Wayward
Punished GN
High Moon
AtomicEmperor
ScreenAcne
WhiteAngel25
Qia
Atrophy
LexisheepsAislin Rose & Haruka Takashiro.
(collaboration between @Estylwen and @tsukune)
Greencrest Heights, White Coast_“So, you’re telling me you let her go?” Aislin said, waving her hand as she pressed a phone to her ear.
“Correction, I gave her an extended leave.” Hallmark’s professionalism couldn’t hide the annoyance in his tone.
Aislin smirked. “And you want me to look into her activities prior to this, apparent, shitstorm?”
“Yes. The leads will be sent to your tablet.”
“Consider it done. But I gotta say, Hallmark… I think you’re getting soft.”
“No, my dear CT, I’m simply playing my cards. Rhea is a unique case, but never has an agent been ignorant enough to break their word.”
“...Very good, boss. I’ll contact you if I find anything.” Aislin said. She pulled the phone from her ear, pressing the ‘end call’ button. A part of her feared for Rhea; Hallmark was a black wolf when things didn’t go his way. Aislin reviewed the first lead on her phone: Thanks-A-Latte.
Haruka was completely lost in his own world when he finally stepped out of the cafe, a crushed paper napkin in his balled-up fist. The lady who introduced herself as Xing Huo, a 'Fire Spirit' for some cult called Polaris, had left her number on the napkin. "Give me a call whenever you're ready - because you know that you can't run away from your past, your destiny... no matter how hard you try," was what she had said before she left giggling.
Was this what his brother had been trying to hide from him? That their family was a part of a dangerous Asian organization which had finally caught up with them?
...And the sickening revelation that the two of them were not natural Metahumans, but unexpected products from a supposedly failed 'ritual'. Now that their powers had awakened and matured, they wanted them back to join them, the real family.
He felt complicated right now. Shizuka had been trying so hard to keep him out of this danger... but now they were going to use him to threaten his twin.
...He just didn't know what to think anymore.
He would have to find a way to get Shizuka to talk to him, face to face: about everything he had been hiding from Haruka all these while, about Polaris, about their mother. And it was about time he started to come clean with his brother, about the things he knew from Jennifer and Rori...
Who knows, maybe all these things are only parts of a bigger picture, a bigger conspiracy...
He was so engrossed mulling over all these new information that he didn't watch where he was going and walked straight into someone; the bump was hard enough to jerk him out of his own thoughts.
While Haruka exited the building, Aislin stepped up. As both were absent-minded, they managed to stumble into each other’s way, knocking Aislin from her daydream. In the middle of a smiling apology, Aislin took in the person she half-trampled. He seemed normal, for all intents. Except... Aislin swore she recognised him. Pulling out a tablet, she stared at the screen, then back at the man. She gasped.
"Ah, sorry, my bad," Haruka apologized hurriedly, then gave her a confused look from the way she was staring back and forth between him and her tablet.
“Oh my God, you’re the guy! And to think I’d find you here, of all coincidences.” Aislin said, pointing her finger enthusiastically at him. “I, uh—” she blushed, shifting to offer a handshake. “I’m Aislin.”
Haruka returned the handshake, but he continued to stare at Aislin curiously. "I'm Haruka. So, uh, are you looking for me?" What a strange night tonight - that there was more than one person who was looking for him...
Aislin beamed, tapping on her tablet for a moment. “Yes, yes indeed. I think you’re the only person who can help me right now, Haruka.”
She showed him the tablet, a huge image of Rhea taking up the screen. “Do you recognise this woman?”
Haruka raised an eyebrow. "Yes," he breathed, recalling his awkward conversation with Jennifer at the cafe counter before this lady in the picture snapped them out of it, and then he realized that he had been hogging the counter for too long. "I remember her. Is she a friend of yours?"
“Yes. Her name is Rhea; she’s, hmm… gone missing.”
Haruka looked up at from the tablet to Aislin. Missing? "I'm... sorry to hear that." Then he shook his head. "I have never seen her after that day in the cafe, when she left together with some African-American man." There was no way anyone who was in the cafe on that day would be able to forget that man... not with such a loud and flashy entrance.
Aislin pursed her lips, flicking the screen. “Was it this guy?” The image was much fuzzier as it was taken from the security tape, but it showed the definition of an African man sitting with a drink, head turned to show his faded mohawk.
Haruka stared at the screen, unblinking. "That's him! This... Where did you get this from?" He frowned at Aislin. "Who are you? What's going on?"
“Please don’t think ill of me.” Aislin smiled sheepishly, tucking the tablet away in her purse. “I have a kind benefactor that wants to see Rhea returned safely home. She’s also my friend. As it stands, you are the sole person that’s interacted with her.”
A couple with a dog walked within hearing range, alerting Aislin. She moved away from the cafe building, gesturing for them to walk. Their discussion was private, after all.
Meeting Haruka’s suspicious eyes with an earnest face, Aislin continued. “Did she say anything to you? Where they were going?”
Haruka relaxed when he was certain that this lady wasn't a bad person. He looked off to one side. "No, we didn't really talk to each other, because I was with... someone else," he began. "But I think I saw your friend treating the man to a drink--- Ah, there is something else I remembered."
He turned to face Aislin. "That man... I can feel something about him, some sort of power. He felt like a walking storm. I think he can manipulate weather, or something similar." That was the other impression that African-American had left on him - the air current that suddenly went wild in the store when that man entered, and he had to use his own air power to suppress the unnatural turbulence.
Aislin whistled, giving the street a quick glance. “You’re brave to use the ‘P’ word, especially with the way baselines are feeling nowadays.”
The mention of ‘feeling’ weather-manipulation piqued Aislin interest. She tilted her head, grinning. “So if I heard that right, all four of us are special. Rhea’s a meta. The African and you must be as well, if what you felt is correct.”
Always lovely to bump into another one who understands. Aislin thought.
"I knew exactly how it felt like being a baseline," he muttered under his breath, soft enough for only himself to hear. Then he spoke louder, "'Special', huh... I never really thought of it that way. Even with these powers, we are still no different from a mere human being." It just became another tool for people to hurt others in order to attain their selfish desires, to amplify their greed for even more power...
He shook his head slightly to clear those thoughts from his mind. "What are yours and your friend's abilities? For me..." He stopped in his tracks, opened his palm with the ball-up napkin, and created a mini-tornado that spun the napkin ball around his hand. "I'm an air manipulator. That's why I can feel that man's superpower."
I'm getting cynical vibes... Aislin mused as Haruka spoke. Their path led them to a small park within the city. She watched the napkin spin on the spot, intrigue on her face.
"But he didn't feel you? It must be a trait exclusive to your power set." She said, tapping her chin. "Rhea's, well, a healer. But it's more than just bruises and scrapes. Real crazy to watch, I'll tell ya."
Haruka blinked at Aislin's question about his power. "I... don't know. I don't purposely keep my power active all the time... other than the 'feeling' part. That is passive." He perked up a little upon hearing that her friend was a healer, and that reminded him of someone. "I guess that is handy," he mused. "I bet it is crazy to watch how broken limbs can just join back together so quickly and seamlessly, as good as new."
She nodded. "I get 'cha. In Rhea's case, though, it makes her a tad reckless."
They approached a bench in a sheltered part of the greenery, Aislin setting her purse on it. She rifled through it before pulling out a realistic plushy, briefly showing it to Haruka. Aislin placed the cat on the bench, and without another word, gave it a long stare. Just as the silence was getting uncomfortable, the cat suddenly meowed as it came to life. Leaping down, it playfully pawed at Haruka's shoe.
Aislin snickered. gesturing to the cat. "Dare you to take a wild guess at what just happened."
Haruka had wondered what Aislin was doing when she took out a plush-cat and merely stared at it; he nearly jumped when the cat suddenly mewed and played around at his feet. He watched the cat in awe. "This... is amazing. Did you do something to give 'life' to it?" He was currently studying programming because of his interest in computers and software, but this was different. This felt too real to be a mere computer program.
He pocketed the napkin before he squatted down and held out a hand to touch the cat. "...Can I?"
"Aw, you think so?" Aislin said, eyes shining. "It's not as legit as Creation. I don't know if anyone's ever had that intense of a power."
The cat meowed again, tail waving passively. "She won't bite. Right, Missy?" Aislin said, chuckling. "What you're seeing is an animation. Missy simply responds to intent, and it's from years of practice that they appear 'life-like'."
Haruka tickled the cat under its chin, still wowed by how realistic it seemed and felt to him. "'Animation'? Is it like how a puppeteer controls their dolls, but with invisible strings in the form of your own thoughts?" He stroked the cat, and his face was slowly beginning to brighten up from the conflicted state since his conversation with Xing Huo.
"Similar. I've always felt it was more of a mental connection where objects are given programs and then run. Like the cute, cuddly program." Aislin laughed. On cue, Missy squirmed onto her back to bat at the man's fingers, head tilted with wide eyes.
"Mreow?"
Aislin straightened, noting the fading light. "Say, uh," she cleared her throat. "I'd still like to ask you a few more questions regarding my investigation. Would you be alright if we grabbed a drink?"
"Wait..." Aislin scrunched her eyes at Haruka. "Do you drink?"
Haruka couldn't help but let out a chuckle at her narrow look as he stood up. "I may not look like it, but I am already past the legal drinking age. I guess we Asians just don't look as old as our true age."
Aislin clapped her hands gleefully. "Perfect! Youthful looks is a wonderful thing. Let me put Missy to rest and we'll scope out a joint."
Down a couple blocks and across the street they found a cosy little pub. The brick building was on the old side, but a fresh, metallic sign reading ‘Mercer Tavern’ gave it an inviting appearance. Aislin and Haruka walked through the wood doors and up a flight of steps to the main area. It held a rustic-chic feel with the electric chandeliers and dark wood accents against the brick walls.
“Table for two, please,” Aislin told the hostess.
“Sorry, your friend's a bit too young to enter, Miss.” The lady said, gesturing to Haruka.
Haruka was used to this; letting out a sigh, he simply whipped out his ID card to the hostess. The lady scrutinized the face on his card and looked up at him suspiciously, but she still let them into the bar in the end.
They sat at a table near the corner, with a perfect view of the front door and a fire escape to the left. A brunette came by with menus and inquired about drinks.
"First round'll be on me," Aislin said. "I'll start off with a Caesar."
"...I guess I'll have the same as you," Haruka winked at Aislin. "And see who will get drunk first." It had been a while since he had actually let loose of himself, putting away the polite and softspoken image he had been wearing his whole life (no, even so, he was still nowhere as blatantly rude and unforgiving as his sardonic twin). He really felt like drowning himself in some alcohol, to wash away all the annoying dark thoughts churning inside his mind...
Aislin laughed, shaking her head at Haruka. "Drunk, huh? Well, let's get business out of the way first, shall we?"
Before the waitress turned away, Aislin held up her hand. "I've changed my mind. Two Mojitos, por favor." The waitress just manged to hide an eye roll before walking away.
Aislin placed her hands on the table, relaxing in her seat. "For the record, I do appreciate you helping me out. We've figured out the man Rhea met was some type of meta. They left together. Did you happen to overhear any of their conversation, perhaps?"
"You did say that your friend has gone missing... and I know how it feels to lose a friend," Haruka waved her words of gratitude off, a slight sadness flashed across his face before the smile was put back on. "I'm sorry, I didn't try to listen in to their conversation... though at one point the man suddenly stood up, and he seemed upset at Rhea." He furrowed his brows, trying to pull out more of the cafe scene from his memory bank.
Aislin seemed puzzled. "Now that's strange. Rhea's known for her tact. Unless she wanted to upset someone, it simply wouldn't happen." In which Haruka could only shrug in response, since he didn't know the reason for the man's sudden outburst, either.
She sighed, peeking at her menu. "I'm thinking of getting an appetiser. Do you prefer anything?" It was more of a distraction than anything. The pieces she picked up about Rhea just weren't making sense. Not that she was frustrated, yet, but she didn't have enough clues.
"I can pretty much eat everything on the menu now," he joked lightly, then stopped when he noticed the expression on Aislin's face. "...Is there something wrong?"
Aislin playfully stuck out her tongue. "No." She glanced at the menu again before pushing it aside. "Rhea's just not making this easy. And I have a feeling... the person she met has something to do with her disappearance. This African meta. They talk, she goes home, and several hours later she's gone."
The waitress walked by their table with a tray, setting down two cold glasses. Aislin reached for hers, peering at the lime and crushed peppermint leaves through the ice.
"Are you two ready to order?" The waitress asked.
"We'll start with an appetiser. The stuffed mushrooms, please."
The brunette nodded, walking to the back. Aislin took a long sip of her Mojito, giving Haruka a humorous look. “So, what do you do for work? No wait... don’t tell me.” Her eyes narrowed in thought. “You’re drinking on a weeknight. Haven’t looked at a clock the entire time we’ve chatted. Are you self-employed?”
"I'm still studying in college... well, used to," Haruka took a sip of his drink before he replied slowly. The cocktail certainly made him feel a little more refreshed after a really long day today. He thought about how everyone in his course eventually found out that he was a Metahuman after the mall incident, which forced him to resign from school for 'safety reasons' (he was blamed for almost killing the hostages with the air vacuum). "I guess the only way to complete my studies is to go back to the Academy Program again."
He didn't want to do college through the academy - he was told that he had the potential to become a DOVE, but he wanted to learn more about other things like computers instead of just training on his power non-stop; besides, Shizuka would probably flip shit at him if he ever found out his twin had followed in his footsteps.
"How about you?" he asked, equally curious about why Aislin would be as free as him on a weeknight. "From the way you have been asking me questions - and also that photo of the man's footage you showed me just now - I take that you are a private investigator of sorts?"
Before replying, Aislin managed to polish off most of her drink. That does sound cool... Miss Rose, Private Investigator~
"Perceptive." Aislin nodded. "Mainly, I am whatever my company needs. Like a contractor, of sorts. Whatever you imagine investigators do, we do that and more."
The stuffed mushrooms arrived, along with a fresh drink for Aislin. With the smell wafting off the dish, it seemed the chefs outdid themselves. Crab meat, cream cheese and spices — Mmm. Two disappeared almost immediately.
"That sounds interesting," Haruka commented, then paused to down more of his own drink (he was used to drinking slowly, a skill to prevent himself from getting drunk too quickly). Then he continued, "Mind if I ask about the company you are working for?" Before he started digging into the appetizer. It was indeed delicious.
“Sure!” Aislin said, using a straw to play with the leaves in her drink. “We’re a grassroots company with our home right here in Baybridge. We have contractors all over the US working with people. I’ve been with them for about five years, and I’ve never done the same thing twice. It’s refreshing, not like your typical office job.”
Haruka considered her for a moment. He recalled his conversation with Xing Huo and wondered if he should risk involving such a nice young lady to help him... If what she said about her company was true, maybe it wouldn't hurt to just ask if she might have heard of them.
"Hmm... does the name 'Polaris' ring a bell to you?"
Pausing, Aislin stared off to the side. “...No.” Her grimace was followed by a long swig of Mojito. “Which, from what I know, means two things. Either A, they’re inconsequential. Or B, dangerous. We pride ourselves in knowing all the big players out there. It’s our job.”
She tilted her head. “Haruka, do you know anything about this ‘Polaris’?”
Haruka chose his words carefully, "What I know is that they are some sort of mysterious cult based in Asia... and they may have some connections with the 'Founding Family', a counterpart organization based here in the West."
"Shit." Aislin shook her head, a loose smile on her face. "Two groups that are new to me. And you're... concerned about these entities?"
"Yes," Haruka looked around and lowered his voice. "I'm... scared. For my brother. I think he has been investigating them for awhile, and now they are probably after him." He then finished his glass of Mojito in one swig, and then raised a hand to ask for more.
“That’s definitely cause for concern... You know what I think you need?” She pawed down his raised hand, pointing to the bar. “Something a little quicker than that. Like, I dunno, apple pie shooters. They go down easy.”
After a couple rounds of shots, more shots, and drinks consisting of tonic and rum, Aislin hiccuped in her seat at the table. Walking from the bar was a unique struggle, she found. The room insisted on swaying like a ship’s belly.
“...And this big, burly dude came from outta nowhere! Started moving these blades with his mind, see. I was like, ‘holy shit!’, and just managed to knock him on his ass. After he sliced me in the face, of course.” She said, enthusiasm in her sluggish voice. Her fingertips rubbed the scar tissue on her jawline.
“By this time, Rhea hadn’t contacted me in six months. With no healer, it left this damn scar. I was upset, tell ya what.”
Haruka was equally drunk - his pale face was now rosy red, and he had completely lost his usual composure. He laughed heartily at Aislin's complain about her friend before he sobered up. "I feel you, I reeeally do! I wanted some brother bonding with - hic - Shizu since he got kicked out of RAVEN for being a terrrrific agent... but noooo! Here I am worried sick for his stuuupid - hic - assss, but he never even bothers to come back to look out for me!"
He slammed down his emptied glass on the table for emphasis. "Just because the bullet holes on me are - hic - gone, he thinks he doesn't need to care about me anymore!"
Bullet holes? Aislin wondered vaguely before chiming in. “ Well... That’s a load of shit. I dunno nothing ‘bout family, but I know this! You. Have to. Stick. Together.” Her hands stamped out the last sentence, nearly spilling her drink.
Haruka let his head fall onto the table. Shit, now his head was hurting like a bitch. "I know... I know he's trying his best to protect me, our family..." he mumbled, his breath fogging part of the empty glass as he spoke. "...Just where the hell is he now?"
A sympathetic frown crossed Aislin face as she reached out to pat Haruka’s head. “There, there, sweetheart. You aren’t alone. Fate is funny, ya know… You and I have a similar problemmm...”
The rum and tonic was completely inhaled before Aislin continued. “Rhea, she double-ditched my ass. I don’t have a family, yet she was my family. Then… then…”
Her lips quivered. “Oh, I don’t know, she must hate me! The ass cut me off two years ago. Yet here I am with a contract to find her!” She pressed her face into her hands, mirroring Haruka as she collapsed on the table.
“Screw family, man… Screw ‘em.”
"How... nice..." Haruka hiccuped before he let out an envious chuckle. "To have a friend you can call... family." He thought about his 'friends' - the other survivors of the Verthaven disaster - and sighed. He felt so far away from them that he wondered if they were still considered 'friends' after so many years apart. He pushed himself to sit upright, and he clutched his head. "What's the time now? I... should go home..."
"Uhh, 1:08am." Aislin squinted at the clock above the bar, wiping her eyes. "Lemme uhm... call a cab. And, I really hope you don't take this the wrong way, but I wanna escort you home." She pulled out her phone, typing in a number.
"Urghhh..." Haruka grimaced as he tried to stand up. "I can get home on my own---" But he fell down on his back onto the chair. "...Damn. I can't feel my legs anymore."
Aislin watched with an amused expression, phone pressed to her ear. Their waitress, excited to close for the night, was at their table with the bill. While mumbling with a drunk slur into the phone, Aislin took the bill, threw a card on the table, and the waitress happily rang them through. The evening's cost wasn't terrible, racking up to $130.00 with the tip.
With two glasses of water set by their table, Aislin slung her purse over her shoulder. "Cabbie says he'll be here in five. You uh.... look like you could use some water."
A few minutes later Aislin helped guide the duo as they stumbled out into the street and into the back of an idle cab. She gave the driver a slurred greeting and turned to Haruka. "It'sss your place first. Where we going?"
"My brother has an apartment nearby..." Haruka began, and gave the driver the address. "He's so gonna kill me if he sees me like thissss..." He was still having a headache, but he felt a bit better after some water, that at least he could still think straight (even though everything was still rocking before his eyes).
As the city lights flashed by, Aislin waved Haruka off. "Pfft, no way man. He won't bother ya, and besides!" she smiled wide. "You need to let loose sometimes. I mean, you had fun tonight, right? I had fun. Lots of fun~"
"Yeeeaaah, me too..." Haruka agreed, turning his head to give her a smile. "I liked your cat... it was really cute. And I hope you can find your friend. Sorry that I haven't been of much help---" Then he remembered the other thing he had told her. "And... just forget all that I've said about those cults or whatever." He was starting to regret getting a stranger involved in something dangerous...
AIslin nodded, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “Alright, Haruka. I could forget all about it. Absolutely. But let’s consider this for a moment. I am, after all, what’s the word you used... a private investigator?”
Briefly patting her purse, Aislin gave him a wry grin. “You’ve helped me a lot with my current job. I wanna help you. Typically, the fees involved with investigating a ‘group of people’ falls in the tens of thousands. We’re professionals. But... I’m willing to cut you a deal.”
Aislin lowered her voice, eyes locked with Haruka. “Please give me permission to get you some answers. Let me shed some light on the story.” She briefly rolled her eyes. “Sure… it’ll cost you a couple thousand, but it’s worth it~”
"But..." Haruka tried to protest, then he stopped himself. Something about the glint in Aislin's eyes told him that she was completely set on investigating the cult. Even if he did manage to discourage her, someone from the cult might be watching them, and would still get her dragged into all this anyway, using her to threaten him just like how they were using his twin. "...Alright," he finally resigned, before he gave her a playful smile. "Does that discount include the little bit of information I provided about that African man you're searching for?"
"Yes, indeed it does," Aislin said with a chuckle. "I'll text you an account you can transfer a deposit to, and I'll write the job up."
The cab rolled to a stop and Aislin curiously looked out the window. "Oh. That was fast. Not too shabby of a place you got here, Haruka."
While it wasn't as glamorous as those in the classier areas like the Lower South Royer Town in Prince Ed-Field, the condominium where Shizuka and Holly shared was one of the most expensive houses in Greencrest Heights - not to mention, the tallest apartment building around here... and their house was at the topmost floor. It's going to be a pain to go all the way up when he was in this state, he thought sarcastically.
Haruka stumbled a little as he got out of the taxicab. "Not mine, my brother's," he corrected her. "And thanks for the ride; I can walk up on my own this time." He gave her a cheerful wave before he wobbled towards the lobby area.
"Mmm, 'night." Aislin waved back sleepily, watching until he disappeared into the building. Giving the driver her own address, Aislin leaned back in her seat as the cab pulled away, melting into the night.
...
(@tsukune)
Unknown_This was probably the worst beating they had recevied yet - Reiji could barely keep himself conscious from the literal burning pain across his entire body. He gritted his teeth and crawled slowly across the stone ground towards his unconscious wife; the agony was too much for the greatly weakened Yui to bear that she had fainted after just two whips. She was still breathing, but Reiji feared that she was already at her limit.
"Don't be a childish fool," he could remember how Hwee-Suan had sneered at him before she threw the couple into this cell and locked them up ever since. "No matter how strong your will is, it can only protect yourself... and you'll lose everything else around you. Is that what you really want?"
He held Yui in his arms and stroked her greasy curls gently. Polaris never gave them a choice from the very start: all they wanted was to monopolize their powerful cerebral abilities for themselves, to use them as their trump cards in their crazy plan to start another 'revolution'.
This time, a Metahuman Revolution.
He raised a hand to touch the suppressant collar around his neck - even here, his power was still feared by these people who also possessed some form of superpowers, and they didn't trust his words about the psychic blocks in his mind. The collar was effective to negate most of his powers. Most. He couldn't even tell Yui that he still had enough power left to allow him to read people's thoughts, though a little unstable due to interference from the collar. He couldn't tell Yui because Hwee-Suan was still wary of his power, and she had chosen to use Yui's mind instead to keep tabs on the two of them.
He couldn't risk losing his only card, a chance to save his son from being the cult's puppet, to free his family from Polaris.
He was able to pick up bits and pieces of information from the guards who would drop by to give them some food (they still needed the couple alive, after all). Those guards were part of 'Feiying', a personal army of ruthlessly trained assassins to serve and protect the Lee family. He had peeked a little into their minds whenever they came to deliver food... and it seemed like Polaris had been working with this 'Founding Family', an equally insane organization that had the West completely under their control, just like Polaris had absolute rule over the East.
Even being shut inside here for who-knows-how-long, Reiji could feel it in his guts, that this was extremely bad news.
He was snapped out of his thoughts when the ground beneath him rumbled, and he turned his head to see the door beyond the cell opening. It was the same guards as usual, but this time they had something - someone - in tow between them.
Reiji had to force himself to keep his face blank when he recognized who this person was. He continued to stare silently as the guards opened the cell door and threw the person down next to him. He waited for them to leave until their footsteps couldn't be heard anymore, before he tried to shake the person's shoulder.
"Mrs. Takashiro... Mrs. Takashiro."
The lady in dishevelled business suit moaned and opened her eyes slowly. She appeared to be too weak to move, and her eyes seemed unfocused - almost crazed.
"No, no, no..." she mumbled, rolling her head side to side on the concrete floor. "Don't take it away from me... It belongs to me... The power is mine!"
There was too much noise in Asami Takashiro's mind for Reiji to get a proper read on her. All he could see were two faces... and it appeared to be twin boys. One was dark-haired, and the other silver-white.
Why is she here? What is truly going on outside?
