Looking for that special...something.[open]

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Jocelyn tripped, her body falling through the small window and landing on the floor below. umhf. She remained there for a moment while the throbbing in her leg subsided. She took a deep breath and looked around, standing, she wiped off the dust and dirt from her blue jeans. She took a few steps in the dark, old store before she gave a jump. Her cell phone in her pocket buzzed, anouncing that the other Innocent Elders wanted something. She hit the ignore button before shoving it back into her pocket.

She walked over to an old chest that was covered in a blanket of dust from years of loneliness. She gently blew the dust off and gave a cough before trying to read what it said. Different language. Of course. She opened it and began looking through some things. A few old faded and torn pictures, a book, another book, some clothes and toys. She closed the chest, creating another cloud of dust. She wandered around again admiring all the old antique things that looked like they havent been touched in a while. She saw a large picture frame and walked over to it. It was covered in a now grey sheet, which she gave a gentle tug and it slid to the floor. It was a picture of a man and a woman, holding hands and looking into one anothers eyes. She tilted her head to the side and wished. Wished that she had that with someone. She was always so busy with being the Elder of the Innocents, chasing the Hunters, stopping them, that guys seemed to just fade into the distance. Or dissappear completely. She would never know what it was like to look into someones eyes and feel that....special something.

She turned away from the picture and moved farther back into the shop. In the very corner there was a small round table with a nice cloth over it. She walked over and saw something sitting on top of it. She reached for it and picked it up. It was a dagger. The sheath was a deep jade color, with twisted designs on it in reds, oranges and blues. It looked oriental, and well crafted, and VERY expensive. She slide the blade out of the sheath and gasped out how shiny it was. It was about 7 or 8 inches long and was thick by the hilt, and tappered to a narrow tip. Made to kill and defend. She turned it over and admired at the way it caught the only light in the store. She grabbed the sheath, covering the blade and sliding it in her belt in the nape of her lower back. No one would notice, I mean, no one really comes here, do they?

[Fulong|Clara]

The run-down building had caught Fulong's eye on his first day in town several weeks ago. There had been something about it that piqued his natural sense of curiosity--he had always liked the idea of abandoned places; one never knew what one might find in them, and so much of a town's history could be found in the dust of the floorboards and the creak of well-worn stairs. So much could be learned from the ghosts of a town like this one that could never be gleaned from the minds and mouths of its living inhabitants.

Circumstances had prevented his return to the store that week, and the week after that, and so on until over a month had passed. It wasn't as if he was displeased with being able to find employment so quickly, but the clinic was small and injuries were common in a town as populated with Hunters and Innocents as this one, and work kept him busy far oftener than he liked. His plan to explore the Kingfisher more thoroughly was relegated quickly to the back of his to-do list, where it lurked just out of sight and out of mind.

Today, though, was one of those rare days that had gone according to plan so well he could almost have heard the click of everything falling into place. It seemed everyone in town had avoided serious injuries for the day, and half the paperwork he had been slated to do had mysteriously vanished into thin air, with the end result being that Dr. Pushkarov, who had been on duty, had simply waved him off and told him to enjoy his afternoon. And that command could only have led him to one spot.

Fulong stepped back slightly as he surveyed the Kingfisher. It had looked a lot more impressive when he first saw it, but by then it had been nightfall and old buildings always had that sort of impressive aura at night. Now it looked more dilapidated than haunted; it was just as well it wasn't the ghosts he was interested in.

The door was tightly locked and appeared to have been welded shut a long time ago, which ruled it out as a point of entrance. But the window next to it showed signs of recent activity, and Fulong's ever-present smile widened slightly. Someone had been here today--perhaps they were still here even now. He wasn't the only one who'd felt curious about this place.

Swinging himself onto the ledge was a little difficult, but his slim frame fit easily through the window, and he slipped into the abandoned store without further trouble. Here, there were further signs of the dust having been disturbed, and fairly recently by the looks of it. His talisman ruffled its feathers uneasily and Fulong quieted his own movements in response as he moved into the shadows.

It was just as well he did; there was a girl there, about his age, tucking what looked like a dagger into her belt. He was no expert on weapons, but the make looked impressive even from this distance. The crane hissed softly at the sight, but he quieted it quickly. He didn't know whether or not the dagger belonged to the girl, or whether or not she was well-versed in its use. But it seemed to him that there was little point in taking unnecessary risks here, and even less in making unnecessary enemies. That much was patently obvious. Fulong stepped forward, this time not bothering to hide the sound of his footsteps.

"Hello," he said aloud, faint surprise showing on his face. "I didn't expect anyone else to be in here."

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Jo nearly jumped out of her skin when someone spoke behind her. She spun around and for some off reason let her hand fly to the dagger she just tucked into her belt. Her fingers gently touched the sheath, preparing to wipo it out. When she saw the man standing therem she tilted her head to the side and starred at his face, his body, his clothes, and even went to take a whiff of the air...cat habits you know? She slowly decided that he was not an immediater threat, so she let her hand slide down from the dagger and hang at her side.
H..Hi.
She opened her mouth to saw more but decided against it and closed it. Her eyes flicked left and right, scanning for perhaps others, or where he had come from. She took a slow careful step to her left, one step closer to the wall, and therefore the window. She felt and urge to know who he was, or where his...loyalty was.
How did you get in here? Who are you?
She didn't mean for both of the questions to come out almost as one, or for them to sound rude and rushed. She stammered a slight mumbled apology and continued to look around, expecting something to occur. Her cat flicked its tail warrily inside her, and she nodded her head in agreement. Being cautious was a must. There was only one way out, and he was closest to it.

[Fulong|Clara]

Fulong looked bemused for a moment. She was certainly acting strangely, though he supposed it was only natural in a situation like this. After all, the front door was locked; anyone else who had found their way inside had had to have done so with a method of dubious legality. Besides, it wasn't as if Noatak was a particularly friendly place when it came to strangers.

She was probably affiliated with a side; that would further explain her tenseness. This would be a perfect place for an ambush, if he'd decided to plan one. Fulong stood his ground; he had no intention of harming anyone, but he certainly wanted a conversation, and that would be prevented somewhat if she ran for it. In any case, it might be interesting to see things from another perspective.

He spread his arms wide, showing that he was unarmed, a sheepish grin appearing on his mild features. "Sorry if I startled you," he said, taking a few steps back. "I'm Fulong Li, and I came in through the window." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I've seen this place a few times, and I guess I just got curious."

He tilted his head slightly, watching the girl. "Like I said, though, I didn't expect anyone else to be here. Are you just exploring, too?"

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Jocelyn hesitated and almost took another step back when he moved his arms. But she was glad to see it was just to show her he was unarmed. She began to relax a little, although she still kept her witts about her. She tilted her head to the side and eyed the man. He appeared about her age, maybe a bit older and he was taller then her. She took a moment to marvel at his smooth skin, dark hair and dark eyes. He was attractive.
Jocelyn. Jo.
She let her hand fall more casually to her side, away from the dagger. She reached up and tucked a strand of her light brown, almost golden hair behind an ear. Her green eyes watched him as she began to move along a table, picking a few things up to look at them.
I've peeked in the window before. But this is the first time I actually came in. Cool place though, a lot of neat stuff.

She kept working her way through the place, slowly moving her body so it was now facing his side, not his front.
So, do people call you Fulong Li? Or is there a nickname? Like Li maybe?
She knew it was a silly thing to say, but she was just trying to get a conversation going, no matter how weak it was. Something about him interested her and she couldnt pinpoint what it was. Was it only the fact she found him attractive? No. His curious facial expressions? Maybe. As she thought about him, she felt a jitter in her stomach. oh no. No...I cant start liking someone, I know it wont work out, so why get hurt....drift away. Her brain whirled.

So um, like, where do you live?
Oh god! Awkward! Im not a stalker!
I mean like...well. Oh wow look at this.
She immediately turned her back to him and frantically looked for something somewhat cool. She spotted an old book, dusty and with frayed edges. She picked it up, not even knowing what it was. She blew the dust off as she felt a small amount of heat rise to her cheeks. The cover had characters on it, looked to be chinese. Maybe matching the origin to the knife. She opened it and a page fell out.

(where shall we go with this? I would like to find a romance for Jo, dont know if you want to fill that or go somewhere else with it. lol)

[Fulong|Clara]

"Nice to meet you." Fulong smiled back. On closer inspection, she was quite pretty, he supposed, now that he didn't have to consider the fact that she might try and run him through at any moment. That had been interesting.

"Most people call me Fulong," he added after a moment, "but Li is fine, too. Whatever suits you best, I suppose." It wasn't even his real name, just a slightly pretentious affectation meant for someone whom he could only aspire to be, and he was as likely to respond to it as to any other name. That didn't mean he didn't like it, though.

"So um, like, where do you live? I mean like...well. Oh wow look at this." Fulong raised a mild eyebrow in faint amusement. Jo was certainly direct, or nervous, or embarrassed, or a combination of all three. He was usually wary of strangers who seemed tense, but this was almost endearing.

"I live in an apartment near the clinic," he said as he followed her gaze to an old, cracked book. There wasn't any harm in answering her questions. "It's not really the classiest place in the world, but it's convenient. How about you--oh, hang on--"

He leaned over quickly, stretching an arm out and catching the falling page. Straightening, he tilted the page toward the still-open window, peering at it thoughtfully.

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Jo looked away and tried to hide a smile, she knew she was butchering the good impression, but she found it funny, somehow. She calmed her face and looked back at Fulong. Her 5 foot maybe 6 or 7 inch frame came about where his shoulders were, maybe a bit higher, so she saw when he approached. She watched him out of the corner of her eye and was a bit shocked when he actually answered her questions.

When he caught the falling page she tucked abother lose strand of hair behind her ear. Her green eyes flicked back to the book. She ran her hand gently across the cover trying to clean off more dust so they both could try to see what it was. She reached out, handing him the book, assuming he would have a better idea what it was then she would. She rubbed her hands on her blue jeans, wipping away the dust, and smoothed out her blue T-shirt. Jocelyn usually dressed casually, jeans, short, tank tops and t-shirts. Only on rare occasions would she wear a dress or anything else.

Can you tell what it is? Can you read it?
She now began to get intrigued, she took a few steps closer to Fulong, leaning in trying to see what was on the page that had fallen out. However, as she went to take one more step closer, she tripped on a small stool and went crashing towards the man. Jo let out a small scream and gasp all the while letting her hands fly, trying to catch her fall, and grabbing on to something...that something had to, of course, be Fulong. Jo pushed herself off of him quickly.
Oh, wow. Im sorry. Oddly enough the grace of my talisman does not remain with me once I am human.
She blushed, cleared her throat and carefully, very slowly, leaned towards the page, watching her feet and keeping them away from that troublesome stool.

[Fulong|Clara]

Fulong took the book, gently blowing the last of the dust off of the cover. It was simply bound, and while there were characters etched onto the spine, age had all but worn the gold etching off. He peered at it, edging closer to the window so the light struck the faded characters directly.

"I wish I'd paid more attention in Chinese school," he confessed lightly. He paused and traced one of the characters lightly with a finger before moving on to the one below it. "But these two look familiar--"

The rest of what he had been about to say was lost as something suddenly fell against him. Fulong was slightly built even at the best of times, and the fact that he'd been caught off guard was just another reason why he found himself traveling toward the floor, the book following at an equal velocity. He reached out in an attempt to catch it as he hit the ground in a cloud of dust and found himself, rather abruptly, with an armful of Jo instead.

She pushed herself off of him, apologizing profusely, but he waved it off with a slight smile as he reached for the book again, raising an eyebrow as he turned the cover. Faint surprise showed on his face. "You have a talisman, then? Isn't that potentially risky information? I'm surprised you told me that."

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Jocelyn was so embarressed, especially when he hit the ground too. She looked around the room trying to find something to take the attention off of her. But she forget about that when Fulong spoke to her.
"You have a talisman, then? Isn't that potentially risky information? I'm surprised you told me that."
Well..I guess it would be sensitive information. But I have good intuition, if you will, and I don't sense anything...off about you. Plus I wanted to take the spotlight off of my clumsiness. Do you have one?
She started to move off and wander about the room again, touching a few things here and there. Some of the dust was beginning to get in her nose and she felt it tingle a bit. She almost sneezed but held it in. Jo, without realizing it placed her hand on the small of her back, feeling for the dagger. Once she felt it her had resumed its search of random things throughout the shop.

It drives me crazy. I mean, always having to be on your toes...afraid of having something slip, you know? I wish you could just meet a stranger, and be friends. Nothing to complicate things.
She picked up an old cracked mirror and blew a layer of dust into the air. She lifted it and held it to her face, stuck her toung out at it, then placed it back on the table.

[Fulong|Clara]

Another smile lit Fulong's face at that, and he inclined his head at her words. "In that case, I'm honored. I thought everyone here was suspicious of strangers, and rightly so. Perhaps I was wrong." He looked up a little as he turned a page, a half-smile still there. "I have a talisman, too, but I'm not on any particular side right now. There--I guess that's my secret information for you."

He watched Jo wander about the room, every now and then glancing back down at the dusty, yellowed pages, scanning them for something he might recognize. "That sounds a little like my life, really--always being a little bit on edge, always wondering when the next mistake will happen." He hesitated for a moment, then added, softer, his perpetual smile flickering for a moment, "People died because of mistakes I've made in the past. I don't want that to happen again, but alliances get in the way of everything."

Silence for a moment as he looked down at the pages before he started slightly and peered closer. "I think I've got it. I thought it was a book of classic poetry when I opened it, but I recognize this one!"

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Jocelyn nodded to him and smiled.
No side eh? Well, maybe I can persuade you to pick one? The good people, don't worry. No death or torture.
She laughed to keep things light. Afterall she could use another Innocent to fight along side with. The force may be growing, but it still had a long way to go.

She walked closer to him, but making sure not to invade his space. She gave him a kind look when he spoke of his mistakes, for that, was something she could understand. Many people have died that she had known, or been cpatured by Hunters.
Yeah. I know that feeling.

she watched him carefully, but when he moved to look at her she would let her gaze fall somewhere else. She didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable. When he spoke up again about the page she moved a littl closer so she could 'read' it over his shoulder.
So..not poetry? Maybe, like their own bible type thing?

She shrugged her shoulders, she didnt know anything about asian history or traditions. Did they even have a bible so to speak? She waited for him to explian, but in the mean time her mind started to wander. She thought about Fulongs past and where he had come from, and why he had chosen here. Did he have any thoughts...that maybe might lean the slightest bit to a side? Or did he not want to get involved at all? She kept her eyes peeled on the paper so he didnt know she was thinking about him.

[Fulong|Clara]

Fulong smiled with her as he scanned the rest of the page, but his eyes were a little troubled. "It doesn't sound as if there is a side without death or torture these days. I suppose it wouldn't be a war otherwise." Then the light in his eyes was back, and he smiled a little. "But thanks for telling me. I'll certainly keep it in mind."

So..not poetry? Maybe, like their own bible type thing?

He laughed despite himself at that, though it wasn't an unfriendly laugh by any stretch of the imagination. "No, it's definitely still a book of classical poetry." He tapped the page lightly with a finger. "This one just confirms it, because I've read it before. It was written by Cao Cao, a Prime Minister from around 200 AD." He peered at it a moment longer. "It'll take a moment for me to translate it into English, though."

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Jocelyn waved her hand off at the comment. He was right, but they didnt have to think about what makes war war. She was about to say a quoet, something like all is fair in love and war, but she thought better of it and just let it go. Hopefully he would see clearly soon.
Well, just in case. Here.
She reached into her pocket, pulling out her wallet and in turn grabbing a business card. She handed it to him and smiled. She hoped she wasnt being too pushy, but she just wanted him to know there was options and choices out there, should he ever make one.

She leaned over the page, but poetry didn't interest her much. So she wandered off and kept lookng at other things. She found a few really delicate and fine vases that she could have loved to have in her home, but she left them on the table. It was bad enough she took the dagger. She saw something else and went to it, picking it up.
Laughing she said, Are these like, what do you call them, num chucks?
She took the two sticks attached and a chain and twirled them a bit. It was ungraceful, so she reached out to hand them to Fulong, if he wanted to take them.

[Fulong|Clara]

Fulong accepted it graciously, tucking it into his wallet and producing a pen and scrap of paper of his own. "Here's my number in return, if you ever need anything. Some things are easier to obtain when one has no allegiances."

He was a little surprised at the sheer amount of apparently Asian merchandise to be found in the store, especially considering the Asian population here seemed to consist entirely of people his age. Clearly there had been families who had come to Noatak before, but if that were the case, then why had they left? He was inclined to attribute it to the talismans, but then everything was attributed to the talismans these days. Taking the weapon from Jo, he inspected it briefly, then offered it back.

"I call them shuāng jié gùn," he laughed, picking the book back up again, "but I believe the Japanese word is nunchaku."

It was apparent that Jo wasn't particularly interested in poetry, but Fulong was, and the one he'd found had always been a favorite of his. He traced a few of the characters, murmuring the words quietly.

Driving a rainbow,
Riding crimson clouds,
I ascend the Nine Peaks to the Gates of Jade.

Crossing Heaven’s River,
Reaching Mount Kunlun,
I meet the Western Goddess, pay my respects to the Sun...

[Jocelyn[Spirit]]

Jo raised an eyebrow when he had given her his number. She was expecting him to not really want hers, normally Undecideds wanted to stay far far away from either side, not even talking about it. But she was pleased to see he was open, not rude about it either. She gave him a soft smile.
Thanks.

She let him take the weapon and continued walking around. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a movement, it looked like it had come from outside the front window. As if someone had been looking in. She ducked down quickly and turned around to the man.
Get down! I saw someone out there.
She hissed at him, a whisper but in a yelling manner. Jo started to inch closer to the front window, but making sure she went slowly, quietly and went unseen. she saw a flash of movement again and ducked her head behind a bookcase. She narrowed her eyes trying to get a better look. Hopefully it was someone harmless, just a curious passerbyer. Not a Hunter. She heard a sound behind her and spun around to where the small open window was. Nothing was there. She was starting to get nervous.
Hey, Fulong. Out of curiousity, whats your talisman?
She hoped it was something useful. Her plan right now was to shift into her cat and get the heck out of there.