There Are More Curious Things (Dream/Danny)

First topic message reminder :

You're a government worker who has been working on new ways to develop faster healing for people. The current experiment? Supernatural genetics. You whole heartily believe in this project until you come down to the labs to see the progress and see how these supernatural creatures are being treated. This is where you meet me, one of the creatures in the labs who's supplying his DNA and his body for this project. But I've had enough, and I need to escape. Do you help me? Or am I going to force my way through?

I sensed a little bit of awkwardness between the two of us. I had sensed it ever since my real gender came into the open. It was like the bond we had shared until now was damaged by the fact that I was not a man. In a way that hurt a little bit..knowing that the relationship I had worked so hard to form had been damaged because of who I really was.
It made me wonder whether I had made a mistake yet at the same time I was glad that he knew. I felt so much more free around him now. Like I truly could be myself around him, the way I had never been able to before.

Our shopping trip ended up being quite a fun little journey for the both of us. An adventure for me because I had never really enjoyed shopping as a whole but when I was with him, it seemed to be a lot more enjoyable than I remembered.
I had almost forgotten what it was like to just enjoy someone's company without having to worry about anything. Although there were a few moments where I felt as though I was going to have to step in to keep Danny from getting into trouble, the day mostly went without issue.
I found that I was having a lot more fun than I was willing to admit. Danny was quite the charmer and with the right clothes on he was quite a head-turner.
A few hours later we were on our way home with a couple bags filled with clothes for him.

ooc: If you've got a point you want to jump forward to, I'm all for!

ooc - Sweetness. Let's jump in then. Get ready for a change!

bic - As the day past Danny frequently caught himself amazed at himself. Amazed that he had forgotten what fun was, how people where like, and how the human connection was so vital in a person's life. As the two walked home there was silence. It wasn't an awkward silence however. It was a comfortable silence. The one at the end of an adventure when the feeling of being satisfied takes over. "I had an amazing time today," Danny spoke, looking down at Violet as he spoke. "I had really forgot what it was like to be... normal again. Thanks. Oh, and thanks for the clothes. I didn't realize clothing was so expensive. I'll pay you back one day, I promise." There was a smile on his face, a goofy one, but his eyes were looking at Violet, almost as if he was trying to read her thoughts. Occasionally he would look for too long and would blush, which he would then have to play off by chuckling and scratching the back of his head.

By the time the two of them actually made it to Violet's front door the sun had almost set completely. Violet fiddled with the door to unlock it and Danny gently placed the bags he was carrying down. His face went red as he watched Violet. "Uh... Violet," he said, his voice rather unsure of its self. She turned around and before Danny could even think, his instincts took over and he grabbed Violet and gave her a kiss. It wasn't a long, or necessarily passionate kiss, but it was true. As he pulled away, his face was practically shined red, his eyes and smile a bit guilty.

~~~~Three Years Later~~~~

"That is all class. Don't forget your homework; just because it's reading, doesn't mean you don't need to do it!" the teacher called out to the people of various ages leaving the room. Danny yawned and took a look at his watch. "Bloody hell, it's already 11 p.m," he said to himself with a school bag slung over his shoulders. For the past couple of years, Danny had been taking night school courses to help build his future. Having been out of school since fifteen, he needed to get back to some basics if he were to get a good paying job. During the day he worked at a Starbucks and after night school he worked as a security guard of a building - it wasn't the most glamorous of jobs, but it paid his bills. Danny exited the school to the damp outside night. It had just rained and the air was a bit chilly.

His phone rings. As he looks at the number, he hesitates to pick it up, before ultimately answering. "Hey Alice," he said, though not particularly thrilled. "... No, I'm heading there now babe... Yes... Yeah I'll see you tomorrow before work... Okay... You too, bye."

About a year after Danny moved out of Violet's house, he met his current girlfriend at a bar. Alice is actually a very nice and loyal person, but lately Danny hasn't been feeling a connection with her nor does she know of his past or abilities. He felt kind of guilty, continuing to date her, but he wasn't sure how to break it to her.
It was then that something (or rather, someone) caught his attention. It was a man standing under a street light. He seemed irrelevant until Danny walked past him. There was a familiar scent to him that made Danny stop. "I didn't believe them when they told me," the man spoke, Danny still trying to place the scent. "I said to myself: he wouldn't just leave me behind, he'd come for me. But here we are..."

"Zane...?" Danny asked hesitantly before turning around. "Don't bother!" the man responded before a jet of fire was racing towards him. Instinctively, Danny whipped his arms out then up, pulling the water from a puddle and creating a strong enough barrier from the fire. Stream formed as a result of the two elements clashing, but from behind the steam Danny hear the word "NOW!", before a large net shot out from across the street. Danny jumped and rolled out of the way, before turning the steam back into water and blasting it at the man under the street light. He used this as a distraction to drop his bag and sprint to the only safe place he knew of.

He arrived at the front of Violet's door, sweating and out of breath. He aggressively knocked on the door and wiped his forehead as he waited. "Please be home, please be home, please be home," he repeated to himself before pants. "Violet!" he called, banging on the door again.

The day as a whole had been incredibly enjoyable down to the very last minute as we walked home together side by side with the weight of his clothes slowing us down a little bit. All in all the shopping had been successful and the company had been more than just pleasant. I had long forgotten what it felt like to spend a day with a friend.
"I had a pretty amazing time too, Danny. But you really shouldn't worry about paying me back for these clothes, I've saved up more than enough over the years.. buying clothes for you is really no problem." I replied to his words with a kind smile as we started up along the walkway to my front door.

When we stopped so I could unlock the door I heard his voice say my name. I turned my head with a curious expression on my face only to find myself being drawn towards him with his hands. Before I could fully comprehend what was going on his lips were against mine and I had all but melted in his arms. The kiss was unexpected but welcomed.
I dropped the bags I had been carrying and placed my hands on his chest, enjoying the feeling for as long as it lasted. Soon he pulled away though and we were both left blushing like a pair of tomatoes in a field.
After a moment I giggled and smiled up at him while picking up the bags I had dropped.
"Come on, let's get inside..it's cold out here." I said playfully while leading us both inside and pushing the door closed behind us.


--- 3 years later ---


Ever since Danny moved out of the house things got much too quiet for my liking. Very soon I found myself missing his presence and all of the wonderful things that came with him being around. But he had insisted that he needed to move out and as such left to find his own house, to begin his own life.
A part of me had known that he was going to at some point but that part of me also knew that it was going to be hard to let him go. So after he left we slowly fell out of contact.
He started going to school and he found himself a girl that was, in all honesty, much better for him than I ever could have been. Everything was going well for him and I was happy for him albeit a little bit sad that I was no longer a part of his life. That is until a few years later.

It was pretty late in the evening when I was shaken away from my light doze by the sound of someone pounding against my door. The sudden thumping caused me to jump which knocked the book I had been reading when I fell asleep out of my lap. I blinked myself awake quickly and looked towards the door with a certain degree of uncertainty. Who would be knocking so furiously so late in the night?
Then I heard the person call my name and I frowned.
I recognized the voice to be Danny's but he had not come to visit me in what must have been four or five months. It didn't make sense that he would come now of all times, at almost midnight, pounding on my door.
Perhaps he was drunk?

I slowly pulled myself out of my recliner, wrapping my robe tighter around myself as I made my way towards the door. With a bit of hesitation I reached out and unlocked the door, opening it slowly at first. As I had thought it was Danny outside but there was something about his expression that bothered me. He looked panicked and worried about something.
"Danny?" I frowned up at him confusedly.
"What's going on? What're you doing here so late? I asked curiously. He did not seem to be drunk though it was still an option.

ooc: Woah, I could have sworn I posted my reply ages ago but it was just sitting here ready to post. I apologize >_<

ooc - Hahaha, it's alright ^.^

bic - Danny's heart had never raced as fast as it did now. The years had been going by so perfectly for Danny. Things were going well and each day seemed to be an improvement of the last. The only thing he had regretted in that time was his lost of contact with Violet. It wasn't intentional of course, it just sort of happened.
Once Danny had moved out there meetings and visits got shorter and shorter before soon they stopped talking. The busy life style of the two made it even more difficult for them to see each other.
Aside from this however, everything was going well save for tonight.

Violet opened the door, her face clearly unimpressed with the current situation. She had asked him some questions, before he grabbed her in an embrace before anything. It was tight and the feeling of Violet had slowed his panicking down a bit. "I'm sorry," he said quietly before releasing her and pushing her in gently for him to follow. He closed the door and locked it.
"I know it's late," he said rushing to lock the windows in the living room. "And I know I haven't seen you in months." Once finished with the windows, he moved to the kitchen to lock the doors and windows in that room. "I regret it, I really do Violet, but I think we're in trouble."
He stopped for a moment to stare at her, his eyes almost begging her to believe him. Before the moment had dragged out for too long he rushed upstairs to lock the windows up there.

"I think we've been discovered!" he called out, rushing about. "And it might not be safe where we are any more.... I don't know, I'm not too sure." His strong voice carried throughout the house as he finished with the upstairs. Once satisfied with the job he had done, he made his way back downstairs to meet with Violet again.
"I know you must be confused, so am I really, but I think our past has caught up with us, or at least me... I don't know. I didn't know where to go or who to turn to."

The very first thing I wanted to do when I saw Danny at my door was step forward and smack him as hard as I possibly could for having lost contact with me. For having moved on without me in a way that I could not do without him. In the time that he had started going to school, gotten a girlfriend, and begun his life as a free man I had done very little.
It seemed as though everything had gone perfectly well for him while things went downhill for me. But the thing that had kept me going was knowing that he was happy with the life I had given him.
However before I could do just that he stepped inside and pulled me into a tight hug. One that I could not refuse nor could I return as he was squeezing me so tightly.
The moment he let go though he was off running around the house locking all of the windows and doors.

I stood there, still a little bit dazed from the hug, watching him as he scrambled to make sure not a single window was open. All the while he talked at about a hundred words a second, telling me first how he regretted not having kept up with me and then how he thought our past had caught up with us.
I frowned as he moved through the kitchen and then ran upstairs to do the same to all of the windows up there.
When he finally came downstairs I grabbed him by the shoulders in an attempt to get him to stop moving around so we could actually talk instead of him just yelling at me from a hundred places at once.

"Danny, hang on! Hang on! Calm down for a second here.. come, sit down with me." I said while moving towards the dining room table that was just outside of the kitchen area. It wasn't a very big table, big enough for about four at the very most, but it was enough for the both of us to sit down at to talk this whole situation out.
Whatever was going on it had Danny in a frenzy and I wasn't sure I entirely understood what he meant with his words.
[i]"Start from the very beginning, tell me what happened."[i] I looked up at him with a mix of curiosity and apprehension. From the things he had said while running around the house I understood that something was wrong to do with our identities and being discovered but he had been speaking so quickly the rest was completely lost to me.
I wanted to understand so I could plan accordingly.

Danny stopped in a huff, starring at Violet as his chest quickly rose and fell. He took a deep breath and nodded before walking over to the kitchen table. "This might seem weird, but just bare with me," he said as he sat across the table from Violet. He ran a hand through his hair before letting out a deep sigh. "From the beginning, okay," he spoke to himself, nodding a couple of times before he looked up and intently starred at Violet.
"Well," he began. "It started after night school. I had just left the building, it finished a bit late, so I was kinda rushing over to my security job. You know, for the residence building?" he asked and waited for a nod before continuing with his story. "Well I was on my way there when... something happened. I was attacked, but this wasn't no mugging, or theft. No, this... guy knew who I was." He hesitated and looked down for a bit before he continued. "He said something... something about being left behind and then he attacked, except he was a firebender. Now I know there are other benders out there like myself, but I only knew one firebender in my life..." He stopped to take another pause, longer than the previous pause, and then looked back at Violet. "... my brother. I'm not sure if it was really him or not!" he quickly added. "But he seemed to have known me. Then a net came from the darkness of the alley and tried to capture me. I don't know if it really was my brother, but it clearly looked like the government had finally found us."

Danny rose from the chair and rested his hands behind his hands as he paced the room. He knew that his sudden appearance had affected Violet, but he had no one else to turn to. Violet is the only person that Danny really and truly trusts. Then the thought occurred to him. Maybe Violet didn't need Danny to drag her down any more. He stopped pacing and looked at her. "I know this is a lot, and I don't want to get you involved. I just... need a place to hide out for a couple of days. Let things simmer down. You've already done more than enough by letting me in. I-... don't want to abuse you."

I listened closely to everything that Danny had to say while trying to make sense of the story he was trying to tell me. I could keep up with him relatively well but as soon as he reached the point about him getting attacked I frowned, listening more than intently to figure out who would want to attack him out of the blue. And if so, why now of all times? It had been 3 years since we escaped from the facility together.
When he revealed the fact that the only other fire user he knew was his brother, everything made sense all of the sudden. I had come to understand that his brother had been a test subject as well which would explain the words the person had spoken about being left behind.
I shook my head slightly at the end of his story. I wasn't quite sure what was going on but I knew that none of it was good news. Either way they knew that we were in this town or at least they knew that Danny was in this town. I doubted that they had found me unless their main focus was on him rather than me.

Danny got up from his seat and started to pace back and forth across the room. I slowly moved to stand as well and I walked into the kitchen to get all of my thoughts sorted out. All of this was overwhelming for me. My life had been so quiet and lonely yet all of the sudden I was trapped back in the mess I had thrown myself into when I decided to help him escape.
I heard his voice behind me and I quickly shook my head.
"No..No..It's fine.. I just need a little time to get my mind wrapped around all of this. I wish I could have been a little bit more forewarned. I mean, I haven't heard from you in months Danny. Now you just show up at my door?" I let out a sigh as I leaned against the counter with one hand while the other ran through my hair.

Danny stood in the kitchen, ashamed at the truth Violet had spoke. "... I know," he said quietly, clenching his fists in frustrations with his actions. "I'm ashamed of my actions Violet, I really am. I didn't mean to leave you behind when I left, but... I don't know, I guess there is no excuse for what I did. I'm sorry," he said humbly. "I just really need you help right now. You've always been there to help me and I wasn't sure who to turn to. Maybe it was stupid to come here now... I can... leave if you'd like. I've already put you through enough trouble as it is."

Danny took a couple of steps back towards the kitchen door. He was sweating a bit, unsure of the mood in the house. Danny was fully aware that his actions in the past were wrong; how he treated Violet couldn't be excused, but he wasn't sure how to handle the current situation. He wasn't never as smart as Violet, that was a given, and his planning skills weren't even close to par with hers. Yet despite the error is his actions and despite the way the two and dwindled their communication, Danny had still felt the same way about Violet that he had felt three years ago and this feeling made his regret all the worse.

Danny listened to my words and acknowledged them as being fact. He accepted the fact that he had been in the wrong by leaving me alone and he apologized for what he had done. But for some reason I was not ready to forgive him for it yet. Although I hadn't ever told him how much he had hurt me by leaving, I knew better than to tell him now. There was no point.
He had other things to worry about.
So when he suggested leaving I quickly shook my head yet again.

"No.. the last thing I want is for you to leave and get caught out there. You need to stay here at least until we can figure out whether they've really found the both of us or just you. If that's the case then we're going to need to find somewhere else to hide." I let out a quiet sigh and buried my face in both my hands.
All of this was just so overwhelming for me. Just when I had started to get over the feelings I had for him, he appeared at my door needing my help again. A part of me felt like I was being used but another part of me knew there was no way I could turn Danny down.
We had been through so much up until now..even though he had left me alone for all intensive purposes.

[i]"You know where everything is.. the guest room is still yours to sleep in.[i] I said as I pulled myself away from the kitchen counter and I walked slowly out of the kitchen into the living room. I headed towards the stairs and started to climb them, glancing over my shoulder at the figure I had thought I had gotten over. I suppose I never really had but there was no hope for me anymore and I suppose that was the hardest thing to accept.
Another sigh passed my lips before I continued on my way upstairs to the room he had once used before he moved out. More or less everything was the same as he had left it only the covers were new and the bed carefully made.

Danny stood in the kitchen, listening to the words spoken to him. He didn't have the heart or stomach to respond. He was too ashamed of his actions. He nodded occasionally to Violet's words, but otherwise he stood silent and still. He tried to look away as Violet walked out from the room, but he couldn't help but glance over and feel sorry for what he had done to her. "I really am sorry," he said almost silently, far out of the range of Violet's hearing. "I'm so stupid!" He spoke, louder than his previous statment as he hit his head out of frustration. He fell into the kitchen chair with his face in the palm of his hands. Memories of his life and time with Violet flooded back. Ultimately it had been Danny that hurt Violet, but he felt this urge to leave and start a life on his own. What he didn't realize was that he could have started his own life while keeping in contact with Violet. He sighed and leaned back. He sat in the kitchen, focused on his thoughts for almost half hour, before he picked himself up and walked upstairs.

When he reached the top of the stairs, instead of heading to the guest room, he made his way over to Violets. He hesitated outside her door before he gently opened it. "Look, Violet, I know I hurt you but I-..." He stopped as he saw Violet sleeping. "... I'll do anything for you. I'm sorry," he finished quietly before turning around and heading to the guest room closing the door behind himself.
In the guest room Danny had fallen onto the bed leaving the door open. The room was almost just how he left it. He remembered the first night he slept in this bed and smiled a bit before it faded. Danny closed his eyes and fell asleep without getting under the covers.

Danny had awakened to the smell of smoke. It wasn't strong, but it was strong enough to wake him up. Dazed, he brushed his eyes clear and headed over to the open window where the smoke was coming from. In the front of the house Danny saw the small flower patch close to the sidewalk on fire. It was still early in the morning, before the sun had arised, but the fire was obvious to Danny. "He knows," he said to himself. The fire was already burning out, without much to burn. "Shit... What do we do now?" He asked himself before he went down to the kitchen and made some coffee.

I walked through the hallway towards my room, hesitating at my door to look over my shoulder in the direction of the stairway. I half-expected Danny to follow me upstairs but when I heard nothing I continued on into my room to bed where I had been headed before he came knocking at my door in search of refuge.
I climbed into bed and pulled the covers up and over myself, drawing them tightly around me as I curled up on my side. As tired as I was though it was a couple minutes before I finally started to actually fall asleep. There was just too much going on in such a short amount of time. How was I supposed to take Danny suddenly coming back into my life after having disappeared from it for so long?
It was almost as if he moved on and forgot me entirely.
A soft sigh passed my lips as I tried to push those ideas out of my head, focusing instead on anything else that I could. Puppies came to mind and within a minute I was asleep.

At some point during the night I could have sworn that I heard Danny's voice beside me saying something but my mind simply attributed the voice to my dream and I did not hear a word of what he said despite the fact that he had slipped into my room to speak to me.
Even with all of the stress that had suddenly inserted itself into my normally peaceful life I managed to sleep the rest of the night away only to wake up much earlier than I would have wanted to.

With a yawn I pulled myself out of bed, pulled my night robe around my body, and headed downstairs slowly. In my still sleepy state I had all but forgotten about the events of the night before until I got to the bottom of the stairs and I found that someone was in my kitchen.
At first I was not sure who it was but then everything came back to me and I felt a quiet sigh pass my lips. I quickly shook my head, yawned, and walked into the kitchen where Danny was stood with a cup of coffee in his hand. It was good to know that he remembered where everything could be found.
[i]"You're up early.. couldn't sleep?[i] I asked him as I moved to pour myself half a cup of the freshly brewed coffee.

By the time the coffee had finished brewing the sun was already starting to rise. It was still fairly early in the morning, but the rising sun now provided some light into the house. Danny stretched before he poured himself a cup and sat at the kitchen table. It wasn't long before Danny had then hear movement upstairs. He took a deep breath before thinking to himself: "Today is a new day. We'll be better." Violet then walked downstairs and the feeling in the room was awkward. "Or maybe not."
"Not really. It was late when we went to bed any ways, but something had woken me up. It was the smell of smoke, coming from outside." Danny paused and starred at Violet. "They know I'm here," he said quietly before taking a gulp of coffee.
"Now I'm not sure if they know who you are or not. I'm guessing because they didn't just storm into the house that they don't know who you are. For all they know, you're simply a friend I know, which is good. It gives you a choice if you want to get involved or not. Do not feel guilty either, I'd completely understand if you wanted me to leave... I know I would," he added quietly before taking another gulp.

"I suppose I should let you know what I believe we're up against though," he said before Violet really had a choice to speak. "You worked in the military, you understand how the facility you worked in operates and their methods. What you don't know however, is my brother Zane. He's not just my brother though, he's my twin brother. Almost everything about us is the same except for that he is a firebender where I am a waterbender. He was always a strong kid in his beliefs. Fighting and arguing for what he believed was right. He was stubborn too; had a lot of will he did. He was always more aggressive than I was though and if the government had changed him like it had changed me, then him working for them is a dangerous combination. Not too bad, eh?" he chuckled dryly before finishing off his coffee.

When I walked into the kitchen the very first thing I noticed was how awkward things had become between us. Not that it was very surprising considering everything that had happened last night.
Perhaps what made everything worse, at least for me, was the fact that even if we did happen to get out of here then he was probably just going to do the same thing in the future. Either that or he was going to find a way to get the life he had started here to follow him to the next place we ended up in.
I shook these thoughts out of my head as Danny began to speak though knowing that I needed to pay attention if I wanted to understand what was going on.

He described exactly what he thought we were going up against and I leaned against the kitchen counter heavily, taking a slow sip from my cup of coffee as I thought over the different possible ways this whole situation could end.
Either he left the house on his own and I would remain an innocent witness in the eyes of the government that still thought they were chasing after a male scientist named Vio.
Or I went along with him and we figured out a way to escape the people coming after us. Either way it seemed like I was going to be caught up in this whole mess whether I wanted to be or not.
"How am I supposed to help you though, Danny? I'm just a normal person.. I don't have powers like you do. If your brother were to attack me, what would happen then? I'd be defenseless against his powers." I replied to his explanation before I shook my head.
"I'd end up being more of a burden than anything else..like before. I added while shutting myself up with another sip of coffee.

"You're not a normal person Violet," Danny quickly added. "You may not have abilities like I do, or my brother, but that doesn't make you normal. You're brilliant! You are the smartest person I've ever met, and you're determined and brave and strong," he spoke before slowly stopped to look up at her. "You're amazing Violet," he smiled. "Don't sell yourself short." The smile may have lasted too long, so Danny stood up and looked outside.
"But he is a serious threat. Maybe it was a bad idea for me to come here. I'm sorry to get you involved with this mess," he spoke and he walked over and hugged her. "If I make it through his and you ever need anything, you give me a call," he chuckled before walking towards the front door. Danny took a pause as he twisted the door handle before calling out to Violet.
"I meant what I said by the way. You're too special to think yourself normal." He left the house.

Danny stood outside Violet's house for a couple of seconds to breath in the fresh air and take in the previous night. The small flower bed that had been burnt was nothing more than a smoking pile of ash.
"That's some sign you left Zane," he mutter to himself before he walked down the pathway from the house with his hands in his pockets.

Almost immediately Danny countered my words by telling me that I wasn't a normal person. I looked at him with a confused but curious frown on my face, unsure of where he was going with his words.
He told me a long list of things that he claimed he thought before he cut himself off, quietly speaking to himself about how dangerous the whole thing was.
Then, out of nowhere, he stood and gave me a quick hug before he headed towards the door.
I watched him in disbelief as he spoke before heading right out the door. It took me a moment or two but I moved to follow after him into the street.

Quickly I caught up with him and got in front of him.
"Look Danny.. I just don't understand how I could help you against someone like this. The only thing I've got to offer is my intelligence and what good is that agaisnt a person who can bend fire? He'd burn me to a crisp before I could even level my weapon at him. What would you have me do?" I shook my head as I turned the question to him.
But before he could answer it I reached out to grab his hand, dragging him back towards the house.
"I can't have you running off only to get caught and killed." I huffed as I pulled him back inside and locked the door behind us.
I let go of his hand only to turn and smack him across the face. Not hard but not exactly soft either.
"That's for leaving when I needed you most.. Now get yourself together and sit back down. We need to work this whole thing out." I said in a quiet voice before sighing, brushing past him as I walked back towards the dining room table.

Danny's stroll was slow and calm despite the whole situation he was in. He felt bad for walking away, but Violet was right. This was dangerous and it was selfish of Danny to even consider bringing her into his mess. It wasn't long however, before Violet came rushing down the street and stopping in front of Danny.
He opened his mouth to speak but Violet beat him to the punch. She went off about how dangerous it would be for her and how much of a threat Zane, all of which was true and Danny wanted to agree with her. Before he got the chance to even reply though, Violet was dragging Danny back into the house. "Violet," he began to protest, but it was no use. Just like Danny, Violet was just as stubborn. It's one of the things that annoyed him yet he admired about her.

Just as they entered the house Violet slapped Danny across the face. He was stunned. Not because it hurt (thought it wasn't necessarily gentle either) but because he didn't expect such a reaction from her. He found his hand holding his check where her hand had made contact. A small smile grew on his lips as Violet walked back into the kitchen. "Maybe now things can start going back to normal between us," he thought. He followed Violet into the kitchen and sat back at the table.

"Okay, I know Zane is a threat, believe me I know, but you wouldn't be doing this on your own. I was actually thinking about taking Zane myself, you know, the whole water/fire thing between us. What I really wanted you to help me with was the government. I'm not sure how they think, or what their motives are, and I won't be able to take Zane if he has government workers by his side, that is a fact. But I'm pretty sure they don't know who you are yet they just know where I am currently."
He paused and looked back out the window. "They could attack at any time, but I think they may want to single me out." Another pause. He turned to Violet. "You're the intelligent one though, what do you think," he said with a smile.

My hand still tingled from the slap I had given Danny but all of the sudden I felt a lot better than I had before. Yes I was still hurt and somewhat angry at him for having left me, and I doubted he fully understood just what he had done, but at the same time I knew that he had moved on to better things by leaving.
I guess I was really torn between the two emotions of being both angry and happy for him.
This was not the time to focus on my own selfish feelings though. It was time to think of some kind of plan.

When we came to sit down at the table Danny began to explain to me everything that he had in mind. How he would take on Zane while I would think of a way to take on the government.
And when he turned the question to me I frowned a little bit, trying to put my fancy education to good use.

"I think we need to stick together as much as possible..more because they'd want to take you without causing any civilian casualties than anything else. So long as there's an innocent bystander with you, they'll be forced to rethink their strategy. Unless of course this brother of yours doesn't care about taking the lives of the innocent per say..then we'd have a bit more of an issue." I answered him while tapping my finger against the table.
A moment or two passed before I turned my gaze towards the window, shaking my head slightly.
"I also think I'm going to need a much bigger gun." I was of course referring to the fact that the only weapon I had to defend myself with was my service pistol.

Time seemed to move slower for the pair as they thought about ways of ending the mess they were now in. What really bother Danny was how the government had found him. Of course he was paranoid the first year or so, but by this point in time, that thought was long gone and now the shock of it suddenly returning had shaken him up.
"Zane taking the lives of the innocent?... No... he wouldn't do that I think. But I don't know. You remember what that facility did to me, it could have just as easily changed him too, in fact, I'd be surprised if he didn't. We'll have to see I guess..." Danny sighed and looked at Violet with a small grin on his face. "I don't know where to go from here though. Do we run, or do we stay and fight?" It was a question asked to Violet, though the question had made Danny think just as much.
Fight or flight? That's the ultimate question, isn't it?

It was then that Danny's phone rang. There was a pause in the room before Danny pulled out his cell phone and placed it on the kitchen table. "Shit! I was suppose to meet Alice fifteen minutes ago. I'm sorry, it'll just be quick moment." His eyes filled with guilt as he spoke with Violet. It was bad enough that Danny had shown up at Violet's unannounced, but now Alice would be an interruption between the two.
"Sorry," he said quickly before answering. "Hey Alice... Yeah I know, I'm-... Yes... yeah I... I know. Sorry... you too... I'll make it up to you okay?... Well something popped up, something important... no, it's okay don't worry... okay, bye."
An awkward pause. Danny looked at Violet for a couple of seconds before turning away and looking out the window.

Zane: The room was dark and poorly lit. Zane sat, tied to a chair. "I'm sorry. He got away, what would you like me to do?!" he snapped.
Zane, being Danny's twin, looks exactly like his brother. Same facial features, eye colour, even the same short hair. Their personalities seemed to have changed with their time in the government facility however. "We want you, Zane, to capture your brother and bring him back to us."
"Why?" Zane snapped. "So you can treat him the same way you do to me? What if I don't want to do this any more?!" There was a silence in the room before a voice could be hear in the room. "You don't really have a choice at this point Zane, and don't forget he was the one who had escaped from our facility and left you behind. He didn't even bother to see if you there." There was a look of anger on Zane's face as he looked down. A short pause of silence as a mental fight broke out in Zane's mind.
"Fine. You let me know where he is, and I'll... aid my assistance or however the hell you describe it.

I kept my eyes focused on Danny as he thought over the possibility of his brother taking the life of an innocent person. Although I tried everything to be positive about the whole situation, I knew that we were going to be in big trouble if Zane had no care for the lives of the innocent. If he didn't care then my life was going to be in much more danger. It would make staying around Danny impossible.
As much as I wanted to help him I was not really willing to meet my end in a pile of ash.
I had confidence in my friend's abilities but there was no way of knowing that he would be able to watch over me constantly. Perhaps there would be a way for me to help him while staying out of danger?
I doubted it.
This was not going to be an easy situation to get out of. Just picking up and moving without being followed was near impossible at this point. Was that our only option though?

I was drawn out of my line of thought by the sound of a phone ringing in front of me. I blinked and glanced up only to find that it was Danny's phone ringing. At first I wasn't quite sure what to think of him being called but then he cursed, telling me that he was supposed to have met up with his girlfriend only 15 minutes ago.
Immediately I felt my chest tighten up and I leaned back, crossing my arms with a quiet sigh. Of course this had to just make things worse didn't it? In the moments I had begun to remember all of the good times Danny and I had gone through together, his girlfriend had to call and remind me that there was no longer any chance of such a thing happening between us.
As he went to answer the phone I stood up and headed into the kitchen, leaning against the counter with one hand while the other rubbed the bridge of my nose.
When he came back from the look I looked at him.
"Why didn't you go to her? Why come all the way here to see me instead?" I asked him quietly.

ooc - Sorry Dream! A couple of buddies took me up North to go skiing for a couple of days. Happy New Years though buddy (I know I'm late).

bic - He wasn't sure how to respond. Wasn't sure how the situation would change once again. Wasn't sure how to feel. From the window Danny's eyes drifted to the floor where he starred for a bit, his back slightly hunched. It was then that Violet spoke which got him to sit up straight again. If Danny was confused before, he had absolutely no idea how to respond at this point in time.
"Why don't I go back to her?" he repeated, slightly hurt. "Violet, I..." he stopped, feeling a bit threatened. "Violet, Alice has nothing to do with this. She's an innocent girl who has no right to get involved with all of this and..." he stopped to really look at Violet before something in him snapped.
"I KNOW I HURT YOU!" He shouted, standing up as he spoke. "I know I hurt you, okay? I'm not stupid! But you hurt me too and it was not easy for me to walk out either!" Danny took a short pause only to breath. "I didn't want what happened to us to happen, but it did. I don't know what you want me to do Violet!" he said, his voice gone from anger to grief.
"I left because I didn't want all of this," he said, throwing out his arms. "To happen all over again to be. I left in some misguided attempt to try and save you." He stopped, breathing a bit heavier from his recent rant. "What I great job I did, eh?" he mustered a chuckle of pity to himself before he sat down.
"But we're here now..."

Zane: Despite it being a bright day outside, Zane's world had turned dark. It was blackened by the mental arguments he had within himself. He wanted to forgive his brother and continue on with his life in freedom, but at the same time he couldn't ignore the fact that his brother had left him behind in his prison cell while he managed to escape and start his world as a free man. While Zane wouldn't use hatred to describe Danny, anger, envy, loathing, and the like all came to mind. Zane balled his hands into a fist before punching the air and letting out a scream. A stream of fire emerged from his fist before it withered in the air and disappearing. Luckily for him, there was no one around him in the park as he walked the path to his destination.
The metamorphosis that was going on in himself had greatly affected his judgement. Leaving the park and walked down a couple streets gave Zane time to clear his thoughts for the time being and compose his face. He would do what needed to be done to gain his freedom, just like Danny had done. He stopped outside of the house with a burned hedge. A small smile grew on his lips as he walked up to the door and knocked three times.

I stood there quietly waiting for his reply to my question, watching him as he sat up straight and looked at me. At first he was a little confused but then his brow furrowed into an expression that seemed almost hurt. He started to explain himself, telling me that Alice was an innocent girl who had no right to get brought into the mess but he trailed off before he could finish.
Suddenly he burst into a fit of shouting that caused me to jump in both surprise and fear. I had never seen him so angry before at least not since the escape all those years ago.
It frightened me but it also hurt to know he didn't realize why I was so angry at him.
"Maybe I don't want to be here Danny." I said quietly in a shaky voice before I turned and left the room abruptly, tears just beginning to run down along my cheeks.

I was just about to head straight upstairs to lock myself in my room when I heard a knock at the door. Three strong knocks that sounded through the house. I froze at the very first step and leaned back into the foyer, looking towards the door.
I sniffed quietly and brought my hand up to wipe away my tears as best I could, heading towards the door.
Without really thinking, my mind too clouded with hurt, I opened the door to find myself looking at a man who looked exactly like Danny.
The only words I could utter were a simple.
"H-Hello.." I stuttered as I looked up at the figure with uncertainty and fear in my eyes.

ooc: Haha it's all good Danny! I hope you had fun!

"Violet," he said quietly, as she turned away. "Violet, wait!" he said, standing up, but unsure whether he should actually chase her or not. He stood there and growled at himself before bring his hands through his hair, stressed. "I fucked up again!" he thought to himself. He fell back into his chair with a sigh. "Are we ever going to be already?" he asked quietly, mostly to himself (though it was definitely out of her hearing).
There was a knocked at the door and at first Danny thought absolutely nothing of it. Of course it was only a couple seconds after that, everything that had just happened in the past twenty-four hours came rushing back into his head. "Violet!" he called out only seconds before she opened the door.

Zane: It didn't take too long before the door opened. Zane stood there with a bright smile on his face. "Hello there," he said rather cheekily. "This may sound odd ma'am," he said with a chuckle, "but have you seen anyone who looks exactly like me lately. I understand if-..." Zane cut himself off as his eyes drifted over the smaller figure of Violet to the man who looked exactly like himself. His smile quickly faded and without thinking, pushed the girl aside and ran into the house to steal the freedom from a man who had stolen his.

Danny: He stood there with disbelief in his eyes. If there wasn't the threat of losing his life, Danny might actually be happy to see his brother again. Of course that thought faded as soon as that brother rushed into the house. Having already been in the kitchen, Danny jumped over the table and turned the sink on. Zane stopped across the room with a dark grin on his face. "Zane..." he said wearily. "Zane, you don't have to do this..." Danny spoke quietly and passively. Without responding, Zane took a step forward and punched with a loud grunt. Similar to in the park, a large stream of flames headed towards Danny. Quickly, Danny spun out of the way and whipped his arms around sending a small powerful wave racing towards Zane. With another punch, the water evaporated.
Zane shot two quick jabs which sent out two smaller blast of fire. Danny countered then attacked, charging Zane with a water whip as a decoy. "Violet! Time to go!" he shouted, still moving. As he deafened himself, Danny brought the water to Zane's feet and froze them to the ground before sliding past.

I didn't really have much of a chance to reply to either Danny's voice calling my name or the words of the man who appeared at the door. At first he introduced himself quite politely and began to speak with a friendly smile, friendly enough to where I began to wonder whether this was the man Danny had spoken of. If he truly acted the way he was acting towards me now then everything probably could have been talked out without any violence at all!
However that thought very quickly went through the window as soon as the man caught sight of Danny who had come up into view behind me where the foyer showed into the living room.

Before I could so much as gasp in surprise I was pushed aside with ease, hitting my head against the wall, and I fell to the ground with a quiet groan. When I could see straight again I opened my eyes to see a flurry of movement happening in the living room between the two brothers.
I slowly pulled myself up off the ground only to hear Danny's voice telling me it was time to move.
Without really thinking I just pulled the coat closet open, grabbed a coat, my gun holster off the back of the door where I kept it, and joined him in running out the door.
I wasn't sure where we were going but I had no choice but to follow at this point.

There was a loud yell from Zane as he struggled to break the ice at first. Danny had used that time to make it out of the house and start running out the door. He glanced behind himself to see Violet a bit behind him. From the house there was another yell before Zane came bursting out of the house and chasing the two. Zane jumped in the air behind throwing his leg down and landing. A large amount of fire shot out from his foot and hurled its way towards Violet. Hearing the yell of Zane, Danny had turned around the see him jump in the air. "VIOLET!" he called and ran towards her as the fire emerge with Violet in it's line of fire.
Being outside, Danny had no immediate access to the water in the house, so he made do with what he had.
Not having enough time to clear Violet of the area and stop the fire, Danny pushed her to the ground as he stomped his leg, pushed the arms forward (facing a neighbours flower patch) then arched them up. Water was pulled from the flowers (killing them in the process) and covered the two from the fire. Before more fire started rushing at the two, Danny grabbed Violet and carried her in his arms. "Trust me," he said to her as he ran away from Zane.

Up the street, Danny turned the corner and placed Violet. "To my house. I don't know if you remember but it's 163 Limerick Ave, just off Main Street. Go Violet!" he almost demanded (though there was a plea in his voice) with a little nudge. "I'll be there soon, trust me." It was then that Danny heard the grunting of Zane sprinting to catch up. As soon as Zane turned the corner, Danny tackled him to the floor, knocking the wind out of Zane. Jumping off of him Danny ran towards the park, Zane quickly following behind. There were a couple of attempts of fire blasts at Danny, but none hit.
At the park Danny turned into the little forested area before turning around with his guard up. The two brother were panting. "Why are you doing this Zane?! I'm your brother!"
"Shut up!" Zane snapped back. "A brother doesn't leave a brother behind!" Danny was about to retaliate when he saw a bright flame flying towards him. Danny ducked under the flame then sprinted to Zane, pushing him up against a tree. "What are you talking about?" Danny asked angry. "You know damn well," Zane replied, kicking Danny away. Another fire blast. Another dodge.
Using similar motions with the flowers Danny pulled water from a tree and with the force pushed Zane against another tree before freezing the water (and Zane) to the tree. "I'm sorry Zane, but you're not thinking right," Danny said as he ran to punched Zane in the face, knocking him out for the moment.

Danny stood there for a moment or two, panting, before he wiped his nose and sniffled before quickly making his way over to his house to meet up with Violet again.

ooc - Here are some clips of bending (in case you don't get what I'm basing it off of. It's a show called Avatar).
Waterbending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcvMaw6-HQI
Firebending: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C0RvNVfT1Y
I know the girl's voice over is rather silly, but it kinda shows the motions I'm going for with the two styles.

Now I wasn't much of a runner. How could I be? The only time I had been fit in my entire life was back when I was going through basic training to get into the military in the first place. Ever since then it was working in a science lab with the only exercise being walking from one side of the facility to the other. Of course I did little things to keep at least somewhat in shape but nothing that would have prepared me for running away from what could have been my untimely demise.
I didn't dare look over my shoulder though I could hear everything that was going on. I felt helpless even though I could have pulled my gun. What could would it have done? Zane would probably just melt the bullet mid-flight.
Suddenly I felt myself being lifted off the ground onto the shoulder of Danny as he sprinted away from his brother.

When he set me down he told me his address, which I had long forgotten in an attempt to forget about him as a whole, before he disappeared leaving me to fend for myself. At least I wasn't the one being fought though.
So instead of letting myself get in the way any more I turned and ran in the direction he had told me, going towards his house though I didn't know what I'd find there. What was the point to all of this?
When I finally reached the address I stood outside the front door with my hand on the handle, looking down at my feet.
"I can't do this.." I whispered to myself quietly before forcing myself to push the door open. Only daring to take a few steps into the house I had never so much as once ever been invited into.

ooc: I know what you're talking about when you say bending.
I wouldn't say I'm the biggest fan in the world but I'm a pretty big fan of the Avatar series both The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra.