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Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Nyxia » 02/17/2017 2:07 PM

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Four Days Ago:


He'd managed to get himself cornered, not the ideal situation to find himself in. After weeks of tracking the vampire mage, Akrai had thought he was close to closing his file. Instead it seemed the vampire mage was on to him, that was how he ended up in this mess. He'd at least managed to send out a zing to Xander before he'd entered the street fair, though he hadn't gotten any response back. Crowds of mortals swarmed around him, pushing passed and hovering around him, and still Akrai hadn't lost sight of his quarry. The monster seemed to float through the people, never bumping or alerting the mortals that he was there.

It wasn't until they were both nearly to the center square, that Akrai realized there might be a problem. To his eye it seemed his prey wasn't even aware of him, stopping to look at items for sale or listen to the music playing. However a few steps later, Akrai realized his mistake. The vampire mage very suddenly whipped around to face him, a cocky smile stretched across his pale face. A second later an explosion of blood magic hit his shield, deflecting into a building and knocking away some of the bricks. It bought him time to throw a blinding ball of light into vampire mage, setting him back while Akrai threaded a single gold colored binding spell around his target. The vampire mage however was crafty enough to slip it, forcing Akrai to use a last resort spell. In a dazzle of exploding lights, he knocked the vampire mage out. What Akrai didn't realize was this had been recorded on one of those mortal devices, and within seconds posted to that mysterious thing they called the internet.

Present Day:

Unbeknownst to him, Akrai's stunt in the street fair had since gotten a lot of attention among the mortals. The laws were meant to keep magic from the mortals, protecting those who had it. He didn't think it had been a big deal, in fact the entire incident had long since been forgotten. Now he sat in a dimly lit bar, his eyes watching the mirror behind the bar to keep his target in sight at all time. He was dressed in his usual attire for tracking; dark jeans, and black wife beater undershirt, and heavy dark boots. He never carried actually weapons on him, which helped him to blend in a little better.

He'd been coaxed into bringing a random date to this bar, as a means of further blending in. Something he hadn't liked at first, until he'd been told it wasn't for a real date. His quarry was clearly on edge as it was, sitting two tables back from the bar. A young woman who'd for unknown reasons taken off from her family, and it seemed had been selling her unique abilities. Akrai watched in the mirror as she fidgeted in her chair, shifting her drink on the table top. Her eyes continually moving to the main door, as though she were watching for something or someone to come through.

As he watched her carefully, Akrai forgot to keep an eye out for his own "date". Instead he allowed a small silver coin, no bigger than a thimble, float just above his open palm on the bar top. It turned in slow revolutions in the air, something highly unusual to be seen so openly. The coin had been a "gift", left for him by the only living thing to ever evade him. A strange young woman from another realm, a face he couldn't forget; not because of her beauty, but rather because she'd slipped him and he'd never found her again. After a moment Akrai used his free hand to bring his high ball glass to his lips, and take a sip of the strange mortal liquor he'd ordered. The amber colored liquid had a bitter, strong taste, but warmed as it slid down his throat. Absentmindedly he wondered if agreeing to meet with the strange woman who'd messaged him, was his best idea. He had enemies after all, and who was to say she was really some mortal.


Bottles smashed, I raised my hand
How can you all even stand?
And why is there joy in this poison? Oh
Faking smiles and confidence
Driving miles to capture this excitement
I can't take anymore

You're never gonna get it
I'm a hazard to myself
I'll break it to you easy
This is hell, this is hell
You're looking and whispering
You think I'm someone else
This is hell, yes
I am in hell



We Don't Have to Dance - Andy Black
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Flame » 02/17/2017 5:53 PM

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A rather oddly-dressed young woman made her way down the street, and while she walked along the pavement bordering the countless storefront windows, her body was there physically, but her mind was clearly somewhere miles away. Garbed in a zipped-up white hoodie with flowing neon green and teal accents, a pair of skinny jeans, purple Converses, and lime green headphones over her ears, she certainly drew a few curious gazes as she meandered down the street, especially since her outfit was topped off with a ponytail that was a shocking shade of black streaked through with shades of green to match her headphones.

Outwardly, it would appear as if her wanderings were aimless, but she did in fact have a destination in mind. Being out and about was simply not one of those things that Pixel tended to do when given the choice, and there were few things in the world that could pull her away from her apartment and technology. The most time she generally spent outside of the house was at work, but even then, her attendance wasn’t exactly the most reliable, nor was it ever certain exactly where she would be working, considering she wasn’t known for holding individual jobs for any record amounts of time.

Pixel – whose actual given name was actually Alyssa – generally went by Pix, both as her online alias as well as in the real world. To say that she was something of a computer person was a severe understatement; in reality, she was one of the world’s most renowned hackers, and spent more of her life living within the realm of the internet than offline. Needless to say, being who she was and having access to the resources which she did, she had a way of staying connected to the real world while still somehow managing to remain almost completely apart from it.

Today was one of the exceedingly rare occasions when something in the physical world had actually piqued her interest enough to lure her out of her solitary lair. It had actually stemmed from something of an urban legend which she’d stumbled across a few weeks ago. As it was, the internet was rafe with all kinds of noise and misinformation, but every once in a while, a real gem turned up, and being who she was, Pix had something of an aptitude for spotting these ‘diamonds in the rough’. Of course, to anyone else, they were probably just fantastical videos of otherwise impossible feats and events, but the woman had an eye for spotting the real thing when it happened to turn up.

The original video itself (seemingly filmed on a rather dated phone) was incredibly low-res, but despite how pixelated everything was, Pix immediately realized that what she was watching wasn’t just a low-budget, homemade CG clip fabricated by someone looking for a quick buck on the web. She’d very quickly become fascinated with the events which had unfolded in the video, the work of what couldn’t be explained by anything logical outside of the existence of magic. Now, being a being rooted firmly in her belief in science and logic, the lack of a technical explanation for the occurrences in the video left her buzzing with curiosity and more questions than she even knew where to begin with.

Of course, being who she was, Pix quickly managed to track down the original source of the video, and had made contact with some of the bystanders which had been present that day to witness the event in person. Digging up obscure and seemingly inconsequential information was something of a talent of hers, and she’d quickly pinpointed the face of the person who was supposedly featured in the video. The man sported a relatively unique appearance, based on what Pix had seen in the few pictures she’d managed to dig up of him, so finding him again should have been a relatively simple task. Surprisingly though, she’d had to expend a little more effort than she’d anticipated in seeking him out – it seemed that as unique as his appearance was, the magic-wielder’s identity and whereabouts were more closely guarded than even most of the spies she’d dug up in the past.

Of course, she eventually found him (she always did), and naturally, it was in the very last place she would ever have thought she would have. It had been on a dating website, of all things, and as odd as it was, she had to admit that it had given her a giggle when she’d finally tracked him there. Amazingly, it seemed that he lived relatively close (relative being a town or so over), and she’d wasted no time in fabricating a profile for herself on the website, using her various talents to make it seem as if she’d been frequenting the matchmaking service for several months minimum, and that she was now broadening her search to a larger radius. That would at least explain the physical distance between them, and why she was seeking him out from so far away.

She’d been somewhat surprised by how quickly her request had been accepted, but she counted it as a stroke of good fortune that he’d been so willing to meet her, especially since she was sure that there were at least equally-eligible females in his area. That was the reason why she had ventured out into the real world today, and the reason why she was now walking into a bar, of all places. She certainly didn’t look as if she were dressed for a bar, let alone a date, but Pix couldn’t care less about what others thought of her. She was only here in the interest of sating her curiosity, and she didn’t intend to leave without getting the answers that she wanted. After all, she could  be spending this time doing much more productive things online.

As she walked into the bar, the fact suddenly struck her that it might be a little more difficult to pick out an individual in a crowd like this, especially one who she didn’t know. Her gaze scoured the dim room for a few moments, adjusting to the lighting as she tried to pinpoint her “date” in the crowd, but it turned out her task had been made much easier for her, and completely unintentionally. A glimmer of light reflecting off a shiny surface caught her eye and drew it to a coin that was in someone’s hand. Or rather, the coin appeared to be floating above said hand, to be more exact. Well, that certainly wasn’t something you saw every day. A quick glance at the owner reconciled what she could see of the guy’s face with the pictures online and that she’d seen in his profile, and a grin crossed her features as she picked her way across the room to where he currently sat at the bar.

Clearly, the man was immersed in his own thoughts, as he simply continued to stare at the wall behind the bar as she approached, but unfazed, Pix simply plucked her headphones off, hanging them around her neck for safekeeping as she slid into the empty seat next to him. “That’s a pretty neat trick there,” she said as she gestured to the revolving coin. “No ‘invisible’ strings attached or smoke and mirrors involved either. So, what’s your secret?” Her tone was clearly amiable and thoroughly amused, her expression a cross between riveted interest and humor. After all, a part of her was still convinced that there had to be a reasonable explanation for the video and this little magic trick, and she fully intended to get to the bottom of it.
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Nyxia » 02/18/2017 3:49 PM

Akrai hadn't noticed that he was making the bar tender uncomfortable with his open display, though he won't have stopped even if he had. Instead his eyes remained focused on the young blonde woman, who continued to shift in her seat. From everything he knew of her file, she was from one of the more wealthy mage families. That in and of itself begged the question, why leave it behind and sell your skills on the streets? She wasn't in need of the money, if her clothing was anything to tell by. Then again Akrai reminded himself that he didn't even know what kind of power she had. Maybe it had to do with freedom, or some other more mortal notion. Her pale blue eyes again turned towards the door in the mirror, causing Akrai to also look at it.

He'd been so absorbed in watching his target, that he'd failed to notice the woman come up beside him and sit down. When she spoke however it startled him, more than he'd ever admit. His head whipped towards her, bright crimson colored eyes narrowing in the dim room as he looked her over. What the hell had Yusai set him up with? This woman looked like some kind of digital creature, reminding him of a strange digital mage he'd known. She even felt mortal to him, not that she couldn't have used some kind of magic to hide her own. Akrai sat in silence for several minutes both absorbing her words, and looking her over very critically. In the mean time the coin above his hand stilled hanging in the air, before it floated back down to rest in his palm. "Invisible string?" His voice had no real emotion to it, though his eyes remained narrowed at her. "I'm not some tailor. Nor am I an illusion mage, miss." Closing his palm over the coin, and snorted out a breath. It seemed he'd forgotten her name, this was off to a glorious start indeed.

As he took in the woman's unusual appearance, another thought crossed his mind. She was too mortal looking to be anything but. After another moment he let his shoulders relax a little bit, then push a bit of black hair out of his eyes. "Drink?" He glanced to his own glass, and with a twist of his wrist and a slight upward motion of his index and middle finger on his right hand, the liquid in the glass lit up with purple colored flame. "Or maybe something a little more?" He remembered that he was suppose to behave, and be...friendly? Well, that was going to be a bit hard, since Akrai was too use to being alone. Still he was trying, though the smile he offered her looked more mechanical and rusty.


Bottles smashed, I raised my hand
How can you all even stand?
And why is there joy in this poison? Oh
Faking smiles and confidence
Driving miles to capture this excitement
I can't take anymore

You're never gonna get it
I'm a hazard to myself
I'll break it to you easy
This is hell, this is hell
You're looking and whispering
You think I'm someone else
This is hell, yes
I am in hell



We Don't Have to Dance - Andy Black
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Flame » 02/18/2017 9:13 PM

Pixel chuckled at her 'date's' comment when he finally seemed to find his power of speech once again. If she didn't know any better, she might have thought that he wasn't even here for a date, considering how surprised he appeared to have been by her sudden appearance. Or perhaps she just had a way of sneaking up on people - that could be it too, but she'd never fancied herself a particularly wily person. At least, not outside of her activities on the web. She took his reaction in stride though, grinning amicably at him as she settled herself more comfortably on the barstool. She'd never really understood why people frequented these places or chose them for date locations - they were dim, uncomfortable, and for an introvert like herself, somewhat awkward in general what with all the eyes around the room, but at the same time, who was she to pass judgment on what society deemed 'normal'? Plus, if bars had anything, it was alcohol, and from what she understood, the qualities of those particular types of beverages had a way of loosening up both tongues and bodies (both figuratively and literally speaking).

"Well, that's certainly good to hear, otherwise my visit here would have been a bit of a waste of time." That was Pix - as blunt as they came. There was no disrespect in her voice, rather, it was simply a statement of the facts as they stood. She had come here to meet this 'magician' who'd taken the internet by storm in the flesh, and this was the first encouraging sign to show that she was indeed on the right track. "It's not every day one gets to meet a video celebrity, after all." She watched with interest as the coin vanished into the man's closed hand, her head cocked curiously as she drank in the reality of what she was seeing. So, this really was the real deal, huh? She'd never come across any evidence of the existence of paranormal abilities in the past, but this was her first glimpse into what she hoped was a new world of discovery.

"Sure," she replied offhandedly to his offer of a drink, the reply more instinct than anything else. After all, they were supposed to be on a date, regardless of how much neither of them seemed to be conforming to the normal dating protocol. She was certainly much more intrigued by his second proposition though, and her green eyes widened as purple flames lit up the highball glass in the man's hand. "Now that's pretty cool. So, I guess you really are the 'human flashbang' from the video, huh?" That's what she'd taken to calling him, and it seemed that the nickname had stuck with the online community, seeing as that's what everyone on the web was calling him now. "Talk about a way to become a celebrity overnight."
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Nyxia » 02/18/2017 10:12 PM

She was unusual he had to give her that, though Akrai didn't show much of an expression to it. She had sought him out specifically, that was a bit odd; considering most never wanted to see him in the flesh. Blinking he cocked his head to the side, at first having trouble figuring out what else she might be talking about. Celebrity? He was a self made outcast to his own kind, not even spoken about except when he was necessary, except by a couple of beings who didn't take hints and thought him a friend. "Video celebrity?" For the first time since she'd sat down beside him, Akrai showed some form of expression, confusion written clearly on his face. He made a mental note to speak with either Yusai or maybe that infernal Sen, and find out what she was talking about. He didn't even know what a video was.

At the moment this was not going well at all, though he wouldn't have known. Akrai instead hailed the unease bar tender, while with a flick of his wrist putting out the purple flames in his glass as if they hadn't been there. He figured it was wise to let her order her own drink, as he picked up his glass and looked into it. The lose of the bitter tasting liquid wasn't that bad, seeing as how he'd been "drinking" it for the passed two hours. At the same time he offered her a perplexed frown, "Human flashbang?" After taking a moment to process that, Akrai finally gave up. "What in the nine hells are you talking about?" He didn't exactly growl the words, but his tone wasn't very friendly. "What video, what is a video?" He'd forgotten his target completely by that point, to focused on this strange woman.

After giving her time to order herself a drink, Akrai pushed a little further. "Why did you want to meet me? I'm a tracker, not some party boy mage." This was more than he'd expected to get himself into, and he had that blasted rich boy to thank for it. He couldn't think she knew anything about their world, after all she'd been impressed by a simple spell. At the same time, he knew better than to show off anything too big. No sense in him drawing any more attention than it seemed he already had. "Who are you anyway?" Well now she'd know he'd not only forgotten her name, but likely hadn't even read the profile he'd been shown.


Bottles smashed, I raised my hand
How can you all even stand?
And why is there joy in this poison? Oh
Faking smiles and confidence
Driving miles to capture this excitement
I can't take anymore

You're never gonna get it
I'm a hazard to myself
I'll break it to you easy
This is hell, this is hell
You're looking and whispering
You think I'm someone else
This is hell, yes
I am in hell



We Don't Have to Dance - Andy Black
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Flame » 02/19/2017 12:08 AM

The man's confusion quickly seemed to mirror itself in Pixel's expression as well, although hers was more perplexed than anything else. Of all of the reactions she might have expected from him, being bamboozled by her comments wasn't one of the top ones, that was for sure. After all, considering just how quickly and completely that video had gone viral on the internet, she was relatively certain that there wasn't anyone in this century that hadn't at least heard about it unless they quite literally lived under a rock. Even in that case, internet providers catered to those kinds of people as well, so the simple fact that he legitimately had no clue what she was talking about made about as much sense to her - someone who essentially lived and breathed online - as asking a fish to explain how it knew how to swim.

For several moments, she assumed that he was pulling her leg, or at the worst, playing dumb. After all, she wouldn't be surprised if there were people who didn't exactly want to live up to all the fame which the internet arbitrarily chose to force upon them. Plus, it had been so long after the original posting of the video that she figured perhaps he was more than tired of hearing all about it by this point, and the last thing he wanted right now was to discuss it with yet another person who wanted to hear the first hand account of what had actually happened that day. However, it became evident very quickly that his confusion was genuine, although of all the surprises Pix had suddenly found herself chancing upon, it was one question in particular that seemed to tip the scales. "'What's a video?' Oh, you've certainly committed to trying to keep away from the paparazzi, it would seem." The question was punctuated by a sharp but surprisingly genuine laugh which came out a little too loudly for social acceptability. It drew a few startled glances from the patrons of the bar sitting nearby, but Pix paid them no mind. The lack of change in the man's expression quickly sobered her though, although now, her own expression had turned into one that was utterly flabbergasted, colored by more than just a touch of disbelief.

"Wait...You're actually being serious right now." The way she was looking at him, he might as well have just told her that he was dying of some sort of terminal illness. "How did you make it to adulthood without knowing what a video is?" Again, that charming bluntness that had its way of turning up at the most inopportune times. "You are the guy that totally knocked that kinda sketchy-looking dude out about a month ago, right? But instead of doing it with a baseball bat or a chloroform like a normal person, you kind of...did a thing with your hands, there was a big flash, and the next thing you know, the other guy was out like a lightbulb. Not to mention you left a bit of a souvenir in the form of a dent in a brick wall in the process too." Yep, she could be a bit of a babbler too.

The bartender stood attentive, clearly waiting for her drink order, but remained woefully forgotten (or ignored, it was hard to tell with her people skills) as she drilled her companion. There was no way anyone in this establishment could possibly have mistaken the odd pair of them as being on a date at this point, but at the same time, they didn't seem to have drawn any more attention somehow, even in spite of Pix's social oddity and the man's magical abilities. "Well, I thought the answer to that would be obvious," she replied to his question, shrugging matter-of-factly. "You're famous where I come from, and I've never seen - let alone met - anyone like you before." A short snort was the ladylike response he received to his comment about his occupation. "What do you think I'd do with a party boy anyways? Do I seem like the kind of person who goes to frat parties? However, I do assume that the 'mage' part of that statement still holds true though." His last question seemed to catch her the most off-guard, as if she'd just been reminded that it was normal to first introduce oneself before interrogating a person for personal information (which she had). "I'm Pixel - Pix for short, if you're more of the monosyllabic type. Quicker to type on a keyboard too. And you are Akrai, right? My supposed 'date' for the evening?"
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Nyxia » 02/19/2017 3:09 PM

This woman got more confusing the more she spoke, and Akrai was sure he wasn't going to make head or tails of it anytime soon. He motioned to the bar tender for another drink, not that he relished the idea of the bitter liquid. Finally he looked back to her with the same perplexed look on his face, "Paparazzi..." Well he wasn't sure if they were some kind of mortal trackers or possibly something else. When she laughed however, Akrai shrugged his shoulders. At least she seemed to be enjoying herself right then, more than he was clearly. It seemed however she realized this wasn't the least bit amusing to him, and her obvious comment caused nothing more than a raised eyebrow from him. "Yes, I'm serious. Why else would one ask?" Mortals, easily amused and it seemed able to point out the obvious.

He sighed as she gave him a strange look, something he equated to the look one gets when their familiar was killed. "I've made it to adulthood by avoiding mortals, and doing my job." He grumbled, swirling the fresh liquid in a clean glass. This was just confusing him further, what in the world did this have to do with some video. "A month ago..." Now Akrai had to think back hard, after all a month ago he'd been involved in four separate trackings. He sat clearly thinking back in silence, as he tried to recall what she was talking about just from pure memory. The fact that he tended to put each of cases behind him after they were finished, made this a whole lot more difficult than for most. After a moment however, when she mentioned the wall, a light bulb clearly went off in his mind. "You mean the vampire mage, yes I guess that was about a month ago." His expression continued to show both understanding and a mix of confusion, how in the world did she know about that. "The wall was really his fault, since it was his spell." It didn't bother him to be blamed, but he still felt a need to correct her.

The bar tender had set down a clean glass refilled with bourbon, which Akrai grabbed right away and took a drink from it. Grimacing at the taste of it, before turning back to her. "Of course you haven't, most don't want to be noticed by mortals." He was the rare exception, someone who didn't care, and usually left Xander and his group to clean up and mind wipe those who saw him. It was the way he'd kept from notice before, apparently it hadn't worked this time though. It took her only a second to confuse him yet again, though not as badly this time since he just assumed they were talking about the same thing. "Frat...you mortals call your wealthy some strange things." The was the furthest he'd comment on it, not adding his own thoughts on what she might do with one of them. "Mage is a common term..." Akrai caught himself, it was ill-advised that he explain his world to her. Instead he simply nodded, "I am, though most just call me Aki." He took another drink from the glass, again grimaced, and finally set it back on the bar top.


Bottles smashed, I raised my hand
How can you all even stand?
And why is there joy in this poison? Oh
Faking smiles and confidence
Driving miles to capture this excitement
I can't take anymore

You're never gonna get it
I'm a hazard to myself
I'll break it to you easy
This is hell, this is hell
You're looking and whispering
You think I'm someone else
This is hell, yes
I am in hell



We Don't Have to Dance - Andy Black
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Flame » 02/19/2017 7:52 PM

It seemed this man was filled with more surprises than Pix had reckoned for when she came to meet him here, and that was saying something, considering the fact that before today, she hadn't even really humored the idea of the supernatural being a possibility. His response warranted a low, somewhat disbelieving whistle from her as she adjusted her perception of him in her mind's eye, although she honestly didn't quite know where to categorize him in her neat little filing system for people. Needless to say, he was certainly one-of-a-kind, and she'd never encountered anyone quite like him before, even if she were to ignore the whole magic-wielding part of it all. "Well, it could have been your idea of a joke, albeit it wouldn't exactly have been Comedy Central material." She shrugged lightly, but continued to eye him intently, as if she could puzzle him out simply by staring at him for long enough.

"'Mortals', huh? So you're not, uh...mortal either?" Whatever that meant. Could he be implying that he was immortal somehow, and was that something that came with the territory when you were a mage? Having just been introduced to this entirely new side of reality meant that nothing she thought she knew about the world was certain any more, and when it came to possibilities, saying that the sky was the limit was, well...rather limited. "So, what kind of job is it that you...mages do that requires the use of magic and a nun-like abstinence from all things technological? I mean...are all mages Amish or something? You certainly don't dress like you are." Her gaze had turned a little more critical as she drew her attention to his clothing and physique, as if trying to tackle the problem from a different angle. Perhaps something about his outfit would give her some insight into his odd, secretive lifestyle.

At his mention of a 'vampire mage' however, Pix's eyebrows shot sharply towards the ceiling. "Whoa there, so now you're telling me that vampires exist too? And that they can be mages as well?" Just how far did this thing go, and how well must it have been hidden from the rest of society in general if she (and the rest of normal, mortal humanity) had never caught wind of its existence? And why was it suddenly coming to the surface now? Regardless of all these questions buzzing restlessly in her head, she had to admit that it was all very exciting since she got to be the first to unmask it all. "So, why are you so much less shy than the rest of your kind, if you don't mind my asking? I can't say I've ever seen anyone else show off any kind of magical abilities in person before today." The idea that the man actually went by a nickname made Pix smile lightly - something about him going by a shorthand name suddenly made him all the more relatable, and less like a creature from another dimension. "Well, it's certainly nice to meet you in person, Aki," she replied cordially, a little more relaxed now than she was when she'd first sat down, but clearly even more curious. She finally seemed to catch on to the pointed look which the bartender had been leveling at her and quickly ordered a drink of her own (and by that she meant asking him to make her something fruity) before turning her attention back to her 'date'.
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Nyxia » 02/19/2017 9:06 PM

After a moment of being observed, Akrai snorted in response. "I don't joke. What is this video your talking about?" He was still wondering how anyone had found out about the incident, especially since he though Izialm had gotten everyone who'd seen him. As she continued to look him over however, Akrai looked down at himself with a puzzled look. He was pretty sure this was clean, then he made sure none of his items had suddenly lit up or done anything else weird. He was happy to see that his clothing was still dark and unmagical. He wasn't about to answer her next question, no matter what she told him. He'd already heard rumor and fact about Chacal, who'd brought a mortal into their world. He was not about to make that same mistake, his normal day was too much paper work.

Her second question, after some long thought, was easy enough to answer. Looking her over she reminded him more and more of Sen and some of her odd friends, though that didn't put him more at ease. "Most of those I know use technology, for whatever it is those devices do. I just have no need for them." He shrugged his shoulders swirling the liquid in the glass, "I have no idea what this Amish is." He looked himself over once more, than at a couple of other people in the bar. He felt like his clothing were mostly like everyone else's, so he wasn't sure what she meant. As his eyes tracked over several other patrons, they stopped on the young woman he'd been sent here to keep an eye on.

He'd no more than quickly turned away when he realized his mistake, and groaned. "Look, many things are real that most like you don't know." After a moment of staring into Pix's eyes he felt the need to add to his statement, "Just don't go around saying things, it's more paperwork for me if the council gets wind that another mortal knows about our world." He tipped his head back and drank the whole glass in one shot, then sighed. "I'm not 'less shy', normally they clean up better after me, that's all. What I did earlier, most pass off as a cheap trick and write it off." That was how any magic that was seen in the open was always passed off, the way things had always been to his knowledge. At the same time she seemed to settle some as he explained what he was willing to. "Its nice to meet you as well, Pix." He nodded pushing his glass to the edge of the bar. Glancing back up to the mirror and noticed her seeming to finish her drink, and wave away the waitress who came to the table.


Bottles smashed, I raised my hand
How can you all even stand?
And why is there joy in this poison? Oh
Faking smiles and confidence
Driving miles to capture this excitement
I can't take anymore

You're never gonna get it
I'm a hazard to myself
I'll break it to you easy
This is hell, this is hell
You're looking and whispering
You think I'm someone else
This is hell, yes
I am in hell



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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Flame » 02/19/2017 10:08 PM

"My, my. Well, as simple as you think that question might be, it's actually a lot more complicated than you might think." Well, if that wasn't an understatement, she didn't know what was. After all, based on what she had gleaned on Akrai's knowledge of modern day technology, finding a starting point at which to begin to explain the advances of the past several decades was a bit of a tall order. Something told her that simply explaining what a video was would probably lead to more questions than it would answer, and on top of that, she'd never encountered a situation where she had to explain technology as a whole to anyone ever in the past. Naturally, the irony of the situation wasn't lost upon her either, considering the reason why she was here was the fact that she was utterly clueless about the apparent existence of a whole other world which Akrai came from, but on the flipside, he was just as ignorant to her own world as well.

She decided that the simplest way to address the situation would be to pull up the video to show him, which she began to do just as the bartender returned with a tall, frosted glass filled with a decidedly fluorescent blue liquid garnished with a generous slice of pineapple with a frilly pink paper umbrella. Who would have thought that such a flamboyant drink even existed? But Pix took to it with relish (more out of curiosity as to what the color blue tasted like), and discovered after her first sip that the beverage suited her tastes quite well. After all, it was sweet and fruity, and even despite all the syrupy flavors which filled the glass, it still had a very distinct kick of alcohol to it as well (which then begged the question of just how much booze was hidden away within the drink's sugary depths). Setting the hurricane glass aside for the moment, Pix pulled her phone out of her pocket, deftly unlocking the screen and scrolling through several windows as she pulled up the video of which they had been speaking.

Clicking the volume down a little, so as not to disturb the other patrons sitting nearby, Pix tilted the screen towards Akrai so that he could see the video as it began to play as well, her gaze fixed on his face curiously to see what kind of reaction it would warrant. When the video ended, she clicked the screen off, sitting back in her seat to sip casually at her rather girly-looking drink. "That's the video that rocketed you into internet fame, and subsequently got you nicknamed the 'Human Flashbang'...which I suppose in the light of this new information, is inherently incorrect. After all, from what I glean, you're not exactly...human."

A grin suddenly split her features as she eyed her companion, who certainly had a lot to take in. After all, as a person who had never heard of a video, let alone come this up close and personal to a device as advanced as her own, it would be interesting to see how he dealt with this new discovery. "So, how's that for a 'cheap trick'? Let me tell you right now, videos are just barely brushing the surface of what technology is capable of these days. After all, how do you think it is that I found you in the first place in this vast, human-filled world?" Having a hand of cards of her own to play certainly seemed to suit Pix just fine, and she fully intended to use her own knowledge to her advantage. After all, it seemed that Aki might not be the most forthcoming when it came to divulging the secrets of his people, but having a bargaining chip on her side was certainly the first step towards a beautiful, win-win relationship. "So, how's this for an idea? You tell me a little about yourself and your kind, and I'll let you in on some of the wonders of modern day technology? I promise not to kiss and tell too," she added with a cheeky wink, although she was being entirely serious. As a person of her profession, keeping secrets happened to be one of her greatest talents. "Of course, whether you agree to it or not is your prerogative - I can guarantee you though, you won't find anyone else more well-versed in the secrets of the digital world than yours truly."
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Nyxia » 02/25/2017 5:50 PM

Akrai watched her for a moment, waiting to see if she'd say anymore. More complicated, well the entire mortal filled world was complicated, though to him it really didn't change things. He simply snorted softly, before shrugging. Since she didn't further comment, or explain things, Akrai figured it wasn't coming. It wasn't until she pulled out this strange looking object and held it out to him, that Akrai realized there really was no way to describe it. While he wondered at the nature of her object, it was the motion he was watching that puzzled him the most. Stone faced, he watched as the vampire mages through a blood colored orb at him; seconds later it was deflected by his own shield, and smashing the bricks of a building apart. His face changed as he watched on, morphing into a deep frown of his brow as he blinked at the object. When he'd first tried to stun the rouge mage, his first attempt had failed to even slow down the other.

He watched tipping his head slightly to the left as he tried to figure out what sort of magic she was using. "I assumed you used a locator spell, possibly even something with my signature to find my identity." He knew a bit about mortals who used spells passed down through families, or illegally bought from a mage. They didn't have the skill or practice, but sometimes he'd seen it work even for those who had no natural magic. It was the only logical thing that came to his mind, especially since he didn't know the first thing about human technology.

After a second more of watching, Akrai reached out to touch the object she held in her hand. He wasn't sure what he was trying to do, except change the angle. He really thought it was like much of the illusion magic he'd seen, which would bend reality and allow him to change it around. Instead the more he touched it, the more confused he got, as different symbols came up or the motion stopped and started. After a moment of trying Akrai tried to use his own magic to make the unruly thing behave and change. A small bluish colored spark leapt from his finger tip, jumping across the object and blacking out the part he was looking at. "What sort of wards are on it?" He was puzzled as to why it hadn't responded to his own magic, instead it had stopped completely. It didn't occur to him in the least that technology didn't respond to magic, nor that he had destroyed the object.

He was thinking over her question when a glance into the mirror above the bar's selection, and caught sight of the young woman as she began to walk out the door. Damn, he was starting to slip badly, since she'd already pushed open the door when he noticed. This was the reason he preferred to work alone, because distractions happened. "Maybe at some point, once I'm done. Though I can't see that knowing much about this...technology, will be much good to me. She's leaving, damn." He grumbled as he jumped up from the bar and started for the door himself, leaving some money on the bar top. He managed to slip out the door without a sound, not drawing suspicion from his target. She hadn't met anyone so far as he knew, but she was clearly nervous walking down the street.


Bottles smashed, I raised my hand
How can you all even stand?
And why is there joy in this poison? Oh
Faking smiles and confidence
Driving miles to capture this excitement
I can't take anymore

You're never gonna get it
I'm a hazard to myself
I'll break it to you easy
This is hell, this is hell
You're looking and whispering
You think I'm someone else
This is hell, yes
I am in hell



We Don't Have to Dance - Andy Black
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Flame » 03/07/2017 5:49 PM

As her companion’s eyes were drawn to the screen of the phone where the video was currently playing, Pixel sat back in her stool with a rather smug expression on her face. She sipped casually from her drink, her gaze remaining riveted on Akrai’s face as he watched, keen to see every change in his features as the gravity of what he was viewing sank in. Her grin deepened as she watched his brow furrow – his reaction, while rather tempered compared to what she might have expected, still conveyed a satisfying level of surprise at the ‘magic’ unfolding in the palm of his hand. After all, technology was Pixel’s one true love in life, and there was little that brought her more joy than seeing its capabilities completely bamboozle those who were less versed in its wonders. Of course, it also wasn’t often that she got to pull that effect out of someone by simply showing them a video, but she would take what she could get.

Pix couldn’t help but laugh at the mage’s comment as he attempted to puzzle out the mechanism which made her phone tick, although she did at least try not to sound too patronizing in her mirth. The fact that something so decidedly mortal in nature could flummox a natural-born magic wielder was thrilling in a way for her, and she took a moment to savor it before responding. “Oh, nothing of the sort at all. I can assure you that there’s nothing but good, old-fashioned science and engineering behind this baby.” She patted the phone fondly, almost as if it were a live creature (which in her eyes, it could very well have been). “Everything inside this phone is simple metal, plastic, and electricity. All it takes to make it work is some clever design and coding.”

While Pix was still being smug about her technological superiority over an inherently more gifted being, she didn’t account for the range of physical responses that her companion might have towards her strange device. It was all well and good as she watched him unintentionally tap and swipe his way in and out of apps, but suddenly and before she could do anything to stop it, a spark leapt across the distance between his fingertip and the screen. There was a soft fizzle of electrical sound, then the screen went solidly dead. With a short, surprised exclamation, Pix snatched the phone back, tapping vigorously on it in various spots to try and get it to turn back on. Her attempts were met with no success, and for a moment she was at a loss as to what to do before the sound of Akrai’s voice brought her back to the present, reminding her of his existence and involvement in the current situation.

She was just about to start telling him off when he suddenly took off without warning, making a beeline for the entrance to the bar. “Hey!” Pix’s voice was pure indignation as she leapt up, following him more out of instinct than any formulated plan. “You can’t just break a girl’s phone on a first date and just run off like that!” Luckily for the bartender, she at least remembered to slap a bill on the countertop to cover her drink before dashing out the door after the disappearing mage. Like heck was she going to let him get away without at least reimbursing her for the cost of her phone (which was a nice one – after all, she was a girl with many needs when it came to technological capabilities) – she had no doubts that she could find him again via the internet, but why bother waiting to do that when she could just catch him in person now?
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Re: Blind Date: Akrai X Pixel

Postby Nyxia » 03/12/2017 3:25 PM

He turned her explanation of the strange device around in his head as he tracked his query down the street, trying to figure out what she meant. Yes, most things were made of something; however it had to have some kind of magic. That was a matter for him to sort out at another time, he needed his mind clear. He'd vaguely heard her yell at him as he'd blown out the door, though he hadn't had time stop and listen.

Ahead of him the young woman glanced about once more, her eyes seeking something or someone on the street. He kept far enough back to avoid notice, though he did catch sight of the strange bangle on her right arm. It wasn't normal jewelry, in fact if he had to guess he would have thought it a dampening charm. He couldn't sense her power, even though he knew from the file that she was fairly powerful. As he passed down the street, the crowd thinned, making it harder for him to remain unseen. Eventually she turned towards one of the street vendors, forcing Akrai to duck around the corner of an alley nearby to avoid being seen. He stood there with his shoulder against the wall, using a window across the street to keep an eye on her.


Bottles smashed, I raised my hand
How can you all even stand?
And why is there joy in this poison? Oh
Faking smiles and confidence
Driving miles to capture this excitement
I can't take anymore

You're never gonna get it
I'm a hazard to myself
I'll break it to you easy
This is hell, this is hell
You're looking and whispering
You think I'm someone else
This is hell, yes
I am in hell



We Don't Have to Dance - Andy Black
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Nyxia
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