the start of all stars [pafp] is so beautiful

airi takahashi

(( i loove the aesthetics pictures you used! and he loves fairy tales?? that's so cute i love him sm already ))

rain was starting to fall lightly as airi walked down the sidewalk of one of the less busier streets. businesses were closing down, people were leaving and going inside for the night, the streets were growing quieter and quieter as airi continued to stroll with no true destination. this was an every-night occurrence for airi. she'd spend her time walking, finding new places to hide for the night or go to the next morning when the stores are all open. her current abode, a small abandoned treehouse, was useable, but it wasn't preferable. the ladder was starting to rot away and so were the boards making up the floor and walls. it was sure to fall any day now and airi doesn't want to be there when it does.

after throwing her hood up, airi shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket, attempting to get out of the rain as much as possible. personally, she didn't mind rain, but she was feeling irritable today and anything could set her over the edge, even getting a little rain in her eyes. today wasn't exactly the best day in airi's books. she had to run after attempting to steal some food, nearly got caught for it, and she even got kicked out of a store for "not looking well enough", whatever that means. god, people here are selfish. anywhere else i've been to, people have always been up for helping the ones in need. guess these people think higher of themselves. she thought.

being shaken to the ground, airi shot her head up, surveying the area. a huge cloud of dust flew out from behind a nearby building, that must be what was responsible for the ground suddenly shaking. standing up, airi headed in that direction, the sounds of yelling getting louder and louder. a fight? once she got to the source of the noise, she peeked around the corner, spotting two taller males cornering a seemingly smaller male, who was sitting against the wall. what was happening? the one on the ground looked completely defenseless, are they just a normal person? who doesn't have any abilities? who are those two standing up?

lost in thought, airi watched the scene until she saw one of the stronger standing males raise his hand, as if he was about to use an ability to further hurt the one on the ground. without even considering the options, airi sprung into action, taking a deep breath and using the air to try to push the ones standing away from the one on the ground. she needed to get them away, no matter what it took.

(( this is kinda bad for a first post but i didn't want to do way too much! ))

airi takahashi

(( ah, maybe we can go from the second fight? that way they'll be able to interact more and it won't be like "do this *timeskip* then this *timeskip* and this *timeskip*" ))

her move came as a surprise to the group in front of her, as it should've been. her hood was still up, nearly covering her eyes. although, her cover was definitely blown, or blown away quite literally. the rage aimed at the one on the floor was now aimed at her, and there surely was a lot of rage between the two. airi definitely bit off more than she could chew. that is, if it just turned into a two-vs-one and the one on the ground isn't able to defend themselves.

airi was able to fully force one man back, but the other didn't get as much of the hit and only stumbled back, fully able to fight back. without any warning, airi felt herself being thrown against one of the surrounding buildings, being pushed by a piece of debris that must've came loose during airi's first strike. the blow hurt a lot, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. regaining her composure and standing up fully, airi made her way over to the one she was protecting, who was now kneeling against the wall. it looked like a younger kid, but not that much younger than airi. fully capable to fight for themselves, but not mature enough to defend themselves. what got them into this situation?

the two enemies kept flinging loose rocks and with each one, airi created temporary shields, just enough to block the attacks. the enemies appeared to be either telekinetic or they can manipulate the earth, either or. surely if they were telekinetic, they'd be using much more damaging objects like the dumpsters or the storage boxes. this should hold them. airi thought, taking in a big breath. much like her first move, airi sent a blow of air their way, but this time aiming to push back both of them to give her time to act. as the two were down, airi moved the kid to the street, just to get them away from the damage. luckily, they weren't hurt - at least physically. once they were out of the way, airi went back to the action. her face was scratched from the rocks and dirt lightly covered her features, the rain wasn't doing much to clean it off, which airi found incredibly annoying.

in no time at all, they were back to the same old, throwing rocks, airi defending, they really didn't have any other plans? just when airi was starting to get complacent, out of nowhere another rock, much bigger then the ones before, came flying, sending airi back against the wall. because it was much bigger than anticipated, airi got hit as she was defending, knocking out any extra air she had. falling to the ground, airi gasped, unable to stand. she could do so much more than this, she's proved she can do so much more about a week ago. although, her enemies back then weren't as mediocre as they are now, airi took this chance to try to glide through the fight. wrong move.

airi takahashi

as airi laid on the ground, the dirt and rainwater clouded her vision, but she could still make out basic figures, and it was just enough to see more stones flying at her. protecting herself, she ducked her head under her arm, as if that'd stop anything. she braced for impact, but nothing came. instead, she heard a noise that stone should've been making with her body. ouch.

looking up, airi kept her arm over her head, just letting her eyes peek through to see what was happening. something stopped them? looking around, she saw what seemed to be one of the villains on the ground a few ways away, hopefully just unconscious. she looked around for the other one, just in time to see them get electrocuted by,,, lighting? she couldn't see much since the light made her have to shield her eyes, but wow. that looked painful. hopefully that's by wild coincidence or by someone who's fighting with her, not against her.

at this time, airi was still trying to regain her breath. her breathing was rigid, a pattern of short breaths followed by a staggered deeper breath. it wouldn't be long until she finally got back to normal breathing.

focusing on her breathing, she didn't even hear anyone approach her until she heard a voice right above her. she did not need another fight again. trying her best to sit up, all airi could manage was to sit on her left side, her left arm supporting her body. this allowed her to finally get a look at who's trying to talk to her. hmm, not bad. but he didn't look too intimidating, at least not now. "who are you to know?" she asked, her voice quiet and raspy. she tried to not sound too aggressive, since confrontation was the last thing she needed, especially when this guy could've been the one that probably just killed those two villains. "and i don't pick sides, if that's what you're wondering." she slyly said, shifting her gaze between the male in front of her and the ground around her. those two villains absolutely tore this alleyway up, luckily airi doesn't have a destructive ability. would the city still be responsible for paying for the destruction?

airi takahashi

(( this one is a lot easier to read! the first one was good, but i think lighter colors are better against the dark website background! ))

he's surprised that she doesn't know who he is? what is that supposed to mean? airi doesn't keep up with anyone wherever she goes, but maybe he's someone important. head of the police? some sort of hero? that, or he's just really egotistical. "i don't need to know your name, you don't need to know mine. i was just saving that kid and that's it. i'm just passing through anyways, it's not relevant or important to know who i am." she spoke. granted, she has been around the city for a little over a week so it was a little more than just passing by. however, the statement still stands.

even though the male looked composed, she could tell her words were doing something to him. she could tell there was a hint of irritation or unease in the way he spoke, which airi found amusing. it was also a bit dangerous, considering what she just witnessed. he could do a lot of damage to her if she isn't careful, or if he has an extremely low amount of patience. normally, airi would pick at him to either persuade him to leave her alone or to irritate him further. but if he's egotistical, powerful, and he just witnessed everything that just happened, that wouldn't put airi in a good spot.

hearing his next statement, airi closed her eyes so he wouldn't see her rolling them are hard as she could. "i could've taken both of them, but i had another person to prioritize. that's why i was trying to get them away as soon as possible." she gave the excuse, now sitting up with her back against the wall. she was finally back to breathing normally, yet her voice was still airy and raspy. her next task would be finding somewhere to get a drink. maybe she'll even drink the rainwater if she gets desperate. "but, thanks for doing what you did." it wouldn't hurt to give a thank you, even if it was so quiet, it was nearly inaudible. hopefully he caught on so he picked up that airi wasn't a complete asshole, but she was still set on the fact that she could've turned the fight around if he didn't show up while she was catching her breath.

after she mentioned the kid the two villians were trying to hurt, airi looked over towards the entrance of the alleyway, seeing the kid sitting on the ground, surrounded by a couple of adults who seemed to be worried about the victimized kid who was laying on the sidewalk. "he needs help, it's gross any adult would do that to a minor." she breathed out, her eyes going nowhere except for the scene on the nearby sidewalk.

airi takahashi

it got awkwardly silent between the two, as if he was thinking. thinking about what? plotting her downfall? plotting ways to kill her? airi wouldn't blame him, she can be a real smartass most of the time and it can really get annoying. he wouldn't be the first person who's tried to kill her out of annoyance. when she finally heard him introduce himself, airi had no emotion change at all. she heard the name while tuning in to various conversations she's overheard on the streets, but those conversations weren't exactly suitable. it sounded like he was some hidden jewel that needed to be preserved and hidden away from the rest of the world because he's too valuable or precious. maybe that explains the egotistical undertones.

"okay, prince jace of arcadia, good to know." she said, sarcasm practically oozing out of her statement. "based on the way you're standing and the way you're talking, you're probably not going to let me leave until i tell you what you want to hear, am i correct?" she questioned, tilting her head. "and it'd be awfully stupid of me to try to run away considering what just happened to those two over there. so either i give in and spill the beans or we play the silent game. i love playing games." she said with a devilish grin. god, she's really trying to push his buttons.

standing her ground, she wrapped her arms around her knees and shut her mouth, not making a peep. this was completely different compared to her other usual nights. she hasn't had fun like this in a while, especially since she's never been able to find anyone to talk to at night except for the homeless, and she doesn't have the heart to play them the way she's playing jace.

a decent amount of time went by and she still stayed silent. she could tell he wasn't exactly fond of this situation, but if he really wanted his answers, he'd surely be strong enough to handle her games. a little childish, but as the child of two notable villains, she didn't exactly have a normal happy childhood full of normal childhood games. she was free now, somewhat, and this was her time to have fun.

"okay, i think i've made you wait long enough. surely i thought you'd just walk away or do something to force me to talk or whatever." she said, breaking the awkward, tense silence between the two. "you want to know my name, right? it's airi. i'm no royalty or anything special, so that's it. just airi."

airi takahashi

now that she knew exactly what she was dealing with, airi knew she was basically beat at this point. of all people she could've come across, it had to be someone like him? if it was anyone else, surely airi could've gotten away with no trace. but now, she's gotten herself in this sticky situation with no way out. either she could go now with a somewhat nice guy or be hunted down by the leader of a whole country? airi was stubborn, but she wasn't an idiot.

wait, fraternizing with villains? does he know who she is? is this some whole scheme by her own parents to get her back? they knew how gullible and trusting she can be with the right people, did they send someone to act as someone important to trick and lure her back? his smile said otherwise, but she's seen a lot of fake smiles. "how do i know if this is completely true? that you aren't lying to me or planning on tricking me into turning myself in?" she asked, shifting her eyes between his outreached hand and his face. "i've had people try to trick and take advantage of me a lot in my life, i'm not going to fall for any tricks again."

her words came out with no form of support or evidence to back up her conviction of him not being true. but at the same time, she knows what people - specifically villains - are capable of. some of their abilities are horrendous for anyone to come across. manifesting another person's abilities, rendering them useless with a simple look, even creating a form of ability storage, harvesting abilities to use at their whim anytime they please. they're devilish, and this could just be another trick up there sleeve. but, something about this guy seems different. the way he protected her without any knowledge of who she is, his stubbornness to get her to tell him her name, his patience. a stereotypical villain wouldn't have been so patient. they would've just threatened her on the spot. he didn't even look like a villain. of all the ones she's interacted with, they've all had a similar type of look in their eyes, something airi was no stranger to. he didn't have that look. he looked, friendly?

sighing, airi reluctantly took his hand, agreeing to his terms while standing up. this could be an extremely good thing, or a very stupid choice. "i'll go with you now, but i'm not trusting you yet." she warned him, shaking off the dirt and remnants from the pavement and rocks thrown at her.

airi takahashi

airi tilted her head. he had a point. at least he was aware of the fact that he never had her trust in the first place. even if he does look trustworthy and he does sound like he's telling the truth, she still doesn't feel quite sure about him. something about him is just making her uneasy, but she couldn't figure out what. maybe it's the realization that he actually could be a royal figure. after all, they do have the most power out of everyone in the country. or, at least you'd assume.

before they left the area, jace mentioned the two villains, or what was left of the two villains. she's never seen anyone do that to anyone before, hero or villain. they were always just defeated to the point of recovery or getting arrested. fully looking at the damage done, airi's mouth hung open in surprise. "oh my god," she sighed quietly. for might've been born a villain, but she'd never hurt anyone to the extent of unconsciousness or even death. that's just one area where her and her parents disagreed.

"h-how would i know what to do? i've never done anything like that." she stuttered, walking over to the two to get a good look at them. yikes. she could fully see who they were, they were good friends of her parents. two men who bonded over having similar abilities, practically best friends. "how did you even,," she trailed off, in awe of the damage done. either he's extremely sinister, he has no control over his ability, or he's just extremely powerful - too powerful.

in the chaos of the two bodies, airi nearly forgot about the kid she took to the sidewalk. quickly glancing towards the street, she saw everyone was gone. there was nothing there, except the street itself. those adults must've taken the kid to the hospital or the police station, somewhere safe. "oh," she said softly before turning back to jace. "i guess he'll be okay, i hope. i can't say the same for these two, though." she spoke, still in shock at how he could've senselessly done something like this and somehow be completely calm about it all. "i can't answer that question. you're the royalty here, what does the city do with things like this? i'm not from around here, nor have i injured someone this badly. you're asking the completely wrong person."