Apprentice? You're kidding...[Runo]

[Gale Austin McCenry]

43rd of Fall, 512 A.V
Zeltiva's Streetd
Late Evening

It was starting to get rather late, so as usual, you’d see a young blonde cutting through alleyway to go back to his room at the Grotto. The artist always tried to be cautious when walking in the alleys when it starts to get dark. Anything could happen in these side streets.

Gale should know, after all. Horrifying images flash through his repetitive mind every time he walked through these narrow passageways. Every moment he stays in an alley the feeling of bloody on his hands and arms seem to grow more real and he feels like upchucking. The regret of his actions clearly has taken its toll, though the physical outcomes have passed. He can at least sleep at night and the young man no longer looks so tired that he could fall asleep through a storm while at sea. The mental scares will most certainly never be erased naturally, leaving Gale with the sickening memories of his behavior when his mind turned against common sense. The horrid grin he wore watching the life slowly slipping away from the husbands eyes. The piece of glass he still possessed back at his room, tucked away in the back of his little desk. Why the widower kept the glass had been shoved to the back of his mind but not forgotten. He needed a reminder of the repulsions that lurked in the city. Death was inevitable when around him, whether it was natural or not.

Gale groaned softly at himself after realizing he had spaced off again. Spacing out could get one in a heap of trouble. Being slightly paranoid when in the alleys, Gale started to question why he even took these shortcuts in the first place. He didn’t mind walking, and he didn’t mind the crowds as long as they didn’t talk to him. He supposed it was the night he didn’t feel comfortable with. Death has a better chance of choking you at night. It has a special force to it that makes you feel melancholy and not care. When you don’t care…That’s when you lose everything.

Glancing over his shoulder, Gale continued to slip through the buildings till he met another semi-busy street. Slipping through the crowd to cross the street and go into the next alley, Gale avoided contact as much as possible, as would most people. The chattering of people’s talks and footsteps softened as he hastily walked down the passageways. The Grotto wasn’t very far; the sky was purples and blues. But much like many other hopes Gale had had, his hopefulness to be back before the sun set fully and the blanket of stars coming out was shattered when he turned a corner and saw….

“What are you doing?” Gale questioned without thinking twice. Was this person drawing on the wall?

[Runo]

“What are you doing?” For just a moment the darkness lifted. For just a single brilliant moment the hatred was not there, neither was the madness. But almost instantly despair overtook her, holding her tight to his unwelcoming bosom; she knew that this single moment of blissful awareness would not last; and soon she would succumb back into her darkness once more. Symbols, how long had she been etching them into the alley wall? Judging by the fact that her hand and wrist were a bloody mess… she had been here a while… What was it that had momentarily awoken her from the nightmare that was her life? Surely not the blonde man who now stood before her with an inquiring look upon his face… surely not… “Hello,” she whispered slowly, her voice cracked and hollow, “My name is Runo, and I do nothing, it’s a calming practice, vandalism you know,” she dropped the random stone in which she had been carving with, massaging her bloody wrist with her free hand. “Are you okay?” “…It calms… I am lost.” The blonde boy raised one of his eyebrows, but said nothing. They stood in awkward silence for a few moments, studying each other, sizing one another up. “In what way are you lost?” he spoke with great pain in his voice, subtle anger overshadowed his generally pleasing face making him appear much older then he probably really was, “are you looking for someone? Do you need directions?” Runo shivered, hugging her cloak to her slender body; was it always this cold? “I am lost in two ways old man. No directions required for Runo, do not waste your breathe.” “Old man?” “Do not fret old man, I simply refer to the fact you appear much older than I. Your face is still pretty, but not lovely, there is too much darkness there for it to be lovely. I would suggest you to smile; that might do the trick, alas by the way you frown at me that might be out of the question.” The moment passed.

[Gale Austin McCenry]

It struck Gale as a little odd- no, not odd. Unnatural for someone to write on the wall with a rock so much or for so long that their hands becoming smothered in bloody. Apparently even enough to drip to the ground and roll down her wrists. It was Gale’s first instinct to leave the insane girl where she was. Allow…Runo to continue scratching her hands and vandalizing the wall. And he was going to as well, till she started talking to herself.

Everything she said seemed to be in an over dramatic, mad tone. Extended pauses and odd ways of wording things. In summary, she was lost and drawing on the wall and cutting her wrists was calming. She continued to emphasize how lost she was by stating she was so in two different ways after an extended moment of silence between the two.

His eyebrow raised in confusion. Old man? Where did that come from? If he was old he wondered what older men and women were to the teen. She minus well call him Harry while she was at is. Harry the old man. Harry the Bloody Eyed Old Man. Watch, the next thing he’s going to be called is fat.

After being told not to fret, Gale rolled his eyes. This girl clearly was hearing some sort of voice that wasn’t from him. But he supposed someone saying he had a pretty face but not lovely was better than being called chubby. He knew he wasn’t the best looking and he was fine with that.

She quickly moved on to a new subject in a matter of one or two sentences. Smile? Ha! She could work on doing so as well. Hypocrites these days…

“I think you might want to see a healer. Not only would they help you with that hand problem of yours, they might also help you with the voices you’re hearing up there.” He tapped his head before turning around to walk away from the situation.

[Runo]

The darkness came back like it was never absent, it polluted her head, consumed her. The longing hatred crawling back to latch onto her heart relentlessly once more. Suddenly, the etchings on the wall! They made sense again… and the voices… they were back as well, pounding painfully against the sides of her head… Runo you’re such a clever girl… She resisted the urge to scream. Did you miss me my love? Now who is this interesting creature? He wants to get away from you … don’t let him… “I think you might want to see a healer. Not only would they help you with that hand problem of yours, they might also help you with the voices you’re hearing up there,” the blonde boy tapped the top of his head. Never mind…let him walk away… insolent …ignorant… stupid boy… “Healers are idiots old man… and there’s no cure for what’s up there,” she patted the top of her head smearing blood into her light brown hair, “you must think I’m mad, and truthfully, I’m not in the mood to lie, I am. Dreadfully mad.” “Well then it was nice meeting you Runo,” the blonde boy turned and started to walk away, shaking his head in disbelief of what he had just witnessed. “Wait, just stay and talk a bit longer to Runo. No one ever does, I don’t wanna be alone again,” she reached out towards him childishly, shocked at his quick departure. Poor Runo, all the boys walk away from you, don’t they? Apparently I’m the only one that can appreciate a pretty face; poor, poor Runo. “Old man?” despite her cries the blonde boy didn’t pause, “stop! Please? Old man! Listen to me! You need me!”

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Gale wished to laugh at her comment about healers. In a way, the murderer wished to say the same, but he knew that they were far from idiotic. They might not be able to cure everything but they do save lots of people…But she was probably right. She’s one of those people you can’t fix.

Indeed, Gale thought she was mad. Not only did he think she was mad, he knew she was mad. Dreadfully mad indeed. Maybe even more so than a certain someone, and that’s saying something. Gale had no more business with mad people, so he continued to walk out of the alley even though she requested him to stay to talk with her. He didn’t pay any heed to her outstretched arm that wanted him to come back.

Then she pleaded. Cried for him to stay. Told him that he needed her. In what way did he need her? The artist was puzzled and stopped, thinking of how she would even know whether or not he needed help. It was obviously a pitiful attempt to get him to stay, but he should at least hear her out.

With a sigh, he turned around and question, “How so? How could I need your assistance? Do tell, I’d love to hear it.”

[Runo]

“How so? How could I need your assistance? Do tell, I’d love to hear it.” Her last desperate plea had succeeded she grinned slyly when he stopped, her eyes glinting rather cat-like in the darkness. So he would listen to Runo? “Curious much? Old man, you and I, we are very similar,” Runo cackled, talking more to the wall than to him; the blonde boy opened his mouth in protest but Runo cut him off, “now, now, hear me out! You are lost just like me, perhaps you have your stuck-up head screwed on right, but deep down, we’re shockingly similar.” The blonde at first said nothing, but finally, after a pause of awkward silence, he spoke, “go on why do I need you?” The boy is so rude… poor Runo… Runo circled around the boy, bouncing, and poking him in his sides, “You are alone… something is hanging over you. You have nothing, and your head is a jumbled mess. Ha! It sounds like I’m describing…” she paused, taking a breath of horror, “oops! I did…not get blood on your cloak!” Wow that’s quite a lot of blood on his cloak… You are a charmer my lovely… Laughing in madness Runo stumbled slamming her head into the alley wall. “Hey! Stop that!” “It is fate that we met old man, and only fools defy fate,” she spun around much more quickly than he anticipated, grabbing his chin with her skinny hand, forcing him to look into her eyes, “now I shall become your apprentice old man! And neither of us shall feel as lonely as we really are.”

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Similar. That’s a funny way of describing this relationship. Gale would think of it more of…a contrasting relationship. Gale had problems and a different way of thinking things through but this… girl had it all wrong. What happened to her head, misuse of magic perhaps? He hears it happens. Maybe she should be kept at the asylum. At least she wouldn’t hurt herself there, unlike now when she hit her head.

Gale tried to push her blood-spattered hand away before she got blood on him but it proven to fail. With a roll of his eyes in disappointment. Why must he go through so many shirts? What ever happened to the time where he didn’t have to spend a lot on clothes? Now it seems he has to buy clothes every other day! It was starting to get on Gale’s nerves.

It was peculiarly accurate how she described himself, though. The general idea of him more like. It was either that she had some sort of magic to allow her to read his mind and thoughts or she was guessing. Trying to make him seem more similar then he really was. Either way, Gale didn’t like it.

She whipped around on her heels and then grabbed his chin, getting more of her gore on him. Grabbing her wrist firmly, he pushed it away. This dancing girl wasn’t going to make him look at himself and be reminded of what he did. Yes, he was a fool, he didn’t deny it. Allowing himself to become a part of someone’s rotten plans. But he wasn’t going to get involved with this one, whatever she had going on in her decaying little brain. There wasn’t a chance that this crazy lass was going to be in any sort of relationship with him besides strangers, let alone an apprentice.

He stepped back, glaring coldly,” Go back to your putrid drawings. Neither of us have any business with the other. Find someone else to be lonely with.” He headed towards the alley’s entrance once more but keeping both eyes on her. He had no idea what her reaction might be. Worst case scenario, she doesn’t take it kindly and attempts to kill him. Wouldn’t be surprising either if it ends up being so.

[Runo]

Flames, they rose around her yet again, licking her skin and singeing her hair. Screams filled her head, she was a wicked girl, wicked, wicked, wicked. Shaking her head to dispel her visions of the past Runo looked up. The blonde boy was striding away from her yet again; Runo’s heart sank deep into her stomach. She was already rather fond of him, and truly wished to become his apprentice. Crossing her slender arms over her chest she sank down to the grimy ground, resting her head against the cold rocky wall in defeat. If it means anything to you, I would’ve stayed. It was a pity really, even though the blonde boy took absolutely no measures to hide his intolerance and hatred of her, he had already said “nicer” (or really, more pleasant) things than those that had been sneered at her since her father had passed… “Do you fear Runo because she is mad? Do you fear the frail strength-less thing that calls after you? Or do you just hate her?” Runo sighed, “I’ll say this once more, and we are very similar.” This is why you love me, isn’t it? I wouldn’t ever leave you, but of course I can’t anyways… Pouting, Runo determined that she would employ only a single last plea. Things swarmed in her head, things to shout out, things to make him stay, “is your heart as black as your words old man? Do you no longer wish for company?” as hard as she attempted to keep it down, a mad cackle arose from her lips as she spat her next words at his retreating figure, “did you know that sane people provide the worst company? Sane people converse about dark things, packed with meanings; sane people betray, you feel for sane people, you’d cry for sane people. In short, sane people are no fun. On the other hand mad people provide amusement and if they were to be struck and killed no one would even think of shedding a tear. You can teach me to be sane if you'd like!"

[Gale Austin McCenry]

Gale rolled his eyes and continued walking. He was in no way similar to her and he wasn’t going to stay for her to explain it. Until she questioned his heart. He hesitated but moved one, she apparently following him to continue her explanation.

He didn’t have a black heart. Just one that that was neither black nor white. It was somewhere in the gray, trying to find to help it along. He didn’t mind company. He just had a preference for ones who had a fully functioning brain.

And then more nonsense poured in, filling him with rage. Turning on his heals to look at the girl with pure fury, he hissed,” There is nothing wrong with being sane nor is there anything wrong with having feelings for someone else!” Gale threw his hands in the air,” Having a brain that actually work is much more “fun” then having none at all! At least you could grasp the concept of the word in the first place!” The blonde put extra emphasis on “fun” to get his point across,” You wanna know why people don’t care for the insane? You wanna know why people don’t shed a tear? Because crazy people have no true feelings! You scamper the streets like some animal who has no instincts or will to keep its own life and mind!” Turning once again, he trudged forward to head towards his home once again. The sky was dark now, making Gale even more eager to be on his way home and be done with this…pest. “And you can’t give someone back what they had already lost. Sanity is gift, people who neglect it have it taken away. Teaching someone to be sane is near impossible.” He concluded, hoping she wouldn’t press further with this apprentice nonsense.

[Runo]

Runo was never one for much of a temper, even in the most stressful of situations; she took pride in her “ability” to remain absolutely calm. Well, as calm as you could be as a mad person. But the old man’s words had offended her. Animal? No, no, Runo was no animal; and sanity was not a gift. This blonde knew nothing, she had long determined that sanity was but a price, a price she had long paid and done away with. “Animal? Is that what Runo is?” her blood was boiling, her insides seethed with venomous rage, “I’m not pretending that my life has been overly stocked with honorable deeds boy! But can you even imagine some of the things I’ve seen perfectly sane people do? Sane people try to take Runo! Stab her! Do you want to see my scars old man? I’ve seen plenty of sane people murder on another! Drive a knife into someone else’s heart…” Shaking horribly Runo stopped dead in her tracks, her head hurt, bad. She pressed her fingers against the sides of her head, massaging her temples to no avail. So she was just an animal? Just a brainless creature? She had more brains in her head than most of her fellow pitiful mortals! Raising her head to the sky she shrieked/laughed hysterically. Miserable creature… I understand… Bam! Runo took one hand from her hand and struck the wall to her right, cutting up her knuckles. Why did his words bother her so bad? Bam! Perhaps she truly was… no… “The voices did not always exist; they came about when there was need for them. And my hatred was inserted there, in my heart,” Runo pressed her palm over her quickly beating heart, “in short I am a product of sane people.” She spread her arms out wide, her crazed eyes and the red sticky blood dripping down her arms and her youthful, beautiful face making a rather grotesque contrast.