[hr][center][h3][b][u][Some Alley in ShieldTown][/u][/b][/h3][/center]
[center][A Druidquest / XianaEvermore Collaboration][/center][hr]

Doll’s face flew from abject terror to seething contempt in the span of a second as a woman’s voice cheerfully chimed in behind Yue. She turned to see who had snuck up behind them, but a leather-gloved hand slipped over her eyes before she could catch sight of the new interloper.

[b][color=#455420]”Ah ah ah!”[/color][/b] the voice tutted, holding Yue’s eyes shut. The field of pitch blackness at the back of her eyelids gave her the sense that somehow that wasn’t the only [sight] being blocked. [b][color=#455420]”No peeking, sister. Gotta protect your eyes, you know?”[/color][/b]

Yue flinched, sending a crack through the foundation of the adjacent building. She heard Doll click his tongue and curse something in a language she couldn’t understand. The woman behind her gave a comically beleaguered sigh. [b][color=#455420]”Always so quick to run off, that one.”[/color][/b] 

[b][color=#455420]”And you,”[/color][/b] the voice continued, grabbing Yue’s shoulder and gently turning her around, hand shifting to remain firmly over her eyes. [b][color=#455420]”Didn’t anyone ever warn you not to run off with strangers? Shameful, and at your age, too! You’re lucky I came to help!”[/color][/b]

[b][color=#CE2B95]"I am?"[/color][/b] She asked with a note of heavy doubt. Clearly she didn’t enjoy being blinded… though the darkness was oddly serene, she hadn’t realized how much she’d come to depend on her… [i]Aethersight(?)[/i] for sensory input. Did she give in to the immediate impulse to defend herself and risk hurting a bystander? Would she be hurting one of Alex’s friends? Yue huffed and tried to uncoil the tension in her shoulders unsuccessfully.

[b][color=#CE2B95]"You have me at a disadvantage, it would seem."[/color][/b]

[b][color=#455420]”Oh you’ve got no idea,”[/color][/b] the woman laughed. It wasn’t unkind. [b][color=#455420]”I mean honestly, you didn’t notice anything off about that kid at all? Not one bit? Here, let’s try a simple exercise to get you closer to my level, alright? First step in a million.”[/color][/b] 

She cleared her throat, slowly moving to stand behind Yue while keeping her hand over her eyes. [b][color=#455420]”Try and remember for me. Which direction did that kid turn you in last? Left or right? Or the walls on either side of you, what material were they made of? Stone, wood, metal? How ‘bout the ground? Was the area industrial, or residential? Oh, here’s a real easy one. How far away was the plate up top?”[/color][/b]

The woman sighed again, coming back around to stand in front of Yue again. Her hand fell away until only a single finger rested over each eyelid. [b][color=#455420]”Come on now, girl. I know you just woke up ‘n’ all, but you gotta be more aware than that.”[/color][/b] There was a brief pause. [b][color=#455420]”Well, not right now, but generally.”[/color][/b]

Something about the way the stranger’s touch felt on Yue’s skin made her bristle, more than just her aversion to physical contact. Did this person have powers? Were they touch based? Could she react fast enough to catch this stranger off guard. The medallion wasn’t singing. She turned it off? When did that happen? Yue’s thoughts screamed, and she squeezed one of its sharp corners into her palm to help keep her in real-time.

[b][color=#CE2B95]"I don’t like being touched,"[/color][/b] she announced firmly, squashing her fight or flight reflex. If she took this person’s arm off and they turned out to be Dean or Alex’s friend she’d feel real bad later. Instead, her brow furrowed and the corners of her lips curled into a frown. 

[b][color=#455420]”Yeah, I know how that feels. I’m real sorry about that.”[/color][/b] Something in the woman’s tone made Yue feel she could believe that, at least. [b][color=#455420]”Kinda have to right now, though. One of us has to keep your eyes shut, and somethin’ tells me you can’t, right?”[/color][/b] A brief pause. A slight shift in her finger’s told Yue she had probably shrugged. [b][color=#455420]”At least it's not bare skin.”[/color][/b] 

Yue forced one of her hands to stay open in spite of the anxious urge to ball them up, though her hand clutching the medallion did flex.  A drop of blood seeped out from between her fingers.

[b][color=#455420]”Tell you what,”[/color][/b] the woman proposed, sounding more firm. [b][color=#455420]”Take three steps to your left. There’s a wall there. Sit against it, and we’ll see how well we can do with the no-touching.”[/color][/b] An audible grimace. [b][color=#455420]”But no promises.”[/color][/b]

Would three inches be too much? Yue didn’t want to liquefy any organs. She couldn’t judge distance while blinded… maybe just the second knuckle? Open palm would be the safest. She reached forward with disarming slowness, searching for an abdomen or other soft tissue with her lips pressed into a thin line. 

There was a soft thump as air rushed to fill suddenly empty space, the soft pressure against Yue’s eyelids vanishing in an instant. 

[b][color=#455420]”I told you to sit, girl. I’m tryin’ to help you out here, you know?”[/color][/b] The voice reappeared several paces behind and above her, drifting from a low rooftop, accompanied by a quiet swishing of air as the woman kicked her legs lazily. 

[b][color=#455420]”Don’t turn around, by the way. I think this is as close as I can get without overwhelming you, and I dunno if that radius gets larger if you’re look- oh, stupid girl.”[/color][/b] 

Yue whirled around, her eyes burning luminous amber with aggressively thin slitted pupils. She swung an open palm behind her, creating a pressure wave that ripped down the alley, though she had to take a step to steady herself afterwards when the world continued to spin sickeningly. Her eyes darted back and forth, searching for the source of the voice… and then up, dreading that she would see a black and white theater mask.

What she saw was… the world upending as she lost all sense of balance. Yue crashed to the alley floor and pressed her palms to her eyes, rolling onto her stomach away from the woman and desperately trying to keep the shakshouka down. Something. [Nothing]. An overwhelming presence of [NOTHING].

[b][color=#CE2B95]"F-fuck!"[/color][/b] Yue spat involuntarily as she tried to wriggle and crawl away without uncovering her eyes.

The woman’s polished loafers clicked across the floor of the alley as she approached from behind Yue, a half-pace to the side to give her some space. [b][color=#455420]”I warned you, kiddo,”[/color][/b] she sighed, footsteps coming around Yue’s head while staying out of arm’s reach.