Creeping and Creeps

It had been a short while since Tabitha met the interestingly awkward Sharaku, and she had actually come back to the guild base to see him a few times. He was amusing and awkward. Tabitha wanted to learn about his buttons and then push them. It was cute. He was a guy, which automatically made him uninteresting in certain regards, at least to Tabitha, but maybe she could sort of be his friend. She did make friends, but none of them were in Crocus, and none of them were Shadow Heart. She knew her kind, and they weren’t trustworthy. She chose to be reliable to the friends she made, but she didn’t expect the same from a guildmate. Still, Sharaku was worth at least hanging around at times.

Tabitha was considering heading to the guild to see that particular awkward man when a woman approached her. A woman with long blond hair, ruby red lipstick, and a white sundress. Well didn’t she look like the picture of innocence. Tabitha smirked at the woman’s expression. Her appearance was innocent, but her attitude clearly was not. Tabitha was sure something about her just screamed “I’m in a dark guild” because the woman asked for help.

“I need your help. My father has died,” she began. Tabitha arched an eyebrow.

“My… condolences or congratulations,” she said back, getting an impatient sigh from the woman.

“He’s died and my half-brother and his mother are trying to keep all the money.”

“Ooooh.”

“His will is in the tomb with him. I need someone to get it for me so I can claim my money. Are you capable of that or are you just going to keep sassing me?”

Tabitha laughed, “Yeah, yeah, I’m capable of that.” It worked out pretty well. The woman believed her, gave her directions, a monetary offer, and her name. The name hardly interested Tabitha, beyond finding the grave. It wasn’t personal, it was business. Angelica, the woman hiring, warned Tabitha that her brother might show up if he knew about this, so to be careful. Yeah, yeah, I’m careful.

It did seem like a good excuse to go visit Sharaku though, so she kept heading to the guild hall. Tabitha was wearing a reasonably short black skirt and a loose sleeved silver and purple shirt. Her knee high boots again covered a fair amount of her otherwise exposed skin. Tabitha’s knives were, as per usual, strapped to her back, and in her boots. Never unprepared. At the guild, when she spotted Sharaku, Tabitha was as stealthy as she could be, got behind him and popped her head up next to his, “Hey, what’s up?”

Words: 444/1000

Another quiet day at the guild hall, another day not being all that productive. It wasn’t like he wasn’t trying to be productive… well, okay, it was exactly like that. He didn’t care what the guild’s goals were, and he didn’t care to go randomly take contracts when he had enough money to get by. Sharaku was motivated by only a few things, and none of those things were in play on a typical day. He stood in a hallway, away from people in general, his eyes closed. It made him relatively easy to sneak up on – at least if you were Tabitha. She popped up next to him with a greeting, causing Sharaku to open his eyes quickly – the only sign he’d been surprised. He didn’t move out of his relaxed position against the wall. He didn’t even flinch. He didn't like to show he'd been surprised, though Tabitha probably could tell from his eyes.

“I see you’re still into that whole sneaking thing,” he told her in greeting, turning to face her finally. “You going to or from a mission this time?” That was what she usually visited the guild hall for, after all. She was smart enough to stay out of the guild hall when she didn’t need to be. Sharaku would probably do the same if he could bring himself to care a little bit more.

228/1000

Tabitha liked to be productive. She liked money, and she really liked not being bored. More knives, more clothes, maybe a castle somewhere. Okay, so the castle was so unrealistic it wasn’t even on her wish list, but the point was she could always use more money. And power. Control. Doing work helped her train, it kept her moving, it gave her a purpose. Plus when she did jobs she could come hassle Sharaku, who was just so easy to sneak up on. She giggled when his eyes snapped open, even though he acted completely calm.

“Still being lazy,” she teased him as he commented on her sneaking. She reached over and tapped him on the nose. She acted far more familiar with him, and it was fun. Even if they weren’t friends, they were friendly enough acquaintances, and she enjoyed his company. “I’m going to one, mostly. Got accosted by some woman. And I thought to myself… you know what would be better than doing work? Bringing the cute awkward guy along for some company,” she teased, grinning.

Tabitha wasn’t sure if Sharaku would go for it or not, but she liked teasing him. He was… amusing, but not on purpose. It was what he tried to be, calm and collected, that made him more amusing. Besides, he was more likeably than most Shadow Heart members, Tabitha included. “So, want to come along?”

Words: 678/1000

Some cute awkward guy, huh? Sharaku glanced away from Tabitha. She didn’t have to point it out every time… Still, he had very little he actually planned to do today… or this week… maybe he was a bit lazy. “Fine… I’ll come.” He relented, pushing off from the wall and doing his best to ignore her close proximity. He had no idea what her fascination with him was. She kept visiting lately. He had no idea why. He wasn’t going to complain. Not trusting anyone he worked with was a bit tiring. He didn’t trust her either, but at least he had a bit of fun when she was around.

“What kind of job were you accosted about?” Sharaku asked, sticking his hands in his pockets and looking nonchalant. His tone was even and cool, but that was his normal tone. He rarely sounded especially excited In either a good or a bad way. It just wasn’t his style. Remaining cool and calm wasn’t hard for him – until Tabitha or some other girl made him act more awkward. “Do you have someone new to kill this time, or is it the rare mission where no one specific needs to be hurt?” he asked her, thinking about the few assignments he’d been on to ‘shut people up.’ He hadn’t killed any of them, but he had no idea what Shadow Heart had done once he had delivered them back here. He knew they hadn’t left.

WC 472/1000

Sharaku looked away when Tabitha called him guy and awkward, and she was more than slightly pleased. She so enjoyed making him uncomfortable, but it wasn’t ill natured. She was fond of him, and she didn’t hurt people she was fond of just for fun. It didn’t say much about people she wasn’t fond of, or hurting people for gain, but that wasn’t the point. He agreed to do the job, before asking what it actually involved. When he did ask she shrugged.

“Nope, no killing necessary. Unless you want to stab a dead guy, but I’m pretty sure that still isn’t killing. Speaking of which, do you know how to find the cemetery?” she asked. She knew where it was, but that wasn’t how the game was played. The game was quite simple. Play her cards, but don’t show them. If he didn’t, she would head there anyway, if he did, well, she learned something knew. She wasn’t completely selfish though, not around him anyway, she was a bit more open.

“Some woman, Angelica, wants her Dad’s will. Family squabble about where the money goes, and apparently people thought burying the will with him would keep selfish people from being selfish? Hah,” she laughed just a bit at the foolish notion. She did, however, talk in a quieter tone so he was the only one to hear, “Then again, maybe he did leave his daughter completely out of his will. Dad’s aren’t exactly the best kind of people,” she shrugged. “We probably ought to stall a bit before we head there though, stake out the place maybe, but daylight and stealth…” she was mostly talking just to fill the silence. It wasn’t necessary, and she was sure he could think of these things himself. It didn’t change that she was in a good mood though.

Words: 984/1000

“Nah, I’ll pass on stabbing dead people. Seems like a waste of energy,” Sharaku told Tabitha in a completely serious, though still seemingly laid back tone. Sharaku knew where the cemetery was, but he didn’t actually answer that. She lived here, she probably knew too. “Why, you planning to meet there later?” he asked instead. By now he knew she liked to ask things she knew something about just to find out what he knew.

“A will, huh? Seems odd to stash one with the body. They’re useful with… the stuff after the death and all,” She probably had the same thought. Maybe there was a reason. Either way, he didn’t agree with Tabitha, and visibly twitched an eyebrow when she insulted fathers. His father had been a great man, and he was here to avenge him, after all.

“Yeah, daylight and stealth are not two things that go together so well unless you have specialized magic,” he agreed, letting go at the initial rush of anger he’d had when she’d inadvertently insulted his own father. “So, what? Planning to drag me along on some of your errands before we go then?” he asked, not sure what she had in mind.

673/1000

“I know right?” Tabitha remarked back, smirking as she preferred to do. She found the idea of stabbing dead people at least mildly distasteful, and also really stupid. It was fun to tease Sharaku, but less fun when he knew what she was doing. She was actually opening up to him, foolishly. Him not playing into her hand reminded her that she didn’t need to open up that much. Pull back, take caution, only allow the most minimal information to escape. A step back, but one she didn’t expect him to notice.

He asked why she wanted to know about the cemetery. Turning it back on her, and that was why she closed down some. She wasn’t willing to admit that she knew where it was, as this now seemed an admission, but she couldn’t just ignore it. “Perhaps I was planning on you helping out, since I’m the one who got a job in the first place,” she shrugged.

Honestly Tabitha had been nice about fathers. Her own opinion would have been a few swear words and an insistence she didn’t waste her breath on topics like that. Tabitha very, very seldom let her true opinions on those things show. Sharaku’s twitch and complete lack of response to Tabitha’s comment did what his question about the cemetery had done. It closed her off. Fine, he was fun to tease anyway, she didn’t need to be sharing things. By the time he asked if she intended to drag him along, she would have been happy to just part ways and meet back up with him at the cemetery that night. She didn’t really feel like being friendly, she felt like manipulating people, but if she separated from him after so much effort to get him it would seem strange. “I haven’t decided yet, I was intending to check out the cemetery first, just to see. I don’t exactly have errands right now. Life is dull,” she offered. She was feeling neutral at best now.

Words: 1318/1000

Sharaku, of course, didn’t notice Tabitha’s change in attitude. It was inward rather than outward. Whether she’d been nice from her point of view or not, it was a sore spot for Sharaku. It wasn’t against her, it was for his father. There was a major difference, and one Tabitha wasn’t able to pick up on, it seemed. “Well then, since I’m apparently part of your crew for this job, I guess I’ll come with you,” he told her with a slight smirk. He acted like he felt no obligation to come with her, but that was obviously not true. Criminal or not, Sharaku was an honorable person – the kind someone like Tabitha could easily take advantage of if she had a mind to, despite his wariness.

“So then, we just taking a look around oooor?” she was in charge, and he was going to let her give the orders. Sharaku was not a leader. He wasn’t exactly a follower, but he was perfectly fine with not being in charge at the same time. At least with him around she would find life a little bit less dull. According to her in past conversations. “At the very least I can try and be a little more exciting than a bunch of dead people.”


886/1000

Tabitha wasn’t bad at hiding her emotions. If she wasn’t, she couldn’t exactly maintain any relationships, now could she? She probably would have lost her subtle control on her feelings if she knew about Sharaku wanting to defend his father. Getting upset at her for a generic comment about fathers. She probably would have snapped about how “nice” it was that he had something he wanted to defend, and that if he thought all fathers were like, he could shove off. Tabitha didn’t make the most sense when she really lost her cool, and she was planning to avoid doing that in this case. Sharaku was probably her favorite man, since she rarely formed attachments to males, so she intended to be nice to him. Nice and manipulative, but still nice.

She sighed, forcing her irritation down into her feet so to speak. She wasn’t going to let her temper get the best of her. Tabitha was a master of control, and if she couldn’t control herself, she had nothing. He said he was part of her crew and she smiled at him, “If its my crew, does that mean I’m in charge?” she asked him, sounding her pleased and sassy self again. “And yes, if you will just take me to the cemetery,” she said, as if it was all waiting on him, “then we can look around. I just want to fine the place before we break in. Then maybe… I have an idea of how to pass the time. Just the two of us,” she said, winking because she felt like it. Of course her idea was so unflirtatious it was just teasing to wink, but she had fun.

Words: 1602/1000

Sharaku only chuckled a bit when Tabitha asked if she was in charge. She looked at her, a slight grin on his face. She amused him, regardless of anything else that may or may not be a problem in the future. He had no problem not being in charge. Sharaku was not exactly a follower, but he was even less of a leader… at least by choice. “Yeah, I believe that’s what that means,” he agreed with her, slouching slightly as he started walking.

He didn’t mind taking her to the cemetery if she was going to pretend she didn’t know where it was. Whatever made her happy. He probably wasn’t the best at playing her game, but whatever that meant he would live with. They would be friends as friends, not entirely on her terms. They weren’t friends yet. Sharaku didn’t make friends that easily. But they were on their way, as far as he was concerned. She didn’t have to reveal anything about her life, but she did have to understand she wasn’t always going to be able to manipulate him.

Sharaku’s train of thought was broken rather suddenly though, when Tabitha told him she had an idea how to pass the time. Just the two of them. “I… uh…” Sharaku blushed slightly. He didn’t have a crush on her, though he supposed he might if he were someone else since she was very pretty in his opinion. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t trip him up with sudden ‘flirty’ wording. He doubted she was being that flirty for real, but it didn’t really matter. He reacted the same way. “Wh-what did you have in mind?” he asked, trying to remain more casual than that sentence came out.

1176/1000

He was just so adorable. Making Sharaku awkward was so much fun, and keeping him around was an enjoyable experience every time he blushed. He didn’t blush immediately though. His first response was not blushing though. At first he agreed with her on something. It hardly seemed important when he started blushing. He was going to take her to the cemetery, and she was going to appreciate his efforts. Also she was going to repay his effort, by doing something with him, alone.

So not only did Sharaku blush, but he stumbled over his words and then stuttered slightly. She giggled, “You’re probably one of my favorite people when you get that awkward,” she informed him. It was true. She had some people she liked, but not an overwhelming amount. He was probably one of her favorite people whether he was blushing or not. As long as he was talking. He was not that interesting when he was just standing there being stoic. Unnerving him was such a good time. Why didn’t people do it more often? Oh, they probably did….

“Anyway, yes. Just one of my hobbies that I thought I’d be nice and share with you. I’m not sure if you’ll be good at it or not, but… well, we shall just have to see. Up for that?” she asked with a smile, seeming oddly sincere in her happiness at the moment.

Words: 1836/1000

Sharaku probably shouldn’t have been surprised when he was informed that he was one of Tabitha’s favorite people when he was awkward, and well, he wasn’t. She seemed to greatly enjoy throwing him off of his game where a lot of the women in his past had instead gotten upset with him for being too awkward. He wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing, truth be told, but he rolled with it the best he could. Rolling with the awkward, incidentally, didn’t seem to be his greatest talent, based on the stuttering a moment ago. At least Tabitha was amused. Sharaku mostly wanted to slap himself in the forehead and complain about being a moron to himself. He might have if he were alone.

Tabitha explained that she was going to include him in some sort of hobby she had. What sort of hobbies the woman actually had was anyone’s guess, and Sharaku wasn’t any more in-the-know than anyone else, yet at least. Part of his mind imagined her torturing men for fun, or figuring out the best way to make Sharaku awkward. Somehow he doubted that was what she meant. “Sure, why not?” he said with a shrug as he led the way to the cemetery. Sharaku never knew what was getting into with her. They still had a bit before getting to the cemetery, but Sharaku found himself thinking more about what in the world Tabitha did as a hobby.

1423/1000

One interesting thing about Sharaku was that he held himself to a standard, similarly to Tabitha. Completely different standards, but he was still annoyed with himself for messing up. He lost his cool and acted awkward. That was his bad move. Tabitha lost her cool when she acted… well, open. She greatly enjoyed when he was an awkward ball of cute. He might enjoy if she lost her cool by softening to greatly. While he might get over his awkwardness with time, realistically Tabitha would merely become more open and friendly toward him with time. Working in opposite ways. Oh well, Tabitha was fond of Sharaku, enough to keep him around, that was enough for her today.

What sort of hobbies did Tabitha have indeed. She didn’t show those parts of herself. It wasn’t as if she was inviting him to her house to listen to her play the Violin. That was something reserved for very special people. People special enough she allowed it to be shared, but not so special she felt some need to share it. She had the impulse to share music with people are times, so she picked specific people for it. Sharaku was not that special right now, and Tabitha was not under the impression she ought to do that, regardless.

She’d told him that she enjoyed darts, so her eventual plan of knife throwing wasn’t that complicated. Maybe, if he were nice enough, she might even show him just why she’d learned to be so good with a knife. Still, Tabitha could pick up a knife and do some interesting things, magic or not. She’d had time. Currently as Sharaku led the way Tabitha walked close to him, following slightly and remaining possibly in his personal bubble. “So, what is it you do for fun again, Shar?” she asked, figuring since he was learning one of her hobbies soon, she should learn his.

Words: 2155/1000

Sharaku didn’t answer Tabitha’s question immediately. He wasn’t lacking for an answer, he just wasn’t inclined to jump in with on immediately. “I have this hobby,” he started cryptically, staring forward as they walked. It wasn’t until the next part that he looked at her with a slight grin. He wasn’t lying, it was just more of an accidental hobby than anything else. “Where I find women who are more interested in me than they should be. It usually lasts until they realize that either I’m boring, or I have a way of not staying ‘cool enough’ when the flirting is turned on.”

It was a true enough answer. His hobbies were few and far between. He spent a lot of time daydreaming or studying or practicing. He spent a good chunk of time getting into brawls with random guildmates. He even spent a decent amount of time sleeping. The truth was, he didn’t try that hard to entertain himself. It wasn’t that he was always that boring… he had just gotten used to being bored, more or less, since he started his crazy little revenge errand. Plus, his old hobbies had involved other people that he no longer saw, so that helped too.

1627/1000

Tabitha liked Sharaku’s hobby. She really did. She wasn’t going to jump up and down and explain to him just how much it amused her, but she did grin, and she laughed. “That sounds delightful, Shar,” she informed him. Humor. Curse humor. It was the easiest way to get through a few of her controlled layers. She didn’t think about the fact that she was being honest and happy, but then, neither did most people. Humor could be false and no one cared, because it was just joking around and teasing. She was lucky in that regard. She also felt lucky to have such amusing company, or she would, if she thought it had to do with luck. “So tell me,” she said, leaning over and hooking her arm around his and holding onto it, “Does that mean that the flirting actually does get turned on?” she teased lightly.

She let that linger for him to decide how to answer, and kept walking. She knew from experience that they were near the cemetery, but she didn’t act like it. He could know she knew all he wanted. Suspect all he liked. It was up to her whether or not she was going to show it, and Tabitha wasn’t showing it. Right now it wasn’t entirely about control. Right now it was about the sheer amusement of teasing him, and enjoying his answer of a hobby. It was adorable, and she enjoyed that.

"Yeah... I'm just going to assume it does," Sharaku answered uncomfortably as she hooked her arm around his. When this woman teased she really teased, and it didn't seem to stop. Sharaku could take it... but he doubted he could stand under such an assault of flirty teasing and walk away unscarred. “Unless I’m really that bad at signals… which I wouldn’t necessarily put past myself…” he decided quietly as the pair of them walked.

They were right outside the cemetery now. Cemeteries were not Sharaku’s favorite place, though that was hardly strange. People generally disliked being in places where they knew there were dead people, even buried ones. At least it wasn’t night time. Not that Sharaku was more uneasy at night… but a lot of people were. “Well, here we are, oh fearless leader,” he teased her back lightly, unhooking his arm and stuffing it back in his pocket as he stepped back and awaited her orders.

Sharaku wasn’t going to do anything he wasn’t ordered to do right now, because he had no idea what Tabitha was planning to do as a stakeout. Maybe it was just look through the gates, or maybe it was something more. Either way, this was her mission, and he was serious when he said she was in charge.

Sharaku said he assumed that his flirting did in fact get turned on. Or she thought that was what he was saying. She wasn’t sure they were communicating properly. It didn’t actually matter that much, it was still fun. Besides, she had an arm to hold. For all the men she’d never dated or kissed, or done anything past that with… she’d been on quite a few arms. To get into a nice place, to look like she belonged… to annoy bulky men who said she was being a nuisance. Control. She could do as she pleased, and there was nothing they could do about it without looking bad. It wasn’t that way with Sharaku. She didn’t want to make him miserable. She just… enjoyed herself.

“I’m just trying to imagine you actually flirting with a woman. Have you ever flirted with a woman?” she asked, as if this were suddenly extremely crucial information. Her amusement faded as they reached the cemetery. He called her a fearless leader and unhooked his arm. Mhmm… subtle.

Tabitha sighed, heading over and stepping inside. She didn’t say anything to him, merely made her way around. Eventually she spotted the crypt and arched an eyebrow. She didn’t stop to stare at it though. The odd young woman simply walked back to Sharaku, and past him, “Looks good to me. We’ll be back later. Now… about my hobby…” She fully intended to just lead him into the woods. It could have looked like she planned to murder him and hide the body, but she so certainly did not. She just wanted a nice quiet spot. Besides, she knew that they were going to wait until dark to come back. “C’mon prince charming,” she asked him as she turned and walked backwards so he would keep up.

Sharaku shook his head when she asked if he'd ever flirted with a girl. Probably, though it wasn't intentional. Sharaku wasn't much of a flirt, and getting into relationships wasn't something he was too keen on doing, especially since he didn't see his mad quest for justice ending well. At best, he would probably end up an enemy of the state, after all. "I'm not a people person, much less some flirt," he admitted.

Then, within a minute or so of arriving at the cemetery, Sharaku's companion decided she'd seen enough of the view, whatever she'd wanted to see, and insisted that he follow her into the woods. "Are you a fan of the woods?" he asked her out of curiosity. He didn't know the thought crossed her mind that it might look like he was being led into the woods to be murdered or something, but even if he had, he knew good and well that Shadow Heart wouldn't let a member kill another member without good reason, and she hardly had a good reason. "I used to spend a fair bit of time in the woods, myself." As a kid, he and his father had gone camping on occasion, when he had been around. It had been rather fun, though in truth, Sharaku wasn’t any more partial to the woods than he was town.

“Aw, but girls are so much fun to flirt with,” Tabitha teased him, winking. Oh, she knew a lot more about flirting with girls than guys. Even if she did flirt with guys just to tease them. Usually it was only when work required she take someone that off guard, or get them drunk, or lull them into a false sense of familiarity. It was rare, but for some reason she actually enjoyed flirting with Sharaku. He was just… nice to be around, and fun to banter with, even when he was uncomfortable with. She might have thought she liked him if she found the idea of dating a man at all appealing. “I know, but its still a shame,” she informed him. A waste of an actually worthwhile male? How very sad indeed.

“Of course I’m a fan of the woods. You meet so many less idiots there,” she informed him. The idea of a father taking their child camping would have made Tabitha gag. Legitimately, she couldn’t stand the idea. It was so… no, she wasn’t going there. She simply walked along happily with Sharaku nearby. He was so slow and dull at times, but when she poked him with socializing, he lit up just enough to amuse her. Maybe she didn’t need her company to be completely entertaining.

“Alright, this looks good,” she said once she found a good wide tree. She practically materialized a knife in her hand, simply pulling it from her shirt. She shaved off enough of the bark to flatten it, and then carved a circle with a few inner circles. When she headed back over to Sharaku, making sure they were at least twenty feet from the tree, she handed him the knife. “So, do you know anything about knife throwing? I mean, can you hit the tree?” she asked, pulling another knife from behind her shirt.

Words: 3013/1000

Sharaku knew full well that Tabitha had an unknown amount of knives on her, but to see her pull them so gracefully from behind her back was always both interesting and unsettling. he felt rather rough around the edges by comparison. "Weapons aren't really my thing. I'm more of a... martial arts kind of guy." Martial arts was inaccurate. Sharaku's fighting style was learned from getting into fights on the street. It wasn't anything taught in a dojo, and truth be told it was less refined. He was, fortunately, stubborn enough and talented enough that it didn't matter as much as it should, usually.

"Why?" he asked, knowing the answer but wanting to hear the proper explanation anyway. He raised an eyebrow slightly at the knife. He wouldn't be able to hit the target, in all likelyhood, even if he managed to stick the knife in a tree. Even if it wasn't that tree, it would be a miracle, if you asked him. He reached out and took the offered knife. Holding a knife correctly for close fighting was simple enough if you had half a brain. Holding one for throwing.... that was a different matter entirely. He eyed Tabitha as he waited for an explanation and proper instructions.

Hypothetically Sharaku was good at martial arts. She’d never seen him fight. She’d seen him get into lovely “disputes” around the guild hall, but not a real fight. “Is that so? Well I bet I’d let you practice that on me,” she said. That was some sort of a slick comment. Even she didn’t know which she meant. Being close to him, in the flirting sense, was one option. Actually, legitimately allowing him to practice with her, to improve, that was what she figured she meant. Besides, why would she actually want that much closeness with a guy? Even if he was Sharaku. Well, okay, maybe if it was Sharaku. He was he friend, right?

“Why?” she asked back. “… Because it’s a game. Its something I enjoy, and I’m sharing it with you,” she told him with a smile. Something about how she spoke carried with it a confidence that always borderline on arrogance. Borderlines, until it was happily dancing past that line. In this case it was simply confidence, and friendliness. She didn’t want it to sound too sincere though, because that was vulnerability, which was the opposite of her favorite thing. Control. Still, there was a level of vulnerability built into sharing something, even a hobby, with another person. She held her knife by the handle, between three fingers. She pulled it back, motioned forward once, twice, and threw the deadly weapon until it landed cleanly near the middle of her circle. “You should try that… but first…” she looked at the knife, her magical string shooting out from her finger tips, dislodging the knife and jerking it back to her grasp. “There.”

Tabitha certainly seemed to have confidence in her knife throwing abilities. The almost spider-like string she used to manipulate the dagger back into her grasp probably didn’t hurt her abilities either. He looked at the knife he had been holding, grabbing it the way it looked like Tabitha was holding it. Taking aim, he threw it, and just as predicted it didn’t get anywhere close to the tree. Instead, the knife landed somewhere behind the tree off to the right side somewhere. Sharaku couldn’t tell exactly where it had landed, but he figured Tabitha had no intention of losing one of her precious knives.

“Looks like my lack of practice is showing,” Sharaku said with a slight chuckle as he searched for the knife from where he was currently standing. He caught a glimpse of a metal object in the distance, and figured that was it. As long as he didn’t forget he could get it when he needed to. Sharaku wasn’t really the forgetful type. “I gave you fair warning, at least,” he shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets and not seeming too phased by the fact that she was so much better with knives. “Let me guess… you want me to try again?”

Tabitha had a great deal of confidence in her knife throwing skills, yes. That was because she had practiced for many years. Survival was a pretty good motivator. Sharaku was a good sport, and threw the knife how she showed him, but his lack of practice landed the knife off in the ground somewhere. How unfortunate. “That is why we practice. It makes us much better at what we’re doing,” she reminded him, knowing he was easily aware of that information.

Tabitha simply flicked her wrist at the knife, catching it with a string and pulling it back into her grasp. She let it tangle there, the knife now inches from her finger tips, swinging back and forth. “Do you find me dangerous? I’m just curious,” she asked. Explaining wouldn’t do. That would ruin the question. It was a question about how other people saw her. Either as dangerous, or weak. So she was curious about him. He probably didn’t. She held the knife at that point and put her hand in his. “So… how does your power work?” she rubbed her thumb over his hand slowly, “Does it involve physical contact or what? I figure it will help now,” she offered. It was quite a step for her to willingly let someone else have her magic. It was hers and she had worked very hard with it for years. She didn’t even like anyone to know what she could do, let alone do it for themselves.

Sharaku didn't just instantly take her powers when she made what was obviously an offer to do so. His hand went back into his pants pockets when she started playing with it. "If you weren't dangerous you wouldn't have a place in Shadow Heart," he reminded her coolly. "Besides, the way you wield knives, be it because of your 'mysterious' magic or because you have skill with knives make that more than just a littel bit obvious." Sharaku looked over at the target and back to the knife Tabitha had. “Touch,” he told her simply, reaching over and putting a hand over her hand that was clasped over the knife. With a thought, he took the use of her power.

She would know he did, though it would be neither pleasant nor unpleasant aside from whatever bias she had towards him doing it. Strings appeared as expertly as when she had done it, taking a knife as he brought his hand back to throw again. This time, as he through, a string stayed attached to the knife, and with the subtlest of jerks, the knife landed straight in the middle of the target with only slight less expertise than Tabitha herself would have had. “Not as refined, but the knowledge will be there for a short while.”

He just wanted to be difficult, yes? Duh. It wasn’t persona. It wasn’t business. It was life. You played the game of life, you won, you lost, but either way, you always player. Tabitha was what she was, and it was more than she let on, but she didn’t let on anything else. She played a game, and people she treat her like a player. She didn’t want special treatment. Never. Special might mean sensitive, it might mean emotions, it might mean… sincere. Tabitha was whatever she wanted, and nothing else. Sharaku just confused her, and she hated that… but she liked him… which only made her hate it more. What was he doing to her brain?

He said a lot of things, none of which quite answered her question, but she tried to push it aside. He could say what he liked, she supposed… “Obvious. So noted.” It wasn’t that she disliked appearing dangerous, but she loathed the word obvious. Was she so “obvious?” Obvious implied things were clear, yes? It implied understanding… She didn’t understand this boy, and he didn’t understand him. She didn’t think either of them were… obvious.

He finally, stubbornly, took some of her magic. She was irritated, sure, but she looked calm. An actual offer had been rejected, followed by him taking things how he saw fit. Oh, how. Lovely. He said something, but she wasn’t listening. Her mind wouldn’t let her. Tabitha had so much built up until a layer of control that too many pokes, from her or anyone else, could upset the order of it all. She wasn’t going to let that happen. She raised an eyebrow at his throw, “Impressive. In any case, its something I do to relax.” What did that even mean? Well, it was the truth, but she wasn’t in the mood for anything. It was just too complicated for her. “We can do something else if you like,” she said casually, throwing her knife again. She didn’t use the strings to guide her knives, simply to pull them back. She had long since learned that skill.