[Jaden Wolf]

Starlight


A lone, dark figure shuffled through the crowds of Nabias' streets, standing out from their bright colors and happy faces. Not that Starlight was a particularly moody fellow, he simply preferred being alone. And he certainly wasn't alone here. Why was he here anyway? Not even he was sure. He had gone all the way home to the Beach for a change, and had found a note attached to his door. Pulling this note out from his pocket, he read it again.

Starlight,
On Monday, go to Nabias and wait under the ash tree in the Marketplace. Be there at 5:30 pm and DON'T BE LATE.
Luv ya - Isabel <333

Okay, so the capitals and underline wasn't really necessary, and it was probably because Isabel was all excited about something. Hence the hearts. She wasn't a hearts person. This also meant it probably wasn't her he was waiting for as he stepped under the ash tree. Not that Starlight was really sure this was an ash, but it happened to be the only tree in the Marketplace, situated right smack dab in the middle of the square. Starlight sat on the tree's wooden box and checked his watch. 5:20, ten minutes early. With a sigh, he looked out at the sun, starting to cast the sky into the orange, pink and gold of sunset, though it probably wouldn't set for another half hour at least. As for the temperature, it seemed to be somewhat pleasant, with spring on its way and a warm draft coming in from the east. Most people now were wearing t-shirts and occasionally shorts. Another reason Starlight stood out, dressed in a black tee and jeans with a long black jacket that reached his knees. Which was pretty long since he was pretty tall; after all, he had to be at least 6 feet when standing. His hair wasn't long nor short, just the right length to sort of cover his ears. The two front locks were thought to be dyed blonde since the rest of his hair was black, but it was actually quite natural. His eyes were generally a radiant blue that in certain lighting, appeared green. This piled together with his darker, almost native skin, and he sort of looked like an odd guy, though kind of handsome too.

Now where was that person he was waiting for?

[Kitsumi]

Did they honestly thing that Zeta was going to enjoy this? A date...and what's worse, a blind date. Zeta herself wasn't the most social of people; she could hardly open up to her sisters and brother. Yet they actually thought that she was going to be able to enjoy herself on a date with a complete stranger?!

It was most likely Theta's idea. She would have been out shopping, or on a date with one of her many beau's. She would have suddenly thought to herself, 'Gee, Zeta really needs a boyfriend.' Then, she would have come home, and gotten everybody - except Zeta herself - excited about it. 'Oh, just think, Epsie,' she'd have said to their brother. 'You'll have another boy around to hang out with!' And to their other sister, Eta, she'd have said something like, 'It'd be nice to associate with normal humans, don't you think?'

Ugh. Zeta really, really didn't want to go. In fact, she was practically half-way across Evelon right now, avoiding the blind date. Of course, the sudden "perk" of being able to teleport was suddenly a curse as well. She had no excuse not to be there on time, and it appeared that even being a Reaper couldn't keep her from this blind date.

She quickly teleported to the area that she was about to meet her 'date' - invisibly, of course. At least she was going to be able to size up her date before he could see her. It appeared that not all of her Reaper perks had gone sour.

Well, he definitely didn't seem like a rapist or homicidal maniac. Not that he still couldn't be, but Zeta was pretty sure that he wasn't going to try anything, and she could hold her own if he did. He didn't have the shadow of death, so he wasn't about to keel over in the middle of her death, and she hadn't seen his name on the list for a reaping in the next month, which was good, because it would suck to go out on a date with the guy and then reap his soul the next week.

Finally, it was time to reveal herself. She moved behind the guy, so that he would think she had simply walked up quietly, opposed to suddenly appearing. Then, she allowed herself to be seen, tapping him on the shoulder as she did so. "Hey...are you the one I'm supposed to meet?"

((Click on her image to see her human form))

[Jaden Wolf]

Starlight had been watching the sky change color, trying to ignore the usual tug to help the people that passed. One particularly spoiled little child wandered close and he leaned back, trying to block out the kid's inner voice. It was then that he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned. Upon seeing the woman, he was pleased that she was able to sneak up on him. If this was the person he was to meet, at least his ability wouldn't kick in since he heard nothing from her...at least, on the surface.

On another hand, the fact that it was a woman made it fairly obvious that this was supposed to be a date. No wonder Isabel had been so excited. She loved this stuff. Standing, Starlight inclined his head to the woman.
"I suppose so," he said, and in an attempt to do something that would please Isabel, he gave the woman a soft smile.
"My name's Starlight. And you?" he asked, contemplating whether or not he should shake the woman's hand or if that was too business-like.

[Kitsumi]

At least he was polite - Zeta could see that about him immediately. It was better then the other types of guys she actually interacted with. Of course, most of them were her coworkers: other reapers. They kept thinking that they would be able to sneak up on her while she was in the shower or something like that. Lewd, tasteless, disrespecting jerks the lot of them.

In all honesty, it was a refreshing change to meet a courteous guy. Of course, perhaps he was only polite in the beginning. With Zeta's luck, he would become a jerk in around seven minutes. In the meantime though, Zeta herself would be polite, although probably a bit withdrawn.

Making sure that the fingerless gloves hid the scars (which had, of course, stayed behind to haunt her even after she took her own life) she put out her hand. Inclining her head slightly and applying the slightest bit of pleasure, she didn't exactly shake his hand, but rather squeezed it ever so slightly. She offered him a small, shy smile.

"Starlight? That's an interesting name. Mine is Zeta. It's a pleasure to meet you."

(2)

[Jaden Wolf]

Starlight gave the woman...Zeta, another soft smile as she squeezed his hand (if you could call that little bit of pressure a squeeze). As she spoke to him, he chuckled almost ruefully in his mind at the thought of his name. That name proved to be a sort of homing beacon once someone started 'wishing on the stars'...something that Starlight wasn't particularly fond of. Nonetheless, he inclined his head again to Zeta (if you could call that little tilt an "incline").
"Zeta is an interesting name as well," he said with yet another soft smile, "it's nice to meet you too."

Yeah, so the smiling and the inclining of the head seemed to be all that Starlight could do in a situation like this. To anyone accustomed with interaction between people, Starlight was obviously not much of a talker. Unless it was to the monks of the Nu'san temple, who didn't really talk much in the first place.

"So, do you have anything in mind for us to do, or would you rather just...walk?" he asked, in a rather sad attempt to maintain conversation. It never occurred to him that he could have offered something to do, like go eat or something.

[Kitsumi]

Huh. Whatever it was that irked Zeta in the other men she knew - cockiness, over-confidence, narcissism, who knew which it was? - seemed to be nonexistent in Starlight. His aura, as she focused hard on it, was pure, which was a surprise to her. So few auras that she saw these days were as pure and bright as his. Suddenly, she felt more confident than she had been.

"Walking...now that's something I don't do as much as I used to." The grin which had before been simply there for the sake of being polite was now genuine. Of course, he wouldn't have known what she was speaking about - phasing in and out, teleporting to different locations, that was how she traveled now. Walking was something of the past, and even when she did walk, she was usually invisible to the entire world. A reaper couldn't be caught in the act, or all hell - literally - would break loose. "A walk would be nice. Unless you were hungry or had something else in mind? Of course, we could always walk somewhere to eat, or do whatever it is you wanted. Whatever you want...I have all the time in world, to do whatever it is you wish."

{3}

[Jaden Wolf]

((So sorry. We ran out of our allotted internet usage last month...>/))

Being so quiet made someone like Starlight quite observant, and though he was rather poor at interacting with others, he was rather good at recognizing traits in others. He noticed that Zeta now seemed more natural and at ease with him, a thought that made him smile. For some reason, it bothered him when people were putting up a front with him. Made him feel untrustworthy, it did.

He nodded his head as she agreed to walk, and turned his body to the sunset, keeping his eyes on her. After only a second, he held his arm out to her, whether or not she chose to take it. He began walking at a leisurely pace down the street, purposely walking just a bit slower...what with having long legs and therefore a longer stride than Zeta. As she continued to speak, he nodded gently to show that he was listening. He opened his mouth to respond, when he heard her last few words. To do whatever you wish. His pleasant mood faltered for a moment, but he shook it off. It was no fault of Zeta's that those words had somewhat struck a soft spot, no need to spoil the moment because of it.
"I'm afraid I never wish for anything. I'm fairly easy to please," he said, his smile back on his face. That was a bit of a lie, actually. Starlight did have a wish, only one, and it was something no one would ever be able grant him. Turning his face back to the street ahead of them, he saw the water shining in the distance. He then thought of a place they could go, a place that he was rather eager to show someone.
"I'm not really hungry...but I have someplace I'd like to show you?" he said in the form of a question, looking back down at Zeta.

[Kitsumi]

((Aww, that sucks! And don't worry, I've actually learned a bit of patience lately ))

My, my, but Starlight truly was a gentleman. Trying to hold back her mixture of smile and blush, but failing miserably, Zeta took his arm. The thought struck her that it was a relatively old-fashioned thing to do, but in all honestly, she liked old-fashioned things, and ways of living. Back then, there weren't as many problems as plagued the world today. Suicide counts weren't as high, teenagers and adults alike weren't slicing up their arms, legs, even stomach. All of that stuff happened these days. In fact, Zeta was one of the ones who had succumbed to suicide...But that was a while ago; she wouldn't let past demons haunt her now. Perhaps later, when she was alone...

He walked at a pace that was easy for her to keep up with, and for that she was grateful. Many men these days expected the woman to speed up and walk at their pace. Zeta tried not to associate herself with them. Actually, Zeta tried not to associate herself with anyone. This time, however, she was glad she had come out. Meeting a man like Starlight was, in a way, inspiring some hope in Zeta. Maybe there was hope for the world, if men like him still existed.

"I don't believe that for a second," Zeta said it with a smile, but she wasn't joking. "Everyone wishes for something. Whether it be a selfish wish, or simply for peace, or a request for a loved one. No one is without a wish."

When he asked, she hesitated. Was it safe? Then, she realized she was being foolish. He was a nice guy, and even if he weren't, she could always escape before he knew what was happening. "Sure," she said.

{4}