Dread and Bold (Jaelyn)

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

"So this is the Shrine, eh... I've heard things about this place."

Sakuya muttered under her breath as she looked around. It was a fairly remote place, all things considered. Snow seemed to litter the area as well. A picturesque location for a nice, quiet date with a cute, young girl. Or so Sakuya thought. She had little care for cultural faux pas that doing such a thing might possibly invoke. As she looked up at the daunting stairs and began making her way up to explore, she grinned as she saw a figure in the distance. A figure that perhaps, should not belong to any girl she had set her eyes on. The 'student' licked her lips and hastened her pace, though, the practice and training she attempted in becoming a hitwoman made it so her steps were relatively inaudible despite the speed.

She began to stalk the lone girl in the distance. Sakuya would get a better look at her. If she really was as beautiful as Sakuya thought she was, she'd have things to say, alright. If she wasn't as attractive as anticipated, well, that didn't particularly matter. She would still find a way to have her fun. Yes, fun. Today was shaping up to be a good day already. Especially considering she hadn't expected anyone to show up here at all; she was simply... touring the facilities.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

This whole trip had been a waste of time. There really was nothing this far up the mountain. The ski resort was too expensive, the hot springs were farther than Jaelyn cared to walk at the moment, and the shrine, no longer occupied with some dumb festival, was barren. Jaelyn had hoped to at least see the cute shrine maiden, but she hadn't seemed to be around. So she was left with no reason to be up there. But going back just seemed like too much trouble at the moment, so she wandered off the path and toward to the nearest overlook.

It was times like these that she wondered why she even bothered with anything. The only thing she was good at was fighting shadows, and even then she was badly outclassed by just about everyone else who had shown up at school the other night. She had thought she was hot shit when Andras awakened and she suddenly had fireball-throwing powers, but really, she was just the lowest or almost the lowest rung of a much larger ladder of power. Feh. Luka had even that over her. There was no way Jaelyn would be able to repay her now.

Maybe she just shouldn't bother.

It wasn't enough. No amount of power she gained was enough. There had to be a way to get even stronger....

"What the hell am I doing," she muttered, realizing that in the middle of her thoughts she wasn't paying attention to anything else. She could have slipped and fallen off the edge without even knowing until it was too late to save herself. And then what? She hadn't yet fulfilled her promise to Setsuna, but other than that, nobody would even notice she was gone. "Hah, I really am worthless, aren't I?"

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya had continued her way up the steps at a rather brisk pace, and as she was able to get a better look at the young woman, she realized that she... was rather... smoking~ from behind~ However, Sakuya was a little dampened to note that even only looking at her from behind, she seemed obviously downtrodden about SOMETHING. Now, that just won't do. A seemingly beautiful young lady like that doesn't deserve to be upset or sad about anything. The stranger had swerved off the path, and soon Sakuya's eyes followed, tracing her movements, and it seemed she was heading off to the nearest overlook. Sakuya had quickly followed. I don't even need to stalk her like a creeper this time~ she thought to herself. She's leaving herself wide open for me...~ Sakuya managed to catch her, and found her proverbial "heart" skip a beat. Drop dead gorgeous!

Sakuya shot a certain look at the young girl. "Hey~ What's a beautiful young lady like yourself doing out here all alone~? Want some company? I can show you a good time~"

[Jaelyn Callahan]

"Eh?" Jaelyn jumped a bit as she heard a voice from very close nearby. She hadn't seen anyone on the way up, or when she was looking around, so this person had to have managed to sneak up on her. Was she really that bad at paying attention to her surroundings?

She turned to face the girl who had approached her, looking her over. She was fairly attractive. Probably about her age. Clearly Asian. Giving Jaelyn a very suggestive look. And what she had said matched that look very well. "Aren't you forward," Jaelyn muttered. While she didn't deny that she had the kind of body that attracted people with lewd thoughts...the girl had to be teasing her. Jaelyn had done things with girls in the past, but usually she had to open them up a bit first. No girl just approached her and said 'I can show you a good time'. No, that was usually boys who couldn't keep it in their pants.

"I guess I wouldn't mind the company, at least," Jaelyn finally said. If nothing else, having someone else around would hopefully keep her distracted.

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

What a dull reaction. Oh... Maybe she just needed to be fired up. That would do it, right? Sakuya thought to herself as the young girl replied rather... merely, simply expressing her consent at having any company at all. "Aren't you forward," she said, and to that, Sakuya moved a little closer to her. From her reaction, Sakuya knew. She knew, that she was probably used to such comments... but not from other girls. But rather, from the disgusting people called "males." It was alright, though. Sakuya would try her best to make sure she wouldn't need guys. If she couldn't have things her way now, she would at least play with her a little. Of course, if the young girl played with her feelings too... That would be a different story.

Sakuya had to resist putting her arm around the girl she had just met, but knew that important first steps needed to be made. "So, dear, would you grace me with your name~? I'm Sakuya Kyoudou, and it's my pleasure to meet someone as stunningly beautiful as yourself," she said, a tinge of offsetting sultriness dripping into it. "It just wouldn't do for you to be alone like this, all... sulky. I'd certainly like to keep you company...~"

[Jaelyn Callahan]

"Uh," Jaelyn said, hesitating for a second as the girl got closer and introduced herself as Sakuya. Her voice took the sort of sultry tone Jaelyn occasionally used when actually interested in someone. In fact, it was almost exactly the same, right down to making her just a little bit uneasy. She blushed just a little as she answered. "Jaelyn Callahan," she said.

Just what did she say to someone like this?! No way was Jaelyn about to trust that she had nothing but good intentions. And yet, here she was, showing up right out of nowhere while she was contemplating her own worthlessness and complimenting her on her one good trait (even if she was probably exaggerating it), and offering at minimum to keep her company. It was nice to hear...right up until Jaelyn reminded herself how suspicious it was.

...Well, okay. She could hold onto it for a little while longer. If this did turn out to be some twisted way of teasing her, then she would just have to make Sakuya's life hell. She had plenty of ways to do that. Some of them, a person could never fully recover from. "It's nice to meet you too. And...thanks, I think," she finally said.

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Jaelyn Callahan. Nice name. Rolled off the tongue nicely, if I do say so myself. thoughts ran through Sakuya's head. The aim was not to string her along. Sakuya did not let herself drop that low. If she had to have multiple partners, Sakuya would do her best to please ALL of them equally. Besides, she had certain means. Sleep and other typical human means of sustenance were of minimal concern. She only needed the bare, utmost minimum to get by. Sakuya knew, deep inside, that while this Jaelyn might have seemed down about something, there was one thing she could not deny - that was the beauty she possessed, enough to make most swoon. And she had taken full advantage of that. It didn't matter what Miss Callahan thought of the approach. It was all the same to Sakuya.

And besides, even if something went horribly wrong...

It's not like Sakuya could be mentally or physically tortured any further. She had already faced enough abuse when she was alive. The former 'Sakuya Kyoudou' had died long ago, suicide, in fact, but even so, the memories of the dirty deeds of men were still everpresent, an everlasting, abstract presence. If she had to face these trials and tribulations again, it would be better served coming from a sexy female such as this Jaelyn.

"Good to see you're starting to see things a little more brightly, hun," Sakuya said. "What makes you feel so down, if I may dare ask?"

[Jaelyn Callahan]

'A little more brightly.' Feh. That was a laugh. The only time Jaelyn saw things brightly was when they were on fire. Or bright enough to be extremely unpleasant. Or...one of those. She was already losing track of the metaphor. But then Sakuya asked why she was feeling down. Had she really been that obvious? Sure, she was by nature an extremely negative person, but she usually just tried to look apathetic to anyone else.

Letting out a sigh, Jaelyn shook her head. "It's nothing important. Just dealing with a lot of unpleasant thoughts lately. Mostly just my own incompetence, so don't worry about it." Hopefully, that would be enough to answer Sakuya's question without provoking more curiosity. Then again, if this girl really was anything like her, the chances of that were almost laughable.

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Incompetence? Humans were incompetent. Usually. But it was possible to surpass that limitation. So Sakuya thought. Jaelyn had assured Sakuya that her thoughts were not particularly worth worrying about, but of course, Shadows feasted on that kind of stuff. Or something. Sakuya would feast on this negativity, of course, but under the guise of wanting to get closer to Jaelyn. She wouldn't want to hurt her, either. Such a pretty young woman shouldn't be subjected to gruesome harm. Admittedly, that was what happened to the 'original' Sakuya, but details. She needed a body to harvest.

"Don't be silly, miss," Sakuya huffed, gently giving Jaelyn a pat on the back. "What about you could possibly be incompetent? If there's anything that's incompetent, it's got to be those despicable males... Geez." Sakuya almost hissed as she said the word 'males.' Hopefully, it didn't show too much, but it wouldn't be a big deal if Jaelyn noticed.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

Well, that was a strange response. It sounded like this girl had some issue with boys. She couldn't exactly relate, there. Jaelyn didn't mind guys, at least no more than she minded people in general. Granted, most of the ones she had known were complete idiots, but she didn't usually hold it against them. And while what Sakuya had said was clearly meant to make Jaelyn feel better, it only succeeded in making her more suspicious. Most people who tried to reassure someone without anything to actually give were either also idiots or hiding something.

But, since she did seem to be willing to listen, at least, Jaelyn decided to answer. "Pretty much everything. I don't have any useful skills. I'm doing badly at best in school. I have no friends and nobody I can really trust. I've spent two years in this city and still haven't managed to adjust to it. And just when I finally find something I think I'm good at, something nobody else can do, it turns out there's a whole bunch of people who can and they're all better at it than me." she rattled all of that off in a bitter tone, staring off the overlook at the city below. Once she finished, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She felt a little better for letting all of that out, but not much. "My looks are pretty much all I have going for me. Well, that and the ability to use a knife, but I don't want to resort to that for everything."

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya frowned a little upon hearing what Jaelyn had to say. She literally pulled out the "I'm worthless because of X, Y, Z" card. Sakuya was somewhat used to hearing such things from her womanizing exploits before hitting the big M, so this wasn't new to her at all. Yet hearing these things from such a starlet almost pained her. Almost being the operative word here. However, Sakuya knew that at least letting out one's pains and negativity was a start. More food to feed on, in fact. "I see. Unfortunately, I don't know you all that well yet, and I must be a complete stranger to you, as well... No friends, no one you can really trust, yet you say your looks are all you have going for you..." Sakuya had conveniently left out Jaelyn's detail about being good with a knife. That was, of course, because Sakuya had a similar skill with a bolo. Which just happened to be a much bigger knife, so saying something there would not be prudent. That, and Jaelyn had outright admitted to not wanting to resort to violence to solve everything.

"May I extend an invitation of friendship, then, dear?" Sakuya smiled. "I've only been in this city for a couple of years, myself. School's out of the question for me, so I've been spending most of my days wandering the streets and taking odd jobs to make a living. Maybe I can help you out or something. It'll be my treat."

[Jaelyn Callahan]

Jaelyn finally glanced back at Sakuya as she responded. The fact that she was still there was a good sign. It meant that her words weren't entirely empty, just uninformed. Or misleading. But then the next thing she said caught Jaelyn completely off guard. An 'invitation of friendship?' What? Seriously? And for some reason, she couldn't go to school and spent most of her time on the streets doing odd jobs...just who the hell was this girl?

Was she just imagining her, somehow? ...No, that couldn't be right. Most of the things Jaelyn imagined were completely negative. This girl had to be real.

Suspicious, yes. But real. And...well, as much as Jaelyn was loathe to trust anyone or admit to being anything but perfectly fine on her own, she hated actually being alone. If this girl was deceiving her, there would be hell to pay. But for now, she'd rather be ignorant of that. "Fine," she said, giving a weak smile in return. "If nothing else, it sounds like I could learn a few things from you. I accept."

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya smiled. "Sorry if I sound a bit stilted... I think I got lost in my thoughts looking at you," she bowed apologetically. "I'll give you my word, if there's anything I could do for you, God forbid, do let me know." Unfortunately, that deal about not being able to go to school wasn't a joke. She had attempted to get into the local school, but they somehow got access to her records from her previous school and had reason to believe she would go on a murdering spree again in this school. To be fair, it was probably for the best. She made more money being an assassin than she would have if she had wasted away in the academe. To be fair, it wasn't like Shadows were inherently evil to begin with. Well, one would guess the more primitive ones would be. But Sakuya wasn't, in particular. She just had impulses. Desires.

And she'd do anything to get them. In this case, the shadow's desire for lust had fused with the original Sakuya's love and respect for women, corrupting it into an insatiable hunger for relations with... well, women. She'd, in this case, want to experience relations with Jaelyn. If something horrible went wrong along the way, well... It was worth it. And how bad could it possibly be, you know?

"...This might all seem unbelievable, honey, but..." Sakuya smiled. "If I do step out of line... please let me know. Even if you must be violent about it. I won't mind. Promise."

Yeah. It's not like anything will compare to getting raped and beaten.

[Jaelyn Callahan]

Lost in her thoughts from looking at Jaelyn? What did that even mean? Was she thinking along similar lines as Jaelyn, noting that they were just similar enough to wonder who the other person was while still inherently distrusting her? Or was she just undressing her with her eyes? Well, either way, Jaelyn didn't really mind. Something still seemed a bit off about her, but for now, Jaelyn wasn't going to worry about it. It wasn't like she was much different in that way, after all.

And then, Sakuya asked Jaelyn to let her know if she stepped out of line. And getting violent was apparently okay in that case. Jaelyn gave a weak, harsh-sounding laugh, closing her eyes. "So it's okay to get violent if it comes to that. Good to know," she said. Yes, there would be hell to pay if things went horribly wrong. And this girl had just given her permission to do that. Interesting. Jaelyn considered repeating the fact that she was good with a knife, but...nah, she would deal with that when the time came.

She stood in silence for several seconds, before her thoughts were interrupted by her stomach growling. With that, she spoke up again. "I don't suppose 'anything I could do for you' extends to buying me dinner, does it?"

[Sakuya Kyoudou]

Sakuya wasn't deaf; she meant what she said. "Indeed, if it did come to that. Let us hope for both of our sakes it does not," she smiled. "I don't want anything to go horribly wrong, ne~? Just thought I should be open about it, after all," Sakuya had looked away for a bit, as Jaelyn stood in silence for a while. After all, Sakuya had just told her that if she could do anything, she would. Apparently, judging from the sound of stomach rumbling, Jaelyn was hungry. And so, predictably, she asked for dinner. Well, Sakuya made easy dosh killing people, and she enjoyed it, and being able to potentially go on a dinner date with someone made the request all that more delicious.

"Dinner? But, of course, dear. Would you like me to buy you some take-out? Would you like me to take you out for a nicer dinner? What would you like me to get? Come on, we can talk about it on the way~" Sakuya smiled and gestured to leave the premises.