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 Posted: Sun Aug 29, 2010 11:47 pm
Kaleb grinned to himself when he at least managed to get Savanna to stop walking. He hardly doubted she would actually be polite for him, so he figured she must have been reasoning with herself or something before deciding to stop for him. Kaleb was pretty sure he could go without knowing why exactly she'd stopped to wait up for him. He couldn't help but roll his eyes as Savanna scowled at him and backed into the rain, refusing the umbrella. She could have at least been a little more polite about it. A no thanks, no matter how coldly the words were spoken, would have sufficed. Whatever. He wasn't going to think all too much of her attitude for now. He did get a joy in being the cause of her irritation.
As Savanna continued to walk, Kaleb followed close behind, the umbrella back over his own head now. He nodded his head shortly as she told him she was simply wandering around. It seemed innocent enough, but it only made him more curious. "Just wandering, eh?" he mused thoughtfully with a slight smile. "Same here, I guess~" he added after a moment, sighing contentedly as he stepped through a puddle rather than around it. At least he hadn't childishly splashed through it. Since Savanna was soaked enough already, he doubted she'd mind, though there were others here and there that might have been inconveniently passing at that moment... perhaps they wanted to stay dry? It was silly, but there are umbrellas for a reason. Kaleb would be getting rid of his umbrella as soon as the wind grew bad enough.
Kaleb's smile widened slightly as he took note of the look of annoyance on the girl's face. He hadn't even tried to annoy her, yet he still was able to do so. Not bad! "If you insist~" he responded simply with a shrug. Her business, hm? He didn't think much of it, actually. Why would she want to tell anyone anything? Especially if anyone was Kaleb. He was lucky he was getting something out of her. Still, he sighed slightly as Savanna was already trying to get rid of him. No doubt she was feeling uncomfortable, or something like that.
At the very least, Kaleb was well aware that Savanna was beginning to grow suspicious of his attitude. Well, Kaleb was almost always this cheerful, but he knew he was laying it on rather thick. Besides, what were the chances that the both of them would be wandering around aimlessly in the rain? Unless something was up, the chances wouldn't be this likely. So, despite Savanna telling him to basically get lost, Kaleb still followed. He wasn't going to give up this easily.
"Well, I can't, really," he explained to her with a shrug as he kept up with her. "You made me even more curious. Is there something on your mind?" Kaleb could already predict her answer, of course. Knowing her, she'd come up with some sort of excuse basically telling him that nothing is up and for him to get lost and leave her alone. She already was practically doing this now, wasn't she?
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 2:02 pm
Savanna felt the urge to smile a bit when Kaleb went prancing straight through the puddle rather than walking around it, but she sternly controlled herself. The last thing she needed was this consistent pain in the arse thinking that she actually liked his company. It was just...amusing. Amusingly childish of him. There. That made sense, didn't it? She was allowed to be amused by the silly behaviour of her rival, no matter how much he irritated her.
She tilted her head back slightly to let the rain hit her full in the face. It felt nice. Cleansing. And if Kaleb saw her do it, whatever - hadn't she watched him go running through the puddle like a little boy? It wasn't a big deal. She could indulge herself a little bit.
Her relaxed posture tensed a little when he didn't press. That wasn't like Kaleb. Usually, when she said something was 'her business', he seemed to see it as a challenge rather than a boundary to be respected. He shared that aspect with Curacio, actually. She spent a minute or two wondering if maybe that was one of the reasons Kaleb annoyed her so much...was it because he could sometimes remind her of Curacio, rather than her judging him on his own merits (or lack thereof)?
She put the thought aside to consider later. Right now, she wanted to be alert. Her eyes were cool and dark as she studied him. "You can," she said flatly. "You just don't want to. You'd rather follow me around and irritate me."
Pushing back her wet hair in what was fast becoming a predictable gesture of annoyance, she turned away. There was no way she was talking to Kaleb of all people about this, but she was feeling the desperate urge to confide in someone. It was a feeling she had had maybe twice in her entire life, and it was so strong that she compromised instead of just ignoring it as she usually would.
"Yes, actually, there is something on my mind. Something fairly important, in fact. And I'd like you to clear out so that I can think about it. Alone," she replied, her voice clear and icy.
She started walking again, moving faster this time. If he didn't take that hint, she was going to start getting pissed. And she wasn't sure whether or not she'd be able to keep her problem entirely to herself if he kept bugging her about it.
But she could, she told herself sternly. Of course she could. It would be hard, but she could manage. She wasn't afraid of Kaleb. He was an absolute idiot, of course, but she knew how to handle him.
She would be fine.
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Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 6:55 pm
Well, Kaleb knew for sure he could have easily splashed in that puddle; judging by the way the girl seemed to enjoy the rain. Pah, and one of the few times that Kaleb was feeling extremely polite, too. Though, because it wasn't her face and it would be Kaleb who would have splashed at her, she probably would have gotten annoyed either way.. And that really wasn't such a bad thing, regardless.
Kaleb couldn't help but grin at Savanna's response. She knew him all too well. "Well, that was rather harsh," he mused, pretending to sound somewhat insulted by the accusation. "You make it sound like my soul purpose in life is to give you hell~" Which wasn't entirely off, if you thought about it; but it was more of a bonus, annoying the girl. He had higher purposes in life, believe it or not.
Oh, Kaleb hadn't entirely expected Savanna to admit that there was something on her mind.. then again, she didn't express to him what it was; and she had merely said it was important.. She never said it bothered her, though if she needed to think about it, then it probably was bothering her. Nevertheless, Kaleb had expected her to tell him nothing was wrong and to simply piss off.. At least she had subtly told him to piss off after admitting that there was something on her mind. If not, he would have definitely been concerned.
"As opposed to the two of us thinking about something I'm not even aware of? You're no fun, woman," Kaleb sighed somewhat dramatically, yet the same grin that made the people who disliked him want to beat him to a pulp was clear on his face. Not that he was trying to be insincere... Well.. In a way, he was, but that was beside the point. He watched a moment as the girl began to walk away from him.
Well.. he'd chance her getting ticked at him. It wasn't like she'd never been ticked off with him before. He definitely didn't hesitate to follow after her. Kaleb wasn't just going to let her wander away that easily. He wanted to accomplish something today, even if it wasn't much. "I don't see what you find so aggravating about me~" Kaleb commented, which wasn't completely accurate. He rarely heard her inform him as to what made him so irritating, but he was able to get the jist of it. There were plenty of things that probably made him seem irritating--the fact that they were rivals was definitely among them.
"I've only been trying to be friendly~" he added for good measure, despite knowing that they both probably knew half of his words were somewhat insincere. And he said somewhat.. partially because he was somewhat.. no, he was curious. Fff, not concerned. The idea of him being even the least bit concerned for her was absurd. She could hardly stand him, it wasn't like he was trying to see her as a friend... a friend that he enjoyed annoying the hell out of, that is.
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Posted: Tue Feb 08, 2011 7:19 pm
Savanna ignored his musings, assuming that they weren't really directed at her. And if they were, well, too bad. She had no desire to talk to him right now. All she wanted was her own space. And...
Oh, all right, damn it. She wanted someone to confide in. She wanted to be able to talk, at least just a little, about what was bothering her. It was going to eat her alive if she didn't find some way to let the pressure bleed off. But she couldn't do that, either. If she did, it would be giving someone else an important piece of her. She didn't dare trust anyone in Home about it. And there was no one else.
"Your sole purpose in life is, apparently, to give me hell," she replied coolly. "Since if you had anything better to do, I can only suppose that you would be doing it."
Her soaking hair swung loosely around her, and she had to repress a shiver. It was starting to get cold. She should have turned back earlier, but now she had to get rid of the pest before she could go Home. Wearily now, she reached a hand back to wring the water out of her hair, her eyes thoughtful and faraway.
"Shut up, Kaleb," she said at last. It was one of the few times she had used his name without some derogatory term in front of it, and it signaled both her preoccupation and her distress. "I really have no time to play games with you right now." She stared off into the distance, hearing - distantly again - the squeal of sirens. That was probably for the driver she had seen crash earlier. Absently, she glanced in that direction. It was a shame.
When Kaleb followed her, however, Savanna felt herself beginning to lose her temper. Her mouth set, and she began to walk into one of the hair-thin dark alleyways that she knew like the back of her hand. Maybe if she killed him she could have some peace.
"What do I find aggravating about you?" she repeated once she was far enough in to be hidden from view, turning to look at him. "This. This is exactly what I find aggravating about you. Look at this situation, and tell me if there is one single thing about it that should not tell a normal person that it is time to piss off. You aren't trying to be friendly. You are deliberately making me want to kill you in as many different ways as I possibly could, then bring you to life just so I can kill you again."
She took a breath and yanked on her control until she had her temper reined in again. "I..." Her eyes closed, involuntarily and in horror, as she realized that she was nearly on the verge of tears. No. She would not go so low. She was so frustrated and terrified and angry and miserable that she was losing her control, but she would not lose her dignity.
And now she thought that if she didn't get away from him, she might actually start talking. She had to go. She had to go right now.
"I have to go," she said sharply, her voice as cutting an edge as any blade. "Let me be." Turning away from him, she headed towards the other end of the alleyway, not quite running but certainly walking very fast.
She just needed space, that was all. Space and time to think alone, and then she would be okay. All she needed was control.
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Posted: Sun Nov 06, 2011 1:50 am
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2011 4:11 pm
”Well, if you put it that way....” Kaleb trailed off, not at all serious. ”Obviously, I have a bigger and better goal in life. Now is just not the time to pursue it.” A sh*t-eating grin followed. He was just filled with those. Oh, he thought he was just adorably hilarious. Kaleb ran a hand through his wet hair before continuing after her. He was beginning to see that maybe he had actually caught her at a horrible time.. Maybe it was pretense, but she was beginning to seem somewhat distressed. He couldn't tell; Savanna could be a damn good actress.
”Shut up, Kaleb,” he heard her say, and he raised an eyebrow. Perhaps it wasn't pretend at all. She had used his name; no insult or anything. How peculiar. Kaleb was prepared to respond that he, however, did have the time to play games—but he thought better of it. Kaleb was still somewhat of a gentleman, after all. Still, he continued after her, even into a suspiciously dark alley way. Sketchy.
It was at that point when Savanna had proceeded to scold Kaleb—and the male raised an eyebrow. He felt like he was being scolded by his mother, or something. Damn; he must have really pissed her off. A part of Kaleb was thinking, Success. Meanwhile, the other part of him was thinking, Well, sh*t, I should run. The two parts of him were colliding, and as they dueled with each other, Kaleb remained where he was, listening to what Savanna had to say with somewhat of an indifferent expression. “Yeowch,” he found himself muttering. Maybe it was her time of the month. Shame that, of course, she couldn't kill him. It wasn't that she wasn't allowed to, or anything—it was just that Kaleb was too good of an assassin to let this chick get the best of him.
Still, he had to admit that regardless of whether or not Savanna was acting... he felt like he probably was better off taking his leave sometime soon. It didn't take a genius to figure out something was wrong. Kaleb decided he didn't care enough to figure out what exactly was wrong; he was content with knowing that there was something, and that it was Savanna's own business that she would handle herself. Fair enough. Kaleb might have found pissing the woman off absolutely thrilling, but he had the decency to leave her alone, bitter enemy or not. His mommy did raise him to be a gentleman, after all.
Upon making this decision, he watched as the girl turned away abruptly and walked off rather quickly, and he didn't follow. Instead, he turned around, walking out of the alleyway, though he more sauntered out than anything. He had no place in particular to be, and so he would take as much time as he damn well pleased.
Still, there were several thoughts lingering in Kaleb's mind, among which included, Now what?, What the hell just happened?, and I'm hungry.
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Posted: Mon Dec 05, 2011 7:34 pm
Savanna didn't risk looking back until she had gotten through to the other end of the alleyway. It was the first time she had ever turned her back on Kaleb - generally, her survival instincts demanded that she never turn her back on anyone she could possibly consider a threat. She wasn't afraid of him, of course; he was good, but she knew she was better. If they ended up tangling at some point, she was confident that she would come out on top.
At the moment, though, that wasn't the point. The point was that she had needed space and escape so badly that she had had to forgo the survival instincts that had kept her alive for so long. Leaning against the brick wall on the other side of the street, she closed her eyes for a long moment. She just needed to get herself under control again, that was all. She'd had a bad shock and it was understandable that she was still shaken up. But in a little while, she'd be able to assimilate it and make sense of it. Then she would be fine. Just fine.
She would be fine because she wouldn't accept anything less. There was no way she could let herself be weak - Curacio and the others at Home like him would tear her apart like a pack of dogs if she allowed herself even a few seconds' vulnerability where they could sense it. And they would--by now, she was pretty sure the b*****d could smell weakness.
For now, she would have to handle it and be strong, because the other choice was to die.
She didn't want to die.
Savanna wrapped her arms around herself briefly in a useless gesture of comfort. Her shivering had increased in the rain, and she finally realized that she was really, really cold. It was a long walk back to Home from here, she thought unhappily. And though walking in the rain was usually nice, a combination of shock, the dampness and emotional overexertion had left her feeling frozen on the outside.
She stood in the rain, leaning against the wall, for several more minutes. It just felt like too much effort to go to, to get up and move and walk all the way Home, and then when she got there to keep a coldly professional air when her heart felt so small and shivery and she was so stressed that she almost couldn't breathe.
No. No, she couldn't think like this. She couldn't fall apart like this. That note meant nothing. It didn't prove anything, and no one had seen it but her. She had to pull herself together.
Taking a long, slow breath, she forced herself to stand on her own, away from the wall. Then she turned in the direction of Home and started walking. It seemed that Kaleb had lost interest in irritating her once she'd shown just how on edge she actually was - apparently even he could tell just how close she had been to killing him. That was no good. She'd have to be more subtle next time.
She paused, frowning. There wasn't going to be a next time. As much as she could, she tried to avoid or ignore Kaleb; he annoyed her so much that it seemed easier to pretend he didn't exist unless he was actively in her way. And for now, he wasn't. So she would waste no more time thinking about him.
Decided, she started walking towards Home, feeling the wind bite through her soaked clothing. Despite her best efforts to seem completely untouched, she was frozen right through and shaking a little by the time she finally reached the industrial district where Home was. She stopped for a little while, seemingly just to take a breather but actually scanning for anyone who might have followed her or anyone who might mean her harm.
Nothing.
More relieved than she would have liked to admit, Savanna wandered idly through the streets of the industrial district until at last she reached Home. Slipping in through a side door, she shuddered at the sudden blast of warmth. She'd had to use the door - her fingers were too numb to climb in the windows. Carefully, evasively, she slipped through shadows and took random paths, trying to ignore the growing shivers as her body tried to fight off the cold. She had to pause five separate times to work out how to avoid a trap without setting it off, and it was much harder than usual - her mind felt slow and sluggish.
Finally, she made it to her room. Opening the door cautiously, she leaped back as a heavy blade fell from the top of the outside door frame. She stared at it for a second, and then shook her head wryly in amusement. "Such an old trick, Curacio," she murmured. "You have no respect for me at all."
Slipping into her room, she took a cautious breath. No scent of poison gas, nothing that could be used as a knockout or a toxin. Closing the door firmly behind her and slowly working the extremely complex locks, she stepped into the middle of the room and began her usual quick, efficient search.
Nothing. No more weapons. No poisons. No more notes.
And the warmth of the room was beginning to burn into her body. It hurt, but there wasn't much that Savanna could do about it. She would just have to let her body thaw. Making her way over to her bed, which she'd already checked over, she smiled faintly when one of the snakes slithered out from under the covers. "Hello, my love," she whispered, hearing the odd rusty sound to her own voice. "You're the only ones I can trust, you and your friends. Aren't you?"
She left her wet clothes in a pile on her floor and curled up on her bed, tugging the blanket over herself. She was asleep almost the second her eyes closed.
When the long black snake draped its scaly body over her, she didn't even notice.
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Posted: Wed Dec 07, 2011 4:44 pm
And so, Kaleb was left with nothing to do. Brilliant. His usual entertainment was gone for the rest of the day, and who knew how long she would end up being MIA for? More likely than not, she would be on her feet and doing her thing the next day, but she was at times unpredictable--and Kaleb was trained to expect the unexpected. In fact, it was almost drilled into his head. Nobody was perfect, though. Even Kaleb was taken by surprise from time to time. Such was life.
Sighing, he continued on his lonesome down the street, the rain pouring down harder than it had been earlier. Kaleb would have been surprised if he didn't wake up the next day with a stupid cold or something. His boss wouldn't be pleased, but whatever. It wouldn't change his ability to do his job well.
While he walked, alone, in the rain, with nothing left to do, he couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into Savanna today. She didn't seem entirely like herself. Sure, she still took part in the regular banter between herself and Kaleb, but there was something about her attitude that seemed off. Somehow, Kaleb didn't think it was just her getting a cold, though he wasn't a woman. For all he knew, she was just sick, and she probably wasn't used to being so sick, which was why she so willingly and so carelessly allowed herself to get soaked in the rain.
He supposed it didn't matter too much. Frowning a little bit, Kaleb began to make his way back to his own place, until he suddenly stopped, stiffening. Well, sh*t. During this whole time of wondering about Savanna's condition, how vulnerable she could very well have been, he didn't once consider his task that had been presented to him before leaving. Savanna was his target, and he hadn't acted. He hadn't done anything, he hadn't gotten rid of her at all. He'd have to make up his mind, and fast. Kaleb wasn't the sort to drop a mission. He wasn't the sort to fail in a task. But, it didn't seem like he was doing a great job with the one given to him.
What now? He'd have to do something, and he'd have to come to a decision soon. Even after walking further to think, Kaleb still couldn't come up with an answer. A part of him just really didn't want to see this through, and he wasn't sure why. This wasn't good at all. He needed to focus. He hadn't been trained to hesitate. He sure as hell wasn't trained to react the way he was now. Damn it.
Running a hand through his soaked hair in exasperation, Kaleb continued to walk, an edge of irritation now evident in his stature and facial expression--the feeling wasn't too commonly felt or seen in Kaleb. Something was wrong--not just one thing, either. Several things were going wrong. It was hardly natural.
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Posted: Sat Dec 10, 2011 11:41 pm
It was so cold.
Savanna sat up from where she'd been lying on the granite slab, and she took a slow step onto the cold stone floor. Everything around her was icy, and she couldn't stop shivering. She had to stop - to show that you were anything other than perfectly in control was a sign of weakness. She had to calm herself. There was nothing to be concerned about.
She was fine.
But then she reached down to where she should have had one of her hidden daggers, and there was nothing. She reached for another - nothing. And again. Every place she checked, she had none of her weapons. She was alone, defenseless, and so cold that her extremities were beginning to burn.
No. No, she couldn't panic. She had to stay calm.
There was a door there, one she hadn't seen a moment ago. She looked around the room. No other way out. Taking a breath, she walked slowly towards it - her footsteps growing slower as she moved closer and closer to the door.
She didn't want to touch it. She didn't want to open it. If she opened it, everything would change.
But she had to get out of this room, or she would die. She no longer questioned how she knew that.
She reached out with trembling fingers towards the doorknob--
And a creaking noise made her eyes snap open. She felt weak, dizzy, sick. There was something wrong with her. Fighting to get her body to a sitting position, she managed to sit upright. The door creaked again.
Someone was trying to get in. She lifted her hands, tensed slightly at the shake in them.
In the shape she was in, she wouldn't be able to fight them off.
Slipping silently out of bed, she looked around. There were no clothes that wouldn't require opening a drawer or the closet - and alerting the person on the other side of the door that she knew they were there - except for the wet ones on the floor.
Knowing that they would only make her sicker if she had to wear them for any length of time, she pulled them on anyway, as quietly as she could; better to be sick than dead. She pulled on her raincoat, gathered as many of her weapons as she could.
The door was creaking, squeaking, and one of the locks popped open. She had to hurry. She was too sick to fight, and if she couldn't fight then she had to run. Sliding her weapons into their various sheaths and hiding places around her body and clothes, she hesitated for a brief moment. Then she reached out for the long black snake that had coiled up in the hollow of her bed. The creature wrapped itself around her neck and torso, and she pulled the coat over it so that it couldn't easily be seen.
Another lock popped. Only one left.
She had no time to get anything else.
Carefully, she swung herself out the window, feeling the snake coil itself more tightly around her. She'd worn the stone down well so that no one else could use it as an approach point, but that meant that it was also a terrible way for her to get out. This normally wasn't a climb she'd have approached even on the clearest, calmest day, let alone when it was wet and windy and the stone was slippery. But she had to get out of here, and--
Her foot slipped. For a terrifying second, she dangled high above the ground, being buffeted by the wind. After what felt like a lifetime, she managed to get her footing back and continued the excruciatingly slow climb down. She had many more slips, but through sheerest luck, she made it most of the way.
About six feet from the ground, she slipped again, and this time she was too exhausted to hold on. She tumbled the remaining few feet and landed gracelessly on the ground, hearing her snake hiss irritably as her landing jarred it. For a second or two, she lay there, not wanting to move. Then she remembered.
They must have broken the last lock by now. She couldn't still be here when they looked out the window. Forcing herself to get to her feet and hissing herself from the pain and the cold as the wind sliced through her wet clothes, she loped away from Home as quickly as she could manage.
She didn't know where she was going. She didn't really know if she had anywhere to go.
But she had to find somewhere dry and warm to go to ground, at least until the rain cleared up and she was better.
Clearly, Home was not safe for her until she was healthy enough to fight.
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Posted: Thu Dec 29, 2011 9:52 pm
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Posted: Sat Aug 17, 2013 9:23 pm
Kaleb knew he had to just keep calm and focus. He had two weeks before that mysterious man would call again. That was plenty of time to make a decision. He didn't truly need to accept this, did he? But then again, how could he back out now? Kaleb had a reputation to uphold.
Just.. what the hell? He was so hesitant to follow through this task, and why? Savanna hated his guts, and he was supposed to hate hers--but he didn't, and he knew he didn't. He didn't particularly like her, but he enjoyed the banter, enjoyed having that rivalry. Things would be so much more boring without her around.
He couldn't really win, could he? Kaleb knew he had to check himself. He wasn't supposed to have emotions, and yet there he was, so conflicted. Not good, not good at all. Someone's bound to notice, to call him out on it, and then that would be it. He'd be exposed, and his enemies would pounce.
Kaleb grit his teeth and kicked at the pavement a bit as he walked, the toe of his shoe sliding a bit against the slipperiness that the rain gave the ground he walked on. He should probably be heading back home, before he got too sick to function. He wasn't feeling so sick now, but if he didn't at least have a runny nose the next morning he would have been stunned.
So, he continued to walk, making a turn toward the general location of his guild. He slipped silently down an alleyway, footsteps light as he quickened his pace without slipping. Kaleb needed time, needed peace and quiet to figure this out. At the end of the day, he knew that his work was far more important than his entertainment. Savanna had to leave the city. If not, he had to be prepared to kill her.
Maybe he should just consult Mairead about this, seek out his guidance. He didn't have a total stick up his a**, and so this actually was an option for him. Whether or not it'd get him results that would benefit him, however, Kaleb wasn't too sure. He sighed and continued to stick to the shadows as he crept back toward his guild, hoping for some sort of miracle to just walk into him, or something.
[i'm sorry if this is like wicked craptastic sdkjfhsdf]
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