The Echo

[Kinkade Cymir Malixi]

KINKADE
_{i want you to
come in closer
come in closer}

If Shiloh ever found out he was doing this, he was so dead. Didn't she realize they didn't have physical powers? If they fell... Well. It was best not to even consider it while it was still a possibility. When she jumped back toward him, he felt sheer terror at first as he silently prayed that he wouldn't fall off, or that she wouldn't, either. Nervously, he moved- very slowly- until he was sitting with his legs off the edge, providing her with more room.

"Climb? Aren't we high enough?

[/color]"Was the instant response. He wasn't trying to deter her idea, per se, but this was just crazy! And, well, Kinkade wasn't so great with heights when it was dark. The smell of blood was the next thing he noticed.

"Are you alright?[/color]"Kinkade questioned immediately. If the situation would have been a little bit different, he may have stood up and examined the wound because, well, no matter what she said he wouldn't have believed it. She was in pain if there was blood, and that wasn't okay.

When Robin began her ascent up the rose wall, he turned to face her, then he stared in amazement as she moved upward. Ohh, that climbing. He stood up on the ledge, again seized with fear, and began to slowly inch toward the wall. He reached it just before he heard the distinct sound of her against the roof; good. Less time to wait against this wall, then. Again, only silence could meet this moment as Kinkade grasped into the air and latched onto the rose's support. This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. He placed his other hand against the rose support and felt the sting of a thorn. Oh, well, that explained it. No matter- small wound. He moved his hand to find a more stable hold, and then began his own ascent, thankful for his jeans at that moment. His hands got a few more small punctures, but he'd live.

When he finally- it felt like a very, very long time to him- reached the roof, he was ecstatic and simply happy to be alive.

"Ha![/color]"Kins laughed with pride,"That wasn't so bad.[/color]" For good measure, he took several steps away from the ledge, anyway.[/center][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Christina Ann Robins]

"Yes..." Robin's voice was very hushed, casting an aura of serenity into the air. She would have said more, but she was absolutely mesmerized by the night sky.

At first, it was just a tiny speck of orange light, but the next minute that came-- it was revealed to be much more. The com met streak across the sky, looking very large and very close indeed. Robin knew it wouldn't hit Earth, the scientists had said so, and was simply put in awe as its tail splashed colors so vibrant it nearly made her gasp aloud.

She sat down on the slanted tiles with a so thump, never moving her eyes form the heavens. Her knees were jointed out in front of her, and she wrapped her arms around them, hardly noticing anything but the stars and comet.

[Kinkade Cymir Malixi]

KINKADE
_{i'm not afraid of what i have to say
this is my one and only voice
so listen close, it's only for today
i just saw haley's comet}

Wow. She wasn't kidding, there was something to see. Not that coming up here just because wouldn't have been okay with him (er, now that he was up there, that was). As the comet appeared, he found himself just as transfixed. So close... This was much better than just seeing the stars. And if it weren't for her, he would have missed it. When he felt it appropriate to speak again, he'd definitely thank her. And he'd scold Shiloh for nearly making him miss it.

Kins didn't move again, or think of anything but the sky, until he heard the thump. Immediately he jumped, his eyes wide as he looked back down toward the roof, scanning the darkness. Robin was still there, thankfully. He smiled to himself and sat down beside her before looking back at the beautiful night sky.

[Christina Ann Robins]

A smile flickers across Robins face, before fading into the night sky like her flame of life. Not even realizing what she was doing, Robin leaned her head against Kin's shoulder, watching the beautiful comet and it's slow trek against the sky.

She could hear herself think up here. She could be at peace up here. And in fact, she was more at peace than she had been in over a year, feeling no one's emotions but her own, very calm ones. "So, Mr. Empath Kin, sir, was it worth the climb?" she asked sleepily, voice heavy. She probably would sleep up here, in fact. It was much more comfortable than any place shed ever known, partially due to Kin.

[Kinkade Cymir Malixi]

KINKADE
_{she waved, said,
"why are you always running in place?"
even the man in the moon disappeared
somewhere in the stratosphere."}

When she leaned against him, he smiled to himself. Yeah, he appreciated the beauty of the sky and of the comet, but he still found it hard to detatch himself from the moment or from the fact that Robin was at his side. Maybe it was the empath in him, but he valued emotions and people far more than any rock in the sky. He watched it anyway. It was amazing.

"Without a doubt,

[/color]"Kins affirmed, noting the sleepiness. It almost made him laugh, but he bit it back, too scared to move even slightly lest she decide to move away from him. Now that would be tragic. Besides, why should he laugh when he was sleepy too? (and too scared to climb back down)

"This was a very brilliant idea. Thank you for sharing this with me.[/color]"Kinkade added, his tone soft and appreciative. This was worth those moments of sheer terror, definitely.[/center][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Christina Ann Robins]

"Sometimes, a single prescense does more wonders than the finest medicine."

"Thank you, for being here," she whispered, hardly more than a breath of air. Then the comet winked out of the night sky, hardly more than a dot as it flew past Earth. All that was left was the moon and the stars, which seemed dull in comparison to the comet which had passed. Then the warmth of Kin pressed against her side melted together with the black of the air, the cool of the roof-tiles, and the faint pulsing of emotions that soared comfortingly far beneath her, and Robin's eyes fluttered shut-- muscles finally relaxing.

The first time she had slept into two whole days.

[Kinkade Cymir Malixi]

KINKADE
_{we're only liars
but we're the best
we're only good for
the latest trend.}

Kinkade smiled at her whisper. But it didn't seem like words were needed now, so he kept quiet. When the comet disappeared, his gaze grew absent, but stayed on the sky above. Unlike Robin, his assessment was not that the moon and stars were dull, just that they were a part of something much grander. They had their place and they were remarkable in their own right. They illuminated the sky for the comet, almost like leading the way.

When Kinkade glanced down at Robin and found her sleeping, he could only smile. And initially, he let her stay there, against him, as he watched her closely. But- unfortunately- he couldn't stay like this for long. Sometimes being energetic was problematic. Ah well. It couldn't be helped. After no more than ten minutes, Kinkade eased Robin down to the roof's surface so he, too, could lay down beside her. It was bound to get cold. They should have planned ahead. Kinkade decided the next best thing to a blanket was to wrap his arms loosely around her and to stay close as he joined her in sleep.

[Christina Ann Robins]

:::::::::::::::::

"Names mean nothing to some, and everything to others."

:::::::::::::::::

My name is Christina, but no one calls me that. They call me, I call myself, Robin.

:::::::::::::::::

"Did you hear? Did you hear?" Those words were the only ones repeated, that day at the school. Although Christina never talked to anyone at the school, preferring a book to a good conversation, it was impossible to stay silent for long-- that day in the eighth grade.

"Did you hear, Christina?" Esther gushed, though faltering as she spoke Christina's name.

"About what?" She replied, perplexed.

"The woman who murdered those three sixth-graders. She was finally caught yesterday, in the process of strangling a teacher at the school!"

"Oh," Christina whispered. "Who was she?"

Esther's grin faded on mid gush. "Some lady, called, um, Christina Riser."

Christina's breath caught in her throat. It shouldn't have bothered her so much, but it did. Someone, out there, shared her name. And they were a homicidal freak. All day, kids less kind than Esther had been jeered at her, asking if she was somehow related to the freak. The murder. The more timid people veered away form her in the halls, and the teachers faltered saying her name in roll-call.

"Hey, Christina, did you hear?"

"My name isn't Christina. My name is Robin."

It was the sun that finally caused Robin to awake. it sent orange shades into her closed eyelids, and caused the blue pools of water she called her eyes to crack open. The next thing she was aware of was Kin's arm around her. Robin flushed and realized she must have fallen asleep on the roof last night

[Kinkade Cymir Malixi]

KINKADE
_{when our time is up
when our lives are done
will we say,
'we've had our fun'}

If there was anything that could be said about sleeping beside Kinkade, it was that he was awfully good at radiating his emotions when he was unconscious. Or, well, not his emotions, per se. But calmness. It was almost like a blanket about him. Constantly there, pulled close, but extending outward. For all his flaws, all his obnoxious habits, Kinkade really was quite sweet when he was asleep.

He was also oblivious. He remained asleep despite the sun. Robin's sudden emotion- realization- was what stirred him from his slumber. Huh? What did realization have to do with the green jello he was swimming through? Oh. Right. Wasn't his emotion. He groaned slightly, closing his eyes tighter, clinging to sleep. But wait. Why was he hugging someone?

"Ah, what...?

[/color]" Now his eyes opened. Familiar piano girl! Glorious surprise. Just who he wanted to see, especially since he was still up her on this high, high roof. "Good morning, Robin. Sleep well?[/color]" Kinkade yawned, removing his hands from her before sitting up and rubbing his eyes sleepily.[/center][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Christina Ann Robins]

"It's strange how our mind is the least safe place to hide your thoughts."

Robin blinked and sat up, feeling her muscles stretch and curl in the sun. At Kan's question, she closed her eyes and inhaled the sweet, yet thin air so high up-- eyes closing. In a fury of thoughts, she nodded smiling faintly. "Yes," she said, shaking her head to free the last of her braid which had come undone during her sleep. "Better than I have, in a long, long time, actually."

Suddenly, she glanced down at her watch. Ah, 2:30 pm. How long had they slept? Robin again blushed slightly, remembering, before tilting her head upwards and glancing at the sun to hide it. Why wasn't she charismatic? What had she even dreamt about, for that long? Something about a name, and a storm-- Robin cut off her thinking abruptly, sternly reminding herself that she wasn't the only empath in the room.

"Well, Empath-Kin, sir, how do you feel about apples for lunch?"

[Kinkade Cymir Malixi]

KINKADE
_{will we make a mark this time?
will we always say we tried?
standing on the rooftops
everybody scream your heart out.}

"That's good to hear."Kinkade's tone was cheerful. At least she wasn't alarmed by the fact that they'd slept beside each other. Now that may have been a bit awkward.

When Robin looked to her watch, he remembered his own and checked the time for herself. Huh. Odd. He glanced down toward the school grounds, searching the area for familiar students. His search was cut short by the emotions of Robin as, unbeknown to him, she tried to figure out her dream. Curiously, he turned his gaze to her, waiting patiently for her to return her own attention back to the matter at hand. Like the fact that they were way, way up in the air. When she finally did, her question left him baffled. Apples?

"Apples, Robin?

[/color]"Kinkade echoed. They weren't really his favorite, but that was irrelevant."You do realize we're several stories in the air, right? Where are you going to get apples from?[/color]"

Wait a minute...

"Oh, no.[/color]"Kinkade suddenly mumbled. His primary emotion was fear as he dropped to the rooftop, his chest against the surface."My dad might see me, shhh.[/color]" No, Shiloh wasn't likely to hear his son from that high up, but Kinkade didn't seem to realize this.[/center][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Christina Ann Robins]

:::::::::::::::::

"Detection is an escapist's worst fear."

:::::::::::::::::

Robin had just opened her mouth to respond, apples did grow on trees-- and there was a conveniently placed tree to their far left-- when Kin's fear almost overwhelmed her. She jerked backwards, before hitting the tails almost the same time he did. Kin's... father? Did his parents live at the school too? Were they teachers? Or simply live in the town near the school? However, Kin's urgency caused her to bit her tongue and listen, shooting him a questioning glance.

Sure-- it'd be bad if they got caught up here, But Robin could easily get down by jumping the ledges... Oh. Now this, could be a problem-- escaping in broad daylight.

[Kinkade Cymir Malixi]

KINKADE
_{all the love i've met
i have no regrets
if it all ends now, i'm set}

"Shiloh'd kill me if he knew I was up here.

[/color]"Kins whispered before a soft smile played at his lips. "He couldn't bear the thought of me being outside so late when my feet were firmly on the ground.[/color]" Funny man, Shiloh was. Far too overprotective, but Kins wouldn't have it any other way. In response to her questioning- however silent, he could pretty much guess- he offered a sheepish grin.

"Sorry- should have mentioned earlier. You've got a teacher's son for a companion. Not exactly brilliant company.[/color]"Kinkade explained. His father actually wasn't so bad aside from, well, being his father and all. He seemed well-liked in his classes, at least. No one had anything too negative to say, though he did teach the rather tedious subject of history.[/center][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Christina Ann Robins]

:::::::::::::::::

"What comes up..."

:::::::::::::::::

Ah, okay. That made slightly more sense. She couldn't quite make out any particular presence, but that was probably due to the mass of students below. Robin grimaced at the thought of becoming one again with the crowd-- but somehow, last night made it somehow more bearable. "Ah, that's cool. My mother was a teacher, she also taught at my school. Luckily, she taught a few grades above myself so I never actually had her as my teacher before..." Robin shook her head, curls bouncing. Now, she would have done anything to have had her mother as her teacher. Swallowing hard, she addressed the matter at hand.

"Well," Robin said slowly, a plan forming in her mind. She didn't know how well it would work-- and if they might end up SPLAT on the concrete, but it was worth a shot if Kin agreed. "I have an idea, if you don't mind getting wet."

[Kinkade Cymir Malixi]

KINKADE
_{standing on the rooftops
wait until the bombs drop
this is all we got now
scream until your heart stops}

"Yeah, Shi wasn't my custodial parent before this year. Can't say I've had him as my teacher, either. Well, not history, per se.

[/color]"Kins was definitely happy to hear that they had something else, beyond their powers, in common. A teacher parent, with all the not-so-great things that could bring. But still, he didn't feel strongly enough to hope his father was never his teacher, so how could she? His curious gaze stayed on Robin as she shook her head and composed herself. He wouldn't pry, no matter how badly he wanted to try to help. He let the conversation shift.

"You are, by far, the most interesting person I have met.[/color]"Kinkade laughed. It wasn't really a direct reply, but it was true. If nothing else, he was curious to hear what she came up with and how on Earth she was expecting to get wet and get down to the ground from way up here."What's your idea?[/color]"
[/center][/blockquote][/blockquote]