[Dorian Hallward]

The girl was playing with her hair and this was a sign that she was nervous. Maybe as nervous as him? Probably she also thought about the same things he did. If she did it was only natural that she got that nervous… Dorian didn’t know how to handle the situation. He once knew how it worked, how he could talk to people normally, but this had been so long ago and he’d been a little kid at that time. He was way older now and he couldn’t even remember how to have a normal conversation or even how you kept it going. Maybe he was the worst company anyone could get when they wanted to talk, but then again he was the only company Catori had right now. At the moment however it seemed like they both were hanging after their own thoughts. For a while none of them spoke a single word, they were together in the room but in their thoughts they both were far away.

She seemed to be worried when he told her why he’d thanked her and he couldn’t quite understand why she would worry about him. There was no reason to worry about him. No one did, well maybe his foster parents but they were far away at home and he knew that even they were scared of him sometimes. It had hurt to see the fear in their eyes when they’d found out what happened to Ana and his former family. Dorian knew that they loved him but they also feared him and how could you stay with the people you loved, knowing that they were scared of you? It hurt to see it in their eyes… He knew that they tried everything possible to help him and it was the thing that actually made him to go to the school. His foster parents had so much faith in him and he didn’t want to destroy it… even though he had to admit that he hadn’t learned anything new since he was here. He was just one of the countless students and he wasn’t keen on getting any attention so it was sort of hard to learn anything new…It was better to be here though. At least he was isolated from the people he loved and he wasn’t able to hurt them.

People he loved… The thought was spinning through his mind while he tried to focus again. He was in the den and he could feel the fire even though it was so far away. His entire body had started to turn warmer and he still had his eyes closed concentrating on his powers with all the force he was able to. Catori was in this room, no matter how emotional he was right now; he just couldn’t give into the fire. Not when the girl was around. She was a friend… actually more than that or he wouldn’t have to fight down the flame that had started to burn inside of him ever since they had started to talk on a more personal level. This was the problem, he liked her more than a friend and now he had to end that friendship… He just couldn’t. He’d tried by telling her and he hoped so hard that she’d simply take it and wouldn’t say anything but then he suddenly felt a cold hand on his.

“Dorian please don’t…” He turned around at the sound of her voice, his red eyes looking at the girl. She sounded so worried and her gaze was locked at the ground. Did she really have tears in her eyes? He could see them glistening in the soft light… He’d hurt her… It was the last thing of all the things he wanted to do but even now that he was worrying about her he still could feel his powers press to the surface. They’d destroy them both… Catori let go of his arm and his hot skin missed the cold the instant she’d pulled away. She’d turned away, apparently not able to face him. At the moment he couldn’t even face himself. He hated himself for what he did to her. He didn’t want to hurt her… but he didn’t really have a choice. Getting close to her would hurt her and backing away would do the same thing. It wasn’t fair… It just wasn’t fair, but at least she’d be alive when he avoided her company. It was cruel…but it was the only way.

He felt a stitch in his heart when she spoke up again and it was the moment when her words trailed off that he just wasn’t able to hold the façade anymore. Dorian knew that it would be hard but he never expected it to be like that… he’d hurt her so much, he wanted to take it back and as he placed his hand on her shoulder to turn her around he knew that it was probably the biggest mistake he’d ever made but he just couldn’t keep himself from doing so. Dorian wanted to take away the pain he’d caused… He just wanted to see that little smile of her once again. He bowed down, so that he could catch her gaze, his now red eyes looking directly into hers. “Look at me… I can hurt you. I’m bad… just being close to you makes this come out… I can’t control it… even less when I’m with you. I don’t want to cause you pain… but I just can’t control it….” He was at a loss of words, closing his eyes so she couldn’t see the tears that wanted to break out. “I want to be friends with you… so terribly that I just can’t control myself anymore…” He whispered looking down on the ground, averting his red gaze. He didn’t want her to see him like that… He just couldn’t bear it; he was trying so hard to keep his powers shut down that he started to shiver slightly, the heat more and more radiating from his body. There was no way he’d lose control now…

[Catori Surona]

The thing was Catori was nearly always nervous, people had never been her strong point...well technically that wasn't true, they had been a long long time ago, when she had been normal, when she had been younger she had been fine round people. She had even loved being the centre of attention but these days, she couldn't even stand going to town for all the people. Even if she had her hair down hiding her ears it was like they could still sense she wasn't quite right, wasn't one of them. Before she had been changed, when she had just been a Shaman it hadn't been as bad but then she had been weaker as well, less dangerous, sure she had still been a danger but not so much as she was now. After all Elves where legendary for a reason, though her magic was nothing compared to what full blooded elves magic was it was still pretty impressive, not that she thought so of course as far as she was concerned she was pathetic and a failure at just about everything, but she had thought that for many years though...

Though for all the lack of self esteem Catori had she was a stubborn girl, it got her into a lot of problems thought that had been what had got her into the trouble that day when she had been out in the snow, she shouldn't have stayed out nearly that long in damp and so little clothing. Jarack had kept telling her that, but she had needed money to get some food and maybe a hot drink, plus she had made a promise, which she always kept to if she made them. It had ended with her half dead in the snow though, if not for her elven blood she probably would have been completely dead by the time Dorian had found her, she still had no idea how long she had been asleep for that day but she did know she was half frozen before she fell asleep. She gave a small shudder remembering that day, she was always cold, had been ever since she had found her powers but that day she could feel the cold on every inch of her body. What she hadn't told Dorian though was the next day she had been out in the snow again. That was the problem with her life, it wasn't things like that likely to kill her, if anything she was going to die sooner from exhaustion or starvation. Being what she was made her surprisingly resilient to the elements, after all elves where meant to be the master of the elements and although she was no master her magic kind of had a mind of its own to compensate for her uselessness.

She could hear her own breathing start to grow uneven trying to steady it slightly. She couldn't let him see her like this, she couldn't let any more tears fall, she could let any more hints that she was anything but fine...That was part of the problem though she hadn't been fine for a long time, normally she could hide it pretty well but tonight she was having so much trouble. It was like she had bottled up everything as much as it would and now there was no where left to hide anything. Still though she had to try...for his sake, after all she was pretty sure he wouldn't want to see this she had to try no matter how much it hurt her later. In her mind she didn't matter, she never did yet another reason as to why she was so reckless, she just didn't care what happened to herself. Even if this whole thing screwed her up even more she didn't care she just didn't want Dorian to be upset...She closed her eyes for a moment taking a deep breath to gather herself trying to even out her breathing, trying to get the tears out of her eyes as hard as she tried though it wasn't working. It had always worked before, why wasn't it working. Maybe she had just got in too deep this time.

She felt his hand on her shoulder turning her round to face him, her head sinking slightly lower before bowing down to catch her gaze, his normally deep blue gaze a bright red, the thing he wasn't realising was just how hard it was to hurt her, well sure he could hurt her, now every inch of her was drowning in a vast mixture of things but he couldn't hurt her in the way he was worried about, sure if he punched her in the face or something like that, then he could physically hurt her but that was about the only way, but she had a feeling he wouldn't believe her if she told him...she desperately wanted him to know that he couldn't just hurt her it wasn't. A hint of desperation entered eyes as he closed his eyes, he looked so sad, she just wanted to help, she just wanted to be able to do something she could feel the heat radiating from his body as his gaze fell to the floor, she had noticed when he had carried her to his dorm that his body temperature was warmer then a normal humans, but she was always so cold and especially that day she had been welcome for the extra warmth.

Slightly shakily and unsurely she raised a hand to his cheek lifting his red gaze to meet her's, noticing that his was glistening too, she noticed he was shaking too, though she had already guessed this couldn't be easy for either of them. “Your not bad...you can say it all you want...I just can't believe you.” She said her voice barley even audible, she dropped her hand from his cheek her gaze dropping along with it a soft sigh escaped her lips as she rolled her fists slightly, the problem was there was only one way she could show him just how resilient she actually was. She moved over too the fire place, her form still hunched slightly, her eyes still half filled with tears, she crouched down rubbing her hands together watching the flames dance. Before Dorian could stop her she pushed up her left sleeve and stuck her arm in the flames, quickly pulling it out her hand still engulfed in flames but in-between the flames and her arm lay a thin purple aura which engulfed the flames putting them out leaving her arm unscathed. “You can't hurt me Dorian...Not in the way your thinking anyway...I'm not human...That was the only reason I was still alive that day you found me in the snow...” She muttered her voice still thick with sadness and worry as she sat on the floor, that was the only problem with her magic having a mind of its own, it made her light-headed and unable to stand for a while. “...But if you still want to go I understand...” She said pulling down her sleeve, her eyes glistening more so as she spoke that last line.

[Dorian Hallward]

He couldn’t understand why Catori thought of herself as a failure. He’d noticed how she thought about herself on the first day they’d met and he still couldn’t quite comprehend why she had such a low self esteem. Sure he didn’t know all about the world and the people and creatures that lived in it, but as far as he was concerned she was something special even in her own rows. For the thousand time in his existence ever since he knew the girl he asked himself what had happened to make her feel that way. Maybe one day they’d get to the point where they trusted each other enough to explain their stories, but maybe they wouldn’t even get that far. It was nearly impossible to have a friendship together and you could only trust when you built the trust on something. Considering that they wouldn’t see each other for a long time again there would never be anything close to trust. Besides them both seemed to be very complicated and rather shy people. Not really the best premise to have confidence into anyone.

On the other hand he knew that she must have some faith into him somehow. Dorian didn’t know how he deserved it but when he’d found her in the snow she let him carry her and didn’t say anything against it. Probably she was too weak to say anything, but he still assumed that she could have said something against his help. He doubted that she’d have come far with being that stubborn but she had had the choice and she chose to trust him. No one ever chose to trust him; it just was something you didn’t do with fire people. They were incalculable because the ability they had was unpredictable. It was easier to control ice or water, even earth and wind seemed to be easier to handle than the power he called his own. He’d never met any person that would have said that the ability of fire would be a blessing. Rather the contrary, no one ever believed that it did something good…

Right now his powers seemed to make everything even harder than it would have been. Normal people could get emotional and sort out things when they talked normally with each other, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t even able to concentrate on anything. All he felt was the flame that wanted to make its way out of his body. Dorian just couldn’t think anymore, the more he was around Catori the more his confusion took over and with it the fire that longed to burn down everything that was in its way. It took all his strength to control himself and talk to the girl at the same time. He really wasn’t sure how long he could take that before he lost it but he tried his best to push against the burning wall, averting his gaze to the ground. He needed to look somewhere else or he’d explode sooner or later.

Through the midst of his thoughts he suddenly felt something cold on his cheek, something that made him look up at Catori. It took him a few moments to find back, to realize that it was nothing else but the girls’ hand that had softly forced him to look at her. Why couldn’t she believe him that he was bad? He knew that he was a monster. Hell he was about to blow up the entire school right now, how couldn’t she see that? Tears formed in his eyes and he tried his best to keep them inside. If he started to cry now then everything would be over… Her cold hand dropped when she walked away of him, getting closer to the fire place. For a moment or two he was relieved that she’d apparently decided to get some distance between them, but when he got aware of what she was up to his eyes widened in shock. “No Catori, don’t…!!!” The fire inside him roared at the sudden shock, sending a wave of heat through his body that made his palms burn.

His heart stopped to beat for a moment, his eyes watching the purple aura that had built around the girls arm. All he could think about was the fact that she wasn’t hurt. Thank god she wasn’t hurt…
Dorian sank down on his knees, completely exhausted. His red gaze fell on his palms, staring at the flames that had built up flickering lightly. He knew that if he lost it now everything in the room would burn, at least he was sitting on the stone floor at the moment. That would give him a little bit more time to get back to his senses. Closing his eyes, he concentrated on his power willing it back into his body. Tears ran down his cheeks, evaporating on his hot skin. It took all his strenght and effort to force down the fire that had spread inside of him, but he somehow managed ending up as a complete mess on the cold floor. His eyes were back to blue and his breath was going strong when he was able to speak again. “I always… wondered how you… sur..survived … that cold.” Dorian stuttered, shivering lightly. “I’m s… sorry but … I can’t… move …. even an… inch…” He murmured some weak smile on his face before he finally dropped on the floor, feeling the cold ground on his back. There was no energy left in him, but even if there would have been some he wouldn’t have gone away… not after all they’d just been through….

[Catori Surona]

One of the things about Catori she didn't do things by half's, if she trained she trained till she was exhausted, if she got in a fight she would fight with every fibre in her body and if she trusted someone she trusted them completely no ifs, in her mind it was as simple as that and she trusted Dorian. Sure she knew his powers could be destructive, but he wasn't, it wasn't like he used his powers to purposely hurt people he just got a little out of control sometimes but who didn't? Any one with emotions couldn't control them all of the time and being a teenager it was even harder, but half the time it seemed like other students and even some teachers expected them not to show them especially not to let them get out of control. It was just an impossible expectation. Still though from observation Catori couldn't help but notice that perhaps the students where even harsher on themselves, she knew she was and she was sure Dorian was as well, after all how could them expect themselves to keep everything bottled up all the time and stay alone all the time, still though even though Catori knew her expectations for herself where impossible to actually achieve some how she couldn't let go of them and every time she failed in them she still felt disappointed in herself.

She wondered what expectations she would have if she was normal...maybe finish school with some decent grades, go to university, get a job, someday get married and have kids. Well those where the things she would have liked to have anyway, if her life had been normal, and things she could never see herself having now. Every now and again she wondered what her life would have been like if she had been normally, if she still lived back in Italy, if her life had taken a completely different route. Would she have brothers and sisters? She knew she would have some sort of family that was for sure, even if it was broken it would have been more then she was left with now. Still though she guessed she wouldn't be her, not in the same way, she would have the same thoughts, the same personality and she would probably still have tanned skin, auburn hair and emerald green eyes, as oppose to her current appearance. She still didn't know why her appearance had changed, she could only guess.

Catori watched as Dorian sank to his knees his palms flickering lightly, she wanted to help him, she wanted to go over and do something but she was frozen to the spot, none of her limbs seemed to want to move all she could do was sit there and watch, as he closed his eyes tears falling but evaporating before they could hit the floor she felt something twinge painfully inside of her. She just wanted to do something...anything but as much as she willed her body to move all she could do was watch with watery eyes. How come this always seemed to happen at the worst time? Her body just seemed to freeze up, no matter how much she wanted to help or how much she willed her body too move she just couldn't. As he spoke he sounded so exhausted as he dropped to the floor her limbs seemed to finally unfreeze.

Standing as quickly as she could, despite the protest of her head, she grabbed a cushion from the couch and dropped to her knee's by his side, she lifted his head gently and placed the cushion underneath his head, if she had thought she had been strong enough she would have laid him on the couch but physically she was probably below average for her weight and height, but she wanted to help him as much as she could. “I-it's o-okay...don't a-apolo-gize.” She said her voice more then obviously worried, her hands shaking as she placed the back of her hand on his cheek, his skin was so warm. What if he needed a doctor? She was terrified of doctors, as he already knew from their first meeting and probably why he hadn't took her too one when he found her in the snow, but what if he needed one? If he did she would just have to take him. She wasn't going to let him get ill or worse because of her stupid fears. “Do you n-need a doc...A d-d-oc...A doctor?” She said having to force her self to say the word, she couldn't let a word get her so worked up, even though she did have to bite down on her lip to stop herself trembling more. “ What about a blanket? Or a drink?...” She said her voice still trembling with worry her eyes still glistening slightly, she honestly would do just about anything to help him at this point, after her brother had died whenever someone she cared for got hurt her mind tended to go to worse case scenario...

[Dorian Hallward]

It happened again. All the time he’d been at the school he’d managed to keep his powers locked up, closed in a little box with his emotions, but now he’d failed. He didn’t cry when his foster parents left him at the school and he had chosen solitude instead of the masses of the people that ran around on the grounds. Everything just to avoid getting to the point he’d been right now. Sure once he already nearly managed to blow up the school. He couldn’t remember the girl quite well, everything he knew was that she’d had the ability of ice and she actually wasn’t the nicest girl he’d ever met. That was the reason why his emotions boiled over a few days after he’d entered the school but back then it had been easier to stop it. Well if you considered stopping your true nature that burned inside of you to be easy. It hadn’t been that bad back then though. Dorian had almost forgotten how exhausted and weak he was after he’d stopped himself.

That was the price he had to pay for his powers. It all seemed a little unfair. He was punished for keeping the control of his body and had to pay the price for something he didn’t even do. Maybe if he let go of the powers and let them do what they wanted he’d feel better afterwards but that was no option. He’d kill all of the people in this place like a supernova if he really gave into his ability. No he already had killed enough people; he didn’t want to add anyone new to the list. Self sacrifice seemed to be a better option than to hurt anyone else. Dorian was destroyed already; there wasn’t anything left that could make it even worse than it already was. It was almost funny if you thought about it. He was disappointed into himself because he had just saved a few lives… lives that actually wouldn’t even have been threatened when he wouldn’t have been around to put them in danger. His life was pretty messed up if you thought about it too long.

His life… was it over now? He couldn’t move anymore, leave alone the option to speak. Something was pulling him away of the room but he didn’t want to give into the feeling. He was so exhausted; it felt like he was drowning. Dorian was just able to hear his own heartbeat, the rhythm pulsing in his ears while he stared at the ceiling of the den. Before he could wonder where Catori had gone he felt some soft draft ere she sat down next to him, lifting his head gently to place it on a cushion. He had to smile at the worry in her voice as she spoke to him. She shouldn’t be that worried, he was okay. Well he actually wasn’t okay at all but there was no way he’d tell Catori any of that. She seemed to be worried enough. He closed his eyes when he felt her cold hand on his cheek. It felt way too good and it made him want to sleep, but he couldn’t sleep, not when the girl was so worried about him.

With all the the strength that was left in him he forced himself to talk to her. It would probably take minutes until he was halfway back to stand up leave alone the days he’d need to fully recover. The last time it had took 5 days until he felt normal again but he got the slight feeling that this time it would take longer. His feelings had been locked up way too long and of course this emotional outburst had taken more energy than the last time. “No… no doctor. I… guess it… wouldn’t help…. anyway… I j-just need time.” Dorian wanted to explain how it usually worked but he just wasn’t able to. Everything he got out of his mouth was a few words that seemed to be completely useless. He could just hope that Catori understood what he meant. If not she’d probably freak out completely. He knew that she didn’t like doctors and there was no need to have one around if he wasn’t able to help him anyway. What was the reason again why she didn’t like doctors? His thoughts got blurry again and it was hard to concentrate on simply staying in the room without drifting away.

No matter how bad he felt right now and how much every inch of his body hurt at her next words he just had to laugh. Well he would have had laughed if he’d been able to, so instead of the laugh he only smiled weakly. Why did she think that he needed a blanket? He was as hot as the desert and the girl thought about a blanket…. For some reason this amused him immensely. Probably he was just going insane. Not that it would surprise him if he did. “Catori…. you don’t… really think that … I need a blanket…do you?,” he managed to say a slight hint of amusement in his voice. It was amazing how easily he’d grown fond of her and it also scared him a little, but for now he wouldn’t be a threat for a few days. His powers had to recover and before he wasn’t fully recovered he was no threat for anyone around him. Of course that made him an easy pray for everyone that wanted to bully him but he’d just take the bruises as always. “Can … you do …me a favour?” He asked turning his head into the girls’ direction to look at her. He felt a little dizzy but he wanted to make sure that he got her attention. “Just… lie here… with … me for.. a while….,” Dorian hoped that she’d accept his offer and give him company. There was actually nothing he could do right now except of lying and talking.

[Catori Surona]

Catori still wasn't thinking straight, her thoughts where muddled and panicked, her head was everywhere and going no where at the same time. It was rare she got this panicked but not completely unheard of, last time it had happened was when she had been going to visit her homeland with the elf, she had been attacked...or shot at or something along those lines, either way the wound was fatal. She could feel her mind growing darker, a horrible emptiness taking over every inch of her body and she had just wanted to give into it all and that would be the end...That had been the closest she had ever come to death but then the elf had sacrificed his life for her's by transferring his energy into her, apparently it was something all elves could do no matter how tainted their blood, there where two draw backs though the person gained not only life again but half the blood of the elf and the rules and laws that went along with it and for the other their was no hope of an afterlife, that was it. Just nothing. As along with their life they had to give up their right to a spirit. She still didn't understand why he had done that for her, she was nothing, he had given up everything for nothing. His wife, his kids, his family...She guessed she would never understand.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself slightly, calm her mind but it didn't help at all, the same thoughts just kept running through her head and they all began with 'What if' and generally ended with a conclusion that just made her more worried. She couldn't handle it if something happened to him, he had been fine before he had tried to comfort her. Why couldn't she just keep things bottled up? Why couldn't she hide things better? She moved the hand resting on his cheek onto his forehead trying to cool him a little, her fist by the side of her curled up slightly. She hoped he wouldn't mind too much, he didn't seem to mind her hand on his cheek, but maybe he was annoyed at her. It wouldn't surprise her. He had every right to be after all, she just hoped he would try to move for a while. He needed to rest, even she could tell that, and she was certainly no medical professional. She guessed she was glad she was no medical professional as if she was like the only ones she had ever experienced then currently she would be taking running tests on the boy as he was weakened and couldn't fight back. Maybe seeing how many volts of electricity he could survive without passing out.

As he said no doctor she couldn't help but let a sigh of relief pass her lips but he defiantly still didn't seem fine, he could barely talk and certainly couldn't move. But she couldn't see what help a doctor would be from past experiences they only made things worse. Saying that she hadn't had the experience of a nice doctor, one that would actually help instead of torture and sedate her to 'keep her under control' as far as she was concerned all doctors where like the ones in the asylum. Unlawful, arrogant, sadistic and twisted people. For one she shouldn't have even been in there in the first place. Sure she was a little screwed up...well more then a little. But she was sane. She wasn't a threat to the public like they had claimed, she stayed away from the public, too scared and nervous to go near them half the time. She felt a small shudder creep down her spine thinking back.

As Dorian spoke again she snapped from her thoughts, a blanket? Had she really offered him a blanket? She couldn't think straight her mind was still all over the place, she winced slightly. “Sorry...I need to get my head straight.” She said a soft sigh escaping her lips. A blanket was the last thing he needed, her best bet would probably be to make the room as cold as possible, maybe open the window and shut off the fire...Her head lifted slightly as he asked if she could do him a favour turning his head, which she kind of wished he hadn't in his current state, he needed to just lie still. A small smile twinged at her lips as he asked her to just lie with him for a while. “Of course but first let me do two things.” Her voice soft as she spoke. In truth she would have liked nothing more then to just lie and talk, maybe under better circumstances where he wasn't so weak but at least he hadn't asked her too leave, not that she would have anyway, not until he was better.

Standing up she threw the water over the small fire in the corner, placing the bucket down she moved over to the window opening it as wide as it would open giving a small shiver as the nights air hit her pulling her sleeves further over her hands. At least it was a cold night that would be better for him right? “Hopefully that will help a little...” Her voice not sounding one hundred percent sure a note of worry still in there. Shifting slightly she laid on her side facing him using her arm to rest her head on a few strands of hair falling over her face. He still looked so weak she wished there was more she could do. “...You know I'm sorry for this mess don't you...” She said slightly nervously chewing on her bottom lip as in her mind she couldn't help but blame her self for not being able to hide her emotions better.

[Dorian Hallward]

The girls hand went from his cheek to his forehead and he wondered if she tried to find out if he had a fever. It wasn’t likely that she’d be able to tell anything about that, considering that his body temperature was always way over the usual amount of those of human beings. He was no human being after all, at least not in the common sense. A deep sigh escaped the girls’ lips, showing him once more how worried she was about him. He couldn’t remember the last time anyone had been that worried about him. It seemed to be ages ago that he’d actually had people around him that cared. He just hoped that she didn’t blame herself for the situation he was currently in. It didn’t have anything to do with her after all. Sure he had been way too emotional and this had caused him to end up like that but none of this all had been her fault. It was just his own stupidity that had brought him in this situation…

He’d actually trained even more over the last few months, always pushing himself to his limits so he wouldn’t be a threat for the others. Whenever he was lonely or frustrated he went for material arts to calm himself down. He’d started a few years ago because it had been fun back then but now it rather helped him to cope with his feelings. Thanks to the many years he’d worked on his technique he was pretty fit and would have been able to physically hurt everybody that got in his way, but he never used his skills against anyone. No matter how much he’d been bullied and hurt when he’d been on the streets he never fought back. In fact he’d rather chose death than to hurt anyone else. Some people might not understand it but for him the option to die was easier to take than to hurt or even kill somebody with his own hands. His constant training since he joined the school was also probably the only reason why he was still conscious and hadn’t passed out already.

When he replied to her question she seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, apologizing when she realized that she’d just offered him to give him a blanket. Again she made him smile a little. Catori probably thought that he was going to die every instant and he wasn’t really able to tell her that he’d be fine if he just got a decent amount of time to regenerate. In some way they both were thinking in completely different directions. The girl gave him a small smile as he asked her to lie on the ground with him. Now that he thought about it, it was probably some stupid suggestion. Catori was already cold enough and lying on the cold ground wouldn’t make it any better, he’d been dumb to ask her to give him company, but the truth was that he felt not only completely exhausted but also very alone. It was the first time in ages that he actually realized how lonely he’d been over the years. It was probably the wrong moment to think about such things but he still couldn’t keep his mind away of those thoughts.

He raised an eyebrow when she told him that she wanted to do two things, his gaze wandering towards her again. It took a lot of effort to get himself far enough to turn his head but since he was lying on the floor he didn’t have any other option to see what she was doing. Dorian watched Catori opening the windows, noticing that she pulled down her sleeves. She was obviously feeling cold and it was his entire fault. It definitely would be a bad idea if she lay down next to him on the ground. For him the cold was wonderful and he welcomed it with every fibre of his body but for the girl it was unpleasant. “Thank you…” he managed to get out of his mouth after the girl had returned to him, placing herself next to him on the floor. Her hair was falling in front of her eyes and once more he couldn’t help but had to notice how beautiful she was. “You don’t… have to be sorry… I mean… it’s my fault… I should know it … better,” he replied smiling mildly. “But… I think you… you shouldn’t lie here on the floor … with me. I can see … that you’re feeling c-cold.” Dorian said his blue gaze shortly falling on her long sleeves. “I was… stupid to ask you..,” he declared, trying to give her an apologetic smile that ended up in a grimace. God he really wasn’t just exhausted he also felt the pain in his entire body. He just wished that Catori wouldn’t notice any of this, or he’d make her even more upset than she already was. “You can… go to the …. sofa if you want… to. I don’t… mind.” He suggested, somehow managing to touch her hand with his, feeling how cold her skin felt against his.

[Catori Surona]

Catori was always reasonably cold, to a certain degree at least, ever since her powers had kicked in she always had been. Even in the heat of summer she wore long sleeve tops and her usual baggy trousers, it also didn't help that she didn't have a wide choice of clothing, certainly not any particularly nice clothing, most of it quite scruffy with holes in the bottom. The current baggy jeans she was wearing where torn to shreds from being dragged across the floor so much and over worn, and unlike most girls her age she only had two pairs of shoes. From what she had witnessed it seemed most girls had a large array of clothing and shoes, all for different occasions, Catori however had two pair of shoes, a pair of scruffy worn converse and a pair of knee high leather boots. She didn't mind though, it wasn't like she had anywhere nice to go to wear nice clothing even if she had any. She just wished she had a couple of thicker jackets for when she got exceptionally cold, her only one had been torn to shreds the night before Dorian had found her in the snow but she just didn't have the money to spare to buy a new one and she was too honest to steal one. Plus if she was going to steal anything she would have stole some food to eat but with her conscious already near breaking point she never had.

The thing was although she was admittedly cold, her head hurt a little and she was more then worried about Dorian, she was actually okay...Not perfect, but not as bad as she usually felt. She was just glad not too be alone for once, just to have someone to talk too, not just anyone but a friend. Someone she liked...maybe a little more then she should have. Even if they didn't talk, it was just nice to not be surrounded by strangers, to be with a familiar face. Still though she couldn't help but worry, what would happen after Dorian got strong enough to walk again and when they left this room, would they go back to attempting to avoid each other? Or would they be allow them selves to see each other a little more? She hoped the latter but knew the first option was safer on both parts, luckily Dorian hadn't experience her drow side overwhelming her yet, she did have a way to control it but it was something she doubted Dorian would do, the only way for her to snap out of it was for her to either fall unconscious, which could take days or for someone to knock her unconscious. Sure if the second happened her magic might go on the frizt a little but it would be a hell of a lot safer if she was unconscious. If she was unconscious she couldn't use a sword and she couldn't move to hurt anyone.

As he said this was his fault as he should know better she couldn't help but disagree, but guessed it was simply something they where going to have to disagree on. “I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree.” She said with some sort of smile. As he said he shouldn't have asked her to lie on the floor with her, she thought she noticed a slight grimace cross his face, she could have been wrong but she was pretty sure it was a grimace. Her brow creased slightly in worry as she started chewing her lip once more. Maybe she was just seeing things because she was worried still though he seemed so exhausted and in so much pain she just wished she could do something. She felt his hand touch her's his skin warm, “I'd rather stay here, this way I'm closer if anything happens...Ever since my brother died I get kind of panicky and paranoid...”Her soft and kind of nervous as she spoke. ”...Plus I'll be cold either way...I nearly always am.” She said simply not really thinking much of it. It was an everyday thing for her, she wasn't use to it as such but she had learned to deal with it.

She couldn't help but get the thought from her head what would happen after they left this room, she had to ask him she just prayed it didn't end up hurting him more. After all if his powers set off again, she didn't even want to think about it as she didn't have a clue how his powers worked. “Dorian...” She said unsure her gaze falling to their hands still touching slightly. “...What happens when we leave this room?...Do we still try to avoid each other?...I mean I know its safer but..” A sigh escaping her lips unable to finish off her sentence words escaping her. Not completely sure she wanted to know the answer but knowing she had too. Truthfully not even really wanting to think about it but unable to stop herself.

[Dorian Hallward]

Dorian had to laugh about her words, agreeing inwardly with what she’d said. It was true they both could only agree on disagreeing because if it came to their powers and whose fault it was, they both tended to take the blame on themselves. So if there were two people that felt responsible for something bad that had happened; it could only be that way. He guessed that it was pretty normal for both of them to feel awkward because of bad things that happened. They both had got used to being the “problem” and it was some sort of hard habit to get rid of once you accepted it. Nevertheless he was pretty sure that it was his entire fault but he decided not to say anything about that to Catori. He knew that she’d disagree. “I think that’s … fine with me.” He managed to say, giving her a short smile. He really should stop smiling because even that little gesture hurt, but if he didn’t smile the girl would be even more worried. So probably it was better to pretend he was okay than to actually show her how bad he felt.

At her next words he really had to grimace without being able to hide it. Her brother had died and as it seemed he’d done it in her arms. Oh god how horrible that must have been. No wonder that she was nearly freaking out right now… He didn’t know how old she had been when it happened but he guessed that it didn’t matter how old you were. When part of your family died it was always hard to take and losing her brother must have been very hard for Catori. Probably they’d been very close… He had been very close with his brother. They’d been like twins even though they actually were two years apart. João had been 10 years old in the night when Dorian had turned eight… such a young life and Dorian would never be able to find out if they’d still be that close. His brother would be eighteen years old now… he’d be in the right age to go to college, have a girlfriend. For a moment the feelings of “what if” overwhelmed him and he had to take a deep breath to calm down before he was able to answer.

“I’m okay… I mean… seriously… I’ll just be fine,” he said, trying to calm her a little. He was fully aware of the fact that it probably wouldn’t help but he had to try. Dorian really didn’t want to make her worry about him that much. “I’m… sorry about your brother,” he added his voice sounding sad and compassionate at the same time. The idea of Catori getting even colder when she stayed with him made him feel uncomfortable. Of course lying on the ground wasn’t all that comfortable for him as well but he could deal with hit. He was a fire boy after all, but Catori… she just looked so pale and frail. Like she’d catch pneumonia any time and he sure as hell wasn’t keen on the idea of her getting sick just because of him. “You could… I mean… you …I could… warm you up… you erm… would… only have to… well … umm you’d have … to lean on me… ” he stumbled over his own words, not able to put his thoughts into a sentence. She really would feel warmer when she leaned against him but at the same time that would be like cuddling and he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had cuddled with him. Only the thought of it made him so nervous that he blushed; some wild red on his cheeks. “Um… never mind,” he turned away to face the wall on the other side, trying to avoid her gaze. Dorian was feeling like a complete idiot at the moment and in his current state he couldn’t even walk away…

He listened to her, aware of the fact that he still held her hand in his. Dorian bit his lips as she spoke, turning his head back towards her. How did she manage to get him to look at her all the time? There had been something in her voice that had literally forced him to look at her. Usually he had no problem with avoiding eyes but in Catoris’ case he just couldn’t help it. She sighed not ending her sentence, making him smile a little. “I don’t know… I mean…. over the next few… days… I won’t be able to hurt anyone,” he replied, biting his lower lip because he knew he’d be completely defenceless if anyone of the students decided to bully him. “I…usually need ages… to get back to normal.” He said truthfully, grimacing a second time. “But… even then… I … wouldn’t be able to… to avoid you. I.. swear I really tried but… I don’t want… anymore.” Dorian couldn’t keep away of Catori. He’d tried over the last few months and he’d always ended up meeting her at random. As it seemed they just couldn’t avoid each other and besides he really didn’t want anymore. The girl was the only person at the school he really cared about and he was fed up of trying to keep away from her. It would only hurt him to do so and like he’d found out this night, it also hurt her… even though he couldn’t understand why she would like him. She’d just seen how horrible things could get when he wasn’t able to control himself and though she didn’t mind…

[Catori Surona]

The thing was he hadn't even been Catori's real brother, not by blood at least, but when she had run away from home and her real family had abandoned her he was the one who had took care of her. He was the one who had made sure she had food to eat even on days when there wasn't enough for both of them he was the one who went without. He had done everything for her, everything her real family hadn't, that's why she called him her brother. In Catori's mind he had been more of a family to her then any one else, when her parents had found out she wasn't quite right they had made it quite clear that they wanted nothing more to do with her and she had only been about five then, maybe younger, she couldn't quite remember any more but when her brother had found out he hadn't battered an eyelid, it was only after she had found out he was a shaman as well. Still though it didn't change anything he had been all she had and the day she had lost him her heart had broke. She could still remember it perfectly. He had been shouting at her to run then there was just a deafening bang the next thing she knew he was on the floor covered in blood. She had been knelt by his side hugging him preying she would wake up and it was all just a bad dream, the doctors had dragged her off him, it was only a couple of days later after she had stopped crying that she had realised that his necklace was in her pocket and he had given her his guardian.

Even though he said he would be fine, even though he had said it a good three or four times now she still couldn't stop worrying. Not completely anyway. Until she thought he was completely back to normal and unhurt then she would still worry. Mind you she would probably still worry a little after that as well. She knew he wasn't the most popular guy in the school and she had heard the rumours that the others said. Not that she believed half of them and even if they where true they didn't change her opinion of him any, after all she also knew the rumours about her then went round and half of them where complete rubbish. Still though it didn't stop the others picking fights with her and she couldn't help but think it was probably the same with him. She knew some of the stronger students who had rumours about them where able to avoid fight but Catori wasn't one of the stronger students, she was merely average and truthfully she couldn't imagine Dorian fighting back even if the other students did push him around.

“You know I'm still going to worry right?” She said simply in reply, as he said he was sorry her eyes cast down slightly, “Its okay...It was a very long time ago...” She said her voice beginning to waver a little. It wasn't okay. It had never been okay and she doubted it ever would be. But she had been told she should be over it by now so these days she pretended it was and tried to avoid the subject at all costs for fear of people would find out she was lying. The last thing she needed was people thinking she was more pathetic then she already was. Though in her mind she couldn't see why it was seen as weak that she still missed her brother but then it was mainly the people who still had families and how could they understand what it was like. Her gaze flicked up as Dorian spoke again, his speech considerably more muddled this time it took her a couple of seconds to realize what he was suggesting, noticing the bright red on his cheeks, she couldn't help but let a smile tug on her lips, he really was incredibly sweet. She still couldn't understand why he cared at all but then he probably couldn't understand why she cared either. Still though she was a little apprehensive, he still seemed in so much pain, she didn't want to hurt him any more then he was. Shifting slightly closer to him she gently leant in on him he was so warm, she hadn't felt warm in ages, “If I'm too heavy I can move.” She said having to tilt her head upwards slightly to catch his gaze as he spoke.

“But what if the students try something...I mean that's if they try to pick fights with you...I don't know why they would...Still though...” She said nervously, “How long is ages?..” Her brow creased in worry once again she didn't want him getting hurt again. Not that there was a lot she could do, she wasn't the strongest student in the school. Sure she had the skill and speed but physically she wasn't strong and half the time she was so exhausted even her speed and skill suffered. However as he said he didn't want to avoid her any more she couldn't help but feel slightly relieved, she didn't want to avoid him any more either. “I swear I tried as well, you have no idea how many times I was tempted to come looking for you...” She said slightly shyly. She had honestly tried but she was just so tired of trying. Plus for some reason she still couldn't understand he seemed to enjoy her company and she defiantly enjoyed his.

[Dorian Hallward]

“You know I'm still going to worry right?”, he wasn’t able to suppress the grin that formed on his face when she said those words. He knew that she wouldn’t stop worrying even though he’d tried so hard to make her feel better, but as it seemed nothing he said would change anything about her opinion. He’d told her that he was fine for the fourth time or so and she still didn’t accept it. Probably he looked worse than he felt, if that was even possible. He really felt like he’d just had a fight against a bus and the bus obviously won, but he also knew that this would pass. In about a week he’d be back where he’d started, being able to practice again. Well he hoped that it wouldn’t take longer than a week and he also hoped that he didn’t run into anyone that was looking for trouble. He still had to go to the classes and therefore couldn’t avoid everyone… Dorian would have to try to look better than he felt or he’d get in a lot of trouble over the next few days. He wasn’t really keen on the idea of getting in trouble since he always tried to stay away of it as good as possible, but in his current state he couldn’t really avoid it.

As they came to speak about her brother, she told him that it was okay but he noticed the slight note in her voice, knowing that it wasn’t okay at all. Whatever had happened to him, it still had a huge effect on her life, no matter if she tried to hide it or not. Dorian knew that she didn’t really want to talk about the subject and he understood it completely which was the reason why he didn’t say anything to it at all. Catori wasn’t keen on the idea of talking about the topic and he didn’t want to scare her away so it was the best to just drop the theme and let it rest where it was. The girl was already having a hard life, with memories of her past it definitely wouldn’t get better. In everyone’s life there were a few dark spots and it was best not to touch them until the people were ready to talk about it and decided to talk because they wanted to. They both had enough time to get to know each other, so there was no need to push anything.

Dorian had looked away when the girl had smiled, returning his gaze back to her in surprise when he noticed that she actually accepted his offer. Catori had shifted to the side, leaning a little bit closer into him and he couldn’t help but realized that he hadn’t been that close to anyone for a long time. The last girl he’d been as close as with Catori had been his girlfriend Ana. Wait why was he thinking about his former girlfriend in connection with Catori? Before he got the chance to think about it too closely, his heart made a sudden jump when the girl looked up to him, remembering him of things he’d thought he’d never feel again. He never thought that he’d be glad that he’d just had another emotional outburst that left him weak and powerless on the ground but right now he was more than just glad. If they’d be lying here under normal circumstances he’d already have burned down the entire school with everything that was in it. But now he was just exhausted and completely useless, something that would normally disturb him immensely but right now it seemed to be the best thing that had happened in years. He just hoped that he’d remember that moment when somebody added another few bruises to the ones he already had…

“Don’t… worry. It’s okay. As long as …you feel warm…,” he replied, smiling lightly. Truth be told at the moment he’d take a little bit of pain just to lie there with her, doing nothing at all. He knew that there would be people that would go after him over the next few days and as much as he hated it he also had got used to it as well. It was some evil but he dealt with it somehow. “There are always some that … pick a fight, but I don’t care… anymore. I’ll be… just fine.” He said not believing his own words but he hoped that at least Catori would believe them. There was really no point in worrying about him. He’d been in bad situations ever since he’d been able to think and he’d always survived them somehow. He’d just try to avoid everyone that crossed his way. Besides he wasn’t keen on the idea of getting the girl involved into this kind of problems. If she tried to help him she’d get hurt as well and there was no way he’d get her in trouble.

Another smile crossed his face when she asked him about his definition of ages, some concern swinging in her voice. “Well… erm… a few days…,” he answered vaguely, avoiding to look at her. Dorian didn’t want to lie but he got the slight idea that if he told her that he’d be weak for about a week, she’d reach another level of being worried. Some level he really didn’t want to get to know. No one had worried about him over the last few years and now that there was somebody that actually did, he wanted to keep her away of harm. It was somehow weird to think like that but it was also logical, at least it was for him. Her next words caused his heart to jump a second time. Seriously he was really glad that he was so powerless at the moment. It had its advantages to be defenceless and he actually started to appreciate them right now. “You… you wanted to see me?,” Dorian asked in utter confusion, not able to comprehend what she’d just said. Sure he’d done the same and kept looking for her when he was around the grounds but he never would have imagined that she’d do the same….It just seemed to be so unreal that anyone would watch out for him…

[Catori Surona]

The thing with Catori was there was certain things that she didn't mind talking about and she was pretty open with but there where things she held close to her. Partly too scared to tell anyone, especially those close to her, for example the fact she had spent about a third of her life in an asylum and the other majority of it on the streets. Even the school didn't know fully about her past, apart from herself only her guardian knew the full details. The problem was she didn't trust strangers with details as destroying as some of her's could be in the wrong hands and once she grew close to someone and trusted them, like Dorian, she grew scared. She could guess that he knew she hadn't had the most normal life, but what if he didn't believe her? Part of the problem was she had never told anyone, so she had no indications on how he might react if she did tell him, she could only guess, but what if her guessed where wrong? What if he reacted in the opposite way? It was so rare that she actually grew close to someone she didn't want to lose them because of her past and she had grown especially fond of Dorian and she didn't want to screw that up.

The other thing was she couldn't remember the last time she had been this close to anyone, not for a long time at least. Not just physically but the last time she had felt this comfortable around someone. Normally around people she was panicky, even just in class she got so nervous half the time she didn't even end up going. Which admittedly had got her in trouble at first, but now she guessed the teachers just found it easier. Plus if she did go to classes every day for as long as she was meant too then she wouldn't have nearly enough time to get enough money to even eat, she struggled now as it was. Still though probably the most she had panicked around Dorian was on their first meeting when he had mentioned taking her to a doctor. Sure she had been a little nervous around him but not like she normally was and she had grown comfortable around him in a very short amount of time not too mention fond of him. She couldn't help but wonder what he thought of her. Which was pretty strange as normally she couldn't care less what people thought, the only reason she cared if she was thought of even weaker was because she didn't think she could handle any more fight, but around Dorian she had a bad habit of getting suddenly nervous about her appearance, about how her thought of her and saw her, which had never happened to her before.

As he said it was okay as long as she was warm a light pink crept on her cheeks casting her gaze down feeling suddenly shy, “Thank you..” She murmured however as he said there where always people who picked fights but he would be fine her gaze flicked up once more before a soft sigh escaped her lips. She knew he wouldn't let her help him if he did get into a fight. She knew better then most it wasn't fine trying to get pushed into a fight nearly everyday wasn't fine. It was the other half of the reason she wore long sleeved tops and trousers that covered her legs completely all the time, she had found that it they could see the bruises and scratches it only made things worse. “I know its not just fine...” She said quietly, “But you won't let me help you either way will you?...” She said mumbling slightly already knowing the answer but having to ask. What if one of the students got too vicious? She knew there where some pretty dangerous people at this place. What if he got seriously hurt? Or worse...She flicked her gaze up to him. “...Truthfully though, you will be okay won't you? After all what would I do without you to help me when I screw up?...” Some sort of smile on her lips trying to lighten it slightly but unable to hide the worry from her voice completely. Her worry only being reinforced as he said he wouldn't be better for a few days though she noticed the way he had avoided her gaze as well...

She shifted her head slightly her hair falling over her eyes ever so slightly, as he spoke his voice filled with confusion, she glanced up some confusion of her own in her eyes though hidden partially by her hair. “Of course...” She said simply, why wouldn't she want too go looking for him? He was one of the sweetest, kindest most caring people she had ever met, not too mention handsome, why on earth wouldn't she want to spent time with someone like that? What she couldn't understand was why someone like that would want to spend time with her...Hell she couldn't understand why anyone would want too spend time with her. It had just been little things though, like going out too do her work a little earlier hoping she might bump into him in the corridors or something, truthfully though she had thought about just going to his dorm too see him, but she had promised herself she would try to stay away from him to make sure she didn't hurt him...Which admittedly she was still worried about but she had been okay for a while now, plus she was worried she would drive herself half crazy if she tried to avoid him now. “...Why wouldn't I look for you? Your kind easy to talk to and one of the nicest people I've met...” She said her voice laced with confusion at why he was confused, her gaze still looking up at his, still half hidden by her hair.

[Dorian Hallward]

She had blushed at his words and Dorian didn’t know if he’d said anything stupid or wrong. He’d actually meant it the way he’d said it. He wanted her to be warm, because he’d noticed that she was always feeling cold and she also always wore warm things, even when it was hot outside. Maybe it had to do with her powers or she was really just feeling cold. Even though he couldn’t really imagine how a person could feel cold when there were about 33 degrees outside in the sun. It was one of the mysterious things he still hadn’t figured out about Catori. Sometimes he wanted to screw all the good behaviour and just keep on going, talking about the topics they both avoided so well. It was hard to avoid them every time and he also wanted to get to know her better than he knew her already. In fact he barely knew her at all, because as it seemed the things they didn’t talk about made up some huge part of their lives. He knew that sooner or later he’d want to know everything about her and this scared him as much as it made him feel good.

Dorian knew there was no point in pushing things and he really didn’t want to make Catori uncomfortable. Besides he was fully aware that he also kept so many things hidden from her. He just couldn’t manage to talk about what had happened. He liked the girl more than she thought and it would be damn hard to tell her about his past… The last girl he’d held like that had ended up…. well… in hospital. He couldn’t even bring himself far enough to think about it longer than a few seconds. It still hurt to think about Ana… It had been his entire fault. His first kiss with his first girlfriend and he hadn’t been able to control his emotions. When Catori found out about this she’d probably start to avoid him no matter how she thought about him at the moment. This was something you couldn’t ignore… not if you were the person in which the guy that had burned his former girlfriend was interested in. And he had to face it… he really seriously was interested in the girl, so that basically meant that he was screwed…

She’d sighed at his words and this made him feel strange somehow. On the one hand he liked it that she cared about him, that somebody actually had started to like him enough to care about him, but on the other hand he didn’t like it that she was so worried. A few days ago everything he had to worry about had been his powers and the way he had to cope with them but now that he had started to like Catori and now that they didn’t want to avoid each other anymore it made thinks more complicated. If he got hurt and she wanted to help him she’d probably get hurt as well and this thought made him pretty nervous to tell the truth. “No… I won’t let you help me,” he answered in all honesty; some warmth in his voice that even reached his eyes. “I… don’t want you to get hurt. So that means … that you’ve to say away of me when I get hurt,” he added his sapphire gaze, locking with hers for a moment. He’d try to avoid getting in trouble when she was around but she probably wouldn’t be around to see it anyway. She was barely spending time on the school grounds so he thought that it would be easy for him not to get in a fight in front of her. He could only hope that he was right with this assumption. If not they’d be forced to find out how it would end for both of them.

“I’ll be okay… don’t worry,” he replied laughing about her comment about him being there when she screwed up. “You could try not to screw up things?,” he suggested playfully, shifting his body a little into her direction to touch her hand. He already felt a little better… at least he could talk halfway normal again and even though it hurt like hell to move, he still had been able to do so. Maybe in a few minutes he’d be able to drag himself towards the couch… “But no matter how often you’ll screw up, I’ll be there to help you out of it, okay?” Dorian said his voice sounding completely serious as he spoke. Catori was the first person he’d grown fond of in ages and he’d do his best to protect her of any harm that got in her way. He could only hope that he wouldn’t be the “harm” he was thinking about right now. This was something he definitely wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. For the next week he’d have no problem to stay in contact with her because he would be no threat whatsoever, but how would they keep the contact when he gained back his powers? This would make things way harder again…

He looked down at her, still some confusion playing on his face when she told him why she was looking for him. Dorian didn’t know if she was talking about him there. He couldn’t remember that anyone ever thought anything like that about him but as it seemed Catori only saw his good sides. Well that was because she just hadn’t found out about the real bad ones yet… “Erm.. thank you,” he said blushing slightly again. “It’s just… no one ever wanted to.. see me. You must be the first person ever… well except of my crazy foster parents. Only god knows why they like me…,” he replied trying to ease the situation a little. Truth be told he thought that a girl like Catori would have enough other options to get to know a guy. He couldn’t quite comprehend why she had decided to talk to him. There surely were other nice and cute guys on this school. “I’m… glad you were looking for me. I … did the same with you…” Dorian admitted his voice trailing off, when he brushed away the hair that was falling in her face, feeling the smooth strands on his fingers. He just couldn’t resist the urge to brush it away…She had such a gorgeous face and though she was always hiding it behind her hair…

[Catori Surona]

Truth be told Catori didn't really know why she always felt cold, she could guess that it had to do with her powers as that was about the time it kicked in, but that was also about the time her family had started to break apart and her life had begun to change. It hadn't been as bad back then either, maybe just a little chill, but sometimes now she had problems stopping herself shivering but she had never been as bad as that day in the snow. It felt like every inch of her had been frozen in solid ice. Honestly she was surprised she had managed to keep walking for as long as she had, especially after her coat had been ripped and her cloths soaked, looking back at it she could see how stupid and lucky she had been. Still though it was nice to feel warm. Especially laying next to the boy, still though she couldn't help but be curious about him. She barely knew anything about him but equally she guessed he barley knew anything about her. Sometime she just wanted to tell him, explain to him why she was the way she was, why she got so panicky at times. Why she was terrified of doctors. Everything. Which scared her more then a little, she had never told these things to anyone else, not her old friends, not the school only her guardian knew everything about her. Plus what if he disappear like the few friends she had when she had first started the school...

Another thing that worried her was she had never thought about anyone in the same way she had thought about Dorian...She had a few friends and knew she thought of them differently, she hadn't been nearly as worried of what they thought of her and she defiantly wouldn't have laid like this with any of her old friends. The problem was she had never really had a proper boyfriend or relationship, she had once had someone who had called themselves her boyfriend but that had been a disaster. It was just after she had came out of the asylum, it had been another street kid, she hadn't been all that interested in him but she was so scared of being alone and he seemed like a nice person. God had she been wrong. She had to resist giving a slight shudder. She was just lucky Jarack could attack the living if need be other wise she might have come out of that with more then a black eye. After that she had took to staying away from people at any cost and it had stayed with her ever since. Most people she was okay with staying away from but with Dorian she wasn't which scared he a little as they had only known each other a short while, even if they had been through a lot in that short time...

As he started speaking again she tilted her head upwards slightly, she had already known the answer, partially because when it came to the next time she got into a fight, she wouldn't want him helping her. Luckily most of the fights she got into weren't on the grounds, plus they where normally after curfew when she was still up working either in the forest or in the town so it would be pretty easy to hide from him, plus she had become pretty good at avoiding getting marks on her face or neck, mainly using her arms as guards, plus admittedly having a spirit wolf as a guardian helped more then a little. “At least your honest...” She said with a soft sigh no she hadn't liked his answer in the slightest but at least he hadn't just fobbed her off. Though she couldn't promise if she ever saw him getting hurt she could just stay away. She couldn't just stand and watch him get hurt, not if there was something she could do. She knew he wasn't going to like her response much but he had been honest with her so it was only fair. “I can't promise that...” She said chewing her bottom lip. “...If I see you getting hurt I won't be able to just let it go and keep walking.” Her gaze cast down slightly.

A slight laugh escaped her lips as he said she could try not too screw up, oh if only things where that easy, she guessed a combination of stubbornness, almost constantly looking at the ground, exhaustion and going two or three days without food where just not a combination for success. She felt his hand touch hers again this time her heart going a little quicker even more so as he spoke. “I..I can handle the little screw up's, its just the big ones I might need help with.” She said stumbling over her words a little as she spoke, if he tried to help he with every screw up it would be impossible it was the big ones she really needed help with, someone just to stop her every now and again before things got too bad. As he spoke about his foster parents being the only other ones who wanted to see him a little bit of confusion flashed on her face, she still couldn't understand how someone like him was alone all the time and from what she could guess treated much like her. “Your foster parents sound like a good judge of character to me.” She said simply, she could guess from the odd things he had mentioned that he had done some bad stuff in the past because of his powers but she didn't think any less of him because of it. It wasn't his fault that his powers where unpredictable, plus it seemed like he beat himself up enough about it the last thing he needed was another person beating him up about it as well.

Catori felt her heart skip a beat all together as he said he had been looking for her as well his hand brushing the hair from her face unable to tear her eyes away from his gaze, “W-why w-her-e you looking f-or m-me?” She whispered barely managing to stutter out due to the lump that had formed in her throat moving her hand slightly more over his .

[Dorian Hallward]

He couldn’t help it but that Catori lay next to him felt… well it felt good. Not only because she was so cold, but also in sense of it actually felt good to have someone close. He was still radiating so much heat and it definitely was good that this heat got to the girl. She needed it more than Dorian that was for sure. In some way it was almost funny. He had the heat and she needed it, it was only logical to give it to her, but he also felt protective. It was a feeling he hadn’t experienced before… He’d never been protective, not of anyone and most of all not of himself. There had been a time in which he didn’t care about anything on the world. He didn’t care where he was going; he didn’t care what he was doing or where he’d get his next food from. He’d been stumbling on the streets, only looking for the next place to sleep, keeping away of the cops and tramping through Europe with just a backpack. The problem was, he couldn’t even remember how it had been, at least not all to clear. There had been a black hole in his heart and he had barely any memory of what he’d done and how he’d been able to tramp for so long without getting caught. He’d seen the pain on the streets, the fear and sadness of the people but at this time he just hadn’t been able to comprehend it, even though he’d been one of them. A homeless without an aim or goal… truth be told he probably had been poorer than anyone of those people because there had been nothing left of him. He’d had empty eyes and an empty body. He had been nothing. It was like the time on the streets had been a dream and after half a year of emptiness he’d suddenly came back to life. More so he was pushed back into it by a civil police car that knew who he was… All he still remembered were the many faces of the homeless… the grim face of the street… and after that he’d realized that half a year had passed by and he didn’t even know how it had happened. It was time that was lost for him… some part of his youth he’d never get back… no matter how hard he tried to remember.

He smiled at her words, knowing that she wasn’t pleased with his answer. Truth be told he wished that he’d be able to lie to her but he just couldn’t. He’d always been a bad liar and so he’d decided to let it be and only told the truth. The truth was hard sometimes and also bitter but at least it was the truth. She probably didn’t like to hear it but it was better like that, wrong hopes had never been able to help anyone. As it seemed Catori lived by the same rules and it was his part now to be unhappy with the response he got from her. Dorian took in some deep breath when she told him that she couldn’t promise him to stay away when he got hurt. He’d actually already expected her to tell him something like that but he still hoped that when it came hard she’d just run away and save herself. There was no use in getting them both hurt and he knew that he’d survive it no matter what would happen. The good old problem with vermin, you just couldn’t get rid of it, no matter how hard you tried. Dorian bit his lip ere he replied to her words. “I know…It’s okay… I guess I’ll just try not to get in a fight?” he suggested, sending a short prayer towards heaven that they’d never meet when anything like that happened.

Catori had laughed at his words and his heart made a little jump of joy when he heard her laughter. Probably it was the first time he really actually heard her laugh, at least he couldn’t remember that he’d ever heard her laugh before. He only could remember her shy smile. The smile he’d grown fond of by now. “Big screw ups like umm… ending up in the snow nearly frozen to death?” He asked, joking lightly even though there was a slight serious note in his tone. When he thought back to the day he’d found her, chills ran up and down his spine. He’d really thought that she’d die on their way to the school, because she’d looked more like she was in the world of the dead than in the world of the living. It had scared him and he’d been very worried about her for a while…
He gave her a short smile when she told him that his foster parents seemed to be a good judge of character. They definitely were. He’d never met people like them and even though they knew everything about him, they still loved him with a passion he couldn’t quite understand…He was thankful that he had them and the more he thought about his parents the more he started to miss them… he also missed Lisboa… it was a beautiful city full of sun…

Catori still looked straight at him, asking him why he’d been looking for her. She seemed to be really confused, not even able to get out the words she wanted to say and it was only than when he understood why she had stumbled over her own sentence. He suddenly got aware of the fact that they not only were really close at the moment, but they also were looking straight in the other person’s eyes. If he’d been able to avert his gaze he’d have done it but he just couldn’t. He was frozen, not even able to move an inch. Not because he was still hurt but this time because his heart had stopped beating.
“Be… because I.. I.. like you and … and I.. I … had the.. urge.. to.. to see you… I… I… I like you.” He stuttered completely dumb struck, a short flash of red in his eyes before they turned completely blue again. Dorian wanted to look away of her but there was some force that made it impossible to do so. He could feel his heart beat so fast that he thought it would break out of his chest any time… they were just too close, for a moment he leaned into her getting slightly closer, but then he got aware of what he was up to do and stopped in the middle. He couldn’t do that… a picture of Ana flashed up in his mind…burned and hurt… he just couldn’t do it. It was wrong to even think about it…. and though he longed so much to touch her lips… he wasn’t only completely weak, he really was going mental as well…