[center][h1][color=92278f]Aurel Fuchs[/color] and [color=999cc8]Snow Iclyn[/color][/h1][hr][sub][b]Location::[/b] The Main Gate [b]Interactions Between:: The Ice Queen ([@addamas]) and The Listless Phantom ([@Savo])[/b][/sub][/center][hr] Step by step, slowly as possible, Aurel traversed farther and farther away, passing by some guy with a guitar. The thief didn't really feel like giving him the time day, only briefly gazing at the musician with the tilt of his head before moving forward. He didn't bother looking back, a small shudder shooting down his spine as he heard the lady with white hair forcibly demand answers, causing him to tightly clench his fists till the point of discomfort. But before he took another step, he plainly stopped, here and there; it was as if sweet nectar of answers poured into his ears as the large guy approached the duo, making a certain claim over going to a specific school, namely Hope's Peak. His jaw dropped, his throat straining to say something before quickly ducking behind one of the buildings, the thief's eyes not even leaving his targets for a second as he peered from his spot. Blinking, his lips curled slightly into a frown as he stared at the trio of teenagers, ears perked and ready to absorb any more information that escaped their lips. The only thing he got out of it all was that the irritated ponytail boy was known as Taka Tsuin and that the unpleasant girl with a table leg [i]also[/i] was heading to Hopes Peak. Now he could definitely confirm that this was no coincidence that he and guitar boy were just ultimates; the other girl was too, which meant the irked short boy was also an ultimate as well... at this point, it wouldn't be hard to guess that if he walked into another person, they would also be like him as well... Either that or they were captors, just as the ice queen said, making him press his back hard into the building, slowly letting his fists flow free before clenching an invisible stress ball once more. It wouldn't be hard to guess that the first thing she would do if she ran into him was bash his head in and he preferred not to stir up the crowd and preemptively ran back onto the path before dashing down it while they were still busy. It didn't take a very long time as he breathlessly slowed down to a jog as he reached a fork in the road; one path lead straight down to some different buildings with a rather large office that looked rather out of place at the end... it looked to fit more in an urban setting which caused Aurel to raise an eyebrow and squinted damningly at the place. Why was something like this there? Before he decided to investigate the peculiar office, there was something more curious to study. The gate. Pivoting around, his eyes drifted around the gate, studying each portion of it. To be frank, it reminded him of one of the gates you would see at a prison - difficult, but not impossible to climb... except he was not touching that gate. As soon as the thief heard the sizzle and crackle of the gate, he flinched back a bit, wincing a bit while looking to the side. He wasn't cracking the code, no doubt about that as he somberly stared over at the control pad. If the gate was lined with electricity, then... Suddenly, his ears perked up, no different than a deer listening for a predator. Whipping his head, he noticed someone walking down the beaten path he just traversed. Eyes widened as he saw who it was - the ice queen with her weapon of choice. Unblinkingly, he stood still, no different than a deer in the headlights. The only thing that moved with the lady was his own eyes, carefully calculating her every step and how long until she would arrive. Despite trying to walk elegantly, Snow's movements clearly indicated signs of someone who's in a foul mood; the expression on her face equally as agitated. If Aurel wasn't hiding in plain sight and Snow spotted him, she might have turned around immediately, but it looked like she was too busy with her thoughts to care either way. It didn't take Snow long to reach Aurel...and walk straight past him to the gate, it was unclear whether she was unaware of his presence, or simply ignoring him. Her march stopped in front of the keypad, the puzzled look on her face a clear indicator of what she was thinking of before pressing a few buttons...no success. Then, her eyes shifted towards the gate itself; as she took a few steps towards the center of the road, she lifted her free hand and reached out for the fence. As the woman completely ignored, or missed him, the tense, rigid stone statue that Aurel had become began to erode away. A soft sigh permeated the air around his lips as he quietly sucked in more air as his arms became slack to his sides. Rubbing the back of his head, he turned once more to study the contraption, pondering on a few possibilities as he lifted a hand to his mouth, chewing away at his finger. His head shifted towards the offices down the road, albeit briefly pondering on attempting to break into that... wonder if there was any makeshift things around here he could substitute as lockpicks? That train of thought didn't last long as the sounds of clicking around the fence invaded his mind; no doubt that the ice queen was attempting to crack the code... or try something as Aurel returned to focusing on the fence. Of course, this little lady was going to continuously distract him with her "antic," one of which caused his ayes to widen in insurmountable terror as his jaw tightened. Instead of analyzing situations, he was more busy rushing forward to keep this girl from electrocuting herself! The thief's arm shot out like a bullet, latching onto the girls arm that was reaching for the friggin' gate with a tight, blood-stopping, iron grip. Following that, he quickly yanked the white haired woman away with a "disgruntled," stony look on his face. Despite the rescue, he braced himself over what would happen next as he stumbled back with the girl, his other arm hanging a bit back as his fingers rhythmically moved back and forth, akin to the way a spider would walk. Suffice it to say, Snow was not amused by the combination of being jump scared, touched, [i]and[/i] thrown in the span of a second. If she didn't know any better, she'd think she was being assaulted; but because the assailant was so quiet, it looked more like an assassination than anything. Yet surrendering to death was not in Snow's library of options, so she thought the best way to defeat this problem, was by flailing the table leg at Aurel with no control whatsoever. That was to be... expected. The first swing went wide to the side, nearly hitting him as he felt a weak whiff of air pass by his face. The next one almost actually got him, forcing him to deftly, duck, causing him to wince and frown as he tumbled back more with the girl due to how sudden the ducking was. The next swing was the perfect time to strike however; with a glint in his eye, his arm shot out like a bullet, nimbly plucking the wooden leg from the girls hands. A small sigh escaped his lips as he slowed down to a halt when moving back, looking back up at the weapon he was holding high in the air. If no one actually knew any better, it would almost look like he was the one that was assaulting the girl... well, it was better than her almost hitting him as the only thing he could feel were the whiffs of air that brushed passed his face as the ice queen tried to... scare him off. Of course, he would of normally flinched from the attempted hits at him, but he turned to face the girl before staring off to the side. It appeared that he was gazing somewhere else, yet he had a stone cold face, as well as a frown. Only one question escaped Aurel's smooth, yet callous sounding voice as he addressed the girl. [color=92278f]"... do you want to die?"[/color] That question made Snow's body feel a hundred pounds heavier. It was obvious from the expression of the boy and the tone of his voice; he was ready to kill her. That combined with his ability to easily catch her off guard and dodge all her blows managed to scare Snow a bit. Almost enough to break her now fragile barrier of confidence. How embarrassing, this human was actually outclassing Snow. [color=999cc8]"Who's asking?"[/color] She spoke as if nothing happened, and simply scoffed at Aurel. Aurel closed his eyes for a second, huffing back and shaking his head off to the side as a response. Without missing a beat, Aurel turned his head to finally face her; the way he looked at the ice queen was if she was transparent and was looking through her. His formerly hardened vision softened just a bit as he raised his arm higher and higher into the air. ... and with out warning, he did it. The thief swung his arm by the woman's face, caused a small gust of wind to pass by her cheeks. As his arm came down, the chunk of wood left his hands as he tossed it at the fence. Suddenly, it crackled to life as a sizzling sound permeated the air. Looking behind her, he frowned and eyed the wood as it crinkled and crumbled into black debris within the span of two seconds before falling to the ground. Aurel just sighed, acting completely unfazed by the turn of events as his heart stirred a bit. [color=92278f]"Someone who knows that touching electric gates is a stupid idea,"[/color] he spoke flatly as his iron wrought grip around the girls wrist was released with the end of that demonstration. Looking at the trees to the side, his hardened face now appeared relaxed, almost bored as he crossed his arms and rapped his fingers across his skin. As hard as she tried to remain calm, as soon as that table leg was heading for her head, she unconsciously yelped. Only seconds later did she open her eyes, hearing the crackling noises from behind her. Her eyes widened upon seeing the now charred piece of wood, but narrowed when looking back towards Aurel. He was [i]lecturing[/i] her, and he was right; that frustrated Snow immensely. But then again, if he was this competent, then maybe he could be of use. But still... [color=999cc8]"I-I knew that, I don't need someone like [i]you[/i] to tell me what to do."[/color] She obnoxiously said with her arms folded. [color=999cc8]"But since you figured it out too, I'll let it slide. Now..."[/color] Snow started walking towards Aurel, only stopping until after she invaded his privacy. [color=999cc8]"Today is your first day attending Hope's Peak. You get out of bed, brush your teeth, and eat your meal."[/color] She said as she started circling around Aurel. [color=999cc8]"Whatever talent you had, they wanted, and now you're in front of their main building. But suddenly!"[/color] She stood behind Aurel now. [color=999cc8]"You wake up in this place with no memory of how you've gotten here. You get up, start exploring, and then you meet me."[/color] And with that she stood in front of him again. [color=999cc8]"Did I get that right?"[/color] As soon as Aurel saw the girl striding towards him, he slowly began to slide his left leg back, scraping the ball of he shoe against the ground as if there was a heavy weight attached to it. He slightly angled his head to squint at her, his arms becoming rigid as his now opened fingers readied themselves to snatch something to try and throw the girl off guard, [i]if[/i] she tried anything on him. Of course, as soon as the ice queen got straight up to his voice, he silently uttered one thing, [color=92278f]"personal space."[/color] That was followed up by her slowly circling him, like a hawk or a vulture as she listed off myriads of generic things that he might of done in preparation for this whole trip. Aurel always avoided eye contact with her, swinging his head in another direction when their eyes would almost meet, keeping a soft frown as his arms began to loosen up. Sighing, he closed his eyes before placing his hands behind his head and stretching. [color=92278f]"Rather perceptive for someone who almost electrocuted themselves,"[/color] he grumbled as he let some of his guard down, huffing as she correctly assumed most of what he did. [color=92278f]Regardless, that's the gist of it, save that I passed by you and those two Ultimate's you were conversing with,"[/color] he nodded, taking in a breath of crisp air, almost fresh air that was diluted by the dissipating smell of cooked wood. [color=92278f]"At least, I'm assuming you three were all Ultimates too based on the way you spoke,"[/color] he brought a finger to his lip, tapping at the flesh before chewing on it. [color=92278f]"Taka Tsuin, the Ultimate Guitarist or Musician I'm guessing, and then there's you,"[/color] he released his finger, pivoting slightly around to point at the frilly looking, yet harsh woman. [color=92278f]"... what's your name and talent anyways,"[/color] Aurel said in a mellow tone, seemingly looking past the girl again with a flat stare. Snow looked to her side, seemingly in thought, before Aurel's questions caught her attention again. She looked at him with suspicion shortly before finally relaxing a bit. [color=999cc8]"Snow...I'm-"[/color] The sudden activation and subsequent announcement from a mysterious figure interrupted her. After listening to it intently, she lifted her arm to twist a strand of hair around the index finger. Whatever crazy scheme they had planned, it was definitely a trap; and yet not showing up wasn't allowed either; quite a dilemma. [color=999cc8]"Know that voice?"[/color] she asked, her undertone still slightly dismissive. Just before he could get a full answer, one of the... screens? What the hell, there was a screen attached to one of the buildings, which was rather out of place, more so than the office-like buildings placed near them. He turned his attention to it, only to find an unfocused silhouette on the screen. He winced, raising both of his hands up to cover his ears, slightly cringing away from the screen as a squeaky, nasally, [b][i]annoying[/i][/b] voice made their announcement. Aurel was able to power past it for the most part, listening to the best of his abilities over what the he or she was say. Once it was over, the thief let out an exasperated sigh as his arms slumped weakly down to his sides. Honestly, he was glad to hear Snow's voice again over that high pitched sound, as harsh and irritated hers sounded. [color=92278f]"No... and I'm gonna pray that 'voice' was just a voice changer, jeez,"[/color] he groaned, rubbing the side of his head as he winced. But regardless, while this obviously seemed like a trap, it could also be as it said on the tin - what's going on here and how to get out. He tightly clenched his fists for a moment, raising one of his clenched hands to chew on an index finger. Eyeing the environment for a few seconds as if the green heralded some sort of answer, a small huff escaped his lips as he held his head in place with a hand. [color=92278f]"... regardless, maybe we should go see what this person has to say to us,"[/color] he monotonously spoke, but not before raising up a finger. [color=92278f]"[i]But,[/i] we figure out a way to stay outta sight if this is some sorta trap... how does that sound... Snow,"[/color] he whisper the latter portion as he looked along the trail they hadn't traversed down that did not lead to a huge looking office complex. It seemed like Aurel had a bright idea once more; perhaps having him tag along wouldn't be as bothersome as Snow initially thought. His calm attitude and low amount of speech suited her as well...yes he would make a great assistant. As soon as Aurel finished his words, Snow started walking down the road towards the theater. [color=999cc8]"Have you found the amphitheater already?"[/color] she said, her gaze still locked on the road. As soon as she turned to leave, Aurel followed suit along side Snow, keeping his own eyes locked on the road. He... assumed that this would be a much quieter trip as his eyes drifted around, analyzing the area about for a brief moment before the woman caught his ear. Faintly rolling his head to the girl, he placed both of his hands into his pockets, fidgeting with the nothingness as he plainly shook his head. [color=92278f]"No; I've only been two places so far,"[/color] Aurel murmured, retrieving a hand from his pocket, shaping it up to be a V. [color=92278f]"The gate and the bathroom I woke up in,"[/color] hmm, that did make him think of a few things, namely how many people there were here. Tracing the air briefly, he pulled his hand back into his pocket before his own eyes began outlining the fence, tracing each portion out as he pursed his lips temporarily. [color=92278f]"Sixteen,"[/color] Aurel suddenly blurted out, albeit softly, turning his head to firmly focus on Snow. [color=92278f]"I'm guessing there are sixteen of us Ultimate's here in total based on how many stalls there are in the bathroom,"[/color] Aurel pulled out a hand, tapping the side of his cheek as he shivered a bit as a crisp wind brushed over his shoulders. [color=999cc8]"I see."[/color] Snow lowered her pace until she was walking right next to Aurel. "I want to have an advantage over them, tell me your name," She prudely commanded, looking him in the eyes. [color=999cc8]"Your talent as well."[/color] The eye contact Aurel met with Snow only lasted for a second before he instantaneously broke away from it, hands becoming more agitated as his fingers fidgeted around very noticeably in his pockets. He frowned, looking to the side with a faint blushing tinge coating his face as he stared back onto the trail and blinked for a bit. While the thought permeated his brain over an "advantage," he didn't know what to make of it all... While suspicious... well... [color=92278f]"Aurel... Aurel Fuchs,"[/color] he muttered, unable to deny his name since she did politely introduce herself... surprisingly based on what happened back near those storage sheds, or whatever. He slowly began to stop playing around with the nothingness in his pocket as he looked up for a moment, tilting his head to look over at the girl. His mouth opened for a moment before he slowly bit down on his bottom lip, looking in the opposite direction of Snow. The fidgeting began to start up again as indents and small hills formed in his pant pockets again. For a moment, he went silent, hesitating to speak out. He bit down harder to the point where if he did it even further, his lip would probably bleed. With a small sigh, he gulped and looked down before hoarsely murmuring his "talent." [color=92278f][sub]"... I'm the... the Ultimate Thief..."[/sub][/color] With that said and done, it felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest saying that, steadily bring his head back up, no longer staring at the dull, dirt path. [color=92278f]"... wh-what's your talent?"[/color] Slowly but surely, the ice queen finally cracked a smile, although it was a bit sinister looking. She gave him a short glance before returning her now soft expression to the road ahead. [color=999cc8]"Ultimate hair-stylist."[/color] She looked at Aurel again, but this time with an annoyed frown. [color=999cc8]"You're an idiot, telling me your name [i]and[/i] talent."[/color] Her gaze pressured Aurel as if she was pushing him to the ground with sheer will, yet their was no malicious intent behind it. [color=999cc8]"But you will not be telling anyone else, not until they can be trusted."[/color] As soon as the words left her mouth, she removed Aurel from her attention completely. A small, minuscule, unnoticeable flinch was how reacted to her calling him an idiot for revealing some information over his name and talent... hm. Unblinkingly gazing down at the ground, he pursed his lips for a moment, pressing a finger onto his chin and slowly tapping it upwards as he steadily began turning his head away from Snow. Eventually, the tapping stopped. Instead, he now was pointing a weak finger gun at Snow that was more on the accusatory end. [color=92278f]"You just told me your name and talent as well Snow,"[/color] he murmured, rolling his head ever so slightly like a pendulum before focusing down on the hairstylists neatly organized snow white hair. Huffing through his nose like a bull, his eyes looked off to the side for a brief second, then back. [color=92278f]“If I were you, I would stay clear of anyone you come across, they’re more likely our captors than captives... I think that's what you said when speaking with them, right,"[/color] his voice was wispy; rather than asking, it sounded more like he was musing on something as he went on, becoming silent as he studied her hair again, squinting as he traced each portion, searching for an answer to a question he didn't ask yet. [color=92278f]"I'll stay silent, but..."[/color] Aurel slowly pulled away his finger from the ice queen, sluggishly drawing out the way he moved his arm away, as if to emphasize the point, before eventually placing his index finger on his chest. [color=92278f]"Why trust me?"[/color] [color=999cc8]"Because-"[/color] A slightly confused look appeared as Snow had no clue how to answer that. She had relied on nobody other than herself for so long, it was nigh impossible to even consider leaning on others. And now this kid wanted her to ask [i]why[/i] she trusted him. It took her quite a while to come up with a response, her cheeks turning brighter shades of red with each passing second, until finally: [color=999cc8]"You didn't harm me...when I attacked you."[/color] her Embarrassed eyes darted between Aurel and the road ahead; she clearly wasn't used to these talks. Looking over, he noticed the glowing redness in her cheeks; at this rate she - no, [i]they[/i] would both become tomatoes at this point as Aurel quickly turned to look away. His lip was trembling a bit as he thought of a way to respond to this, but no, his head was becoming a wee too clouded at this point. Eventually, though, he did smile a bit to no one in particular, confiding in himself, at least for now anyways. For all the way he observed the way she acted earlier around those two, this was... somewhat pleasant. [color=92278f]"... er, well, you were acting in self defense anyways, a-and,"[/color] he slightly revolved his head stuttering a bit along the ways. His visage was much more visible now with a small glimmer of a grin painted upon his lips, his 'cool' exterior softening just a bit. [color=92278f]"... and I never intended to s-see you hurt, either through my reaction or the f-fence..."[/color] Clasping both of his hands together as if praying, he hoisted the two to the ground as he began fidgeting about, unable to say anything else as he took quick glimpses around, trying to take the subject elsewhere. [color=92278f]"... uh, h-hey, I think we might nearly be here,"[/color] Aurel spoke up, jabbing a hand in the direction of a stone structure, nearly ivory in color if not for the discoloration of gray and such here and there. The structure looked to tower above even the buildings he saw earlier, probably going up two stories if he had to guess. Of course, that was accompanied by a stage as well with the same types of hues and shades. Pausing, he moved an arm to point out where they needed to go, thrusting his finger back and forth as he began deviating from the path, looking back to see if she was following after him. While looking back, he mouthed the words "slowly" to her, motioning for her to keep close to him. Although Snow usually wouldn't stand for anyone ordering her around, the present situation completely had Snow's attention. She was closely following Aurel's footsteps, occasionally nearly tripping while trying to keep up. As soon as she spotted people, she tugged on Aurel's shirt, her expression a mixture of caution and curiosity. [color=999cc8]"We know that boy, he's the one I first saw when I woke up."[/color] Snow was trying her hardest to observe what was going on, it seemed like Taka was talking to a girl; but it was too far away to see the details or hear anything. [color=999cc8]"Those four look our age, they must be a few of the kidnapped kids too."[/color] Squinting, Aurel nodded as he saw the ponytailed boy converse with a girl who looked to be draped from head to toe with clothes that were inky black and less modest than Snow. He couldn't tell much outside of their general stances and what they were wearing, but he was guessing they were breaking the ice rather well... Other than that, he could guess how Taka got there as he began shifting, slower and slower. Once they were close enough to the stony wall, the thief retracted his focus back as he began reaching out towards it, pressing his hand against the stands. Cold and coarse were two ways to describe it as he gingerly ran his fingers across the semi-chapped rock. Alright, so he could stay out of sight just by standing still, but Snow was another thing... before he could even concern himself with getting the scoop on whether or not anyone else was there, he began analyzing the area around him. For one, there were a multitude of trees facing away from the back of the theater, as well as a few bushes and other foliage scattered about. Instantly, he spotted it, his eyes lighting up as he slid towards the bush that was hugging up against the amphitheater wall. The leaflets didn't look to be clustered in three, as well as other factors such as lack of being "hairy" as a descriptor. Sighing slightly, he did his best to silently remove any sort of branches, leaves, and vines, making a small opening Snow could slide into temporarily, whilst allowing her to keep her head poked out. While this did cause some rustling in the process, it was masked by the crisp and windy air which caused other plants to rustle alongside it, camouflaging the sound. Crouching into the bush, Aurel looked over to Snow and began to airily whisper to Snow. [color=92278f]"Crouch in here,"[/color] he exited the bush, slowly crouching to peek around the corner of the stadium. [color=92278f]"... I'll give you some updates on who shows up, alright? Just try your best to stay inconspicuous,"[/color] he murmured, holding up a thumbs up for a brief second before steadily inching his head around the stands to study anyone who decided to meander into his sight lines... The only thing noteworthy anyone would be able to see would be a part of his goggles, white hair, and his eyes... if anyone was able to spot him at all. [color=999cc8]"I'm not hiding in that bush, [i]no[/i] way."[/color] Even though her disgusted look wasn't aimed at Aurel, there was no denying the words. She was too pretty, her dress too delicate, to stain it with dirt and grass marks. She'd rather reveal herself than crawl on the ground. But luckily there was a nice big tree sitting right next to the bush, just the right size to hide Snow. At that distance, the two could clearly hear what everyone at the theater was saying, so whenever the announcement would play, it would also reach their ears.