When Strange Meets Equally Strange

'Dammit...' I limp hastily along, blood dripping from my left arm. I pull out another throwing knife and chuck it behind me, successfully nailing the last beast between the eyes. Breathing a sigh of relief, I slow to a stop. My ankle's started throbbing, and my arm hasn't gotten any better.

'I need to find a safe place; more of those things could show up anytime.' I look around at my surroundings, having been chased pretty far up a mountain, and thankfully find a cave not too far away. I hurry towards it, my eyes darting around and searching for any movement. I finally reach the cave's mouth and my paranoia dies down. Oddly enough, there's a blue glow coming from deeper in the darkness. 'Hmm...' Using the wall for support, I make my way further into the cave.

"Whoa..." I murmur, stopping dead at the sight. The tunnel opens up into a huge, room-like space. Blue crystals are all over the area, probably what made the glow I'd seen. I look at the center of the place, where there's a large crystal. My head tilts to the side, 'Is that... a person inside?' Being mindful of my ankle, I limp closer to it. I stop about a foot away and gasp, "Oh, god..."

Encased in the crystal is a woman in a stunning white dress, her face frozen in a sad expression, and her hands folded over her chest.

I put my hand on the surface of the stone and almost instantly feel the energy radiating from it. "Mako..." I whisper, studying the woman. 'She's beautiful... But why does she look so sad?'

Footsteps from the entrance of the cave snap me back into awareness. 'Fuck!' I go around to the other side of the crystal and curl up on the ground.

The person walks into the cave, stopping about halfway in.

I instinctively try to curl myself tighter, but with my luck, accidentally kick a small rock, which rolls and creates an echo. I curse mentally, my jaw clenching. There's a click of a gun safety, and I stop breathing. 'Shit, they're armed...'

"Show yourself," comes a man's voice.

Biting my lip, I decide to try to diffuse the situation a little. "...I'm not gonna hurt you. I was just looking for a safe place to hide for a minute." It's silent after that, which I take as a good sign.

"Where are you?" he finally asks.

"Behind the big crystal. ...Please put the gun away? I'm not here to hurt anybody." I hear him slip the gun into a holster and step slowly around the crystal. I look up at him from beneath my face-framing bangs.

He's tall, and he's wearing all black, save for his headband and long, tattered cape, which are crimson. The cape is clasped around most of his face.

He looks me over with narrowed eyes. "...Who are you?"

"Alex Ayres. ...Who are you?" I respond calmly.

He hesitates, and I can tell he's debating whether or not he can trust me.

I blink up at him, trying to be patient since his reaction is sensible. But, before either of us says anything else, the pain coursing through me comes back with a vengeance. I wince and latch my hand onto my still-bleeding arm.

The man kneels in front of me slowly, staring at my injury. "What happened?" he asks, easily moving my hand to get a better look at the wound.

I stare at him for a moment, hesitating. 'His aura... There's more to him than what I can see. ...I think it'd be okay to tell him. Hell, I probably won't see him again after this anyway.' "Just some fiends hounding me. I'll be able to heal once I've gotten some energy back. It'll be fine," I murmur, looking at the ground. I can feel his eyes burning into me though.