Mirror, mirror, in the River. (Ren, closed)

[Era]

A musky aroma filled the air of this town. As always, the sky loomed with an ever-present darkness. This darkness, however, was the gentle type. It didn't carry the itch of evil.

Axel found himself on the outskirts of this beautiful little world, residing around the ruins of an old building. An emerald river flowed along the edges of this particular area, tumbling along its way to a darkened canal.

With the liquid rolling as it was, making out his image was difficult. It seemed that in this world, his colors had gone pastel. He could also see that his tear marks had faded to black. Small white fangs jutted out at the corners of his top lip. His outfit, too, had undergone a transformation when he'd arrived.

Undoubtedly, he had been modeled as a Vampire. And strange, really, however fitting that was.

[winterlovesong]

Like liquid, a sleek, black shape descended upon this strange new world, melting into the dark sky, seemingly unnoticable. For a moment, it seemed merely like a giant bird of prey, but that was not the case, when under further scrutiny. It was actually a ship, an airship, with sleek black wings and a small body, too small to be a merchant vessel or part of an army fleet. On the side, the only part of this vehicle that was not black stood out - two red words that flashed a bloodred under the light of the moon. The Wren.

The ship touched down lightly on the edge of a forest. Despite its smooth landing, it was obvious that it had been in worse cases than this - scratches, dents, and other unpleasantries marked up the sides. To the pirate who commanded this vessel, they were war scars, and things to treasure.

Ren stepped out of the craft, examining this new world ahead of her. It had a dark feel to it, though not necessarily bad, and that suited the dark-haired pirate just fine.

She took another step, a breeze ruffling her short, tangled hair...and suddenly she felt different, like something had changed about her. She glanced down her form and could not hold back a gasp of surprise. Her black top had been ripped up, one shoulder strap nothing more than thread, and a great slash right over her stomach. Her shorts had elongated into pants, and also turned black; there was also a great hole where her right knee was. Her eye patch was gone, though she couldn't recall leaving it on her ship. Her skin was stark white, alabastor against the blackness of her clothing and the night, a huge, noticable contrast.

But the greatest change of all were the two wings protruding from her back.

For Ren, this was an excellent discovery. Even if the wings couldn't lift her up off the ground - they were too small - it was a good feeling to have wings, something she'd always dreamed of. The feathers were black, too, though some were red, and all of them had a sleek feel to them. It seemed like Ren was some kind of harpy, and she didn't mind that.

And so, she started her search, her now-bare feet trodding lightly on the ground, as if she weighed even less than she did before. She liked this new world, with its transformations and spooky air. She'd have to write this one down on her list of worlds to revisit. But now was not the time for tourism; she had to remember what she came here for. Find Rook.

Subconsciously, her hand reached down to touch her munny pouch hanging from her black belt, which had stayed the same. Inside was an old, worn out card - the Queen of Diamonds. Rook had given it to her for luck, and also teasingly called her "sister". As much as she hated to admit it, she enjoyed that familiarity, which she'd been missing for a while. Now, that card was one of her most prized possessions.

Trekking on, Ren inhaled deeply, and suddenly caught a quite distinct smell - kind of like fire, but it was hidden by the musky scent of the whole world. And yet, it was a familiar smell to her, though not well-known...

Narrowing her eyes, she continued alongside the poisonous green river, one of her hands straying to her dagger, which had also stayed the same in this world. She paused in front of the old abandoned house, inhaling deeply, and frowning. The smell was close now.

However - because sometimes she can just be idiotic like that - she did not think to check the house behind her, rather folded her arms, her posture tense, not realizing the person she was seeking unknowingly was right behind her.

[Era]

Schkf. Schkf. Schkf.

The sound of encroaching feet became evident as it peeked above the dull drolling of the river. The Nobody was busy eyeing his makeover when the noise reached his ears, and a pair of jade eyes scanned upward, directly toward the incoming stranger. His arms folded, and the Nobody inspected this new arrival... Who, obviously, had no clue her back was to him.

The Nobody simply put one closed hand to his mouth and cleared his throat. The girl seemed to be alone, but being so incredibly olbivious, he had to wonder how she'd gotten very far at all.

[winterlovesong]

Deep red eyes snapped around to stare at the source of the noise, first with shock, then narrowed down to suspicion. White, bone-thin fingers fluttered down to touch the tip of the hilt of the dagger on the harpy-pirate's waist; it was a comforting feeling, reminding oneself that you're armed against potential dangers.

The pirate quickly took in the young man standing behind her. Tall, thin as a rail, and with an air of almost...feminity? He was nearly as pale as she was, and she quickly took in the dark, gothic look, complete with fangs. Was this creep masquerading as a vampire? Pfft, how predictable in a world as dark and seemingly ominous as this.

And yet, maybe he hadn't asked for that specific appearance change. Ren never asked to be a harpy (though she could not complain about how this world had turned out, no matter how much she dearly loved to complain); nor did she ask to be a tiny dove in an African desert.

That memory of the savannah a year ago had somehow lodged in Ren's mind, and she tipped her head to one side, her hand resting warningly on her dagger, trying to pinpoint the familiarity. She frowned, her brow puckering, her lips pursed. A dark, cat-like animal flashed through her mind's eye, complete with that spicy scent she had smelled earlier...then the vision was gone.

But the spicy aroma stayed.

She wrinkled her nose, chasing away the nostalgia, and leaned forward a bit, her narrowed eyes mistrusting. Being the blunt pirate she was, she uttered the first phrase that came to mind, without bothering to think about the consequences:

"Who are you?"

Her tone of voice was rather belligerent, as it was a question that demanded the truth. Her very posture said so.

[Era]

Unfortunately, the familiarity was one-sided. This kid, to the Flurry, seemed like a total stranger. Cute, but a total stranger.

Ever-so-slightly, the Nobody leaned forward, exhibiting an enchanting smile. His fingers curled into a loose fist, his thumb jabbing at his chest. "Name's Axel. Pleased to meet you." His hands found their familiar perch, resting on his hips. He was lathered in charm, part natural, and part staged. "...And what sort of name might be gifted to a lady as beautiful as yourself?"

[winterlovesong]

Hnh. So he was one of those guys.

Ren barely took notice of the bell of familiarity ringing in the back of her mind - she was too preoccupied with her upper lip curling in distaste and leaning backwards, away from the redhead. She was still suspicious, but distaste was layered across her tongue, making her throat dry.

This first impression wasn't working out too well.

You see, the pirate didn't bode well with flirtatious guys. Sure, she could flirt if she wanted to, but she really wasn't in the mood. And besides, the guy had to be out of his mind to flirt with her and call her "beautiful". To Ren, even being called a girl was a compliment, because she was so often either mistaken as a boy or being taunted because of her rather manly aspects. She was really a girl at heart, but a tough girl.

Still...she was too smart to be flattered by such an empty praise, but the tiniest bit of heat snaked up her neck and cheeks - the customary blush Ren had whenever angered, flattered, or flustered.

For the moment, it seemed to be all three.

"Ren," the pirate growled, taking a small step back - to get away from the close range, but not big enough to fall into the emerald river. "Nice to meet you too...Axel."

Her tone was lathered with sarcasm.

[Era]

"Ren," It seemed to ring a distant bell. "How fitting." And the name, oddly enough, was fitting. Especially considering the birdlike apparel this little firecracker was wandering about in.

As for his reasons for being here. . . Well, he had one, besides for a simple getaway, but that would be voiced at another time. One gloved hand found its way to the gap between the both of them. That was customary in an introduction, was it not?

[winterlovesong]

Hnn. Well, she wasn't about to argue with that statement; after all the name "Ren" was very fitting for her, if she did say so herself. "Arwen", on the other hand, wasn't, and it was the typical misfortunate name she had been so blessed with. Of course. Nothing ever went totally right for the sky pirate.

Ren eyed his hand with something akin to disgust (but not quite), but she did not hesitate in meeting his with her own and grasping his hand in a firm, brisk shake. She let go of his hand a bit too quickly.

After a moment of silence, the pirate realized she should probably speak. "Right," she said, folding her arms, her tone and expression still on the hostile side as she glanced warily at Axel. "I'd better get going now..."

But where she was going, she did not know.

[Era]

The Nobody tossed his hands behind his duller, messy arrangement of spikes. "Okay," his feet carried him carelessly along the poison river. The direction was of no real consequence, he was just assuming a role of aloofness.

After all, he couldn't stop her. And even if he did, who was to say she held anything of value to him? The answer was: No one. But still . . . Something about this girl gave off a strange sensation in the pit of his twig for a stomach.

[winterlovesong]

Ren was fully prepared to march away.

She was.

But, stupidly...she hesitated, glancing after the redhead. Unbeknownst to Axel, she had a slight twinge in her stomach, too. She wondered if it was because he was simply radiating a familiarity...that might be it.

Well, whatever it was, she wasn't a fool; she knew this sort of feeling wouldn't go away until she had satisified it. So, after a moment of deliberation, she found her feet carrying her towards the redhead.

"Wait!" the pirate blurted out, glancing up at him. A look of confusion passed between her eyes, her brow furrowing, as if he was a problem she was trying to solve. Her head tipped to one side.

"Haven't we...met before?"

[Era]

The Nobody's face contorted with confusion as he took a second look at the small female. One hand took a liking to his hip, the other rested his chin between his thumb and forefinger in a considering manner. "Don't think so," blurted the redhead. He'd decided that was enough thinking, and continued on his way.

"I'd definitely remember somebody as unique as you." His stroll was slow and contented... As though this Nobody didn't have a care in the world.

[winterlovesong]

Surprisingly, Ren felt disappointed. He didn't know her? But she was sure she'd met him before, however brief...

The leopard flashed across her mind again, and then she was filled with her customary emotion of annoyance. Somehow, if she'd met him before, he'd irritated her. Well, it's not that hard to do, she conceded reluctantly.

Then she glared at him as he started walking away. "Hey, what's that s'posed to mean?" she growled, keeping pace with him, her hands on her hips. " 'Unique'? Are you making fun of me?"

She was annoyed by his careless nature. Hello, she was right in front of him - well technically to the side - couldn't he be bothered to look at her when he was talking?

Something about this guy wound her up...

[Era]

His pace stopped again, an edge of anger rising in the pit of his stomach. This girl seemed to be hyper-sensitive to every little response. Perhaps she just wanted to be bullied? If that was it, he could play into it. The tone of his voice broke into sarcasm as he spoke; most likely out of spite for the spunky Sky Pirate. "No. But I can throw out some insults, or make up stories about your close family members, if it would make you feel more at home."

[winterlovesong]

Ren slipped in front of him as he spoke, taking advantage of his stopped position. She folded her arms and craned her neck up, so as to glare fiercely at him. Yeah, yeah, maybe she took more insults than anything about neutral phrases, but so what?

"Oh, look who's so funny," she retorted dispassionately. "You should be a clown. You do got the makeup thing going on." She tapped the space underneath one of her eyes, referring to those odd little triangles.

Okay, maybe that was a little bit rude - all right, a lot rude - but Ren was seriously annoyed. She didn't know why, but this guy...he just got her blood pressure up. It was kinda exhilarating.

[Era]

"Clown?!" The Vampire scoffed. Faster than a speeding bullet, the Nobody had disappeared. Or he'd made it seem as if he did.

Taking advantage of his unseen position, he leaned over the girl's shoulder from behind, breaking that personal bubble as a gruff whisper came into play. "--I'd say more like Joker." That twisted smirk never left his features. He was a sly dog... and loving every minute of it.

He took this time to scan her for weapons. Another deal he'd made involved them, so he figured he'd go ahead and browse. Bargains were best made when there was an illusion of mutual benefit. He'd have to find something she thought she needed, and then offer her exactly that.

This game was to work like a carrot on a stick. Theoretically, anyway.