Elijah Sinclair had always thought that magic had never liked her. From a very young age, she had realized this when her very first fire ball had backfired and burned her neighbor's house. Those people still cursed her whenever she passed by them every time she visited her family, not letting her forget for even a moment that she had been the one that caused such chaos as a child. At thirteen, when she moved on from basic spell casting and in to intermediary spells, she had accidentally blown up three rooms in a mansion. She, along with her master at the time, fled the scene as fast as possible so as not to be caught and charged for damages (something that never in their lives would they be able to pay).

When her master thrust her back to her parents' arms and promptly told them that she may very well be a powerful spell caster, her lack of control was far too dangerous to allow her to hone her particular skill, Elijah decided (much to her parents' protests) to take up the sword...as well as the family business. She now cooked at the Inn they owned (and she was a pretty damned good cook) and worked as a guard to the village some days. She never again ventured in to the world of magic (it would only further make her realize the fact that she had such raw power but couldn't use it) unless it was absolutely necessary.

It was how she found herself helping with spell research on the outskirts of town despite her aversion to sorcery.

Elijah had sighed and complained (in her mind of course) the whole time she had been filling the application for a bodyguard as well as an assistant. She had a very bad feeling about the job but it paid well they were in the red this month so included as much of her experience as she could without outright telling a lie. Unsurprisingly, she'd been the one chosen to help the sorcerer (his name was Alastor Rakov she later found out). They worked well together and despite Elijah's wariness with anything and all related to magic, she began to relax after working for Alastor for a month.

Bad move on her part really.

The accident (or she assumed it was an accident. Without Alastor's comment on it, she couldn't be too sure if it was an accident or he meant to send her to this place) happened when she had been standing at the sidelines and waiting for her boss to finish casting. She thought she had been safe (she had been a good distance away from the magic circle) and she had let down her guard. She watched as the bright flash of light enveloped the whole magic circle...and then started to spread past the lines that Alastor had carefully drawn on the ground, she hadn't had enough sense to move back and run far away. What she did instead was stare dumbly at the light until her feet had been enveloped in them.

And now, after the fancy lights had left, as she was sitting on the cold floor of some sort of sorcerer's house (what else would she call such an unfamiliar place?), Elijah didn't count on her luck on changing anytime soon. In fact, she was sure that she would be quite lucky if she got out of this spot alive and not roasted. Sorcerer's were known to be very possessive of their territory. She looked around, dark hair whipping about, in confusion as she stared at the different items in the room with her teal eyes. She couldn't be positive but it looked to be a diner of sorts, what with the several tables and chairs (at least she thought they were chairs). And well, there was certainly a very nice aroma coming from the direction of where she thought the kitchen might be.

"Just kill me now," she mumbled to herself, a deep accent coating her words as she stood up on wobbly legs and tucked her wavy hair behind her ear with a dark skinned hand. There were two people around, her soldier senses alerted her. One was gaping at her from behind some sort of counter (and wearing funny striped clothes while they were at it) and the other was somewhere behind her. Slowly, so as not to appear threatening, Elijah turned to look at the person behind her. Subtly, she reached for her sword and she was quickly thrust in to a panicked daze when she realized that she didn't have her sword with her. Or anything metal actually so her armor was gone as well. She was only clad in her brown travel boots, her blue fitting pants, and her long green shirt (one that reached her thighs) that doubled as a sweater.

Elijah took a deep breath, trying to get herself to calm down and make her heart resume its normal beating, before she looked down, examining the slowly fading magic circle underneath her. She carefully took stock of it, memorizing the runes and so on until it disappeared and left her trapped in this insane place. When she was done, she looked back up to the person she had earlier been staring at.

"Mind if you would tell me where I am?" she asked him, her accent strong and thick as ever, making it a little bit difficult to understand her. Of course, she didn't know she had such an accent. Everyone in the village spoke the way she did after all. "Pardon the interruption as well. I did not mean to startle anyone."

I did not mean to even be here, her mind silently added as she shifted her weight to the other side.

[IMGRIGHT]http://i25.tinypic.com/33a8f8k.jpg[/IMGRIGHT]Earlier that day, Neal had been picked up for stealing. It was a little crime, but they figured it would teach him a lesson or two if he was locked up for a day. At first it was an orange jumpsuit, but then it changed to a black and white one. Later on they would ask him to get back in the bright orange one. It was a pain, but he obeyed. Anything to get out of this place. Groaning to this change of outfit, again, Neal thought back to earlier that day....

Things were running smoothly. Actually, perfectly. The day was lovely with a clear blue sky that had large puffy white clouds dotting it here and there. Birds were singing their harmonious songs of love and gossip. A couple was sucking face on a park bench and not to far down from them, a man got down on one knee for a freckled brunette. She screamed with joy and excitement, but nothing could match the loud squealing joys coming from the playground. One little dark-skinned male was playing tag with his friends when suddenly an older brother popped up out of nowhere. This sent the kids recoiling and running a muck. There joyous laughter caused an old couple to look up from their day old paper and their elderly dog to wag his near-naked tail.

Smiling, something Neal did a lot, he stepped up beside a crying little girl. Bending down, he placed a bouquet of flowers in her hands and then went off to start (and finish) his perfect day.

But, to his dismay, he was already too late. Stepping up along the curb, a man in black pinned him to a car and then read him his rights. A fit of anger exploded in his mind, but Neal knew better than to verbally express himself. Staying calm, he dared to question his reason for being cuffed.

"You pick-pocketed from Officer Betty Lynn Kay last week. We're bringing you in."

"I-I... I don't understand, sir? I don't even know who that is." Playing dumb, it sounded right. But when he felt his head get smashed into the car's frame, he thought other wise. "Okay, so I stole from her last week. I needed the money. She was passing out bills to everyone under my age. I needed some money because my friend was in trouble. Like, the deep shit kind of trouble. If he went to you guys, you never would have believed him. So a borrowed a few hundred from her. I gave it all back, though."

"I know you did," she said resting a hand on his dark-brown hair. "But you need to learn a lesson. Just one day. Just 24 hours behind bars. That should teach you a lesson. Now off you go."

When Neal finally awoke from his dream - a dream that was more or less a playback of earlier that day - he found himself with a new cell mate. "Uh. You're in... jail." Looking up at her from the floor he took his little 'snooze' on, Neal rose and then held out a friendly hand. "The name's Neal. Neal Hunter. Ummm, but how the hell did you get in here. And please, please don't kill him. If he dies, then I get arrested for good."

He exhaled and then looked over at the wall. "Listen, you better get out of here before you get us in trouble. We're only in here because they are, 'teaching us a lesson.' Freaking losers. I don't need a lesson. I'm well aware what I'm doing. Too bad they haven't a clue." He rolled his eyes and counted his crimes in his head. Robbery, grand theft, forgery, lock picking, pick-pocketing, and so much more. Neal Hunter wasn't a bad man, per say. He didn't kill anyone. Didn't even harm the people he stole from. In fact, his little thief-like ways usually helped the FBI catch a con man. Never himself, as he was far too sly. Well, minus this little mishap. Now he was in the system. Or he would have been, but thankfully his finger prints were burned off from a little issue with fire he had the day before. He more or less engulfed a hamburger in flames and decided it was 'pretty' and felt compelled to touch it. Smartest plan ever? Not really. But it did help him stay out of the system.

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[[Hope that's an okay first post. Sorry it wasn't all that great. T_T]]

((No need to apologize. It's fine. ^-^))

She was in prison? The odd girl looked around in amazement. She had not thought that a prison would look quite clean. The prison back in her village had been filthy and filled with rats, smelly men, and sometimes even blood. This place however, was devoid of all of that. Well of course it wasn't completely clean. What prison was anyway? But the fact of the matter was that it was cleaner than the ones she had seen and been to. It was even cleaner than some houses she had seen. Whoever the warden was in this place, Elijah thought that he must be quite the meticulous person. If only all wardens were the same as the person who ran this jail, then she wouldn't be so repulsed every time she went in and delivered a bounty.

Her attention was brought back to Neal however, when he approached her and introduced himself. Elijah politely smiled. She was about to respond but then he had stuck out his hand. She stared down at the hand for a moment or two, unable to comprehend what she was supposed to do with it. She blinked in confusion and looked up at Neal before she tuck out her hand as well, mimicking his movement since it seemed to be the appropriate thing to do. Perhaps it was a custom here when meeting new people. It was a strange custom, she thought, but it was best to not upset the natives...especially natives who were trapped in jail the same as her.

"It is a pleasure to meet you Sir Neal. My name is Elijah Sinclair," she replied and tilted her head to the side, "I do not understand? I have no intention of hurting anyone nor to cause anyone any inconvenience."

She shifted her weight to the side as she kept her hand outstretched in front of her. She'd been using a sword for years now and something like the strain of keeping her hand in such a position was child's play to her. She was starting to feel a little nervous however since she couldn't see any way out. Not without causing the two she was sharing this prison with any trouble. She was most likely going to have to stay here until her two prison mates had been released before making her own escape.

"And I do apologize. I cannot explain how I came to be here simply because I myself have not solved that mystery," she said and it was the truth. She still didn't know what had happened with the magic circle that it sent her to this place. She was just hoping that her boss knew she was still alive and was searching for her. She doubted it though. Bodyguards were dispensable after all. She would have to make her way back on her own, "And I...cannot leave this place unless someone opens the door. Do not worry though. I will stay out of sight so that neither of you two will be placed in to an unsavory position."

Her words were to be tested immediately however because the door at the end of the hall was opening. She smiled once more at Neal, curtsied and headed for the most shadowy corner of the room. She turned around, staying perfectly and facing the rest of the room. She stared at the bars before taking a deep breath and summoning just a tiny bit of her magic to invoke one of the six basic spells she knew and mastered.

To Neal and the other guy in the cell, it wouldn't appear like she did anything different. She was simply standing there and with the lights the way they were, people could easily see her if they tried hard enough.

To the guard who stopped in front of their cell and gave a look around the room however, Elijah was simply a mass of shadows in the corner. Nothing suspicious or unusual. The guard nodded in satisfaction before returning back to where he came without so much as a word to any of them. Once the coast was clear, Elijah stepped out of the shadows and simultaneously dissolved the spell. It was a basic dark spell that hid her from everyone who didn't know that she was where she was. It was quite finicky however and could only be used in places where there was a massive gathering of shadows...such as the corner she had just vacated.

"See? I will not be of any trouble. I simply need to wait until you two have been released before making my way out."

Neal just looked down at the girl's hand. Okay, she's obviously not from around here. When the officer came by, Neal just gave a light-hearted wave. This little action caused the guard to roll his eyes and walk by even faster. I really should just break out of here, but I would draw too much attention to myself. Perhaps I can get what's his face to do it. Hmmm, I think I have a plan.

Stepping backwards into the cell, Neal's cocky grin was across his face. "Hey, I noticed that you were put away for picking locks. Why are you still in here?" His blue eyes looked over at the other man in the cell.

"It's true. I'm the best. I could break outta this joint if I wanna."

"You don't want to?" Neal was a tad confused as to why anyone would stay, but when he saw a spark fly in John's eyes, he knew his freedom was coming. "Oh no, don't tell me you're going to..."

"Break free? Hell yes. Mum needs my help. I needa get the hell outta this dump. 'n since the guard left, I can pick this lock in no time." Waddling up to the door, he pulled a narrow piece of metal from his his hip. It was disgusting covered in a nice coating of blood. He removed the piece of metal from his... his body. Well, it was one efficient way to hide a piece of metal.

What seemed like hours was actually only three minutes. A light clicking noise filled the cell, and, before even saying goodbye, the hefty boy 'sprinted' down the hall. Neal, still smiling, looked about before stepping from the iron pen. Picking up a sliver of a rock, Neal slammed it into his arm and then purposely banged his head into the metal poles that used to imprison him. Winking at the female, he dropped to the ground. "Guards, please. Guards! Help! Help, please!" The sound of running men followed and soon they were outside the cell.

"Christ! What happened? Hey, where did that fat boy go?" Bending down, he looked up at his fellow uniformed peers. "Get him out of here. No point in keeping him locked up anymore. I guess he learned his lesson." Snorting, he shot a glance toward the dark corner. "This cell needs cleaning. Look at how black it is over there. Come on boy, let's get you all checked out and back on the streets." The officer's blond hair was shorter than Neal's, but that's not what Neal was really looking at. No, Neal was looking at the scar hidden beneath the young officer's hair. Wounded in battle? The clicking of dog tags confirmed his thought.

Eyes glancing toward the dark corner, he nodded lightly at Elijah. It was more or less his way of saying, you're free. "You know, with my new found freedom, I think I'll buy myself a burger at McBen's Bar and Grill." The officer just looked at him, but Neal was hoping Elijah would get the hint. Then again, he recalled her odd fail of a handshake. Maybe she won't be joining me. Meh, oh well.

Freedom. Freedom to steal and be troublesome again. Ah, how fresh it was. Only, Neal promised he would do better this time. No getting caught. Smiling, he walked out onto the dark street and headed toward the place he mentioned not too long ago. Will she come? His mind questioned this over and over again. Finally resting with the answer, 'no,' Neal pushed open the glass down and flagged down a waitress. "The usual," he said exhaling. Tonight, he thought, would be very interesting if she did show up.

At first, Elijah was quite bemused at what Neal was doing but a few seconds after his hurting himself, his plan had been neatly laid out for her. She smiled, returning his tiny nod. She got the hint as well. She would try and meet him at this Sir Mcben's bar and grilling place. She didn't know where it was but she was quite certain that she would be able to ask for directions from the people outside of this jail. She fidgeted however when a janitor came in and started cleaning the cell as soon as Neal was released.

Frowning, Elijah looked at the open cell door before staring at the janitor. She could probably knock him unconscious but she didn't want to hurt anyone. Not if they didn't deserve it. She tilted her head to the side and saw a desk with a couple of papers on the other wall opposite of her cell. Taking a silent deep breath, Elijah sent a small flame spark at the papers. Her flame spell wasn't any use in battle but it certainly came in handy when she wanted to start a fire. Unfortunately, that was all she could do. She couldn't control the flames after they were produced. It didn't matter here though. The prison was made out of cement and iron. The only things that were flammable were the desk, the bookshelf behind it, and the now rapidly burning papers.

When the janitor smelled the smoke, he yelled and started calling for help. Smiling, Elijah stepped out of the shadows, becoming immediately visible to people. Lucky for her, the ones who came rushing inside to help extinguish the fires that were quickly engulfing the books were far too distracted with the task to bother her any attention. Moving as subtly and quietly as she could, Elijah exited the prison. She stopped at the empty main office though when she sensed that there was water on the roof. She looked up, noticing the pipes before her mouth formed in to a small 'oh'. She wondered what they were for though.

Her inner question was answered a moment later when they suddenly burst in to life and started to rain down water on everything. She blinked and quickly ran outside to keep herself dry. Once outside she let out a calming breath. There were so many unusual things in this place. When she finally paid attention to everything around her, she was further placed in to shock. What kind of place did she teleport to? She had never seen any of the items or houses that were everywhere.

She bit her bottom lip before her soldier instincts calmed her down. It would not do to panic. First and foremost, she needed to find that Sir Mcben's place. She walked away from the police station (luckily for her, she didn't walk across the road) and tapped the shoulder of the first person she saw...which happened to be a gruff looking man with a beard. He looked down at her and perked a brow in question.

"Ah...so terribly sorry for bothering you sir but you wouldn't happen to know the location of one Sir Mcben's bar and grilling place would you?"

The stranger looked at her peculiarly before answering.

"You mean Mcben's Bar and Grill?"

Elijah grew ecstatic and she sent him a brilliant grin.

"Yes! That one. Would you mind pointing me to its direction?"

The man shrugged and gestured down the street. "Just keep walking down that street. You'll see it on your right soon enough."

"Thank you very much." she said and curtsied to him before following his directions. She kept her eyes on the right as she didn't want to risk the chance of missing the place and wind up lost. She imagined that getting lost would be quite easy in such a place as this peculiar town. A few minutes of walking later, Elijah spotted some neon signs that said 'Mcben's Bar and Grill' with one of the Ls in 'grill' missing. She stared at it for a moment before shrugging and heading inside. She politely knocked on the glass door first before pushing it open (as the direction written on the paper stuck to the door said). She paused inside and looked around, still a bit bewildered at the different colors and unusual decoration.

When she spotted Neal however, she brightened and approached him.

"Greetings Sir Neal," she said and curtsied to him as was required of her from her customs. It was somewhat strange since she wasn't wearing a dress but customs were customs, "Now if I was not mistaken about that nod, you wished to meet here yes?"

She took the seat beside him before she gasped and quickly stood back up. In her village, one was not required an invitation to sit and chat but this place might be a bit different. Was it possible that she had offended Neal by sitting down unannounced or by sitting down in the first place? Was there a proper seating arrangement such as females should sit in front and males beside other males?

"I apologize if I offended you with my unannounced partaking of your company. I am not at all familiar with your customs," she looked around and gripped her hand in nervousness, "May I sit next to you?"