Realistic or Modern Hero's Virtue

[Oneironaut]

Manami had to bite her lip to keep from screaming out obscenities, her eyes tearing up a bit from the pain. She had to take a deep breath, letting go of Hazel and stumbling around confused as she held onto her now injured wrist. She turned to look at the source of light as the cashier shine his flashlight at Ayden and Hazel. Her eyes were dilated, thin black slits instead of a round pupil. It wasn't extremely noticible at first, but there was obviously something off. "What's going on?" She looked around the rest of the room before she made her way over to Ayden, an eyebrow raised. "I don't see anything or anyone else in here.."

 

[Farr Cyrone]

He could hear Manami's words like silent whispers cushioning his thoughts. He rushed forward without warning, taking hold of Hazel's shoulders. "HOW DID YOU SURVIVE?! WHY DID BITE MANAMI?!" The little girl just went silent, her brows furrowed at him like he had gone crazy. The casheir proceeded to walk to the other side of the room, presumably to turn on the generator, like he was having none of what was happening by the register. "I didn't bite her, look!" She showed her wrist, with the matching set of teeth, like it was her ticket to the polar express. "Are you kidding me?! You have an incurable fatal disease. Why are you still alive?!" She just shrugged. "Well, why are you?!" She retorted like she was brushing off dust from a dresser. "Manami..." He turned to her, trying to control his increasing rage at the girl.

 

[Oneironaut]

Manami just looked extremely confused, blood still dripping down her arm as she stared at the two. She glanced between Hazel and her arms a few times. "she's only a child.." but the size of the marks were definitely that of a child's. She didn't know what to do in the situation, especially since she had to keep calm.
Her voice was more firm when she spoke now, a bit louder than she normally spoke. "Hazel, open your mouth." She stared at the little girl with an almost blank face, eyes more harsh and stone cold. There was definitely something going on here.

 

[Farr Cyrone]

Hazel glared at Ayden and rolled her eyes at Manami. "but what about him." She pouted, pointing to Ayden, who had a more extreme look of confusion on his face. He wanted to shout his question back but might've been afraid of what she might answer. He previously thought that everybody who had gotten the yellowness had died. He convinced himself he had miraculously survived and gotten over it but he still had the yellow freckles. And so did Hazel. He didn't even know how Hazel could've gotten it. "I, unlike some little girl, didn't just bite someone." He blurted at her angrily but he felt like he was missing something important in his panic.

 

[Oneironaut]

"The size of these bite marks don't match up with Ayden. Besides-" she glanced over at him for a moment. "I trust him not to hurt me." She stepped a bit closer to the little girl, looking her over a bit more thoroughly. "If you haven't anything to hide, open your mouth. Unless there's something you'd like to confess to?" She raised an eyebrow again, losing her more calm and kind attitude. Manami didn't like being messed with, didn't matter by who. Her arm was in pain, and she really just wanted to get home and stop wasting time standing around trying to figure out whodunit.

 

[Farr Cyrone]

Hazel hissed at her. "Fine. I'm sorry that I bit you. The lights went out and I freaked out and then tried to cover it up." Hazel started to tear up and Ayden didn't know whether this was another act or genuinely the truth but either way he felt bad. "I thought he would cover for me because he suffers from the same thing I do. He would understand." "I don't even understand what you're talking about." Ayden started to feel like he was defending himself from something but he didn't understand. The lights went back on and the cashier walked slowly back to the register, to continue to pretend he wan't paying attention.

 

[Oneironaut]

Manami sighed, brushing her hands back through her hair as she looked down at the little girl. "Next time, we tell the truth right away, okay?" She smiled sheepishly, wiping the tears away before offering her good hand to the girl. "Now we've gotta go clean up before we go get some waffles." She spoke in her soft tone once again, looking back to Ayden curiously. "I've gotta get some bandages and antiseptic spray or something. Can you hold onto her for a moment?" She was still skeptical, holding onto what Hazel said to talk with him later. She figured it wouldn't be best to have the conversation around the little girl.

 

[Farr Cyrone]

Ayden glared at Hazel. "Okay, who are you and why are you so suspicious?" He said taking her backpack and shuffling through its contents. She barely had anything other than a stuffed giraffe with burn marks on it, a few dollars and quarters, and a suspicious looking something in tinfoil. "Hey! Give that back! It's mine." "Not until you tell me how you got, and survived, the yellowness." Hazel rolled her eyes at him "One of the orphan-keepers had it...nobody thought it would transmit but I-and, like, five other kids got it. Only I survived after...the incident." Ayden looked around to make sure Manami was still in the isle and the cashier was on his phone. Other people entered the store but he didn't heed them any attention. "What happened?" He questioned, his eyes searching hers.

 

[Oneironaut]

Manami was growing tired already as she grabbed bandages and some Neosporin a few aisles over. Her wounds would've healed themselves by now if she weren't trying to hide her appearance, and her body was starting to fight back to try and get her to revert. She breathed a bit heavier than normal as she struggled, taking a moment in the cover of the shelving to recover and compose herself before she walked up to the register. She cast a curious glance over at Hazel and Ayden, a bit confused by what she saw. Why was he going through her backpack..?

 

[Farr Cyrone]

Hazel snatched the giraffe from him and ran to Manami, hugging her tightly. And completely ignoring Ayden's question altogether. Ayden looked away from them annoyed, still clutching Hazel's bag and stared at the spot on the window that she was staring at. That's when something about it caught his attention. He absentmindedly trudged over to it and bent down to Hazel's height and saw odd lettering scrawled on the side of the warehouse directly across the street from the store. He jumped as something touched his shoulder but when he turned he only saw some people by the slushie machine and Hazel with Manami by the register. He wanted to call Manami to check this out but she was already paying and he didn't want to spend another minute in this dimly lit excuse of a convenience store, even though it was his favorite. Something was off but he just couldn't put his finger on it. Hazel stuck her tongue out at him as Manami finished and went over to join him.

 

[Oneironaut]

Manami winced slightly as the girl ran over and hugged her tightly. She laughed sheepishly and patted her head as she paid for her items. She gently took the girl's hand in her good hand, walking over to Ayden with a sheepish smile. This wasn't at all how her day was supposed to go. "I don't know how much I have left to get breakfast with, but I'd rather not head back to my apartment right now." It was a bit of an excuse. She really just didn't want Hazel in there. She was getting bad vibes from her already, and she couldn't risk being found out by a little girl. "I do need to sit down for a minute to get our arms cleaned up and bandaged though."

 

[Farr Cyrone]

"Okay, that's fine. There's a park not a ways off from here where you could sit and a decent breakfast shop." Ayden smiled at her, although with exhaustion. He just worked a nine hour shift and he needed sleep, almost desperately, and wasn't prone to letting people know how weak he was. "I can pay for breakfast but after that I'll need to head back to my own apartment. I just need to get Hazel out of my hair and you would head off to work anyways..." The glass automatic doors opened as they stepped out and onto the street, and he eyed at the odd lettering on the warehouse for a moment before pointing out where the park was. "Look. I'm sorry to inconvenience you. I don't really trust Hazel either but I'll come by your apartment later to check on her."

 

[Oneironaut]

She nodded a bit, running her fingers through her bright hair. "I get it.. I've already got the day off anyway. I really don't want her alone in the apartment when I go back to work tomorrow." She sighed softly, thinking about how much more complicated this made things. She needed rest. Even more than that, she needed to let the illusion down before she passed out. "Don't worry about it. I know you've had a long day." She smiled at him sheepishly, placing a hand on his shoulder to reassure him.

 

[Farr Cyrone]

"You know what? I'm not actually that hungry." He lied, handing her a wad of cash and took a step towards his apartment building. But that's when he saw a hooded figure about two feet behind Manami, holding something. He wanted to shout watch out but he couldn't find his voice as the figure sped towards them. Hazel twisted around, seeming to sense it more than anything and tugged on Manami's shirt, holding her giraffe impossibly tighter to herself. The figure stopped and Ayden felt the fear rise in his chest, more for Manami and Hazel than himself. He wanted to shout at them to leave but he didn't know what the figure wanted in the first place, although seeming intent on walking towards them.

 

[Oneironaut]

"Ah-" Manami was a bit disappointed that he was just leaving her with the girl, but she didn't get the time to speak before she felt Hazel tugging on her shirt. She quickly scooped Hazel up as she saw the hooded figure, taking a step back as she started to panic a bit. She felt backed into a corner here.. "Don't come any closer." She spoke firmly, feeling overly protective of Hazel now. The way she cowered when this guy got closer.. who the hell was he? She had to take a deep breath, getting her heart to stop racing, and her breathing to normal. She couldn't risk a slip up right now.

 

[Farr Cyrone]

The figure stopped and stood there ominously, like it was expecting something. "You heard her," Hazel spat at the guy and stuck her tongue out. "W-who are you?!" Ayden inquired and the hooded person merely turned their head and begun to walk away. "Hey! You scared us! At least give me an explanation darn it!" He felt like running after the guy and punching him. What was the guy doing? More importantly what the heck was wrong with him?! Ayden wondered, turning back to Manami and Hazel, just to make sure they were still there, like he wasn't going crazy. But thy must've saw the guy, too. He shrugged, "Maybe the guy was going to ask us for money or something. It's not a big deal." He tried to reassure them but he was nervous himself. Of course, he would be just fine walking to his apartment himself but he didn't want Manami, or even untrustworthy Hazel, to get hurt.

 

[Oneironaut]

"did you know who that was?" Manami spoke softly as she set Hazel back down, kneeling to look her in the eyes. "If you did, I need to know who he is so I can keep you safe." It was different, the way she spoke to children. More patient and kind. It seemed to be a soft spot for her. As upset as she was earlier to be bitten, she seemed to have already warned back up to the girl. In the end, she was still just a child in her eyes.

 

[Farr Cyrone]

"No! Why would you think that!?" Hazel abruptly exclaimed at Manami, her face turning red. "Calm down, she didn't mean-" "Jut because you found me on the streets, I was without a shelter for a few weeks and you insist that I know every darn hobo in the freaking town?!" Hazel dragged on, Ayden glaring at her when she cut him off. "Wait a sec- did you say you were homeless for weeks?! No wonder your bag is full of junk--" He shifted his gaze to Manami, knowing she'll be worried about this. Ayden whispered to Manami that they should keep walking as to not draw more attention and put on a brave face, for her. "So, anyways what do you want on your waffles." He tried to offset the conversation knowing Manami would overthink it if he didn't. "Boat loads of whupped cream and cherries!!" Hazel called, running ahead. It was like every memory of the figure had been ejected out of her brain the moment he mentioned it.

 

[Oneironaut]

Manami's face paled a bit as she frowned. She rubbed her temples as she stood back up, sighing deeply. She was already starting to get tired of this kid.. She was exhausted, and there was still a stinging pain running up her arm. She wanted to cry, to scream. But she didn't. She put a smile back on, nodding back at Ayden as he whispered to her. It was hard to believe Hazel's story with how spoiled she was acting.. Like a brat and not some poor abandoned orphan. She grumbled at the thought.

 

[Farr Cyrone]

The group hurriedly crossed the street to the breakfast place "Heckin breakfast 2" but soem of the letters had either fallen off or weren't lit, forever deeming it "Heck reakast 2". Ayden had been here tons of times and for the most part the waiters and waitresses were nice and the food hadn't killed him yet. But he made sure never to go on thursdays-- the old woman who owned the place always stood in front of the place with a case full of party hats. Ayden swore the first time he saw the woman and he still had nightmares about her to this day. He turned to Manami, holding open the rotting wooden door and noticed how anxious she looked. Maybe she needed to go to the bathroom? "Are you alright?" Neither him nor Manami were emotionally prepared for the little demon Hazel was. It was understood if she wanted to just keel over and die. The feeling's mutual...after all. The only thing that would be worst than right now would be if Kai made an appearance...He thought, clenching his fist to the rust door handle so hard he thought he heard it crack.

 

[Oneironaut]

Manami wasn't much of a breakfast person. She was more into salty foods, meat mostly. She tried to stay away from sweets. She smiled sheepishly at his question, rubbing the back of her neck. "Fine, I suppose. Just a lot going on, and I didn't get much sleep last night. I'm not really equipped to be looking after a child.." especially financially. She sighed softly. She watched his hand as she heard the doorknob crack. He was acting strange.. it put her on edge. She walked into the small diner anyway, needing a place to sit down and patch up her arm.

 

[Oneironaut]

//what?

 

[Farr Cyrone]

"I know, me neither. I-" He quickly glanced away as he saw Hazel sliding into one of the double-booths with the torn red leather covering, then mischievously stealing a sugar packet. "I'll pay whatever you need. I know, I don't have the biggest allowance, either, but...I swear I'll work something out-We'll work something out." He offered her a tired smile and felt blood drip from his nose. Ugh! I'll just wipe it with the cheap booth napkins. When he saw the worry that sprouted from Manami's face afterward he suddenly felt bad. "I'm sor-" His apology ended in a whisper as he saw her expression change beyond worry...it was sort of a suspicious worry. Wait. Does she think I'm on drugs? Ayden couldn't hide his own guilty face. No. He wasn't on drugs but had just used momentary life to repair the doorknob so the broken door could open...and then he cracked the doorknob. It didn't matter what Ayden used his power on it was more draining than running a 5 mile marathon. And the longer he stood there the more uncomfortable and drained he felt as every second Manami looked at him seemed like an eternity of peering into his soul. "Sit down, we'll be right with you!!" A shout came from somewhere behind the counter, breaking the awkward silence.

 

[Oneironaut]

Manami was stressed out and confused, head starting to feel a bit fuzzy. She had to make small changes. Hopefully unnoticeable ones, just to keep from making any sudden changes in public. The first was her teeth, canines and molars growing to be more sharp. It wasn't the most comfortable thing, but it took away some of her physical stress. The second was her eyes, her pupils slanting, more animalistic. She just kept her head down, avoiding eye contact from then on. Not like it was hard to do, her company was being strange, both of them. She was being dragged along on some weird adventure. She sighed, cleaning up her arm when she sat herself down in a booth before she wrapped it up neatly. She glanced at Hazel momentarily, wondering what the little gremlin was up to now. Just sugar packets.. she could live with that. She cast a glance at Ayden, only then noticing the blood dripping from his nose. Strange.. maybe he just wasn't drinking enough water? She could scold him about that later. Right now, she was much too tired..

 

[Farr Cyrone]

"Are you okay?" He asked her, mostly tying to change the subject away from himself. He wiped his nose with a the cruddy brown tissues but that only made it a redder color due to the irritation it caused. Of course, he couldn't see that so he was content as he crumpled it up a and set it on the edge of the table. But he did notice that she had been looking down and away from him since they walked in. Is she crying? That just made him feel so much worse than he already was. "What would your orders be?" Inquired the waitress. She knew her, Kathren. She used to work with him at the frozen yogurt store but she had gotten fired for being rash with a snobby parent. He kind of admired her for that, but other than that one scenario she was friendly and kind, always being a hero. He still suspected to this day that she might be Kai and when he looked at her he had to stop himself from rolling his eyes at her. When did I get so childish?