The Cafe

@Jaejoong "Ah." She decided to leave it where it was. Now it was getting into the topic of why they became dark-hunters in the first place and she'd rather not tread into depth about something that will just make her depressed.

Gain crossed her arms and she could tell that his attitude was getting kind of frosty. That wasn't what she wanted, but she had an uncanny ability to do that when she'd gotten too opinionated. But it's not like she cared. If she couldn't hold her tongue after the first fifty years of her life, even though her father reprimands her for it, then wasn't ever going to.

She rolled her eyes at him. It was getting kind of bothersome to deal with his oversensitive old . The pedestrian light had turned white, prompting her to walk across the street. Turning around to face the other, she walked backwards as she addressed him. "You know, you don't have to be pissy just because I told you somethings I don't like. It's better than me going off about it later, instead of telling you first. So ending my night on a good note, I'll continue walking home by myself and you can go vent your pissitude on blond soul ers. And I'll catch you on a better day. See ya." She lightly saluted him with her fingers, before turning around and continuing across the street.

@Gain "They don't get to see their friends or anyone they know ever again. By the time they return to the face of the earth many years have passed and they haven't aged a day. That and more often than not it is their friends who are the reasons they end up dark-hunters in the first place." he explained, ignoring her annoyance. The were-hunter was so temperamental that he found himself just not caring anymore. There was no need for him to walk on eggshells because she couldn't handle certain topics and her demeanor was starting to wear thin.

"It sounds like that I suppose if you don't understand how dangerous their jobs are or what it is like. I wont bore you with the details but I would take my dark-hunters over anyone." he stated quietly as he began to shut himself off from her. Unfortunately it was becoming clear to him that she still had a lot of maturing to do and that her world view was too narrow. Jaejoong didn't feel like trying to open it up any more than he already had.

"End the night however you like." the god said coldly, getting plain sick of her -fits. He put his hands in his pockets and stepped away from her. As far as he could tell she didn't have much of a sense of humor and least of all when it came to herself. Life for him was too damn long to have to deal with that much attitude. "I hope you find that good note."

@Jaejoong "Well if the dark-hunter is freshly made then they'll be a normal human age. That wouldn't effect them until they notice that as they get older their friend stays the same." All this talk about age was grating on her nerves a bit. Especially being compared to a human. "And could you not compare me to a human. It's annoying."

"Oh okay." Gain couldn't contain her laughter at his reaction. You'd think after being around of so long that he wouldn't be effect by something like that. "Then they can get that stuff before they need to go out, set an alarm an hour before the sun comes up, and if they're so self-reliant than they shouldn't need you on duty every single day. Small stuff should be most frequent and you needing to save their asses should be rare. You're not making them sound good. They're like children that need Papa Jaejoong to hold their hands everyday." The dark-hunters sound like overgrown children that can't help themselves. She can't be around helpless people like that. Not if they can't even tie their own shoes.

She glared at him and swatted his hand away from her head. She didn't like people touching her hair. Combing her fingers through her hair, she stuck her tongue out at him. "Don't call me little one and stop being such a smart . I'd like for us the end the night on a good note and not with me mad at you."

@Gain At the way she spoke he couldn't help but to chuckle and shake his head. What she said was true and he understood how strange it all was for her but he just couldn't stop the mirth. "Just imagine how a human feels if they get close enough to a dark-hunter or a freshly-made dark-hunter? Usually the oldest people they know are maybe 80, tops. Then they meet us and it is a whole new thing."

Jaejoong choked on air as he heard Seungri referred to as his lover and shook his head violently at the though. "Seungri is my friend." he corrected, not able to say that their relationship was actually more like a master-servant/father-son mix. It would require too much explanation. "Usually. Sometimes they get really torn up, need weapons, get stuck out when the sun is up, or have other concerns. It's rarely small stuff since they tend to be self-reliant, they are soldiers after all. I have to make sure they are in fighting shape and the proper equipment."

The laughter didn't subside after the hit, it just increased. "I don't think the night has anything in particular against you either, little one." he chuckled and patted her head. "It punishes or rewards us all equally based on its own will. Plus the cloud cover, angle of the earth, wind patterns, and all the other meteorological events."

@Jaejoong "Because I didn't even know that someone could be that old. It doesn't matter to me how old you are, but I'm just going through a type of shock right now. I mean the oldest person I knew up until a few nights ago, were my great-grandparents and they're thirteen hundred years old, give or take." She didn't get out much and socialize much, but when she did everyone was always younger than her great-grandparents, so knowing someone as old as Jaejoong was a shocker to her. She'll get over it when she calms down.

Gain nodded as he spoke, resisting the urge to gag at who ever this Seungri guy is for his nasty eating habits. "First, your friend, lover, however he is, is nasty. Second, you could just tell your hunters to be grown men and women and fix their themselves. It seems like you baby them too much. Do they all come crying to you when they do something wrong?" She's always been the independent type, so to ask someone for help without trying to fix it yourself just stumps your ability to grow and get better.

Looking up at him, she noticed her mistake. A blush came over her cheeks in embarrassment as he poked fun at her, causing her to lightly slap his stomach. "Yah! Old man it was a mistake. I meant 'night' not 'lights'." She didn't do it often, but in moments like these a pout would naturally form on her face, unbeknownst to her.

@Gain "Why does the age make you react in such a way?" he asked, genuinely finding her behavior unusual. Maybe he was too used to it because that was the life he lived but even when other were-hunters learned the ages they didn't think it was bad. To him it wasn't as if their increased time walking the earth made much of a difference, they were still just people. Well, more or less.

"I want to take a cooking class. I can cook but I don't get much of a chance to cook considering it is just myself and Seungri. He normally just covers whatever I make with ranch dressing so any effort I put into it is wasted." he explained and then gave her a rather bored expression. "You would be surprised. I would be in class and then someone will have done something stupid or need to complain."

"A block and a half." Jaejoong repeated and pulled up short at the stop light. Her reaction amused him and he had to look away to keep from laughing outright at her. "My goodness you have a temper, little one. I am fairly certain the lights have no actual intelligence or will to want anything."

@Jaejoong The mind blowing just got worse. Some of them were just as old? Damn. Now she had a mild headache. This was part of the reason she didn't like asking questions. There was something she didn't want to know, but it wasn't like it was bad, so she'd live to see another day. "No I didn't realize that. Half of me wished I didn't ask for your age."

The mention of going to school peaked her interest. She was all about getting an education. She even had a few degrees under her belt. "Really? That's cool. That would you go to school for? And I'm sure your hunter will be fine if you took a day class. It'd only be an hour and fifteen minutes."

She smiled up at him as she began to walk faster. The cold had never been her friend, especially since she get cold easily. "We'll be to my home in another block and a half." Just when they made it to the crosswalk to cross the street, the light turned red and they had to wait. A little whine came out of as she stomped around like a kid for the purpose of getting warm. "Do the lights want me to freeze to death?"

@Gain Most people had that reaction when they realized how old he was and he was not at all surprised. "You do realize that some of the dark-hunters are nearly as old as me, right?" he asked with a light laugh, wondering if she knew that some of them dated long before the fall of Rome. Hell, some were around during the building of Rome. "Maybe I shouldn't have told you that."

At least she didn't think he was a complete idiot but she was right about his issues with technology. "If I had the time to go to class it wouldn't be for that." he replied with a laugh and shook his head. "I bet I could sit in on a lesson or two and get it but as for now I have patrols to do and dark-hunters to keep from dying. Sometimes it is a lot easier said than done."

"Of course I know how to be a kid!" the god replied as he followed her across the street. The temperature was dropping rapidly and he was glad that he wasn't really vulnerable to things like that. Gain was probably feeling the loss of every degree in that mini-skirt but at least she would be in her warm home soon.

@Jaejoong Her jaw dropped in utter shock. He was definitely no where near her father's age, or her grand-father's age, or her great grand-parent's age. No one in her family or otherwise could match up to him, then a thought hit her. "Holy . You're older than dirt." Her mind was officially blown. She wasn't even a real percentage of his age. That number would have a lot of zeros behind the decimal point. It was hard to process anything other than the fact that he was literally a walking history book. No, better than a walking history book. He probably wrote history.

"Of course you're smart. I don't want to imagine what would happen if you were a complete idiot. Though you aren't too smart with technology, which you probably need to fix by the way." Taking a moment to find a solution to his problem, she nodded when remembered one of her cousins is in school. "I think the local community college might have an introduction to computers course. Definitely consider going to school for something."

When she saw his pout, she laughed a little. It was in no way cute, but it was funny to see someone so serious being a little childish. "So you do know how to be a kid, huh?" The pedestrian light had turned white. Walking across the street, she made a left turn on the sidewalk. The day had grown darker and colder. She wondered why she didn't bring a jacket.

@Gain Of course he knew that it wasn't exactly what she meant but he just couldn't let it go. If there was fun to be made in the situation he was going to take it. The question of age however he did not think was so funny and he thought about how to answer it. "I am not entirely sure of my exact age. I lost count. I raised Seungri though and he is almost 3000 years."

"And the ones who live through those attempts to success are called the geniuses. Although I guess it is a mixture of that and luck." he said with a laugh. "It could be the age thing but I would like to think I am decently smart with all things considered."

Her comments made him pout but he understood where she was coming from. His appearance was quite dark and most of the time that was all that people saw him as. It didn't really bother him though and he followed her towards her home with his hands in his pockets, enjoying the night air.

@Jaejoong Gain scrunched her face slightly at his elderly comment. That wasn't what she meant and he knew it. "It not the age that matters in your case. It's your non-wrinkled young looking face. I don't plan to call you grandpa other than to tease you. Speaking of age, how old are you by the way?" She'd never really thought about asking him for his age, since she knew he was older than her. He's probably around the same age as her father.

"True. You have to be mad sometimes to do something unconventional or stupid that becomes a good idea after the results." She nodded at his words, totally agreeing that he wasn't a genius. "You're right. You're just really old with a lot of experience."

She blinked at him, not expecting his sudden cheerfulness. Usually she enjoyed cheerfulness, but on him it looked out of place. "You're kind of creepy when you're cheerful." Walking after him, she thanked him for holding the door, before heading out of the cafe. Leading him down the street, they had to stop at a crosswalk while they waited for the light to turn red.

@Gain "Oh the compliments are no problem at all." he replied back with a friendly smile and chuckled at her comment. "Well, if you want to be accurate I could be considered elderly so it is still just the elderly who want to say your smile is nice. You do call me 'Grandpa' after all."

Being called mad never bothered him because he always knew more than pretty much anyone else so his decisions often seemed like lunacy. He just took the comfort in the fact that he had a different and often more informed perspective. "There is no great genius without a mixture of madness." he replied, quoting one of his favorite philosophers. "Not that I am a genius by any means but it gives me hope."

Hearing where she lived he nodded in response. Her place was well within his patrol area for the night so it would be no great trouble at all. "Alright let's go!" he said cheerfully and tossed out his empty cup before walking to the door, holding it open for her. "After you. Please lead the way."

@Jaejoong The complements made her smile brighter as being complemented tended to cause her to do. She was glad he didn't argue with her on it, cause usually he doesn't see some of the good in himself and tries to deny it. But she'll always know the truth. "Thank you very much. I usually get complements like that from older humans. I tend to scare the young ones off with my scowl. So I really do appreciate that someone else, but the elderly thinks my smile is pretty."

She nodded as she listened to him. She definitely agreed that he was mad, but not completely. Maybe just a little. "I think we're all a little mad here, but let me tell you something, the best people usually are." The smile on her made her cheeks hurt. She was happy to finally use and mix two of her favorite quotes. She knew she'd have the chance to use one one at a time, if not both, if she lived long enough.

"That's great. I'm actually just three blocks from here. Let me order another hot chocolate for the walk and maybe something else sweet and I'll be ready to go." Turning, she went to the counter again to order her drink and two pumpkin scones to go. After paying, she came back to the table to clean up her mess and wrap up her last blueberry scone, before her food was ready. Thanking the cashier, she went back to her friend. "I'm ready when you are."

@Gain The way she complimented his smile was actually quite nice and he inclined his head graciously. "Why thank you Gain." he replied and chuckled to himself. "You know that yours is pretty darn nice as well, right?" It was just a nice and positive conversation, like a little reminder of why he did what he did. All of the suffering and pain was worth it when he got to experience moments like that.

All he could do was watch her laugh until she managed to right herself again, a satisfied smile on his face. "When you deal with the crap I deal with on a nightly basis you either develop a sense of humor or you go mad. Although I am sure there are arguments to make that I already am mad but I refuse to believe it." he explained and shrugged his shoulders lightly.

"Sunset is when my shift starts but I can take the time to walk you home depending on where it is." he said and glanced to the door. "If it isn't too far then it is probably in my patrol area and it will be fine. This is the general area I am covering tonight since Hara is on her 'date' though I think she just wanted the night off."

@Jaejoong "It's okay. Not every experience in life is different. But Miss Dara and pets sounds like a hilarious story." She beamed at him when she saw his smile. She liked when others smiled at her. It gave a fuzzy feeling that she didn't get to feel too offend with the way things were at home. "You have a pretty smile, Jae. You should smile more often."

A little bubbled through her at his bad acting. That was priceless. Unable to compose herself much, she crouched on the down with her face in her hands, muffling her laughing fit. He was so funny when he wanted to be. She couldn't believe it, but he managed to make her laugh for the third time that day without much effort. Looking up at him, she had tear streaks going down her face, smearing some of her eye make-up. "You're really too much Jae. Where did you get such a sense of humor. I didn't think you knew how to be funny."

Standing up straight, she smooth out her skirt that got a little bunched, before looking back up at the dark-hunter. "What time do you have to get to work? Cause I was wondering if it would be too much to ask if you could walk me home?"

@Gain "Well if you can keep putting up with me then you will probably end up hearing quite a few stories. I apologize in advance for any you hear multiple times. It sorta tends to happen with long lives." he said with a slight shrug but smiled at her, the image of Dara in a house full of cats. "That wouldn't work unless they were were-hunters. She is not much of a pet person. I have a story about that too but I will save it."

Jaejoong watched her get her drink warmed and debated getting another for himself before he headed out into the night but decided against it. He knew that if he did then it would probably end up spilled all over him or someone else as he chased after daimons. That was not at all how he wanted to start the patrol, all sticky.

The god knew he wasn't the greatest when it came to technology but he also knew he was leaps and bounds above his dark-hunters. Like everything else, he took her teasing in stride and started making old man noises. "Hrrrgh. You think the DMV would let me drive? They don't even want to let me out of the home without my walker." he joked and laughed at his name in her phone. "I am better with Grandpa than pretty much everything."

@Jaejoong She loved hearing funny stories and it made her feel light when someone shares that experience with her. "I'd love to more one day. Hopefully it'll be soon." Picking up her cup of hot chocolate, she took a sip, only to put it down, face scrunching up from the taste of it cold. "I'll have to get another one of those. But, yeah, she's never getting married if that's the case. She's going to grow old and haggard with her thirteen thousands cats to keep her company, while you stay young and beautiful and probably married by then."

She smile formed on her lips from his smile. "I'll be right back." Standing from her seat, she took her cup with her to the counter, asking the cashier to warm it up for her, before thanking him softly and going back to her seat.

She looked up at him as he stood, taking her phone to put his number in. She was a little surprised that he didn't even know his own number. That was a little strange. You'd think that with the years under his belt, he'd be able to remember something small like a phone number. Then the real shock came as she watched him struggle a little to put his number his. "Wow. Talk about showing your age Jae. So you do have old man tendencies. Do you have a handicap pass for your car too?" She took her phone back and looked at the number. It was easy enough to remember. Changing the name from "Jaejoong', she put 'Grandpa Jae'. "Now you're my grandpa." She smile as she showed him her name for him in her phone.

@Gain Hearing Gain's laughter at his story only made it that much better. It was honestly one of his favorite memories, even if Dara refused to talk to him for like a week because of what he had done. He had to calm himself down and wipe the corners of his eyes from there the tears hat started to form. "I have tons of stories similar with that kid. Her father had been my best friend for a long time and we became like family after the years. Maybe next time I will tell you another one." he said with a smile and shrugged. "I don't think there is a man in the universe brave enough for that. I hope I haven't doomed her from finding a mate."

"I am glad you feel better." he said honestly and smiled a bit at her little laugh. It was definitely an improvement and he was going to take it. Beggars couldn't be choosers after all and any step forward was not a step backward.

The god nodded slowly and stood up, stretching his arms over his head. It was going to be a long night and he knew it so he wanted to be as rested as he could beforehand. "Yeah it would appear that way." he said before taking her phone and staring down at it for a few seconds. "I don't know my own number." Jaejong pulled out his phone and copied his number into hers. He then sent himself just a smiley faced text to confirm. Once his phone went off with the right message he handed it back. "I am getting skilled with this cell phone thing now."

@Jaejoong Gain burst out in laughter, getting weird stares from the other patrons, not that she cared. That was one of the funniest things she's ever heard in her one-hundred and twenty-seven years of life. That was something she wished she was around to see. As her laughter persisted, she had to hold her sides to stop the pain she was feeling,. The tears in her eyes ran down her face. "O-oh my God, I can't. I just can't. I can totally imagine it. That is by far the funniest thing I've heard in a long time." Leaning back in her chair, she calmed down from her out burst, breathing deeply to get her breath back. "I'm glad she's like a daughter. Now I don't feel crept out at all. Who ever she marries is going to have to be a brave one with you standing at her back."

His hands were warm on her face. Similar to her father's when he used to wipe her tears. It gave her a little comfort, making her feel better. A light laugh left her lips, one that had more heart than the other. "Thank you for that. I feel a little better already."

She smirked at her ingeniousness. "Yep. I'm going to make myself sick tonight, so I don't have to work tomorrow." After saying it out loud, it didn't sound as good. "You know what, never mind. I'll go to work and not be bum." Shrugging, it off, she frowned a little. "So our time together is up, huh? I don't want you to go. You're the best company I've had in awhile, but I know you have to." Pulling her phone from her skirt pocket, she unlocked it and handed it to him. "Would it be too much to ask for your number so we can plan some more hangout time?"

@Gain "At this point she is more like my daughter although to be fair I have always treated her like she was my daughter. I almost felt so sorry for her first boyfriend, this little wolf kid. He came to pick her up and her father and I answered the door, didn't say a word but just glared at him on the stoop for a solid minute." Jaejoong started laughing at the memory. "Can you imagine this big alpha dragon were-hunter and the leader of the dark-hunters just all imposing? He peed himself and ran home before she came downstairs."

At least she was trying to make a joke but it didn't quite get there. Jaejoong sighed as he reached up with his hands to cup her face. "This is not normally how I make girls cry for me." he started, keeping a completely straight face. "Normally they are crying because their stomachs hurt from laughing so hard at me, true story." He sat back up and nodded at her, knowing that it was something that actually happened to him.

Seeing her revert back to her playful self was good and he relaxed a little bit more. "You've got it all planned out then?" he asked as he glanced at the time. "I really should be going though. Stupid daimons."

@Jaejoong She laughed a little from his story. Her face was a mix of scrunching up in distaste and happiness. It was weird to be friends with someone that held you at birth, unless he was like an uncle. "It's okay to be awkward. So are you kind of like her uncle? Causes it's a little weird to hold your best friend in your arms when they were a baby." Holding her arms together like she was holding a baby, she rocked them back and forth to emphasize her point. She really hoped he was like an uncle figure so it'd be less ish.

Looking at his hand, she placed her hand on top of his, rubbing like he did her shoulder. "It's okay." She sniffed a little, hoping her face wasn't red from her tears. It was the tell-tale sign that she had cried. "Just keep the deeper stories to yourself, until we're closer friends and not in public where people can give you judging stares for make a girl cry." A pitiful laugh left her lips as she tried to make a joke, but her heart wasn't in it.

She laughed a little from his wink. Yeah, he could be hot in a friendly when he wanted to be. "Of course I did. I grow up a little everyday." She pinched her thumb and forefinger together barely leaving any space. Then she held her fingers up to her face and crossed her eyes as if she was focused on seeing the space, showing just who child-like she could be. "By that much." Looking up at him, she laughed again at her goofiness. "Other than my decision for the future and when I'm holding a grudge, I always live in the present. Which is why I'm gorging myself on sweets tonight, despite the stomach I know I'm going to have in the morning. Maybe if I'm sick enough I can get another day off." The last part was muttered to herself as a sly grin slowly formed on her face.

@Gain One of the things he never took for granted were the people around him that really truly mattered. That was why he was so good at his job, why he would work the intense hours and push himself to the limits of his endurance. They were his everythings and the feelings he had carried over to everyone else too. "It's one of the nicest things in life; to pick up a phone after you know you've ed up bad and have that person on the other line come help you. You can get there though, those relationships take time." He said, trying to cheer her up a bit. "With Dara I guess it started with her family. I knew them a long time. When she was born I was the first person besides her parents to hold her. She was so tiny I didn't know if she would make it, none of us did, but she's a fighter." Jaejoong paused and looked at Gain. "What I am awkwardly trying to say is that it's okay to not have someone now because it wont always be the case."

Seeing the were-hunter excuse herself to cry was yet another surprise for Jaejoong. He wasn't aware that she could care so much about another person, basically a stranger that she would be moved to tears by it. When she came back he reached across the table and gently rubbed her shoulder. "It's my turn to be sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

As she talked though he couldn't help but to smile again and winked at her. "There you go. You just grew up a bit right there in front of me." he praised and gave her shoulder an encouraging squeeze. "You have time to get that life experience. Just make sure you enjoy the now because it will never be now again."

@Jaejoong Hearing about his friend really brightened her mood, she smiled now, happy that there was something, or in this case someone, he could be passionate about. "It must be nice to have a friend like that. I wish I could have a friend like that or friends period." It didn't really bother her all that much to not have someone so reliable. She figured that when the time was right, she'd get everything she'll need in life if she's just a little patient. "I don't see why she wouldn't tell you, but I don't believe you wouldn't be able to forgive her. You're too sweet not to. I mean you were nice to me, a total stranger, after our little argument the other night."

His talk of being tortured before and willing to endure it again brought her mood back down. She even teared up a bit. Things like this were part of the reason she didn't like socializing so much. The ugly truths of the world really got to her and she couldn't stand it. Her face took on the look of a slight grimace. "You know you're really good at making me feel depressed. I'll be right back." Her voice wavered slightly. Getting up, she went to the side of the counter to grab some napkins to wipe her eyes with. Taking deep breaths to get herself back together, she went back to the table, her face a little pained.

After that, she was leaning more toward saying no to her parents, even more than she already was. Her future definitely wasn't looking all that bright if those were the hardships she'd have to go through. Maybe it wasn't too late to convince her parents to have another baby. "That's good. But this leader thing..." She trailed off in uncertainty. "I have a lot of growing up to do."

@Gain "Yeah Dara and she is a miss or she had better be. I would never forgive her if she didn't let me walk her down the aisle." he stated and then almost immediately retracted it. "Ok, I would forgive her but only if she had a really good reason." That wasn't entirely true either, he would fold on the spot and he knew it. "But she is a good mentor or even just a friend. Goodness knows she has helped me more times than I can count." If she ever started calling in all the favors he owes her he would be in deep.

The sarcasm was not lost on him and he smiled wryly at her before responding. "I have been tortured before and for a very long time. I would endure it again and again rather than face the nothingness. Hell, I've had the option and I chose torture. Never give up because that is when they have won." he laughed again and rolled his eyes. "I am pretty sure I am full of plain old regular guts on the inside, nothing sweet except the hot chocolate."

Jaejoong glanced up at her and noticed she was concerned for him, something he hadn't seen much of, which took him by surprise. "I am fine. It's just the ty part about being a leader." he explained with a shrug, the normal casual tone back in his voice. "Making the hard decisions so that others don't have to is probably the worst part. You have to accept that no matter which route you take you're screwed so, if you are like me, you try to choose the path that leads to the least horrible outcome. Some will love you for it and others will hate you for it."

@Jaejoong Gain nodded taking his advice, but the last part didn't help her mood at all. Her face fell even more. Depressing things were subjects she didn't like talking about. She believed everyone should be happy and unfortunately the world didn't work that way. "You're right. I'll have my mind made up in a few hundred years when I'm all grown up. If it comes to the boiling point and I don't have an answer yet, then I'll ask..." She moved her hand in a circular motion, trying to think of what to call the woman he mentioned. "Miss? She's a Miss right?" Nodding her head in satisfaction, that was what she decided to go with. "I'll ask Miss Dara then."

Her ears picked up on his laugh and she decided that she liked it. "Ah okay. That's a nice thought. A few hundred years of torture with a side of getting a second chance. Definitely a way to go." She rolled her eyes, before laughing slightly at her own sarcasm. Of course he would deny being sweet. Such a man thing to do when they weren't the openly nice ones. "Fine you're "practical"." She said with air quotes. "If it makes you feel any better, then you being sweet on the inside can just stay between us."

For most of their time together today, the hunter's tone of voice was pretty even across the board, so his sad and angry tones were surprising to her, even though they barely noticeable. It made her hurt a little to know that she caused him to feel that way when she brought her question up. "As much as I'd like to say 'it's okay' to comfort you some, I know that it's not, so I don't know how to make you feel better. I'm sorry if I brought up a sensitive subject." She didn't usually apologize, but causing someone sadness and pain were the only things she's ever truly sorry about.

@Gain While he felt for the girl in front of him, his perspective just couldn't quite get to her level of dismay. "It's not what you want to hear but you are going to have to figure out which of those priorities is the most important for you. Fortunately you have time to think on the issue before you make a decision and if you come to the conclusion you don't want the leadership try to explain it to your family. They might not like your choices but in my experience most parents wish their children happiness." He said and thought back on his own life, the lengths his mother had gone through and would go through for him. "If that isn't a comfort to you then talk to Dara. She is the only dragon left, alpha and omega of her clan, then because fate is cruel she runs the Sanctuary and gets to take care of everyone else's problems."

"Eternity." he mumbled with a light laugh and shrugged. "Even those souls eventually get sent back through the cycle of life and rebirth. There are times when even after that a soul can be saved and given another chance. With nothingness there is no chance at all." The god paused at the thought of being sweet and then shook his head. "Practical, maybe."

When she brought up the out clause again he paused and bit his lips. "I try to keep it from most of them. Their hearts are still like humans and they can sometimes think the wrong things are love, a true love that someone will go to hell and back for you type, and that simply isn't the case. It is far too easy to let themselves believe that maybe they can be the exception to the rule. Hope is a beautiful and dangerous thing." he said and looked down at his hands, a faint hint of sadness in his voice that turned into slight anger. "So yes, I hide it from most of them but if I believe they have found that then I will help them."

@Jaejoong Gain groaned at his answers, wanting nothing more than to slam her face on the table, but that would hurt and how would she explain a bruise without getting weird looks from her family. Setting down her scone, not in the mood to eat it at the moment, she leaned on her elbows, conflict warring through her mind. "I don't like s that don't do , so being a lazy bum and ordering the clan around isn't an option that I'm even considering. As for the second option, it's the only one I have other than not inheriting the leadership position, but then if I don't I'll bring dishonor to my family. Why is being an only child so difficult?"

She shook her head to his explanation. It totally made sense to her after the explained things. "I understand. Though I'm not sure going to hell is better than not existing at all. An eternity of torture or not existing? That's a difficult choice to make." Looking at him up and down, she nodded her head. Other than his tough exterior and his jerky attitude when you first meet him, he's not that bad. He may not think so, but he's sweet. "I still think you're sweet. You just present it in a different way than most."

"You're probably right about me never guessing what they went through." At the mention of the out clause, her curiosity was peeked. "So an out clause that and being held down by chains for the rest of eternity. Is it save to assume that dark-hunters are the reason why old people say revenge won't make anything better? And are your hunters aware of this clause or do you just keep it hush hush for their sake?"

@Ravi Zelo smiled and grabbed his bag for another night of exploring and wonder. The past couple times he had snuck out he had found out some crazy things about his world. From the different animal tribes he lived by to the dark hunters who scared the life out of all people like him and he even found a place called the Sanctuary. As he walked and read his notebook zelo didnt pay attention and he ended up walking farther than he was supposed to. Zelo bit his lip seeing how he had no idea where he was and the idea of walking back the same way seemed bad since the amount of shadowy figures down the sidewalk had increased tremendously. The young boy decided he would find somewhere to camp out and regroup. He walked down the sidewalk and after a while he found himself face to face with a small lit up cafe. He walked over and peered into the window, seeing the sweets and he smiled, his eyes lighting up and turning blue. Zelo walked in and bit his lip, looking at the desserts, "Which one? Which one?"

@Gain "Being a leader is only hard depending on what kind of leader you want to be." He answered and folded his hands in his lap as he looked at her. "There are the type who enjoy the title and the power but don't give a about the responsibility they have to those beneath them. Those type have it easy because they don't have to do anything other than what they want. Then you have the type who are the opposite and take their role very seriously, the ones who genuinely care about those in their charge and will do anything for them. The second type don't get much rest because someone usually needs something."

The god laughed a bit at her assessment of the situation the previous night and nodded. "Yes that was why I was so upset but I would hardly call myself sweet." he replied and smiled back at her. "Slayers do need to be stopped, I will never fight you on that fact, I worry more about the deaths of souls than the deaths of body. It might seem strange but to me it is worse."

Watching the other's face was interesting. She was certainly expressive and always seemed to show exactly what she was feeling at all time. "It usually is very depressing but it doesn't always have to stay that way. Some dark-hunters are actually quite warm and lively, you'd never guess what they had to go through to be where they are." he commented and then his lower lip between his teeth as he thought of how to answer the question. "There is an out clause but I don't often recommend it for my people. I have seen too many become shades that way and it... it ."

@Jaejoong She nodded at his words. If the work got harder when he wasn't around it must really to be in charge. This definitely wasn't helping to sway her decision to take over for her parents when they want to pass the title down to her. "Being a leader is hard isn't it? The title looks nice, but the work is hell I'm sure. I don't know what I'll do when my parents want to step down." She swirled her fork in her cake as she contemplated for a bit, but brushed it off as something she'll have all the time in the world to think about.

Listening to the explanation, it made so much sense why he was so upset a few days ago when they bumped heads. Nodding, she scooped up the last bit of her cake, now done with it. "That explains your pissy attitude with me when we first met. You were worried for the both of us, even though the slayer was evil anyway. I appreciate you concern. You're sweeter than you let people know, aren't you?" She smiled brightly. Sweet people always had a sort of soft spot in her heart.

At the mention of Artemis, Gain's face scrunched up in displeasure. And selling your soul for revenge? Damn that's some heavy stuff she didn't want any part of. This is why she doesn't bother with asking about the preternatural sometimes. People were easy, but preternatural crap can definite mess things up. "That some depressing and heavy you guys have to deal with. This is part of the reason I didn't want to know, but no takes-backies I guess. Hopefully my next question won't bite me in the . Is there anyway for a dark-hunter to no longer be a dark-hunter without becoming a shade?"