It's around mid-day, on a Sunday. On a typical weekend, Skylar would be at the Heritage Village. Since it's Ren Fair weekend and he has time off with the Village, he should actually be at his booth at the Fair handling customers and showing off his smithing skills. But right now? He's at neither place. Instead, he's at the Sky Blades shop; alone, since the place is normally closed on the weekends. The front door to the shop is left unlocked, however; Sky is pretty lax with security, since the expensive stuff is locked up, and there are alarms on the cases, and security cameras on the premises - plus, the best security on site is the bell that's attached to the door, letting him know if someone enters.
As for Skylar himself, he's in the back, in the 'smithy' itself. He's currently at a workbench, hunched over something, working industriously while the sounds of AC/DC play in the background.
—
It may be the weekend but the huntress is pulled from her home far earlier than normal due to a staff meeting. It isn't often that she actually has to tend to legitimate work so she's not about to blow it off. In fact, she's dressed fancier than normal, more teacher appropriate right down to some reading glasses. Although after the meeting she's right back to being bored. She's far too awake to go back to bed, yet it's still so far until nightfall.
This being considered, Quinn dares to return to the place where she felt so out of place before. No, not in 'costume'. Upon arrival she's immediately instructed that her prey isn't available and so after receiving the details begins a hunt to cure her boredom. This leads her to Sky Blades, where that little jingling bell announces her arrival. Stupid bells. Instead of disabling the so called alarm, however, she begins to look at what there is to see in this shop of his. Interesting.
—
The shop is nothing particularly impressive, at least as far as the furnishings themselves - it's the blades and weaponry that really do the talking. None of the blades are of bad workmanship - all are well crafted, most are quite functional. Some, of course, the ones made by Sky's own hand are quite masterfully done - and a few, kept in a case, are more for show then anything else, but are still quite beautiful to behold.
But, once she's done drooling over the weapons, Quinn will likely realize that there is noone here to wait on her. There is, however, signs of life through the open door leading to the back. Clearly, Sky didn't hear the bell.
—
Normally those annoying little ringing bells signal people that there is someone that needs to be tended to. So it takes some time before the witch realizes that no one is rushing to her assist her. In fact, no one seems to be rushing to do anything. It's a relief on one hand yet rather annoying on the other. After so much leg work she has to do even more, and in such a nice business suit, too!
After giving him a few more minutes, Quinn finally gives in and decides to go look about seeing if it's Skylar that's actually in the shop. Slowly and carefully she nearly creeps in his direction, eyes peeled for anything that could either jump out at her or otherwise damage her clothing. It likely isn't a good idea to sneak up on a smith but that's the way that Quinn moves. She's like a ninja, only not.
—
Well, at least Sky isn't forging something at the moment - that's a good thing. Between the AC/DC and his concentration on whatever he's hunched over - not to mention Quinn's sneakiness - Sky seems blithly unaware of her approach. Indeed, it's only as move to grab something from further down the workbench that his body turns, and he catches sight of the would-be ninja out of the corner of his eye.
"Quinn! Ah, jeeze… almost gave me a heart attack," he says, mock clutching at his chest, even as it is apparent that his surprise is real. Pleasantly so, however, with the smile on his face. "Did we agree to meet? I'm sorry, I've been rather lost in my work and…" He trails off as he realizes how she is dressed. "Wow, that's…" Something out of every man's fantasy? "Different. Come from some function or something?" he guesses. Quinn? At a function? Well, it IS a guess.
—
The joy of being unnoticed does have to sadly come to an end, but at least the surprise is very real. "Almost? Clearly I'm not trying hard enough." This is said as her arms fold before her chest. Ever the tough, stubborn woman, that's Quinn Niveus. "Go back to what you were doing. I'll try again later." Even though the words are harsh, they finish with the slightest bit of a smile.
A glance is given down at her outfit before she looks back to him. The glasses on her nose are then pushed up slightly, to settle them back into place. "I had a staff meeting today. I thought it would be professional to dress as I normally would, as waiting until fall is starting to grow boring." The explanation is simple enough. "I know it seems odd, that I actually have a job
and everything and I'm not the crazy lady in the warehouse."
—
"I'm fairly certain having a job doesn't disqualify you from being the crazy lady in the warehouse," Skylar points out with a crooked grin. "Though you might do with a couple cats to balance it out." He stands up, stretching a bit - apparently he's been at the workbench for some time now - not to mention he's likely sore from yesterday's spar session. And, by standing up, he reveals what it is he is doing - what looks to be the restoration and repair of an incredibally old kris knife. If Quinn has a more then passing knowledge of blade metals? She might even recognize the blade as being made of Damascus steel. Genuine damascus steel. "And don't worry, I'm sure there will be plenty of other oppurtunities for you to kill me horribly and unexpectedly."
—
He's stared at, just stared at, as the correct course of action is decided. Instead of yelling at him she decides to just glare, a look that could melt some, and not in a good way. "Cats are worse than dogs." It's unknown if this is the truth or a personal preference yet he is fully aware of how well she gets on with dogs. Quinn is about to continue the trend of harsh words when she does notice his project. It immediately catches her eye, dimming some of that (faux?) anger. "Oh, it won't be unexpected," she points out, her voice almost distance as the weapon is her primary focus. "And it will likely be with my hands." The woman is just now attempting to recognize what friendship is. Kind words won't come for quite some time.
—
Or ever. But that's the fun of having Quinn as a friend - she keeps life interesting. "You know, you should be careful - I'm starting to become immune to your angry woman glares," Sky points out, grinning crookedly. "But I must ask - is there any animal you -do- get on with?" Skylar watches as Quinn focuses on the weapon, his expression lightening as he watches her interest light up - which only serves to fuel his own passion as far as the knife is concerned. Even the death threats are ignored - they are kind of every day when it comes to Quinn, he's finding. "It's an amazing piece, isn't it? I've never been commissioned to do this kind of restoration work before, but thankfully enough I know people who have, so I know alot of the tricks of the trade. Mind you, I'm still being careful - this knife is from the mid seventeenth century, and is made of genuine damascus steel. I've always wanted to recover the secret of making it, myself… but even if I can't, getting the oppurtunity to work on a piece…" Yeah, he's practically glowing. Hopefully it doesn't make Quinn sick.
—
"There was a rabbit in the garden we had when I was a child, once. It wasn't such a bad thing, I guess." It's about as close as she's gotten to having a pet. That's more information that she would generally give but she's currently focused on that piece. A few steps are taken to bridge the gap between them, but mostly to ensure that she can get a better look at it. Unlike how she treats people, Quinn does face this with respect and doesn't even try to reach for it.
"So someone came up to you with such a thing to ask for repair and you didn't even think twice?" Oh, yes, Quinn is back to her old self. After a short period of time she looks to Skylar, her eyes almost more concerned than angry, but the coldness is still there. "You're a little punch drunk on the whole thing. Pull yourself together. Doesn't it seem odd that someone would just happen to have one of these lying around?" Yes, she's already assuming that it's something of supernatural play here. He seems to be surrounded by it, after all.
—
"Well, it would have if it hadn't been a va…" Skylar begins, before cutting himself off. Ah, damn. He hasn't yet worked out if his suspicions are true, but he didn't want to bring up vampires until he was sure. Well, perhaps now's the time. Turning off the music for a moment, he looks back to Quinn. "Quinn, I think we should talk." As for the bit about the rabbit? That interesting bit of information is being filed away for now.
—
It slips but she catches on to it. Her head tilts a little more as she watches him, a bit of an icy flame growing in her eyes. It remains like this for a while as she honestly has no clue how to proceed without completely ripping his head off. "You're a fool," she finally says as she stands straight before him. Walking out isn't an option at this point. "You're right. We do need to talk." This is not a good day for her and hearing of those evil creatures. "Because at this point, you're going to end up dead. And I for one will not mourn the stupid."
—
"Look. God knows I'm not a fan of vampires by any stretch - it was because of one that I lost Jill," Skylar says, admitting to something that he never has before. And this in itself gives him pause, frowning to himself. He turns, sitting down once more, letting his hands take over - knife in hand, he seems to lose himself a bit, which seems to help. His eyes focused on his work, he still seems to aware of the conversation, and continues to speak after a moment. "But… this hate, this anger you carry around. We'll all end up dead, one day, Quinn." Well, except for most vampires. "But you… I worry that you will find it sooner then most. And that… would pain me greatly." Yes, well, she's probably the closest thing he's had to a friend in years, it shouldn't be that great of a surprise - not to mention his general love of life to begin with. "All those weapons I saw at your place? Please tell me you don't actually use them." Cause, among other things, it's quite likely illegal.
—
This has somehow turned into a lecture to the professor? It will not end well. "So someone killed your girlfriend and you think that /I/ should loosen up?" This is scoffed as Quinn turns her back on him. It's truly hard to not just light into him, to tear him a new one and then disappear. The witch is trying, she honestly is. "I think your words are misplaced. Gravely misplaced."
After a moment to compose herself she turns to him once more. "No one would care if I met my end doing what I do, but at least I'm taking a stand for myself." The words are sharp, angry, but even then she forces herself to quiet down. Eventually she even kneels before where he's sitting, an attempt to look him right in the eyes. "All of them at once? That's not feasible." He didn't actually specify. "But everyone has their calling in life. You are a smith, among other things. I focus more on the supernatural aspects of life."
—
"What?!" Skylar says, abruptly, glancing over at Quinn as she kneels beside him. He looks confused for a moment, alarmed - then realization dawns. "What? no, she isn't dead… at least I hope not. That wasn't what I meant…" He shakes his head, trying to clear it, listening to Quinn's words. Finally, with a frustrated sound deep in his throat, he puts down the knife and tools (gently - even when frustrated he's not about to damage this important piece of history), and turns so he can look into Quinn's eyes. Letting her see that he means what he says next. "Quinn - you are the most frustrating, contrary, angry, and self destructive woman I have ever met - and that's saying something. But get this through your thick, misguided sense of self worth - I care what happens to you. I would care if you died because of some misplaced anger. You think vampire's evil? So do alot of people. Yet you're the first I know to actually go out and try and kill them. You're what? A vampire seriel killer? Why? Because you can't face the rest of the world, so you might as well meet the darkest part of it head on to try and prove
yourself?" He shakes his head, obviously upset. "I don't think you have any clue what your calling is."
—
If he wants to start this conversation, to engage in things this way, so be it. It's not exactly how she planned to bring things up to him but it all has to come out eventually. "That's not how it sounded. Still, you're emotionally distant because of it. Did you ever stop and think about how your life has been changed?" He may not wish to speak about his past but she's not going to just let things go, not right now.
Then he's saying things that he has no idea about. For a moment she lowers her head, not wishing to actually look at him for it all. "You'll change your mind. Everyone does." That said, Quinn looks back up to him, determination clear. "But you're wrong. I do know, and I've known since I was a child." Wait, wasn't the Great Revelation a relatively new thing? "It's all a part of who I am, what I do. Right down to my actual job. Everything has pointed towards what I know and what I do. And /that/ is why I'm here. Because I know just how deep you're getting yourself in, and you have no idea."
—
"No, I haven't. I haven't once in the last five years, for a single second, thought about how my life was utterly and irreversibly altered. A beautiful woman I was going to ask to marry, a job I loved that she had helped inspire, friends that I had known since the sandbox, a town full of people a half hour away who I knew like a second family - those that I weren't already related to. How could I ever possibly miss that?!" Skylar says. He isn't yelling, but his voice does rise a little bit, and it's quite clear he's angry - something he's never actually expressed around Quinn before. Which is probably saying something.
"And I wish, just once, you would let me choose my own thoughts! You are so set on being friendless, loveless, hopeless, you are the one doing that to yourself. Well, Quinn, I don't care how infuriating you are. You are my friend, and short of killing me you're not going to change that." Well, the glove has been laid. "I just wish I had known how fixated you were on this - I would have…" What? Staged an intervention? He trails off, an angry noise once more sounding in his throat as he abruptly stands from the stool. He doesn't walk away, but he does start pacing.
—
Failure. His anger is well placed and she's not about to lecture him about that. "And that, that right there? /That/ is what I'm talking about. They have powers that you can't even begin to understand. Now you're stuck in a life that apparently is so damn miserable for you." Perhaps she's just looking to hurt him, per maybe she's calling him out on the way that he's presenting things. "I find it amusing that Chloe of all people was the one who lectured me on holding onto my past. She'd have a freaking field day with you."
He stands but she doesn't move. Quinn remains kneeling in front of where he was sitting, her eyes very much away from him at this point. "Yes, I'm doing this to myself. Because people won't understand and accept what I am, and if someone does? Then what? I really have seen too much death in my life. Not being close to anyone prevents me from actually caring, something you're making increasingly impossible." Jerk. Eventually the witch does move, standing right where she is, still with her back to him. "If you'd known we wouldn't be here? I tried to warn you. But there /are/ other things you need to know at this point, Skylar. You're involved with it so you have to know." She must be pretty serious if she's actually using his name.
—
"The difference is, Quinn, I'm trying. Trying to move on, even if it's only in my own way. I would like nothing better then to let go of everything before…" Not forget - even when the pain was the most acute, Skylar would never want to forget the past, because the bad was linked with the good. He pauses, however, whirling around. "You're saying you told Chloe?" He knew they knew eachother but this?
"And good! Care! Because what the hell is the point if you can't live? What is it that separates you and a vampire if not the human experience? Breathing, a beating heart? Semantics!!" Sky shakes his head in frustration, moving back towards Quinn, back in her line of sight. "Quinn, look at me. Just… stop, alright? I know I can't ask you to let go a lifetime of anger in one day, but… try to stop. I will help you. You can have a normal life. You can have friends. You can have everything you ever wanted but thought you didn't deserve. Because the truth is that you do. You deserve that and so much more. But you need to make the first step."
—
If this keeps up, she'll honestly get angry. Not the fake angry that she shows the world, but pure, raw hatred with the strength of a thousand white-hot burning suns. "That's why you run away from every female that tries to pay you attention? Way to move on, Smallville." Though something he says causes her to make a face. "What? No. I've never said a damn thing to her. That's part of what I'm trying to tell you. But what she was talking about was about my family, not my night job."
Great, good for him. He has her attention. He has her staring at him, glaring at him, and just ready to explode. "Only I /never will/ have a normal life. I'm /not/ normal. I've been trying to tell you that. Damn it, Skylar, I've been trying to tell you for days. You just won't listen." Those words come out sharp, her tone actually changing to reflect her annoyance, a major change for Quinn. "But you're right. Continue to lecture me about a life you don't even believe, won't even listen to. Is it lonely? Yes. But history has shown me that getting involved will just hurt worse. I have not, in my entire life, had anyone to be close to. Do you honestly think that's something I can just instantly fall into? You frustrate the hell out of me. I /don't/ want to care about you, but now /you're/ in trouble because I do. And if you ever actually believe what I'm trying to tell you about myself, you're just going to walk away anyway."
—
Skylar stares for a moment at the first words out of Quinn's mouth - seemingly unable to work out a good response. Luckily for him, she moves on to other things, so for the moment Sky focuses on that. He visibly strangles down his anger and frustration, and moves to sit once more in front of Quinn, holding her gaze. "Then tell me," he says, simply.
—
The eye roll is inevitable. It just has to happen. "Not that you're going to listen to me anyway." For a minute it looks like she's about to stand over him, to preach to him, but new suit and all she kneels once more. It takes a moment for her to look at him, to calm herself enough to speak. He'll see the struggle but she's trying, just for him. "Just try to be open for at least a minute, since you're already dealing with a vampire." Great way to start out the conversation. These are things are difficult for her. "I wasn't kidding when I said that there are supernatural forces out there. You're being surrounded by them. Vampires, psychics…" A pause is given as she does look away from him. "Witches. And not just myself."
—
"I will," Skylar promises, when she asks him to be open. And he may have cause to regret that - it's fairly easy to tell that his natural inclination would be one of disbelief. But true to his word, he doesn't protest. He just listens. Finally, after a moment of silence, he asks, "Will you show me?" Since she just claimed to be a witch… well, clearly he's hoping that if she is telling the truth, she can make it easier to believe.
—
This is more than she was expecting, at the very least. Her eyes widen, if only slightly, even though she's looking away from him. The witch has no idea about the current state of his mind, but she does know that he's pretty damn stubborn so she wants to make sure this works. Instead of making fire in her hands, or all the lights go out, Quinn just remains where she is. And then disappears. It's not easy for her to do, or at least not for long. Not if she plans on saving strength in case he tries to attack her, but there it is. She vanishes, even though she's still in the exact same spot that she was when he made the request. If this doesn't prove her case, nothing will.
—
It's really difficult to prove something like this when a) the witch and question is an illusionist, someone who uses spells to effect the human mind and b) said human mind is incredibally resistant to such things and doesn't even know it. So, a normal illusionist? Wouldn't get a reaction from Sky right now. And, indeed, at first, Sky doesn't blink, still keeps looking right at her.
And then? The pressure begins. Because Quinn isn't a normal illusionist, so her powers begin to beat against Sky's brain. Slowly, slower then Quinn might expect, his eyes widen. And at first, for a split moment, it's surprise. The way his brain works, interacting with her powers, she seems to distort, fuzz, like the reception on a bad television set. And then she is gone. "Quinn?" he begins.
And then the headaches kick in. In the last week or two, Sky has had a few headaches. The other day, with the vampire, was the worst. But even that was short, brief - and nothing compared to this. With a cry, Sky falls out of his chair, clutching his head, his body beginning to shake as his face screws up in utter pain. His eyes are locked on where Quinn was, looking utterly terrified - he's felt this before. "Quinn," he says, again - only this time, it's a plea, a cry for help.
—
That… is not a reaction she's ever had before. It takes nearly forever for him to react, as if she's not been able to actually use her powers. Knowing as much as she does about her own strength she realizes that this simply is not possible. Then he falls over, very nearly falling on her in the process. That seriously is not a reaction he should be having. Immediately she's at his side, half laying on the ground but clearly concerned.
"Sky, snap out of it." This is said as she reaches for him, to touch at his face, to check his forehead for a temperature. Even as this happens she drops her powers, fearful that she may expend her own energy. That isn't going to help him in this situation. So Quinn will 'reappear', so to speak, even if it's a slow progress. It may freak him out that she's so close, but that should be the least of his worries. "That wasn't supposed to happen. Are you…" Alright. It's so close to coming out, but she just doesn't want to place her concern on the line when he's going to kick her out. Or try to burn her. "What can I get you?"
It isn't immediate that she understands his power, not even remotely, but it is something that she will look into.
—
Skylar's pain doesn't subside absolutely immediately, after Quinn releases her power. It slides away slowly, leaving some spasms in it's wake, residual pains and aches. And, of course, he jumps slightly when Quinn suddenly appears in front of him, reaching out to him. The touching part? Would likely surprise him normally. Right now, he barely seems conscious of it - he continues to hold his head, his body shaking, though it becomes less pronounced.
But the expression on his face, it remains the same - or rather, part of it does. The pain begins to noticeably fade, the tightness of his jaw and the bulging of his eyes all returning to normal. But that just accents the utter terror on his face. He reaches out to Quinn, grasping at her as a drowning man would a piece of floating drift wood. "Quinn…" he croaks. "It's… happening again. I can't…" he trails off, finally forcing his eyes closed. The pains they are back. And the blackouts can't be far behind… he finally has to face that they will return. And that scares him more then anything else in this world or the next.
—
Ack. He's touching her. He's touching her and he needs her. This is not going to end well. What's a witch with a bad attitude to do in this situation? Leave. That's exactly what she would do, but for some reason she can't. Instead she does something that she'll deny for all of existence; she actually reaches out more to him. It's almost as if she's a friend or something, the way that she tries to hold him close through his episode, to comfort him and make sure that she hasn't caused him any permanent damage.
"Again?" That actually starts to put things into perspective. Quinn's doing her best to assess the situation without seeming too distant. "This has happened to you before? Talk to me, Skylar. I can help you." If he blacks out on her she's going to freak out. He's supposed to be the man here! At least she has confirmation, somewhat, that someone else has been trying to mess with his mind.
—
Thankfully, blacking out does not seem to be in the cards for Sky. Indeed, the pain seems mostly gone, now. And, eventually, he forces his eyes open, and tries to sit up. He seems drained, tired - possibly because of what happened, possibly because of the fear. "It's…" he begins, making himself sit, though it takes a try or two. But he seems to be attempting to pull himself together. He still has one hand on Quinn's arm, however - not tight, but firm, a constant presence. And he doesn't seem about to let go. "It's… fine. I'm fine," he says. It's not true, of course, but it's not strictly a lie either. He's clearly just trying to sort things out, get himself together. "I'm sorry," he finally says, seeking Quinn out, looking into her eyes. "I didn't mean to scare you." Though he probably scared himself more.
—
"Scare me? Smallville, I did that to you." That seems a little blunt, but what's more surprising is the tone that Quinn takes while speaking to him. It's surprisingly soft and gentle, though likely due to the guilt of what she's just done. "It isn't supposed to work like that, which means one of two things. Either I did it wrong, or there's something about you." She's apt to believe the latter, all things considered.
The touch is lingering, still very present, but she doesn't try to pull away from him. In fact, she's still quite concerned. "And you're not fine. If I did this to you, then I really am worried for your safety." Associating with a psychic isn't going to make things any easier for him, undoubtedly. "So what will it be? Are you going to burn me alive or will you let me help you?" She honestly can't get much better with the words that she uses. It simply isn't Quinn.
—
"What? You did this? Burn you alive? Quinn, what are you…" It takes Sky a moment, to reorganize his thoughts. Oh right… the witch thing? "Quinn, what…" he begins again, then pauses. It really is hard to think right now. "You… I couldn't see you. I could see everything else… but not you." So it's one of two things. Normally, he'd be thinking he was starting to go blind, or crazy. But this all happened after he asked her to prove it. What if… "You did this," he repeats again, this time not a question. But neither is it an accusation. "But how?" he asks. Clearly, it's still hard to wrap his mind around. "I don't understand," he adds, a bit weakly. But then he finds strength from somewhere, enough to continue looking into Quinn's eyes, and saying quite earnestly, "And I would never want to hurt you, Quinn." Perhaps a bad choice of words just now. But his brain is still not working completely right.
—
Awkward and uncomfortable, that is exactly what this moment is. He needs to pull himself together so this doesn't continue. Still she attempts to reach out, again trying to place a hand to his forehead, to see just how fevered he may be. It's not out of concern, of course, but it's an excellent resource for study. "I told you how," she explains calmly, almost hesitantly. There's still the reservation that he may try to kill her. "That's what I do. Your friend is like me, though I'm not sure how. I just can tell." He has a right to know.
"Only it's not supposed to do this," Quinn continues. "It never has. I'm worried now that you mentioned that this has happened before. That means that the people that you've gotten yourself involved with will keep doing this to you until they know what's wrong." As she's fully convinced that they will continue to use their powers against him. "And then still, depending on who it is."
—
Sky doesn't feel feverish - he just seems out of it. Not unlike someone who has just had a seizure, in fact, though he seems a bit more coherent then that. "I don't understand," he says again. Finally, he seems to realize that he's touching Quinn, and that she's touching him. He doesn't pull away, though he does stare at his hand on her arm, surprised to find it there.
Finally, pulling his gaze back to Quinn, he says slowly, "So… you did this. With your… power?" he guesses, trying to process it all. "But… you say I know people who would do this to me. But… it hasn't been this bad in years. Not since…" He trails off, then suddenly asks, "Wait, which friend?"
—
Her eyes follow his, down to that hand that hasn't left her arm. There is no moment where she scolds him, but she does pull her hand from him. It moves to adjust her glasses before being allowed to just do nothing. "I've been raised with this so I can understand. I know it has to be confusing. I really shouldn't be telling you at all. But since you're so bloody insistent on being so close…" Jerk.
At least there's a semi change to the subject that focuses more on others. "That's likely because when I do something, I do it. I didn't pull any punches. But it shouldn't do that to you." The answer isn't immediate. He has to have some sort of resistance but she isn't about to jump to conclusions, not until she's done some research. "Well, Chloe for one. She can read minds, that's how she knows so much about me. And I don't know the name of the other one. You were talking to her the other night. I finally got close enough to her today to realize that she's like me."
—
"Confusing? That's an understatement," Skylar says, forcing a wry smile on his face. Well, at least his humor is still intact. When Quinn breaks their touch, Sky doesn't complain - instead, he uses his free hand to prop himself up more. Meanwhile, his face takes on a caste of concentration, trying to proces this all. "Chloe. Can read minds." He vaguely recalls Quinn making illusions to her being a mind reader, but he had thought she was joking. "I…" He pauses. "I had a few headaches around her… but they were nothing. Light, brief. Normal." Well, as normal as a mild headache that comes and goes rather quickly in the presence of a single person. "And there was another… more painful, more of a migraine, the other day, when I was around someone else." The vampire who gave him the knife. Hmm.
Then he looks back over at Quinn, his brow furrowing. "The other night? At the dance you mean? Which one?" He was, after all, around more then one female. Which actually started this whole mess to begin with.
—
Now that she has something to actually talk about, something to focus on and very likely go into professor mode on, she can actually forget her discomfort at being so close to someone else. It likely won't last long, but for the time being? Quinn is acting normal. Human. "She can, and she likely tried to do the same thing to you. She might not have tried too hard, not if the headaches weren't as bad. That doesn't mean that she won't try someday. I don't trust her." Then again, she doesn't trust anything or anyone.
The comment about a migraine has her curious. "Human or vampire?" Yes, she has to know. "Vampires have an ability to make other people do stuff that they don't want to do. That's why they're so dangerous. That's why I'm worried about you. My hatred aside, you're in danger." At least, that's what she feels.
"Well, if you wouldn't be such a prostitute it wouldn't be so difficult for me to describe." Unlike her other quips, this one is said with the slightest hint of a smile. "Dark hair, fair skin. I ran into her today and she was wearing a blue dress."
—
"You don't trust anyone," Skylar points out the obvious, with another light grin, this time a little more natural. Well, she may apparently trust him - but apparently he's the exception to a lot of normal rules right now. "Besides… the headaches only happened twice around her. And only in the beginning. They haven't happened lately around her. I don't think she's out to hurt me." Of course, Sky also tries to believe the best in everyone.
"Wait, vampires what?!?" That, apparently, is news to Sky. He sits back suddenly, bumping his head against the stool behind him and barely feeling it. "So what I did… it wasn't me?" he's mumbling to himself now. "I didn't actually do it? And maybe that's why she got so mad when… The blackouts." Yes, it all makes sense now, or at least it's starting to. For Sky, anyways. To Quinn, he probably sounds like a looney.
Shaking his head, Sky focuses back on Quinn, looking thoughtful. Trying to focus on something other then his past, right now. "Well, from now on, you can be my pimp so you'll know everyone's names, ok?" he asks, with a lighthearted smile before saying, "Hmm. Well… it could be Mistress Elysia. I was talking to her and Paige when you came in… although maybe Paige? She was wearing a blue dress this morning, when I saw her at the Ren Fair." He shakes his head. "Well, no matter, I've only gotten the headaches around two people…" Well, three now. "And if they happen again, well…" At least he'll know what's going on. Kinda. Assuming they don't kill him.
"Look, this is a lot to absorb… do you think we can talk more about this later? I just need to unwind." Pause. "Want to get out of here and spar?" He probably won't be much competition between the recent episode, not to mention to soreness left from yesterdays spar. Att least it'll be something else for him to focus on, however.
—
Stare. Oh, she's at least trying to be nice to him. "I have good reason. It's rude to go around taking thoughts from people. My thoughts are almost all that I have, they are personal and I like for them to remain that way. I don't need people knowing that I actually have feelings." Hrmph. Yes, she's rather irritated but there's little that can be done to change his mind.
Though the conversation takes a turn when he seems to react to her words on vampires. "And you said I was crazy." She would like to think that she's rather sane, as she's not currently rambling about anything. "And no, I will not be your pimp. If you want to sell yourself, feel free. I'd rather not get involved." She doesn't believe in paying for action, after all. "I think that's taking this so called friendship a little far."
When he decides that he needs to clear his head, Quinn attempts to stand. She already assumes that he'll want to never see her again. His request, however, catches her by surprise. "I, uh, sure. If you want to. I don't know if you're in the right condition for that, though. As much as I enjoy hurting you, I don't want to take advantage."
—
"I never said you were crazy," Skylar points out. At least he is pretty sure he never said such a thing. "But you have to admit, this is all pretty…" Out there. Hard to believe. NUTS. "Amazing." He shrugs it off, moving to stand, relying on the stool for alot of leverage. "Well, at least you can say the word friendship and not run off screaming. That's a start," he points out. With a grin. Yes, he's teasing her.
"Just give me a moment, need to put my tools away and lock the knife up." Because vampire who gave him a headache or no? This thing is extremely valuable - especially to Skylar. However, even as he's doing this, he affords Quinn a grin of challenge over his shoulder. "Better take it while you can get it - this may be the only time where you stand a chance." Translation? Bring it.
—
Eyes narrow as she already begins walking away. The woman doesn't walk out of the office, no, but she does stand near the entry way where she was first noticed. "Really? Don't tempt me. If I'm going to be mocked for my attempts, I'd like to point out that I'm used to being alone." It sounds harsh but she's trying to go back to her stone faced demeanor. He's thrown her completely off of her game. The time is taken to actually look back at him then as she adjusts her glasses. "Then I won't feel bad when you're broken and on the ground." Challenge accepted.
—
Skylar finishes cleaning up, and makes a quick detour to his office where he locks the knife up in his safe (yes, a safe - after all, he often keeps valuable metals and other ingrediants for the fancier custom pieces). Before he does make that detour, however, he offers Quinn a small apologetic smile. "I'm sorry - I know it isn't easy, and I can't be making it easier for you. Thank you for being patient with me, Quinn." Then, when he comes back, he gestures for her to lead the way out as he sets the alarm and locks the shop up behind them. "Well, just remember - you break it, you bought it." And with that? He's off to spar the wizard. The wonderful wizard named Quinn.
