Going Under *Nia*

[aikastarr]

Gazing into the deep abyss of space, Krysthanine perched in the lone tree near the Weyr’s lake. The sky had always fascinated her, and she knew that the beings that surround them wondered what it’s like to be alive yet again. A breeze brushed against her cheek, causing her auburn hair to gently flow into her face. Around her neck like a scarf, Whiting snuggled against the cold. He didn’t like the cold, and preferred to stay under her length of hair, crooning to his Mine. The two enjoyed these peaceful times together.

Sighing, she rubbed her firelizard’s eye ridges, and he proceeded to rub his head on her midnight blue tunic. ”I wish you could talk, Whiting,” she crooned, snuggling her head against his small one, causing him to get a mouthful of hair. Chuckling, she pulled her hair out of his tiny snapping jaws. ”You’re not supposed to eat that, you little rascal!” she joked while she got the last strands of hair from Whiting. Maybe, just maybe, there were others out on that night. Probably not, since it was practically the dead of night. Not even the moon was out.

If only there was somebody else to talk to…

((WOW. Epic. Fail… Sorry, writer's block.))

[Nia]

It was dark and cold. Kio didn't like the dark, or the cold. But he could deal with it. It was all in the name of science, after all. He would do whatever it took to make sure he knew absolutely everything about this Dalibor Weyr. The trees, the lake, the Weyrbowl... everything. Nothing would escape his watchful eye. "Shard it!" he exclaimed as he fell forward and flat on to his face. Sharding rock! He picked it up and chucked it at the lake he'd been walking next to, watching as it plunked into the water, sending ripples out in all directions. Kio smirked. He'd sure shown that rock. Plus, he'd got to observe the water ripples! If there'd been any moonlight it would have been a lot... prettier, he guessed. The black-haired boy stared at the water for a few seconds, even after the ripples had disappeared.

Growing bored with the water and rocks, Kio continued walking around the lake, inspecting every inch of it and just how it looked far different than it did in the day time. He continued to move around it, picking up rocks and throwing them, and occassionally dropping pieces of grass on to the lake to watch it float. It was very difficult to see and Kio nearly tripped a few more times, but he caught himself. He was quite agile! Well, he had to be, didn't he? Being a detective took a lot of physical labor, even if it didn't seem like it would. Pah! No one knew the troubles he went through to be such a genius. But what kind of genius would he be if he shared his means of getting knowledge? Not a very good one. Afterall, if he shared his genius, then everyone would be just as brilliant as he was! And Kio did enjoy being smarter than most of the other people in the Weyr.

Kio walked over to the tree and stared up at it. Hmm... something seemed off about this tree. The branches were bent at a strange angle. It took all of Kio's brilliant deductive skills to figure out that... there was a girl up in the tree. He stared up at her with a smug grin on his face. "What do you think you're doing up there?" he gave a short laugh, "Well, when you fall and kill yourself, at least I'll be able to tell everyone just how you died." He laughed again, arrogance lacing his tone and laughter. He knew he was better than her... because he wasn't sitting in a tree like a wherrybrain.

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[aikastarr]

Krysthanine was too absorbed in Whiting that she didn’t notice the boy coming up towards the tree, or hear him trip over a rock. In fact, it was only when the flitter chirped in surprise and alarm that she looked down and saw him. She grinned at him, but it quickly disappeared behind a scornful grimace as he laughed at her. Well, that was nice of him! Her emotions became a hurricane, wanting to burst forth and obliterate the pathetic excuse for a boy. She opened her mouth to protest, then curled her lips into a devilish smirk. He knew nothing about her. The pompous fool, he probably didn’t know anybody for who they really were!

The smirk broadened as a cruel plan descended into her mind. If she managed to pull it off without bringing harm to her firelizard, all the better. ”Maybe you should think before you talk,” she sing-songed as annoyingly as possible. She got up, and began to balance on the branches, trying to calculate exactly where to begin her little plan. When she found her target, her smirk broadened to a wide, almost maniacal grin.

And then she jumped.

It wasn’t that far, but it was enough to cause Krysthanine to have some aftershock from the impact. Her aiming was perfect; she had landed just inches away from the smug boy’s person. Straightening out to her full height, she looked him straight in the eye. ”Tell me that to my face,” she snarled, clenching and unclenching her fist. He hadn’t even spoken to her for five minutes, and she already hated him with a burning passion. Boy, could he get on people’s nerves! She would just see if he was worth arguing with.

Let the games begin.

[Nia]

Hmm... what an annoyingly difficult girl. Kio wasn't quite sure what he thought of her as he watched her. She seemed annoyed. Oh, poor baby, were his simple comments hurting her feelings? Well, it was true. If she wanted to jump and kill herself, who was he to deny her that? If she wanted to die, well, it'd give him a good excuse to inspect the body of a dead person. He didn't care about her life. Though, really, it wasn't all that high up, and she most likely wouldn't kill herself if she jumped. Which was sad. He would have liked to see something like that....

He watched her with a slight smirk as she stood up and prepared to jump. Hmm, she was really going to do it, wasn't she? Well, he'd already figured out she wouldn't die... but if she missed, she'd probably break a leg or an arm. Kio supposed that was better than nothing. But he simply watched her with his hands in his pockets as she jumped, and his facial expression didn't change from his slight smirk as she landed without much difficulty. "I always think before I talk," he said dismissively with a shrug as she landed, "I wanted you to jump so I could observe the aftereffects. My taunt merely served the purpose of getting you to jump," he continued, his smirk growing larger and more sinister. Of course... he was making that up. But she didn't have to know that.

She said something else to him, but he couldn't connect her reason for saying it to anything in their previous conversation. "Tell you what to your face?" he said, taking a step closer. He could almost feel her hatred. Well, it really had never been his goal to be hated... but hate was a powerful emotion, wasn't it? Someone had once told him that there was a very fine line between hate and love. It'd probably been his mother's lover, those two did have quite a love-hate thing going on. Kio wasn't sure of his feelings about love-hate... but he surely wouldn't be able to love anyone he hated. Only lesser beings that couldn't control their emotions did things like that. Kio was far too good for that.

"But sure, I'll tell you," he said, smirking as he put his hands on his hips and bent down so his face was rather close to hers, "You are not a very smart girl. You should probably think before you mouth off to your superiors," he twisted her words from earlier into a cruel retort, and straightened back up so his face was away from hers, grinning smugly at her. She did seem quite easy to manipulate... she probably wouldn't help his investigations, though.

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[aikastarr]

Krysthanine’s cheeks were on the verge of turning a bright scarlet as he went on and on about some stupid topic. Saying he always thought before he talked? Probably not, considering his pompous replies. Oh, how she wanted to wring his neck! I can do what I want, when I want! He has no right to tell me what to do! her mind screamed. Whiting even protested with a hiss of his own. ”Why can’t you just mind your own business, punk?” she retorted, putting her hands on her lithe hips. When he leaned close to her, she wished she had fangs. What better way to rip somebody’s face off than with vicious teeth?

As her hatred for him radiated from her, Whiting took the initiative to try and nip at him before he retreated, just inches from snapping his nose between minuscule jaws. If only he had made contact; that would have been funny to see him with a bloody nose. A smirk slightly spread on her face, slightly maniacal. However, her pent up rage was released when Kio called her unintelligent. ”You think you’re so special, huh? Just because you have a HUGE ego gives you no superiority over others! Shard it, I’m surprised you’re even HERE!” she screeched, causing Whiting to skitter away. He didn’t want anything to do with her anger. She pulled her fist back, and her tightly bound muscles sprung open to throw a well-aimed punch at his face.

[Nia]

Kio clicked his tongue at the girl's outburst. "Now now, no need for such juvenile insults," he said, leaning his hands off of his hips and shoving them into the pockets of his fur-trimmed jacket. Though, really, he was being a hypocrite and he knew it. Punk was far less of an insult than stupid was, and Kio didn't mind it all that much. He didn't care about being insulted in general, really. It just made things more fun. Besides, his earlier comment about her being stupid hadn't really been an insult, just an observation. The firelizard made him a little on edge, though, and rightfully so. He merely stared right back at the Blue as it came near his face, merely leaning his head back a little bit to avoid being nipped.

Certainly she wasn't going to pick a fight with him, was she...? Kio didn't really like to fight girls. Or, honestly, much at all. Lesser beings than him fought. He raised an eyebrow at her outburst, though that annoying, cocky smirk didn't leave his face. Oh my, she'd even scared her firelizard away! What a scary girl. "Ooh, how scary," he said with quite obviously mock fear, shrugging with his hands still in his pockets. He was prepared for her to throw a punch at him, but Kio wasn't the type to let himself get hit, even by a girl. He simply took a step to the side, narrowly avoiding her punch. He wasn't exactly the best at fighting, but avoiding? That he could do, and easily.

After stepping to the side he spun around to face her in a rather dramatic twirl, as though she'd knocked him off balance. "Careful! You might accidently hit someone," he taunted. It wasn't going to help cool her temper, but Kio didn't really want that. He loved observing people who lost their temper, and where was a better place to observe than right in the middle of it? People were quite interesting, he had to admit. Sometimes he even found them more interesting than the world around him, which was saying something. This girl was pretty typical, though. Most girls he insulted reacted the same way... by throwing a temper tantrum. They didn't usually full-out come after him though. That was new.

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[aikastarr]

As the boy continued to jab at Krysthanine with snide remarks and mock terror, he anger began to wrap itself around her mind, slowly squeezing out her rationality. Her pupils slightly dilated, and her snarl turned into a grin. The grin wasn’t kindly, however; in fact, it leaned more towards the maniacal kind of wicked grin. So he thinks he can get rid of me that easily, huh? Well, he’s got another thing coming! I’ll show him that I’m not the best person to mess with, oh I will! her mind churned with the chant over and over, leaving her sane mindset lost in a labyrinth of denial.

Her grin twisted wider, and a bout of maniacal laughter rippled through her before escaping her mouth. Once it was over, she locked eyes with Kio, her sapphire eyes twinkling with insane delight. ”Do you want to play a game?” she asked innocently as she advanced towards her target. Oh, how had she not realized that this was all just a game? It all fell into place throughout her disheveled mind, leading to the conclusion that he was just about as stupid as she thought! She let out another crazy laugh and lashed out with her hands, groping for his neck.

Deep within the girl’s mind, a shocking thought was developing. Even though Kio was cruel, blunt, mocking, and increasingly evil, a fondness had graced her being, latching onto her heart. For what reason, she would never now, but it just…. Happened. What have I gotten myself into?!? she mentally wailed while she continued her frenzied onslaught.

[Nia]

Kio shoved his hands back into his coat as he watched Krysthanine with a slightly raised eyebrow. Oh? What was this, a scare tactic? Was she trying to scare him? Possibly. Or maybe she was really just that crazy...? No, Kio doubted it. He'd dealt with crazy females before, one of them being his mother, so she didn't really scare him. Evil laughter? Please. Been there, done that. She certainly had other means to try and unnerve him, right? For a moment, Kio contemplated pretending to act scared of her just to lead her on. He was quite good at that, the whole tricking others thing. It was fun, and it made for a nice hobby when he was bored of gathering knowledge from various sources.

No, he didn't feel like it. So he merely opened his mouth and laughed along with her, his own laugh decidedly maniacal in it's own right, but it was more humorous than Krysthanine's was. She advanced towards him and he didn't move, tilting his head at her and raising another eyebrow. She was talking nonsense, now. But he supposed that was what crazy people did. Oh, how he loved people sometimes. So interesting. So worth coming out to watch and observe. He wasn't afraid of Krysthanine or her simple threats and laughter.

"A game, what kind of-" he'd been happily replying back to her, but then she lunged towards him. Kio made a quick evasive maneuver and made it dramatic by lifting his arms over his head and twirling before dropping his arms back down and placing his hands back into his pockets again. "Now, that wasn't very nice. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to kill me!" he taunted happily, dodging her next onslaught. Where would he be if he hadn't learned how to dodge by now? Of course she wasn't the first person to come after him, and Kio had almost perfected the skill of running away. Except, he wasn't really running away. Just simply taking a few steps to the side or spinning just out of her grasp. He did still want to taunt her.

"Oi, oi, this isn't a very fun game, missy. In fact, it's rather boring. Can't you come up with something new?" he said with a bored tone. This girl was predictable and he was losing his interest in her. Though, it would be nice if she ended up having some sort of affection towards him, wouldn't it? Then he could manipulate her even more. Kio wasn't always interested in manipulating others, he much prefered to observe and watch how they behaved naturally, but when the opportunity arose... well, who was he to deny such a thing?

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[aikastarr]

If the jibes were meant to taunt, they did a pretty good job at it. She lunged at the boy again and again, but he was too quick on his feet, dancing just out of reach and tacking on malicious comments. She lashed out with her nails, and even attempted to bite him at one point. It was almost as if it wasn’t her fighting, but somebody else, molded by malice and cruelty.

Unfortunately, just as quickly as it had come, the blind rage disappeared from Krysthanine mid-lunge, causing her brain to fumble and have her land on her stomach. She curled into a little ball, just barely keeping tears at bay. Oh, what have I done?!? I’m kind, not some maniacal beast! she almost wailed, which would have shown vulnerability. Of course, being in a little ball on the ground shivering lightly shows vulnerability, but it couldn’t be helped. If she was going to have issues, she might as well just tell this idiot up front of her affections! But, alas, he was not the warmest of people, so he probably doesn’t even know what that is. She mentally smiled at that remark.

She slowly uncurled, sat up, and picked herself off of the ground to stand her full height. Ironically, now that she was seeing clearly, they were the same height. She gave a defeated sigh, and looked him straight in the eye. ”Since we didn’t exactly see eye to eye on this, how about we just start over,” she said simply, dusting herself off. She wasn’t going to shake his hand unless he offered his hand, though, so she brought her arms into a crossed position. ”What’s your name, anyways?” she asked skeptically. What gave him the right to emotionally attack somebody he didn’t even know?

[Nia]

Kio still didn't make to fight back, he just moved out of the way, that same sly smirk on his face. He was enjoying this! He was really enjoying this! This girl was funny, though probably not in a good way. Nothing was ever amusing to Kio in a good way. She was easily angered, too, which was fun. Kio enjoyed people who were easily angered... perhaps because he himself was not. It was strange and he did enjoy observing angry people. They were so much fun! He was kind of enjoying this game now. What else was she going to pull? What angle was she going to come at next? How exciting....

He'd been prepared to dodge her next attack when she collapsed on the ground herself. The black-haired boy raised an eyebrow at her curled form, though unlike a normal person he didn't make to ask her what was wrong or help her up. He gave a light laugh at her situation, but didn't outright laugh at her. It was more of a laugh of triumph, really. He'd successfully driven her insane! Yay! That was certainly more interesting than just dodging her attacks, he figured. He pulled his coat up from where it'd dropped down his arms as he watched her, not saying anything. Was she crying? How sad. Well, it was her fault. She'd picked a fight with him. He hadn't done anything but dodge! Hitting a woman, even a young, stupid one, was not in his nature. Nor was actually fighting with anyone in general, as he really wasn't a violent person.

As she stood up, he merely raised his eyebrow at her again in slight amusement. Oh, was she giving in? That wasn't fun! It was boring. She was rather tall for a girl, though. Kio had never thought he was tall, but... she was staring at him straight in the eye, wasn't she? He was kind of slouching, though. Mostly out of boredom and just because he didn't exactly have the best posture in the first place. Maybe it was the fact that his hands were in his pockets? Ah... but Kio didn't care much about that. Her words were odd. His smirk widdened as he had a strange thought... what if she was actually falling in love with him...? He could use that to his advantage.

"See eye to eye on what? You attacking me? I suppose so, as it didn't look like you were enjoying it very much," he said with quite a cocky tone. He kept his hands in his pockets, not bothering to reach out and formally greet her with a handshake. Violence was a good enough greeting for him. "My name is Kio. I don't believe I got your name, either," he smiled again, though it was more friendly than evil. Hah, was he really going to try and manipulate her affections even more? It'd give him something to do, at least. He did consider himself fairly attractive, at least. So everyone should like him~!

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[aikastarr]

His looks at her were strange, stranger than when he was evading her attempts at strangling him. It wasn’t right. Krysthanine was smart enough to realize the sudden change in the boy’s demeanor, since it was so contrasting to before. Did he really think that he could mask it? Wow, am I really that stupid? she thought as she looked him over again. The different smile, the kinder words, the “formal” introduction… It all led to one thing: he was trying to sway her to do something she would regret! A small chuckle barely escaped her before her skeptical snarl turned into a mocking smirk, much like Kio’s.

”Well, Kio…” and here she called Whiting back to her shoulder and smirked broader, ”why should I give somebody as inferior as you my name? Besides, it wouldn’t do you any good to mouth off to your superiors at all~!” She threw his words right back at his face while her smirk settled onto her face again. So what he was fairly attractive? It didn’t mean he was nice.

With that, she turned on her heel with a hearty laugh and left him there. If he tried to grab at her, Whiting would see to it that he would never see daylight again. Sure, he would feel it, but his blindness wouldn’t help him any bit. It would serve him right if such a fate befell upon him. She slipped into the Candidate’s Barracks soon enough, leaving a lingering echo of a triumphant laugh in her wake.

((Sorry if that didn't seem Krys-ish, but considering the fact that Kio is a wherling now, I wanted to finish the thread ASAP. ^^))