Lay Down the Law [CLOSED]

Silent. Distant. Calm. Brief. Stoic. Five things that Selena previously had not always been. Now, this seemed all she was. Since their last encounter with demon kind, Selena had practically changed into a different person. She ceased her bothersome behaviors, dropping them cold turkey to make sure the man she was riding along with was no longer frustrated by her existence. It must have been relieving for him; that was what mattered to Selena at this point. Even if she was completely changing her way in life, changing herself, it would all be good in the end, right? She'd be fine. No, she was on a path to her own destruction and what was happening here was proof of that very fact.

Selena hid in the shadows, working from a distance as she watched J., the man who called himself The Reaper, fight against a small man and his bird-creature. She had a signal to watch for, to sense, and that is what she was waiting for. The vibrations in this area were magnificent for her, except in one place: around J. He was still the outline of himself, always just an outline. Selena had come to a conclusion that this meant something. It was a little ironic, honestly. She wanted to see more of this man, yet literally and metaphorically could not. Hidden around where even Reaper could not see, he was trusting her again. It was nice to know that he could trust her to act out his orders.

There was a short fight, a fleeing bird, a shorter conversation, and then the signal. The moment the signal was made, a chain shot through the air, the handle's pointed end peircing through the back of the man's neck and out through his throat. As if strategically done, the man's last sights would have been Reaper as his body fell forward to the ground, bowing down to the man he was now to call "God of Death." The moment the body hit the earth, the chain receeded and flew back until it vanished from sight. Selena waited, like she usually did, for Reaper's signal to step out. She would not move to early. And once she received the signal, she revealed herself and stepped toward him.

Silence again. Her blindfold covered any emotion that her eyes would show and her mouth lay content; there was not a small hint of smile. At times like this, Selena was proud to be blind. Blood and gore was never something she enjoyed seeing, especially if it was her weapon that caused it. She turned her ear to the left and then to the right: nothing. She could sense nothing near them anymore. Besides small natural vibrations the earth made, nothing significant seemed to be around them anymore. There job here was hopefully done, and off to the next they could head. Reaper had made himself clear before, he was not one to rest. There was no doubt in her mind that they would continue on.

A nod. Selena gave her silent reply as the two began their trip back to Ardale. The were making their way down a mountain path, the dirt road winding back and forth through what the mountain actually allowed a path to be built on. It wasn't commonly traveled from what one with their sight could probably tell. There were too many rumors about Citadal Hills that caused travelers to stay away from there. Few people, usually those wanting a private place to commit their crimes, ever chose to travel these hills. Right now, The Reaper and Rider were two of them. There was just one problem; Selene had this dreadful feeling that she was missing something, and it was something important.

When she heard the scraw, she knew what was giving her that feeling. The damn bird hadn't died. Usually Reaper would take care of things like this, but the surprise attack was something neither of them thought of and she wasn't sure whether his crystals would grow fast enough. She darted toward him, only needing two steps to put herself in between him and the bird. While she did this, the chain she kept as armor around her tightened and the beak of the bird slammed into her torso. The force behind the hit was strong enough to push her body back into Reaper, forcing the two of them to slide until there was no more ground behind them and they went soaring off a near by cliff.

The second chain was shot through the head of the bird, right before the two of them went over the cliff. Now, the problem was that they would be falling around three hundred feet before they'd hit the bottom. "I can't see him..." she thought in a panic as she turned her body in the air, "I can't see him!!" He wouldn't have been that far away, so Selena shot the first chain outward in a net-like fashion as the second chain looped from the bird toward her. The moment the first chain touched him, the second chain wrapped a single time around her waist and pushed her forward toward J. She wrapped an arm around him and shot the first chain into the wall of the cliff and around her arm.

Selena groaned in pain as their weight pulled the first chain from the wall, slowing them just enough for the second chain to repeat the process and stopping them about twenty feet above the ground. Calming down from that bit of excitement, the first chain wrapped around her and the handle shot toward the ground. The second chain, now stuck in the cliff wall, was quickly removed and then stuck in the ground as well. Both chains lowered them until they reached ground and then one chain returned to her bag, while the other wrapped itself half-way around her body and then around the arm. Selena dropped to her knees took quite a few deep breaths. With a loud "pop", she grunted loudly in pain again, having her arm forcefully returned to it's socket after the fall had dislocated it.

"That hurt."

Selena's breathing was a little heavy at this point. Everything had happened very fast, but she was lucky enough to have thought quickly on the situation. Besides the dislocation, which was quickly fixed, they came out of it uninjured as well, at least for the most part. Selena could tell her ribs were going to be bruised pretty badly since the giant demon bird practically tackled her. She sat in her silence after two words were spoken. A moment later, the dead body of the bird came crashing down from the top of the cliff next to them. Selena jumped, startled by the sudden appearance of the dead bird and then sighed. When he spoke, she turned her ear toward him and blinked.

Seeing him hold out his hand, she nodded once and placed her hand in his own. He helped her to her feet and once she was standing, she let go of him. "Any time." Selena chose her words quite carefully. She still wanted to prove herself to him, so there was something to be noted in those two words. 'You're welcome' just didn't express what she meant and 'no problem' didn't seem right either. Those two words were meant to dig deep, to show him that she truly was by his side whether he liked it or not. At 'any time', she would do what she could to aid him and to keep him safe. It was strong, but out of everything that it was supposed to mean for him, for Selena, it was a promise.

"There's a road a few yards away from  here, past a small river on the other side of this batch of trees..." Selena pointed away from the cliff and toward a forest they had landed near, "I can see a sign standing on it in that direction... We could figure out where we are at with that." Selena pointed South when referring to the sign. They had just been knocked off their known road to a place they did not know. She didn't recognize anything right here, so getting to a road that could point them in a direction was needed. Selena's chain tightened around her torso and arms, acting as a cast. At this point, Selena wanted to ask why they were returning to Ardale, but fell back into her silence.

Wait. What? They had arrived at the sign she had pointed out and J. asked her whether she'd be okay with going a long distance. That was surprising. She stared at the back of his head, knowing he would not turn to her; he never did. From what she remember on their trip here, Ardale was quite a long distance. She placed her hand on her ribs and thought about it. Could she handle that journey again? "If I cannot keep to his plans... I feel he will leave me behind..." Selena thought to herself, her eyes narrowed with concern, "If I do and I fall from injury or pain, he will leave me behind... This is a lose lose situation..." She stood in silence for a few seconds and thought to herself about it.

"Your intentions were to return to Ardale, that is where we should go." Selena spoke up, her tone rather dull, yet some how defeated. She waited for him to continue walking and would move along with him. She wanted to go rest in an inn and heal up a bit. She wanted to ask him to go to the close village so she could heal, but she felt like he'd think she was weak. Sure, she had only been injured because she took the shot for him, but she did that because it was necessary. Going to a small village and wasting money on a horse was not necessary. She could not throw off his plans more than she already had. For now, she would ignore her pain and see a doctor when they arrived in Ardale.

The two made it to the inn and Selena began to tense. There were always so many people here. She could barely keep up with them running back and forth across the streets. It was difficult not to bump into them constantly. For someone like her though, and likely J., Selena was able to predict their movements and get out of the way or get them out of her way first. It depended on the situation. There were a couple times where she had pushed people out of her way and they tried saying something; seeing the masked woman turn toward them was a little off putting, so they just said excuse me and continued on with their shopping. Soon, Selena and J. entered the inn and wait what...

Selena turned her ear toward J. in confusion and tilted her head. When he explained himself, she pulled her mask up to her forehead and shook her head. "It's not my arm that's bugging me..." Selena said as she lowered her chain onto the inn bed and off her body, "It's my ribs. The fall pushed the chain into my ribs and the combination of our weight isn't exactly light... Want the shirt off?" Selena was semi-joking. She assumed knowing that she'd have to take off her shirt would turn the idea away from her, but no. "Yes." was his reply. She blinked her pale eyes a couple times in surprise and shrugged. "Alright." she grabbed the bottom of her 'dress' and pulled it down.

Once it was pulled down where her entire torso was revealed, she looked like she was wearing an odd skirt. She turned toward him and just stood there. She didn't have to see any approving or disapproving expression that he would hold, so the embarrassment was a lot less. She wasn't exactly wearing a bra either; her chain often acted like a bra, so she didn't need one. "Is it bad?" she asked. Her ribs were extremely bruised, black and blue all the way across under her bust. It wouldn't have been surprising if she had actually broken one or two in the fall. In a few places, the chain had dug deep enough to rip some skin as well. Fortunately, these were things she didn't have to see.

Selena was a little nervous, which could probably be realized when she continued wiggling her fingers and tapping her feet. Her expression would show nothing more though. The moment she felt his bare hand touch her, she held her breath. That was unexpected. He was being a lot more gentle than she thought he would. She even shivered a bit, a chill running up her spine and causing a few goosebumps to appear along her otherwise clear skin. Once he stopped, she calmed down and her eyes shot around the room in different directions. She couldn't see, so she didn't exactly know where to look when she didn't want to look straight at him. At least he wasn't disgusted, she hoped.

Selena was about to pull her dress back up when she felt his hand lay near her collar bone, noting that the glove was back on. She reached up and wrapped her hand lightly around his as he spoke to compliment her. Once his tone turned serious, her grip tightened around his hand just a bit and she sighed, letting him go once he removed it. He began walking toward the door and asked if she understood. She closed her blind eyes and lifted her dress back into it's place. "No." she said with another sigh, "I really don't understand, J... Not to be rude or disobedient, but... why? I dealt with the pain because I'd rather you not leave me behind because I got hurt; I know you would."

"You don't want a burden and I don't want to be a burden..." she explained, her tone frustrated, "I didn't know what else to do without risking you seeing me as something that's just slowing you down. If I have to deal with pain to make sure that I get to stay with you, then I'll deal with the damn pain." Selena clenched her fists for a moment, "I will not let you leave me behind... I refuse."

His tone seemed to darken even more, which caught the lavender haired woman off guard. She tensed and her heart raced, though she didn't turn toward him. Actually, she turned her head away. He didn't understand, or at least pretended not to. Once he finished, she turned back to him and reached out, stepping over toward his outline until her hand laid gently on his shoulder. She let out a low breath and looked toward his face, even if she could not see him. Her expression changed. It softened to look apologetic toward him. A moment later, she smiled weakly and just nodded to him.

"Understood." is all she said before running her hand along the side of his head and through his hair, "I'll heal up." She'd never be able to admit it because there was no point in doing so. It wouldn't matter whether she told him or not. It wouldn't matter if she broke down and explained herself fully. He wouldn't care, not about that. The moment she showed something he didn't like, just like now, he would leave her and she didn't want that. The fact was, for the first time in a very, very long time, Selena was actually scared. Those few seconds while falling, she wasn't able to see him.

"I've become stupidly attached to you..." she thought. She removed her hand from his face and turned away. She walked over to the bed and laid down. She kept as still as possible, looking like a dead body in a coffin. The only thing that showed she was still living was the fact that her chest moved up and down while she breathed. "I'm sorry, J." she muttered under her breath, though would not be surprised if he was able to hear her anyway. Still, Selena laid there silently after that, closing her eyes, as she returned to the same demeanor that she had been keeping up for a while now.

When he came in, she was silent. Her body lay still over the covers on the bed. If her chest were not moving up and down, one could think she was no longer among the living. When he spoke, she strained to open her eyes and look at him. He had actually gone out and contacted a doctor? Interesting. That was all the thought she felt like mustering up on that subject. She closed her eyes again, listening as he pulled up a chair and sat down. He was close, so she opened her eyes again and looked at him. Her expression was plain, besides a few hints of pain washing over them any time she had to move. Selena wasn't sure what to make of the J she was currently seeing. He was showing a lot more to her than she was used to. He came up with all of these excuses of how he's supposed to build up profiles on people, but that only made Selena's expression dull. There were so many times she wanted to tell him to shut up or that he was acting stupid. She knew he was lying to her and the rest of the world around him, but listening to him now made her realize that he was also lying to himself. He had deluded himself into thinking the way he does because of whatever horror it actually was that he experienced in the past. And when that final question came, she had one thought, "Softie." And she closed her eyes...

"My view on the world gives you hope for the future? Heh... Interesting. I feel that you've shunned society for too long, J. You see, this world is strong and has more good than evil. There is much more light than there is darkness. There is wisdom, determination, and love among the people of Aurora. Never before has this world been at peace like it is now. There are people who have fallen out of that peace and chosen a different life, but they are just a mere few among the larger entity. And no matter how many you choose to hunt down and destroy, a darkness will always be there to feed off what is left. For every man you kill, does their family not cross your mind? If you had killed me that day, you would never have known that I have two younger sisters that depend greatly on my survival. The money I make is sent back to them so they could live a decent life. If I die, their life will fall into a hell that I do not want them to witness. I cannot imagine how dark their own hearts may turn if everything is taken from them. I feel my sisters may have abilities stronger than even mine, laying dormant within themselves. With their hearts light and pure, filled with love, and without fear, if these abilities were discovered I know they would use them to help people, to love, and to protect... Because that is what I taught them."

Selena turned her head to look directly up at J. "You wish to know why I have fallen silent, right?" Selena hesitated for just a moment, staring directly up at him, "Because you scare the hell out of me. You take out everyone that is not on the path you want them to be. Before we first reached Ardale, those men we killed for trying to summon a Demon, why were they doing it? From what you've shown me, you believe it's because they want power and you're right, but why? What happened to those men that they felt the need to summon something horrid? The village I was in before those men attempted their assassination, that village was plagued by bandits, thieves, and murderers. Every day people were crying and screaming because someone else had apparently stuck up to them. I found that village because I ran into a young man who was also summoning a Demon. I talked to him and learned his mother had been kidnapped, beaten to death, and then sent back to him in a box by those bandits. And yes, when you were there, not a single one of them were terrorizing that town. Why? Because I had taken care of it without killing that boy."

"J, if you had walked passed him in the middle of that ritual, you would have killed him and passed that village by. Either that, or killed the boy, happened among the village, and then killed the bandits that were there. Now, think about how many people you've killed. Did you know who their brothers and sisters were? How abou their Mother and Father? Did they have kids themselves? Why were they seeking power? You don't know..." Selena took a deep breath, but made sure to keep eye contact with J the entire time, "My silence... was because you scare the shit out of me, because you don't like talking, and because... I feel bad for you. The few things I've learned about you... You're tragic. You're sacrificing everything about yourself, everything you could do with your life, everything you could create, everything you could become... for a world that would not do the same for you. I decided, with a silent swear, that I would stick by your side, keep you alive, and fight to be that one person who would die for your dream... the same way you're dying for everyone else's... The same as you, my life is no longer my own, so there is no need to speak."