Qiony takes a breath of the cool air, watching the few trees sway, and the feeling of the cold rain hitting his skin. Something presses onto his, expelling all of the air he just breathed in.
The storm shows signs of slowing, the rain that previously barraged everything had become a light drizzle. The winds has just became light gusts every now and there were no booms of thunder for a long while.
Someone falls on top of him, knocking the little air he had sucked in out of him. More accurately someone with long dark brown hair with beige patches and cat ears dropped down and brought him into a hug.
(So that thud I heard... It was nothing, I just was dropped by her.) Soon the thought of her caring so much despite just being friends for 2 days brings a large grin to his face.
Evelyn opens her mouth, and it stays open and agape for just a moment. Slowly a smile forms on her face, and as she looks across his face she looks at his singular eye.
Brilliant rays of sunlight slowly come from the parting clouds, the rain has slown to a stop and the winds have disappeared.
Her voice sounds different, but it could just be he forgot what her voice sounded like.
"Qiony, the storm has finally stopped. Whatever you saw when you went to sleep must have stopped it, right?"
While pondering what he should say Qiony admires the radiant light from the sun, taking each drop of water and illuminating them. When Qiony is about to answer he thinks the question over just one more time. He looks at her with a questioning gaze.
(How does she know?)
Qiony is about to speak but the words are stuck in his throat, and just like when he became completely deaf the world went silent. His mouth moves on its own, letting out silent words.
Evelyn lays a finger on her cheek, acting like she is thinking heavily about this. Then, she too silently replies to what 'Qiony' had said.
Qiony blinks, the world has seemed to return to normal. A thick fog clouds his mind until he doesn't even remember what happened .
He pulls Evelyn into a hug of his own just seconds after she let go of him.
"Hey, Ev. Thanks for everything." He looks at her face, comparing it to the memories he had of a girl with solid white hair and cat ears. He was about to tease her, but then his ridiculously large grin becomes embarassed and his face feels like fire, making him believe it turned red.
She has a smug smile on her face, looking at him with a victorious look. "Everything? Then you're also referring to when you were at my house and you had-"
He scowls at her, but quickly watches with satisfaction as Evelyn fails to catch herself and falls into a puddle.
When Evelyn brought up the moment Qiony had quickly pulled his arms out of the hug and pushed her into the puddle with one strong push.
"That's better."
She watches him from the puddle, a frown plastered on her previously happy face.
"I'm sorry… so do you just so happen to have another thing I could wear? I don't wanna be a sopping wet cat."
Qiony can't help but let the feeling of guilt sink into his stomach, guiding him to help her up.
"I don't have anything that's dry. We had just been in that storm for a while."
He pulls hers up and looks around the street they ended up on.
He wordlessly pulls her along until they end up outside a yellow bricked house, Qiony searches his pockets and produces a single key.
Conveniently Evelyn had ran the opposite way and towards the direction of his house.
The inside of the house is nice and warm. But they had both appreciated the fact it was dry just as much. The walls are painted a shade of aquamarine, and the floors are dark brown floorboards.
Evelyn takes it in for just a moment, then she fumbles over her words before letting out a proper sentence in her usual teasing tone.
"I know you like me and everything, but..." Evelyn takes a dramatic pause, and stares him directly in his eyes with her sparkling hazel eyes. "You should probably bring me on a date first before taking me home."
Qiony stands there, wondering what she is talking about. It only takes a moment, his face turns a bright red colour.
"W-wawawa-wait," Qiony's brain couldn't find words to retort.
Unlike how she usually gets a good laugh or two in from teasing him Evelyn just smiles, her cheeks a faint pink and quickly brushes past the topic.
"Evelyn, you're joking, right."
While Qiony is rattled by what Evelyn seems to have meant, she walks up the stairs like she owns the place after taking off her all black shoes. After reigning in his thoughts Qiony gets back to thinking properly. (Oh, right I should tell her,) His mind brushes past other topics before landing on the right thoughts. (The washroom is down that hallway if she wants to use it.)
"Hey Evelyn, if you want to use the washroom it's just down there. Also, if you want" Qiony keeps his voice down as he doesn't want to disturb his neighbors.
From his room upstairs he hears footsteps and Evelyn somewhat muffled response.
"Okay, I'll just borrow uh... yeah, just one pair of clothes while waiting for mine to dry."
An hour has passed, both of them are in new sets of nice, dry clothes sitting on the couch.
While they are watching 'Superheros: I can be one too' a sudden broadcast interrupts the usual 8:00 P.M. schedule
"Breaking news, two fugitive dumbass children are suspected to be a new type of the rainwalkers. This news has been reported after reports of them being of the streets while approximately 11 citizens, 1 off-duty enforcer, and Mida's favourite bus driver Theodore Lockwell have been reported as missing."
The pale old man wearing a grey suit, white shirt and purple tie reports in a gruff voice, taking a sip of water before returning to speaking. The school picture IDs of the two are plastered behind the man on the news, exposing what they already knew to be the truth.
They had only watched in disbelief as the man continued speaking.
"The suspects have been reported to be disguised as one 15 year old felian, Evelyn Lethe, while the other is 15 year old human, Chonny Grais. If you see them find a safe place to hide and call the authorities.
Qiony reaches for the remote the moment the man switches to talking about tomorrows 15th Food Fight Festival hosted by the Authorities.
Evelyn looks at Qiony, and tackles him to the floor. She presses him to the ground, her whole face is slightly pink. She holds him behind the couch forcing him down.
Almost as if she had been planning for a moment like this the entire time she speaks quickly, and all of her usually joking tone is gone, replaced by a hushed stern tone unfamiliar yet familiar to Qiony.
"We should leave as fast as possible, the enforcers have trackers anyways. So we just grab the essentials and run."
The moment Evelyn finishes speaking they both hurry down the stairs getting ready to run away.
Minutes pass in wordless silence, nobody uttering a word.
They leave a window open after gathering a lot of clothes, a 500 Eo bill and two 20 Eo bills, two loafs of bread, packs of cheese, salami, and a few water bottles.
The window blows into the now empty house, almost catching a letter on the table and hiding it in a corner.
'Dear Mother,
By the time you get back home me and my friend Evelyn would have run away due to a misunderstanding. They believe we are rainwalkers capable of surviving out of rain, so I guess they'd just call us walkers. That's not the point though, I just wanted to tell you we'll be okay and once this clears up we will return to Mida, so please reassure her parents because we can't.
Love, Qiony.'
The night is early, yet the moon is high in the starless sky. Every now and then the sound of a car passing by is heard, the tires hit the puddles causing droplets of water to fly towards the sidewalk.
(I should've just waited for my mom to get access to Liuciela's signal.) Qiony sighs and takes in the cool night air.
Evelyn is looking at her feet, wondering if she should say something. After a few more quiet seconds she finally speaks, her tone is disgusted.
"So, why did you turn into an eye soup bowl this morning? I knew everything about this world is weird, but-"
She throws a glance his way, looking at where his other eye should be before finishing what she was saying.
"You know what, I don't even want to know. Just don't do that again."
Qiony feels uncomfortable over imagining himself as an eye soup pot.
(I should change the topic, I don't wanna get sick imagining it.)
Minutes pass in what felt like an eternity of silence, finally Qiony looks back at her, an apologetic look in his eyes.
"Hey Eve, I'm sorry for dragging you into this."
Almost as soon as he said sorry Evelyn just smiles and speeds up a bit. She spins around on her heel, holding her hands behind her back.
"Don't worry, I always dreamed about getting superpowers. Also, I don't mind because I can run away with you."
(What? Oh right, this is probably one of her usual jokes.)
Despite trying to convince himself she doesn't mean it he still blushes a bit at jogs to catch up with her.
The buildings of their small town have finally disappeared, only a long stretch of road and trees remain.
While walking they swapped topics from superheroes, which build is better big bonk stick or 800 button magic combo, and what Evelyn believes the origin of felians are.
"Well obviously it's our word of mouth origin tale. Someone named Schroedy, and they were a bit curious, believing water was the only safe place in the future. So he first experimented with manipulating essence in humans, adding the existence of invisible and visible cat traits. After he got practice they started with other animals."
She pauses, laughs a bit and continues barely smothering her laughs.
"But I believe he just wanted to fuck a cat femboy."
Qiony laughs a few times, before remembering what she had said while they were still in town.
"By the way, what do you mean you got superpowers?"
She stops and stays silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.
"I was gifted some book from someone claiming I'm a demigod, well more like 1/1000000 of one. Anyways they seem to hold the author and book in high regard, so the book should be pretty strong."
Qiony would have scowled at his only remaining eyeball where he presumes that bastard Endrit is, but he physically can't.
(Damn you Endrit, it's pretty clear she has her family god as her supporter so why don't I get a power?)
In just moments the sound of dripping water is in his head, and words at loud as a car horn sounds like it is right behind him.
[Well Cusdeni's child with 'it' is unable to host the being of nothing without just being obliterated. Also you haven't asked once what I can do for you, you ungrateful brat.]
(Why does it sound like you know that Cusdeni deity so well? Are they from the same pantheon?)
A stern and tired voice resounds in his head again.
[Just ask me about those powers kid.]
Qiony takes a breath, puffs out his cheeks with indignation.
(Fine just tell me what I can do.)
Endrit chuckles but takes action not a moment later.
Floods of sudden information just appears in his brain as if Qiony always had it in his head.
(How did that happen? I've never known this before.)
[I simply wrote it so it had always been that you knew this, now go read because I'm gonna sleep and I don't want anymore questions.]
(Alright, sweet dreams gramps.) Qiony continues walking in silence before trying to recall what he had apparently always known.
Essence, it is the existence of things. You have your personal essence which keeps you in existence and is unusable, and a second pool that you manipulate into usable forms decided by the places you have obtained power from, and the types you recieved.
Amount of abilities granted 1/???
1. Ideal Scribes report
Manipulate essence to construct your missing eye into a weird grey crow, have it watch over things and reconstruct scenes in perfect detail, even words left unheard as long as the speaker is in sight. If this crow is destroyed you can make another but lose the information if it was undelivered.
Qiony's face almost contorts into a weird mix of joy and sadness.
Noticing his sudden change Evelyn looks at him with a curious look.
"Are you okay? It looks like you… um, it looks like you got a kiss but it was just a dream."
Qiony inhales and unconsciously takes a step towards her which she seems to have noticed.
"I got a scouting ability, I wanted one of those cool punch really hard ones or even water creation."
Evelyn seems to have gotten closer, her hand brushing against the back of his.
"It's okay I'll protect you."
The wind seems to howl in response, almost as if the storm is picking up. Behind them is the moon casting the shadow of trees beside them, and their own.
A hand is pressed onto both of their shoulders, but considering they are almost holding hands they almost jump in fright.