WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE (Echo)

[abe]

Night crept across Hyrule rather well on this night. It was slow, and the anticipation for nighttime was killing Abe, who preferred the dark, the moon, and the stars. It was all more peaceful, more serene to him. Perhaps due to the fact that there was less commotion in the nighttime, but it could just be that he enjoyed the night a bit more for landscape reasons. The land was so pretty in the moonlight. The water was so much more admirable. Everything seemed so much better overall when shrouded in the darkness of nighttime.

Abe sat on the edge of a log-made bridge that floated on the water. He had pulled off his cloak and set it in the grass, and rolled up his pant legs to stick his feet in the water. The breeze was nice, as it usually was down in the lake, and there was no one around. The lake was empty, save for the Zora people below, and Abe, who enjoyed the solitude that came in the night... all the more reason to enjoy it.

He closed his eyes and let himself fall into old memories. Memories of coming to the lake as a child with his brother... Some were good memories, others bad. It was a pleasant place, occasionally ruined by strife between Abe and Thomas as children. The two would swim together, push each other under the water, and have splash fights. Sometimes the Zora would come up from either below or come down the river, and that was always a fun thing to experience.

Now things seemed much more serious than they were in his childhood. Thomas was gone, Abe's mother rarely talked to him anymore... His father was always gone, leaving for this town or other, rarely having time for his family anymore. It was rather saddening, but Abe looked past it. He was rarely home anymore anyways. He found nature to be more appealing than his dirt-paved hometown, and only returned home when he was going to sleep... if he didn't sleep out in the grass somewhere, and then wash himself in the river or lake.

It was late into the night when Abe woke himself from the nap he had drifted into. Nothing had changed, though. The lake was empty and quiet, save for the sound of the soft waves on the wooden raft walkway and Abe's breathing. A few fish were popping in and out of the water, but it was quiet and barely noticeable. Without hesitating any longer, Abe rolled up his pants a bit more and pulled off his shirt, laying it beside him.

Then he leaped into the water and swam forward, enjoying the vastness of Lake Hylia.

[Echo Faust]

The sound of a large mass crashing through the surface of the water snapped Echo out of her own mind, her body twisting violently as she tries desperately to straighten herself out in case it was something or someone trying to come after her. Of course, when those wide eyes of hers look around to spot an attacker they could not find a single thing. Just what the hell was that sound then anyways?

A hand is placed over her face to try and hide the hurting pride that she had, her fingers clenching up against her skin as she lowers herself as close to the ground as she could get before hovering forward towards where the noise had come from. Perhaps it was a big fish, or someone who had just gotten their body dumped into the lake for the fishes to feast on their remains. Perhaps it was all just in her mind; she never slept, and so whenever night came and silence was all around her she could hear things in the back of her mind grow louder and louder. Often times, she didn't know if she was dreaming or if she was actually awake; insomnia strikes the living dead hard.

Eventually she finds her way over to the floating bridge, and a the aftermath of something or someone falling into the lake slowly escaping from the epicenter. The small waves lapping against the surface of the water, the way they broke the reflection of the moonlight, the way light itself refracted and broke with every twisting motion caught Echo in a trance. Something so beautiful, so perfect; the little things help her remember what life before death use to be like.

Echo couldn't tell what had fallen inside of the lake, for the darkness clouded the visibility of the water. After a couple of moments, too distracted by the sight of this wonderful blessing, she let her mind wander off to something else. She figured that it had simply been a fish, that it had been some sort of animal that broke the surface of the water for one feral reason or another. Of course, too clouded by her distractions, she didn't notice the clothing articles that laid there just at her side.

[abe]

Swimming around under the water was definitely relaxing. Abe absolutely loved the feeling of being so weightless, being able to feel like he could do anything. In the water, Abe was even more agile and majestic. Opening his big purple eyes underwater, he could just barely make out the pit at the bottom of the lake that lead to the Lakebed Temple. All around him were small, fuzzy shapes that could be made out to be fish, but what breed was indeterminable. Regardless, Abe was enjoying the water like he hadn't in a while.

Though he never did it often, swimming was Abe's favorite hobby. He loved the lake, and the room one had to swim around in it. Nothing could match the feeling of being underwater and swimming around or letting yourself float to the top and bask in the glow of the sun, or in this case, the moon. That reminded Abe that he had to come up for air soon. Though he could hold his breath for a very long period of time, he was no Zora, and needed air pretty soon.

Deciding to make his way back to the top, Abe swam towards the wooden raft bridge he had dove from. His clothes would surely still be there, and he figured he'd rest for a moment before getting back in. However, when he surfaced and shook his hair of water, though it was still dripping wet, he saw a strange sight.

Abe didn't react loudly or in a fearful manner. In fact, he didn't really budge. He simply squinted his eyes at what he was seeing to make sure it wasn't his imagination. Something was floating right above where his clothes were. Something that glowed faintly, but didn't make much noise. Was it a poe? Abe had only heard of them; never had he come into contact with one.

Climbing onto the raft, but keeping his eyes fixated on the poe, Abe turned and sat down, letting his legs dangle in the water. His expression was fixed curiosity that could only be quenched by knowing who or what stood-- or rather, floated-- beside him. He didn't sense malice, and Abe was normally pretty decent with his discernment of intention, though he could never be too spot on. He didn't have his blade with him, however. Even so, he was a proficient melee fighter; quick and agile. But... Abe didn't even know how to fight a poe. But a fight didn't seem to be what this thing wanted, poe or not. If that were the case, Abe figured it would have already attacked him.

Finding it awkward to sit and stare, but even more awkward to think of how to approach it, Abe spoke. "Um... what are you, exactly?" He sheepishly scratched the back of his head and offered a confused smile. What other way could he address the... thing? He wanted to be friendly, but the young man wasn't quite sure how to do that exactly...

[Echo Faust]

It snapped Echo right out of her thought process when the water's surface was broken once more, and it surprised her to no end that it was a human being emerging from the depths of the lake! Floating backwards, it is at this moment that she realizes that she was hovering on top of the other's clothing articles. Damnit! How could she be so careless? She had been spotted now! What if this one were some sort of collector? No, no, no! That's no good at all; she'd be damned if she let some piece of shit keep her like an artifact of sorts!

As the male climbed out of the water, Echo found herself backing up further and further from him as he advanced onto the floating bridge. It isn't until that she saw that he didn't have anything on him that she stopped moving away from the individual. Perhaps this one isn't anything like her initial thoughts; perhaps he was only here to see the sights just like Echo herself was. Whatever, she guessed he was all right - for now anyways.

Moving forward once more, floating there at the edge of the bridge as the male slowly and cautiously sat down next to her, she stares off into the nothingness of the night. She didn't know why the other had just simply sat down next to her and didn't take off running. Perhaps he didn't know what she was, or perhaps he isn't afraid of apparitions and the famous living dead. She also thought he could be slightly retarded, and the chances of that were very high.

Then, words escaped his throat; Echo couldn't help but break her stare to glance over at him and study his features before responding to him. "You're worst nightmare" she spoke in a monotone voice, a hand reaching up for her hair to move her bangs out of her face. Her eyes would linger on the male's form for a little bit longer, stare into his deep purple eyes for a moment, before she looks back off into the night.

[abe]

Abe was slightly taken aback. Normally if someone replied with "your worst nightmare", they would attack. Or kill him. Either one would do, really, but he still sensed no malice. This poe, or whatever it was, didn't seem to care. It was that which confused Abe the most: the fact that this apparition in front of him seemed to not care about even his existence, yet she claimed to be his worst nightmare. For whatever reason, however, Abe wasn't very afraid. He was simply at a loss for words.

The young man stood, water still dripping from his hair and body. He thought about putting his shirt back on, but he was still wet, and didn't want his warm clothes to become cold and wet. Instead, he stared at the ghost-like being in front of him and tilted his head slightly, studying her. She was rather depressed-looking, to be honest, and seemed to not have any interest in anything going on.

Scratching the back of his head again, Abe stepped forward a bit, but remained cautious of the situation. He didn't want to do something he'd regret, especially considering he didn't know if his attacks could even hit this thing. If this thing even decided to attack, that is. Thus Abe remained on his guard, just for the off chance that something went awry. He had never been an overly cautious person, but with the situation he was in, Abe found it better to be safe than sorry, as was customary for situations in which a person was alone in a dark lake with some form of ghost that seemed to be... evil. Abe thought the situation was strange, but didn't comment.

Instead, he turned to the ghost with an expression of outlasting curiosity. "Err," he began, still not sure how to address such malicious remarks as the one that this poe had made. "Well," he said with a chuckle, trying to be amiable and ignore what she had said. "I'm Abe, so..." Worst nightmare, huh? Perhaps, Abe thought, he really should be more on his guard. He could run. Running was usually an option. But this thing was a ghost, and even if he wanted to run, he knew it would be of little to no avail.

He coughed out of awkwardness, then addressed her again. "Really, though, if you're my worst nightmare, is there any reason you haven't... well... tried to kill me? I'm not sure, to be honest, what my worst nightmare would be. But death does sound pretty bad..." He looked down at the wooden raft and scratched his head. What was he saying? He was probably making a fool of himself.

[Echo Faust]

Death sounds pretty bad, the male says. Echo couldn't help but look down at her body that seems full because of the darkness around them; she couldn't help but let a crooked smirk pass onto her lips for a moment as she thought about what the male said inside of her mind. Death, that is something she went through, and she is the famous living dead; this is scary, for her and those around her. Echo still couldn't get use to the fact that she felt hollow, as light as a feather, and as if she were shifting through a different reality than the rest of the living creatures on this rock. It hurts, feeling this empty inside, and perhaps that is what made her as sad and depressed as Abe could see that she was. Of course, little did he know, she wasn't much different when she too was alive and young with a flesh bag of a body like him. It must be nice to be alive, to some extent; she wishes she could have the best of both worlds.

Echo didn't bother responding to his analysis of the little she spoke to him, she only decided to turn her eyes back out into the night. She didn't know how long she would be able to take this one for company, for company isn't something she really enjoyed. She could not, however, get over his eyes; there was something about them, she thought, that made them stand out from any others she had ever seen before. Maybe it was simply the colour, or how big they seemed, but they were large enough to catch her attention even in at the edges of her vision.

Feeling insulted by the way Abe spoke about death, her hands ball up into fists, yet she doesn't move from her position. "Do you normally talk to walking nightmares? People are going to think you're crazy, just standing here and talking to yourself" she told him in a matter-of-fact way, her fists slowly opening up as a nice thought randomly wanders into her skull.

For some reason she thought about a ball she recently had gone to, one she had went to as she is now! She thought about what she had experienced there, who she was with, and everything before that; the heart that wasn't there swelled up, and her right hand slowly reaches up to grasp at her chest for something that isn't there. Pain, Echo knew it well, but this was something far different. How come it kept popping up at all the wrong times!?

[abe]

Abe laughed, showing the poe his teeth. A bright and warm smile, and a very friendly one. This poe really didn't seem to want to kill him, which was good, because Abe didn't particularly feel like dying. He wondered, though, what it must be like, especially considering the thing he was talking to had experienced death. Perhaps he would ask her about it at a later time... but it was probably a touchy subject.

Then maybe he could better understand just what it was that Thomas, his brother, had gone through. Without realizing it, Abe's gaze fell to the ground, and his eyes narrowed with a common sadness. The young and curious man truly wished he knew what Thomas was going through in his last moments, especially considering that Abe was the one that caused them... He sighed. If there was an afterlife, Thomas was probably looking down on Abe with more hatred and wrath than anything in the known world. His own brother...

Almost instantaneously, Abe snapped out of his trance and looked back up at the poe. He smiled at her, and couldn't stifle a laugh. "Well no, I don't," he began, taking a small step closer. He felt a bit safer now. "But there's no one around to hear or see us, is there?" He smiled at her again. She was interesting to say the least, especially considering that she wasn't like most poes. Most idiotic poes would have already attacked him, and Abe would have either, by now, run or found a way to fight back. But disregarding these more negative thoughts from his mind, Abe stared at the ghost.

She seemed so sad, which was hurting Abe, but it also made him interesting. What had her death been like, and why was she more friendly than most? Both were questions that Abe wanted to find the answer to, and he very much intended on doing so. The nighttime atmosphere at Lake Hylia also calmed him, so his fear of the poe diminished now, dwindling into a fraction. He remained, however, cautious.

[Echo Faust]

Everything inside of her cracked almost at once, as if the feelings inside of her had become so overwhelming that her entire structure just fell apart underneath the weight of it all. Pain, unlike any she's felt in a really long time, surged throughout her entire body and into her mind; it broke her there on the spot, but the shock of it all didn't let it show on the outside. In the distance, inside of her own mind, she could hear a song gently playing; it took her back to a time she could barely remember, a fading memory. Oh, what she would give to be there right now.

Echo could tell the other was looking at her, studying her; she hated that, especially right now when everything around her seemed to want to shove her back down into the ground. She felt as if she moved, if even an inch, her composure and her mind would go right out of the window. This suffering, this torture, this pain that she has to go through; she's been dealing with this forever, and every day it only seems to get worse. When will it get better? Will it ever get better? Echo didn't know the answer to that, and simply thinking about it hurt like hell.

She couldn't hold it any longer, she had no choice but to quickly break her stare from the sight in front of her and spin around until her back was facing the male. She floated there, with tightened fists at her sides; the nails of her fingers digging into her palms, a pain she couldn't feel any longer. Shutting her eyes tight and bowing her head, she would move a few inches forward to try and somehow distract the other from getting any sort of picture of what it is that she is going through. Echo herself couldn't even really put into words what had just come over her, but all of these negative emotions really began to show. Her eyes, their sclera, slowly filled up with pitch blackness; darkness blacker than the night around them. Make it stop, just make it stop!

Echo could think of four different things she would like to do to this Abe character, and all of them involved a knife and four different parts of him. She didn't realize it at first, but she was only projecting, and those actions she wanted to perform on someone else; a face, hidden behind the blindness her anger is bringing her, a target she's got no insight on. Who? Why? Echo wanted to curse loudly, rip this whole bridge in half and vanish from this wicked world. But she couldn't, she wouldn't, for she is just a ghost and she can't hurt them anymore.

"...That depends on what you believe in."

[abe]

Now things very becoming very strange. This poe was angry with him, he was sure of that. Abe scratched his head again, not sure of what to do, or more, what to say. It seemed like anything that came out of his mouth warranted a curt reply or anger, and it had very much yielded that result. What was he doing wrong? The young man thought. Perhaps it was his talk of death like it would be horrible, and she very well knew, having died herself.

Abe pondered. Well, what could he say? Now she was turned on him, balling her fists up in anger. Abe could nearly feel all the rage that the situation held, so he stepped back and shut his mouth for a moment. Maybe it would be wise to grab his clothes and jump in the lake and swim far, far away. But he was no coward, even in situations were he wasn't necessarily in life-threatening danger. He didn't need to run from this... But he did, however, want to explore this poe's personality, ruthless as it may be.

He chuckled. She was clever, that was sure. She could very well be right: Abe had no idea how many other poes could have been watching them at the time. Smiling to himself, he tried again. "You have a point," he said quietly and carefully. Though he knew he had to approach things with caution, he was still interested in her. Abe did not plan on, in any way, letting up on his goal to crack her open... Though it could very well get him killed. But that made it all the more interesting for him, and that's how he liked it.

Therefore, he decided to give it another shot. "Was it something I said?"

[Echo Faust]

Echo didn't know what to say to him, to the human being she didn't even know who could obviously tell that she was suffering. How did the symptoms even start? Echo does her best to try and remember; it starts with an itch, a shiver, a slight boil. The darkness in her eyes slowly drains out of her eyes and out of sight as she opens them to embrace the loneliness of the night once more. If she could just figure out what it is inside of her that is plaguing her this way, and moving all of these emotions she didn't even know she could still feel into action? Right now, in front of someone whom she doesn't even know, isn't the time to fight her inner demons.

Looking over her shoulder, the last bit of darkness leaving her eyes, the one that is just barely visible through the bangs that overlap her face shine an eye that looks past the male behind her. Giving him a limp flick of her wrist and a shake of her head, she turns back around and pats down the front of her dress. "Excuse me?" she asked rhetorically, acting as if she didn't just almost have an episode in front of him. It's all she can do to try and make it seem as if nothing happened, to make herself believe that nothing had happened and so the other wouldn't question it any longer. Would it work? Nine times out of ten it would, if she could keep herself squared away and didn't falter underneath her own mind.

Silence looms in the air over the two, her head bowing to look down at the bridge in which she is hovering over. "Do you normally come out really late at night to swim in lakes in the middle of no where or something?" she asks with a bit of spite in her voice, as if she's mad at him for waking her up or scaring her or whatever else he could have done to her. She didn't seem to really care that she was treating him bad at all, especially when she didn't know him at all! Audacity is something that Echo has a lot of, and sometimes that is a good thing and sometimes it is a bad thing. This time? It's a bit of both perhaps.

[abe]

Strange was a word that fit the situation rather well. Abe didn't know what to say, or what to do anymore. This poe had to be slightly mentally deranged in some way, perhaps due to her untimely or unfortunate departure from the world of the living. Maybe even something posthumous, but the young man didn't dare ask questions like that. It could very well get him killed, that much he knew.

Though he was curious, and he could no longer deny the fact either from his mind or from the way he spoke. She was changing the subject, but Abe was just beginning. People, even dead ones, interested him. Especially this poe... With how strange she was acting, especially after her little meltdown only a few moments ago. With a raised eyebrow and eyes full of a sparkling curiosity, Abe loooked at the poe in what were once her eyes. He wondered how she died.

"Err..." He began again, careful of how he approached her. If he said something the wrong way, or said something that unraveled her clearly unstable psyche even more, he knew he was in trouble. Should he mention the meltdown? Perhaps it was best to look over it, but maybe she wanted him to address it. Either way, Abe knew that he did want to address it. The only thing stopping him from doing so, of course, was his fear for losing his life. This poe hadn't come after him yet, which was a good sign, but she did seem temperamental... Maybe it would be best if Abe just let it go, and pretend like he didn't see anything strange. Then again, this whole night was turning out to be strange, and he couldn't just ignore that...

He coughed, clearing his throat with a nervous ease. How in the hell are you supposed to crack the closed-book personality of someone like her if you can't talk without being afraid for your life? Or, for that matter, simply being treated curtly. Abe sighed. "Well, yeah," he said with a soft smile and a chuckle, customary of his kind personality. "Swimming is fun, and in the nighttime, everything is much more attractive. Plus, there aren't people around..." He chose his words carefully. Technically she wasn't a person anymore, and he knew not to include the word living, for fear of pissing her off again.

Sheepishly, Abe scratched the back of his head and looked out to the lake. The moonlight, soft and white, glowing like it didn't normally, looked graceful and beautiful on the water's gentle waves and large mosaic-like reflection. It was all so interesting to Abe, and he loved swimming at night. Frankly, he could spend the entire evening out here alone and never be bored.

[Echo Faust]

Echo let the other's words fall flat on deaf ears, his voice echoing throughout the silence of this place before it disappears into the distance. Her eyes are shut behind of those lids of hers, a deep breath being taken before she turns around completely to face the male with eyes that are now open. She studies his figure once more, up and down, again being too caught up in the other's purple eyes. Whatever, they're just eyes of the living; purple ain't even anything that special. Hmph.

Floating forward to close the gap between us, her eyes drift off into the water once more to see if she can see through the surface of the water into some of the life that is beneath it's cloud. Of course she couldn't see her reflection because her ghastly form didn't have one, and that really made her want to disappear all over again. Echo just could barely remember what it is that she looks like, having not seen herself in such a very long time. "I love swimming, the embrace of the water always made me feel so much at home. It was so nice to drift beneath the water, being carried by it, flying vicariously with it's help..." Her voice drifts off, her mind thinking back on what it was like to swim; she tries to remember it perfectly, but she can't, she could barely remember anything about what existing felt like. The thought, as always, is so damned painful. "I love rain too," she adds, "I really love the rain." Like a snowball, her thoughts just tumble from one related idea to another. Thinking outloud is something Echo does every now and again, especially under weird circumstances like this!

[abe]

Thankully, Abe thought, it seemed as if the poe's temper had settled a bit, and she was becoming a bit more amiable; moreover, she related to him and his love for the water, a sign that she wasn't evil or anything near it. Perhaps she wanted a friend, but was too closed off to earn one the right way. The rude attitude seemed to fade, and that's when Abe decided he'd give something a little more assertive a try. After all, the mental state of the poe was unknown, but it was an x-factor that Abe wanted to play into the equation, simply out of curiosity... He would, of course, remain careful with his words.

Smiling, he looked off towards the lake again. "Yeah..." he said in agreement with a faint voice, "there's nothing in Hyrule like the Lake here. I could spend a long time here just by myself, and be absolutely fine..." He let his voice fade off, and the young man's eyelids began to slowly close a bit as he stared off at the water, and thereafter he entered what was more or less a slight trance. Captivated by both his thoughts and the glorious look of the moonlight and the water, Abe fell back into his past, and remembered his childhood days on the Lake.

Their mother would take Abe and Thomas out here to play on any occasion they wanted, and they were so happy together. They fought and played in the water like boys naturally would, and Abe missed every second of it. There was no moral line, no vicious deeds done to the innocent, no corruption of the human soul. It was simple: Two boys, one mother, and the water. And it was a past that Abe was stuck in perpetually, and seemingly, desires to live as a kid never left his mind.

Then he snapped out of it. Turning back to the Poe, he clicked with her as she talked about the rain. He too loved the rain, and preferred to see a cloudy and rainy sky over the sun any day. The rain was something he felt more at home with, too, and he was glad they shared a feeling. He smiled warmly at her, then nodded in agreement. "Yes, the rain is wonderful. I can't stand the sun." Then quickly, deciding he should jump on the opportunity, he asked. "What is your name?"

[Echo Faust]

Echo couldn't help but notice the way that Abe fell into his own mind, probably reliving some memory of his that comes up time and time again. A frail and crooked smile would find her way onto her face as she felt the other slowly come back into this reality once more. She could figure out just what it was that he was trying to do, it was only human for him to do what it was that he's doing; she couldn't understand anymore why he was doing those things, for even in her past life she never did, but she could still relate to it out of their very nature.

Then, that question; it's the same question she's heard time and time again, so many times over the near past. Echo did not know what it was that she was doing wrong to run into so many different people, for them to not fear her but instead want to get to know her. She figures she is getting soft, or maybe she is just slipping up these days, or maybe something inside of her isn't as scary as it once was. "Echo Faust," she said simply as her eyes narrowed gently as if recollecting the day she was born with that name, "at your service." Her form would begin to levitate up and down a lot quicker at this point, almost as if it showed just how much her spirits were being lifted; it could be related to the way a dog's tail operates when it's owner becomes ecstatic too! Of course, Echo would do everything in her power not to show how she truly felt. "What is your full name, pilgrim?" she asks with a monotone voice, a hand outstretching forward to point a long and slender finger at the male's head. "Or is it, just like, Abe or something?" she then added in a kind of ditsy sort of way!

[abe]

Abe was unexpectedly surprised when she actually gave her name. Perhaps he was indeed really beginning to break down her walls; a name was never something he thought he'd get from this Poe. Echo was her name, and Abe knew he would remember it well. She was clearly becoming more amiable, and Abe hoped that meant that either he'd passed her initially psycho-analysis, or that she was simply over her fit from earlier. Or, and Abe chuckled at the thought, maybe she was simply bipolar.

Therefore, he studied her. She was a bit bouncy now; maybe that meant, hopefully, that she was happy now, and that he was safe. Maybe she was tired of sitting... er, floating, in one space for so long. Maybe Abe could offer to take a walk somewhere, though that could be something she may not want to do.

Then he was asked his name, and it almost threw him for a loop. Was she really interested in Abe's name, or was she, perhaps, feeling obligated? Or maybe, Abe also thought, he was thinking too much. So, he offered the Poe named Echo a slight smile and also a slight bow, and then he spoke. "It's a pleasure, Echo," and then he rose, looking her in the what-would-be eyes. "My name is Abraham Baraka, but you may feel free to call me whatever you like."

[Echo Faust]

Abraham Baraka, that's a name that sounds like royalty. "Are you royalty?" she asks in a slightly sarcastic and a slightly caring way, her head tilting to the side as a soft smile graces her face. His bowing, the clothes he wore to the way he looked, took her back to a place and time she could barely remember. Once upon a time, if she could remember correctly, she was use to those bowing to her and being kind to her out of status; now, it's all just so odd to her. Are her memories fading faster than she originally thought? Maybe, soon, she won't even remember her name anymore.

A scoff escapes her lips, her eyes darting to the side as his eyes met hers. "I'd call you whatever I'd like regardless!" she exclaimed, crossing her arms underneath her chest before returning her eyes back onto his own. This male is quite the curious case, from his name to his eyes to his complete and utter stature; he couldn't just be any normal laymen, or maybe he was just one at the moment who hadn't really captured his destiny quite yet! These feelings, the hidden things she can see but she can't really describe, being dead is something else.

[abe]

Abe's gaze went from curious to piercing. He stared her down, not with an evil look or evil intent, but with definite determination to crack her case and get inside of her. He wasn't going to back down from his cause, nor was he going to go any softer. This Echo seemed to be toying with him; playing with his head, trying to get a certain response that would illicit exactly what she wanted. Whatever that was, Abe didn't plan on merely giving it to her so simply, if at all.

He approached her a bit, attempting to come off as more friendly. "Of course I'm not royalty," he mused, chuckling a bit. "Though that would be an... interesting lifestyle, mm?" He asked, curious as to what her answer might be. If his hunches were right, he knew what kind of answer he'd get; then again, however, this was no predictable poe to say the very least. She seemed to want to come off as mean, though Abe was able to see through that. She didn't want him to go away, he could tell that, which was good, because Abe certainly didn't want to.

Naturally, Abe could get straight to the point. He could ask the question he wanted to know the most: what happened to her life? More than just the way she died, Abe wanted to know what lead to the death and what became of her afterwards. He was dying to know, though it was hard for the young man to judge exactly when would be a good time to ask such a question. If he waited too long, Echo may very well get bored and leave; however, if he asked too soon, he knew she would most certainly do him harm.

"So," he said, with an air of humble confidence in his voice, "tell me about you."

[Echo Faust]

Something about this male is really ate her alive on the inside, like she's seen this act somewhere once before; she was a part of it, the same role she is playing right now. That thought showed in her eyes, her eyebrow arching as a scoff escapes her lips; she couldn't stand the thought of playing into some old distant memory, if that memory is even her's; she swore a very long time ago that she was done living in the past, and so she shall be! Even though, of course, she is the walking memory of someone from the past; contradictions blow.

Echo brought one hand to her face to cover her mouth as her restrained laughter continued, her eyes looking off to the side with a cocky sort of look in them. "Being royalty?" she asked rhetorically, collecting herself a moment after she spoke. "Must be nice," she spoke in a sort of spiteful way, her fingers twitched violently for a moment as if she were playing some sort of invisible piano. Something disgusting began to build itself up inside of her, it felt as if it would shoot right through her and snap her in half right where she was; of course, that feeling disappeared when Abe asked about her.

Echo, taken back by this, looked over at him with a dumbfounded sort of look. She couldn't understand why Abe was asking for her to tell him about herself, she couldn't figure out why it is he really cares. She figured that he was just making conversation, but something inside of her was sure there was something more behind it. "Why the hell do you care?" she asked in a rude sort of way, her head tilting to the as one of her eyes narrowed and the other looked at him in a really creepy sort of way. Had Abe just walked onto a landmine?

[abe]

A smile immediately appeared across Abe's face, and he laughed softly, his eyes twinkling again. He was interested, that's why. She was a curious character, and that much could be said from the few minutes that they'd been talking. He wanted to understand more about her, especially considering the fact that she seemed to be the type to build walls around herself to keep people out. Abe figured it made sense; he would have done the same if he'd been dead.

"Why do I care?" He mused, not breaking eye contact. He was like an amiable hawk, and wouldn't take his eyes off of hers for fear of losing her interest. He intended to break her. "Because I'm interested in you, that's why!" He attempted to reply with a failed attempt to be spiteful, though he couldn't get the smile off of his face, nor the happy tone out of his voice. It was a pointless effort he was making, and he knew that , though he wouldn't admit it to her or himself.

[Echo Faust]

Echo was taken back by the other's exclamation, and it showed on her face by how wide-eyed she got. Echo couldn't figure out just what the hell this one is on about! She figured that he was a very direct person, that much was for sure; she wasn't sure, however, if he was the kind of person to play with a mask on - she remained on guard, as she always has been.

Giving a limp wave of dismissal, she scoffs and shakes her head as she decides to turn and float right off the bridge; her form now hovering over the water, staring off into the distance of the night once more. "There isn't anything interesting here for you to be interested in," she responds with lament seeping off of all of those words. She would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the fact that someone seemed to be friendly and actually want to get to know her as a person instead of capture her and keep her in some silly little jar, but she didn't care enough about other people for it to really make much of a difference at all. Echo couldn't figure out just what it was she was still doing here, talking to this living creature anyways. She made a point to remember to find places to relax and to stay that weren't out in the open, where weird individuals (like this and so many others she has run into from time and time again these days) seem to pass through time and time again.