The heart is a lonely hunter. (Private, myself and Lani)

The streets of the Death City shopping district were filled with people bustling about on their Saturday afternoon. Chatters of conversation could be heard floating out from the mobs of people.

"What is that girl wearing? She looks like such a slut."

"So yesterday, he just said that he hated me!"

People swirled into the mall, along with a red headed hunter's axe. His wavy, shoulder length hair fluttered in the wind. Unlike the other bundles of people who were chattering in tightly knit groups, Axyl Murphy stayed silent. He needed to get a new pair of tennis shoes because his beloved pair had become tattered and worn. Unfortunately for him, this meant braving the Saturday swarms of people who appeared to come out of the woodwork as soon as it warmed up.

Wiping a bit of sweat from his brow, Axyl sighed. It was a stifling 85 degrees outside and there were absolutely no clouds in the sky, which meant everyone wanted to cram into the mall to get cool. The teenager was wearing a baggy tank top with the arm holes self-enlarged and knee length shorts. When the cool air hit Axyl's face, he let out a long sigh of relief. The air conditioner in his apartment had conveniently managed to break one day before the mass heat wave hit, leaving the seventeen year old to resort to tying his hair in a ponytail and wearing as little clothing as possible. Spotting the shoe store, Axyl waded through the crowds of people and entered it. The man at the cashier curled his lip slightly when he saw the long haired teen. "Boys shouldn't look like girls." he commented. Axyl bit his lip, but said nothing as he made his way down the aisles.

Staring almost blankly at the away of converse, sneakers, and running shoes, a meister seemed to not quite be away of the world around xir. All day, with the growing crowds and steadily increasing heat, xe had been dealing with the constant barrage of mocking tones and words, curses that had once been cat calls shifting as confusion swept passing minds. Gender neutrality was not something commonplace, and even though Death City was not nearly as bigoted as the meister's small town, crowds in the main part of the city had a way of making xir feel right at home in the worst of ways.

By this point, Justice had been living alone for several months, xir housemate and partner (or more simply, boyfriend) having gone missing rather suddenly. Tracking him down had been unfruitful, a fact that troubled both xirself and John's partner, Aurora. Thankfully, Aurora had managed to find another partner, a blessing for a young meister in training. Justice, however, had not managed to locate either a roommate or a way to mend the healing scar left from opening and losing xir heart. Time would heal the wound, of course, but it had left xir with a lot of confusion and questions. Almost bitterly, a hint of laughter sounded at the back of xir head; confused and with questions was exactly how xir very existence made most people feel. Oh, well. That was their problem, and none of xir own. Justice was who xe wanted to be, and nothing anyone said or did, complaining, berating, or otherwise, was going to change that.

Vaguely, xe noted another presence on the aisle.

Xir heterochromaic eyes drifted over to the approaching figure, noting his presence though xe said nothing. That was much the way xe was, most days, saying little without a reason to think that another wanted communication.

Sweat was soaking the other's hair as he rocked back on his heels, looking down the aisle. Axyl then spotted the pair of shoes that he wanted. Unfortunately, they were located just above Justice's head. "Excuse me." The sweaty teen mumbled, reaching above her head. The shoes were up so high that Axyl had to stand on his toes, wobbling as he stretched for the size seven pair of shoes.

Axyl's glasses chose that moment to slide down his nose and fall to the floor. When everything went blurry, the axe panicked and tripped over his own feet. Falling to the tile floor with a thud, Axyl started to feel around for his glasses. "I'm sorry!" He said frantically, his hand accidentally landing on xer ankle. "I'm sorry!" The teen repeated, still searching. Locating a piece of what felt like his glasses, Axyl cursed aloud. Continuing to feel around, he cut his hand on a piece of glass that he assumed belonged to his lenses. "Um.. I hate to be a bother, but do you mind helping me up?" He asked xer softly, now cradling his bloody hand.

Xir face flushed in empathy at his embarrassment. Kneeling down, Justice retrieved his glasses, taking his hand with xir free one and aiding him in standing. "Are you alright?" Xe said, voice just as neutral as the meister's appearance, gender ambiguous with just the slightest leanings towards femininity. The expression painted on xir face mirrored the sympathy xe felt, but it was clear that xe was also awkward, seeming a little uncomfortable with the physical contact. "High perscription, huh?" Xe asked, opening the glasses and guiding his hands to them.

Axyl held his glasses in his hands tenderly. "Yeah." He replied awkwardly. Axyl could feel that the lenses were completely shattered, and would be of no help to him any longer. Seeing a blurred face swim around him, Axyl managed to grip xer shoulder to steady himself. "I'm terribly sorry." He murmured, moving his hand over to the shelf. Looking down at thefloor,he groaned. "I should get the clerk..'

Axyl's foot rubbed along the ground as he spoke. "The glass might hurt someone." The axe stepped on some glass as he wobbled unsteadily towards where he thought the front was. Axyl was heading towards the back wall. He didn't stop in time, and wound up smacking right into the back rack of shoes and falling flat on his butt. "Ow." He whimpered

Justice was there in moments, reaching a hand out to grab his shoulder gently. Offering a tender, small smile, xe gave him an apologetic look. "It looks like you're going to hurt yourself, with or without the glass." Gesturing vaguely, xe started to guide him towards the front of the store. "I'll get you to a bench, okay? Don't worry about a clerk. I'll get it taken care of." A soft, apparently nervous laugh escaped xir. "I'm Justice, by the way. Justice Abbey. Meister. You?" Small talk seemed to be an easy enough way to lighten the mood, however awkward such may be.

Axyl bit his lip and wobbled along unsteadily. When asked his name he replied, "Axyl Murphy, weapon."  The long haired teenager was given a wide berth by the others in the store. "So now you're blind, he-she?" the clerk sneered. Axyl's shoulders tensed up and he spat a curse towards a shelf.

A spectator giggled and sneered as well."Why don't you rot in hell!" the axe snapped. "Ooh, little boy getting defensive?" the teenage girl taunted. "Can you even tell if I'm a boy or a girl?" She asked, stepping forward and planting a kiss on Axyl's lips. Images swum around the teen's view as he frantically tried to make sense of all that was going on. Leaning heavily on Justice, people started to circle them as if they were the prey and they were the hunter. As fuzzy images swirled around, Axyl's breathing became shallow. His body quivered as he began to have a panic attack. "Leave me alone!" Axyl said shakily, trying to take a few more steps but stumbling. This only made the crowd laugh.

ooc: Have him introduce himself as a weapon. Axes are not well known, for several reasons, and he would not know the title.

ic: The swirling, multicolored depths of the meister's eyes seemed to darken, an intensity radiating off of xir as xir strange, malleable wavelength began to charge. Pulling Axyl closer to xir, xe found herself unintentionally using him as a catalyst, charging up xir wavelength. For the briefest of moments, xir eyes closed, and when they opened, it seemed almost like a shockwave shot across the area. It was exceptionally powerful, nor was it apparently obvious, but it was enough to send out a detection against the nearby wavelengths, sending enough metaphysical power to literally touching the souls around her. It was a warning, quiet, almost unnoticed, but enough to spook anyone unfamiliar with the technique. As it was one that xe kept secret, that would include anyone around them. "Are you done being a bunch of bigoted jackasses, or do we need to get Lord Death after you, as well? You're in the City's limits, which puts you in his domain. As such, you should learn to keep your homophobic and transphobic mouths shut and watch who you're talking to. Academy students are not to be messed with."

OOC: edited. Will reply when my family calms

ooc: Not a problem in the slightest, doll :)

When Axyl felt the small shock, he flinched and began to hyperventilate slightly. The swirl of blurred images and colors would be enough to make anyone panic, and Axyl was doing just that. Taking a few steps forward, he allowed his arm to transform into a shining golden point. With the threat of Lord Death, the shock, and the blade the crowd backed off. Seeing that the blurs he assumed to be people dissipate, Axyl started to calm. "I need to sit down," he told Justice shakily.

Justice nodded, surprised that xe had accidentally sent the shockwave through, but to him, as well. Easing him forward, xe finally got him to a bench, kneeling in front of it as he sat down. "I don't know if you drove," xe said, keeping a hand on his to offer a sort of grounding, so that he knew where xe was. "But I can take you to an optometrist and have those taken care of. In the least, one of my friends is from a wealthy family that partially deals in healthcare... we can get your glasses replaced fairly quickly." Smiling as assuredly as xe could manage, xe kept xir strange soul perception up, keeping xirself aware of the goings-ons around them.

Axyl squeezed xer hand gently and closed his eyes. "I've not got enough money for fixing my eyes, so my glasses would be fine. Thank you for this, by the way. I owe you one seeing as I'm blind as a bat right now." The other forced a smile and a short laugh. Finally regaining a little bit of his composure, Axyl sighed. "I rode my bike here, but it's not going to be much help in my current state."

"I'll get it taken care of," xe said, voice absolute in xir resolve to accomplish exactly that. "The clerks should be aware of the incident, by this point, so let's just get you to the car, after you're ready?" The meister's voice was gentle and soothing, a calming token amidst the chaos around them both, grounding him to his spot. "I can pick up your bike, too."

"Yeah.. we can go. That would be really nice of you. You don't have to do it though." Axyl stammered awkwardly, overcome by his pure gratitude towards the meister. Starting to regain his stability, he got to his feet. "Thank you, Justice." He repeated. "My bike is quite far away from here, unfortunately." The shoe store was located in the back of the mall, whereas Axyl had parked his bike at the front.

"I think the front of the mall is this way? .." Axyl asked, starting to head for the end of the rectangular structure.

Justice looped xir arm through his, holding onto him carefully. "I can guide you to the front. That's where I parked, too, so we can get your bike along the way." There was still an uneasiness to xir, between the higher-than-normal concentration of people and the sudden, repeated physical contact with someone xe had only just met. Axyl needed help, however, and Justice was far from being the type of person to leave another one hanging from a limb.

Maneuvering through the mall was by no means easy, especially when trying to lead the relatively blind while the place was quickly becoming more crowded. Things worked out fairly well, however, even with the sneers and looks the pair were getting. Narrowing xir eyes, xe used Axyl as a catalyst once more, this time careful to target the effects around him, sending out enough of a pulse to keep alert others not to mess with them and that they needed to move. With xir free hand, xe speed dialed Savannah, the wireless earpiece clicking on instinctively when the phone began to register sound.

Axyl gave her the slightest smile. "I'm sorry about all of this. I can't even see you properly in order to put a face to your name and I kind of sense you're uncomfortable. " he trailed off and tried his best to look at Justice. Noticing xhe had an earpiece, Axyl reached up and gently touched it. "Is this for a job or something?" The male asked curiously.

"Hm?" Xe asked, glancing when she felt the pressure. Savannah picked up right then, however, and xe offered him an apologetic smile. "Sayv, hey, got a favor to throw your way." Xir eyes continued to scan the area around them, uncomfortable with the prospect of having to deal with any real confrontation. "Long story. Think you can arrange a rush optometrist appointment? ....No, not for me." Xe laughed, shaking xir head, directing him around a map podium. "I'm at the mall, right now. Bumped into a person and.... yeah, you get it. Alright, thanks." With that, the call ended and Justice chuckled nervously, "In a way, it is. I have two jobs. I'm a sales manager at one, so I need to be on the phone a lot." A shrug followed, easily noticed with the contact, "But it was a present from my friend, Savannah. She's setting up the appointment for you, now."

"I really hope I'm not being too much trouble for you." Axyl muttered as he felt the rush of muggy air that signified they had reached the door. "I mean, I can kind of tell that you're uncomfortable with this.." he trailed off and looked at the ground. "I hate being an inconvienice to people, Justice. If you don't want to deal with me then I can just make my way home or something." In the heat of the outside, Axyl was already starting to sweat again.

Idly, Justice rubbed at his upper arm and shoulder, recognizing the gesture as one that usually helped to comfort people. "I'm just... weird about physical contact," Xe explained, looking around before finding the area that most people parked their bikes. "It's nothing personal against you, and besides, none of this is any trouble, at all." A slight laugh followed, and xe shrugged, shaking xir head, "Besides, if I don't ask Savannah for favors every now and again, she thinks I've forgotten about her and buys something drastic. She's not very good with social interaction."

OOC:I apologize! I could have sworn that I replied but I apparently didn't.

Axyl nodded slightly, making out the blurry form of the bike rack. "My bike is silver, and it's got pretty big wheels." He stated, hoping that xe could find it as Axyl was basically useless. "I'm pretty good with people, I've been told. I was a politician's son though, so I kind of had to.. If you're not comfortable touching me you don't have to, either. Now that there's less people I can kind of make out where I'm going." He offered her a friendly smile and patiently waited for Justice to remove her hand.

"I'll be fine," xe asserted, though xir hand moved to grip the end of his sleeve, eyes scanning the bikes until xe found his. "Politician's son, huh?" The meister asked, initiating more casual conversation as xe began to wheel the bike beside them, looking back every now and again to make sure he wasn't falling behind. Justice, xirself, had lived a fairly ordinary and uneventful life, growing up. Neither of xir parents had an extraordinary or unusual job, and aside for xe being an only child, xe hadn't seemed any different from the other children in the neighborhood. Of course, they were mostly boys, and had been xir playmates. For a while, this was all fine and dandy, but when puberty hit, late, xe was still refusing to be overtly feminine. Xe was never especially masculine, either, merely neutral, but it was enough to infuriate and disgust not only xir parents, but many of xir classmates, as well, including the ex boyfriend xe had gone to prom with shortly before transferring. That hadn't ended too well...

ooc: It's fine, dear. I haven't really been posting lately.

The drive was relatively silent, shrouded in a sort of looming reflective process, on the meister's part, at least, with Axyl in the passenger's seat. Justice was never really much of a talker, unless one of xir interests was on the table, especially in regards to video games. Silence was a comfort, amd so Justice saw nothign awkward in it, even as xe made the drive to the hospital, the optometrist's office situated in the side wing. Saying nothing, xe made xir way around the car, once parked, and helped the weapon out of the car, checking him into the office by merely saying, "Miss Fukui's guest." No questions were asked, and thus no answers were provided.

When they got out of the car, Axyl fumbled around. He let out a soft sigh of relief once they entered the office, brushing a few strands of hair out of his face. "You know you really don't have to do this. I have enough money myself to get a new pair, and I already have a cracked pair back at my apartment that I could wear if I absolutely needed too," the weapon insisted on protesting. Due to his background as a politician's son, Axyl was quite used to recieving favors just because the individual in question wanted something from him. Usually it would be money, fame, or simple recognition. Although.. Axyl didn't get that feeling from Justice. He glanced at xer. "What will you be wanting after you have helped me?" he had to ask.

He wouldn't be able to see it, but the meister looked at him as though he'd grown a second head. "Want?" Justice inquired, staring quizzically, utterly confused, "If I absolutely wanted anything that I couldn't possibly get on my own, I'd ask Savannah." Xe shrugged, holding an office door open and guiding him through it. "I'm not helping because I want something; I'm helping because you need something."