Zane just watched the girl in his arms as if she was insane. She could...taste... the air? He managed to not drop her or freak out. Hell, he hadn't been near a pretty that acted so flighty in ages! Still, something did not seem quite right. He had always been fairly smart. He concentrated on her eyes, well on the intelligence shining through them. The eyes were always the window to the soul. Usually, and uncured pretty always had severely constricted pupils, or had an aloof sort of appearance.
Chuckling, he dropped the girl on her ass. Of course, she yelped and shot him a glare. "What do you think you're doing?" she growled. Well, that was interesting.
A smirk curled on his lips as he watched her like a wolf with its prey. "So, who are you trying to fool? Obviously, you're not a normal pretty. From your reaction, it's pretty easy to ensure you've been cured. What city are you from?"
The girl stood, brushing herself off. Now that she wasn't pretending to be a pretty-head, she actually had an air of authority about herself. "I'm from Rega Springs, actually." Zane blinked and continued to stare at the beauty. The education about geography at his school had been spotty at best. Well, he might as well take her word for it.
The blonde flicked her wrist and it drew his attention to the shining crash bracelet on her arm. "Did they deactivate or something?" he asked as he pointed to the metallic object.
She glanced at it as if noticing it for the first time. Or perhaps she was so used to it that she didn't even realize when it was there? Tally and Shay had been like that, hoverboarding so much that sometimes they had to be reminded to take them off. His heart clenched in his chest as he thought of his lost love.
Something cut through the air before coming to rest next to her. It was a hoverboard, but it was smart enough to actually prop itself against her? She patted the boar's surface before looking up at him, but for some reason, her eyes were flashing in defiance. "No, they didn't deactivate. They just... took a little longer to warm up. I could hear the lifters turning on when you caught me."
The board's pink lights lit up and he saw an answering glow tinting her blonde hair a light indigo. Was she wearing a tracking earring?
"Taylor-sama. It is currently seven twenty-eight PM. Emergency broadcasts are stalled and Tanner requests a meeting. Please advise." The hell? Was her board actually talking to her?
"Tell Tanner to stuff it, Ishtar. We're done with him." She flipped her long hair behind her shoulder before holding her palm up. "Nav, local map."
Zane watched her as a mini holo map flashed in her hand. What was this girl? "Hey-"
She glanced at him, her green eyes questioning what he was even still doing in front of her. "Hey, yourself. Is there anything you need?"
If she hadn't been looking at him so warily he might have taken offense to that. Instead, he couldn't help himself as he let out a throaty laugh. "I'm Zane. Taylor, I presume? And... Ishtar?" he said uncertainly as he looked toward her hover board. "What is that thing by the way?"
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Taylor smiled proudly as she patted Ishtar just above the board's sensors. "I built her. She's kind of like my personal assistant."
Zane let out an impressed whistle and a hot blush stained her cheeks.
"Is it sentient?" he asked as he stalked closer to her. It was only then that she noticed the tattoos lazily spinning on his arm and crawling up his cheek. The hell? Was that some kind of weirdo fashion sense or something? For some reason, she actually allowed her curiosity to get the better of her and she reached up to trace the intricate marks. At first, he leaned into her touch without realizing it.
A moment later he caught himself quickly and stepped away, but his face had shut down. He was as readable as a brick wall and she suddenly felt as if she was caught in a winter storm. Well, this was awkward. She started to glance everywhere, trying to figure out what to do now that she had freaked out the hot guy.
The nav caught her attention once more and she began to fiddle with it, pulling at the right side to make it extend over her arm. A clock blinked insistently near the top in large blue numbers signifying it was almost sunset. She pulled at the strap of her bag as she toyed with where to settle down for the night. "Well, I would say nice to meet you, but...," she waved a delicate hand between them before snapping her fingers. Ishtar once more became horizontal and she jumped on her hoverboard. "I have to go. See you later?"
One minute she was there and the next she was gone in the wind, leaving a flustered Zane behind. Alright, surely she could find a place to crash at. If worst came to worst, she could slum it in the wilderness with all the rusty ghosts. "Arriving in downtown Diego in three minutes, Taylor-sama."
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Zane watched as the girl shot off in the direction he had come from. Damn, there were all kinds in this world. He actually chuckled lightly to himself as he continued on. Though he was man enough to admit to himself that he had felt something when Taylor touched him. There had been a spark, the kind he used to get from Tally when they were together. Did it have something to do with the changes inside of his body? Did she call out to something inside of him? Or was it that Taylor reminded him so much of Tally before she had become a Special? Fuck, he missed her so much.
She couldn't be too far. Wherever Tally was, there was always an explosion. Something bothered him, though: why did he have a feeling he had heard of Taylor before? And who was this Tanner? Mysteries seemed to be everywhere.
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Chaos reigned in the city and David watched from the shadows. All the technology still made him antsy, but he held it together until Tally made her way back to him. she came from behind and he felt it as her chilled fingers caught his arm. His eyes found hers and he smiled before brushing a hand lightly against her cheek. "Ready to head out?"
She flashed her sharp teeth in a smile before jumping on her board. "Yeah. I converted a few people to our side, so this town should be fine. There is one thing that worries me, though. Talk at the safe house?" David gave a barely perceptible nod before he shot off in front of Tally.
He laughed loudly as he heard a huff of indignation from behind him before she tried to catch up. Tally always did have a competitive streak.
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Tally put her hair up in a ponytail as David reclined against the cabin wall. They were only a few miles from Diego, just far enough so they couldn't be detected easily.
"Well, Diego's government is still managing to contain the situation, but that's not what's worrying me. What is worrisome is a group called Spark. They're vying for control in the eastern regions." She stopped, her eyes seemingly focused on something far away. "It's almost like the mafia they taught us about in history class when the rusty's were still around."
David watched her inquisitively, "So, what do you plan to do? We have a foothold in Diego. Should we make our rounds to other cities?"
Tally nodded as she bit her nail, thinking deeply. "That would make the most sense."
