Lazy Days [open]

[lyall]

The flawless daytime sky stretched out across the field, its azure hue reflected in the many clusters of blue “roses” that dotted the landscape, the digital wind softly stirring their petals and leaves. Looking up, one felt like one could just reach out and dip their fingers into the blue above, to brush their palm against the sun and feel its warmth. Here and there voices drifted on the breeze, carrying with it the bell-like peal of laughter, or the heart-wrenching sound of muffled tears, their sources far out of sight. It was, for all its simplicity, perfect.

In fact, it’s too perfect. The leech sighed from where he lay among the flowers, head propped up on his palms as he stared skyward. This place had become a favorite spot of the boy called Lyall, if only for how tranquil and secluded it was. Even on busy days, picnickers rarely came as far out as he did into the meadow, leaving him plenty of space to sit and think. He had been doing a lot of thinking recently, too, about as many subjects as he had time. Mostly, though, his musings returned to one particular topic: the conversion. Back during the dawn of this new world he had rarely thought about anything other than survival, or the trauma of his parents’ death at the hands of the viruses, but after ten years of vagrancy he came back to the previous thought more and more often. Why had they suddenly vanished from the world, descending into this computerized sphere of existence? Was there anyone left behind, some people who had managed to escape the event? Experts confirmed that all humans had undergone the digitization, but how could they be sure when not all humans were known to the rest of the world? What had become of the Earth they had left behind, the same Earth they had defiled for millennia and suddenly vanished from? Was the Earth even there? The thoughts buzzed around his skull, vying for his consideration one after another, never accruing any kind of answers, only endlessly spawning new questions. With a sigh heavier than the first the leech rolled over, his delicate bicolored wings now pinned against the ground under his back, the faint glow they always gave off temporarily drowned out by the meadow’s endless sunlight.

He laid there, hands now crossed on his chest, green eyes watching the sky closely. Sometimes, if he looked hard and long, he thought he would catch a glimpse of a bird or butterfly up there, but most of the time it turned out to be an illusion, his still-human mind supplying the images of creatures that no longer existed. Or maybe they did still exist, albeit in a dimension now inaccessible to the converted former-humans of this world. Other times it would turn out to be a beast or a fellow leech streaming across the sky, and he would cringe in his spot, praying that no one would see him. He disliked conflict, but a lone leech was a painfully easy target for “villains” (as he liked to call them) in this world, meaning the boy had been forced to learn how to fend for himself. His powers were not very strong, though for an optic that relied on light, this place gave him a distinct advantage; another plus to loitering around here. Physically, though, he was beyond weak. Feeling uneasy at the mere thought of combat, he reached over to where his discarded staff lay, his slim fingers wrapping around the weapon for comfort. Thugs rarely came here, since the place was so open and sound carried well, but there were persons who would take any easy prey they could get. Here had always been safe for Lyall, but he was not about to let his guard down, especially when he was working on conserving energy, not depleting it in a fight. He had realized long ago that while he needed to feed off of others, he could do so without actually killing anyone, so long as he kept the amount low. Since then, he had striven to keep to himself, only going out when he desperately needed to feed. The regions he traveled to differed depending on how bored he became with the scenery, but this place had remained one of his favorite retreats for over eight years. Most of his time was spent resting and thinking, two actions that slowed his energy depletion to a minimum, lying still in the field for days and even weeks on end to the point where the twenty four hour sunlight completely muddled his ability to distinguish time. If he had to guess, he had been here for almost a week, doing nothing but stare at the sky, flip through the pages of his transformed photo album, and ponder.

It was comfortable, relatively safe, and enhanced his light attack; in other words, perfect. Yet, in the back of his mind, he was still uneasy, each muffled sound on the breeze a new reminder that in this world, it only took an instant for a dream to abruptly become a nightmare. Yes, it was too perfect here, and it was only a matter of time before these lazy days became nothing more than a memory.

[ZERO]

Annalise Bishop, or Zero, the name she now hid behind, walked through the soft grass of the meadow, her usual blank, disinterested look on her face. The unchanging blue sky stretched on above her, painting her already pale skin brighter in the light of what was supposed to be the sun. And below her, the ground stretched out in tones of summer green and blue, azure petals carried her way on the light breeze, along with faint sounds of voices and laughter. None of it meant anything to her, though.

It was hard to say why she'd even come here. She still carried her white and silver etched gun at her belt, and she guessed that she had about half of her energy left. She could start looking for a victim to steal from, or she could wait for a while longer. Maybe she'd come here simply because she wanted peace for once...or maybe it was nostalgia. As a Hollow, any such feeling was dim, but this place did tingle her memories. A trip to the Blue Meadow had been the last outing she'd taken with her younger brother and parents as a family, and one of the only places they'd seen together in this world. It didn't matter, she decided, all she wanted was for this world to be gone. Even the beauty and peace of a place such as this was fake, nothing more than a product of some cruel game. It disgusted her. All of it did.

She grimaced, though, at a family gathered not far away, parents with a son and daughter all sitting beside each other with laughter in their voices and grins lighting their features. They looked entirely too familiar, not in and she felt something that would've been envy. She absently touched the silver pocket-watch that served as a locket hanging by chest, a momento of the brother who'd become a Virus, and the flower clip in her hair, a momento of her deceased parents. Even if she couldn't feel the warmth she missed, at least she could think of them without being consumed by grief. Sometimes she wondered if not being able to feel emotions was a blessing. That was one reason why she hated it when she had to regain energy. Like all other Hollow, she absorbed it through the emotions of others. That was the only trace of emotion that she ever felt, and she hated it, hated the sorrow and guilt that momentarily flared in her chest each time. At first, she'd longed to feel such emotions, to feel grief for her family and situation like anyone normal would, but now she'd changed too much. She wasn't who she used to be, and if her emotions somehow returned one day, if she was ever forced to feel everything and the weight of all she'd lost and done, it would break her. Those traces of emotion always frightened her.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice the boy spread out on the cross beneath her until she felt something hard hit her foot. "Oops."

[/color] She stated simply, looking down at the boy for the first time. It looked like a young Leech, who she guessed was around the same age her younger brother had been. He had hair that was just a tone darker than the grass, and white and light green, partially translucent wings. "What're you doing lying around alone out here, kid?"[/color] It was more dull curiosity than anything. Granted, this place was safer than many other places in this world, but it was still odd to find someone of his age lying around by themselves. He looked rather frail, too, she noted. It briefly occurred to her that he might be a good, easy energy source if she decided to take care of that now, but for the moment she just kept that in the back of her thoughts.[/size][/blockquote]

[lyall]

Preoccupied with his thoughts as he was, the young leech had inevitably broken one of the number one rules of survival in this world: never, under any circumstances, let your guard down; it was a grievous error, one that could leave him dead, or worse. He had been so out of it that he did not even notice the hollow approach until a kick to his side brought him out of his reverie, the sudden contact and the female voice that followed it shocking the vagrant more than actually injuring him. Eyes wide from a mixture of surprise, fear, and embarrassment, the boy sat bolt upright, the grip he had on his staff tightening once more after letting it go slack in the midst of some recollections while his wings stirred the air behind him nervously.

If that had been a virus, I would have been toast, the boy thought to himself, glancing up worriedly at the girl. She was older than him, that much he was certain, with pale skin and hair nearly as light, along with unusually-colored eyes that might have frightened him, once. These days, such unnatural things were, in fact, natural, as few people resembled their human selves from the real world completely. Frowning, the boy tried to remember what he himself had looked like before the virtual world, but very little came to him. He knew that his hair had been a different color - brown, maybe - but his height, eye color, and build were at least similar, if not exactly the same. The vagueness of his own memories disturbed him, but before he could dwell on them for long, the hollow's question snapped him back to the present moment.

"What're you doing lying around alone out here, kid?" She asked, her voice interrupting his thoughts and catching him off-guard. What an odd thing to ask, though he supposed it was a valid question. After all, there were still plenty of families that chose to stick together, clinging to each other for support in this crazy data world. He tried to remember his own parents, but the only images that came to him were of them standing before an enormous creature with skin like shifting lava, yelling at him and his brothers to run for it. He suppressed a shiver, not wanting to look even more like a free "meal" than he already did, and forced one of his little smiles onto his face.

"I come here often to think, because it's so peaceful here," he answered, a casual tone masking the worry he felt in the hollow's presence. "There usually aren't a lot of people here, and the field is pretty open, so I feel safer here than in crowded cities." Though you can never truly be safe in this world, he added silently, still apprehensive from the sudden encounter, especially when he knew nothing about this girl. He doubted her intentions, and he felt sick to his stomach with himself for it. Pushing the feeling down, he continued. "As for why I'm alone, well..." he trailed off, wondering how much information he should give away about himself. Honesty, however, came naturally to him, and he found himself blurting the truth out before he could censor himself. "I don't have... my parent are dead, and my brothers...well, they left to pursue their own purposes. I don't know anyone to travel with, and I don't like cities, so I try to stick to secluded places as much as possible. It’s not easy being alone, but I don’t want to be a burden on anyone else.

I do miss them, though.” The last sentence was nearly a whisper, the boy’s thoughts drifting to his wayward brothers. Where were they now? Conall had stormed off to fight viruses a little over nine years ago, and he had heard nothing from him since. Noell, on the other hand, was living with a bunch of other kids and teens that had lost their families and formed one of their own, though he himself had declined Noell’s invitation to come with him. The idea of living in a city did not thrill him and, secretly, he supposed that he was afraid of becoming comfortable in this society. If he retreated to living a “normal” life, it would be the same as accepting this world, which was something he could never do. Not after what it had done to his parents years ago, and what it had done to so many people he had encountered since, their humanity nothing but a memory that partially lived on in their physical forms. Suddenly curious, he looked up at the girl, wondering if she was one of those people. She did not look bloodthirsty, but then again, he could not perceive any emotion on that pale face of hers. Why was she out here in the first place? If he looked strange laying out in the middle of the field on his lonesome, then what was she doing out here equally alone? Curiosity was getting to him, and he tilted his head, the melancholy he had felt at recollecting his family all but forgotten.

“If you don’t mind me asking, miss, what are you doing here yourself? Did you come here to think as well, or could you be looking for something?” If so, I pray that “something” is not energy, he added mentally, unsure now if he should be getting ready to fly for it. It had been some time since he had last taken wing…but he stayed rooted to the spot, his sudden curiosity anchoring him in place. He had answered her question, after all, so the least she could do was give him a reply.

[ZERO]

The boy bolted up as he noticed her, gripping the staff he had tighter and gazing up at her nervously. It seemed she'd taken him by surprise. He looked a bit frightened at first, but there was a small smile on his face and a casual tone in his voice as he gave a reply to her question.

The Hollow blinked at his words, the answer much longer and more personal than she'd been expecting or had intended to bring about. She closed her eyes slightly after he finished speaking, sighing before giving what couldn't been considered a very oddly placed chuckle. Perhaps it wasn't completely inappropriate, though, as there was a definite bitterness to it. There was an oddly flat, casual tone to her voice as she spoke her next words, too, though the bitter tint still remained. "Well, we have something in common then. My parents were both killed a long time ago. And my only sibling is..."

[/color] she hesitated, debating on what word to use "gone...too."[/color] She had no other family, either. She didn't have any problem with revealing the information. It wasn't something she went around telling everyone, unless they were someone she was trying to sway away from the VDF, the organization that took away her parents, but it wasn't something she saw any reason to hide, either. Spoken or silent, the truth wasn't going to change...and being a Hollow also meant she felt no pain at the memories, though thoughts of her lost family also gave her a sense of the self she'd lost and an odd nostalgia. Neither of these sensations prickling at the back of her mind showed on her face, though, her expression remaining as blank and emotionless as ever as she sat herself down next to him casually and without saying anything.

She gave a relaxed stretch, a part of her wanting to enjoy the sensation of the cool, fresh grass beneath her and the refreshing breeze even though her stubborn mind couldn't get passed the fact that it wasn't real. She thought for a moment as the boy asked a question. What was she doing here? She gave her empty chuckled again. She'd asked him the same question, but didn't know how to answer when he'd given it back to her. She absently wondered now why she'd bothered to ask the boy why he was out here alone, when such a thing was hardly uncommon, really. Her voice and words hadn't exactly been the kindest in tone, but had she been slightly concerned without really realizing it? How odd. She looked the boy over again...with his age and frail appearance, and now his honestly, and small smile, maybe she'd been thinking of her brother. She looked away again as she finally answered. "This was just where my feet wanted to go. Perhaps I did just come here for a break too...or maybe it was nostalgia, this was the last place I visited with my family before I lost them."[/color] She voiced aloud. "I suppose I do have my eyes open for an easy meal if one comes up, though."[/color] She gazed absently up at the illusion of the sky as she spoke, not necessarily thinking of him as she added the last part.[/blockquote][/size]

[lyall]

The leech’s face fell as he listened to the girl’s casual mention of her parents’ death, a cheerless, almost pained expression replacing his nervous smile. So, she too had lost her family, and while he was glad that they had some common ground between them, such a congruency in their lives was nothing to celebrate. True, it was not uncommon to have lost family in the years since the conversion, and there were plenty who had lost loved ones even before the event, but that did not prevent a heavy sense of guilt from weighing down on the boy. I should not have brought it up, he thought sadly, though the nagging voice of reason chided him from the back of his mind, reminding him that hollows like this girl could not feel proper emotions, so he should not feel bad for dragging up bad memories. The leech’s glum expression changed quickly to one of annoyance, frustrated with himself for thinking such a thing. That same voice was what fueled his paranoia, his fear of getting close to others, constantly nagging him to isolate himself, lest he be destroyed by this world and the people within it. Arguably it was this reason that had kept him alive for the past decade, but he would never get used to the colder side to himself that this world had awakened. When it came right down to it, however, there was no way anyone could have stayed alive in this world without changing at least a little. If you continued to act in the same way you had previous to the conversion, inevitable death was the price for your folly. Another wave of melancholy washed over the boy as he thought of the teachers, classmates, and friends whose names and faces he had long forgotten, but still vaguely remembered as people. How many of them had died in these last few years, and how many were willing to evolve with the times, though losing a part of themselves in the process? It was a glum thought, but he had no time to dwell on it as a sudden movement at his side refocused his attention on the girl. She had sat down next to him, and seemed to drift away with her own thoughts, leaving the two of them in a silence that was not quite comfortable – and yet not as awkward as it could have been between two strangers.

Despite his gloomy thoughts, the feeling of companionship gained just by sitting next to someone in peaceful quiet was almost nice, Lyall decided. Then, to answer his previous question, the girl spoke up again, and the moment was lost. The leech’s wings drooped when he heard that she had been here with her family just before...whatever had happened to them - he was not going to pry further concerning their deaths. Her mention of an “easy meal” had him practically jump out of his skin, however, all feelings of guilt washed away by a sudden tide of panic. No, calm down! Her ordered himself, fighting hard to keep the sudden jolt of fear off of his face. If she’s sitting here talking to you, then chances are she was not referring to you. Just stay calm and keep talking with her. Heeding his own advice, the boy spoke up, though the guilt he had felt before was unmistakable in his words.

“I’m sorry if I brought up any bad memories,” he said softly, his gaze now focused on one of the strange blue flowers nearby. They reminded him of the rose bushes his mother had planted in the back yard of their house, and of the gentle care with which she had tended them. It disturbed him more than a little that he could still clearly recall the image of the crimson flowers, but he could barely remember how his mother had looked when she was still human. Mom, I’m sorry. “I came here a few times with my brothers before we split up, though Conall would always complain about how girly the flowers were. I always liked them, though. I just wish mom could have seen them before she died,” he added absentmindedly, deciding to let his words follow wherever his mind took him. “I know they aren’t real roses, but they might have made her feel better – I mean, they look pretty similar….” He trailed off, unsure of what to say next. His conversational skills had rusted away in the past few years; in fact, he was shocked that he had managed to keep a conversation going with this girl for as long as he had. He turned his gaze up toward the sky, matching hers, though he made sure he could still see her at the edge of his vision, just in case she changed her mind and decided he was boring enough to make a meal of after all.

[ZERO]

The young Leeches' gaze fell as she mentioned her family, but he didn't say anything else as Zero sat down. Funny, that he'd feel pain, or at least guilt, for something that happened to her when even she didn't feel it. She again wondered whether she was cursed or lucky not to feel anything, but she didn't dwell on the thought anymore, though, instead keeping her stare set plainly on the sky after giving her answer to his question.

Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw him tense up slightly at she mentioned the concept of an 'easy meal'. She gave a dry, but wholly internal, laugh. Indeed, it seemed he would've fit that description quite well, and he seemed to realize that. He looked timid and frail, at least in appearance. It was impossible to say for sure what power or strength he had - people weren't always as they appeared in this world - but if the circumstances had been slightly different, he definitely would've been someone she wouldn't have hesitated to try to use as a victim. As it was, though, he somehow reminded her a bit too much of someone else... Thinking such a thing didn't really feel right. It wasn't a pressing matter right now, anyway. She still had enough energy left to afford worrying about it in more seriousness later.

The boy seemed to calm fairly quickly, though, faster than she would've expected as he spoke again. This time the Hollow blinked, turning to face him as he finished speaking. "You don't need to worry about such things when speaking to someone like me. No matter the memories, I don't feel any pain anymore. ...Does that make me a monster?"

[/color] She asked. It could've been interpreted as a pretty intense question, but her voice was still casual as she spoke it. The only thing that was evident was just a slight hint of dry bitterness, along with tinges of real curiosity. What are you? You're not my sister! You can't be! I miss her! Give her back to me, you monster! Please...give her back!" A memory that normally would've stung drifted through her mind. Icarus... What did everyone else think of people like her, anyway? She was so pent up with her own agenda that she rarely thought about such things. After all, rejection was just another form of pain, one she no longer feared, so she really had little reason to care, yet somehow the question had left her lips.

She absently moved her gaze to one of the blue rose-like flowers herself. "Indeed, they're not real. No matter how pretty, they're as much a lie we're being told as anything else in this world."[/color] She commented simply, the stubborn Hollow unable to put that fact aside. "...Maybe it was a good thing that the last memories your mother had of such flowers was genuine, left untainted. Sometimes a beautiful lie is even more bitter than an ugly one."[/color] She mused quietly. She wasn't quite sure how such a statement would go over. Being a Hollow, she wasn't really one for always saying the right things in more emotional conversations, but it couldn't be helped. She simply stated what was on her mind, slowly moving her gaze away from the flowers again.[/blockquote][/size]

[lyall]

A monster? It was Lyall’s turn to blink now, tilting his head slightly as he considered what the hollow girl had said. She herself had admitted that she felt no pain over the memories, but did that make her a monster? The boy‘s gaze abandoned the sky and flickered to the girl, then to the flower beside him once more it as he seriously pondered the question, his brow furrowing in concentration. He knew that hollows felt no emotions under normal circumstances, only when feeding off of others, a quality that had frightened him somewhat when he had still been getting used to this world. It was extremely difficult to figure out what a hollow was thinking, especially since most of them had a natural poker face. Just like her, he remarked to himself, seeing the girl’s image in his mind’s eye though his gaze had shifted. Her pale face, despite being human-like, betrayed no emotion, though he thought if he listened carefully he could detect hints of bitterness in the tone. Was bitterness an emotion? He was not sure, and it could have a subconscious habit, remembered from being human. Despite her words not to worry, he could not help but feel sad when he thought about living a life void of emotions, only being able to feel them when draining energy from someone else.

His eyes narrowed, the thought of energy absorption leading his thoughts to ask the question of all races. If hollows were monsters, then what were leeches, which fed off of others like parasites? True, they could feel emotions, but did that make them more monstrous in the end? Hollows physically could not feel guilt over what they did, though their minds might tell them something is wrong, but there were leeches out there that actually enjoyed taking energy from others. Lyall shivered, recalling his encounters with such individuals, marauders who would have drained him dry and left him for dead if he had not fought back. Of course, cruelty was by no means limited to leeches: there were beasts that were violent and loved to kill, claws who would sadistically take out anyone in their way, and spiteful sirens who used their charm to lead the ensnared to their deaths. On the other hand, for every despicable member of the before mentioned races, there were also those that had their own morals and personal codes, and while they still might do despicable things to stay alive, they derived no pleasure from hurting others. Which lead him back to a question that he often pondered when left alone with his thoughts: what did it mean to be human? Obviously, none of the races were still physically human, although sirens were the ones who looked closest. Rather, they had become something else, data-beings that sustained themselves on energy drawn from others, a despairing truth that could not be denied no matter how one wished it to be a lie. A monster could also be defined as a person with a personality so corrupted that no matter what redeemable qualities they might have possessed, they were still too terrible to be human. What, then, were people like him, who while they usually meant no ill, were forced to survive off the suffering of others? By his reasoning they fell into a moral grey area that had swallowed up the white, but a nagging voice told him that he was just as guilty as the monsters who murdered for fun, or just because they had the ability to.

With a deep sigh, the boy shook his head, green locks bouncing from the movement. He had no answer for her, at least not one that raised more questions than it answered. Thinking back on it, the question was an extremely odd one, one some people might call crazy, but it was one he had often asked himself during the never-ending days. The boy took a deep breath, rallying his thoughts, then spoke up, ignoring the feelings of insecurity that were still bothering him. “It’s not my place to judge whether you are a monster or not, and even if it was, I’m afraid I still would not be able to. I mean, hollows do not feel the same way that the rest of us do, but I do not think that alone makes you monsters.” He paused for only a moment to gather his courage, his leaf-colored gaze returning skyward, and then continued on. “Physically, I would have to agree that all of us have become monsters now, even those of us who have retained our human capacity to feel. I mean, no matter how you look at it, we still have to hurt others in order to survive. On the other hand, there are people out there who still try to act like humans, despite the changes to their bodies, while there are others who completely discard the feelings of compassion that had once made them human. Still others, like myself, I know not where to place. I mean, I do not like hurting others, but….” He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, but the words he had meant to say were clear: …but I will do what I have to in order to survive. Logically, accepting that fact would have made him more human than many denizens of this digital prison, but the boy refused to see it that way. He wanted to be able to call himself human with every fiber of his being, but his inhumanity was clear to him even without the feeling of fangs against his tongue or the weight of his wings against his back. I wish I had an answer for you, but I am still looking for one myself.

The boy sighed, the sound drowned out by a gust of wind, while his wings drooped further. If he was not careful, all this talk about monsters was going to seriously depress him. Instead of dwelling further on those thoughts, he reached out and almost lazily grasped the flower by its stem, as if considering whether he should pick it or not. “You are probably right, about lies, I mean.” He commented, feeling the flower’s waxy stem beneath his fingers. “Yet if that lie could have brought a smile to my mother’s face for just an instant, then I would not have cared that it was fake.” The leech moved his fingers to the flower’s petals, soft and delicate beneath his fingertips. “Despite all that has happened, there are still people out there who choose not to see the ugliness lurking beneath the glittering illusion at the surface. They cling to what appears familiar, like these flowers, and that gives them an anchor in this world, even if the object in question is entirely false. Occasionally,” he admitted, not without a hint of shame, “I become one of those people. I think that, no matter what, comfort is something that is needed, especially when reality is so harsh.

Or, in this case, the unreality,” he finished, a slightly strained chuckle escaping his lips at his own lame attempt at humor, which would surely be lost on his companion. Just how had he ended up speaking so philosophically with this stranger, anyway? This must be an absurd sight, the two of us sitting here in conversation, despite the fact that we are complete strangers.

[ZERO]

The boy was quiet for a long while after she spoke her question, his eyes seeming distant as they hovered back over in the direction of the blue rose. Zero just watched the sky as she waited, another lie that was covered up with beauty as perfect white clouds floated across the endlessly blue horizon above her.

It reminded her of a meadow back behind the school she'd attended back in the real world, a few years before she'd become what she was now. She'd always done a lot to assure the quality of her grades - and a lot of good that had done her, now - but on rare occasions when she'd just wanted a break from everything she'd snuck out and slept through a class or two out in the grass. It'd only been a little over ten years ago, but it felt like centuries ago...long lost memories that belonged to an entirely different person. She supposed they did, in someways. She'd felt completely different on the inside back then...even if the memories felt distant, the feeling was something that she could still recall vividly, and something that would've hurt had she had the capacity for it to. She smiled just slightly, even though there was no real emotion behind the habitual expression. Sleep. That was something else that had been lost. This world provided no such refuge.

The Hollow looked back down at the boy as he spoke, saying that he was unable to give her an answer. She listened as he kept speaking. It was true, she supposed, from a physical standpoint, humanity no longer existed...which meant that whether someone could be considered a monster or not hinged on what they did with the new, cold type of life they'd been forced to adapt to. "I suppose that does make me a monster, then. I gave up on trying to remain human a long time ago." She eventually decided aloud, her voice still oddly casual and dry. She felt no guilt in hurting others and had no hesitation. Granted, a lot of that could come naturally from the fact that she was a Hollow, but it went beyond that, with the girl not having the brightest of intentions. There were reasons she was on the VDF's wanted list. Even if she could no longer feel anything behind them, she could've logically kept to her morals, but she hadn't. Maybe that was what separated people from the monsters in this world. "But you're different. You're not a monster. You're no different from anyone else who does what they must to survive."

[/color] She concluded simply. True, she hardly knew this boy, but the way he answered and the expressions on his face revealed that to her. He clearly wasn't sadistic, and he clearly felt remorse for what he had to do.

Her gaze went back to the flower as he spoke again, referring to her other comment as he placed his fingers around the stem. She did her best to comprehend his words. Without a real understanding of emotion any longer, she had a hard time completely realizing everything he was saying. All she knew is that they were lies...how could that be familiar and comforting? It was something the Hollow, who was too stubborn to look passed their nature, couldn't quite understand. Were there really people who could still find peace in a world like this? Was a smile still a smile if it was based on a lie? Maybe it was. She was quiet for a moment, never really having considered the thought before. "That might be true..."[/color] Was all she answered with, her eyes slightly distant. "Wherever they are, perhaps our parents are in a world far better than this one."[/color] She added, the only thing she could come up with in an attempt to comfort him. Even if she didn't feel real sympathy, she still somehow logically felt the need to. Maybe it was habitual...with the way he somewhat reminded her of Icarus. She'd always been the one to comfort her brother. She stared at the flower again herself, watching the petals sway slightly in the light breeze. Even if it was fake, it really was pretty...[/blockquote][/size]

[Alyssa Weatherby]

'It pains you, Doesn't it Ally? To have to sit back and watch while someone else controls your body for you.' The voice echoed in her head, echoing from one consciousness to the next.

The human side growled in rebuttal. 'When I get control back... I'm going to make you pay... You will NOT get away with this.'

'Do you know why you still exist? It's all because I cannot touch you're humanity, and you can't touch me. We're symbiotic, and cannot exist without the other.' Ally's Virus half responded, with a chuckle. 'Just sit back... Relax... You're imperfect, still feeling human emotion. Watch how easy it is for me to feed on the innocent.'


Ally walked slowly, entering the Blue Meadow and taking a deep breath. Around her, blades of grass froze with her presence, and she smiled. "Crystalline perfection." She said, her voice a cold whisper. She continued through the meadow and heard what seemed to be a conversation.

"But you're different. You're not a monster. You're no different from anyone else who does what they must to survive."

She smiled at this, moving closer to the other two. "Im glad... You think of... things this way... It makes this... So much easier..." She said, the grin on her face changing slightly. Flowers and blades of grass around her started to freeze as she stood. She increased her distortion slowly, much to the displeasure of the human inside of herself.

'STOP! They did Nothing wrong! They're innocent people!' The human pleaded, her cries falling on deaf ears.