Detained [Necros]

[Martyr]

How had things come to this? Everything seemed to be perfectly planned out. So why was it that the Cabernet Mall was so busy? It was a Monday, and nine o'clock sharp in the morning. If there was any bustling from the adults, it would be in their office, home, or school. Same for kids. They should be in school! They had a future ahead of them, didn't they? It was broad daylight, crisp and clear for any working condition! But as Salim Metternich, recently Martyr, inspected the mall's condition, people continued to swarm the halls like panicked ants. Now usually, the pain weaver would usually take any necessary amount of money from a liquor store or something alike for survival. Lately, that didn't seem enough. Considering that there apparently weren't many liquor stores in Jump City. If she was stupid enough to visit one she had already paid a visit to, she'd be identified in a heartbeat.

And so there Salim was, eyebrows furrowing over cordovan eyes that shone with irritation underneath the shadow of her hood, somewhat leisurely pacing up and down the hall, her main target the jewelry store. Luckily, even when stuck in a rut, Salim had thought of another plan the moment she walked into the shopping court. All that was holding her back, was the only customer in said store, who was seemed to be leaving. Here we go. The redhead strolled through the archway, when she noticed something out of the corner of her eyes. Students, apparently who had played hooky, were ushering themselves towards the entrance of the mall, before running like the devil himself were on their heels. and looking back, Salim found what exactly they had been avoiding: security. And might it be added that this man was right behind her by the time she had dared look over her shoulder.

"Young lady..." The gruff elder began, ignoring the way she flinched away from such a close presence, "Why are you here?" Reasons I'm not going to tell you. Through her silence, he pressed on. "Do you realize that today is a school day?" Yes, though that doesn't apply to me. Salim shrugged. "Does your school have a holiday?" Again, she repeated answering silently. The guy loves to lay it on thick for students, doesn't he? "Okay, Missy. Since you're not going to answer, I'm going to have to take you with me to call your parents." With a snatch of her wrist, the security officer began to drag a now panicked Salim. Not good, not good! Slapping her hand over his own, the man glanced back to see her still struggling. "What's you deal? School ain't that bad--" Anyone who was witness to the drama unfolding would see a dreadful sight, as the once high an' mighty officer crumpled to the ground, writhing in seizure-like movements as Salim looked on at him, stealing away his energy while he suffered.

"You leave me no choice. And by the way..." Martyr finally spoke, "I don't even go to school." She left with those words, parting the crowd as she pushed against them. A painful ringing in her ears that wouldn't shut up accompanying her as she stumbled away, white spots almost blinding her vision. She hadn't known how long ago she had escaped, or where she was going for that matter. But when the high-pitched ringing wouldn't cease, Salim could only make it to some nearby storage room, hands clamped over her ears. "Stop. Stop, stop, stop..." She chanted, urging her powers to cooperate. Why, even though she tried her hardest, was she reduced to this? Why was she detained from having at least some luck on her side?

[Necros]

Necros sat on the top of a skyscraper, scanning the minds in the surrounding area not with empathy, but telepathy for a change. If she had followed his instructions, there would be only one who would feel his touch: Martyr. Raven could as well, of course, but the Titans had been absent for months, and he would never have risked opening his mind like this if she had been nearby. And he would have been able to tell if she had. His eyes were closed, the ivory lids covering the cold, shining rubies of his eyes. He breathed deeply through his nose, extending his mental reach over the city. This was the third skyscraper this morning that he had sat upon and attempted to locate her. It was also the one on top of which his confrontation with Red X had begun. His thoughts darkened slightly for as moment, but then he cleared his mind and continued his search. She was certainly resourceful, he mused. And the suit could come in useful as well. ~She could also provide decent girlfriend material now that Achema is gone. She liked you. Necros sighed. ~You disappoint me Nevermore. At least with Achema, you had a basis for teasing me. Red X and I are not even friends. ~Yeah, well, I'm bored. ~Patience. I have found her. Necros opened his eyes, brushing away thoughts of Achema that Nevermore's comment had stirred up like a dust cloud.

He stood up, breathing deeply. He was wearing his "emo" outfit, to give Martyr something familiar to look at when she saw him, since he had been wearing it during their first encounter. Also to distract her somewhat from Nevermore, for he had decided to allow her to meet his companion. The ebony bird was perched upon his shoulder, but now he took flight as Necros said, ~Stay here. I will bring her. He was wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes from the light. As his forays into the city during daylight hours were becoming more frequent for his non-nocturnal acquaintances, he had deemed it necessary to take further measures to protect himself from the infernal sunlight. He flexed the leg that Achema had broken. The bone itself had healed in a week, but an irritating soreness had permeated his calf for a while now. It was of no consequence, but it came as a small satisfaction to him that it was finally gone.

Ceasing his mental probing, he focused all of his telepathic power on Martyr's mind. "Martyr. I would like to talk with you. Remain where you are." He waited a few seconds for her brain to process the message, then teleported to her location. Accuracy born from years of practice allowed him to materialize inside the storage closet with her without causing an awkward situation. He had sensed her fear, along with traces of underlying resentment and the excitement that is born from adrenaline. But he had not quite expected her to be hiding out in a mall storage closet. "Not the best place for a conversation. Especially since I doubt you are in here for your amusement." He mimicked the casual tone used during exchanges of a similar nature perfectly, to give her a small sense of security and comfort. He braced himself for the coming physical contact, then held out his bare hand, saying "Take my hand." This was also a test of her trust in him. Would she take his hand without an explanation for what he meant to do, even given her situation? The fact that she hardly knew him just made the test more significant.

[Martyr]

Thing just couldn't get worse. She felt as trapped as a mouse caught in a cat's claws: Salim, the mouse, storage room and everyone else out to catch her, cat and claws. It was actually pretty ridiculous. Why? Because she panicked; the grip the security officer had on her spooked her. And that was humiliating. She had powers no one would've imagined unless from experience. All this unease over a narrowly-avoided surrender? What the hell? Nearly tearing out her short red locks out of frustration and the continuous ringing in her ears, Salim growled as she shut her eyes tightly on the up-coming tears with spite.

"Martyr. I would like to talk with you. Remain where you are."

Releasing a breath she was unaware of holding, Martyr's closed eyes blinked open and stared shockingly at her shoes. "Necros?" She almost whispered, still wary of the fact that anyone could find her. Sure, she was well aware that she'd run into Necros, but not that fast. So many question reeled through her: What was he doing? Did he know she was in trouble? Had he seen her use her powers? Where was he coming from? Well, save for the last question, all of her inquiries were ignored as she found another pair of shoes in the room. Her breath hitched. Martyr turned her rosy red eyes to meet Necros's blood red. There was relief and surprise and confusion at his entry now present within hers. "Not the best place for a conversation. Especially since I doubt you are in here for your amusement." There was an unbearable silence for about thirty seconds as she stared at him owlishly. Then, abruptly, she pressed one hand to her forehead, eying the door suspiciously. "Necros..." Martyr tried again. She hadn't seen him come in. Even if she was occupied with her pain, she at least would've heard him open the door. "How--?"

"Take my hand."

Now at that request, she cradled her other hand to her chest, eyes wider than she expected. "What?" Martyr was dismayed when her voice broke in half. Indeed, physical contact affected her emotions in ways she didn't understand, in ways that appalled her, despite her reasons. For a brief moment, her face morphed into an almost comical expression of embarrassment as she realized how she was acting. Calm down... It'll be fine... I hope. She shook her head violently to clear her anxiety; "Okay." Using her legs, Martyr pushed off the floor and stepped up, lifting her hand tentatively until it grasped his, fingers bending around the heel of his palm.

[Necros]

Her frustration with her situation washed over him. Indeed, frustration for the way her entire life had turned out. But he could fix that, if she let him. And he was confident that she would. But if she didn't...well, she would suffer the same fate as the rest of her species. Her anger was quickly replaced with shock and confusion, and a hint of relief as she heard his voice and realized he was with her. Through the darkness, he saw her glance toward the door, her confusion increasing slightly as she did, and he knew she was wondering how he had entered the room. He might tell her if she asked, but unless she did, he wasn't going to explain. He waited while she blinked at him, and when she finally tried to speak, it was just unfinished questions. He remained silent while she took a moment to compose herself. When she registered what he had asked her to do, her shock increased, and he waited to see what her decision would be.

"Okay."

He could feel it as she reigned in her anxiety and embarrassment, and suppressed a shudder as he felt her soft fingers curl around his hand. It had been bad enough when Achema had touched his forearm for less than five seconds to assist him during their fight with Conflict and Mori, but this was far worse. At least Achema's skin had been smooth and freezing cold, but Martyr's hand was sickeningly warm and felt so soft as to be something you could squish and watch its contents gush out. And then all of a sudden they were on top of the skyscraper and he had let go of her hand. He felt the sudden urge to get some hand sanitizer, but ignored it and turned to face her to see what her reaction would be. As he did, Nevermore descended and landed on his right shoulder, turning his head to get a clear look at Martyr. ~So what can she do? ~That is what I am going to find out.[/i]




((Gah, muse drain.))[/size][/color]

[Martyr]

Of course, Martyr was unaware of the fact that Necros could teleport; she only knew of his empathic and telepathic abilities. Therefor, her head grew heavy at the sudden change of light, and her eyes felt as though they were about to fall out of their sockets. Yanking her hand away mutually as Necros did with her, and ignoring the fact that his hand was freezing and seemed to be made of stone, Martyr was no longer able to stand the feeling of being touched any longer for that day. Groaning shamelessly, her free hand joined the other in clamping over her eyes and rubbing at the spots that blinded her vision. Oh, I feel sick. Why is he full of surprises? Squinting her eyes open, Martyr only caught glimpse of his shadow before blinking again.


"I would appreciate a little warning next time, please." She grumbled as she could finally maintain to make out the pale skinned boy. If there is a next time, that is, she assumed. It wasn't meant to come off as annoyed as she actually was; the pain was really starting to wear away at her patience as all. With a sigh, Martyr finally composed herself as she looked Necros over, noting a new presence. A raven. "Er..." Pointing at it with a quirk of the eyebrow, she looked to Necros as if expecting that he knew. well, of course he already knew, but why wasn't he doing something about it. Ugh, too much thinking, she complained internally, before trying to link things together.


"I don't mean to sound so blunt, but do you mind telling me what's going on? You come out of nowhere, bring me up on a - a what. Ceiling of a skyscraper? - through teleportation, and you're looking at me as if waiting for me to do something. And you're either really friendly when it comes to animals, or this is your pet... friend... I don't know." Granted, Martyr was still worried, and a bit confused yet. It had been only a little over a few days since her encounter with Necros, and it had undergone an awkward and 'new' experience to a sort of familiarity, although they had met just once. This wasn't to say that they could really consider themselves friends. The redhead snorted at the obvious truth. She didn't doubt that she could trust Necros to a certain extent, but she didn't want to risk depending on him and all that jazz. Not a chance. At least, not now.

[Necros]

Necros noticed that Martyr was just as eager to relinquish physical contact as he was. Though he suspected it was for the opposite reasons. While she felt warm and vulnerable, he knew his own skin would be frigid and unnaturally smooth. Her surprise and bewilderment had redoubled the instant they appeared on the top of the skyscraper, and he sensed a fair bit of nausea. That was to be expected: people who weren't used to teleporting had to do so frequently to get used to it, and the first time was always a bit rough, especially if they didn't know what was going on. She rubbed her eyes for a few moments, making no attempt to hide her moaning, then finally straightened and turned to him.

"I would appreciate a little warning next time, please."

" You have my apology. However, I thought it best that we vacate your location as swiftly as possible. What happened?" He noticed her questioning glance at Nevermore, and held out his right arm in front of him, his forearm parallel to his chest, and Nevermore fluttered down to it, securing his talons around Necros's wrist. "This is my companion, Nevermore." That was all the explanation he gave, and that was all the explanation she needed. For now. A faint sensation of pain reached his mind, and he sensed her slight annoyance and impatience. Then she gave him the opening he had been waiting for.

"I don't mean to sound so blunt, but do you mind telling me what's going on? You come out of nowhere, bring me up on a - a what. Ceiling of a skyscraper? - through teleportation, and you're looking at me as if waiting for me to do something."

He studied her for a moment before sitting down and crossing his legs, silver chains clinking as he did so. "I understand your confusion." He hesitated for the appropriate amount of time to project the illusion of nervousness. "You did something for me Martyr. You helped me. Now I want to help you." She would be a wonderful tool. "I have seen how you live, and I know you struggle with your powers, when you are desparate enough to use them at all. You deserve better than that Martyr. You know you do." He paused again, then took a deep breath, as if preparing himself for what he was going to say. "How would you like to become my apprentice?"

[Martyr]

" You have my apology. However, I thought it best that we vacate your location as swiftly as possible. What happened?"

Ah, so he hadn't been present during her little problem at the mall. Well, at least it wouldn't be as embarrassing as she thought. But there was still something to explain to him. Martyr sighed, looking away as she thought back on it. "It was supposed to be planned perfectly..." She started, more likely to herself. "I was just trying to get what I needed, and that blasted security officer got in the way." Her smile was empty and bleak as she shook her head at the burly man's ignorance. "Though, I wasn't really thinking when I made him suffer." Her voice was light, contrasting from the heavy atmosphere of the situation. Over and over again, she seemed to do nothing but panic. And in the end, Necros had to jump in and save Martyr. The helpless feeling really was irritating. As she acknowledged Nevermore, she listened closely as she responded.

"You did something for me Martyr. You helped me. Now I want to help you. I have seen how you live, and I know you struggle with your powers, when you are desperate enough to use them at all. You deserve better than that Martyr. You know you do."

"How have I helped you?" Was the first thought and question that came out of her. Even if it was only a few days ago, martyr couldn't even fathom on how she had ever assisted Necros, when he was really helping her (even if it was a bunch of confusing words in the beginning.) Otherwise, she was at loss for how to react to what he knew of her current lifestyle. There was nothing to be proud of when she thought on how she'd have to connive her way back in every night into the gym, making sure not to be seen by any person twice, and use a gymnast mat for a mattress. Or how although she thought of how humanity was hopeless to her, she couldn't bring herself to use her powers to their fullest. Yeah, she probably did deserve better. The space between them fell silent for an unbearable couple of minutes; save for the honks of the cars and the heavy noises of construction. Finally, Martyr, and her voice was soft but firm. "Why do you care? Why did you look into my lifestyle so closely?"

"How would you like to become my apprentice?"

Martyr tried to digest that. She didn’t know what she was supposed to feel. Her mind was torn between confusion and... hope? "You-" She stopped. If she was about to respond with anything, all thoughts were nipped in the bud. "Apprentice... As in a student? A tool? A... comrade?" Her brow furrowed, seemingly in a confused sort-of-way. She searched Necros's face (as if her answer was on his face) and appeared to find what she was looking for. Perhaps. Fiddling with her fingers, the redhead bit her bottom lip as she came to her final conclusion. "I... I guess..." That wouldn't do. she needed to sound sure. Lifting her face up to his, she nodded half hesitantly. "Sure."

[Necros]

"It was supposed to be planned perfectly...I was just trying to get what I needed, and that blasted security officer got in the way. Though, I wasn't really thinking when I made him suffer."

She sighed and turned away as she spoke,He could feel her sense of helplessness, and the frustration that stemmed from it. There was some remorse for what she had done to the man, but also exasperation for how stupid he had been. As she spoke, more flashes of emotion and thought allowed him to piece together what had happened. "You must become accustomed to this, Martyr. The majority of the human population is mentally deficient. He deserved what you did to him. He deserves worse." He heaved his own sigh, and part of it was genuine. It would be so pleasant once he had finally wiped the disease called the "human race" from existence.

"How have I helped you? Why do you care? Why did you look into my lifestyle so closely?"

He had expected that. Her curiosity would prove useful once he began to train her. He locked gazes with her, his dark, bloody eyes meeting her paler, but still vibrant dusk-colored ones. "I will not elaborate. Suffice to say, something about you managed to let me drive away something that had been troubling me. You provided me with a distraction." Fangs poked over his bottom lip in a small, calculated smile. "A reprieve, if you will." He paused again; it was crucial that he maintain the facade that he was hesitant, nervous, unsure of what he was saying, so that she could feel that he was feeling the same tumultous emotions that she was. It would make her more comfortable and lower her defenses if she thought she was conversing with a kindred spirit. In a few small ways, she was. "I care, Martyr, because one with your talents, one with your gifts, should not have to live the way you do. You are one of the rare humans who actually possesses intelligence, one who has special skills that most others don't. I want you to see that you can and should use them to make your life better. With my help, you can. As I said, you deserve it." He shook his head, the human way of saying "no" without actually speaking. "I have ways of discerning qualities and events surrounding people. Rest assured, I'm not stalking you. Such actions are detestable."

"You- Apprentice...as in a student? A tool? A...comrade? I...I guess...sure."

"Tool is a harsh word. It makes it sound as if I am using you. Student, comrade, those words are better." Of course, he never actually denied that the description of "tool" was accurate. But Martyr would not realize that until he taught her the subtleties of the way he spoke, and the uncountable ways language could be used to decieve people, if only one knew how. Another brief, miniscule smile ghosted across his face. "I am glad you have accepted. Your life will be better for it." He was telling the truth. Necros always told the truth. "Unless you have other activities to occupy your time, which I doubt, I suggest we start immediately. I shall need to know the variety and extent of your powers before we can begin properly."