This was all so exciting! Valentina couldn't help the exhilaration suddenly making her heart pump frantically. She wanted to run and jump, to hunt or do something, anything extraordinary. It was hard to subdue the impulse to do what she knew she could. Instead the young woman busied herself with the laces of her shoes and making sure they were nice and tight. Once that was done Valentina lifted blue eyes to Valentine's face with a grateful smile. "Thank you for helping me." This whole ordeal was partially her fault.

If she hadn't insisted upon finding him in the first place ... Shaking her head, she took a deep breath and moved to the ladder. Wrapping her hands around the slippery cold metal, she tried not to think about how high she would be. Hoisting herself up, Valentina kept her eyes on the brick wall before her instead of thinking about what lay below. "I forgot to mention that I'm afraid of heights," mumbled the young woman to herself as her hair swayed behind her with each movement of her body.

Valentine gritted his teeth. Nothing seemed to be easy today. “Just don’t look down.” He said, following her up the ladder. “And don’t do the opposite, eh? Seems that happens too many times to count.”

He stepped up beside her on the first floor landing of the fire escape. It was rather loose and shuddered under their weight, but held fast to the wall. “It won’t be long up here.” He assured. “We’ll be able to go over streets and alleys and avoid the crowds that might still be out.” He started halfway up the stairs to the next level. “Just don’t look to hard at the ground, and you won’t realize how far down everything is.”

Why he didn’t just leave was beyond him. Valentine, in the past, had never cared when someone was lost or couldn’t find their way. He’d watched them indifferently. But he had to suppose this was different because he’d encountered someone so like him. He didn’t question it further.

Cursing silently under her breath, the young woman forced herself not to shoot a miffed glance Valentine's way. It was oh so tempting to look down now after he said that! Finally hoisting herself up onto the landing, the young woman sighed slightly. This was going to be interesting ... It wasn't like she would actually be hurt falling down, it was just frightening to fall without being able to do anything about it.

"Every time you say things like that it just makes me want to look down even more," stated Valentina nervously as she started climbing the stairs. Her left hand clutched the railing in a white knuckled grip as the young woman moved up. The wind and rain did nothing to help. For a moment Valentina wished she could form some kind of shield against the weather, but that wouldn't make the rails dry or the structure any less rickety.

Valentine laughed regardless of their situation. “I know, but you just have to fight that urge.” He said. He couldn’t bring the ground closer, and he didn’t have the concentration to make the illusion of the ground being close come to reality. There wasn’t much else to do other than talk.

“The rest aren’t this bad.” He said. “Usually the homeless kids and orphans are up here, they’re the ones that make the rooftops their home. And some are very superstitious, where they believe touching the ground is bad luck, so they’ve created very elaborate and structurally sound bridges to cross alleys and streets.” They made it to the roof, and onto the sturdy apartment’s top. “We’ll have a fifteen-minute walk from here.” He added, pointing across the alley on the other side of the building.

Valentina didn't dare utter a word until her feet were planted firmly upon the ground, or roof rather. Peering at the many ridges in wondrous concern, the young woman moved to the edge of the area cautiously to peer down below. Shaking her head, the young woman backed away quickly and stumbled. Falling down with an undignified 'oof', she let out a long sigh. "Valentine what if I don't want to go home?"

She wondered how he would react to that. This was perhaps the best thing to do. It was convincing him of that which would probably take some doing. The blonde knew there were many things she didn't know. Perhaps Valentine could help her learn. Then there was also the fact that with the two of them working together, they would probably be even harder to catch.

Valentine stepped forward and pulled her to her feet. Sometimes one was unbalanced, that wasn’t something to be ashamed of no matter how much power over your surroundings you had. But what she said caught him off guard. “Don’t want to go home?” He repeated, in slight disbelief. “Why? You have a place to be safe, to call your own. Why wouldn’t you want to go back there and be reassured of your safety, even if it isn’t a promised thing?”

This young woman was starting to confuse him. First she had sent out a tendril of thought, without the intention of specifically reaching someone, and had made it clear that because he was so similar to her in power and ability, wanted to be a friend. Now, she didn’t even want to return to the one place someone could fool themselves into believing was the safest place on earth. It was almost mind-boggling. Valentine’s own thoughts were simple. Find a place to live for as long as he could, then when the gang’s tracker dogs found him, move somewhere else to live.

He paused. "Well... I suppose that's up to you." He said at last. "But where do you want to go otherwise?"

After dusting herself off the young woman shrugged. "I can make a home anywhere. As for why, maybe I want to help you." How she could do that, Valentina didn't know but she was willing to try. The blonde moved towards one of the bridges without any idea of where to go. It was a maze up here! For a moment she wished for the power to see trough walls, but that was a little far fetched even for her.

Valentina had no idea about the confusion she'd wrought with her words. "Where do you live?" That was going to be a shock for Valentine, she was sure! He didn't seem to have a habit of meeting people and becoming friends with them.

Valentine cocked his head to the side like a dog watching something he didn’t quite understand. Help him? Do what? He had nothing and did nothing that someone else could be of assistance to. Other than watching for the gang’s bloodhounds and, now, the men in the sleek black vehicle they’d only just gotten away from.

He didn’t answer for a while, however, when his own home was brought into question. “Well... I don’t live anywhere.” He admitted. “I mean, I was holed up in one of the slum apartments, but was found out. I haven’t had time to find a new place, since while I was getting away I’d felt your mind and... overreacted.” He smiled sheepishly.

A surprised look crossed Valentina's face. She hadn't really wondered why he was in the area before, and now her unasked question was answered. It was a little distressing, but she supposed it was probably one of the reasons why Valentine hadn't ever been captured before. She'd come close to that often enough that having another closer encounter wasn't pleasant at all.
She didn't intend on something like that happening again either.

The sound of something crashing to the ground made Valentina jump up with a small yell. Frantically looking all around, she laughed a little as she stopped to glance at Valentine. "Maybe we could find a place together." The only people she was really afraid of were the government, regular thugs she was pretty sure she could deal with.

Valentine hadn’t been shocked by the noise. On the other hand, he’d been surprised by Tina’s remark. “Together?” He repeated. “I dunno. I haven’t lived with anyone else in... well, ten years, maybe.” He folded his fingers behind his head. “It’d be a bit strange.” He almost chuckled. The idea was borderline absurd. Living with someone else? Someone else he’d not even known for an hour? He hadn’t even shared the same building with the gang he’d been a part of.

“The only place you can live without anyone asking for money would be here.” He gestured around. “I don’t know if you’d like the place, though, it’s best to sleep with one eye open. If you’d prefer that type of living for the time being.” He paused. “But I don’t know. A lot of people are after me, sometimes I have to make a... quick exit. And now with those government officials patrolling the street, it seems even more dangerous than usual.” He glanced around at her. Valentine half-hoped she would be deterred by such issues, but a part of him was tired of facing the world alone. Having someone else around, and so similar to him, would be a nice break.

The young woman couldn't help but let a small burst of laughter escape her lips. "Did you forget that the government is after me too? As for the others, I'm sure we can handle them." Oh it was probably silly to want to live with someone she'd just met, in fact it might have been a little crazy. So be it, at least she'd have company for her ride into insanity.

"Please let me stay I don't want to go back to living like I used to." Without anyone to talk to and confide in about her powers ... It was the hardest thing to do! Valentina could be talkative when given the chance, but with so many things she couldn't talk about she had to hold everything in.

Valentine rolled his eyes. “I’ve got a lot more than the government after me.” He noted. “And they’re sure as hell not as careful in their extraction as the government.” At that bit of information, he turned. He didn’t know. It would be... odd. Odd to have someone around when he’d spent the majority of his life alone. Even when he’d had a family, he locked himself away in his room, or in the basement or attic, or went for long walks. Sometimes days would pass when he wouldn’t even see his parents.

Her words sent an ice shard into Valentine’s chest, though. “I...” He blew his hair out of his face. “I suppose. I know an old house, hasn’t been lived in for years and was condemned. We can stay there. Still furnished and everything.” He pointed behind him, as though he were standing right in front of it. “What do you say?”

A determined look crossed the young woman's eyes as she planted her hands firmly upon her hips. Soon though she relaxed, letting her arms fall to her sides once more after the redhead's net words. Nodding to herself, Valentina spent a moment to think of what she might need from her home. Shaking her head at herself, she shrugged. "It sounds like a good hiding spot. After that, who knows?"

Anything she might have grabbed could be replaced. Putting family in danger was out of the question. That's what would happen since the government now had their feelers out in search of her. All the secrecy ... It had been for nothing. At least there was someone else to share the danger with now.

Valentine shrugged. “All right then.” he said. “Come with me, I know where it is.”

He led the way across one of the amateur-crafted bridges. “The place was condemned after years.” He said. “Faulty wiring made the place a firetrap for the most part, but no one knew it until decades after having been lived in.” He laughed a bit. “Terrible. So, it was abandoned, the power cut completely. They thought about tearing it down, then about reviving it somehow. In the end, neither idea could be acted on and it was just left to rot.”

He looked over the rooftops. Far away, but not so far to walk, Valentine could see the house in particular. It stood alone, but near other homes that were slightly less deadly. No one had lived in that old, three-story rectangle for at least five years.

Nodding silently Valentina fell into step behind her guide with a little uncertainty. It was a horrible time crossing the bridges. In fact she reached out to clutch Valentine's arm lightly. Fearfully looking down, Tina tried to concentrate on the tall man's voice and words. Falling to the ground wouldn't kill her from this height, at least she didn't think so ... In any case, the young woman wasn't in any mood for trying to test that little theory out any time soon.

"Is it safe to live in? Maybe .. Maybe we could get some books from the library and try to fix everything up." Who knew, with their strange powers it might not be all that hard a task. Valentina was still discovering her own. Some of them delighted her, but others made her want to go and turn herself in without a second thought. Being able to cause the nerve endings of people fill with pain was a frightening power indeed. In fact she'd nearly fainted when hr bully from all those years ago had turned into a quivering mass of tears at a mere touch. That incident had been the beginning of everything.

Shaking her head with a sigh, Valentina returned her attention to Valentine. Seeking reassurance she let her mind bump against his in a friendly way. She wasn't trying to intrude or anything of the sort, rather she wanted to remind herself that right here was someone who wouldn't judge her for an accident like that.

Valentine kept one eye on his companion as they crossed the bridges most in need of repair. He’d never been afraid of heights, in fact, he appreciated them and how much you could see when so far up, but she seemed oddly clingy. Something he didn’t feel right with but out of respect didn’t mention or even think of.

“All the power’s cut in the house.” He said. “It’s no longer a death trap but no one’s interested in cleaning the place up after so long. But I’d think it best not to try fixing it up.” He glanced back to her. “It’d look strange if suddenly, there were a couple trespassers cleaning the house up. It’d draw unnecessary attention to our being there, wouldn’t it?”

He shook his head. Still Valentine wasn’t quite used to someone else with his power, able to read his thoughts, or simply connect in any way with him, like he could do with them. It was certainly something to get used to, and he pushed the discomfort away before it could be sensed. If they found more people like them, they’d be sharing thoughts and connecting their minds as though they had their entire life.

She sighed reluctantly and tried to find some other subject to distract her from her fears. "So what exactly can you do? I'm still figuring it all out, and new stuff makes an appearance everyday." Which just made her want to run away and hide in an even more drastic way then she was already doing.

Though Valentina knew she wouldn't be able to survive out in the middle of nowhere with no other person to talk with. She needed people. It got her into countless trouble more then once, but there was no changing that fact. The rickety bridge they were on seemed to shift, making Tina yell out a little and freeze in fear. It was like her muscles wouldn't obey her now, no matter how much her mind screamed at them to move.

Valentine paused in his thoughts. “What can I do?” He repeated slowly. “I don’t know everything yet, but I know I can survive massive falls, massive hits, heal quickly… I’ve been able to connect into the minds of others and manipulate water, but not necessarily freeze it.” He thought. Truthfully he could do a lot more, much worse, cause pain without touching, kill with a simple quick movement. He’d even shaken a building down to its foundation once or twice, but that had only come to him from a deep-seeded anger he hoped not to feel again.

He gasped at Tina’s cry. A thousand situations went through his mind at once, from the government’s lackeys at their backs, the bridge snapping, violent birds attacking, or perhaps one of their own kind trying to intercept them in some way. But the bridge was still, save the shift in the breeze. He didn’t feel anyone near, and no birds, other than far-off pigeons cooing to one another. Looking back, he found his new companion stood still, like a statue. “Erh…” He stopped himself from saying something stupid and moved back onto the near center of the bridge, tossing her over his shoulder and carrying her to the solid floor of the next building’s roof. “You okay?” He asked, setting her down. “Maybe we ought to go back to the ground…?”

She didn't hear any of his words until Valentine had whisked her away. Feet planted firmly on the ground, the young woman did her best to quiet down. It was strange hearing the man so worried, when he'd seemed so composed earlier. Of course, it had been because of Tina's sudden and stupid fear. "I'll be fine. I need to get over this eventually. Sooner, rather then later." At least now there was someone who could perhaps help her trough her fear.

Valentine tilted his head at the girl. He had to find it admirable that she would face her fears, even to such a large extent, but time was, after all, of the essence. “Well, I can’t hate you for that.” He admitted. The decision not to speak of the time strain poked at the back of his mind, but only for a moment. “Maybe you can learn your fear to take a backseat when necessary.” He added. “I’ve learned to push certain emotions to where they’re nonexistent for a certain period of time.” He moved across the roof. “You’re ready to go on?” He asked.

Valentina glanced around with concentration. There was just so much to be afraid of out on these roofs. Those rickety bridges for one! Not to mention the fact that being up so high without cover made her feel very vulnerable indeed. Another gust of wind made her strawberry blonde hair blow annoyingly into her face. This at least was a welcome distraction. The young woman bundled up the shoulder length locks into a tight ponytail and began walking forward across the next bridge with a determined expression. "If I freeze up again, you can go ahead and carry me. I won't offer a word of pr0test then!" Though she really wanted to be able to say she'd gotten across this high flying route all by herself.

Valentine watched her warily. She tended to push herself, so that was definitely something to be commended. Most would have accepted the offer to avoid their fears. He stepped up alongside her. “It’s not too far off from here.” He said. “I’ll stay behind you from now on to keep a watch. In case you freeze again, anyway.” He added quickly. “Go on, just don’t keep looking down or it’ll keep you hesitating.”

This bridge, at least, was held up with metal chain link and heavy oak plank, something rare to see. It was probably made by an older roof-dweller not long ago.

With a long sigh the young woman took her first steps onto the bridge. Tina locked her eyes upon her destination and felt out every step carefully. Taking her time right now was strange, perhaps dangerous. But her fear of heights wouldn't let the blonde do anything else. "Thanks Valentine, for being understanding." The words slipped from her lips just as she reached the solid rooftop with a sigh of relief. This was better, much better, then those rickety bridges! Then again ... The blue eyed girl stopped that thought quickly, unwilling to make herself any more afraid of this situation then she already was.

Valentine couldn’t help but smile. He leapt onto the roof just as a gust of wind kicked up and shook the bridge. Finding that lucky, that she hadn’t been there as the wind caught the more domed side of the oak planks, he stepped forward and a little to the right. “We’re not far off. If you look, you can see the top of the house.” He indicated the topmost rooftop of the house he’d spoken of, accompanied by a tall fireplace chimney. “We can walk on the ground from here now; considering we’re away from immediate danger.”

As he spoke, he pointed away from the especially rickety bridge, crafted from fraying rope and chain-woven steps to the iron fire escape to the left of it.

The young woman turned to peer at the area with an overly relieved look upon her face. Oh joy, their destination was none too far! It was a shame that the way there didn't seem as safe as Valentina would have wished. Hesitantly, the strawberry blonde moved to lower herself down. Each rung was another obstacle to surmount. Gritting her teeth, Valentina let out a squeak as her foot found thin air, only to sigh in relief once she found ground.