OOC: This is open to anyone that wishes to participate.

BIC:
Fede sat in the corner booth of the cozy diner; it should have been big enough for four people to eat comfortably. However, Fede sat alone; she always sat alone. She glanced out from beneath her faded black baseball cap and surveyed the other patrons with contempt. Her eyes narrowed malevolently on a family situated at a booth by the window. She was lost in her own mind, craving and loathing a position at their table. Her eyes narrowed further and Fede could feel it building inside her. Fede’s eyes opened wide before she suddenly jerked in against the red vinyl seat covering, it was as if she had just been slapped across the face. Muttering some obscenities under her breath, Fede rubbed her eyes and sat upright in the booth.

Her gaze returned to the half eaten omelet and tepid coffee sitting on the table in front of her. She picked the fork up with her left hand, severed part of the omelet before impaling it with the utensil. Her right hand was occupied with a silver Zippo lighter; it danced between her fingers with little thought. Once and a while Fede flicked back the lid, struck the flint, and snapped the lid down hard. The lighter began its journey around her lithe fingers again. This repetitive snapping was beginning to get on the nerves of some of the patrons; however none of them had any intention of asking her to stop. Fede slid the omelet between her slender lips and chewed slowly.

Fede slumped down into the booth once again, a heavily warn Converse trainer pressed against the seat opposite. Her baggy blue jeans were torn around the hem; threads of trodden denim curled together into thick strands, there were also a few good tears that extended up her calves. Fede reached out across the table and picked the standard white mug from the counter; it was so close to cold it wasn’t funny. She sipped the dark liquid and sighed despondently. Fede’s eyes shot to either side self-consciously as she pulled the mug of cold coffee and held it with both hands in her lap. Her hopeless jade eyes glanced around once again before deeming no one was watching. Fede chewed on her bottom lip as she committed herself. The coffee in her hands was now the focus of her attention. After a moment of glaring, small bubbled appeared on the surface followed by a warming stream. She glanced around once again; making triple sure that no one had been watching her. A small smile no bigger than a subtle smirk crossed Fede’s lips, she sipped the piping hot coffee with some satisfaction.

Alabaster stumbled into the diner, a hand held over his eyes. This was nothing new for the patrons of the diner, yet again Alabaster had spent all night drinking and was now hungover and nauseous.

"Stupid sun, damn near burned out my eyes when I woke up."

He muttered bitterly to himself walking inside wincing when he neglected to gently close the door and it slammed against the doorframe. He took his usual seat at the corner neglecting to notice that someone already sat there, he then crossed his arms on the table and buried his face within them. His head pounding savagely,

"Coffee...must have....coffee."

He whined his snow white hair falling over his crossed arms his t-shirt somewhat dirty and stained with the events from the night before. He then suddenly became aware of the other person sitting across from him. He looked up slightly squinting at the person not yet able to see past the fuzziness.

"Who're you?"

He asked simply.

Fede had been watching Alabaster since he entered; virtually everyone in the diner heard his entrance and their eyes naturally honed in on the noise. She watched him meander through the restaurant, knowing he was heading for her table. Fede shook her head, praying for Alabaster to sit down quickly and not find a home here. It would be her luck to have someone who she perceived as a drunk slump down opposite. She sat stunned; this was a huge invasion of her privacy and personal space. It was probably a good thing that Alabaster was still seeing in fuzzy-vision; the glare Fede was giving him would have made grown men cower. Fede’s jaw clenched and her brow furrowed. She took a sip of the boiling hot coffee, trying to suppress her temper. The searing liquid caressed her throat and calmed her slightly. Fede placed the mug on the counter in front of her and wrapped her arms around her chest, clutching her arms tightly.

She tried to figure out this character sitting in front of her, mainly to infer giving her real name or an alias. Finally she decided.
“Fede…” She identified herself through gritted teeth. Fede was clearly not happy about this situation and not afraid to express her discontent.

OOC: Please feel free to interject your own storylines into this RP, and thank you for joining.

Alabaster suddenly seemed to snap to attention, his eyes once dull and fuzzy seemed to light up and the slumped figure sat straight up as though a fire had been lit under his seat. He gave her a large grin and without warning grabbed one of her hands and shook it vigourously.

"Well nice to meet you Fede! I'm Alabaster, Alabaster Starr."

He said this with a happy voice unlike the scratched and tired voice that he came in with, everything about him seemed to change.

"Alabaster why don't you leave that poor girl alone?" cried the voice of a waitress that stood behind the counter.

Alabaster only turned in his chair and puckered his lips slightly.

"Ahh Abby why? are you jealous?"

"No I just don't want you to make a total ass of yourself."

Alabaster laughed good naturedly and turned back to Fede.

"Don't listen to her, I'm a nice guy, honestly. So what brings you here? I pretty much know everyone in this diner but your face I'm sure I'd have noticed."

He ran a hand through his hair as he said this as though he couldn't be bothered with the dirty looks she was throwing him. As though she herself was the one trespassing on his territory and he was just seeing weither or not to make nice or cause a fight, which made it hard to decide just how to perceive him.

“Peace and quiet…” Fede said in a more than transparent manner.
Up to this point, Fede had been glaring straight through Alabaster, never taking her eyes from him. Slowly Fede’s eyes opened slowly from their perpetual scowl, as if she’d seen a ghost. She swallowed hard and looked away from Alabaster, directing her eyes towards the tiled linoleum floor.
“Listen, you don’t want to be around me… you may get burnt.” Fede’s words sounded truthful and foreboding, however she could have just been speaking figuratively.
Her nimble fingers struck the Zippo lighter before snapping the lid shut. Fede turned her head a degree, glancing towards Alabaster with her sad eyes, wondering whether or not he was to heed her warning. In all honesty, Fede was a very sad girl. She had spent a large portion of her life moving from foster home to foster home, never wanted, never loved. Her anger and hostility was Fede’s way of coping with the world and keeping others from getting close to her.

"It'll take more then your anti-social behavior to get me to leave my usual table, besides I want to see how many buttons I can push before I get 'burned' "

he spoke with a quiet even tone of voice a small slightly evil smirk on his face, his white hair falling over his face slightly. It was obvious he wasn't going to move anytime soon, Alabaster was never the type to be scared off easily. He prefered to be given a reason and even then it was difficult to get rid of him when his curiosity about someone was roused. Such was the case with Fede.

He sat there silently watching her as the waitress brought them some coffee she gave a quick glare to Alabaster who ignored it. He paused his unoffical staring contest long enough to pour some sugar into his coffee. But strangely enough he only pushed it aside and crossed his arms on the table resting his chin on them.

"So you from around here or did you suddenly decide to grace us with your bubbly personality on a whim?"

He asked suddenly lifting an eyebrow slightly not moving his chin from his crossed arms as he awaited her reply.

Fede considered moving to another table, letting Alabaster have his victory. However, that wasn’t Fede’s way. She was there first and wasn’t about to give up her table and let Alabaster win. That was Fede’s view of the world, she saw conflict everywhere, even when none existed.
“You are a persistent little monkey, aren’t you…?” Fede asked with a faint smirk that could have been considered pleasant. “Alabaster, was it?”
The lighter rolled franticly in Fede’s palm as she watched Alabaster slouching in front of her. Despite her attitude, Fede was very nervous of what could happen. This was the most that she had interacted with anyone in at least three weeks and it was incidental into why she was here.
“Fresh start I guess?” Fede almost sounded like she was questioning herself instead of answering Alabaster’s inquiry.
She shook her head as if answering her own question. Fede was so used to being alone she often preformed these small oddities. Her eyes caught Alabasters and she was instantly reminded of his presence and his questions. Fede scowled, tipping her hat forward to obscure her eyes.
“What about you then?” She didn’t like talking about herself and tried to shift the attention onto Alabaster.

"What about me? as of this moment I'm homeless, jobless and still loving it to some of the alternatives which I prefer not to speak of as of this moment. I was born raised and eventually I'll die just like everyone else but I love to drink...if it wasn't that obvious in the first place, and ironically enough Monkey is one of the many nicknames I have received. Not the mention the only appropriate one to say around children."


He spoke quickly his chin never moving up from his arms, he still smiled politely at her and seemed to have no qualms about giving as little information about himself that he could. But he didn't seem to have any anxieties about talking about himself but he wasn't so full of himself that he never shut up.

"What about Fede? you look like you have a interesting story. You can tell me or not, but I warn you no bedtime stories. I prefer the truth...well most of the time."

He said this clearly joking but in all honesty he didn't expect much in the way of laughter for Fede. But she looked like she could use with a little humor and Alabaster wasn't the type to disappoint.

Fede smiled briefly for Alabaster’s benefit. She was slightly taken back by the amount of information that Alabaster had told her. For some reason, she felt somewhat obligated to divulge her story, or at least part of it.
“The truth?” Fede smirked briefly as thought about quoting ‘A Few Good Men’. Of course she declined, believing the truth was too farfetched for anyone to believe.
Fede pushed herself against the corner of the booth and brought her legs up onto the seat. She stopped playing with the lighter and wrapped her arms around her knees, pulling them into her chest. She stared off into the distance, out the large glass pane window. It was easier to talk about herself when she thought no one was listening.

“Born in Italy, we lived in the foothills of Vesuvius. Mother died giving birth to me and Father died five years later. Moved around a lot as a child, foster homes, that kind of thing. Left school at sixteen… saved a bit of money and jumped on a plane.” Fede sighed quietly as her mind relived her youth.
She turned her head a degree, glancing on towards Alabaster with her depressing, jade eyes. There was still a lot Fede was holding back, that much should have been obvious to Alabaster. But Fede was truthful about what information she did reveal.
“So that’s Fede…” She said quietly, referring to herself in the third person.

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents Fede, and the fact you had to move around so much but I'm glad we know a little more about each other, If it's any consolation I've lived through similiar experiences, but under much much different circumstances."

He said a small smile still on his lips but not one that seemed to be making fun of her or enjoying her pain. A comforting one that would show he understood to a certain degree and that he wouldn't ask for more detail then she already had. He suddenly sat shot up and clapped his hands together rubbing them vigourously.

"You know, I'm in the mood for sugar are you in the mood for sugar? I need some sugar, how's about some milkshakes or pie or something sugary? I want to be bouncing off the walls by the end of the day. Oh and don't worry I have enough to pay."

He was speaking fast again as though he had downed the still full cup of coffee with half the sugar of the container inside of it. He grabbed a menu from the holder on the table and began to quickly read through it, finding the dessert menu he slammed it down on the table for her to see and grinned at her with a goofy grin.

"If you tell me you don't want any because you're on a diet I'll throw myself out a window."

He said simply trying desperately for a moment to keep a straight face but the corner of his lips turning up in a helpless smile.

Fede was glad that Alabaster decided to change the subject, her past was not something she liked to reflect on. She wondered what his circumstances might have been, they were more alike that Fede could have imagined. Fede grinned; she thought it might have been interesting to watch Alabaster throwing himself out a window. She watched him carefully, his lips forming into a smile at the corners. Fede shook her head slowly, trying to hide the smile growing on her pale lips.
“No… I kinda got a good metabolism. Some sugar sounds good.”
Fede glanced down at the menu, perusing the items on the list. She didn’t really know what she wanted and it took her a couple minutes to decide.
“I guess I’ll have some… apple pie?” She asked quietly, having someone treat her was something new for Fede and she didn’t know how to act. “T-thank you.” She added timidly, remembering what little manners she was taught.

"Throw some al a mode on it and make it two, I haven't had apple pie in years!"

He exclaimed clapping his hands together like a exciteable child, he turned partly in his seat and waved his arms back and forth.

"Wanda! over here! two slices of your famous apple pie with ice cream over here!"

The middle-aged woman laughed at this display.

"Alabaster you know the only thing I'm famous for is my coffee which you never drink no matter how hungover you get."

Alabaster turned back to Fede and grinned pleasently.

"Don't worry about it, it's good to see that your face doesn't break when you finally manage a smile."

He said grabbing the coffee cup as the waitress Wanda placed the plates of piping hot pie on the table with two scoops of vanilla ice cream on each plate sprinkled with a light covering of cinnamon, he took a large drink from the cup and froze. Swallowing hard he seemed to choke a little bit then slowly stood.

"Uh...be right back"

was all he could manage before he broke out into a run towards the men's room.

Fede turned her head, her eyes following Alabaster into the men’s room. Her brow furrowed as she wondered what the problem could have been. Considering Alabaster seemed rather hung over, she assumed the worst and smirked. Fede turned around and faced forward in the booth once again. She looked down at the pie, the vanilla ice cream was beginning to melt. Fede picked up the fork and was about to sever a small piece when she paused. Her eyes fell to the entrance of the small diner. It would be easy to run away while Alabaster was gone. He wouldn’t have any time to object. It defiantly would be easier on Fede if she just left.

Seconds later the fork pierced the outer crust of the pie. Fede shoveled it into her mouth without blowing or waiting for it to cool down. The filling should have burnt the inside of her mouth, but she continued as if it didn’t bother her.

Alabaster came back a few moments later, his face a bit pale, his eyes looking tired, his hair mussed and in a state of disarray but a weak smile ever present on his lips. He spat into a paper towel he had taken from the bathroom and tossed it into the trash. He hated to admit it but the alcohol had managed to get to him. He hadn't eaten anything solid before drinking that coffee and it had upset his stomach to the point where he had gotten sick. He sat back down at the table across from Fede, the smell of the pie making his stomach churn again but he only dug the spoon in and took a large bite, burning the inside of his mouth in the process. But he didn't dare take another drink of the lukewarm coffee that hovered in the corner of his vision like a boogeyman. After swallowing he said as he picked at his pie with his spoon.

"You know, to be honest I didn't expect you to be here when I got back. Most people get tired of me and ditch me when I leave for a moment. But I don't suppose I blame them, I make them uncomfortable with how cheerful I can be despite my situation."

He looked at her face his eyes meeting her as though he was trying to read her mind, or perhaps already had. His face serious for only a moment as he spoke before allowing a small smile to settle on his face as he gave a small shrug and took another spoonful of pie, this time blowing on it pausing long enough to say.

"It's weird, people expect me to be miserable. People think that just because I sleep on park benches or in shelters, and that I perform on the street for my money that I should somehow wish for something better. But I can't do that, I chose the way I wanted to live and it makes me happy. I've lived on both ends of the railroad tracks and I prefer this side."

He then laughed and looked at Fede again.

"But I don't imagine you know what I'm talking about, hell half the time I don't even know. I just hate uncomfortable silences, don't you?"

Fede shrugged as she shoved another hot piece of pie into her mouth. After a little chewing she swallowed.
“Yeah… you are very cheerful.” Fede sounded very negative, as if it was a bad thing. But she did seem to be joking. “And the thought did cross my mind. It would have been easier for everyone.”
Fede glanced down at her plate, it was easier than looking across the table at Alabaster. She smirked, looking at Alabaster again as he burnt the inside of his mouth. She could see the expression on his face and could feel the heat coming for his portion of pie.

Fede was beginning to relax, something that came with grave consequences. She separated another piece of pie before her eyes opened wide. The room began to get subtly warmer. Fede gulped, her breathing visibly heightened. She closed her eyes and dipped her head, mainly so Alabaster or anyone else could see her. Fede’s eyes squeezed closed as she tried to regain control. She was mumbling something under her breath, the words were rushed and panicked. Slowly she raised her head, looking slightly flushed and exhausted. She tried to continue like nothing was the matter, glancing towards Alabaster underneath the brim of her hat.

“I umm… I don’t mind the silence. It’s… it’s comforting.” Fede said quietly in a completely different tone and demeanor than she had been speaking in earlier. She didn’t look Alabaster in the eyes after her little episode, she simply stared at her pie seeming in deep thought.

If Alabaster had noticed her episode he didn't act it in the least, his smile had faded slightly as he stared down at the pie picking at it as though he had lost what little appetite he had come in with. He was silent for what seemed like the longest time then looked up at her calmly with a knowing look on his face.

"Did it just get warmer in here?"

He left it at that as he pushed his plate forwards signifying that he was done with it. Well his suspicions were confirmed, she was definitely something more then what she appeared. But he wasn't worried in the least about her abilities, he knew that his powers were far from under control if he sneezed dollar bills blew out his nose. A helpful little trick he had learned but had yet to counterspell since it had become a bit of a nuisance.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a few dollars, thankful that the spell didn't allow them to be coated with anything that would make them any less valuable to the humans. He placed them on the table along with a tip and smiled again at Fede.

"Nice day out eh?"

She’d lost her appetite and didn’t feel much like finishing her pie either. She didn’t feel too good about not finishing it, especially since Alabaster paid for it. Fede placed her fork on the side of the plate and slid it towards the centre. Fede took a fleeting look around the diner and felt strangely claustrophobic. She felt that all eyes were on her, although none were. Her depressant, jade eyes settled on Alabaster. She looked out the window.

“Yeah…” Fede mumbled, outside did sound like a good idea.
She glanced around the diner one final time before looking across the table at Alabaster.
“You… umm… don’t have to stay here. You could, uhh… go outside.” Fede stuttered, never finding the right words.
Fede had basically just asked Alabaster if he would like to join her. However, such words were never easy for Fede and they may have been misconstrued as something else entirely, most probably negative.

Alabaster stretched out his arms with a loud yawn,

"Yeah going outside does sound like a good idea, we could walk off what little pie we ate."

He said reaching into the pocket of his jeans removing a small silver flask from his pocket. He stood unscrewing the cap and paused to take a long drink from it, he replaced the cap and tucked it back into his pocket.

"All right, I've had my breakfast...or lunch...whatever time of day it is I've had that particular meal."

He laughed and looked over at Fede a grin on his face,

"So just feel like walking around or any particular place you want to go?"

He asked running a hand through his mussy hair only suceeding in ruffling it up further making it even more out of control.

“Nowhere in particular, just kinda want to get out of here.” Fede said with a timid smile.
She slid across the booth, slowly rising to her feet. Fede glanced down towards Alabaster; she still didn’t know why he was being so kind to her or why she was indulging him. Fede knew she should have left a while back, when he was in the men’s room. And yet she waited, standing beside the table. The look of concentration was still present on her features. Despite how she acted towards others, Fede didn’t want to hurt anyone. She walked slowly towards the entrance to the diner, glancing back over her shoulder.

"Quit being so serious, it won't kill you to allow yourself to have some fun!"

He exclaimed grabbing her wrists and pulling her to the door, almost skipping.

"I left the money on the table!"

He called out to the waitress who had stood to stop them. Alabaster led Fede out the door and twirled her around in a circle laughing.

"Did you know that ring around the rosey was originally a song about the black plague?"

He asked still twirling her around for a moment before finally letting go. Laughing as he stumbled around for a bit dizzy, his hair mussed and strewn messily over his head. A wide grin showing all his teeth on his face.

"Whew that was fun."

Fede didn’t know how to react and was feeling a myriad of emotions ranging from anger and shock, to delight and fear. Alabaster was right, being serious wouldn’t kill her, but it may be detrimental to the health of others. Even though she tried to suppress it beneath a frightful frown, Fede smiled. She didn’t want to, she hated to smile. Fede wriggled her wrists free from Alabaster’s grasp and backed up a few feet. She pleaded to herself to maintain control. Fede didn’t believe Alabaster knew what he was getting himself into.

Fede shook her head as Alabaster posed her the question. Schooling was never her strong suit and played truant for most of it.
“Didn’t know that.” Fede responded, forcing a frown. “Alabaster, I’m… I’m like this for a reason. People have a tendency to get hurt when I have fun. Just thought I’d warn you, that’s all.”
She decided to leave it at that, leaving her comment open ended and obscure. Fede didn’t trust Alabaster with her truth, not yet anyways. In all honesty, Fede hasn’t divulged her secret to anyone. With that in mind, Alabaster had achieved something quite remarkable. He had managed to get closer to Fede than anyone had in her traumatic past. Many a psychiatrist and social worker failed where Alabaster had succeeded.

“Come on…” Fede mumbled with a bashful smile. “There’s a park around here somewhere.”

"Please, if I've managed to live sixty years with barely a scratch I think I can survive being around you for a few hours."

He said laughing before falling silent realizing that he had said more then he needed to say, He hoped she hadn't noticed not that it mattered much anyway but it still wasn't that smart to blurt out that he himself may have been more then he appeared, just on the off chance that he had revealed it to someone who wasn't on the up and up.

He laughed again, a bit nervous this time and added quickly.

"The park sounds fun, I'll show you my favorite bench to sleep on."

He said trying to regain his shaken composure before he dropped the illusion and exposed everything to her.

Fede raised an eyebrow; Alabaster didn’t look a day over twenty five. She observed him carefully, watching his mannerisms. At first Fede thought she simply misheard what Alabaster had said, or maybe he was lying or joking. However, considering his cagey behavior afterwards, Fede knew she heard him correctly. She just didn’t understand.
“Right… let’s see this bench.” She said with a small, slightly hesitant smile.
The two continued through the streets towards the large park.

Alabaster sighed deeply trying to relax himself, she was something other then what she appeared, even if she did find out about what he was it's not like it would make a big difference right? right? He was having trouble convicing himself.

"So Fede is there anything else you'd like to tell me about yourself? I ask clearly because I think I've run out of things to say."

He said laughing, a bit more naturally now as he walked besides her, He had to keep focused on the fact that she was just a girl he was with. She was having a good time as far as he could tell and he didn't want to spoil that by acting like some creepy homeless guy.

Fede shook her head slowly. Even if she wanted to tell Alabaster what she was, she couldn’t. Fede had no idea about her heritage or the fact she wasn’t even human. Sure, she knew she was different from the others, she didn’t like to dwell on that fact. Fede turned her head a degree, staring towards Alabaster from beneath the shadows of her baseball cap. She tried to keep her distance, closing herself off from others. But it would seem Alabaster wasn’t about to let her do that. Fede smiled softly, a smile that could have been construed as normal, maybe even friendly. Fearing she was focusing too much, she quickly looked away, peering off into the far distance.

Fede didn’t know how much Alabaster knew about her, if he knew anything for that matter. She smirked, hearing that Alabaster had run out of things to talk about. From what Fede had seen, she figured that to be impossible.
“No… isn’t much more to me.” Fede mumbled, trying to think of a way to shift attention away from her. “Umm, you mentioned before you chose to be homeless?”

Alabaster nodded a triumphant smirk on his face.

"That's right, I know it's not the choice most people would make with their lives but I'm happier this way." He said stretching out his arms with a bit of a yawn.

"Sure you don't have a roof on your head and people yell at you to get a job, but to be honest it's a nice change of pace. It's like camping out...only it's city camping...and you have no supplies...and it's 24/7" He paused for a moment then scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Guess it doesn't sound so glamorous when I say it like that."

He said with a sheepish grin on his face. He was glad to be away from his little slip of the tongue. He glanced over at Fede glad to see she was smiling, she wasn't as bad a challenge as he had thought, the real challenge was keeping her smiling. But Alabaster had always been the type who enjoyed a good challenge.

Fede was in somewhat of the same situation Alabaster was, although hers was not by decision. She could barely afford the cheap, rundown apartment she was living in at the moment. Fede smiled miserably, as if she didn’t know what to say. She tried to smirk, making a snide remark at Alabaster’s situation. However Fede didn’t, she didn’t have the heart to. Truth be told, she didn’t want to be a bitch. It was far easier to push others away than risk opening up to them and be rejected for what she was.

“I see…” Fede finally mumbled after what seemed like a lifetime of thought.
She physically distanced herself from Alabaster, careening away the slightest degree as they walked. She was doing a good job at maintaining her frown.

"Hey I washed recently don't act like I stink." He said smirking as he noticed her attempting to careen discreetly away from him.

"And last I checked I didn't have...ohh what's it called...Cooties! yeah that's it....I don't have cooties." He said struggling for only a moment to think of the childhood plague. He skipped over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders giving her a quick hug before letting go so she wouldn't feel weird.

"If you want to be rid of me just say so, I mean it's not like I'm going to start stalking you or something."

He said laughing but suddenly stopping and sneezing. He had forgotten his allergy to bubble gum his father had placed on him to keep him from chewing it during dinners. Alabaster quickly covered his nose and hoped she didn't hear the crinkle of the fresh dollar bill that had just flew from his nose. Completely clean of course. Alabaster sneezed again and yet another dollar bill flew into his hands. This was not good.

"Excuse me."

He said quickly before sneezing once more turning running towards the nearest tree that he could hide behind. He realized that a piece of gum had stuck to his shoe and until he got it a certain distance away he was going to have a grand time explaing how and why dollar bills were shooting from his nose.

Fede walked beside Alabaster in mild shock. She was taken back by his embrace, not knowing how to react. Fede smiled comically and blushed. She turned her head away from Alabaster, once again not knowing how to react. But she was embarrassed. Physical contact was something new to Fede.

“Nah, its okay… I’ll just move if… that…?” Fede stopped walking a few paced ahead of Alabaster.
She turned her head, glancing back over her shoulder at him. She frowned with mild concern.
“You okay?” Fede asked, turning around.
She heard an odd crinkling and raised an eyebrow. Fede didn’t know what had caused it but was very curious. She wondered if it was a handkerchief, no, it sounded more papery than that. She took a step towards Alabaster before he darted around the nearest tree. Fede didn’t like the look in his eyes, she could tell something was seriously wrong. She walked slowly towards the tree, quite concerned for her new acquaintance. Fede didn’t consider Alabaster a friend… at least not yet anyways.

“Alabaster?” She called out, strafing around the tree trying to see what the problem was.
Fede moved slowly, slightly hunched over to the side to get a better perspective.

Alabaster waved his arm briefly behind him.

"No no I'm fine don't worry...'ACHOo!' about me."

He cried out plucking the fresh dollar bill from the air. Struggling to stand on one foot to grab the gum that had lodged itself into the fine grooves of his boots. He wobbled too and fro as bill after bill flew from his nose.

"This is not good...not good!

He thought to himself as finally he lost balance and fell to the ground turning just enough to land hard on his back dollar bills flew out from his hand and littered the ground around him. In a fit of frustration Alabaster tore off his boot and with a final sneeze tossed it away from him...It landed in a nearby mud puddle. Alabaster laid his head back closing his eyes.

"Just my luck."

He muttered plucking the last dollar bill from his nose somewhat frustrated before throwing it to his side where it floated gently in the air before landing on one of his outstretched arms, his eyes closed for a moment. Wondering how in the world he was going to explain anything to Fede.

Fede caught a glimpse of a heavy boot flying through the air out of her peripheral vision. Her head turned in its direction, watching it land in the puddle of mud. Fede was confused to say the least. She glanced back to Alabaster and could only see part of him lying down behind the tree. Her worry turned more to curiosity and bewilderment. Fede walked back in the direction she came from and towards the mud puddle. She crouched down so her back was to Alabaster.

Fede examined the mud soaked boot with a frown. She wondered if there was a thorn or something inside it. If that was the case, he severely overreacted. With index and forefinger, Fede plucked the boot from the puddle. Thick droplets of mud fell back into the puddle. She glanced around her and finally over her shoulder. Fede turned her attentions back to the boot and closed her eyes. Her frown became more intense as her concentration increased. Fede’s eyes opened with a content smile and sigh. Something had gone right for a change. She clubbed the now dry mud from the boot and stood up.

She turned around, walking back to Alabaster. Fede took note of all the bills lying around him. She didn’t want to ask, nor did she feel that she was in any situation to.
“Here…” Fede said bluntly as she extended the boot towards Alabaster. It was completely dry and still somewhat warm. “You’re lucky… it missed the puddle.”

Alabaster shot right up as she held the boot out to him, dry as a bone but with the gum still attached. Before he could say anything much less move to cover his nose or hide it, Alabaster let out a large sneeze five dollars worth of bills flying from his nose.

"Ged it away! trudt me"

He managed hoping the fact that dollar bills were flying from his nose wouldn't bother her so much and that she'd get the boot away from him or at least take off the gum, one thing or another that was his first priority. He sneezed again covering his nose this time another dollar bill flying from his nose. As with most allergies his eyes grew scratchy and watery and with all the excitement his illusion dropped revealing his silver eyes. But with how much he was sneezing and everything he doubted Fede could see them at the moment.

Fede’s head jolted back in shock and her depressant jade eyes opened wide. She didn’t just see what she thought she saw, did she? Her eyes drifted down with the dollar bills, watching them slowly flutter to the floor. Fede was defiantly shocked and her jaw was slacked. She was brought fearfully back to reality when Alabaster shouted. Fede glanced down at the boot in her hands, unaware of its adverse effects over Alabaster. She couldn’t help but think for a moment that Alabaster was referring to her. Fede frowned sadly, hoping it was the boot Alabaster was indicating.

She reared her arm backwards, slightly disgruntled, sending the boot over her shoulder. It landed with a dull thud a few metres behind her. Fede frowned, clenching her jaw. She didn’t understand what was happening, but she knew ejecting dollar bills from ones nasal cavities was not normal. She was also a bit afraid, fearful of what she had seen and of what Alabaster truly was.

Nathaniel sniffled regaining control not bothering to put up the illusion again.

"Thanks Fede, I guess I have some explaining to do." He said scratching the back of his head sniffling once more, a bashful look on his face. He highly doubted he could get away with attempting to pass it off as a magic act gone awry.

"Right off the bat I should say that I'm allergic to gum...it's a curse that was placed on me as a disciplinary act. The dollar bill sneezing act was an accident."

He rubbed the back of his head slightly wondering where to begin, Especially after his last statement that was sure to make her wonder. He then decided that telling the truth no matter how farfetched it may sound would be the best policy.

"Okay, I know this sounds stupid but I'm not some evil magic creature that's going to eat or ravish you to bear my unholy children or any such nonesense as that. I'm a relatively normal guy except that I'm a warlock. Think of it like being a wizard minus the magic staff or funny sounding spells."

He said giving her a small grin.

"You could consider me just your average everyday typical warlock, I do magic and can sense beings that have special gifts like yours Fede."

Fede scowled with the utmost contempt. This was all a bit too much for her. Curses, warlocks, silver eyes, dollar bills fluttering from the nose, and she didn’t know what to believe. Fede slowly crouched down beside Alabaster, her arms crossed across her chest. A thin smile worked its way across her lips.

“Do you take me for an idiot? You are not a… warlock.”
Fede tried to rationalise what she had just seen. She believed his sliver eyes were contacts and everything else was either a lie or a deception. She still didn’t know exactly how he managed to eject the bills from his nose, or why he would. Somehow she believed this had something to do with her. She knew she was different and her ‘gift’ as Alabaster so eloquently put it, was more of a curse. Fede looked quite angry and had little reason to be.

“Fine then… prove it.” She looked around, thinking of a way Alabaster could prove his claim. “Make a… make a…” She shrugged, “make a fireball.” Fede demanded.
This was the first thing that popped into her mind. She waited apprehensively for Alabaster to produce a flaming orb. This was actually somewhat of a good choice for Fede to judge whether or not he was telling the truth. She had an intimate relationship with the flame.

Alabaster sighed, he didn't blame her for not believing it hell sometimes he had trouble believing it.

"All right, just promise me you won't freak out and start screaming you wouldn't believe how easily I can get arrested over something like that."

He said adjusting himself so his back was pressed against the tree. He rolled up the short sleeves of his shirt which served no purpose other then for show and snapped his fingers...

Nothing happened.

"Oh dammit, come on you worked for me that time in the alleyway."

Alabaster cursed then remembered he needed something to set aflame. He picked up a pinecone which sat besides him and smiled.

"This'll do."

He said tossing it up into the air snapping his fingers again focusing on what fire needed to survive and bending the elements as he had been taught so instantly the pinecone was set ablaze, vanishing almost instantly from view becoming a simple fireball as she had asked. He stuck up his index finger as the fireball floated downwards to rest a few inches above it, like a expert basketball player the flames illuminating his proud face.

"Satisfied now?" He asked.

Fede watched the flame intently, its form dancing in her now vivid jade eyes. No matter how much she wished to deny it, Alabaster was telling the truth. The flame was real enough, she could feel its heat and it bared testament to his words. Fede thought she should come clean as well. Naturally, she was very apprehensive about such an action. Her eyes were transfixed on the flame, never wondering from its dance. She was trying to think of a way to explain what she knew to Alabaster. Fede couldn’t find the words, and then it hit her.

She slowly extended a hand towards the flame, glancing towards Alabaster as she did. Her slender fingers were trembling slightly. She wasn’t frightened of the flame; she knew it wasn’t going to burn her. She was anxious about Alabaster’s response. Slowly Fede closed her hand on the fireball. The flames licked around her fingers as she tightened her grip, finally holding it like a baseball. She had a small smile on her lips and studied his features carefully, awaiting the expected signs of shock. After a few seconds Fede quickly closed her fist, snuffing the fire. She opened her hand, exposing her undamaged palm. Fede still didn’t know what to say and simply stared into Alabaster’s silver eyes.

Alabaster only watched in amazement as he handled the fireball expertly, as she showed her unscathed palm a wide grin seemed to grow on his face as he began to laugh slightly.

"I knew it! I knew there was more to you then meets the eye, I just didn't think it would be anything that cool!"

He exclaimed clapping his hands excitedly as though applauding a great play or opera.

"I wish we could've admitted to our powers under better circumstances, although you have to admit finding out someone is a warlock because they're allergic to chewing gum and sneezes out dollar bills is pretty funny."

He said laughing his white hair falling over his twinkling silver eyes. He was glad he had found someone with powers. It was hard to find anyone else that he could trust to tell his secret too. Mind you it was still a bit too early to explain too much of his heritage to her just yet, especially the bad reputation his bloodline had strived to remove from his kind.

This wasn’t the reaction Fede had expected. Out of all the plausible scenarios she played out in her mind, this was far better than any of them. Her smile grew as well, but only for a moment. She closed her fist, deciding not to risk demonstrating any more. She pulled it towards her, sliding it under her opposing arm. She was still trying to understand Alabaster’s enthusiasm for her ability. She didn’t think it was cool, it was bothersome, frustrating, and painful. It wasn’t painful in the strictest sense of the word, more the emotional pain Fede stressed on herself because she was different and because she was a danger.

“Do you really think it’s cool? Or you just saying that?” Fede questioned with another frightening frown.
She listened to his words, she had to admit it was quite humorous, but also deadly serious. She wondered who in their right mind would ban someone from gum, it seemed very trivial in Fede’s mind. Slowly she nodded in agreement. If it had been up to Fede she wouldn’t have exposed herself like this. It was only because the situation presented itself that she did. Under normal circumstances, Fede tried her best to blend in with the general public.
“Guess so… Umm, why gum though? And is it any kind of gum? Does it have to be chewed?” She had many questions, if that wasn’t obvious enough. She realised she had no right to be asking, and lowered her gaze from Alabaster. “Sorry… you don’t need to answer.”

"No no it's all right, when I was young...er...younger I used to chew gum all the time. Mostly to stick onto people's seats. Finally my father got sick of it and made me allergic to it. And to answer your other guestions yes and no, it just has to be gum."

He said smiling then sat back against the tree tilting his head to the side slightly giving her a cat-like smile.

"Yes...you're powers I find interesting and cool. But I also know you have difficulty with them, such was the case at the diner. That's probably why I was drawn to you, that little amount of chaos that surrounds us and our powers."

He said hoping he was getting his point across to her that he too had difficulty controlling his powers. He ran a hand through his hair and paused only to scratch the top of his head.

"And you don't need to be afraid of asking me questions, I'm more then willing to answer them, especially when they're about me."

He teased laughing lightly, he wasn't particularly narcistic but he had been known to have a bit of a big head at times, but he could take a punch at his ego and every now and again took a shot himself.