Inner Demons

Dakota was quietly cleaning up the meeting room, pushing in the chairs and erasing all added information from the boards. Suddenly a series of loud shouts could be heard down the hall, and while Dakota did not jump in surprise, she did turn to face the closed door. Who else was still in the building who would yell like that? There wasn't anything people could knock over onto their feet, and most of the employees were too cordial to even think about shouting across halls, especially when they were equipped with communication lacrimas. Another few loud shouts later and Dakota can no longer contain her curiosity as she heads out the door. She follows the sound of the reverberating voices that continuously get louder the closer she gets. She sees Saladyn and the back of someone else as they walk away. She doesn't have time to wonder who it is as Saladyn turns around, running into her on accident, pushing her back somewhat. "Saladyn, what happened?" She asks, peering up at him, her lips pulled down into a concerned frown.

"It's Rin. He keeps telling me how to run my damn city. It's my city, they elected me. They like the decisions I make. He's telling me not to run it like I do, but it is a business, and it takes a businesses man to run the city that generates most of the wealth in this world. He drives me insane." Saladyn said, and it was clearly visible that Sereph was about to make an appearance by the way his looks changed. His black bangs started tainting the rest of his hair and his eyes were starting to shift into a maroon color, well on its way to blood red. "Damnit Dakota." He said slamming his fist against a wall. "Why does everyone challenge me? I know I'm the newest at the job after my predecessors death, but I wish they'd cut me some slack."

Putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder, her features soften as a small smile plays on her lips. "Don't worry about it, okay? If anything, Rin is in the wrong for this, as he should have said something to the collective group. Even then, it probably wouldn't have even been a discussion, as I believe you do a fine job of running Arakashi. Keeping such a bustling city in order has to be difficult, especially with the amount of financial tracking you have to do to maintain the school and bazaars at the end of every month." She moves her hand to the top of his head, slightly ruffling his hair, before moving it back to her side. "There's no sense in getting worked up over this. All that matters is that you are doing what you can after such short notice." She pauses a moment, before returning her attention wholeheartedly to the male in front of her. "But you're speaking like someone else has confronted you about this. Was it anyone in the Toranku 15? Because if they're too afraid to talk about your leadership skills to the whole group, then you might as well ignore them anytime after this as well." A certain sternness has entered her voice, as though even thinking about people disrespecting others was shameful. In general, this made the redhead angry, but the thought of anyone in Toranku going low enough to do it in private was something she wouldn't tolerate. "I can speak to Rin if you'd like, but I'll also stay out of it if that's what you want too. Just promise me you'll tell me if it persists, alright?" She looks deeply into his eyes, her crimson ones demanding his attention. After a moment, she looks down at her feet, softly mumbling to herself. "This isn't something I'd expect from him. He's a little hot-headed, but to blatantly attack someone, even if it was verbally, is a surprise."

Saladyn twitched when she ruffled his hair, then cleared his throat. "I don't know, I guess he's caught me as Sereph before. I don't really remember what happens when he takes over. But no one else talked to me about it directly. I did get an anonymous threat.. Telling me to step down or I'd end up like Hank." He scowled, crinkling his nose. "I don't take kindly to threats, I've had Karayin try to track a scent, but it didn't work. I have no leads and I've been stressed, and even on the best of days, Rin and I don't exactly see eye to eye."

Making a soft hum as she thought, Dakota stared at something slightly past Saladyn as if the long hall held the answers she was looking for. "I wish I could do something about this, but I only have jurisdiction over my city," Slightly trailing off, she looks back towards Saladyn. "But I can help with the stress. I had no plans for after the meeting, so perhaps we could do something? A walk in the park, a movie, or anything else you have in mind? Whatever would help to lessen the weight on your shoulders." Giving a reassuring smile, Dakota adds, "I probably need a day off anyways."

He snorted. "You always do. You work incredibly hard." Saladyn fiddled with the straps of his suspenders, subconsciously blushing. "Um..Thats sounds perfect, but I don't really have any hobbies..." He said nervously.

"Thank you," she starts, a proud smile adorning her features. "But I believe that you and everyone else puts in the same amount of effort. It's certainly difficult trying to maintain a city, even with a staff to help. I can't imagine how hard it was if people were to want me out of my position. Even the simplest of things can make a big difference to some people, so as long as you're mindful, things will turn your way eventually." She taps her finger on her chin when Saladyn reveals he has no hobbies, a thoughtful look on her face. "Well I always enjoyed ice skating, but that isn't really in season now. Of course, I could always freeze the ground anywhere I wanted, but that would be assuming you know how to or even like ice skating as well." Noticing her rambling, Dakota stopped speaking rather abruptly, and focused back on Saladyn. "But, my other offers for a walk through the park or something of that nature still stands."

"I... I can't ice-skate.." He muttered, he had a very unpleasant memory about ice-skating and prefered not to do so. "A movie sounds fantastic though." Saladyn couldn't think of anything more relaxing then a movie. "What type of movies do you like?" He personally was a fan of comedies, action-adventure, espionage, and much to his own denial, 'chick flicks'.

Nodding, Dakota begins to lead the pair out of the Toranku building and towards the town's main square, where the theater was. Thinking upon his question for a moment, Dakota shrugs. "I suppose I like any movie genre. Though, any over-the-top action movies tend to rub me the wrong way. Very fake and unrealistic, and generally very bad effects," Dakota says decisively.

Once the pair arrives at the movie theater, they are rather surprised to see a large group of people gathered there. As it turns out, three new movies premiered the same day, with only two other movies available for screening besides them. The big three had sold out just as the duo had arrived, and many disappointed people walk away from the desk, grumbling about not seeing 'the greatest movie to ever hit theaters.' Shrugging her shoulders, Dakota glances over the two other movies that tickets were still being sold for. A movie made for children which depicted a large chipmunk on the cover, or a romcom that looked at least somewhat entertaining. Dakota looks over to Saladyn. "I'd rather not have my ears ringing for the remainder of my life, so we can either go with the romcom, or find something else to do." Despite her rather harsh tone, Dakota appears not to care whether they leave or stay. Perhaps there is a slight shine in her eye, but that could most definitely be a trick of the light.

Saladyn coughed. "I wouldn't mind watching the.. comedy with you." He was secretly excited. He'd been waiting for this movie to come out. Underneath his 'tough-guy' personality, Saladyn was a big romantic and he loved getting inspiration from movies. "I'll pay for tickets and snacks. It's the least I can do after I took you away from your work." He added.

Smiling gently, Dakota walked up to the ticket counter, proclaiming that the pair would get two tickets. As Saladyn had offered, he paid for the tickets, and later paid for the snacks once they entered the theater. However, Dakota managed to buy a package of Snow Caps without him noticing, and kept them carefully out of sight while they were being seated in the still lit theater room. Once the commercials started, Dakota began slowly munching on the popcorn between her and Saladyn, moving in a slow but steady rhythm so they wouldn't be without popcorn before the movie even began.

Saladyn's stomach growled. He had a bad habit of always eating popcorn before movies, but he wouldn't let himself eat it all before. He was really excited, and couldn't wait until the previews ended.

The theater went dark, the screen fading to black to signify the end of the ads. Dakota leans back slightly in her chair, focusing her attention on the screen as it begins to light up again, displaying a young woman doing normal mundane things. The movie failed to grab her attention with that, and she began to shuffle around in search of her Snowcaps. After she had acquired her candy, she returned her attention to the movie, which still continued on this woman's life as she rambled on about her loveless situation to a friend of hers. Typical, Dakota thinks to herself, though continues to watch, occasionally glancing from the corner of her eye towards Saladyn. What does he think of these movies? Hopefully he wasn't expecting much from this, because Dakota certainly wasn't impressed yet.

Saladyn was fully enjoying himself, but was unsatisfied with the popcorn. This theater's popcorn was way to buttery. He was caught up in the drama, and didn't even notice his own tears until the end of the movie. The girl had died, and the boy had left her for her best friend. "That wasn't what I expected at all..." Saladyn whispered.

Dakota's face was kept neutral throughout the entire movie, though her interest had been piqued about halfway through when the couple had truly started exploring their relationship, and then the large plot twist. As the lights clicked back, she turned to face Saladyn, prepared to ask him what he thought of the movie. However, with lips still parted, her face shifted into that of concern. "Maybe we should have stuck with the chipmunks?" She offers meekly. She pulls the sleeve of her shirt over her palm, gently wiping away the tears on his cheeks. "I hope this didn't make your day worse..." She mumbles, only just loud enough for him to hear.

"It didn't.. Although it was sad. It was good. I'm sorry I forced you into this." Saladyn smiled weakly. "I really hoped to give you a relaxing day off, but it seemed like you weren't interested. We could go do something else? I mean theres.." He checked his watch, "3 hours of daylight left! You choose the activity."

Shaking her head at Saladyn's watery smile, a small laugh slips past. "It's been relaxing so far, don't count yourself out yet." Standing up she gathers their trash and walks out of the movie theater, stretching her limbs after being stationary for so long. "You said you can't ice skate, but if you would like, I could teach you. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it, and I promise I won't let you fall or do a split or anything else," Dakota offers, her eyes shining with hope. I'll also get to hold his hand. Her subconscious tells her, and her ears go red at the thought, though they are concealed by her hair thankfully.

Saladyn gulped. "Alright!" He smiled, at first is was a fake smile, but then it bloomed into a full smile as he imagined Dakota seeming to soar around an ice-rink. Her pretty hair flowing in the wind. He started walking out of the movie theater then waited for Dakota to follow him. "Lead the way... Claas." He added her last name. He didn't want her to think that they were developing a relationship more than colleagues, although sometimes he wished they were more.

Dakota looks towards Saladyn as she is addressed by her last name rather than her given one. "Dakota," She says, "Dakota is just fine unless you prefer Claas," She says, continuing towards the park afterward. "There isn't actually an ice rink, so we'll just borrow a section of the park for a little while," She says, as she heads into the park. The grass is bright green and luscious, towering oak trees, low hanging willows, and vibrantly colored maple trees providing shade and a splash of color. She continues walking until they are in a small clearing, a few trees surrounding it to make it separate from the rest park. She crouches down, placing her hand on the grass. A quick flash of light later, and most of the grassy clearing is covered in a thin layer of ice. She touches her shoes, and ice blades form on the bottom of them as she steps onto the ice. She holds out her hand to Saladyn to guide him onto the ice, not putting any blades on the bottom of his shoes quite yet. "It'll help you get more accustomed to the ice faster," She explains. With the ice skates, she is currently four inches taller than Saladyn, compared to the normal one inch difference.

Saladyn teetered on the ice. He was already uncomfortable but their high difference furthered his discomfort. He tried to move and suddenly fell on his bottom. He tried to stand up but slipped down again.

Dakota's hand shot out, and before Saladyn could hit the ice, a chair was beneath his butt, which he landed on instead. "If you don't want to do this, we can always go somewhere else. I can skate whenever I want, and if you're not enjoying yourself, there's no sense in pushing you to do it," she says plainly. The thought of abandoning this before Saladyn even skated a few feet had Dakota feeling more determined to keep him here and teach him, but this was supposed to be a time where Saladyn could relax and forget about feeling pressured. She held out her hand to him again, waiting for his response to dictate whether she would lead him off the ice or further onto it.

"No." He said with stern determination. " I am going to skate." Saladyn wobbled on his feet again, and reached out for Dakota's hand. "Will you help keep me steady..?" He muttered blushing fiercely.

Nodding, Dakota grasps both of Saladyn's hands tightly in hers, guiding him slowly back to the ice again. She was hardly affected by his wobbling, even as she was moving backward. "Just keep your eyes on me, okay?" She asks, staring hard into his blue eyes with her red ones. "It'll make it easier to focus on moving forward rather than worrying about falling down. Which, as I said, I won't let you do," Dakota assures him, a small smile working its way over her lips.

His eyes locked with hers and he soon found himself gliding across the ice with angelic grace. Little did he know that he was moving on his own. She wasn't holding his hand anymore, he was just lost in her burning eyes. Suddenly he snapped out of his haze and tried to take a step instead of pushing forward. He tripped and fell over again. After Saladyn sat up and rubbed his head sheepishly.

Due to Dakota being in front of him when he fell, he had landed on top of her rather than just on the ice. Saladyn had somehow managed to land his knees between her thighs, his hands ending up on either side of her head when he caught himself. As he sat back up, Dakota forced her blush down, repeating over and over that he was a friend, just a friend who's hand she had been holding a moment ago that felt like it belonged there and who's eyes were the perfect shade of blue that she recognized from all the time she spent making ice creations and dammit this was not where her mind was supposed to be going right now! She quickly but smoothly got onto her knees then her feet, offering her hand to Saladyn to help him up. "You, uh," Wow, Dakota Claas who never stuttered or forget what she was going to say or anything of that nature, just made a the biggest vocal blunder in history. "You were skating really well," She finishes a moment later, now unable to stop the light blush that colored her cheeks, though only partly because of her embarrassment.

Saladyn flushed. His skin was almost as red as her hair. He coughed abruptly and started to sit up. "Yeah, it was nice.." His stomach started to growl and he blushed even more. He stood slipping around on the ice. "Uh..."

Dakota waved her hand, the ice on the ground disappearing into glittering fractals that slowly disappeared into the air. "I'm glad," she says sincerely, smiling softly. When his stomach grumbles, she giggles. "How does dinner sound? It's getting pretty late and I'd feel like a terrible hostess if I sent you home hungry. Besides, I'm fairly hungry myself." Dakota offers, beginning to walk out of the park. True to her statement, the sun was getting ever lower, casting vibrant oranges and reds into the sky.

Saladyn couldn't help but think about her scarlet hair against the scarlet sky. It was so beautiful. She was like a fairy tail princess, and he. Well he wasn't a prince. He was the closest thing to a fairy tale villian there ever way. "Sure." He accepted her offer. If he couldn't be her prince he would at least be her friend.

She led the way through the city, which was now lit up by several street lamps and the light that filtered out of business windows. They pair arrived at a small family owned restaurant where Dakota was greeted by a large man who gave her a hug upon seeing her. "It's good to see you dear. How come you never stop by anymore?" He asks, pulling away to look at her. She smiled, casting an embarrassed glance over to Saladyn. "I've been held up by work is all. Actually, I'm here on accounts of taking a day off with my co-worker, Saladyn Hiroshima," She says. The man seems to finally become aware of Saladyn's existence at that moment, and he turns and gives him a skeptical look. "Of all the men you bring back?" He says, then chuckles loudly, giving Saladyn a reassuring pat on the shoulder at his alarmed face. "Just kidding, I'm sure you and Dakota get along just fine," He says. "But, you came to eat, so we'll forget about that for now." He hands them both a menu and another woman comes and leads them to a table towards the back of the restaurant. "Hi, Dakota. Glad to see you've stopped by." The woman says, smiling warmly at her. "Take your time ordering, but what can I get you to drink to start you guys off?" She asks. Dakota answers with water, and after getting Saladyn's request as well, the woman goes to get them their drinks. She places them down, then heads off again, giving them time to look over the menu. "Before you ask, they aren't my parents," She starts, opening her menu. "They are very close to me, though, so I suppose that's why they act that way. And sorry about earlier, he's always nagging me about relationships and stuff like that. Says I need to relax and settle down. Unfortunately, any of that would make me feel more stressed than I am now. And now I'm explaining all the struggles of Toranku 15 member to a Toranku 15 member as if you don't know them already, my apologies." She says, attempting to laugh it off.

He breathed a sigh of relief. Thank gods they weren't her parents. That would make him feel even worse for accepting her offer. "Yeah, No problem. The job is hard.. I still can't believe that I am Toranku 15 member and not a business tycoon anymore." Saladyn had become the director of the Hylion United business at the age of 14. It was a mastermind company behind most of the products people used in their homes. Machinery, furniture, food, you name it and his company had it. It was stressful and accounted for most of his social issues, although his more threatening side Sereph had aided him. Although he wasn't proud of it he had forced other companies into submission with his alter ego's evil tactics. Saladyn looked at the menu and his eyes caught a meal. He wasn't sure how expensive it was, the menu had no prices. He also wasn't sure what Dakota's diet consisted of, so he was reluctant to order without hearing her first. "Um.. What are you going to get?"

Nodding her head, Dakota smiled. "I never imagined I'd be more than a mage in a guild. I didn't even live in Hylion's capital until after..." Dakota falters, her smile dropping for a moment before returning, though much fainter than before. Clearing her throat, she addressed his question as she flipped another page of the menu. "I was planning on getting a soup and salad. Though, don't feel like you have to get the same thing, order whatever you want. They're pretty fair about their prices, so nothing will be out of range."

"Um.." He started, "Are you alright if I get venison and gnocchi Bolognese?" Saladyn asked. He knew he had expensive tastes, but he couldn't help how good it tasted! "I could ya'know.. Pay for tonight.."

"That's fine with me," She says, and the woman from before steps up to the table. "Have you decided on your order?" She asks, looking over both of them. "Yes, I will be getting wedding soup with a caesar salad with Italian dressing please," Dakota says, handing over her menu. Saladyn orders his, and then the pair wait patiently for their food to return. "Saladyn, what made you decide to run for representative of Arakashi? I know you have a background in leadership, but it hadn't been political before, had it?" She asks.

He coughed, then scratched his head. "Well.. It wasn't exactly my idea. Sereph did it... When I came to a few weeks later, I had to clean up my business and I got a letter saying that I had to prepare my speech in for the debate in three days."

Dakota hums in thought, turning this over in her head a few times. "Saladyn and Sereph," She starts, thinking thoroughly over her next statement. "Do they share memories?" She says, about a thousand more question streaming in her mind, but this one being at the forefront.

"It comes in dreams.. Shreds of things that I have done as him." He shrugged. "I wish I could fix it but even some of the best doctors in Hylion have said that they can't help me." Saladyn coughed. "Now, how did you come into office?"

"Certainly it doesn't need to be fixed," Dakota says, sounding offended even though the comment wasn't directed at herself. "You just need someone who can stay by your side to remember it. Tell Sereph when he's being too harsh, or tell Saladyn to lighten up sometimes," Dakota says, smiling. "I actually started as a small time government official when I first moved here. I did all the work no one wanted to, delivering letters, briefing people on meetings they missed, stuff like that. Eventually, I rose in the ranks, and thought it only natural I ran after the previous leader retired. The people voted for me because I was someone who was always there to help when problems arose." Dakota says, smiling fondly at her reminiscing. "I practically swept the floor with the other campaigners. Most of them were politicians in the worst sense, planning on stealing away all the information and shutting down the museum to "protect the people". The only thing they wanted to protect was their wallets," Dakota adds, obviously a little more than pissed about their behavior. Realizing she had gotten a little carried away, she looks to Saladyn to make sure he hadn't fallen asleep after her mini rant. Luckily their food arrives shortly thereafter. "Thank you," Dakota says, beginning with her soup.

Saladyn smiled, listening kindly. He hoped he didn't seem like one of those rich politicians. His stomach grumbled as the food appeared. He dug in and stopped after a few moments. Realizing that it was a polite thing to do, he offered her a bite. "Would you like to try? It is delicious." He smiled, his eyes sparkling in the light.