Kas did actually consider brushing her off with a 'fine,' but he wasn't feeling fine, he was frustrated and angry. He was swirling around in an unending spiral of emotions and self-loathing. "It's been," he muttered, running a hand over his face and into his hair, pulling some strands out of the hair-tie so it fell into his face. "It's been eventful, to say the least. Not exactly the good kind." And that's where he shut up.
And it was also when his mind sunk into itself. His brother's image popped up behind his eyes. He was exactly like Kas, though without the piercings and burns. Redore did have tattoos, though they weren't exactly like his. It hurt to stare back at his own face, the face that betrayed him when he was just a child, the face that sneered at him in mockery. He bowed his head so the loose strands of hair covered his face and looked out the window.
Joanna listened to him, and could honestly feel pain at his words. Not normally being the sensitive feely type, she was struggling to push her pity down. "How so? Is it anything anyone can help fix?" She asked, attempting to be polite, or sensitive. Whatever it was, she wasn't doing very well at it. Boy did she know it too. She was really terrible at comforting people, mostly because she never received any herself.
Though this wasn't about her right now. So it didn't matter. What mattered was figuring out what was wrong with Kas, and focusing on the road. Maybe attempting not to get in a car crash as well was a high priority at the moment. Pulling up to the red light, she turned to face him. He honestly looked terrible. Not to mention his beat up face. 'What the hell did you do in 45 minutes?' She wondered, biting her lower lip as she thought.
"No," he said, shaking his head and sighing. He stretched out as much as he could in the smallish-space the car provided, cursing his long legs. He could feel her gaze on him, so he turned his face so she couldn't see the cuts, feeling a wash of shame and guilt. It wasn't even anything to do with her, more like how he was trying to hone something he wanted nothing to do with—and getting himself hurt in the process. 'All magic does is get people hurt.'
He unconsciously rubbed at the scars on his neck, fingers hooking around the black choker after catching on it. He desperately needed to think about something other his brother and everything that's happened, but it was hard not to think about it all. So he focused on the world around him out the window, trying to ignore Joanna's stare that he knew was on him.
Sighing, she turned her gaze back to the red light. "You can scoot the seat back. It moves." She told him, as the light flashed to green. Hitting the gas, she eased her speed onwwards, practically able to see her apartment from here. It was in the large city building, that seemed to be clouded by thick clouds that began to decent to the streets. She scanned the sky, hoping it wasn't going to rain. She hated it when it stormed over night, she never felt safe in her glass window bedroom. It scared the hell out of her.
She realized the red light, a split second too late, running through it. "Oh god no…" She muttered wanting to slam her head against a wall. She knew by the flash of the camera she was about to get a ticket. All because of her wandering mind. She should probably be more amazed they didn't just get hit, but she was too annoyed to be grateful for that.
Kas snapped his head up when he saw the flash of light, then twisted around to see the red light they just sped through. "Head in the game, shortcake," he said without thinking, blinking and looking back at Joanna. He sat back down properly and studied her a bit. She was lost in thought, like him, but about what he didn't know. Then again, he wasn't exactly the most forthcoming about what was on his mind, so he didn't have the right to try and figure it out.
"Speeding tickets are 'bout 150 to 200. You got the cash?" he asked after a stretch, busying himself with adjusting the seat to better suit his taller stature. Talking to Joanna would have to be the distraction he needed from his past and life. Teasing her, more like. Either way, he didn't think much, so that was good. Thinking was bad.
Joanna glared at him, thinking about her pretty good income. "Tell me what you think." She told him, pulling up to the tall building, reaching up piercing the midnight blue sky. The clouds above hung there rather ominously, and you could see blue flashes zap across the sky every once in awhile. A storm was brewing, and Joanna didn't like it one bit. Shutting off her car after parking she turned to him.
"Once we're inside I mean. Let's see if you know your numbers." Smirking, she clicked the buckle ejection, and put it back in it's place. She slid out of the side, picking up her shoes. She slammed the door shut, mostly from too much force, and barely leaned against the side. Pulling her foot up, she strapped her heels back on, as to not get yelled at by Paylor, the lobby manager.
The lightning put him on edge, his grip around his throat tightening ever so slightly as his eyes glued themselves to the blue flashes. His own magic stirred, as if hearing its call and begging to join it in its destruction. He snapped out of his trance-like state, however, at the sound of the car door slamming shut. He huffed with a roll of his eyes, freeing himself of the buckle and sliding out of the car and shutting the door with less force than Joanna.
"I know my figures relatively well, shortcake. But I also know my social queues," he said as he rounded the car and leaned his hip against the hood, crossing his arms over his chest. "I'll take your word for it that you can afford it." His eyes jumped back to the sky as another lightning strike rumbled, teeth worrying at his lip without even thinking about it. He hissed when a flash of pain went through his lip, the clotted split torn open yet again.
With feet firm on the ground once more, and she looked at him standing straight. "Ready to go inside?" She asked, taking a good look at him for once. Besides the glance she got earlier. He looked much worse now under the street lights and glow from the inside. Hearing him hiss in pain, made her jump. "What did you do? Are you OK?" She asked, a little too quickly to sound sympathetic. More annoyed than anything.
Though she really did feel bad. She wasn't sure why, but she did. Though he wouldn't care, why should he? They weren't really a thing, so maybe she shouldn't care either. But she had known him for oh, so long, it was hard not to care. It seemed impossible not to. So she kept doing so, even if she sucked at showing sympathy. "Can I help?" She asked a lot more tenderly than before.
Kas looked back down at her when he heard her voice, selfishly using that as a way to distract himself from the lightning. He blinked, then registered her questions. He swiped his thumb over his bottom lip, already feeling the blood before he looked at the digit. "Fine, just ripped it open again," he murmured, shrugging and stuffing his hands into his jacket pockets. "Can we just go inside? I'm ready to crash."
While he was tired, he wanted away from the lightning, away from the storm, and away from his thoughts. A strange room that housed his long-term rival would surely be enough to snag his attention long enough until he fell asleep. After that, he'd be out cold without any worry or racing thoughts. Besides, it'd give him time to think over the arrangement he rashly proposed in order to keep an eye on Joanna. 'You're only worried about what your brother will do to her because you don't want anyone to suffer under his hands. That's all.' Even still, despite his words, there was the underlying worry he couldn't mask for long. They've known each other forever—of course he was going to worry about her as he would hypothetically worry about someone he cared about.
Joanna cringed at his choice of words. 'Ripped, any other word, and you chose ripped?' She wondered what was going through his mind, but focused on his second request. "Yeah, wipe your feet before entering the lobby though. I don't think you want to get yelled at tonight." She warned him, her heels clicking on the pavement as she walked up to the building. She yanked on it, using more force than needed, and held it open for him.
"Paylor has a thing for dirty shoes. So like, in hopes of you not standing in the lobby all night, wipe your feet and keep your shoes on." She said, looking to him, crossing her arms over her chest. Exhausted from the long tiring day, she let her mind wander some. Maybe it was more from the drinks she was loosing her head, but whatever it was, her thoughts wandered aimlessly. 'Why did he ask anyways? Especially you of all people Jo?' She wondered, not meaning to, but totally starring at him.
Kas followed her to the door, but stopped when she did, arching a brow at her request. "Alright?" He did as asked, then looked down at her when he caught her staring at him. He tipped his head to the side, lips twitching up in amusement, and leaned his shoulder against the frame. He wondered how long she would go before snapping out of it. She was clearly thinking about something, as he could practically see the gears churning through her eyes, so it wasn't like she was checking him out—not that he was much to look at right now.
Deciding that sleep was more important than whatever this was, Kas leaned down so their faces were almost level and smirked. "Hey shortcake," he murmured with a smirk, "You're staring." He slid a hand out of his pocket and reached over her to hold the door, just in case she got so lost in thought that she forgot she was holding it.
Hearing his purr, she blinked out of her mindless state, and tried not to show any sign of embarrassment. "So what if I was? What's it to you?" She asked trying not to shove him away, her bite her lip, or any other sign of the flustered feeling she was receiving from him. Her heart was telling her one thing, while her head, the more reliable source was telling her another.
"We are suppose to be together. Can I not look at you if it pleases me?" She asked, a little harshly trying not to look away. She wasn't willing to let him feel more powerful, holding himself over her. He was already so much taller than she, Kas didn't need yet another reason to feel he had her wrapped around his finger. Because boy was she not. Yet at least.
He just rolled his eyes and looked over her towards the lobby. "You were thinking, not looking. Now can we please get going so I can get some sleep?" He licked his lips and wrinkled his nose at the coppery tang of blood. "Well, clean myself up and then get some sleep." He still kinda needed to clean up the now dried blood, save for his lip, so that would postpone his cherished sleep.
Her harsh words and questions were snippy and defensive, he noticed, and it intrigued him. He had been expecting some sort of comeback, not defensive questions, in response to his teasing. He didn't dwell on that long, however, and forgot about it as he stood up and flicked his free hand in a 'shoo' gesture to get her going.
Rolling her eyes, she walked in with a stride almost always seen by her. She was seeking someone's attention, most likely his. But never admitting it was her thing, so she kept quiet and walked to the stair well pushing the door open. She mostly did it to annoy him, but also wasn't the fondest of the small metal or glass boxes filled with people. So she started climbing.
"19 flights, let's see how long it takes tonight." She mumbled, pulling her shoes off and started up the stairs quickly. Not bothering to look back to see if he was even there yet, she was already half way up the first set of stairs. Forcing herself to stay focused, and not wander, she counted each step her foot hit. "23, 24…" She mumbled to herself, holding onto the railing tight.
Kas chuckled and followed after her, only to pause when he noticed she was going for the stairs and not the elevator. He glanced over at the much quicker route, then to the girl climbing up the much slower and more difficult route, debating on what to do in his head. It didn't take long to make his decision.
With his long legs, it didn't take long for him to catch up to her, taking two stairs at a time. "Y'know shortcake," he said as he came up behind her and scooped her up effortlessly, gently throwing her over his shoulder, "elevators are faster." He glanced back at her with a cheeky smirk, a flash of teeth before he was bounding up the stairs. He wasn't about to follow her slower pace, but he also wasn't going to just guess which floor she lived on, so this was a compromise he had to make—at least, one that wasn't dragging her into the elevator with him.
Hearing his steps behind her, she nodded and continued counting the steps. "31, 32, 3- HEY!" She shrieked feeling herself being listed from the ground. Once she was over his shoulder she knew it was Kas. And probably should've before, but she couldn't be too sure. "Put me down Kasiya! I mean it!" She cried out, kicking her legs some. She didn't like feeling vulnerable, especially with him.
The remark her made didn't help, along with his smug look. "First thing, stop calling me shortcake!" She whined some, trying to get out of his arms. "Second thing, I know that, but hate them." Now mumbling, knowing he wasn't going to put her down. "And lastly, put me down!" She said louder, hoping he would. There were a few things Joanna didn't like is life, but she never mentioned. Getting picked up was one of the very few things.
"First thing, nope," he chirped, not looking over at her as he took the stairs two at a time, "And lastly, nope." He grabbed onto her legs to keep her from kicking out like she had before, not wanting her to thrash so much that she either hit him or herself by falling. "You're going too slow, and if you aren't using the elevator, then this is going to be the compromise on both of our parts. Which level?" he asked, still not looking at her.
Some strands of loose hair floated into his face. He scrunched his nose and blew it away, as it was tickling him and he didn't care for that. He also didn't care to be carrying Joanna up who knows how many flights of stairs—he was still sore from the magic backfiring on him—but he wouldn't voice his discomfort as she squirmed. Once he knew where she lived, and where he'd be living for the time-being, he wouldn't have to continue taking the stairs like her.
Joanna wanted to be difficult, but the faster he got there, the sooner he would put her down. So weighing her options, she huffed out and relaxed some in his hold. "19th floor." She mumbled, resting her elbows against his back, and resting her chin on her fists. It made her nervous, watching the steps go by the opposite way, worried he was going to slip and land on her. It would be a bloody disaster, and the scene flashed before her eyes making her feel sick.
Gagging some, she closed her eyes humming softly to try and soothe the nauseous feeling she was getting from the blood rush to her head. And the thought of breaking her neck and him landing on her. That wasn't helping her either. So to distract herself more, she looked at the back of his head. "How bad is your family situation that you couldn't stay with them?" She asked softly, trying to change her thoughts.
Kasiya was just sinking into the silence once Joanna answered him and decided to not be difficult when she asked that question. He halted on the platform he was just approaching, muscles tensing some as his jaw worked. It took him a few moments to calm his breathing and force himself to start walking again. He didn't answer until he was going up the stairs to the next floor.
"I haven't been wanted since I was a kid," he murmured, telling his all-time rival more than he's ever told anyone before. It was a strange feeling, to be opening up to Joanna, even if it wasn't much. She managed to weasel some information out of him even if he didn't want to, and she had made him worry about her when his brother threatened her safety. The only thing he could think of was 'Why?' Why was she different?
Joanna's eyes widened, hearing the familiar words. 'I haven't been wanted…' Over and over it rang through her thoughts as she tried to clear her mind. "You're joking." She told him, turning her head to face him the best she could. "You've got to be lying to me." She said more sure now. Not knowing why, or how he had found out about her own life, but he had to be pulling her leg. Well both figuratively and literally, as he held her legs down so she wouldn't kick him.
There's no way he could have found out about her family situation. But at the same time, why would he lie about something like that? He wasn't a villain, he wouldn't joke around with her. Even if he tugged around with her feelings, something as sensitive as that he wouldn't. Joanna knew the feeling so well, because she had received it from her parents. But the truth was, she didn't know the real story behind it, though now she wouldn't find out.
He glared over his shoulder at her. He didn't like being accused of lying. He hated liars, and he wasn't so hypocritical to be one. The most he did was dance around the truth when needed. "No, I'm not. I got thrown out over something I couldn't control, alright? I wasn't good enough for them and I fucked up." He scoffed at the idea, and his mood was obviously soured by the change in subject.
He didn't want to talk about his parents, but more importantly, he didn't want to talk about his brother—aka, the main reason he was kicked out. Redore was always the perfect one. Redore was the family golden-boy. Redore was the oldest twin. Redore was the more important child. Redore could do no wrong. Redore burned Kasiya over something petty and got to keep his throne of lies and betrayal while Kasiya was thrown out into the snow, burned, bleeding, and sobbing—a child. He had no desire to ever see his parents ever again.
Hearing his annoyed tone shut her up. He didn't want to talk about it more, and she needed to respect his wished. Otherwise things would get awkward and stiff between the two. Not wanting that she nodded softly, trying to keep herself quiet. Struggling immensely, she gave in sitting up a little, rather awkwardly. "Look, I'm sorry I brought it up, I just- needed to get my mind unfocused from something." She told him, holding onto his shoulder.
There, she apologized. Not that hard. Except for the fact that she sounded completely stupid, and rather insensitive. She groaned internally, wanting to beat herself over the head with a broom. 'Why did I say it like that?' Her thoughts moaned as she dug her nails into her hand. But it was said, what could she do about it now?
He took a deep breath, reminding himself to not close his eyes because of the fact he was quite rapidly climbing the stairs. Speaking of, this is ridiculous. I'm getting tired of this already. "Unfocused on what?" he finally asked, soothing his tone to something less terse and snippy. His temper was always quick to flare, so he couldn't blame Joanna for that. She didn't know about his past and that he didn't like talking about it. He barely ever let anyone know about that, so as soon as he said they're out of the picture, they typically left it at that and moved on. But if she was trying to keep her mind off something, then that would be a reasonable cause for prying.
He climbed one more flight before sighing and slipping her off his shoulder, trying to hide his wince. Yup, he was definitely sore, and he probably got hit more than he initially thought. 'Damn magic,' he mentally cursed, rolling his shoulders to see where exactly was bothering him. It was mostly his dominant hand—his left hand—and arm that had gotten hit, as he had used it to cast the lightning, but it still spiderwebbed some, as lightning does.
"Well, just bad thoughts in general. It's not important." She shrugged her shoulders, as he slid her off his shoulder. Watching him, she could tell something was wrong. Her heart twinged some, and she tried not to show the sympathy on her face. But she was also not going to give him a smart-aleck remark. "You OK? I can walk if you're hurting." She told him in as much of a mono-tone voice as she could, without sounding robotic. "I mean it, you don't look so great."
She looked him up and down, noting how awful he looked, but she wasn't going to ask about it. Any time she did, Kasiya mostly got offended and brushed her off. She wasn't about to ask another obnoxious question, and only stepped up to him. Placing a tender hand on his arm, she looked up at him. "And then you can go rest."
Kasiya brushed it off in his usual manner, not wanting to delve into it. As far as Joanna knew, he was magic-less, and he was perfectly fine with keeping it that way. Really, he'd rather that was true. Maybe then he'd be less repulsed with himself. He rolled his eyes and flexed the fingers of his left hand some, feeling the scabs stretch with the action. "Thanks, every guy wants to be told he doesn't look great," he drawled sarcastically.
He assessed himself as best he could, figuring he'd need a mirror to properly figure out what was the extent of the damage, and moved on from that. "Walk faster if I'm not carrying you," he said, more enticed by the promise of getting sleep than anything. 'I'm going to have to stop by my hotel to grab my stuff tomorrow morning,' he thought after glancing down at himself.
