Live for the Moment (Khalidah)

[Jason Sutherland]

Relationships were a messy ordeal and Jason tried to stay away from them as best he could. It was not that he didn't enjoy them: there was a certain level of intimacy a relationship entailed that Jason had come to respect. Rather, it was the mere fact that commitment was expected of both parties entering into the relationship which was something the twenty-three year old did not want to be tied down to. He enjoyed being free of the promises of monogamy. Unfortunately, keeping clear of relationships -- direct or otherwise -- was a difficult mission. Felicia Soler was in a relationship and Jason had still chased her.

After getting on to a plane chartered by Felicia, Jason arrived at her house. He waited until she answered and they started getting intimate. All was going exceptionally to plan. That was, until her mother ruined stuff and her wife got involved. The rest of the evening was a bit of a blur though Jason could recall having to throw his laptop into a ditch in a pitiful attempt to escape a little faster. It became apparant quite quickly that Jason had managed to singlehandly provoke an entire family into wanting him dead. He thought that was quite a feat.

It also gave Jason an adrenaline rush he'd been hoping for with Felicia. Granted, it wasn't the most pleasant of experiences but the way Jason saw it, a rush is still a rush. And as he ran, he could feel his heart pushing against his ribcage, his blood rushing in a mad bid to keep up with the pace of his body. He could hear somebody catching up to him and a burst of light eminated from inside Jason's body. Within seconds, he was sprinting and after a few hours, exhausted and aching, Jason was at a motel. He slept there the night, consuming various spirits.

Jason awoke the next day -- roughly mid afternoon -- with the sun glaring angrily in his face. His mouth was dry and he felt his stomach churn with every movement. Jason was hungover which, despite being a pain in the arse, wasn't necessarily a bad thing for him. He had the perfect cure.

Jason inhaled and very briefly his pupils dialated. Though it didn't make him feel much better, it did allow him to push through the detox process that inevitably occurred after a night of heavy drinking.

Pushing himself from the motel bed, Jason walked to the bathroom and held his head underneath the shower. He inhaled as the shock of the cold water wore off. Swallowing a small amount, Jason left the room and looked around. There was a man waiting outside whom alleged to know of Jason's services and Jason happily divulged for a price.

The man paid the fee and Jason used his ability -- giving the man the ability to turn himself into any form of liquid. In this case, it was water. And he ruined the floor.

He called a good friend of his for a pick-up and waited on a nearby bench, head tilted toward the sky.

The minutes flew by and his friend friend appeared - whom owed him a favor from a 'boost' Jason had given in the past and asked where he was to be going. Jason switched off his phone and turned to the male.

"Ah want tah go to some place called cassenova lake or somefing. A'll boost ya so ya get there." Jason said. The man agreed and within seconds the two vanished, Jason's ability allowing the teleporter to delve into wherever Jason was imagining: Felicia Soler's estate.

"Crazy bitches," he mumbled, after straightening his clothes, "and fanks mate but don'h fink ya gettin' 'notha boost from me. That's ya lot."

His friend grumbled and disappeared, Jason looked around and began walking toward the familiar building -- cursing to himself.

[Khalidah Rahal]

Stay, away from me
Build a fortress and shield your beliefs
Touch the divine
As we fall in line

Can I believe
when I don't trust?
All your theories will turn to dust
I choose to hide
From the all-seeing eye

Cazenovia Lake Estate
Cazenovia, New York

Hopefully she'd managed to curtail at least some of the destruction Felicia seemed hellbent on bringing into her marriage by flying both spouses several states away for at least two weeks. In the meantime, she was content to run Intellitouch from their home in Cazenovia Lake where she could keep a close eye on her grandchildren. The house was quiet aside from the occasional popping noise which notified her that she had another chat message waiting, and from the dull white noise emanating from the baby monitors set around the house. Those were a bit superfluous, really. She could sense their energies and would know if they were in any form of distress.

A knocking at the door drew her out of her reverie whilst she'd been enjoying a nice glass of merlot, having a chat with a man who called himself Signor Moretti. She was certain that she'd read his first name on the chat the night before, but last night had been so incredibly scrambled, it was a miracle she could remember anything.

She signed off and closed her laptop, then padded across the house and unlatched the front door and opened it. “Hello, Jason. So sorry you got chased out rather unexpectedly last night. Please come in.” Khalidah stepped aside and waited for him to enter, then closed and locked the door behind him.

The kitchen would be their first stop. “Feel free to make yourself something or go raid the cellar for alcohol. We have just about anything you can imagine.” For herself, she pulled an apple, a peeled orange, and a banana from the fridge. Felicia would never learn that bananas didn't belong in the refrigerator. It always made them spoil faster. She pulled two small plates from one of the cupboards, grabbed a knife from the knifeblock next to the sink, and she sat down at the kitchen table where she began slicing the pieces of fruit into more bite-sized, manageable pieces. “Or I suppose we could order in.” She excused herself from the table long enough to grab the cell phone lying at the edge of the counter and returned to her seat. “Which would you prefer?”

There were a number of fine restaurants in the area who would have jumped at the opportunity to deliver food to their doorstep.

Now that she was sitting down, she had some time to study his face. His skin still had a flush of youthfulness; no wrinkles, a few scars (probably from childhood scuffles), and bright brown eyes. “You don't look a day over fifteen. Are you sure you're old enough to be out at night, stalking old women in their homes?” She grinned at him from behind the lip of her wine glass as she tipped it backwards into her mouth and emptied it.

“My daughter in law has a bit of a jealous streak, which I'm sure she'll work through even if it takes the span of a few lifetimes.” From the tests that she'd been running on Helena, her ability had effectively stopped her aging process. She wasn't quite sure how to broach the topic, but she did know she wanted to bring it up the next time the three of them were together. Felicia would at least be able to help her wife through the transition. “So tell me about yourself. What's a handsome young man like you doing wandering about the woods so late at night?” She bit into a sweet slice of apple and smirked at him. “You're obviously up to no good.”

She started to peel the orange apart, first into two halves, then into quarters, and finally individual pieces. The pungent scent of the citrusy fruit filled the air and tickled her nostrils. “Peeled oranges has always been one of my favourite smells. It reminds me of summer.” Khalidah portioned out the fruit evenly on the two plates setting one in front of the empty seat next to her. Jason had taken a seat as far from her as possible, still wisely testing the waters. “I do have some dessert wines which complement fruit wonderfully, if you're interested. Are you sure you're old enough to drink, little one?”

חלדה רהל חלדה רהל

∞ Word count: 820
∞ Mood: Le sleep BG is sleep.
∞ Outfit: We'll go with this.
∞ Lyrics / Quote: City of Delusion, Muse
∞ Illustrations: None.
∞ Comment / Informational links: None.

[Jason Sutherland]

Jason watched as a figure appeared behind the door. He straightened his now-ruined shirt once more and cracked his neck. He was back at the house of Felicia Soler though this time it was not to release any tensions he may have had and Felicia was not there. This time he was meeting with Khalidah Rahal, a woman whom he knew to be Felicia's mother.

Whilst waiting at the motel, Jason signed on to the IntelliTouch Chat Room and had come across Khalidah. He had vaguely remembered her from the night before and was determined to believe that she was the sole reason his plans had become undone. After all, she was the person whom called Felicia on the phone and caused this mess. Jason couldn't hold a grudge however as he was hoping that she could make use of his ability. She had seemed interested on the chat room.

Jason let off a friendly smile toward Khalidah as she stepped aside. He stepped inside the elegant building and looked around. He didn't get the chance to drink in the surroundings the night before; he was much too fascinated in the biology of a particular woman. The decor was grandiose and made Jason feel somewhat indigent once more. His apartment (though was far from small) was somewhat minimalist. It contained the bare necessities whereas this residence seemed to contain furniture for the sake of containing furniture.

Upon hearing the unmistakable click of a door locking, Jason snapped his gaze toward Khalidah though kept quiet. He wasn't certain of her ability and he didn't have a death wish.
"It's fine," Jason replied, following the female in to the kitchen. He watched her pull some fruit from the refrigerator in silence.
He had to be careful. Here was a woman whom mothered a married woman Jason had tried to bed. He had not been the kindest of souls the night before. And she was acting as if nothing was wrong. Jason did not believe that for a moment. Jason had decided that she was scheming to murder or scheming something else entirely. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted either.
"Fanks but I ain't fursty."

Jason kept his gaze on the knife. Each slice of the apple had been made with utmost precision. The blunt noise the knife made as it cut through the fruits flesh was somehow nerve-inducing. Was this how he was to die? By the knife that cut the apple?

Jason moved to the table, watching over the female.
"It's yer house, not mine." Jason said.
Though Jason was a guest in the property and should have accepted the offers of drink and food — if only to be polite — he did not want to, if only to be polite. His eyes shifted momentarily to the wine glass — red — and upon returning his gaze with Khalidah, he opened his mouth once more; "What d'ya fancy?" He asked.

With her question, Jason wasn't sure whether to be insulted or complimented though he felt self-conscious as her eyes met with the burn scars on his face. He turned away from Felicia's mother and looked around the kitchen, "I'm twenty-free and ya daughter is... nice." Nice was one way of putting it.

He turned back to Khalidah as she bit into the fruit and arched his eye-brow, "Am always up to no good." Jason said with an expressionless tone, taking a seat at the edge of the table. He wasn't entirely sure what was going on. If it were another woman — or perhaps this woman in a different situation — he would have assumed she was trying to flirt or somesuch. However, Jason was taking his current circumstance as a clever guise to end his life or get him to use his ability for free. There was no way either of those were going to happen.

Jason looked at the fruit on the table and looked back to her, "Ah never cared fer fruit." He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms over one another on his stomach, "an' o''course am old enuf. I guess ah could 'ave a glass."

After the glass was poured and the wine was on the table, Jason tilted his head and looked quizzically at Khalidah, "Am not sure ah understand why am here. Wha d'ya want frum me? 'Cause if yah want me tah use mah power, yah gonna have to pay up."

[Khalidah Rahal]

Who's that I see walkin' in these woods?
Why, it's Little Red Riding Hood!
Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood!
You sure are lookin' good!
You're everything that a big, bad wolf could want . . .

"Fanks, but I ain't fursty."

Khalidah raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Is that so? Or are you afraid I might poison you for trying to fuck my daughter?” She continued to portion out the fruit without issue and took a slice of the orange for herself. Killing him, while not completely out of the question, was only eating at the edges of her mind. For the time being, she found him to be rather harmless and amusing.

"What d'ya fancy?" Oh, so he was going to attempt to be personable.

“I fancy a hearty helping of Hunter's Stew. Have you ever had it? I could make it with what we have around the kitchen, but it would take a little while.” There were a few restaurants nearby whom she trusted to do justice to the recipe and reached into her pocket for her cell phone. “It's a stew made of deer hearts and a number of seasonal vegetables. Very filling. Don't let the ingredients disturb you. The hearts are cubed up fairly well, and they're only dark meat.” She texted in the order to one of her favourite chefs with the instructions to tend to them personally at her home. Whenever specific organs were mentioned in reference to food, most humans' reactions were visceral at best. Intestines being used as casings for sausages, liver being used to make pâtés, the brain being used for sweet breads. Hunter's Stew had always held a very special place in her life.

"I'm twenty-free and ya daughter is... nice."

Khalidah chuckled. “Yes. Yes, she is. As the saying goes, the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree . . . ” She could only hope that Felicia and Helena would work out their differences by any means necessary. Traversing the world of immortality alone was a difficult existence. It was something she'd attempted for a few lifetimes, but making connections with certain individuals was inevitable.

At his remark about always being up to no good, she couldn't help but smile at him. “So, Little Red Riding Hood, what makes you so sure that I'm not the Big Bad Wolf getting ready to devour you in one big gulp?” She liked that nickname for him. From now on whether he liked it or not, he would be Little Red. “There's no lumberjack around here to save you, you know.”

She poured him a glass of the vintage merlot and pushed the plate of fruit towards him. “I prefer a good Viognier or a light red like Cinsault. Merlot isn't the best to drink alongside sweet fruits, but it'll do in a pinch.”

He took the glass from her rather suspiciously, as if he expected it to be tainted with deadly drugs. "Am not sure ah understand why am here. Wha d'ya want frum me? 'Cause if yah want me tah use mah power, yah gonna have to pay up."

She was going to have to pay up? Well, that could certainly be arranged. “My dear, where exactly are you from? Your accent is positively atrocious.” Khalidah leaned back in her chair and reached for another slice of the peeled orange with dainty fingers. “And what gives you the impression that I'd be willing to 'pay up' for what you have to offer?”

He did have an ability, of that she was certain. “I think you might be overstepping your boundaries, if you assume I'll be compensating you for showing me something that I can already magnify a thousand-fold.” In her experience, arrogance had caused the demise of a number of civilisations, each who thought they were more advanced than the ones they had attempted to conquer.

Khalidah poured herself another glass full of wine and set the bottle down on the table between them. “Or perhaps you could convince me otherwise. As the song goes, I'd like to hold you if I could, but you might think I'm a big, bad wolf, so I won't.”

חלדה רהל חלדה רהל

∞ Word count: 781
∞ Mood: Noms!
∞ Outfit: Same as previous posts.
∞ Lyrics / Quote: Little Red Riding Hood, Rolling Stones cover of the Sam the Sham classic
∞ Illustrations: None.
∞ Comment / Informational links: None.

[Jason Sutherland]

“Oh? Is that so? Or are you afraid I might poison you for trying to fuck my daughter?”

Jason kept his gaze on Khalidah's hands. His eyes flickering with the slight movements of the knife. There was a sense of hostility in what she was saying. That wasn't to say the hostility was unprovoked and unexpected though it was surprising considering how she had been on the chat room. Jason suddenly found himself to be exceedingly aware of his surroundings. He took a mental note of where the exits were: a window by the sink, a doorway behind him. He categorised the room within his mind. Possible weapons, exits and defense-tools.

"It'd crossed my mind."

“I fancy a hearty helping of Hunter's Stew. Have you ever had it? I could make it with what we have around the kitchen, but it would take a little while.” Jason arched his eyebrow at the name of the stew. It sounded nice, “It's a stew made of deer hearts and a number of seasonal vegetables. Very filling. Don't let the ingredients disturb you. The hearts are cubed up fairly well, and they're only dark meat.”

On the contrary, the matter of the stew containing an animals heart did not provoke him in the slightest. He had eaten much worse. And she seemed to be a woman of good taste so he believed it was what she said it was. Jason grinned at her use of words, seeming to find amusement in the description of the stew, "It sounds very hearty."

He looked to the plate of fruit once more before looking to her phone. Who was she texting? The thought that she was contacting certain people was very prominent in his mind and it only added to Jason's uncomfortable sense of unease in the house. He still wasn't sure what was happening.

Jason remarked with a silent smile at her next words. He saw parts of Felicia in Khalidah It should have been the other way round with Khalidah being the mother though Jason could not see it as that; he had met Felicia first.

“So, Little Red Riding Hood, what makes you so sure that I'm not the Big Bad Wolf getting ready to devour you in one big gulp? There's no lumberjack around here to save you, you know.”

Jason smiled at her question and swallowed. It seemed she was trying to joke about. Perhaps even toy with him. "'Cause this ain't ma nans house and ya ain't dressed like 'er," he shrugged. Her teeth did not look big and her hands did not look hairy and as for her nose? Well... that was debatable.

Khalidah did have an air of class about her however that Jason admired. He had a soft spot in his heart for those of the female kind whom opted to be seen as high in the societal ladder.

“My dear, where exactly are you from? Your accent is positively atrocious. And what gives you the impression that I'd be willing to 'pay up' for what you have to offer?”

Jason exhaled deeply at her insult. He found her accent to be boring and somewhat lifeless but he hadn't decided to pick at her for it. It was not the polite thing to do and Jason likened himself to being somewhat of a gentleman. And as for the boundaries, Jason saw none. She had invited him here after he had suggested using his ability. The way he saw it, she wanted him to use his ability on her. Unfortunately, that came with associated costs. He had no qualms with leaving the house. It would become a feckless venture though it was worth it for lack of wasting time he could have been using to earn money. Time was money, after all.

Jason took a sip of the wine, looking over her as his lips met the rim of the glass. It seemed she did want him to use his ability after all. She wanted to play him for a fool. It never usually worked that way though. Jason had a few tricks up his sleeve.

Jason was then presented with a choice;
Should he 'convince' her or ensure she pays? Both came with risks and both were equally as important.

He put the glass down and looked around once more. He made his choice.

Returning his gaze to Khalidah, Jason stood up from where he was sat and walked around the table until he was standing behind the woman, "I dun usually do this," Jason lifted his right hand and held it a centimetre from Khalidah's shoulder, "But..." Jason brushed his fingertips against her collarbone and a faint surge of light escaped his fingers with each touch, dissipating into her body, "Ah want t'know ya won't try 'n kill me."

[Khalidah Rahal]

The wolf thought to himself, “What a tender young creature! what a nice plump mouthful—she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both.”

The Rahal Estate
Cazenovia Lake, New York

She might not have been a mindreader, but she knew when someone was rapidly looking for a way out in the interest of survival. “I wouldn't advise running away from me. That'll just irritate me. But if you do choose to run away, I'll give you a sixty second head start.” She'd be able to get an energy read on him fairly easily, and doubted that he'd be able to get very far. Adrenaline only took someone so far before the rest of their body gave out with exhaustion.

Khalidah finished texting her favourite local chef, and was given an ETA of roughly an hour. Hunter's Stew was one of their more popular dishes during the autumn and winter seasons, and they always kept several fresh helpings of it on hand. She glanced up from her phone at his response and felt her lips curling into a grin.

Jason appeared to have taken umbrage with her comment about his accent, but she shrugged it off. Her own accent had been cultivated over the course of thousands of years, living in nearly every country all over the world. Whenever she heard herself doing an interview on the national news, she always thought her voice sounded rather . . . off. Some bloggers thought she was Turkish. Others thought she might have been from England, but had been born somewhere in the Middle East. She chewed out her words as if each and every one of them had some mystical, otherworldly intent, and never a syllable was out of place.

“Of course I don't look like your 'nan.' I'm much older.” She added a coy wink to the end of her statement and kicked her bare feet up onto the chair next to him.

He cautiously stood up and walked around the large mahogany table and came to stand behind her where she could feel the warmth emanating off his body. "I dun usually do this," she saw his hand out the corner of her eye and focused on it, lazily running a hand through her thick dark hair and sweeping it over her shoulders and out of the way. "But..." She felt his fingers graze over her collarbone and saw a light briefly emanate from his skin upon contact. The spent energy was absorbed into her cells in the span of a millisecond—and she turned her head to give him a quizzical look. Was that it? That was . . . very disappointing.

The sensation would have left him feeling somewhat weary as she drained the energy from his body starting at the points of contact at his fingertips. “I'll bet you're a hit at the local rave scenes with the light shows you can create.” In one fast, fluid movement, much quicker than the human eye could follow, she pulled her feet off the chair, stood up, grabbed hold of the hand that had alighted on her collarbone, and seductively drew his fingers down the centre of her shirt, then pressed his palm to his chest.

"Ah want t'know ya won't try 'n kill me."

“Oh, Little Red. I never make promises I can't keep.” With the practiced elegance of a professional dancer, she lifted her hands and gently cupped his face between her palms, and moved in close. Her lips grazed teasingly over the scars on his face as she spoke. “I think it's only fair now to show you my thing since you've so graciously showed me yours. Does it still work that way nowadays with you children?”

Her eyes lit up with a fiery, incandescent glow. Where his scarred cheek lay in the palm of her hand, she reversed the effects of what had been done so many years ago, breathing new life into the weak and dead cells. His skin grew pleasingly warm to the touch and she pulled her hand away, watching as the shiny, pinkish-grey scar tissue was replaced by new, healthy skin with an even complexion. She left a small but somewhat noticeable scar just under the corner of his eye—just a sliver, but enough to still be considered as a conversation starter.

“My, my, Little Red. Now you look good enough to eat.” Tilting his head sideways, she leaned in and pinched his earlobe between her teeth before pressing her lips to the corner of his mouth. “You should go have a look at yourself in the mirror.” She gave the now-healed cheek a gentle pat and hooked two fingers under his chin, enticing him to follow. There was a large guest bathroom off the left wing of the kitchen. Khalidah led him to it and stood there in the dark, her eyes bright as beacons. A misty, pearlescent glow formed a corona around her body and gradually increased in intensity until the entire room was alight. Khalidah gestured at the mirror in front of them. “Well? What do you think?”

חלדה רהל חלדה רהל

∞ Word count: 930
∞ Mood: Fuckin freezing.
∞ Outfit: Same as previous posts
∞ Lyrics / Quote: Little Red Riding Hood, The Brothers Grimm
∞ Illustrations: None.
∞ Comment / Informational links: None.

[Jason Sutherland]

Jason looked down at Khalidah. Her hair lay comfortably over her shoulders without a single strand out of place. As his fingers brushed lightly over her skin, he felt his ability coerce its way into her body. Its fingers reaching out, aiming to amplify her every strength. The final result, however, did not work as Jason had expected.

He took a step back and inhaled, unsure as to what had just happened. His touch would usually ignite an ability to become the spectacle they were made to be though the final sum of what his ability would usually amount to, on Khalidah, had simply tired Jason out with no effect on his desired target. Jason blinked and briefly looked at Khalidah's collarbone before looking to his hand with a dimwitted expression. His ability had never done that before and he felt rather embarrassed.

Jason's eyes remained fixated on his hand as Khalidah spoke, “I'll bet you're a hit at the local rave scenes with the light shows you can create.”
Jason turned his gaze somewhat sluggishly to meet with Khalidah, his mouth opening to speak. His words did not reach her ears as, before a single syllable left his mouth, Khalidah had swept around and was pressing his hand against his own chest. He closed his mouth and looked to her hand, which was holding his, not certain about what to do.

Her hands took a firm hold of his face and her lips fluttered across his burns. Jason swallowed as he felt the moist warmth of her mouth make contact with his skin.

“I think it's only fair now to show you my thing since you've so graciously showed me yours. Does it still work that way nowadays with you children?” She said teasingly.

Jason's eyes looked up to Khalidah's, "Mm..hm..." He tried to speak.

The twenty-three year old didn't speak, instead he gawked. The more Jason looked, the more his soul became sucked into her brilliant, glowing eyes. They reminded him of the soft flicker on a candle and within moments, that warmth he saw in her eyes had transferred itself to his face. He felt his cheek radiate heat as she held him and he didn't want to leave. Khalidah held his cheeks as a mother would hold her baby and he willed for her to never let go.

And as Jason knew it wouldn't, it did not last forever. As soon as it had started, it was over. In a stupor, Jason did not respond when she tilted his head. Instead, he was only pulled from his daze when her lips teased the corner of his mouth. Instinctively, Jason turned his lips to meet hers, his eyes closing.

“You should go have a look at yourself in the mirror.”

Jason opened his eyes and was thrown back in to reality. He was in Felicia Soler's house -- in front of her mother. Suddenly the blissful fantasy Jason had just been living in crumbled into nothingness and was instead replaced by the bitter reality he knew.

Fearing what she had done, Jason kept quiet. Her fingers coerced the boy and he followed Khalidah in to the bathroom.

In the darkness of the bathroom, the room filled up with the sight of what could only be described as a physical incarnation of an angel. A bewitching aureole surrounded Khalidah in an alluring gleam. He turned around as she gestured to the mirror and reaped the benefits of what she had sown.

His scars were gone.

“Well? What do you think?”

Jason was silent.
The scars were a reminder of his past. They were his everything. She had left a small token of his past -- a small splinter of a scar but it wasn't what his burns were meant to be. It had no symbolic meaning. And Jason wasn't sure if that was a good thing or bad. He turned his head to the right and examined the small scar underneath his eye. Cautiously he touched it with his right index finger and instinctively winced. He was surprised when there was no pain -- it was as if it had been there for years.

Jason turned around and stepped toward the glowing angel, holding out his hand. He had many questions:- Why did you do that? What do you want from me? but he could not bring himself to say anything. He wanted to scream, to tell her that she had taken the last thing he had of his family away from him and yet he wanted to cry with joy. She had stripped him of his torments and frights. The memories on his father were shaped around the night he inflicted the burns and Jason didn't want to remember that night. He wanted to remember the parks and the good times, though few they were.

With a soft volume Jason opened his mouth, "Hold my hand."

[Khalidah Rahal]

Birds and butterflies
Rivers and mountains she creates
But you'll never know
The next move she'll make
You can try
But it is useless to ask why
Cannot control her
She goes her own way

Cazenovia Lake Estate
Cazenovia, New York

"Hold my hand."

His voice sounded so timid and far away. Rather than take his hand as he'd instructed, she stepped forward and drew him into her light, then slipped one arm around the small of his back and the other around his shoulders. She lifted her hand and caressed the back of his head in a calming manner. “What's the matter, Little Red?” When he first looked upon his new face, she'd been expecting a slightly different reaction than the . . . non-reaction she'd received. She could read the mixture of emotion on his face: anger, fear, sadness, and a touch of hope. “It's one less burden you'll have to carry for the rest of your life. Your scars might be a part of you, but they aren't who you are.”

She held him there for several minutes, allowing her ability to penetrate through his defences until she was able to determine just what it was that he could do based on his unique energy signature. Wispy, miniscule tendrils of multi-coloured light flowed through each of his cells, ridding them of impurities and imbuing them with strength and vitality. In order to gauge what particular ability he possessed, she had to seek it out. Some abilities were more easily identified than others, and certain individuals knew how to 'hide' their abilities quite well. Pinpointing an ability could be a painful process, depending on a number of factors: an individual's present mental and emotional state, whether their body was pre-dispositioned toward experiencing extreme pain due to disease, and how much effort was put into 'hiding' the ability. Each ability had a slightly different vibration to it, and like fingerprints and snowflakes, no two vibrations were exactly alike.

Because he was so young, locating his ability was a simple affair. Her own ability was able to merge with it effortlessly, holding it in balance. “Adrenal manipulation.” Well, that explained why it hadn't worked on her. Her body was an energy magnet. Reversing the flow of the recently stored energy in her cells, she returned to him what he'd given to her and began to pull her ability back to her with the ease of silk sliding over skin.

Khalidah released him, though not before placing a tender kiss on his forehead. “Are you convinced that I'm not going to kill you now?” She stroked his cheek with one hand and walked with him out of the bathroom, into the opulently furnished living room. Moving aside a few poufs that were taking up space on the chaise longue, she lay down and made room for him on the makeshift sofa bed, patting the empty spot beside her. “I don't bite, Little Red.”

Right now, all she wanted to do was relax. While she didn't need sleep in the traditional sense to reset her mind, she enjoyed the freedom that the dreamscape afforded her. It allowed her to travel to other lifetimes and to reconnect with loved ones whom she'd lost. She tried not to get sucked up into the abyss of loss that was her past, and instead remained with her face toward the future. Her daughter had bore her two lovely grandchildren who were now sleeping in one of the rooms above them, and she'd been quite successful in this life. In spite of her rather public persona as the face of both IntelliTouch Industries and the Jung Facility, there were only a handful of individuals (mostly her living relatives) who knew what she was capable of.

“Never get old, Red. Getting old sucks, and the people who tell you it doesn't suck either aren't old enough to realise it, or they're lying.” A forlorn sigh escaped her lips. She propped herself up on one arm and turned herself so that she was laying sideways, resting her cheek against the palm of her hand. “So now that I know what you can do, why don't you show me again? This time I'll know not to shut you out.”

חלדה רהל חלדה רהל

∞ Word count: 787
∞ Mood: My eyes are super dry and I'm freezing.
∞ Outfit: Same as previous posts.
∞ Lyrics / Quote: Mother Earth, Within Temptation
∞ Illustrations: None.
∞ Comment / Informational links: MAKE MY HEADACHE GO AWAY

[Jason Sutherland]

The light surrounded his body and engulfed his senses. It was as if a tidal wave had slammed in to his body and washed away all of the complications in his life. Her fingers brushed soothingly along his hair and for a brief moment, Jason was at home with his mother. The gentle caress of Khalidahs' hand resurfaced feelings that had been locked in the deepest corners of his mind palace since his mothers untimely death. For the smallest of times, Jason felt safe. Nothing could hurt him right now. Jason slowly pulled his arms around Khalidah and his fingers tightly clutched the fabric of her top and closed his eyes, envisioning the world he was feeling. He felt protected.

But with protection came a price.
“Your scars might be a part of you, but they aren't who you are.” Khalidah spoke. Her tone, though soothing, did not reassure him.
He opened his eyes and turned ever so slightly to look at Khalidah, "My scars..." The two words ran around his head. Back and forth, back and forth. Running. Scars. "... They are who I am. A part of who I am." He said and tightened his grip on the womans clothing.

Everything Jason had become could have been attributed to the evening he received his scars. His scars were exactly what caused his fathers death, his move to New York and, ultimately, the death of his mother. They had shaped his personality and ruined his life. But they were his reminder. And he did not want to lose them.

His mind fluttered back and forth between his feelings in a misty haze. Was he annoyed or thankful? Upset or overwhelmed? They all felt the same to him.

After a few minutes, Jason felt something take root inside of his body. He inhaled and felt his ability activate itself and work off the excess energy the female was pushing inside of his body. Jasons breathing began to hasten.
“Adrenal manipulation.” Khalidah summised.
"... Wha'?" Jason asked as his ability silenced itself once more and returned his body to normality. Suddenly the safety he had felt in the arms of the woman broke apart in to a thousand smithereens.

And a kiss put it back together, “Are you convinced that I'm not going to kill you now?” She asked.
"I'm gettin' there... Wh..-" Jason began before being walked to the living room where Khalidah made herself comfortable.

Jason looked to the empty spot next to Khalidah and looked around the room. It was bedazzling. The Big Bad Wolf was luring Little Red in to Grandmas bed. And Jason considered himself allured.
"What big eyes you have." Jason muttered and sat down at the edge of the bed. Letting a sigh run free, Jason swung his legs over the bed and lay down next to Khalidah, looking to the ceiling. He remained silence until Khalidah's voice caught his attention. Jason turned to lay on his side, copying Khalidah's movements.
"I always fort it sucked. Why would I wanna be old?" Jason grinned, his wall coming down.

He had stopped looking to the house as a potential danger and his eyes no longer sought out potential escapes should something happen. Instead, he began to admire the situation for what it was: pleasant. It was a pleasant change from his usual times with female company, a pleasant peace he had not bore witness to in a long time and it was in what seemed to be pleasant company.

“So now that I know what you can do, why don't you show me again? This time I'll know not to shut you out.”

And there it was. She wanted him to use his power on her. But this was different; she wasn't a client. At least, not a normal one. She had given him payment in a way with which he could never be thankful enough for. And although he still was not sure of what he felt about losing his burden -- as she'd opted to calling it -- she had given him something nobody has done before: hope. Hope that one day, the twenty-three year old could make something decent out of his life. And he could not help but think that day was now.

"I hope you don't."

Jason inhaled looked deep into Khalidah's eyes. His ability began to manifest and the opaque mist bled from his pupils, its hands clawing its way toward Khalidah's body. With a tentative breath, Jason willed his ability to enter Khalidah. It did and Jasons eyes returned to their usual color. He did not feel out of energy, which was good. So he raised his free arm and ran a finger down her cheek, "I'll go easy on you."

Jason placed his finger on her shoulder above her deltoid and sighed in anticipation. His hand rested against her warm skin and not milliseconds later, his ability threw itself back into Khalidah and darted around her body searching for her adrenal gland. Light began to drip from the point of contact on Khalidah's skin and Jason kept his eyes on Khalidah, willing his ability to give her power. He could have tried the opposite though he did not want to -- she deserved a boost and as the light coursed through her body, seeking out its target, Jason swallowed.

Not five seconds later, Jasons ability found what it was looking for and the light flooded her body, filling her with the effects of his power.

[Khalidah Rahal]

I am a creature of the wood,
forsaken in my solitude
My song is pleasure and is pain,
my song can drive a man insane
So come with me, my pipes I'll play,
and we will dance 'till break of day
I shall be thy lover

Cazenovia Lake Estate
Cazenovia, New York

"What big eyes you have."

“'The better to see you with, my dear.'” She growled the last word at him and waited for him to make himself comfortable.

She had an idea of what to expect when her ability was augmented and braced for impact. Hopefully the end result wouldn't include the entire eastern seaboard experiencing a complete communications blackout. Her eyes widened as his ability left his body and reached for her, rolling over her skin like a fog before settling in. Khalidah closed her eyes and shivered when she felt the gentle pressure of his finger upon her cheek. "I'll go easy on you."

His hand found its way to her shoulder blade and she stretched out, luxuriating in the sensation like a cat in a warm patch of sunlight. She could feel his ability coursing through the various pathways in her body until they converged on her adrenal glands, releasing massive amounts of the hormone into her bloodstream. Bringing her ability to the fore, she focused on her breathing, keeping it as steady as possible. She knew what she wanted to do, and willed her fight or flight instinct to remain in the background as she drew on the excess energy and concentrated it within each of her cells.

Her body appeared to be filling with light from the inside out. Tiny cords of it branched out along her veins, nerves, and muscles, until her body became nearly translucent, shining like thousands of tiny broken diamonds. In reality, she was allowing her ability to do what it was meant to do, transforming her cells into tiny photons and other energy particles. There was no such thing as 'pure energy'; even light was a combination of energies, though it was the easiest form for her to manifest.

In a silent, blinding moment, the corporeal version of her body exploded into millions of tiny phosphorescent shards which hung in the air, and gave the room an ambiance of a still meadow with sunlight shining through the morning mist. Each particle was imbued with her consciousness, and she could control them at will, coalescing to form different shapes, or to travel from one place to another at roughly the speed of light. It was the ultimate feeling of freedom not to be confined by a body and to be able to interact so intimately with her environment.

The air in the living room came alive with hundreds of flickering lights, shimmering like golden fireflies in the relatively dim light cast by the lamps around the room. By sheer force of will alone, her misty form flitted from one light bulb to the next, gathering their energy until they were completely spent and sputtered into darkness. Now the only light left in the room was her own.

With the last light was extinguished, she floated across the room, and the air currents around her created an undulating, ghostlike effect. She paused for a moment, quietly observing him from above. Golden tendrils of warm energy wafted towards him, and she slowly twined her hazy figure around him like a snake, enveloping him in an ephemeral blanket. She could feel everything about him: the way his lungs expanded and contracted with every breath, the sensation of his fingers attempting to find purchase on her soul-like form, his mouth trying to consume her.

Slowly, the effects of his ability started to ebb. Khalidah withdrew from the embrace and called the energy back to her, gaining back both her form and substance. The energy coalesced into more recognisable shapes, reassembling her body from her feet to the top of her head. She had her arms crossed over her chest, though the gesture left little to the imagination. Her skin glimmered with what remained of the energy he'd given to her, and she looked down upon her naked body, which now gleamed like iridescent glass. She sauntered over to Jason and folded the clothes which had recently covered her body, then lay down next to him once more. “That was lovely.” Khalidah slipped her hand around the back of his neck and pulled him toward her until their lips touched. “But now I want more.”

חלדה רהל חלדה רהל

∞ Word count: 850
∞ Mood: Time to go pretend to be an adult for the next 8 hours.
∞ Outfit: Same as previous posts.
∞ Lyrics / Quote: Creature of the Wood, Heather Alexander
∞ Illustrations: None.
∞ Comment / Informational links: Might edit this later since I kind of had to rush it because fuck work. D:<

[Jason Sutherland]

I f  I  l a y  h e r e
I f  I  j u s t  l a y  h e r e ,

w o u l d  y o u  l i e  w i t h  m e ?

A n d  j u s t  f o r g e t  t h e   w o r l d ?

Jason watched as his ability took root deep inside of her. His eyes drifted to her chest and he observed the gentle rise and fall of her breathing. She was concentrating on keeping control. Whatever she could do, Jason was about to bare witness. And it excited him. Khalidah was bracing herself for what was to come. That, to Jason, was indicative that whatever was coming would be big.

His hand kept contact with her skin as it began to glow crystalline in the bleeding light. As the time quickly passed, her body transformed. Jason turned his gaze to watch her and as she opened her eyes before giving in to her power -- for the briefest of moments -- Jason felt something light up inside of him. Something had been awakened and he felt as light as a feather. He could see his ability taking hold of Khalidah and allowing her to open up to her own potential. And Jason had done this. He had freed Khalidah and she had become unchained from the limitations her ability had for so long imposed on her. But no longer. Her ability was free and so now was Khalidah. Milliseconds passed and she burst into tiny beads of light.

Jason dropped his hand and looked around. Particles of alluring shine swooshed by like dust in the wind and one by one the lights in the room vanished into a void and what was left had no words. Beauty could not have described the fireflies that fluttered by, drifting around the room consuming what was rightfully theirs. Jason sat up and slowly pulled his hand through the air, awe-inspired as each atom moved out of the way as if it had a life of its own.

And of course, it did have a life of its own; it was Khalidah. She was all around. Each droplet of light that was filling his soul was Khalidah. Every speck of dust and every firefly. It was all Khalidah. This was no longer a consequence of Jasons ability. This was transendence: it was the fabric of reality shifting into brilliance. Her beauty illuminated the room and he watched as she danced between the furniture and slalomed through the lamps.

She reached around his soul and engulfed his essence, sucking him in like a book. He could feel her reaching inside of his mind and plucking every feeling from his body. There was a vulnerability that came of this and Jason did not stop her. He did not want to. What was happening was beyond beauty and it overcame magnificence. It was magical.

His lips parted slightly as Khalidah withdrew from her ethereal form and became tangiable once more. He could not bring himself to speak in her presence. She was sensational. His body shivered at her divinity. He watcher her as she lay on the bed and listened to her soft words, “That was lovely.” Jason smiled at her remark, “But now I want more.”

With the final word, their lips met and in an ensemble of emotions he could not fathom, Jason pushed against her mouth and moved over her body, his hands coming down either side of her head. As the moment went on, he could feel his ability stirring.

He did not keep it caged. He did not want to. He was happy to oblige to the womans request. His power poured out and the hormone he had come to know so well invaded his body and overtook. Tendrils of light slithered over Khalidah's mouth and slid down her throat, coercing its way back to her adrenal glands. Jason opened his eyes for a brief moment, his large black pupils staring at the angel. Closing them once more, Jason pushed his upper-body against the woman and allowed his ability to break free from any limitations it may have had.

[Khalidah Rahal]

Oh wicked thoughts
From where did you come?
Dark things breathe their heated sighs
I kiss the cheek
And eat the mouth
And taste the tongue that never lies

Cazenovia Lake Estate
Cazenovia, New York

Khalidah welcomed him into her arms with the gentle embrace of a lover and felt him settle in against the comfort of her bosom. Her fingers traced a path which followed the curve of his spine until they reached the hem of his shirt and lifted it, then fanned out over his lower back. It was like touching cold fire, the way the warm palms of her hands were able to coax involuntary shivers from the muscles just beneath his skin.

Anticipating the barrage of energy about to enter her system, she turned her body into an empty vessel and allowed him to pour as much of it into her cells as he could without leaving him feeling exhausted. Unlike her first experience moments ago, she wanted to temper this one with a bit of restraint.

The tiny threads of light travelled down her throat and plied a soft moan from her lips. It wasn't very often (in this century, at least) that she delved into her more carnal desires and when she did, she usually sought out the company of women. Women were just so much more . . . sensuous than men. But she was willing to break her self-imposed tradition, at least for the night. They'd already gotten this far. It would have been a shame to turn back now.

She pulled away from his lips and dragged her nails over his skin as she pulled off his shirt and discarded it on the floor. Shifting her body underneath him, she sat up on the couch and swung her legs off the side, then got to her feet and walked across the darkened living room to the large sliding glass door at the other end. During the day, the room afforded spectacular views of Cazenovia Lake. Even in mid-autumn, the ground was still blanketed in lush, verdant green grass. The dry leaves which had fallen from the maple and oak trees dotting the landscape were swept down toward the lake with the wind.

Unlocking the latch, she slid the door open. In spite of the season, it was still unseasonably warm, even after the sun had set. She stepped out onto the patio and walked across the cobblestones onto the grass, curling her toes into the damp, warm earth. It was a cloudless night, and there was only a sliver of a waning moon gleaming in the sky against a backdrop of stars. As she stared at the endless expanse of space above her, she lifted her hands to the heavens and closed her eyes, deep in concentration.

Khalidah felt a sudden change in the wind as the energy first manifested. What had started as a gentle breeze was steadily working its way into a fury, blowing her hair around in a mad rictus as if were standing in the vortex of a tornado. The atmosphere around her filled with the distinct scent of ozone, the precursor to a massive rainstorm. Charged particles of energy emanated from her fingertips, and bolts of lightning danced around her, appearing at random from the aether. A low, electrical hum could be heard in her immediate vicinity, and all of the atoms of her body began to vibrate, preparing to release the energy she'd stored.

She brought her hands together and the resulting sound that followed very nearly sent her reeling with panic. It was several times louder than a sonic boom, and the expanding soundwave completely levelled some of the weaker trees around her. The thick glass windows on the rear of the property exploded inwards (damn, she'd have to get those reglazed before Felicia and Helena returned) and several solid balls light shot forth from her hands, exploding in the air like dozens of golden fireworks. Maintaining her focus as the energy rapidly left her body, she focused it into a laser-like stream, a beacon which shot through the air until it hit the magnetosphere some several thousand kilometres above the ground on which they stood.

Moments later, the night sky erupted in blazing bands of colour, spanning the spectrum from violet to a bright, blood red. The aurora painted the sky in thick yet translucent swathes of blue, green, and yellow light which shifted with the force of the solar wind somewhere in the far reaches of space. She lowered her hands and slowly breathed in, finding her centre. She opened her eyes to admire the heavenly spectacle she'd created and lay down on the grass, feeling the pulse of the Earth underneath her as the winds calmed.

“Come join me, Little Red.” Khalidah held out her arms to him and pulled him to her chest, then adjusted herself slightly so that the lower portion of his body rested comfortably between her legs. Unfortunately, aside from the shirt which she'd removed, he was still woefully clothed. “Have you ever made love to a goddess? Sorority girls don't count. Neither does my daughter.” Holding his head between her hands, she turned his head slightly so that he could admire the view of the lights above. “Look at the beautiful things we create. It almost looks like heaven—almost. But if you worship me, I can show you what heaven truly looks like.”

חלדה רהל חלדה רהל

∞ Word count: 1004
∞ Mood: Time to go pretend to be an adult for the next 8 hours.
∞ Outfit: Same as previous posts.
∞ Lyrics / Quote: Dark Thing, Johnny Hollow
∞ Illustrations: None.
∞ Comment / Informational links: Ugh, that isn't the right version of the song I got the lyrics from, but I swear I can never find it. Grrr.

[Jason Sutherland]

I  G O T  N O  R E G R E T  R I G H T  N O W
T H E  A I R  I S  S O  C O L D  A N D  L O W

I  W A N N A  T A K E  O F F  H E R  C L O T H E S

I ' M  F E E L I N G  T H I S

A surge of anxious lust washed over Jason's consciousness as her gentle moan wisped around his ears. His ability teased at her body, cascading like a waterfall falling deeper into her body without restraint. It was no longer grounded. It was unchained and untethered. Jason had succumbed to his innermost desire and as the tender kiss broke, he slowly opened his eyes. Her nails sent the smallest surge of pleasure as they scratched at the surface of his skin and in the most fleeting of moments, his top had been strewn on the floor and the woman was making her way across the room.

Jason moved across the chaise longue and sat on his knees, watching as the woman walked. He had always admired the female form and its unique characteristics though he had never come to know beauty more potent than what he was watching. It was the gentle way in which her hips swayed from left to right, the subtle curves on her body and the confidence she had in her stride that Jason was currently attracted. His senses had become dull to everything but the female opening the glass door.

He inhaled as the warm breeze hugged his face and after a moment of quiet contemplation, Jason followed outside. The stars sparkled in the night and the resplendent crescent hung brightly in the air. The augmentor stood by the door as Khalidah stepped through the grass. He drank in everything about her and the more he looked, the more he saw his ability inside of her binding with her every cell. He touched his lips with his index finger and looked to the sky.

When he returned his gaze, Jason bathed in the aftermath of his ability. The wind began to stir and Jasons heart began to race. He took a step forward toward the woman and a bolt of lightning slammed into the earth to his right. A burst of adrenaline forced its way through his body. Jasons eyes widened as his ability took flight.

Another bolt of lightning in front of him and Jason began to approach Khalidah with an urgent haste. He stopped only two foot from her when he realized what was happening. This was not a storm, no. This was his ability. Her power. Their creation. Jason was the key and Khalidah, the lock. The humming grew louder and Khalidah visibly shook as if she was channelling a force greater than she could withstand. Seconds later, Jason was projected several foot away from Khalidah and came crashing to the floor, his hearing becoming overwhelmed by the roar of true power. Vision blurred, Jason sluggishly got back to his feet. It took him a moment to regain his footing and when his vision returned, the sky was alight.

He turned his head upward as the spheres continued to throw themselves up toward the immeasurable length of space, exploding one after the other as they hit earths final shell. He marvelled in what was happening, awe-inspired by the aurora of purples and greens, reds and yellows. He could not fathom what was happening. Had he really done this? Or was this all her?

Jason approached Khalidah as she lowered her hands. And as he got close enough, she spoke with fervorous heat, “Come join me, Little Red.”

Jason took hold of her hands and dropped his body to her; their eyes meeting and lips briefly touching. He felt the warmth of her body brush against his lower body as she adjusted herself and Jason bit the inside of his lip, “Have you ever made love to a goddess? Sorority girls don't count. Neither does my daughter.”

It was a teasingly bitter statement that Jason, with his current passion, did not care to think upon.

For a few seconds there was silence, "Never."

And Jason was made to look at the magnificence of the splendor flowing in the sky like silk in the sea, "Look at the beautiful things we create. It almost looks like heaven—almost. To him, it was heaven, "But if you worship me, I can show you what heaven truly looks like."

Jason was not a religious man and the prospect of worship made him feel a sudden frustration. The very insinuation of worship was to submit yourself fully and wholly to a being far greater than yourself. If Jason was to worship this woman, he would have had to accept that she was far more powerful than he. But he did not believe that to be true. Jason had caused this: if he had not gifted her with his ability, the sky would not be dancing.

"We 'ave created beauty..." Jason responded, turning his head back to look Khalidah in the eye, "And heaven is what ya want it t'be... And ah only worship power."

Placing a very quick kiss on Khalidah's lips, Jason turned his eyes back to the blaze in the sky,
"I think this counts."