pantomathematics

_{———❝ YOU’RE A LIFESAVER. i thought — thought for sure… i wasn’t going to be able to hail a cab at this hour. ❞
soaked to the bone, the man slid clumsily into the shared backseat. his voice lingered on his vowels, slowed and slurred, though his eyes remained lucid. bits of colorful paper stuck wet to his clothes, illuminated by the overhead light until the door slammed shut and he was just the smell of liquor on his skin.}

_{❝ d’you come from the concert too? didn’t think it’d start raining before doors opened. ❞}

_{@insoucianx + andrei}

MAKI.

✿ He was only having a smoke break- he’d told her so himself, so why were the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end? Where was this endless sense of dread coming from? With her eyes transfixed on his every movement, Mio could only watch on helplessly as he played her right into his hands; made to bear witness to an ashen arm and stark white flames.

With a yelp, the girl hiked her knees upwards, balling herself up defensively. Despite her best efforts to erase their supernatural encounter from her mind, the damned spirit had returned. The girl was reeling- why was her teacher doing this to her? He had to have some form of control over that lionesque figure; it had deigned itself to light his cigarette for him, after all.

But then again, if that were the case, then shouldn’t he have been able to see it back then, in the school’s hallways? If he’d seen it, then he wouldn’t have pulled her out of class the day after to question her, because he would have known perfectly well what had frightened her so. That was, unless he was feigning innocence? Against her better judgement, Mio took his bait.

“Mr. Kaufman, did you see something strange just now..?”

———SHE’D FALLEN SO GRACEFULLY INTO HIS WEB. he almost wanted to play dumb and see what would happen. finishing his cigarette, the man tossed it beneath the tire of a moving car. green eyes averted, he entered the car and buckled in.

_{❝ …did you? ❞
it was a question that hung heavier than the metal trappings of the steel cage. smiling into the rear view mirror, the man adjusted it just so he could easily pull out from the tight space. eyes on the road, he never turned his gaze to look at the girl.}

❝ i saw something too. you may not even remember it, that day you dropped your pencil. ❞
he added, finally. stopped at a light not far from where they began, he let his eyes linger for half of a second. she was young, probably never realizing what it was she had. the innate ability of a stand often manifested in youth, but there were some who only got it after some outside meddling. the stand arrow.

❝ i saw an alien pick it up. ❞

WEIRD HOST.

_{“AHAH! THAT’S THE SPIRIT! LET’S GIVE HIM A HAND!” Alan addresses the audience with that trademark smile before turning back to the new contestant and gesturing to the empty seat. “SIT! You remember the rules, yes?”}

_{———❝ WELL, AT THE MOMENT. what good are rules if i won’t remember them? ❞
he quirked a brow, finding his seat beside a pair of faceless teammates. the screen buzzed bright, elliot scrolling through power after power until he landed on one very familiar ability.}

_{❝ may i change the color of my fire? ❞}

DRUID.

_{It wasn’t unusal for such a response to come after a such a casual introduction such as zheirs. The redhead supposed that in the future it would be best to save the fact that zhey could sense other’s abilities and species after a moment of concentration in a thought bubble until the proper amount of trust was garnered, but that was for next time certainly.}

_{The more pressing matter was this man; zhey didn’t know who he was. Only that he carried an immense amount of power within and there was darkness in his soul. But was he a threat? That was the real question.}

_{“Well, I’m what you might call… ‘complicated.’ More importantly, I am a Druid… one of the last remaining true practitioners I’m afraid. As for how I can tell what you were, the signature you give off is quite loud so to speak- it’s a wonder that nothing else in this area has reacted to it.”}

_{———❝ I WASN’T AWARE I EVEN HAD A SIGNATURE. i only notice when others have one. ❞
the pain at his neck, like a fire burning once more. he’d been scarred there long ago, its significance still remaining as a sort of dowsing rod for the supernatural and arcane. he often times ignored the pain, instead seeking out the occult on his own terms. here, however, the occult sought him out. stranger things happen everyday.}

_{❝ my name is elliot. elliot kaufman. ❞
german, as the name indicated. his accent was hardly noticeable beneath the many years of practice. still, it came out when he let his guard down, which hadn’t quite happened just yet.}

❝ i’m a jew, and despite the diaspora, i think we might be a little better off than the druids numbers-wise. ❞
he smiled at that, crossing his arms to clarify his statement.

❝ my magic and my religion are two very different things. i like to keep the peas separate from the potatoes. ❞

COFFEE DRINKER.

“Haven’t had my coffee yet, not up for talking.”

@faustium

_{———❝ THAT’S HARDLY AN EXCUSE. decaf or espresso? ❞}

INCREDIBLE.

scaring the other was never tiki’s intentions, or he assumed that the other was scared. he caught the falling kit right before it collided with the ground. but not with his hands, he caught it with his MIND. then the kit flew to him, it almost appeared sentient. Now the small container rests in his hands.

❝ … it’s okay.

❞

_{———IT’S A SIGHT HE NEVER DREAMED HE’D SEE FROM THIS POINT OF VIEW. weightless, the tin box floated just shy of the ground, lifting up towards the young man. he’d used just a bit of power to dislodge the splinter, enough for his friend here to notice, it seemed. his test passed, yet he was still reeling from the sheer coincidence of it all.}

_{❝ you’re incredible… ❞}

TRUST FALL.

with quite literally no hesitation , mau grabbed his wrist rather than his hand the moment it was offered . the sights had already been seen and she had a new interest now ; finding out whatever he thought she was . ( a little girl ? a riddle ? a monster ? ) .

“ if there’s no plausible way to get down , then i was thinking of jumping . it wouldn’t hurt me , just like you can’t . “

_{———A STARE JUST BELOW A GAWK. he almost shook her off by mere reflex alone, how she grabbed his wrist so suddenly. sliding closer, he took her other hand and turned his gaze below. this place was secluded enough, but it was never bad to get some added assurance.}

❝ i don’t intend to get you hurt. ❞
he pursed his lips, slowly lifting one leg so that both could hang over the edge of the branch.