The Unluckiest Girl Alive [Endless]

[Katerine Vexler]

Somewhere in the wilds of Aissic...

She had escaped. She wasn't completely sure how she had done it, or how that woman had not caught up to her by now, but for the time being - she had escaped. She had no shoes, her bones were moving in weird combinations as she ran on painfully icy paths - but she was free. She was not held in captivity, in pain. Now she was free and the feeling of glass-like ice beneath her toes was something she would have relished if she was not concentrating as she was on breathing. Cold air filled ragged, cobwebbed lungs as she pushed herself past any limit she believed she had.

It felt wonderful.

She would have laughed and cried for joy and celebrated. But instead she just ran and let happy tears freeze on her cheeks. She was so distracted, so happy, so free that she wasn't lookign where she was going. She was not paying attention to anything ghosts were saying or doing around her, and so she would - quite ironically - fall into a trap that had not even been set. She was free, and now - little did she realize - she was going to captured again.

She crashed into someone, a boy. Tall, pale, looking as though he could easily blend in with the snow had his hair not been pitch black. She did not know where this would lead. She did not know that she would be surprised when she found out. But for now her happiness was replaced simply by fear that this pause would lead her back into the hands of her woman kidnapper. So she tried to use this boy to help her.

"I'm so sorry, but please... please you have to help me. Please," She begged, grasping to the arms of the boy's clothes in order to not fall to the icy ground after the crash. She would later review this time and cry, scream, ask herself why, ask them why. For now, she just begged.

Timestamp: Emonea 2nd: 7:00PM

[Endless Laeretti]

Endless was mentally floored.

Just moments ago, he had been doubled over, panting from his little show of trying to impress "T" even though the current environment was not the best venue for doing so. He had straightened himself up then, prepared to walk down the icy pathways he knew would get him back to Tarifa, where he would then make his way underground (he had to cringe at that thought) to begin his investigation.

He had been all set for that, until someone bumped into him. He was shocked, alarmed, and even slightly afraid - who would be up here other than him or "T", who was way on the other end of the valley? Of course, his immediate assumption was that he was being attacked by an enemy.

In split seconds, his mind was rushing, trying to think of who he knew that might randomly attack him or...then he turned around, and his eyes widened at what he saw.

There before him, grabbing at his arms and crying for help was a girl that looked like she was half-dead. Or even all dead. But he recognized her. She did stand out, after all. Only ten minutes ago, he was looking at the sheet of information "T" had given him, showing off various known members of the crew he was after. And this girl was one of the most prominant pictures he could see on the page, because her unique appearance was something he had never quite seen before.

And now she was before him, asking for help in a very desperate tone, looking possibly even worse than she had looked in the photo. Endless swallowed.

"W-what do you need help with...?" he asked, clear nervousness showing through his voice.

What the hell am I doing? I should be trying to ctach her! But she looks so helpless! But "T" could still even be right in the area! The job could be over THAT quick! How impressive would that be?!

He kept his face open and frank, deciding to hear the girl out. However, above them, a shelf of ice felt the tug of his mind, and began to loosen, just ever so slightly...

[Katerine Vexler]

The boy seemed shocked by her appearance, and Katerine completely understood. She had, after all, just run out of no where and crashed right into him. Besides that, she looked half dead, which set off most people's 'what the heck?' alarms right away. So the look of surprise on his face, his nervousness, did not at all put her off. It wasn't even just that she understood why he would be nervous. It was also because she was out of breath, panting and feeling her lungs ache with cold. Her feet were sore, her legs were screaming with pain. She didn't have the energy to question why he would look a certain way. So instead she just kept holding onto his arms so that she didn't simply crumple into little pieces before him.

"She's chasing me... And by she I mean... Well, I don't know her name, but she grabbed me. Kidnapped me. I managed to hit her and run away... But she's... Well, I'm certain she's following me. Close. She's close. Please, just... help me hide or something. Please," She panted, she begged. She didn't take notice that her ghosts had caught up with her, that they had found her and were asking her questions. She couldn't hear a word they said. She didn't really care right now. She was just too tired and too scared and too desperate.

[Endless Laeretti]

A sense of morbid understanding overtook Endless when the girl replied to him. She was being chased. Probably by someone who was also after her bounty.

And with that, Endless no longer felt confused, or nervous. Instead, he felt urgency. Urgency to capture this girl. Urgency to suck it up and do his job before someone else did it for him. He closed his eyes is disdain, feeling awful about what he was about to do, but reminding himself that this girl was a pirate, after all. This girl had probably done terrible things, worse than Endless had done.

"Sorry." he mumbled, and to his credit, he was at least sincere about it.

He then snatched his arm from her surprisingly tight grip and floated himself backwards, flicking his wrist above him as he did so. And at his command, the ice shelf above came lose.

A miniature avalanche of snow plummeted down from the top of the valley, falling to bury the girl before him - he would put a sort of "blanket" around her to keep it from outright crushing her.

He stared with a calm sense of remorse at the girl, the surprised and quite likely afraid expression on her face the last thing he saw before she was envelopped in white. And then he sighed. Well, he'd done it. His first capture. So why did he feel so lousy about it?

He shook off the thought, however. He was not done here. Not yet. Now he would need to be a bit creative.

Looking around him, he spotted several chunks of ice that had come loose from his artificial snowslide, and set to work with them. This was frozen water; the electrons were almost at a standstill inside of it. It would cause no trouble for him.

He lifted up too large chunks, deciding that they would be satisfactory as he started chipping away the edges with his mind. It was a little difficult, and sloppy-looking (shaping ice wasn't as easy as sand), but in the end, he had managed two, somewhat decent-looking circles of reasonable thickness.

He set them down, turning his attention to some nearby, smaller ice pieces. About five minutes of strenuous, mental labor later, he had managed to produce what he was hoping for. Eight poles of ice, each reasonably large, several of them a bit crooked or slightly misshapen, now floated in the air.

"Well, I've got a makeshift prison, now, I guess." he glanced down at the information sheet "T" had given him, eyeing the information of the girl he had cpative in the snow. "Let's see.... "Plague". Nothing here about any kind of fire magic or abilities... and if she could use it, I'm sure she would have by now...alright. This should work then." he nodded to himself, taking a deep breath and heading over to the pile of white that was Katerine.

Closing his eyes, he [rpbed the pile of snow, searching around for the first negative signal he could find. It didn't take long - he found the repulsion in just a few seconds, waves that denied him any sort of control, around the size of a human body. That was her. Knowing where she was located, he took a deep breath and mentally prepared himself for this strain. He couldn't move other people. But he could certainly move the things around them. Focusing with all his might, he tightly packed the snow around Katerine's body, and began lifting it, the snow pulling Katerine with it. He could feel some sudden struggling in the negative waves inside - so the girl was still conscious, huh? And she was probably trying to escape her snowy prison.

He tried to ignore her, keeping his focus on moving the snow - the majority of the pile was left on the ground, while a sort of Snow COffin now floated through the air, toward one of the two icy circles Endless had crafted, Plague housed snugly inside this coffin.

Finally getting it above the circle, he snapped his focus and dropped her, the snow crumbling away in chunks at the impact as Katerine was once again visible, now laying atop Endless' ice circle.

He needed to act quickly, before her senses came back to her and she got up and ran. With a quick flick of his wrist, his eight poles of ice shot forward, slamming down around her, spaced almost completely evenly along the circle. Lastly, the second Circle Endless had made floated up above them, landing atop the poles to create a ceiling.

Endless had made a literal prison of ice, with floor, ceiling, and bars. Sighing heavily, he fell back and breathed out. His jail would hold without his control for a little while - he head made sure to jam the poles deep into each circle, so it wouldn't just fall apart. And he doubted Katerine could break them, with how thick he'd made them.

So now, he would rest. He would rest for a moment and try not to think about how crummy he felt for doing this to her. Besides, giving her SOME time before taking her to "T".... it eased his conscience. A little.

[Katerine Vexler]

Everything happened so fast that Katerine didn't have time to think. She had been concerning herself with not fainting from pure fatigue, had been concentrating on begging this boy for help. Her mind was not prepared to wrap itself around the unexpected 'I'm sorry' and subsequent piling of snow atop her body.

She felt the freezing cold nip at her skin, and she felt her body being pushed against in all directions. Her heart pounded angrily against her chest and she struggled to breathe as her skin turned from it's rotted shade to a white-blue colour. Now she wasn't hearing her friends because of the adrenaline. It was no longer because she was tired, scared or desperate. It was because her hormones were pumping and her fight-or-flight response was engaging. She struggled against the snow, tearing through it as much as she could. She didn't know what was going on, she hadn't made the connections between the boy and Reena. Between the boy and the snow fall. She was too distracted.

Sooner than she could make much progress with breaking apart the painful snow, there was a pull. No more was the snow only pushing on her, compressing her - now there was a pull and she moved (along with the snow she was encased in). The snow was tighter around her body, and she felt a struggle to breathe. She was certain that if she was any other race, any other heritage, she would have already suffocated. Instead, she had to suffer the pain of suffocation without any relief in death.

Instead, she was relieved with a sudden drop. The snow crumbled around her and her skin ached at the touch of solid ice. She jolted up, her eyes only being rid of the bright lights spotting her vision when it was too late. Icy poles shot down around her. She instinctively pulled in all of her limbs, and then looked around her. Bars, like a prison. An icy floor that stung her skin as it numbed. Then she looked up. There was nothing. No ceiling. No lid. Just nothing but sky. She scrambled. She jumped. Clung to the icy poles and tried to bring herself up to the opening. She found herself close to the top, and then another icy circle smashed down atop her, crushing her fingers briefly before she freed them and fell back to the base of the prison.

She screamed for help then. Desperate for somebody, anybody. For the second time in a single day she had lost her freedom. For the second day she felt pain flood her body and fear flood her mind. She was plagued with questions of why, what, who, how. This time, however, her mind cleared sooner than the last time. Jackson was talking to her. Alana and Aras were as well, but Katerine only listened to Jackson. He told her what he knew. What she could do. What she should do. Just like he had done when the other woman had caught her. Jackson had been the one to point out the rock she had used as a weapon. Jackson was the one who pointed out what she could do now.

Katerine tried to calm down, but found her breath coming in panicked gasps. She glanced to her captor (the boy who had not looked so dangerous) and then she moved towards the bars as Jackson had suggested to her. She touched it lightly, unsure of whether this would work. Unsure of how much pain she would still have to suffer before she was done and away with this nightmare. She breathed in, and held it this time. She sucked in her stomach, feeling it pull against her ribs dangerously. She heard the crack and whimpered in pain. Her ribs moved in, having been broken and pulling out of place. Her organs moved together uncomfortably, not being needed for survival and thus not showing resistance to her pleas. She pushed against the bars, one arm exiting first, followed by a leg and then the beginnings of her hip and waist. Even with her bones and organs and skin so tightly packed together, she found the opening tight. It hurt, it stung, it ached and it made her adrenaline pump harder.

She kept glancing back at her captor, praying he wouldn't look at her as she continued to squeeze herself through the bars. Praying he wouldn't notice until she had run far far away. Back to the ship. Back to where it was safe. Back to the place she was positive she would never leave again, no matter how many times they docked.

She had both of her feet desperate for friction, holding her in place the best they could on the outside of the cage as she tried to get the hardest part through. Her legs and abdomen were through. Her hands were holding onto bars on opposite sides of each other and she was pulling and concentrating and working to pull her head through. Her skull did not want to contract. Her skull understood that her brain was the one thing she needed to keep living. What her skull didn't seem to understand was the fact that if she did not get out, her brain wouldn't live anyways. It hurt, but she kept pulling. Kept trying to get out. Kept keeping herself as quiet as possible as she pulled and pulled to escape. To take flight. To get herself away from this horrible place.

[Endless Laeretti]

Endless felt like he could have used at least five minutes before he would be able to put his mind to work again. Normally, doing things like collapsing a snowshelf wouldn't be so bad, and not even shaping a makeshift prison should have taken it out of him.

But This WAS Aissic. He was surrounded on all sides by water, no matter how frozen it was. And while frozen water may not have shut him down the same way actual running water could, it DID make things more difficult. Difficult enough that a task as simple as lifting a pile of snow could become strenuous. And since he had just done all that and much more, to say that he was tired would be an understatement. But unfortunately for him, things just couldn't go his way today.

He wasn't allowed his rest. Because he became aware of strange noises and a sense that something was amiss. And so he reluctantly sat up, and his eyes widened at the disgusting sight he saw. The girl... she was... he couldn't even describe the contortions her body was making. It sickened him. But what was more important than the bizarre sight was that she was squeezing herself through his prison bars. In fact, only her head was left inside, and she was trying oh so desperately to free it. Endless couldn't have that, and all his revulsion was forgotten when he remmebered his job. His reputation that he wanted to build.

And so he clutched his head, ready for the headache he knew would come from overworking himself, and he unhinged the ceiling from the bars. With that done, he then removed the two bars that the girl was trying to squeeze the last of herself through, effectively freeing her.

But that freedom wouldn't last. She was now outside his cage, knocked off balance by the sudden lack of resistence to her actions, and Endless took the opportunity to focus further, holding out his hand and gripping it into a fist. The Pile of snow he had made from earlier begin to condense, floating upward as Endless reeled his arm back, and then he flung his arm forward, in the motion of a punch. The large, highly condensed Snowball launched forward as well, it's tranjectory and shape roughly reminiscent of the fist Endless had flung out, and smacked into the girl like a giant, icy punch, knocking her back inside the cage she had just been freed from.

"I'm sorry." he said again, this time more sternly as he clutched his aching head. "But I can't let you do that." The snow had once again crumbled from the impact against the girl, and Endless decided to have it pile in against her, cramping her movement inside the cage as he replaced the two bars he had removed, the ceiling following suit to lock back into place.

Clearly, he couldn't take his eyes off of her, no matter how much he wanted to. So he stared at her, locked away in his cage and waist-deep in constricting snow, and he shook his head.

"You really only have yourself to blame, you know." he found himself saying, wondering where it had come from, at first, but then realizing what had made him say it. "You wouldn't be in this mess if you hadn't made some bad choices." he spoke, almost condescendingly, but still with a trace of guilt in his voice. He figured he wouldn't have to explain himself. He figured she would know what poor choices she'd made. She was a pirate. She was no better than a murderer. Or a band of murderers.

He walked past her cage, ignoring the pain in his head as he sighed and lifted the entirety of the cage up off the ground. When he was done here, he was going to find a hotel. And he was going to sleep for three days. That was the only way he could think to repair his splitting head. But he ignored it as best he could, for now. As he picked himself up to hover just a few feet off the ground, and began to fly through the pathways of the Valley, the cage following him around like a train.

Every few seconds he would spare a glance back at Katerine, to make sure she wasn't escaping again, but his main focus was on the meeting spot. That damn meeting spot. The sooner he got this girl to "T", the sooner he would get paid and get to rest. And the sooner he might get to see more nifty inventions, he noted with a bit of childlike excitement. I hope to Temos that I never have to do another job in Aissic. Seriously.

But on the bright side, this would certainly boost his rep. MAJORLY. After all, he had just received this job, what, an hour ago? Less? He grinned widely, despite everything, imagining how "T" might react.

[Katerine Vexler]

He had noticed her.

Of course he had noticed her.

Today just wasn't her day, after all. Today she was the most unlucky person she could ever imagine. First, the woman bounty hunter and the way not a single person did a thing to help her. The pain in her head from where the woman had hit her. The escape that had lead her straight to another person who was - apparently - trying to capture her. Just one thing after another, and now as she tried to escape - he noticed her. The bars disappeared and she fell out. Immediately she scrambled to make an escape, but the moment she did, she found herself back in the cage and being crushed by snow that cut at her flesh as she moved. For a few moments, she struggled. She pushed against the snow, trying to get it away so that she could reach the bars again. Her organs were returning to their original positions and her bones were discovering a way back into place. The pain was overwhelming. The cold was overwhelming. She just... couldn't do it. Her shoulders released and her head fell, resigned. She did not know what she did to deserve this, but whatever it was... It had obviously been enough to make the Gods of Luck and the Gods of Fate and Good Will - and whatever else they ruled up there - hate her. They hated her, and that was the only explanation Katerine could find for all of this. And in all honesty, as much as she didn't want to die, as much as she didn't want to hurt and didn't want to be captured... It was easier than trying to escape and failing again. It was easier than listening to all of these ideas coming from Alana, Aras and Jackson. It was easier than listening to what the boy was saying--

--What was he saying? She finally brought herself back into the world, her head perking up slightly while her shoulders still hung in fatigue and resignation. She listened, straightened up as he spoke and frowning. Her brows drew together and her face contorted into anger and misery. "I really only have myself to blame?" She asked, pain glazing her words and making them sound sickly, "What did I do? What bad choices did I make? What have I done that is any worse than half of the things the rest of the world has done? Than... than what you've done?" She had pulled herself up just enough to see him through the snow, to stare and him and wonder. To look and accuse and guilt. She had nothing left to do.

[Endless Laeretti]

Endless stopped mid-hover when the girl spoke to him. She accused him with her voice, demanded answers, even insinuated that HE had done worse things than she had. His eyes narrowed, and he rounded on her, floating forward until he was inches away from the cage, pushing more of the snow inside painfully against her.

"You're comparing your actions to mine? You're a pirate!" he replied, equal accusation in his voice. "A highly wanted one, at that! You murder, pillage, plunder, raze, what have you! Whatever it takes to get treasure, or power, or just do whatever you want, right?" he replied, his voice venomous. "There's no comparison to what YOU do and what I'm doing. I'm capturing you. I'm turning you in. I'm doing the world a favor."

This girl wasn't part of the group of people who raided his town. He knew that, of course. And she wasn't technically the same thing - a Bandit and a Pirate were two different things by technicality. But one was just as the other, and they did practically the same things. Endless wasn't about to let a pirate reprimand him for what he was doing!

Having nothing more to say to her, he turned and took off again, the pain in his head all but forgotten as he dragged the cage along with him, looking for the familiar paths he had taken to get up here in the first place. It didn't take him too long; in a matter of a couple of minutes, he had managed to find it. The spot where he had met "T" just a short while ago. If the girl behind him had been saying anything to him, he wasn't listening. He had only spared a few backward glances here and there to make sure she was still there. He had no interest in anything she had to say to him now.

Arriving in the same spot he had been standing in when he first met "T", he lowered himself to the ground, waving his hand and bringing the cage near him to settle onto the ground just a few feet to his right. "T" had said that all he had to do was capture one and bring them back here, where they had first talked, and "T" would know. And "T" would arrive to collect her and pay him his money.

So Endless crossed his arms and waited, closing his eyes tight against the sudden pounding in his temples. He had been ignoring it in the heat of his anger, but now it came resounding back in, causing his head to feel like it was going to split open any second now.

Just maintain your composure. "T" should be here soon, and then you can pretend to be all fine and dandy, leave, and go sleep for a few days. Yeah.

He turned to his ward, opening one silver eye to make sure she was still there, and decided to talk to her again. "If you're lucky," he spoke, "You'll be fine. He wanted you turned in alive, so your life won't be in any danger if you just cooperate. He should be here soon, so you'll be out of the cold soon enough." he added, a bit softly, guilt coming back in. He didn't understand it. She was a pirate, a criminal, a low-life... but he still felt bad about all this. She seemed so desperate. She seemed so despairing. And now that he thought about it, he didn't really like putting her through all that unnecessary pain, and locking her up in such a cold place. She could get frostbite...

He shook his head. No. He could not think like that. No second thoughts. This was his job. He was doing the world a favor.

[Katerine Vexler]

The boy pushed the snow in against her, tightening it and making her lose her breath. She was certain she would have died if she had any need for air or for warmth. The boy reprimanded her, and she only just heard him. She was more concerned about the compression of her chest and painful feeling of asphyxia. When he turned away, the snow around her loosened a little bit, letting her breathe while she remained uncomfortable. Jackson was talking to her, and she turned her head to see him.

"What was that?" She whispered, watching the boy continue to walk as she concentrated on what Jackson was saying. He was right. And when the boy stopped and then told her she would still be alive. The other girl had said the same thing. Now with Jackson there to connect the dots... "You don't get it, do you?" She asked, trying to push away the snow to get closer to the bars, to get closer to her captor as Jackson advised her what to say, "Do you even know who you're working for? Do you even know who I am or why I'm a pirate? Let me tell you."

"The man you're working for, I'm sure you've heard of, even if you weren't aware of his... ministrations? (Jackson had given her the word) Markus Woodrow. Sorry. Lord Markus Woodrow. And you don't seem to understand that we're not the only one's he's after. You don't seem to understand that he's planning genocide. But not the killing of all pirates, or all of the people that he says he's going to kill for justice. He's going to kill anyone who does something he doesn't like. Pirates are just the beginning. Then it's bandits. Then people like you. Bounty hunters. Assassins. Mercenaries. Then comes the soldiers, and the warlords. Kings and queens. Say goodbye to everything you know because everyone has done something wrong - something he disapproves of. When we're gone, there's nothing to stop him from killing you. You'll be of no use to him anymore and he'll hang you and people will be happy. People will be happy that someone so evil as to kill for money is being hung. They'll come and watch. They'll boo while you're alive and cheer when you drop. I've seen it. I've seen it happen to my friends."

She looked down, remembering the way it had looked so fake. It didn't look like a person. It didn't look like someone she knew was falling and choking on that rope around their neck. "And that's why I'm a pirate, too. When you have no one... When you have... nothing. When the people you depend on, the people who are supposed to love you no matter what want to kill you? You go anywhere they'll take you. I'm with the Grail because they are the only ones that will have me. And you know what? We don't do anything that bad. We go to deserted islands and look for buried treasure. We sleep together and joke and drink and eat and love. We're a family. The one thing we do that you call bad? We steal from people. We steal from people who have too much. The kind of people who have ships bigger than most houses, filled with gold and food and drink. Things that most people don't have. These people are feasting on six meals a day while most live in the street dying. I've done nothing evil, nothing wrong. I've never killed anyone. Can you say the same, bounty-hunter?"

Jackson would have touched her lightly, comforted her as the tears fell - but he knew it would make her feel even colder. So instead he commended her on a job well done as she sobbed and worried about death. About what would happen. Now that Jackson had helped her connect the dots, she knew what was going to come. Woodrow was likely to torture her. For information, for anything. He would want her to lead him to the Grail. She thought she would. She was so afraid of death, of more pain... She would do it. And she would live the rest of her life feeling deader than she looked.

[Endless Laeretti]

Endless was trying not to listen. He was trying to block her voice out. But the name 'Markus Woodrow' sent a snap through him. Against what he thought was his will, he started listening to her. He started hearing her out, hanging on every word because he was just so damn interested suddenly.

She explained all these things about him, about that man who claimed to be all for justice, that made Endless' blood boil just slightly. If it was the truth, anyway. She told him all about his apparent planned genocide on everyone who had ever done even one thing wrong. Endless had to think about that, really consider it... he himself had been on the wrong side of Woodrow before. Granted, he actually did something that was wrong. He tried to rob a store. And Woodrow just happened to be there to apprehend him. It was nothing short of a miracle that Endless had managed to escape then...

And if what this girl spoke was the truth, then Endless was in danger by even being employed by him. But he hadn't given him the job at all... no, it had been "T" who did that. But who's to say "T" wasn't working with him? And if Woodrow wanted to off everyone who had ever done something wrong, then that meant he, and Kiku, and Jance even...

But again, he thought about what was true. He thought about what this girl was saying and asked himself if he could really believe her. She WAS on a short rope right now, after all. She would say anything to save herself, wouldn't she? But when Endless turned and looked her full in the face, his heart felt a pang of remorse - her face... something about her face was just...

But she wasn't done. She explained her reasoning to him then. She explained why she was a pirate, what she did as a pirate, how it felt like a home, how they never did anything truly wrong, how they stole from the rich, and how... Endless swallowed. How she felt like she had something with her crew, because she had nothing else. She was alone.

"W-why...." he started, his voice catching in his throat as he thought about what he was doing. "Why should I believe you? Why should I believe anything of what you say to me now?" he was asking, but he didn't expect she would have an answer for him. How could she prove it when she was locked up the way she was? Endless had an idea. He had an idea that would definitely work, but it could prove to be a fantastic waste...

But a waste or not, he had to do it. He would never be able to live with himself if this girl was speaking the truth. He would never be able to live with himself if she was sent off to be hanged, or imprisoned, when she was truly an innocent and was warning him of what his employer was planning. He needed to know the truth.

"I've... I've never killed anyone, either..." he told her, feeling the need to confirm that to her as he thought out his next actions once again. "This is actually my first job... you were my first assignment, and I wasn't planning on killing you, either." it was funny, really. He had come into this, fully prepared to take a life if he had to. He told himself it was part of the field he was now in. But the more he thought about it, the more he looked on this girl, the more he wondered if he was really doing the right thing.

He called the Ameth to him.

"I'm going to do something. Something that will tell me what is right." he explained to her, trying to keep his expression safe. He pointed the staff at her, and he spoke his order. "I command you. I command you to tell me, with absolute and total honesty, if the words you have just told me are completely and totally true to the best of your knowledge." he ordered.

His order given, the magic traveled through it and into the girl's mind, placing the command firmly into her. Now, she would not lie. No matter what she told him next, it would be the truth - she could not defy this magic. And as he used it, he knew it was probably a waste. This power would take a long, long time to recharge itself on its own. This was one precious use of this favorite tool that was now used up.

All to gain some honesty.

But was it really a waste? Could it really be called a waste if the use of this item would possibly save another life? After all, when had Endless ever used it for such a noble thing before? He watched, and he awaited his honest answer from the girl.

[Katerine Vexler]

He asked why he should believe her, and she had no answer. He had every reason not to believe her, didn't he? She was a pirate. She was desperate. She had every reason to lie. So what should she say to something like that? Jackson appeared to have ideas and started murmuring lists of things she should say to have him trust her, anything and everything he could think of. She was too consumed by her thoughts to hear him. Finally coming up with something to say, she opened her mouth to speak - when she did, however, he began anew. He told her that he'd never killed anyone. That she was his first job, that he wasn't planning on killing her. It was somewhat of a relief. After all, someone who had never killed before... Would have a harder time of doing it. Of leading someone to the gallows. At least, that's what she believed.

Before she could finish her comprehension of everything he had said, he began again, stealing away all of the thoughts she may have had. He held a weird staff all of a sudden, something that she felt she recognized, but wasn't sure about. It didn't look dangerous, but then again - neither did the person wielding it.

In as little time as she could imagine, she heard him say something, and felt a strange pull. It was not a pull like the snow bringing her where he wanted. It was not the feeling of somebody grasping one's arm and guiding them. It was a pull within her mind that was not particularly painful, but instead disorienting. She felt dizzy, and then she felt warm. Then she felt a loss of breath and a shiver run down her spine before an echo in her brain made her head pound violently. It asked her for the truth, and her tongue lost her control. "Yes. As far as I know, as I think... yes. As far as I've learned. It is true," They were words she would have said, how she would have said them... But still they did not belong to her and felt strange coming from her mouth. But then again, nothing ever felt like it was her's. This was only a continuation of the usual fare.

[Endless Laeretti]

So there it was. The truth lay before him just like that. Compelled by the magic of the Ameth, in the first use Endless had ever made of it that could be called good, the girl he held captive gave him the truth. Or at least, everything she had said was what she knew to be the truth.

And considering that, he knew he was doing wrong. Even if her facts weren't correct regarding who might be employing Endless, she was speaking the truth about anything relating to herself and to her crew. And that meant that she couldn't be a bad person. She couldn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be turned in, imprisoned, possibly tortured, or even killed.

Endless felt that pang in his chest again. He wanted to cry. He was disgusted with himself. What was he doing? Becoming a mercenary, a bounty hunter, subjecting this girl to such harsh treatment that she didn't deserve, taking the word of his employer, someone who employed bounty hunters, over the words of this girl whose every word had been laced with as much honesty as she could muster?

He didn't cry though. He gritted his teeth, sucked in a breath, and against every fiber of his being that ached for him to stop, he pulsed the control of his mind out. And the prison of ice shattered into a million pieces, a small protective blanket around the captive girl to prevent them from raining on her.

He ran over to her then, pushing the snow away from her chilled, blue-tinted body as he grabbed her hand and tried to pull her to her feet. The magic of the Ameth should have worn off now, she should have her senses back, but he wouldn't blame her if she no longer possessed the ability to stand on her own.

Endless wasn't strong in any sense of the word. But he at least hoped he could manage to support her weight, if just a little bit. "Come on," he urged, lifting her as best he could. "We need to get out of here. Now. He's coming, I know he is."

Because why wouldn't he be? "T" had said he'd know if Endless came back with a captive, and he'd be there to collect her. If he wasn't here yet, he would certainly be here soon enough. Endless needed to save this girl, and he needed to do it now.

[Katerine Vexler]

He believed her. Sure, he had to use some weird weapon on her to come to that conclusion, but he had gotten there eventually, which was a very very good thing. Now that she had her tongue back, and now that the ice around her had shattered, she collapsed to the ground and thanked him. In all reality, she had no reason to thank him. If it hadn't been for him she might have been back to the ship by now. But he still went against his orders, and she was still free. And now she felt lucky. And now she felt wonderful.

"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you," She was crying as he pulled her to her feet and when he spoke she just nodded. She didn't have the power to say anything else. She just took a moment and swallowed down her incredible relief and happiness. She didn't even hear what Jackson was saying as she began to pull away from Endless to start running. She didn't hear anything, and then she felt a sharp pain and everything went black.

[Major Tommy Dunn]

Tom had been in town for a while when he had heard the alarm. He had been in the middle of flirting with a mentally troubled young girl with a body that made up for her lack of brains, and off it went. He had excused himself, slightly disappointed, but his excitement made up for it. He grew even happier when the alarm told him that there was activity in the valley, as opposed to in the temple. Activity that he was very much looking forward to. With a grin, he told the woman he had to leave, and then he set out in a hurry. If he went quickly, he would be there in fifteen minutes at the most.

He had gotten there even sooner, in fact. He got there to see Endless speaking with a captive in a wonderfully innovative ice cage. He took a moment to admire it, and then took a moment to admire Endless. The boy had definitely surprised Tom. Perhaps Tom could put in a good word about him for Woodrow. Not all mercenaries had to die... Then of course, as he began to emerge from where he was watching, the whole event took a different turn. The boy pulled out something Tom recognized as an Ameth. It was an item he had studied extensively for the very device he was planning on using soon. Why Endless was using it, Tom had no idea.

Until a few moments later, of course, when the boy looking suddenly guilty and uncomfortable. Then, a loud crashing sound and the ice cage was destroyed. And then he was helping the girl. Well, that wasn't going to work now, was it? Tom rushed down, as silent as any trained soldier could be, and the moment the girl turned away from her new accomplice, he hit her hard in the head with all that he had. She crumpled to the ground and Tom turned to Endless.

"That didn't really look like the plan."

[Endless Laeretti]

Endless was stunned. She fell out of his grasp just like that, and there was "T" standing there, looking at him with obvious disapproval, mentioning how his actions weren't a part of the plan.

Endless' eyes narrowed and he jumped back slightly, glaring at him. "You. You're employed by Woodrow, aren't you? Does he know you hired a hitman to do your dirty work?" he asked accusingly. His head was pounding, sure, but he had adrenaline now. He would fight this man if he had to. He could do it. He knew he could. He didn't want to, but he would if he had to.

So he called out his gun, and he let it hover in front of him, pointing at his employer. "I want answers, "T". Why is this girl even on your wanted list, huh? What's she done that's wrong? Do you even care that she's done nothing?" he asked. He was mildly hopeful - this man had made such a neat invention. He had acted with firm disapproval of the idea of it being used to kill people. Surely he had to have some conscience? Maybe he could be reasoned with?

Still, he didn't let his guard waver. He held his gun in the air, pointed threateningly while his right hand clutched his now useless Ameth. Or at least... it was almost useless. He did have a magic source he could use to power it if he had to, but... he had already wasted one use as it was. He was hoping to save the charge if he could. His gun should suffice, anyway. "T" didn't seem to be armed at the moment.

Endless was not willing to let him take this girl. Not when it was his fault she was even in this situation. If he had just believed her pleas for help in the very first place...

"I'm waiting." and he let the barrel of the thing click, hopefully conveying how serious he was.

[Major Tommy Dunn]

Well apparently all the boy needed was a damn good motivation, and he became so serious. It appeared to be all business with him now, despite the fact that now it was all personal. Endless questioned Tom and Tom just smiled and stared - almost unblinking. Why was she on the wanted list? What did she do that was wrong? Does he even care? Tom knew the answers to all of these questions, but he didn't see why Endless needed to. Even if he was holding a gun to Tom. Even if the hammer had been pulled back and gun could be shot at any moment.

That was the rub. Could be shot.

"You aren't going to fire that gun," Tom said simply, not bothering to raise his arms defensively or go on further to explain himself. He was certain Endless would think Tom was questioning his resolve. Which was partially true. What was more true, however, was that Tom had made guns for the Artavian military. He knew how the generic type worked. He knew every little piece within it. He knew when they worked.

Gun propellant did not work well in extreme cold. This? His hands were turning whitish-blue at the tips and his nose felt red and moist as if it were preparing to run. He was quite sure this was 'extreme cold'. And that would be Endless' problem. Perhaps if they were closer to town, where the heat could be given off by homes... Or if they were underground and they were better insulated. But here, he didn't have to worry. The wind blew fierce snow at them, and the temperature was well below that which they would find in most other areas of Aissic. This was the Yuki-Onna valley after all. Treacherous and freezing.

There was another reason Tom thought the gun wouldn't work. It wasn't as guaranteed as the other, but it filled in the spaces that the propellant's inability to shoot in cold missed. There was a chance, not high but not low, that the cold would cause the moving parts of the gun to stick. The trigger-hammer system could be stuck now. Endless would pull, but the trigger wouldn't move. Or he'd pull the trigger, and the gun propellant would be too cold to cause any chemical reactions that would sent a bullet right through Tom.

If in that slim half percentile the dice landed... Tom could only hope that this boy was as bad a shot as he looked, and that it would go through some place that wasn't useful, or miss entirely. He felt safer betting on the science.

[Endless Laeretti]

Endless' like for this guy, the like he had felt earlier upon first meeting him, it had completely diminished. "T" didn't offer him answers, and his tone of voice did not suggest he cared in the least about what they were.

Instead, he just took a smug tone with Endless, assuring him that he would not fire the gun. Endless gritted his teeth at this as he floated the firearm closer, letting the barrel press firmly against the underside of the other man's jaw.

"And what makes you so sure of that? Don't make the mistake of forgetting what kind of person you're dealing with." Hopefully, "T" would take that to mean "mercenary". But Endless could admit to himself that it was probably more along the lines of "a very unstable person".

[Major Tommy Dunn]

Tom just smiled. He had assumed the boy would take it to mean that Tom simply didn't think he was a person capable of pulling the trigger. Which was fine by him. It would cause more surprise when the trigger was pulled and nothing happened. Tom would beat him to the ground and then take his prize off with him. Then he could get started on his first human experiment with the device. The excitement caused any fear he might have to wane.

Then the gun was pressed to the underside of his jaw and Tom was forced to pull his head up slightly. He had fleeting thoughts about his theories being incorrect, or that small percentile causing the gun to go off. Then they dissipated as quickly as they had arrived. Not only was he a genius and more than likely one hundred percent correct... But another freezing blast of wind hit, and icy snow began to fall and sting his skin where it touched. It was getting even colder.

"I'm not making a mistake. I know what kind of person I'm dealing with, and you're not going to pull that trigger. Look at you. You're shaking in your boots at the very prospect, aren't you?" This was a risky move. Provoking him. At the same time... It was the only right move. He could just push the gun out of his face, give Endless a smack down and take his prize... But the heat of his hand on the gun compared to the air might warm it up enough to fire properly, especially if the icy metal stuck to his skin. It was a dangerous bet. One that he had an excellent chance at winning, but dangerous nonetheless. For all Tom knew, these could be his last moments. But then again, so far in his life he had always been right. There was no reason for him to start being wrong.

So he just smiled, stared at Endless as though the boy were nothing. Because he was nothing. And he'd ruined his last shot at redemption. Woodrow would be ecstatic.

[Endless Laeretti]

Endless was becoming very, very aggravated now. This bastard had the audacity to stand in front of him, smiling all too confident that Endless wouldn't pull the trigger. He even commented at him "shaking at the very prospect". Endless really couldn't help it if he was cold. It was Aisic.

But still, something felt wrong. He didn't know what, but something was definitely wrong. This man seemed all too confident, despite the fact that he really knew next to nothing about Endless. Despite him having a gun to his face, ready to be fired, he was absolutely carefree.

Endles had never killed anyone, it was true. But he could probably make an exception here. Yes, he was sure at this point, with how this man was acting, that he would have no problem making "T" his first kill. And how appropriate it would be to have it be in this valley, the first place he had ever contemplated killing someone else before.

The trigger clicked, with a resounding sound, and nothing happened. Endless stared blankly at the weapon, and for a moment he wondered what had happened. Then it all registered in his mind quite quickly - the gun didn't fire. Something had stopped it. And "T" knew it would.

Not missing a beat, the crescent boy leaped backwards, placing his back firmly against one of the nearest Valley Walls, putting distance between himself and the client - no doubt he'd probably try and attack now, given the situation. But Endless wasn't about to give him that chance without a fight.

If he couldn't shoot him, he'd just have to beat him. And so the gun that had formerly been pressed against his target now flew around him, raining down blows upon the mans head and shoulders with its hard, metal barrel. In the meantime, Endless called his other, more reliable weapon - his Hand Axe, which he gripped tightly.

"Congratulations, you smug little bastard," he announced with venom. "I didn't shoot you. But I wonder, are so confident I won't behead you instead?"

And then he threw the weapon, watching it twirl elegantly through the air, guided with his powers, as it aimed for the man's neck. But then something terrible happened.

Logic dictated that Endless had the upper hand. The man was unarmed, Endless gun was being used as a rather effective blunt instrument, and the man was in a prime location for his head to be lopped right off of his shoulders.

On top of that, the move looked to have been surprising enough that "T" couldn't have gotten away, not soon enough to avoid the Axe's fatal mark. Endless should have been the victor right then and there.

But then his head snapped. He crumbled to his knees suddenly, clutching his head with both hands as he suddenly screamed out. No! No no no, not NOW! I was so close! But he could barely think. His head was gripped in a throbbing sensation he just couldn't overcome anymore.

It had happened. He had finally overtaxed himself to the point where he couldn't work with the pain anymore. It had become too much to handle. His gun fell uselessly to the ground, and his axe, now off-course without the aid of his control, careened sideways to jam itself into a nearby wall. He remained crouched on his knees, clutching and grunting, no longer fully able to register the world around him. Everything was going black.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no... But he couldn't stop it. He was losing vision, he was losing cognitive faculties, he had lost. He glanced over at Katerine - the girl who's name he had yet to actually learn as Katerine - laying in the snow, just as unconscious as he was soon to be. He had failed her. He had brought her to this, ruined her life, and he couldn't get her out of it. It was all his fault.

With that thought, he fell to the snowy floor, all consciousness lost. He wouldn't be able to tell you how, but some part of him had managed to send his Ameth away - back to its safe storage - unwilling to allow it to be lost. As if it was more important than the girl.

Part of him hated himself.

[Major Tommy Dunn]

The gun clicked and Tom reacted quickly. He didn't offer an opportunity for Endless to pull away. He simple lunged forward with a soldier's grace and aimed a swift kick to the groin - of course, even though he had not given the opportunity, that did not mean it was not taken. The boy was obviously quick on his feet, quicker than an experienced soldier, and moved away faster than Tom could even land a hit, forcing him to grimace.

Suddenly, Tom saw movement from the corner of his eye. He thought that the girl was waking up and cursed under his breath, and then felt a pressure and pain on his head, causing a dull ache before he fought back and gripped the gun by the barrel, turning it away from his face. It struggled against his grasp pulling his arm slightly. His superior strength held in place however, and Tom started towards Endless. The next thing his mind could comprehend was the fact that the gun grew limp in his hand, leading him to simply drop it. Then he noticed the hand axe and shook his head.

The boy was fast, Tom would give him that. But speed wasn't everything. If you wanted to beat someone like Tom, you needed something more. You needed flawless strategy. Or at least a strong arm. This kid's throw had aim that was perfect, but the strength behind it was minimal in comparison. Tom dove to the side and rolled over to easily get up to a standing position again and started towards Endless.

There was only one problem, however. Endless was down for the count. Tom looked around, surprised that he would have missed a hidden ally. There was nothing there, however. He did not hear anything, did not see anything. All that was there was a freezing wind and harsh snow colouring his skin with blue. Plague was on the ground with only a slight haze of breath lifting her ribs... And there was the boy. Tom went to him, picking up the gun and slipped it into his pant as he did. After all, extra weapons were always useful. The genius bent down, turning Endless roughly and pinning him down so as not to suffer any surprising pains if it were all being faked. While holding the boy down with a forearm across his shoulders, Tom checked the pulse. Still beating away.

Standing, Tom took advantage of this opportunity. He was going to do this whether or not the boy was awake and attacking him or lying on the ground. He got hit in the head with a gun twice - hard. He'd have a couple of bruises to flaunt. The kid would regret it. Not as much as he'd regret failing in his task when Woodrow got a hold of him, but he'd still regret it.

Standing and pulling his leg back, Tom aimed a swift (and strong) kick to the boy's side, into his kidney. "This - is what breaking contracts - gets you," Tom grunted, kicking away and stomping onto the boy's stomach and chest. He heard a couple of minuscule cracks. Fractures or breaks he could not be sure, he could not even be sure that they came from the boy's body and not the ice. Whatever it was, Tom was slightly assuaged. Not fully, but slightly. Just one thing remained. He straddled the boy's chest, placing one hand on the kid's neck as he raised his right arm. He rained down several punches, waiting until he saw black forming and blood escaping his nose. Then he stood and wiped his hands the kid's scarf. His breath came deep and tired as he turned away to go to the girl.

He formed an idea, however, and was quick to turn back around, digging in his pocket. He pulled out a single gold coin and smiled as he knelt and opened the boy's mouth, slipping the coin under his tongue. "An E for effort..." Tom breathed, tapping Endless on the cheek fraternally. Then he straightened up again and moved to the girl, picking her up and tossing her on his shoulder. She was light, and easy for him to carry even tired, even for the distance he would have to walk to get to his plane. And soon, so soon that it ran a chill down his spine, he would get to give the first real trial of his invention. Soon he would have a guarantee of his life.

Soon.

(The End!)