Twist [CLOSED]

"Yes, I accept your request. This is an interesting job, but you must understand my terms... Once the job is finished, I expect the full payment. If you are unable to pay the full amount in coin, Ayaka will make up for the rest, no matter how small. Do you understand and accept these conditions?" Xavier D'Angelus, a cruel man with a horrid reputation through out Zakat's mainlands. Two weeks prior, he said these words to a man, referring to his younger daughter. "I am confident that I will be able to pay you in full. I've already got ninety percent of the payment; once the job is complete, I know for a fact that I will have the rest. So yes, I do. Accept your conditions." Xavier smiled his cruel smile, a devilish smirk creeping onto his lips. "Then it will be done." he replied and dismissed the man.

The day had arrived that Kasumi Minori was to be crossing into the Jungle of Fangs. It seemed the young woman had a thing for following rivers, so she was easy to track. This was going to be an interesting job. Xavier and his group were to capture this Kasumi woman, blindfold her, tie her up, and then drag her back to the man who wanted his revenge. It would be an easy job for Xavier for one reason only; this woman's strange power would have zero effect on him. It had all been explained, the power was in her eyes. It'd be a marvel to look at, to see happen to everyone else but him. It's why he had one man stationed a little further down to confront her first. The man had no idea he was just a puppet to fulfill a curiosity that Xavier had; he would do his job like he normally would.

"Ah... Here she comes." Xavier stood on the other side of a tree and signaled his man to go forward. The man went forward with an act of needing help, asking her if she could tell him where she was, but once he got within five feet of her, he pulled a knife and charged. It was then that Xavier got a closer look. His subordinate screamed in pain, an amount that Xavier himself could not fathom feeling, but it was so interesting. His arm had twisted like someone wringing out a wet cloth. He had expected it to pop off soon after, but it didn't. The man just screamed more, yelled a few insults, and tried to run at her again. The next one that went was his left leg, causing him to fall over and scream even more. His other leg went then and Xavier decided it was time to make his own appearance.

The woman was very much focused on the man she was torturing, so Xavier slowly stepped out from the trees to her side and in between her and the man. He intentionally blocked off her line of sight and stood not an inch from her body. "Hello, Kasumi." he spoke out calmly. His voice was like the hiss of a snake: low, soft, but threatening and deadly. His piercing eyes stared down at the small woman, wondering how quickly it would take her to flee, especially when she realized that her abilities had zero effect on him. And the moment that she would try to run or attack him, Xavier would shoot his hand forward and clench it tightly around her neck, but make sure not to be choking her. He'd then put his face closer to her own and smiled with a creepy sweet smile, "It seems... that I got you."

"Keep trying, but it won't work on me." the man hissed as he warped his hand around her neck. She struggled a bit, but his grip would not falter and she gave up rather quickly. Xavier chuckled at her failed attempts. "What? Is that all you've got?" he asked as her body went limp. When she did that, he released her and allowed her body to fall harshly to the ground. Xavier went over and grabbed the blindfold his decapitated subordinate had and blindfolded Kasumi. When he did this, he stepped on her back, applying enough pressure to make it even hard to breathe. "Can't have you harming my men, now can I?" he mumbled to her. Xavier raised an arm and signaled a few other men to appear. Once they did, they came over and fully restrained Kasumi, tossing her over a horses back.

Thirty minutes later, the group arrived at their currently chosen hide out. During the trip, the men had no problem poking at Kasumi, pulling her hair, squeezing parts of her body only a lover should, and even forcing a few sloppy kisses on her. Having her blindfolded, along with her feet and hands being tightly tied, made taking advantage of his girl so much easier. Xavier laughed at their actions, never taking one like that himself. He was not interested in touching this woman in such a manner; she was no way near his type. As they were all able to relax in their hide out, they tossed Kasumi over to a corner that wouldn't shock them if she hit her head on a jagged rock or two. Xavier sat down at a table and pulled out a cigarette, giving it a few puffs as the men scattered.

"Boss, can I... you know, play with her for a while?" one of his men asked and Xavier just shrugged. "No permanent damage." was his only reply, "That's not our place this time." Xavier turned away, not caring to see what his subordinate was going to do to her. The other men left the area, not exactly the sharing type, and the final man stepped over to Kasumi and forced the girl to lay flat on her back. He pulled out a knife in preparation of removing the binds on her legs so he can access the parts in between, but first his hands began their journey up her dress and towards her breasts. "S-So pretty... So soft..." the man said through disgusting chuckles as he had his fun at her expense. He went to cut the bindings when he saw a foot on his dagger and a sword was placed at his throat.

Sometimes, it's best to pay attention to your surroundings. Assuming the entire area has no one else in it but yourself is foolish. So when Mathias was walking through the Jungle Of Fangs, heading into Cieria, and heard those terrifying screams of pain, he rushed to help. When he arrived there, he saw the man's head get cut clean off in the strangest manner he had ever seen, the rest of his body distorted horribly. He watched another man step calmly out of the bushes and practically scare the young woman to death. Nothing was happening, the girl did nothing to deserve this, at least in Mathias' mind. He even assumed it was the man who had cut the other man's head off. He was about to make an appearance when seven other men came out of the woodwork and tied the girl up.

Mathias wanted to help her, but needed to know their strength. He followed them through the forest, silently navigating the harsh terrain and keeping them in his sights. They vanished for a moment, so he wondered whether he had  been seen, but after waiting for a while, he realized they had made there way behind a large bunch of vines and into a cave that seemed to lead deep underground. It was dark, so it took him a while to find the light from torches that these men left. When he was finally able to catch up, he saw that the other man had moved deeper into the cave, one was sitting down, and another was violating the young woman. He quietly moved forward. As the man went to grab the dagger, Mathias placed his foot on it and put his wakazashi at the man's throat.

"Worm." was the final word that this man heard before a blade slit it's way through his wind pipe. As this was done, Mathias put enough pressure behind the slice that the man's body and blood went away from the girl; she didn't' need any of that crap on her. "ACK!" the man's final loud noise caused Xavier to turn toward him to tell him to stay quiet, but Xavier's eyes widened when he was a man standing there. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" Xavier asked angrily. Mathias just narrowed his eyes at the man. "You were going to allow this disgusting cretin to violate this young woman; You're pathetic." Mathias said, pulling out his second blade, "I'm taking her out of here, what the hell do you think?" Xavier smirked and stood up as his men all re-entered, "I don't think so."

Seeing all of these men come out from the cave paths behind Xavier, Mathias knew his skill would probably match up to all seven of them. He could probably take three, if their leader did not step in, but seven men was going to be difficult. The men pulled out their own weapons and laughed at him. Mathias narrowed his eyes and suddenly the fire from all nine torches flew toward him and the cave went dark. "Boss, what's happening?!" a man shouted in fear. "Like I know, you fool; be on your guard!" Xavier told them all and everything went silent. Suddenly, a burst of flame shot out toward the rest of them, re-lighting the cave and two of the torches, but causing many of them to catch on fire as well. The men panicked and Xavier quickly put himself out, glaring at Mathias.

He was going to charge forward, but a lot of their stuff was catching on fire and smoke was filling the cave. "Out, the back way, go!" Xavier commanded his now coughing men. As they left through the back way, Xavier looked back once more to get a good look at Mathias. "I will find her again." he said, knowing he couldn't get paid if the job wasn't complete. Xavier ran out and Mathias quickly sheathed his swords, hurrying toward Kasumi. "I've got you, I've got you." he said in a comforting tone, picking the woman up bridal style and holding her close. He began coughing as well and moved toward the exit where he half-knew the way out. Navigating a dark cave was difficult at times, but he finally did make his way out, the smoke semi-leading him to the fresh air he and the girl needed now.

Mathias looked back toward the cave to see if anyone was following, but he saw no one. He kept running just in case, moving for about ten minutes before finally feeling safe enough to stop. He dropped to his knees and softly laid her down, coughing a few more times as his lungs tried to rid themselves of smoke. "Bastards..." Mathias said angrily pulled out his wakazashi, "You're safe now... I'll have these bindings off quickly." He used the wakazashi to cut through the ropes behind her back, then her feet, and then set it down to untie the blindfold. "There you go... That a little better?" he asked her with a sweet smile, "Those assholes are long gone... Are you hurt?" Mathias made sure to scoot back away from her and sit down. He set his swords to the side and crossed his legs.

"If you... are planning on using me, can we get it over with?"

That sentence completely took Mathias off guard. She sounded used to things like this happening to her. It was then that Mathias stood up and took a good look at her. She was underweight, her skin a little pale and sickly, her hair seemed to lose all the shine that woman usually had. And then her eyes, dead. She looked like she wasn't even here, like she couldn't really even see him standing there. Mathias shook his head; he couldn't bare thinking about what this girl's story was. He did step up to her and place a hand  gently on the side of her head, brushing a few strands of hair away from her face. Sliding his fingers down the side of her cheek, he gently placed his hand under her chin and brought her up to look at him. And with a smile, he shook his head, "I will do no such thing."

"I can tell you what I will do though..." he said as he set a small bag he had hanging over his shoulder down. He took a moment to rummage through it and pulled out a small Zakatian container. He stood up again and held it out to her. "I will allow you to have this; it's not much, but it should hold you over and it's still warm." he said, opening the container to reveal a thick beef stew, "Zakatian technology is wonderful, isn't it? I've been away from that town for about an hour and a half now, yet I don't have to warm this up." Mathias sat back down near her and the tree she was leaning against. He tapped the ground next to him and set the bowl in front of her once she sat. If she hesitated, he'd sort of push the issue, probably making it seem like she had to do it, "Come on, sit. Eat."

"And another thing I will do is escort you out of this jungle until I know you're safe from that yellow eyed bastard." Mathias glanced back the way they came, a look of anger pouring over his expression when he thought of those men getting her again. With a sigh and his face turning calm, he turned back toward her to make sure she was eating. If she wasn't, he'd give a playful glare and say, "Don't make me force feed you... I'd rather you do it on your own, and quickly. If those men return, I'm not entirely sure whether I can take them all out... The fire in the cave was sort of a lucky break..." Mathias set an elbow on his knee and his chin on his fist, watching her with a rather interested smile. "I'm Mathias, by the way..." he said, kindly introducing himself, "Mind if I have your name?"

"Kasumi Minori, I'll try and remember that, but please excuse if your last name escapes me." Mathias tried to speak as gently as he could. There was no point in scaring the girl more than she already was. He wanted to calm her down, get her to open up. Maybe then she can trust him enough to get her to a place where she can be safe. He could tell she's had a horrible time at life, especially recently with how under weight she was. She spoke up again, calling him Mister Mathias. That was cute. He chuckled. "Please, no. Just call me Mathias; Mister is something people call my brother, not me." he explained, his smile never fading as they talked. "I appreciate your hospitality. But," Kasumi looked to him with eyes that made him stare, "But what?" "what made you think I was worth saving?"

That confirmed it; Kasumi was one of those women who had been heavily damaged by people like those he had rescued her from. She asked why he thought she was worth it, that gave it away. Most people had some sense of self-worth and could understand why someone would save them. She was a human being, she was a woman, she was small, she was defenseless, she needed help, and she was alone. Any of these reasons came to his mind, but he didn't know how to express it correctly. He looked at her with a bit of pity, worried about where this woman's state of mind was. He had rescued women before, but none ever this broken. "Sweet heart, there are horrible people in this world and I can tell by looking at you that you've encountered just about every kind I could think of."

Mathias rubbed the back of his head and glanced off, thinking for a moment. His true intentions really were just because she needed his help. That was it. He just wanted her to feel like it was more than that. For many, his reasons would be enough. That probably included this woman too, but he wanted her to feel more; he just didn't want to lie to her. With a sigh, he slouched a bit, placing both elbows on his knees. "Honestly, I saved you because you needed my help. I didn't have any extra reasons behind it." he explained as kindly as possible, "I don't feel people should need an extra reason to help those in need of it. It should just happen, it should come naturally. I can say that I'm glad I didn't turn away; I thought about finding the authorities, but I'm glad it turned out this way."

"Come now, eat and regain your strength... We should be heading out soon."

"Hey... Don't... Don't say that about yourself." Mathias tilted his head a bit, slouching slightly to look up at her face, "If you're injured, I'll help. If we need to move slower, we'll move slower. I don't exactly have a set destination or time limit to get there either..." Mathias was a little off-put by Kasumi. For some reason, he felt like he was walking around on egg shells while talking to her. It wasn't that he had any clue she was something more than a powerless human, no. It was the fact that he really did not want to hurt her any more than she had already been. He crossed his arms along his chest and stared off into the distance. He was trying to think of ways to communicate with this woman and get his point across. After a few moments, he leaned forward and looked back to her.

"Why would you think so low of yourself?" Mathias asked and then pointed back the way they came, "Because of people like those men? Have people like that made you feel this way? If so, then put that all in your past. It doesn't matter anymore and it's time for you to get a fresh start, a second chance at life. How does that sound? Maybe I can help you out with that too... I don't like people feeling like they aren't worth it. It's wrong." Mathias sighed and put his hands behind his head. He laid back and crossed his legs over one another, looking up at the sky through the openings of the trees. He was silent for a moment, thinking deeply about her situation. "It's probably none of my business..." he spoke up, his tone quite soft, "But... what exactly happened to you; in your past, I mean."

Mathis soon realized his original thoughts were correct. He really didn't want to know her story; he needed to. As she spoke, he kept his eyes shut and just imagined some of the things she could have gone through. When she mentioned this pain, he knew it must have been overwhelming, especially if it was able to cause her to lose control of her powers. But from what it sounded, she might not have even known she had the powers before hand either. In his mind, though it was a bad assumption, she had felt such a large amount of pain that her powers activated as a defensive mechanism, causing her to lose control and by the time she woke up from it all, it had all been done. There was nothing she could do to prevent that. Mathias opened his eyes, sat up, and looked toward her.

"It's... in the past." he said semi-quietly. He kept his eyes narrowed in pity, looking at the broken woman in front of him with no intentions but to help her. He took a deep breath and lowered his head. "I know it sounds stupid, it sounds like putting a band-aid on a dragon bite... and it is, but it's impossible to change the past." Mathias explained as kindly as he possibly could, "There is only one thing you can change... and that's the path you choose to take from now on. You have every ability to control where you go and where your life will lead... and yes, there will be people like that prick back there that will try to change that, but it doesn't have to happen that way. That's something I am willing to help you with for as long as you need me. I won't let anyone take advantage of you again."

"And Kasumi..." he continued with a sweet smile and stood up. He moved closer to her and knelt down next to her, his smile as gentle as ever. "There are always ways to redeem yourself... I can tell by how you said it; your memories of harming people that had nothing to do with what happened to you... they hurt. They hurt a lot." Mathias said as he put a hand on her shoulder, trying to be as understanding as someone like him could be, "From now on, do what you can to atone for anything bad you've done. Show the world that you regret it, that it does hurt you... and things will change. You'll feel better about yourself, people will stop hurting you, and your life will change for the better..." He stood up again and held his hand out, "What do ya say? Care to take one more chance?"

It was a decent memory at least. She was able to taste something she felt was delicious, so that was good. There wasn't all bad in her past, though most of it seemed to be. That didn't matter. One memory was all it would take to keep people from taking that shortcut to the next life. He didn't know if this young woman had ever been suicidal, but from what she said here and now, she didn't want to die. She wanted to feel happiness again. And the one memory she had told him that happiness came in the form of food. She didn't like the stew though, so maybe the foods it came in was sweets. That shouldn't be too hard to fulfill, right? The first place he'd take her to, once they could find one at least, was a bakery. He'd let her pick anything she wanted out, no matter the amount or cost.

Just thinking about being able to make the girl feel happy made a smile appear on Mathias' face. He nodded to her once she said he could help her find that path again. "I'd be glad to." was his reply to that, "I understand the stew might not taste very good, but you should eat as much of it as you can. It'll help you regain some strength. Once you're done, we can get goin'. I know the city of Khul is a bit North of here... That might be a good place to start." Once she was finished eating, if she agreed with eating more, Mathias would help her clean up and put the bowl stuff away. Once everything was packed up, he'd point in the direction the two would go and make their way to Khul. "You got a favorite color?" he asked, deciding to get to know her on the trip, "How about music? You like it?"

"Oh, and before I forget." he'd remember after she answered his two previous questions, "Please, don't call me Mister or Sir... or any real title. Mathias is preferred... I don't know if you were taught differently or something, but it's a little awkward for me..." Mathias rubbed the back of his head, glancing away from her. It was embarrassing for him to be talked to like he was 'better' than her or some sort of 'nobility'. He wasn't a teacher either, that was his brother, so that made it feel even weirder. He just wanted to be called by his first name, that's it. "Do you like any animals?" he'd continue asking her these minor questions. He wanted to get to know her enough to call her a friend, especially since he planned on traveling with her, "How about reading? Do you read at all?"

When she was answering him, Mathias went quiet. He liked being able to hear her. Since she talked so quietly, it was easier for him to understand her if extra noises weren't being sounded out. Apparently she took it as a bad sign. After she answered the questions he asked, she said that she could stay quiet if he preferred. Mathias looked down toward her and blinked a couple times. "Why would I want that?" he asked and then smiled, "I'm only trying to get to know you and actually remember what you have to say. I've seen people talk for hours and then not remember anything that the other person said. I find that to be a waste of time because you don't actually find out anything new." Mathias chuckled a bit and looked ahead of them as they walked, "Silent trips aren't that fun."

"Anyways..." he looked back down to her, "Is there anything you'd like to know about me? Since we're going to be traveling together, it's best to actually know the person you'll be trusting to have your back. You can ask anything you want, I'll answer." Mathias was ready to answer just about any question that she threw at him,  but something told him that she was going to be the type to ask questions that he didn't expect. The one's he asked were normal and basic; what would a mind like hers come up with? In fact, he was actually curious to find out. "Oh, and thank you for calling me Mathias." he added on before she started asking, "Now, go ahead and ask away."

Kasumi was a cutie, a lot more than she likely thought. Mathias didn't mind the first question that came out at all. After the second, he only smiled more. She was repeating what he asked her. She didn't seem to have the best of social skills, so it was fine to him. "My favorite color is purple, without a doubt... As for music, anything my brother plays, honestly." Mathias rubbed the back of his head, "He's sorta a musical genius over in Arcadia... Kinda well known. He plays the flute, violin... piano too... Lots of them and I've never not liked a song he did, so... Oh, the flute would be my favorite out of all of those though." He nodded. He was obviously proud of his brother. The two of them were always close. "So, anymore questions you'd like to ask?" he urged her to continue.

"Hm... Animals are okay. I've never really had a pet or anything like that. I've ridden horses. Oh, I was bucked once, that hurt." Mathias chuckled and rubbed his back as if he was remembering that day, "As for reading, no. Mom used to read to my brother and I when we were younger, but I never got into the habit of it. My brother is a reader though; he likes to learn things and taught me most of what I know. He became a professor over at Rydian Academy." Mathias thought about it a bit more. He was talking more about his brother than himself, though that revealed a lot about him too. Looking back to her again, he continued his kind smile. "Anymore?" he asked in hopes of more questions, but then he was hit with one that caused his smile to drop and his heart to skip a beat.

Mathias stopped walking and thought about that really, really hard. "I've never given it much thought..." he said in a quiet tone, almost as if he was dazing out over the subject. He was thinking back to his family, the things he accomplished, the things he's seen in life, and then looked back to Kasumi. He presumed she was asking this because of how many horrible things had happened to her and was wanting some sort of reasoning behind it all. "I do." he said, his calm face turning up into a smile as gentle as a spring breeze, "I believe there is someone out there watching over us all, wanting us to do good, to live, to love, and to be at peace... I also believe that they guide us through life, aiding us, giving us opportunities that we can choose to take or not to take... I believe there is a God."

"And I believe that is why I was in the forest at that exact moment. I believe that I was given the opportunity to save you, took it, and now I have this beautiful young woman to travel with..." Mathias set a hand on the top of her head, running his thumb softly along her hair, "I believe that everything in my life has led me to this moment, to this time, and to you... so I can do whatever I possibly can to help you find your way... And maybe..." Mathias knelt down and picked a small white flower and held it out to her, "Just maybe... this world can see that pretty smile of yours return to light." Mathias turned down the road again and began walking. He'd keep looking to her to make sure she was walking beside him. He didn't want her getting lost, especially when she just started back on her path.