((cool <3. Pm me and we can sort out the details XD.))

....Todd" She answered after a moment's hesitation. He refereed to him as a common pet? Perhaps he hadn't heard Todd talk after all and thought she had just been talking to herself? She mused at these curiosities inwardly as she nibbled at her pie. She glanced at his own dessert and felt a stir of curiosity. Was it good too? It was one chocolate dessert always to expensive for her to bother to try. Maybe she should have ordered it instead of being conservative?

"that looks good, is it?" She asked curiously, partially because of her own inner thoughts and partially to change the subject. She wanted to keep him and Todd as separate as possible considering... Maybe she could keep todd hidden after all. Part of her worried though... what if Nate was just that good an actor? what if he was trying to trick her or trap her?

“Todd, that’s a cute name.” He said before taking another bite of his cake. For now he would leave her confused as to whether or not he had heard the fox talk earlier. He wondered for a moment how she would have reacted to a talking tiger if things had turned out the other way around. Well at least for her she could have acted like she was talking to herself or something and Todd was small enough to hide in a bag unlike a full grown Siberian tiger. Now that would take a lot of explaining to do.

He noticed she was looking at his dessert. “It’s very good. Well at least I think it is. It’s actually one of my favorite desserts to get when I can afford it.” Without really thinking he stuck his fork into the part he hadn’t ate off of and took a small piece out of the cake with it. He then proceeded to offer it to her. “Would you like to try it?” When he realized what he was doing he could feel his face turn red slightly.

Krysta nodded at the statement of the name, inwardly relaxing. If he could say that like it was the name of a pet rather then a person he probably hadn't heard. She smiled absently to him but then paused as he held out the bite. She blinked and a faint blush crossed her cheeks. The way he did that it was as if they were on a date or something. The fact that one of the other patrons seemed to giggle a bit didn't help.

"Sure..." She responded but took her own fork and took a piece about the same size off his cake herself with a slight look of embarrassment. She then tried the bite, too tempted not to. She couldn't help but look a little satisfied after a moment. It really was very good! She admitted as much in a soft tone... nearly a whisper. Her tone was slightly gruffer but not from meanness, just embarrassment.

"This is good...thanks"

Nate paid little attention to the stares and giggles of the other patrons around them to keep the embarrassment from showing more than it already was on his face. When she used her own fork to take a bite of his cake a slight hint of disappointment flickered in his eyes. He shrugged slightly and ate the bite on his own fork. “You’re welcome,” he whispered back before he resumed eating his cake. His eyes were lowered, like he was focusing on what he was eating. In his mind he was trying to figure out what exactly he was doing. First he was fine with just staying in the alley behind the inn then he had planned to blackmail this woman, which changed to dining with her while trying to frustrate her and now was he trying to flirt with her? He was starting to feel confused. Did he actually feel something for this woman and that is why he was wanted to tease and annoy her?

"You should move your stuff in when we're done eating..." She said quietly. She tried to sound all distant and emotionless as always but there was still a definite blush on her cheeks. Whether he tried to flirt with her or not he had definitely unbalanced her. She stayed silent after she spoke and focused on finishing her meal. She didn't notice the disappointment, trying to sort through her own feelings. For a moment she had felt almost...normal.

In that instant she felt like a girl on a first date must feel and she could not understand why. All her practicality, all her books, none of them held an answer to this. She'd had men try to flirt with her before and it had just annoying to her. What was different nwo? It made no sense... none at all.

“I’ll do that. Thank you again for letting me share your room.” He was once again using the polite tone from earlier. Eating slowly he watched her. It felt nice to act normal and just somewhat be himself. This was quite nice in his opinion even if he was annoying her in an attempt to get her to soften up. He let his thoughts wonder a bit taking another bite of his cake.

Things were felt different with her. Sure he had flirted and picked up women a couple of times before. Of course those times were usually Raja’s idea because she felt that there were skills he could learn from it. Otherwise when women approached him flirting and such he found it annoying or got bored quickly. In truth he hadn’t really seen the point in some of the things Raja had him do to teach him lessons for survival. Right now though, he was glad that he learned a few things from those lessons.

"It's fine." She said simply, though part of her was beginning to wonder. What if he flirted with her? Maybe Todd would bite him if he did. that might be safer then letting him...he messed up with her usual clinical way of thinking. She frowned at the thought as she took a bite of her dessert but the sweetness quickly chased it away and she was back to simply enjoying it. The nervousness would only return for a moment as they finished but once they were done she would stand.

"Might as well get you moved in" She said simply as she adjusted her glasses and headed towards the room. She would have to unlock it for him after all. She would also have to warn Todd it wasn't her coming in alone in her own subtle way. She didn't seem to be thinking to much about the flirting anymore....now her mind was more on keeping Todd quiet. He was far less able to control herself then she was...

He chuckled, “In a hurry I see.” He finished off his own dessert while she watched her leave. This was rather fun, but he knew that the fun would have to end soon. As he walked over to pay the bill he wondered if he should try talking to Raja again. She had seemed to be rather pissed with him, but what could he really do? He originally thought that getting two rooms was a good idea, but now it had turned into somewhat of a game for him. Rubbing the back of his head he sighed. Guess I better get this over with he thought. He headed to the room that Raja was holding up in to see if he could talk to her before heading to the room he’d be sharing with Krysta and Todd.

When he stopped outside of Raja’s room he let out another sight. He knocked on the door. Movement could be heard from inside as he waited. Raja shifted into her human form before cracking the door. “Now what do you want Nate,” she said as she studied him. She could tell that he wasn’t happy and a little uncomfortable. He explained the situation to Raja, which both angered her and made her curious. “I see, well maybe I should join you and see if what you say is true.” There was a smirk on the girls face. He shook his head. “I don’t think so. The room with be crowded enough without you there. Besides that look on your face tells me that you’d only cause trouble.” After a few more minutes of discussion the elemental agree to staying in her room, but she never agreed to not coming down to visit.

Krysta simply shrugged, not seeming to care. She figured it was better to get things over with. She stood at the door, her back against the wall and her arms crossed. She would wait for him to arrive to unlock the door, her eyes on the roof. She was still wondering if this was a good idea... but it seemed the least calculated risk to take. She seemed lost in her own thoughts and honestly was as she ran the possibilities. She expected todd to behave... only time would tell if he would.

“You better be good,” he warned his partner. She just simply rolled her eyes at him. Not wanting to argue further about things he picked up the bed roll and a bag which he had left outside of the girl’s room earlier. At least Raja had been nice enough to bring his stuff into her room after he left earlier. Hugging her he whispered, “Remember not to open the door for anyone other than me. Even though I’ve had a little look around I’m still not sure how safe this place is. I’ll bring you some dinner later, promise.” Letting go of her the look on his face told her all she needed to know for now. She nodded. “Be careful. If they are elementals they could be dangerous if they think you know their secret.” After telling her he would be careful and bye he exited the room carrying his things.

Raja peeked out the door to watch him walk down the hall to the other room where the other girl waited for him. She stared only for a moment before disappearing back into the room and locking the door. Nate gave Krystal a small smile as he walked over to her. “Again I’m sorry for this inconvenience. If I’m putting you out I can always find some other place to stay.” His smile has turned into a slight smirk. Once again he was back to teasing her.

That smirk... somehow it seemed so teasing, this his words didn't seem to have the same meaning. She tossed her hair and simply turned to unlock the door without a word. She had no intention of letting herself be affected by this man, whatever he was trying to do. She opened the door and waved him in. Todd looked up from the bed and raised an eyebrow at her, silently communicating his confusion. Krysta simply made a slight, hidden hand gesture that meant she'd explain later. The fox almost seemed to shrug and curled back up into the sleepy ball of fur he had been before they interrupted his nap. He preferred his foxy form so only took a human form when he had to.

"Set up where you please..." She muttered as she leaned against a wall. She crossed her arms and gazed at Nate in silence a moment. She seemed to be debating what to say to him or how to react to him. What would he want now that she was here? She doubted that he wanted anything more from her but a room but... if he had heard Todd he could blackmail whatever he wanted from her. There were some who would not be beneath asking for her body or worse.

He followed the woman into the room silently, barely paying attention to the fox. He gave her a nod, looking the room over. Luckily this was one of the outer rooms on the backside of the building so it had a window that overlooked the alleyway. He placed his belongings in the corner near the window. That would be where he would sleep. At least if he stayed there he would have an escape route if things turned out badly. He hoped to prevent that from happening, but how to go about finding out for sure that this girl was another elementalist? He thought things over for a bit. “I’ll just sleep on the floor over here if you don’t mind.” Once again he looked at the fox, curious. “So is the fox friendlier or does it bite too?” He joked in an attempt to lighten the mood and maybe get a conversation started.

She shrugged as he offered to sleep on the floor, not really caring. She checked the lock on the door and then moved to sit cross legged on the bed. She picked Todd up and placed him in her lap to keep him close, still not sure she could trust this man but seeing little choice. He had heard Todd talk... he had to know she was magical, maybe even that she was an elementalist. She watched him with a blank expression as if waiting for him to pounce as she hugged Todd for comfort. He stayed so much in fox form it was more like having a pet.

"He doesn't- ...oh... you haven't seen half my bite." She started to respond Todd didn't bite but then realized what Nate had actually said mid sentence. She blushed at her mistake but decided to respond in an equally joking manner. She then stuck her tongue out at him even as she thought of the truth in her words. She wasn't sure how to respond to nate and it was making her off balance. He had intended to blackmail her, not befriend her...... right?

He chuckled as he looked out the window. Things seemed to be quieting down around the small city, the evening lightly slowly dying. There wasn’t much a view for the window since all that really could be seen was the building across the alley and the alley below. His eyes narrowed when he seen that one of the shadows in the alley seemed to be moving, but he couldn’t quite make out if it was a person or a large animal. He shifted his weight a little, feeling a little uneasy. The thought that he might have fallen into a trap crossed his mind, but he brushed it off. He turned to face the woman again the look on his face more serious than before.

“I see. So the owner is the one with the bite instead of the pet. Or do you consider your relationship with the fox that way?” He asked curiously, hoping to catch the girl off guard again in hopes that she might let the information that he wanted slip. Really he hadn’t intended to rush getting the information, but when there was a possible hunter lurking about in the alley he felt he had no choice. His eyes went from her down to Todd wondering if what Raja had told him long ago about the elementals having a special link that allows them to communicate telepathically just like some of the elementals have with their human partners. If that was true then wouldn’t Todd and Raja be able to sense that they were close?

"Relationship?" She responded with a puzzled expression as she and todd glanced at each other. There was unmistakable communication between the two, both uncertain about the question. Todd indicated he sensed another elemental but both of them felt a moment of caution. For all they knew the hunters had made an elemental work for them, so even if he was it meant nothing. She frowned to herself and hesitated as she shifted foot from foot. She saw him shift his attention to the alleyway, however, and walked over to glance out the window as well.

"No......I'd call us friends" She said cautiously as she caught sight of movement. She moved away quickly and sat on the edge of the bed. She seemed to prepare herself for his reaction as her hands slipped into her pockets. Her fingernails were glowing slightly red but they remained hidden by her pockets. She mainly used her hands for her elements. Water, earth, shadow, and plant... the elements of earth. She was the element of earth and knew not that he was the elemental of heaven who controled light, wind, electricity, and fire.


((i think that's how we divided it lol))

“I thought you might put it that way. It’s somewhat easy to tell the two of you are close.” He tensed when he noticed her putting her hands in her pocket. The air in the room shifted, moving like there was a slight breeze in the room from the window being open. The young man moved away from the window as well, moving closer to his bag. It was hard for him to act as if he hadn’t noticed what she did. Keep going with the conversation you tried to start and stay calm. “You two really seemed to get along well. It would be nice if my friend and I could get along that well.” He mused for a moment, chuckling lightly, “but that’s probably too much to ask since my friend is…human...,” he paused a moment before saying human, catching himself before he said different. “Maybe you will meet her later.” The air in the room was still moving slowly. By now he was running out of things to say to keep the conversation going and he felt that he may have screwed things up.


((That sounds about right.))

(( hmm fire and water may have been switched >.< not sure. I think i got them backwards, in fact i'm sure we did but we can leave it like that or change fire and water, up to you. Which do you prefer? fire or water?))

"It seems to me... that your friend, like mine, is everything but human..." She suddenly said sharply as her eyes narrowed on him, she was clearly aware the air had shifted and he had caused it. She stood and todd jumped onto her shoulders as her nails went jet black in her pockets. It was always easier to use shadow in doors... her other elements were to destructive. It was the curse of the one who bore the 'blessings of earth', their path was destruction and darkness. She had learned that the hard way a long time ago...

"So are you with them or are you with me?" She asked quietly, her eyes intense on his. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out what she meant. Was he on her side or the hunters? An air elemental working with the hunters... it would be almost a worst case scenario if he were cruel enough and powerful enough to take the air from a room and slowly suffocate one to death. She had the window, however, if he was and was clearly prepared to go through it or the door if he did. His range could only be so far....

((I’d prefer fire instead of water.))

Raja lounged on the bed once more, her thoughts on her partner. “Sometimes that boy can be so foolish,” she grumbled to herself. Of course she didn’t really have much room to talk since there were times she rushed into things without thinking as well. All she wanted was for him to stay safe. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she stared at the ceiling. While laying there thinking she could feel the shift in the air within the building. “Damn that boy.” She growled, jumping off the bed and heading to the door. It only took her a few minutes to reach the door to the room she had watched Nate enter earlier. Once there she started knocking loudly on the door. I’m not letting him stay in there any longer whether he is or isn’t in danger. He’s being too reckless.



“That may be so miss.” Things weren’t playing out as he had planned though he wasn’t surprised that she had noticed the change in the air. He remained a little tense as he watched the woman and fox. Standing there he looked straight back into her eyes, laughing lightly. “Who would want to be with them? They only make life harder than what it already is especially for people like us. Krysta I assure you that I’m on your side.” He held up his hands in a gesture to show that he means the pair no harm.

Hearing a knock on the door his eyes darted towards it. Not now. Quickly he moved towards the door. “I’ll get it,” he said, hoping that the pair would stay where they were and let him take care of this. He was sure that it was probably Raja and that she’d be in a foul mood. Before he could even open the door he could hear the woman on the other side yelling, “Nate, you better open this door right this minute! If you don’t you’re going to be sorry.” Yup, I was right she’s mad again. Exasperated he banged his head lightly on the door, letting out a heavy sigh. He glanced back over to the woman and fox, offering them an apologetic look. “Alright, just stop yelling,” he called through the door before cracking it just enough to see his friend.

((sounds good, I prefer water/ice over fire myself. So yeah I'll edit my other post and you have fire and etc))

Krysta's mistrusting eyes narrowed on him and the shadows in the room seemed to shiver. She didn't trust him... but if he was an ally she couldn't afford to chase him away. She glanced to todd a moment out of the corner of her eyes. For a moment they seemed to be debating, only for a knock on the door to sound. She nearly jumped as it did so and the shadows flared until the room was almost dark for a moment. Before one blinked the shadows returned to normal, however.

"Who is that..." She asked quietly, her body tense. It was clear part of her was afraid that he had an ally on the other side of the room and this had been an elaborate trap. She edged towards the window slightly and frowned at him. She knew there was someone in the alley but only one at least so it was one against one or two against one at the door... one against one seemed preferable. Still she gave him a chance to answer and didn't head out the window yet.

The young man looked back over at the girl and fox. “It’s my friend, Raja. She’s like Todd. I won’t let her in unless you want me to. Please, trust me,” he pleaded after noticing that Krysta has moved closer to the window. “Please…” He looked back and forth between his partner and the pair that he’d just met.

“Forgive me Raja, but I want to handle this on my own. You can kill me or lecture me all that you want later,” he whispered through the crack in the door before on the door with all his weight he managed to get it back closed and locked it quickly. Once the door was closed again he banged his head lightly on it out of frustration. He stood there with one hand on the door, his head still resting against it. He could feel his long time companion’s presence on the other side. A few moments passed by him as he waited to see what the pair he had met would do. He hoped that they would take a chance and trust him, but he knew well that taking chances weren’t something that elementals and their partners could risk.

Raja growled, pounding more on the door before finally stopping. Like the boy she had banged her head and left one hand resting on the door. “I want to trust you young one, but I don’t want to risk losing you. Partners don’t grow on trees you know….so be careful you idiot.” If something happens to you I won’t forgive them or you. The woman pushed away from the door, but she didn’t wonder too far away.

Krysta gazed at him coldly as he begged her to trust him, unconvinced for a moment. She had found many had a silver tongue when their life was threatened. Todd did confirm that Raja was an elemental at least. She frowned still, however, only to calm a little as he stood with his back to her. One did not leave themselves in such danger if they considered you an enemy. She shook her head and sat on the edge of the bed. She held out her hands for Todd to leap into her lap. She stroked the foxs head and frowned at his back for a moment longer.

"Why do you want me to trust you so badly." She asked quietly. She was gazing at him thoughtfully now. The shadows began to calm but she kept them close just in case. She was uncertain but she would not show it. She appeared confident, calm, ready for anything. She watched him closely, silently.

Nathanial sighed softly, hearing her question. Why do I care so much? Really I have no reason to other than the fact that we are both elementalist…well she is fun to tease and she is kind of cute. Is that all really a good enough reason for wanting her trust? There was a long silence and the air in the room seemed to still as he thought about the question. Maybe Raja was right for calling him a fool.


Finally he turned to face the woman and fox, running a hand through his hair. “Well for one you’re fun to tease,” he grinned a bit before getting serious. “Of course there is also the fact that in a way we are the same since we are both partners to elementals and there is strength in numbers. Really we’d both benefit from trusting each other and travelling together.” While giving his reasons he looked at the both of them in the eyes. He was being honest, but of course that honesty of his tended to get him in trouble at times and he wondered if this would be one of those times.

"Fun to....? Be serious if you please. Yes... you have a point. It would make sense for us to travel together...I will agree to this. Why dont you let your friend in." Krysta said slowly as she came to a decision. She nodded and let Todd slip from her lap and onto the pillow on the bed. She slowly stood and crossed her arms as she gazed at him. She was cautious still but at least she wasn't holding Todd. She bit her lip in thought, at least if she saw the elemental was all that was on the other side of the door she'd feel a little better, a little more sure.

“Alright, I’ll let her in, but I’ll warn you that Raja can be a hot head at times and rather protective.” Nathanial sighed and rolled his eyes slightly at the last part. He knew that his partner meant well, but it could be rather annoying at times when she didn’t trust him. The young man turned and opened the door, “Raja you can come in.” Once the door was open he stepped to the side so that Krysta could see that all that was on the other side of the door was his friend.

Raja had been leaning back against the wall across from the door when Nate opened it. Her head shot up when she heard the door and the boy’s voice. It was hard for her, but she held her tongue. She knew that her friend only did what he felt was necessary. Slowly she walked into the room and closed the door behind her. “So you’re the one that has caught my Nate’s interest." She smiled slightly at the girl outstretching her hand to show she meant no harm.

Nathanial stood by the door and watched. He was a bit nervous about how things would turn out now. Finally he moved over and kind of stood to the side between the two girls. After his friend spoke he started the introductions. “Raja this is Krysta and the fox over there is Todd. Krysta and Todd this is my partner Raja.” The male looked between the two women after introducing them. Things seemed to be going well for now.

Todd spoke up to say hi but did not shift from his fox form. Krysta meanwhile raised an eyebrow and watched Raja thoughtfully. 'Her nate' did that and her apparent like of human form mean that Raja and Nate were lovers? She blinked to herself as she felt a feeling almost like jealousy but squelched it quickly and kept her face icy flat and cold. She reached up slowly to take the other womans hand in a gentle shake before pulling it back and glancing at Nate. The way he stood in between them had her nervous...

"so you're an elemental like todd? She confirmed quietly. She was still wary and it was clear her first instinct was to get out of the situation but she didn't move. She simply leaned back against the bed post and stayed quiet as she waited for an answer. She wasn't sure what to do now... wait, why wasn't he sharing a room with Raja? Perhaps they were not lovers after all... Krysta didn't know why this thought relieved her. was she really that lonely?