Wasting Time, Open

[[ ]Aires]

Hael twisted a long needle through her fingers as she watched the dirty inhabitants of the slums. Some were simply lounging around, waiting for night, while others were trying to do house work. A useless idea in the Demon's mind, this place was already so dirty it was beyond any help. Even she had to go to great lengths to keep clean, but she didn't mind, finding her skin well worth the trouble.

Hael's head perked as the sounds of a scuffle reached her where she had perched herself on a roof. It'd be interesting to watch if she could make it in time, though scuffles rarely lasted long in this place unless the partieipants were drunk. People didn't play fair here. Mostly likely it was some poor sap that either had something another wanted or had annoyed the attacker in some way, in either option the victim would be taken down with a surprise attack. Sure enough, in the moments it took the demon to cross a few roof tops, disturbing others who were loitering as well, the fight was over. There was nothing left to even show there'd been a fight.

With a bored sigh, Hael dropped herself off of the roof, landing easily on the ground. The building she stood next to wasn't much taller than her lanky form, typical of the slums. The demon set off, keeping herself aware as she walked, she stuck out enough to become a target but she doubted any regulars would try. After her first year in the slums that had been a complete nightmare of losing again and again, she'd finally learned a few tricks. Now only those who knew of her and cared to take a risk would dare try and attack her. Not that they'd get anything from her, she carried nothing of value with her other than her needles when it wasn't time for a job. Unless they simply wanted a fight... but then they'd have to catch her first.

A droplet of water turned the Demon's attention to the sky, a grin spreading across her face. The humidity had been rising steadily for a while now. It had gotten to a point where she had began to swear that even without her sensitive skin she would have been able to tell. Water began fallen faster around the demon, other inhabitants of the slums either ran for shelter or completely ignored it. Hael broke into a run as the water began to soak her, not changing directions as she began running straight for another low home. The demon sped up slightly, jumping up to land with a thud upon the roof as she continued to move, hopping between roofs and streets as she ran. Already the ran was beginning to stop and the demon slowed a bit before coming to a stop herself, her eyes closing as she enjoyed the last bit of rain that fell from the sky.

[[ ]Zulu]

It was raining. Already her day had gone straight to hell. Well, it would have had hell still been the burning abyss for certain souls in the afterlife. Too bad it was now a frozen wasteland. The curse didn't have a much force behind it presently. But she had to go outside, dammit. Why? Why did she have to go outside? She couldn't really remember what errand she had been running when the sudden presence of rain made her seek shelter in a random hovel shared by at least four other people, most of whom were not so happy to have their privacy invaded by a complete, rather odd-looking stranger. Nope. Couldn't remember in the slightest.

But that still didn't change the fact that she had to go out. She had to get home, at least. And that was in town. Why was she in the slums then? She had something to do...but what? Jackie shrugged her now wingless shoulders and stretched her neck, the audible pop doing much to relax her. Without a word or even an acknowledgment to the company in the hovel, Jackie left, taking shelter for a few brief moments under the overhanging awning of cloth a few of the houses sported. She glanced up at the sky, wishing for the sun to peak out just once. Rain always made her feel tight, as if the air were thick in her lungs and she couldn't breathe properly. Of course, this was just something in her head due to her natural element. But that didn't make it any less disconcerting.

Up on the roof across the way, Jackie caught sight of a rather odd looking character, even more odd looking than her fiery appearance. A demon, she must be. Only they could sport such crazy markings and body types. The demon looked like a frog. No wonder it apparently enjoyed the diminishing rain. Jackie straightened her hunched shoulders, trying to get a better look at the demon staring with closed eyes to the clouds above. On a whim, Jackie changed, her wings sprouting in an instant, tendrils of blue and white flame decorating their crimson and orange feathers. Her eyes also turned from amber to blue in a heartbeat. How her other nature hated the rain. But out from under the awning she stepped, the few raindrops that hit her sizzling against her wings and heated skin. Her wings flared wide as she leapt, landing on the rooftop across the alley from the demon.

"Eh, water-lover!" she called across the gap, wings flared behind her as she crouched on the roof's edge. "Nice weather, ain't it?"

[[ ]Aires]

Hael moved swiftly at the sound of another voice, one hand moving swiftly to the needles hidden at her wrist, put there for discreet removal upon her need. The demon's golden irises were surrounded by black as she looked at the new comer, feeling vaguely impressed by the other's fiery wings. Though... her skin was much more beautiful. She didn't press heat onto those around her, which Hael could have almost sworn she felt but even doubted herself, probably just a trick of her head. But that wasn't the issue, no, what was more important was what this other being wanted. A fight would be troublesome but she obviously wasn't a fighter from the slums, calling out a greeting as she did. It was better to play it safe and put on the act of friendliness that most around here knew.

The demon forcefully relaxed her body, allowing a smile to stretch out her mouth even further, a wavering laugh bubbling out, "Yes, well... I do like it." Her free hand rubbed the back of her head as her face took on a look of low intelligence. Yes, she told herself, just like that. No one could be too cautious of an idiot. And if this person didn't come here with a reason, its best to keep them from being too cautious, least the become paranoid and violent.

Hael lifted her hand with the needles still hidden in it and pointed to herself, leaning her long frame forward slightly as she continued to grin idiotically, "Name's Az, I live up further in the City but the rain called me out to play, you know?" The demon rattled off the lie easily, she had no reason to trust this woman with her name but such information would be typical for a fool to offer quickly and without thought. As for where she lived... that was only a half lie. "Nearly everyone goes inside for the showers but they just don't know what they are missing! But I suppose you know, eh, Flame-Child? Even with a tie to fire, you were out in that glorious weather! Weather that I would think you'd find as oppressive as I find the heat."

[[ ]Zulu]

For some reason, the idiot act didn't go over well with Jackie. She'd seen too many drunkards and those who were pretending try and hit on her to know who was playing, and who was actually stupid. The ones who were playing usually got burned. But Jackie kept her cool, if barely. Very casual, the phoenix stood, her wings falling easily behind her, though they tended to flutter on their own accord. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, wishing she had at least brought a knife with her. How stupid could she be not to bring a knife? To the slums, of all places! Maybe she had been going to meet someone... Shrugging mentally, Jackie turned her attention back to the demon who looked strikingly like a frog.

"A pleasure, Az," she called across the alley with a small wave of her hand and a polite nod. If the demon wanted to play stupid, who was Jackie to not follow along? It could get fun. "I go by Tenya." Of course, a lie. But she bet the demon was lying as well. Names had power, if not of the magical kind. "And I don't feel the rain," Jackie said with a shake of her head in response to "Az's" assumption. To demonstrate this, Jackie held out one of her hands and used her fire to heat the air around the appendage. The rain evaporated before it ever touched her skin. Too bad her wings were screaming at her for the occasional raindrops that would strike them.

"I don't care for it," Jackie said easily, forcing herself to stand erect even though the rain made her want to seek immediate shelter. The air felt thick in her lungs, but she forced herself to breathe easily. "But as I have shown, there are advantages to being a--how did you put it?--Flame-Child."

[[ ]Aires]

Hael grinned and offered a small bow as the other introduced herself. This 'Tenya' was probably lying as well but it didn't really matter, she was talking and the bored demon really did want something to waste her time on before she had the extra cover of night to work with. The demon's eyes watched in honest interest as Tenya showed off her ability. Hael was always interested in such things, you never knew what would come in handy when. Of course, there was no way that that sort of trick would benefit her personally, but how others used abilities were always good things to know. Information was a great friend to the demon, it may contradict itself at times but generally it was helpful.

The demon smiled and shook her head at the trick in almost mocking sadness, "Not feel the rain? But it is so lovely and cool! I feel as if I've been washed clean and rejuvenated." The demon's eyes watched the changeling, something about the other was funny. Hael was willing to bet that 'Tenya's' lies weren't just constricted to her name, after all, it was water, she had to feel something right?

"And I suppose there are advantages to being a Flame-child. But a water-lover is something I'd rather be, I think. I'd think those wings of yours would be bothersome, you know? Huge, flaming things strapped to your back? Nah, a bit... ah tacky as well, don't 'cha think?" Hael mused as she dropped her needle armed hand to her side, keeping the things ready in case she needed them. She frowned slightly, staring at the wings, her free hand rubbing her other arm as she thought. They were what she had said, huge and bothersome looking. Her skin was so much better, she was so much prettier, wasn't she? Hael shrugged, tossing her head as she looked back at the changeling. Of course she was! Her skin was a hundred times better that her wings!

[[ ]Zulu]

"Tacky?" Jackie asked with a laugh. Tacky! How could wings be tacky? More like the demon's skin was tacky, with all the different colors and for looking very much like a frog turned human. Her wings fluttered in irritation as she straightened herself from her crouch, her wings falling easily to a more relaxed position than their original flared stance. The fire in them died instantly, now looking like mere red feathers, though a few licks could be seen every once in a while as they shifted. Though tucked as they were, only the edges of them could be seen around Jackie's body. Her eyes were still flame-heart blue, though, a testiment to how close her fire really was.

"The advantage of these though," she began haughtily, one hand pushing a lock of stray red hair behind one ear. "They come and go at will." To demonstrate, Jackie actually let go of her inner fire just enough for the fiery wings to vanish, her eyes cooling to an amber color. She looked nearly human, if not for the unnaturally red color of her hair, and the bright amber of her eyes. "Can you make the water come at will?" And she once again took a light hold on her fire, her wings fanning as they were released once more, settling quickly to her shoulders.

((Sorry for the lateness and craptasticness of this post. RL has gotten its clutches on me and refuses to let go.))

[[ ]Aires]

Hael nodded as the changeling questioned her words. Tacky. That was perfect word to describe the other's wings. With all the flames and everything, the demon couldn't see how the things couldn't be considered tacky. Though, when Tenya dampened the flames, the demon shrugged slightly, "I'll admit... they are much less tacky that way."

The demon watched closely as the other made her wing's vanish, her face showing her interest. That was a nifty trick, and the demon watched with hungry eyes as the girl demonstrated her control. She was probably one of those rumored changelings, and a good one at that. Though it wasn't fair for her to challenge the demon like this... Hael wasn't a changeling herself and any control was significantly poorer.

With a stupid grin, Hael shook her head, stating lightly, "I can't call it but... I do have this trick, you see. I can repel the water from me. Watch." The demon closed her eyes, one hand slipping behind her into a pouch at her belt as the other rose in front of her, as if she were concentrating on it. A moment later she moved, a loud 'Hah!' erupting from her as the hand that was behind her back went up beside her, an object in it's grasp shooting up and expanding. The demon stood grinning softly as the old, tattered collapsible umbrella sheltered her. She'd picked the thing up a while back, not too cheaply, either. "See? Repelled!"

The demon shook her head, slowly folding the item back up as she spoke, "But seriously. For being a 'water-lover', I have too little control over it to be mentionable. Ironically, I'm most adept with the earth, though even with that I'm not going to be stirring up amazing ideas." The demon shrugged, it really didn't matter to her much how powerful her elemental power was. Instead she focused back on the girl she felt had to be a changeling, asking, "So... besides the fancy wings... can you do anything else?"

((perfectly fine. I'd say I understand but I don't have much of a life to speak of. Good luck getting life back in your clutches and out of the other way around.))

[[ ]Zulu]

Jackie was highly, highly amused when the demon's 'ability' was a very tattered umbrella. And even that didn't seem to work very well what with the holes in parts of it. Still, she couldn't help but grin. Was this demon really as stupid as she appeared? Jackie thought not. Most demons had a way of appearing harmless, right before they slit your throat. Jackie merely cocked her head to the side, looking at the demon sideways, her grin slowly widening to a near feral smile as 'Az' asked her question.

The demon wanted information, apparently, no doubt looking for a weakness of some sort. Little did she know that Jackie was standing in her weakness, the spitting rain causing her light flares of pain every time it hit her skin. But she hid it well. She had been through worse, much worse than this pathetic excuse for rain. Her mind drifted briefly to the fire that had so changed her. She was glad that she had wished for death in those moments. Without that acceptance, she would have never been granted this gift of a new life. It was because of that acceptance that she had such control over her element. She could change fully to the phoenix her wings represented, but why tell Az that?

"If I gave away all of my secrets," she began, one hand toying with a bit of fire, sending it bobbing along her fingertips. "How could I manage to surprise you?"

[[ ]Aires]

The demon twitched slightly as she caught the other's grin become a bit more threatening. As if it were becoming more feral. The demon wasn't entirely excited by the thought of what was going on behind that smile. It wasn't completely unlike one she knew she wore when she were about to take someone down or hunting for information. She'd best tread a bit more lightly from now on, she supposed.

The demon's golden irises watched the bobbing flame on Tenya's fingertips carefully. If she were right about the changling thought, she could be in serious trouble even from that fire if this girl was any good, which, if her wings were anything to go on, she was. But still, Hael was curious, even more now that the other seemed to think she could do something that would surprise Hael. Though, a part of her did warn her that Tenya's reasons for a surprise probably wouldn't end particularly nicely for her.

"Well... you can surprise me when you show me, right?" She smiled again, allowing her curiosity to show through her stupidity on her face. The effect made her look not unlike an eager child asking a relative or parent if they had a gift for them. "I mean, what reason would you really need to have to want to surprise me? It's not like I could do anything to you, is it?"

((bleh, failness))