his whole body was aware of, the result of his ruthless attacks.

And Renninger would be last. In his mind, she would be scared by then, huddling against the rocky outcrop, her blond hair plastered to her face and her pale eyes wide and scared in their defiance. He would kill her slowly. Painfully. So that she would scream. Because no matter how tough they were, they always screamed at the end.

A movement made him refocus on the scene at hand, and he blinked at Renninger's shifting figure, appearing slightly peeved by the interruption. He half-expected her to get up and walk over, but she didn't - just shifted her position on the rock so her legs were crossed in an almost business like manner. He didn't quite understand her motives for it; did she expect them to head over and talk to her? Or was she just being adamant about not moving? He didn't care to put his enhanced-brain to the problem. "Come along, Renninger." He sighed, breaking his promise to keep quiet, his tone terribly bothered, as if she were a small child causing problems. Which was partially true. "You don't want this to get difficult." His eyes glinted dangerously. If she wanted to go there, that was fine by him. But he would act civil until then. That was just what he did.

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; that's just fine, living

forever ;[/size][/center][/blockquote]