ENTHUSIASM!!

This was a day as any other in North city. Cold, bitter and harsh weather.. but oddly good weather. Yep, in North it could be below freezing and that was a GOOD day. People wrapped in sweaters and jackets, coats and all the like. Snow crunched beneath and snow above. Fall time was more like falling snowflakes. Winter was just never-ending blankets from the frozen tears of Autumn. It never ceased. The flickering drops of white snow that danced down upon her pale and thin frame. Flickering petals of ice that rained down from above and melted upon the lightest touch. Her eye-lashes were dashed with them. A beautiful color behind the soft strikes up and beneath her brow. Even some of those were caught on her lips, delightfully melting on her tongue. Salty wetness. That was the flavor. She liked it.. she consumed it, she kept it as hers. It wormed into her stomach and made a nest. Weird ice bird in her stomach mixing cool and hot tenancies. Yeah a weird current was rampaging in her stomach and the storm was yet to be soothed.

Days off were hard to come by and yet it felt almost seconds apart. Today, Iris was simply looking about in interest. Well she could buy groceries, but likely she'd spend all her money on art supplies again. Oh god that shop- Was it-! YESS! The new pencils she'd been waiting on were out. Was she drooling? Maybe a little. Her body shifted and she made her way to the shop window and ogled the pieces of heaven. For a few minutes she got odd looks, probably because people thought she was going to lick the glass. To be honest, she had considered it. Instead, she whimpered and pressed her nose to the glass. How long until the shop was open and- The bell dinged and she ran right in. Now where were they? She'd delete her whole pay just to sate the urge. She'd probably use them once as well, then throw them aside. All the money she wasted when her supplies had piled enough she could establish a franchise. Would she? MAYBE SOME DAYYY!

For now, she needed to feed her need. An addiction she had, to collect every drawing utensil she wanted. Today was that set, tomorrow may have been another.. It would all be diminished once she was done. So as she went through the store, she bought a good about eight sketchbooks and that pack of artsy utensils and then some other stuff she forgot what it even was. By the time she was done and out of the store, she had a penny in her pocket and six bags. At least she'd still had the satisfactory smile on her face. A sense of accomplishing- accomplishing spending all but one penny she had on hand. She felt a bit goofy as she walked to the car and shoved her bags in with a struggle, before shutting it and wondering what sacrifices her credit card would be feeling soon. Her car locked and her eyes closed in contentedness, she simply stood there.. in the middle of the road. Yeah, there was nothing odd of that. Of course not. "Hmm.. Now what..?" she spoke to no one in particular.

Kit was so happy today. It was brutal weather for a stroll, but he could care less. He was here in this section of town for one thing and one thing only: inspiration. This biting cold was gonna clear his head, then he'd find some beauty in this dreary place, which blended with his skin and hair as the snow fell, his piercing green eyes staring out towards a well known art supplies store, which he had taken a temporary job at, and it was already open. Great...he was already late.

But it seemed he wasn't working at all today, because the store had been...completely cleared out. That was strange...besides himself, how in the world would buy that much art supplies? And then he saw her. The blush colored hair, the fair complexion, and what figure he could make out through the snow, it was...beautiful. Kit started to crunch his way through the snow towards her, his dress shirt being beaten against by the wind, his bell jingling as he steps.

He walked up to her, confidently clearing his throat and tapping on her shoulder before speaking loudly through the winds. "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm Kit Estenial, I'm a fashion designer. I was wondering if could ask what you're doing with all those art supplies?"

"HOLY SHIT THAT GUY HAS CAT EARS" was the first thing that came from his lips. No 'hello'; no 'nice to see you again' or anything of the sort directed towards Iris. Toss was a straight forward kinda guy, and it wasn't okay that suddenly OUT OF NOWHERE there was this dude with cat ears popping out of the framework. Having had spent the rest of summer working on various plane engineering, come autumn the white-haired homunculus finally hit a wall. There was this plane, you see, on the cusp of breaking the sound barrier. It was there--just almost there. It only needed a part--a specific part that wasn't manufactured in Carraig for some absurd safety reason. Therefore, he'd have to get it elsewhere. After talking to Gavin (this time), Toss successfully used his brain and got permission to fly to North City to retrieve the part. While he was there, he figured he'd enjoy the cold weather and get some extreme snowboarding out of his system. Throwing himself off mountains, and creating mini avalanches in his wake, Toss was kinda beat today from healing all those sore muscles, bruises, and whatever else. Despite this, he was out and about the city, airplane part in tow, checking out what the North of Amestris had to offer besides a crazy pink-haired bitch named Reila. Apparently it was a pink-haired girl named Iris who oddly resembled the ladder, but with a much more ditsy personality. Hell, he could actually exist around her without getting impaled with a large pike of ice. Anyway, that wasn't his only discovery. Back to the point.

He HAD to touch them. Immediately, rubbing his fingers together to relieve the urge. "You're a chimera or something, right?" He proceeded to look the guy over further to be sure he wasn't missing like an alligator tail in the back or something. Discovering nothing of viable shock, Toss continued, "Hey Iris, touring the tundra now?" Alright that was his limit. He raised a hand, "Later," and stalked off into the white expanse. Nearby The Fallacy was parked. Beeping the cockpit open, he carefully disposed of his shit and sat down for half a second, staring at the frost on the windshield. Alright, well that was going to take six hours to defrost... Blasting the heat, he twiddled his thumbs for just a moment before groaning and looking back outside. Well, he could, couldn't he? He'd had his fun down the slopes, but honestly? He was a bit sick of holing himself up in that garage, slaving away like--like a slave. It was mindful work that made him feel like a drone, wasting away purposeless. Flying was key, but without any sort of action driving him, he felt more useless than if he were just lying in bed all day. That was just how natural this all came to him. Even so, he loved it, but there was a word called cloy. Too much of something good made it slowly become something less of what it once was. Wearing away like a chisel to rock, carving a shape less natural, more forced, like a chimera! Alright, fine.

He hopped out of the bright red ship mostly covered in ice and snow, leaving the heat running at its top level. Frigid, below zero temperatures tousled through spiky white locks, making them look more rambunctious and frightening than if they were stationary on his head. Pushing bangs away out of his eyes, he walked a seldom few minutes back to where he'd left the tourist acquaintance and her pet. Not meeting their eyes, elusive red scanned the skies for any sort of retaliation against him not leaving when he was designated to. Having discovered nothing but gruesome white clouds that reminded him that he was out of printer paper at home, he met their eyes each individually. "It's later now. Hi, I'm Toss." He extended a hand towards the chimera, half expecting it to be ripped off because, well, it was a chimera and it may or may not have been stupid to leave the girl with someone that was only half human at most. Lucky for him, she wasn't lying on the sidewalk like catnip. God, why hadn't he thought of that before?! Who knew what was up with people anymore. Anywhere you look people were dying, being eaten, all that other violent shit. He didn't watch TV, well, because he didn't have one, but if he did, he would have stopped because of all this. This could be a murder scene waiting to happen! If he hadn't shown up right then, she could have been abducted and who knew what else. He didn't really want to envision it even though he was kind of already envisioning it. Shuddering not from the cold, he rubbed his clothed arms. In conclusion, Toss needed to get out more.

Observant as always, Iris simply stared off into her snowy wonderland that was home. Thoughts flickered in and out of notability while her nose twitched a bit from itching. She really should have grabbed a hat or something because both her ears and her nose burnt, a feeling she wasn't all too glad to feel. The biting and gnawing feeling on her ears could only be outrun by the irritating need to sneeze on her nose. Of course no matter how much she tried to, the nose remained itchy and unresponsive. Why could actors cry on call but sickly people couldn't sneeze? It wasn't fair, like some unspoken rule that she didn't understand. Oh well, she supposed she'd live- more or less. "Excuse me, ma'am. I'm Kit Estenial, I'm a fashion designer. I was wondering if could ask what you're doing with all those art supplies?" Pink rose to meet green and Iris instinctively jumped in surprise. What-?! Were those glowing snake eyes talking to her?

Soft jingling eased her to realize the glowing irises were simply attached to a body. A very pale body, but a body, nonetheless. Iris blinked once, then twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things. A cat man? This was like some sort of fiction out of the movies she watched. Only in those type the cat man was actually a blood-sucking vampire who seduced women into bed so he could steal their lives. Yeah.. What were the chances of that. Vampires didn't exist. Haha.. silly fanfiction.

After a few moments, Iris realized that she was still standing there, staring at the man. He'd asked a question, but she was mesmerized by the ears. "You're no fox." She stammered out randomly. Kit was normally short for kitsune.. which was a fox. It seemed unfitting. It was then she realized she'd said that out loud and blushed a vague red color. Oops. Those words were fumbled as she responded slowly to the question as asked. "I'm going to use them for art." Her brow arched and her lips scowled. Was he accusing her of stealing them. "I bought them to use them. See, here's my receipt." The length paper was placed in the man's hand hurriedly as she fixed her jacket, nonchalantly. Of course she felt a bit defensive and flustered as the man seemed suspicious (only through misplaced guilt), however she didn't know of any police cat-men either. It was a trap! Maybe...

"You're a chimera or something, right?" That voice- was acceptably familiar. "Hey Iris, touring the tundra now?"Oh yes, definitely familiar. Her eyes turned to meet the man and she blinked. Two men with snow white hair and then her with her pink hair. Good thing this wasn't a mission, her camouflage was obviously out of style. The man though.. was interesting to say the least. Toss was his name and a while back he'd given her a ride on his extremely obvious vehicle then ditched her. It had been a fun night, she'd gotten more than she'd expected. Hell, he'd managed to stay around and even remembered her name. Unfortunately, as she went to speak something, his hand went up and he spoke again. "Later." Well, that was that. Just as quickly as he was there, he was gone. Iris shook her head and laughed with an odd expression of disappointment and relief. What a relief she didn't have to feel crazy talking to the man. Too bad she couldn't talk to him more. He really WAS cute. At least to Iris, anyways. Maybe she was just insane.

Anyways, Toss walked away as if he'd had enough. The man always seemed preoccupied mentally or was he just so awkward? Bah. It didn't matter TOO much to Iris, but it still piqued her interest. Her eyes went back to Kit, whom she struggled in debate of a frown or a smile to give. How did one react to a chimera who was asking about her stuff? "Why do you ask?" She'd ask, both curious and just plain nosy. "It's later now. Hi, I'm Toss." And he was back. Iris had no sooner recovered from him leaving, did the man sidle up and appear in their wake once more... go figure, right? Iris gave Toss and odd look, before grinning. "Miss me that much, you decided to come back so soon?" Yeah, she couldn't resist. Of course, saying that might very well make him leave and she shut her mouth afterwards. He didn't seem to understand when she was flirting and it had taken an alien abduction later for her to get that.

Laughing at her own joke, she smiled at him. "Nice to see you again. The tundra is my home, so this time, you're the one touring." Her arms crossed beneath her bosoms and her brow arched at him. A posture that said 'So take that,' like it was a fashion statement. She really didn't understand why she was so proud of her lame statement, but dammit, she was! Her pink eyes turned to the cat man and she let her own hand out. "Though you already know, now. My name is Iris. It's a pleasure to meet you." Never tell a stranger your last name. That was sort of a motto for Iris.

Kit's face was well hidden in the snow, so he felt solace in himself since his facial expression could only be explained as 'confused', and he had been right to do so. Instead of going in-depth about what she was doing with those art supplies other than 'art' was to pull a receipt to his hand. Kit chuckled low, a small grin on his face before turning into a nervous warm smile. "Oh, no, ma'am, I wasn't accusing you of anything, all I wanted to know was what exactly you were doing with those art supplies, sorry if I offended you." But...wasn't there something else she said...or right, "You're no fox." What exactly did she mean by that...oh the ears of course. He chuckled a bit again, then shook out his hair as it was growing heavy with frozen rain. "No ma'am, I am not. I'm Xingese White Tiger, along with a few others." He smiled through all of this, in a very explainative tone, as if he said this every day to everyone who ever asked (which he did), but he was yet to understand why her face had grown red.

Then he heard a new voice, something rather vulgar too, from somewhere in the deep snowy backround, but one it came closer, he could see it was a man, with hair like his but something...not right about him. He immediately had his attention on Kit, asking the obvious question that was obvious, "You're a chimera, right?" With which he only replied with a slow nod. What proceeded was some rather...humorous. He had left right before she was going to say something, he left. Odd. The only word Kit could think of was odd. She then turned his attention to him and asked another obvious question, which went unanswered as the man returned with a funny quip, enough so to make Kit laugh audibly as he took Toss's hand, shaking vigorously as this man seemed pleasant enough, smiling to him. "Pleasure to meet you, Toss, I'm Kit" which at that time he let go.

More was said, though not enough to exactly worry about, but the woman had put her hand to him, which Kit scooped gently in his hand and kissed the middle knuckle of her hand. My, she was cold compared to his lips, even if it was a quick peck. "Both of you are rather cold. Come, I have a key to the shop, and there's a kitchen in back, I'll make some tea and we can stay here for a bit. Sound like a plan?" But then he waited for no answer. Usually when Kit offered hospitality, he refused for people to refuse it. He stuck a hand into his pocket as he walked on towards the store, already upon the door in a matter of seconds, which made him question just how fast he had walked, or jogged, he was too...excited to tell the difference. He unlocked the door and held it open as he swung a hand towards him, beckoning the others.

What the hell was up with tundras and pelting snowflakes at people? Couldn't he ever cut a break because seriously this was a break even if he was retrieving a part for a plane. Speaking of break, "Pleasure to meet you, Toss, I'm Kit" Kat Bar. Hilarious. He snickered a little, taking the chimera's hand and shaking it just as fervently so as to not be ousted by a less-than human like himself (not that they knew that). He nodded friendily, trying to come off like the good guy (even though he knew that was bullshit). Why? Well, he was around a lady pfft. Actually, there was no real reason for it; he just didn't feel like being an asshole. And honestly, he was still suspicious of this cat-eared chimera secretly being one of those abductor rapists. It was entirely possible, and he wasn't about to leave the ditsy pink-haired tourist with trouble like that. Not while he was around at least. Considering the fact that she would appoint random strangers to a task upon meeting them, she would walk right into a trap set up for the sheer purpose of creating a crime scene without batting an eyelash. To him, she seemed like that kind of person. He couldn't leave her alone, and luckily, he had time to kill while his spaceships windshield defrosted.

"Miss me that much, you decided to come back so soon?" Uhh what? He blinked wildly, staring into her gaping grin as if it was a void sucking in his soul (which, of course, it was). She began laughing at her own words, resulting in the-typical-reaction-to-female eyebrow raise from the Ishvallan. Alright then. If she wanted to play it that way... "Nice to see you again. The tundra is my home, so this time, you're the one touring." Plan gone. Words diminished. He was taken aback--by surprise; his comeback prepared was turned to dust in his mouth. She lived here? Rewind. She lived here? A bubbly girl with pink hair and a car without four wheel drive lived in this white, snowy, frigid climate? No, she lived in the danger zone under the menacing gaze of the Drachmans. He couldn't believe it, taking note of the art supplies in her arms. What was she going to do, hit them over the head with paintbrushes? Only the hard, daunting, and rash lived in areas like North City under the looming Briggs mountain range and constant threat of attack. Toss, well, Toss lived on a cold little island off the coast of Creta where it precipitated all the damn time. He was used to snow, but he was more used to rain. This--this was just fucking crazy. People could cause avalanches by talking too loud. There were no leaves or green or anything anywhere except white. The white nothingness was a bit unnerving to Greed, however, he did love snowboarding. Having had partaken in the sport already though, he was pretty much done with North City. Plus, he was a little too close to Vanity for comfort...especially after destroying a good portion of the Kremlin via crash-landing. Ouch.

"I'm not touring. Don't get me wrong. I'm just here to pick up a part. Next time should I stay away longer then?" He ran a hand through his hair, a devilish smirk laced across his chapped lips. He wasn't going to lose this game. Not in a million years. But hey, if she lived in this city too and resembled that pike-jabbing bitch, Reila, did that mean... "What's your last name? You look like you're related to Reila Tsukino. The pink hair and all. Can't believe that shit is natural. Whatever." He shrugged, just blurting out whatever came to mind. He never held much back, what was the point really? Cause honestly when it came down to it-- The chimera had stolen her hand, sucking it quickly to his lips before Toss had an affirmative reaction concocted. He watched blankly in horror. Definitely a serial killer.

"Both of you are rather cold. Come, I have a key to the shop, and there's a kitchen in back, I'll make some tea and we can stay here for a bit. Sound like a plan?" It was like a shaded guy pulling up in a van, holding out a hand filled with assorted candy. 'Come with me, and I'll give you this glorious kit-kat bar!' A trap! Right under their noses! No, the chimera wanted to ensnare him as well? It was hard to believe considering they were two against one. Suspicious. Red eyes narrowed. He wasn't particularly cold actually. Way to tell me what I am when I'm not. The chimera was already heading towards the door that fit the key in his hand, looking like he had never been refused. Just how many people have you killed this way? Toss was on edge, practically sweating, trying to figure out a way to casually allow the two of them to escape. But they ended up following, lagging behind the quick, excited frolics of the chimera on blood lust. Great, now it was getting better. The door swung open, but Toss stopped in the entryway, looking hard at Kit with a just-what-are-you-planning glare. There was no way in hell he was just going to waltz-- Feminine hands from behind corralled him inside, the door shutting out the blizzard with a fwap. Trapped. It was too late. It was too late for them now!!

Her words had been victorious! She'd effectively made him fl- "I'm not touring. Don't get me wrong. I'm just here to pick up a part. Next time should I stay away longer then?" He had paused. "What's your last name? You look like you're related to Reila Tsukino. The pink hair and all. Can't believe that shit is natural. Whatever." Well so much for her opinion. He had to kill her fun. Iris' lips pulled into a brief pout. He couldn't at least FLATTER her? Give her an answer she wanted to hear? Then again, when she thought about it, it was part of his appeal to her. At least, that's what she gathered, Whether or not it was right... She couldn't exactly be sure. In fact, she wasn't sure about a lot of things about the man. She was going to give him her last name, but then the cat that was a fox, had grabbed her hand and kissed it. Well that was unexpected. Her face tinted a slight red, mainly from shock. She didn't know of anybody who kissed people's hands anymore. In fact she felt a bit dizzy with her eyes wide. Soon after, he spoke;

"Both of you are rather cold. Come, I have a key to the shop, and there's a kitchen in back, I'll make some tea and we can stay here for a bit. Sound like a plan?" Well that was a weird offer. What kind of shop had a kitch- Oh who was she kidding? This gave her more time with the cute red-eyed boy, besides it was rude anyways. Besides, it WAS kind of cold out. She didn't hesitate to follow the man she barely knew into the shop. Of course, at the entrance, Toss seemed to have a different idea. He stood there, ready to leave and of course, she wasn't going to have it. Gently, she pushed him forward; guiding him into the building.

It wasn't out of malice she did it. Part of it was because he was in her way, the other half was due to her just wanting to have some fun with a couple of friends. If she could actually call them that. Once inside, Iris sighed and shrugged off her jacket. Relief washed over her bare shoulders and the odd tank-top with a belt combo she had on. White in color with a light blue vest draped lightly over top. Her coat was placed limp on a chair and she fixed the scarf on her neck. Over all, it definitely felt better to feel the artificial air on her arms. A warmth wafting, while her legs carried her after the chimera. One such arm looped around Toss' to guide him along and make sure he followed.

By the way, my last name is Tsukino." Her voice found words once again and she smiled up at him. "And no, I'm not related to Brigadier Tsukino... as far as I know, anyways." Her shoulders shifted into a shrug, but her smile didn't leave. After a moment, she wondered how long he would let her stay like that. Her arm looped around his like an escort. Though, of course he didn't have to accept. After all, if he REALLY didn't want to go, he could fight her about it. It wasn't like she was pulling him against his will.

Ah, this shop was incredibly sub-par with all its wares missing. Every pot of paint, every pack of brushes, every easel was picked from the tiny story, leaving behind blank cream walls splashed with light greens and blues, much like a five year old got a hold of a can of paint. It was a child-like add of...charm that many similar stores tried to acquire. He pulled out some easel stools and offered them silently to Toss and Iris, his trademark smile gleaming to them both as he scuttled out of the room to the small kitchen in back, composed of a small bar counter, a fridge, three overhead cabinets, a sink, and a stove top. He pulled pots, cups, and tea leaves from the cabinets as he filled the pot with water.

He watched the open flame scrap against the metal of the pot, his feline eyes darting with the motion of the dysfunctional flame. Why was he always like this, so openly hospitable to strangers. Maybe it was just the years of being so exposed to it he just picked it up as normality. Maybe he was just naturally nice. He still didn't understand it himself, but he was snapped from his inner thought with the sound of the pot whistling. He grabbed its handle and began to pour the cups, but a slip of pressure made him pour more than intended, knocking the glass to the ground with a shatter and splashing scalding hot water onto his hand. His ears flicked and tail twitched in pain, a groan let loose from gritted teeth as he started to brush glass up with his hand. Oh, he need to hurry up before the tea cooled. Perhaps they could keep each other entertained while he cleaned up his mess.

Looped. Their arms were looped. A insta-blush spiked onto his face and he immediately looked the other way as if he hadn't noticed. What. There was something happening. What. She had went out on a whim and-- What. She could cook an egg on his face at this point and it was just... mildly embarrassing. Hadn't they just met. He didn't even know her last n-- "By the way, my last name is Tsukino." Fate had its ways didn't it. Mocking him like that. He'd have his revenge...later when he could see straight. Right now, just...it wasn't the right time. He just. OH GOD. They were still looped. He swallowed, nearly choking on his own saliva and running into the cream backdrop wall to his left. Instead, he maneuvered around the corner and straight into the array of supplies, nearly toppling over an easel befitted with a canvas. Was this some sort of painting workshop and supply store? It didn't seem very chilling for a serial killer. Iris took off her coat, but Toss clutched his to himself, red eyes narrowed suspiciously. The paint splattered on the walls could be covering up previous blood projections from his colorful murders! It made perfect sense! It didn't seem like a murder facility, but that was exactly it! It was a disguise--a ruse!! He had to play it cool, because there was no way he was going to let Iris see what happens when someone tries to kill him. People like her...just didn't deserve to be introduced to that world--a world he didn't have a choice upon entering. Hah, he would have died long ago. There was just so much--so much concealed within that arm she dare loop hers with.

He wasn't convinced: same last name, same hair color, same city. Well, their personalities... they were practically opposites, but didn't that mean that they were more likely to be siblings that way? So Iris didn't want him to know? Fine. Honestly, he didn't really give two shits if they were related; he just wanted to know if she was going to try and kill him too. Honestly, one pike of ice was enough at this point. Maybe he'd order another later, but no he was pretty much set at the moment tyvm. His response was a simple "Oh" before he moved on to other more important things like being in the presence of a murderer with his eyes set on new victims. Of course, he hadn't factored in the white-haired Ishvallan being involved so that must have posed a problem to him. That was why he was in the back area doing something or other. But he was kind enough, or at least smart enough to appear kind enough to pull out two easel chairs before vanishing into the back. What? Did he seriously want them to paint? He wanted them to paint didn't he. It appeared so. It was like he was indicating to them to take the two blank canvases laid out and paint something. Was this his idea of fun--was he playing with his prey!? They could at least depict their last words through an image. He probably kept the paintings of the people he killed all along the walls in his basement. Jesus, what a sick bastard they were dealing with here. What was he doing--what was taking so long?? It was the diabolical plan being concocted in the back, that's what. Alright then. Alright fine. Toss rolled up his sleeves (without taking off his coat), cracked his knuckles, and set about yanking a paintbrush from a rack. He would make the best damn painting this serial killer had ever seen. Giving Iris a cocky side glance, he smothered the paintbrush in black. "Ready for this?" he grinned, "prepared to be amazed."

Mid-arting a shatter came from the back room, jolting the white-haired devil out of his creative stupor. As he leaned away, guessing he was finished, he revealed his finished canvas.

Spoiler:

Black blotched stick figures in blobby forms and a horribly scribbly background. It was a work of art! However, black paint dotted his nose from leaning too close to the painting and concentrating. It smeared down to one side under his right eye and across his cheek where it seemed he had attempted to wipe it away and failed. Successful in his endeavors, Toss rose to his feet and looked in the direction of the noise. "What was that?"

The feline man had hurried about and Toss had been staggering like an alcoholic, or at least he felt like it. Did she smell bad or something? There went her ego again. He acted like she was some sort of disease-carrying siren. Maybe that was just a bit conceited. She was more of a disease carrying... she stopped the thought, having no clear idea of WHAT she meant exactly. Sometimes those thoughts needed to be silenced before they came to fruition. She closed her eyes, shook her head, then watched Kit grab utensils and easels and offer them. Her pink eyes rose to rest on him a moment, before giving a grateful smile and taking one, then two paintbrushes and some paint. "Thanks."

Colors layered her paintbrush and her own focus was on the white board. What things could she portray? So many ideas flowed through inspiration. It started at her wrist and flew like energy to the tips of her fingers, Gentle curves, soft strokes like a professional and angled painting that had only just started. Her focus was interrupted by the sound of cracking knuckles that brought her eyes to Toss. "Ready for this? Prepare to be amazed." The cocky grin said to her, 'This will end bad'. Her brow arched and then she returned to her own art. Once he had finished, he revealed the art like a proud child. It took her a few minutes to react.

"I uh... ..." Words were a loss. She wasn't even sure what she was looking at. It looked like one stick figure knocked another into a mud pile and a plastic bag was floating into a giant ... sun? There was nothing she could really say. It took everything inside of her to not laugh at the picture portrayed. It was like a professional preschooler's drawing. She was stumped and had to cover her mouth with one of her wrists just to keep in the snickers she held. "I-It's uhmm... very you..." It was a compliment... sort of. She wasn't exactly sure how she could say something without it sounding insulting or without it being a lie. She had no room to really say anything. What without her years of practice, she might have drawn stick figures. However, instead of letting him feel bad, she quickly nudged her picture down, landing it in the blobs of paint and spraying it all over her face and clothes..... wonderful. Well that could have been better thought through. What was done was done, though. She'd tried to hide her art and in the process looked like an utter clutz that had knocked over her own painting. A quick glance was stolen to see if Toss had noticed, but he seemed fixated on something else.

HISSSSS Crash, groan. "What was that?" Well it sounded like he had knocked over something and it broke. How rude would it be of her to just sit and stare at the wall while their host was having troubles. Though it was a hassle to get up and untangled from her painted mess, she managed and then, slowly made her way to the back room. "I'm going to go check on him." She stated as started back and made her way to finding him. "Hey uhmm.. do you need some help- HOLY HELL!" Her voice shouted in surprise. Glass was all over and he was- BRUSHING IT UP. "OH GOD! Look at all that BLOOD!" Her voice carried a bit louder than needed and she of course, being the coordinated person she was, tripped over a stool and face-planted nearby. After she had groaned and recovered, her body rushed into hyperdrive. "We need to get these wrapped! Oh my GOD!" She was being a bit over dramatic, but blood made her squeamish.

Looking around, she found no fabric, so naturally she had to rip part of the hem of her own shirt to use as a bandage for her own hands. She didn't want to touch the blood with her own fingers, so her shirt was like a paper towel in some ways. "Next time use a broom." Her voice slowed as she grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet. "Is there a first aid kit? I think you have some stuck in the wounds." She muttered, looking overly focused at his hand. All the red.. the bloody red, it made her want to vomit. Her stomach tossed and turned like a dryer, leaving her a rather pale mess. It was as if she was looking at a stream colored crimson.

Fantastic, he thought, just what he needed, disturbed guests and damaged hands. His hands were leaking profusely, already creating a pool on the floor of crimson that seeped into the grout in the tile floor. God, why did he have to use his hand, he should have done like Iris had said and used a broom, problem was he didn't know where the blasted thing was, so he just started to pick it. Soon his hand looked like a crystal pincushion of burnt flesh. AWESOME! not. So, as he held most of the glass in his hand. He stood up and took a few deep breaths, whipping his head back to get his bangs out of his eyes.

"First off, bathroom's down the hall, get the tweezers. Then, fill up a bowl of ice water for the burns. I'll be in the main room, the first aid kit's right here." He walked over to the space under the sink and crouched. His tail curled around the handle of a small white box as he stood, his tail limp to its weight. He crunched some smaller shards under his shoes as he walked into the main room, finding a small table to put the first aid kit. He then opened the box with his spare, less damaged hand as he started taking out peroxide, bandages, burn ointment, the basics. He then sat across from Toss without a word, silently cursing as he tried to pull out the glass with his fingernails.

"I uh... ..." Her amazement seemed to have left her in stunned silence. Toss allowed himself a moment--just a moment to bask in the egotism leaking out from his masterpiece. Thank you, thank you very much, he beamed out, light lathering across his red irises. If only getting praise was always this easy, he'd be a painter instead of a pilot. Also being practically immortal would be no help honing his skills with the brush. Greed would be utterly useless and more so a burden than an assistance. Ah~ all well, it was worth the thought at least; he was more or less meant to have a tough job anyway. He felt more accomplished flying planes than making that painting Iris was staring at with a stifled smile. Let it out, jeez. If she was that impressed she could just tell him; she didn't have to keep it to herself. Wait. Wait a second, pause. Maybe she was... Oh damn! He knew it. He knew it sucked. She was totally about to laugh at him. It was a complete failure. That wasn't a masterpiece; it was something a child could paint better!! Toss hung his head immediately with a discontented sigh. He was only pretending that he had the skills of a true artist, but it was all just a ruse latched to the confines of his avid imagination. What a downer. He'd never win this game of life. He was an ultimate, completely failure. Iris couldn't even pretend to-- "I-It's uhmm... very you..." She was just saying that because she didn't want to insult him. He was seeing right through it. Not amused. A white eyebrow raised in rejection. WAITASECOND. She was saying that his painting was like him? In...in what way? It just didn't make any sense. Iris didn't know him. Even if she did, Toss was no murderer. In fact, his painting was much more relatable to the guy currently in the back making noise. HE was the murderer, not Toss...

"What are you talking about?" Toss blurted, moving closer to her and the painting. He pointed at the stick figure dudes and frowned. "How is that me? Are you trying to say something--like that I could kill people?" He wasn't exactly angry per say, mostly just confused. It was evident in his furrowed brows and demanding disposition. However, before she had a real chance to answer his sudden onslaught of questions, her painting took a klutzy nose dive for the paints, which then took off like fireworks, spraying every which way. Iris' clothes were now Picasso on crack. Not that Toss had anything to say about Picasso, but certainly her clothes were tasting the rainbow. Stunned slightly, Toss wasn't sure exactly what to do. "Take off your clothes." Awkward pause. "I mean what you can." With a perturbed frown, he took a deep breath, trying to iron out the horrified blush that took over his face at the easily misunderstood words he had a habit of spitting out at the wrong times. But the crash had taken the limelight of the moment, Toss ready to run back there and take the chimera out...for a stroll.

"I'm going to go check on him."

"Okay." Toss had given up.

"HOLY HELL!" Toss' heart skipped a beat and he was rushing for the back room. "OH GOD! Look at all that BLOOD!" SHIT THEY WERE JUST A DISTRACTION FOR THE REAL KILL!? Iris was next. She had seen it. He was going to kill her. He braced himself for the scream, thwapping open the door with his boot, transfixing wild eyes to the contents, ready to get in the middle of anything--ready to risk his life (or so most would assume). Iris was on the ground, a stool tipped over. Kit had blood on his hands. WAS HE TOO LATE?!

"I should have acted sooner!! Toss barked in hysterics, he lunged himself at Iris, glaring ferally at Kit. "How could you do this?! You have no id--"

"We need to get these wrapped! Oh my GOD!" ... "Next time use a broom." Toss sat there on his haunches, watching as Iris pushed herself to her feet and grabbed the chimera's arm, yanking him also to a stand. She was paling, clearly not a fan of the situation. Blankly, the Ishvallan stayed where he was, completely and utterly useless.

It was only briefly she had forgotten Toss' being there. Her mind was focused on not passing out, but soon after, she could hear a hysterical voice and Toss was there, looking wild and upset, shouting out words. "I should have acted sooner!! How could you do this?! You have no id--" She could barely hear him over the blood pumping in her ears. She found that odd, since she could physically FEEL the blood drain from her face. How was it so loud in her ears when there was NONE IN HER HEAD?! Logic was illogical, oh well. She had to pause and look at Kit, as he spoke.

"First off, bathroom's down the hall, get the tweezers. Then, fill up a bowl of ice water for the burns. I'll be in the main room, the first aid kit's right here." Okay.. so.. bathroom- right. She tried to move and staggered, stumbling a bit. Her legs didn't want to listen and left her in a jumbled mess. It took her a minute to fix herself, before she could wander down the hall in a half-stumble, half-run. Iris really was no good in these emergency situations.

After fumbling through the medical cabinet in the bathroom, she finally found a pair of tweezers locked away in a small container. She plucked it out and took a deep breath, She had to look brave, right? Be impressive and show him she had what it took to-

She found red painting her eyes as she walked back to him. Naturally it wasn't as much as she was 'seeing', but it was enough to nearly make her faint. The breath in her lungs ran away and her knees became weak. Her left hand grasped at a table for balance. Painted nails dug in some, reinforcing her grip. "First aid kit.. right?" She tried to take a step forward and nearly became locked in place. Nope. That wasn't going to work. "I'm a little squeamish.." Iris gave a sheepish laugh full of nervous looks at him. Hopefully Toss would understand.. Of course, that was an understatement. Iris was TERRIFIED of blood. How odd for a militant to be that terrified of it. In the heat of battle though, things were so much different. Adrenaline did wonders, it was a drug that easily fixed the normal mental issues people might normally have. It was a trampoline, that allowed people to jump over walls they normally couldn't. She had none at that time, so instead, she looked at the man to do it.

She offered it to him. Her eyes practically pleaded with him as she leaned on a nearby table. She couldn't do it. She wouldn't be able to stay conscious through the glass-removal. Her stomach lurched and nearly took her body with it. She was lucky the table was there to hold her up. Those moments of weakness, they were irritating. He was probably laughing at her, but Iris couldn't do it.

Blood. It was all over his hands and seeping out of the cuts by the second. With every pulse, his veins scraped against the glass still embedded in his hand, pushing out new droplets of blood. The muscle in his cheek twitched and winced at the pinpricks of pain. He sat there, trying to grip the glass shards, but his fingers wouldn't be much use here; they just pushed them in further. How could you do this?! You have no id--" He looked at the man with a raised eyebrow, the line of his mouth pulled down to betray his pain. Toss seemed upset and that just made Kit feel worse; he was scaring his guests.

It didn't take long for Iris to come trotting in with the small, silver tweezers; her face pale as his hair almost as he wiped his hand on his pants to take the tweezers. He could see quite clearly that blood made her uncomfortable which was only confirmed by her comment "I'm a little squeamish..". "Understandable, blood makes me a bit-," How could Kit word it? His stomach did it for him, audibly roaring in hunger as he stared at his hand. "Disturbed as well." He placed both his hands under the counter to allow Iris some peace as he clamped down on the first piece of glass with the tweezers. 3. 2. 1. Pull!

With a yell and a curse, the first one was out. Kit couldn't remember last time he had glass this deep in him and he looked over to Toss with strained and pained eyes. "Toss, could you take Iris down the hall? There's a room you guys can stay while I deal with this. Watch the kitchen floor, there's still some glass."

"Pffft wusses," he scoffed, hands on hips, head shaking back and forth in shame. Iris was bent over the table like she was going to lose the contents of her lunch and pass out at the same time, and the other was yelping like a beat puppy. Paaaaaathetic. Try crashing 1,434 feet from a out of control plane...then see how much blood and glass there is. Stitches....everywhere. His parents nearly had a conniption. It took a while to get back in the air after that. Seeing others weak to such simplicity was what made him sick. Yet at the same time, he felt his hands come down on Iris' shoulders, a soft smile gliding down from god knows where onto his lips. Red eyes glistened with a breath of understanding: they weren't from the same world. He took the first aid kit from her hands and set it on the table, shedding a cold look at it. First aid. Hah. Last time he had to use one of those he was five. Still, he was used to the rough and dirty; this cat and pink-haired girl hardly were exposed to as much hell as he had been. Or so he guessed. Blood was kinda gross. "Just close your eyes." It was gooey and sticky. "Take deep breaths and count them." And thick like pudding almost. A little thinner. "When you get to ten, start over." His hands slid down from her shoulders, over her forearms, and to her elbows. Navigating her, he went immediately in the direction of the room Kit suggested. Serial killer or not, he would at least have Iris obey. And he was thinking not at this point...

"Here," he said, shifting from her elbow to her hand. He slapped the cellphone he had with him into it. "Take this. Call me if you're actually going to pass out." He corralled her into the room and shoved her head down. "Keep your head low." He left, going back into the kitchen area and straight to the chimera. As he went, his shoes crunched into the glass which any vacuum could easily handle. With serious, uncompromising eyes he held out a hand. "Give it here." Disregarding the first aid kit, he took the chimera's operation under his control, wielding the tweezers mercilessly. In a single fell swoop, he yanked out the remaining shards, limiting the pain to the best of his ability. In the process, however, he stupidly skimmed a piece against his palm, slicing it open from thumb to pinkie (or so it would have). Instead, a sheen of iridescent scales slithered over the surface of his hand, covering it in its entirety. Toss immediately frowned, pausing ever so slightly before discreetly hiding the onslaught of dragon scales, bleeding tiny rainbows all around the blood soaked glass. He threw away the leftovers, washing his hands and drying them. That was that.

Didn't seem like this guy was murderer. Strangely, his assumptions were off, leaving the chimera as innocent and relatively pathetic as they came. Just a little glass to take care of. Use a vacuum next time or as Iris said, a broom. Jeez. Complicating things. It was far more time consuming this way. Toss silently turned away, strangely inaudible. He immediately checked to make sure Iris was still alive before turning back to Kit with a wary smile. "Alright, plane's runnin' so I gotta to. Maybe I'll run into you again sometime." He stooped to retrieve his phone, shoving it into his pocket once more. "And probably you again since you're freakin' everywhere." With a backwards wave, Toss departed, stopping to leave them with just another thought. "Oh and, don't be so enthusiastic about glass; it's weird."

Iris couldn't hear a thing. Her heart was pounding so loudly in her ears, she couldn't even see straight. Everything was kind of a blur. How could she be so freaked out by the blood. BLOOD. It had been everywhere, it was her weakness or at least one of them. The man's mouth moved but Iris couldn't make out what he said. It was as if she were underwater. Her pink eyes slit some, trying to focus, attempting with all her might not to look like a complete idiot in front of both of them Suddenly she felt a warmth on her shoulder. "Just close your eyes." A voice lilted on her ears and caused her heart to skip a beat. It wasn't like there was anything more to it, but she found herself closing her eyes through the fog of her mind. Her body acted, instead of her mind. She was blank, mindlessly listening to his soft hint.

"Take deep breaths and count them. When you get to ten, start over." She nodded, and began counting. One. Two. His arm slid down her arm to her elbow. She felt her face burn in a different way. Three.. four... Her breathing slowed and the hammer in her ears softened to the babble of a creek in her own mind. Five. Six. "Here." She could feel him press something to her hands. She couldn't even remember when they'd reached the room. For a moment, her eyes were open, but then shut just as quickly. A wave of nausea had rolled into her stomach and for another second, she thought she'd lose herself there. Luckily, it was all regained once more. "Take this. Call me if you're actually going to pass out." She was half pushed to sit and place her head down. It was only then, that she realized how dizzy she truly felt to begin with. "Keep your head low." She managed a meek nod and then footsteps left the room. She was alone, it was okay. The blood was gone.

When she finally HAD lifted her head, she could feel fear shed away. She had to thank Toss. He'd been really.. kind to her. Well in an odd instance at least. Her eyes closed and she took a slow breath inwards. Okay, she could breathe again. That was a good sign. Her eyes fell to the phone in her hand. She flipped it on and though it looked as if she were being nosy, she instead, scrolled through the contacts list. It took her a moment and in fact, she wasn't sure what she was doing, BUT she stealthily pressed her number in, adding the name 'Iris' without a face. She didn't have time to save some sort of picture, NOR was she that concerned on it. It took a little more flicking through, before she could managed a steal of his number. She would have texted herself, but that would have been a bit conspicuous. Instead, she played around his phone until she finally figured out the number. She then grabbed a conveniently placed pen and wrote it under her shirt (so he wouldn't see it and look completely creepy). She could add the number into her phone later and text him.

"Alright, plane's runnin' so I gotta to. Maybe I'll run into you again sometime. And probably you again since you're freakin' everywhere. Oh and, don't be so enthusiastic about glass; it's weird." He nearly scared her out of her skin. Her eyes widened and she looked up sheepishly. "Alright. be safe." She managed, while he walked away. Her face ran scarlet while she could hear his words about the glass. OhGodhesawmelicktheglass. She had to hide her face for a minute. UGH that was embarrassing. He'd probably never let her live it down, either! AHHH! Her mind screamed at her. Meanwhile, she had regained her constitution and pushed herself up to her feet. On her way out, she made sure to check on the Cat-man to make sure he was okay. With that all said and done, she left the store.

[exit]