An Amethyst Flame (Open!)

[Phoenix]

The escalator slowly made its descent. In such an old station, it was only to be expected. As the doors opened flakes of rust fell from their metal embrace and floated down to the ground, finding rest upon the cold carpet; the modern snowflake. Phoenix would pull up the collar of his black overcoat in an attempt to keep the wind at bay. Glancing around the dark street, Phoenix would step out into the full force of the wind. It was almost as if the wind didn't want Phoenix to continue forward, it roared through the silent night like a cyclone contained within a glass bottle; cold, loud and strong. The wind ruffled his hair, wormed its way through the fabric of his clothes and bit into him with a devastating cold.

Turning to his left, Phoenix would walk down the abandoned street, away from the old train station. It was nearing midnight, looking upwards to admire the clear night sky, Phoenix would see smoke rising from a nearby chimney, and it smelt of burnt oak and thyme. Continuing on his way down the street, Phoenix would keep his pace casual, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention to himself.

Wondering the streets of New York, Phoenix had hoped for some inspiration. Phoenix had grown bored with the strict routine of school and had decided to break this rut and find some entertainment. Placing his hands in his pockets, Phoenix would flinch as his right hand brushed against the cold stainless steel that encased his custom lighter. His lighter was used for the purposes of pyromaniac behaviours as opposed to smoking; Phoenix was a true believer in keeping his body healthy and was opposed to the habit of smoking. However, this wasn’t the only special property of the lighter, the inner workings of the lighter were coated in potassium, as a consequence of this, the flame which was produced was an amethyst colour. Also, the lighter was engraved with his name, Phoenix, and his namesake.

Stopping his casual gait, Phoenix would lean back against the nearest wall, his face in shadows. Pulling out the lighter from his right-hand pocket, he would expertly flick open the lid and in the same movement use his palm to ignite the purple flame. The flame lit up the street in an eerie fashion, as it was the only source of light with the exception of a flickering lamppost at the far corner of the street.

A few minutes later Phoenix was suddenly struck with the feeling that he was being watched. It wasn’t a frightening feeling at all, it felt interesting. The hairs on the back of Phoenix’s neck would’ve been standing up, if not for the fact that they were currently under the collar of his coat. Rolling the nimble lighter over his fingers Phoenix would wait until someone came over to him, igniting the purple flame every so often in the hope that someone was attracted to the odd colour.

Phoenix had come to this part of the city with the sole intention of enjoying himself and relieving his boredom, hopefully the person that approached him felt the same and wouldn’t feel the need to instigate violence, Phoenix knew that he had received enough of that during normal school hours.

[Jayr Byrne]

Streets at this time of night

As taught from a very young age it was against a person's best interests to go out at night for whatever reason. Father had always said "the crazies" always seem to peek their heads out after dark. For Jayr this experience was one of necessity a hunger boiling down inside her to emerge. And it'd clearly been put off far too long up until this day which made sense why she'd grown so bold and yet so stupid as to go out at night. Violence being the least of her worries plenty of stories having been derived from her mother what'd been done let alone seeing what happened firsthand even in daylight hours. It was the horror which hid behind the curtain that drew concern.

Biting her lip Jayr emerged from her home sporting a casual attire at least for her; skinny lucky jeans, a white teeshirt, hoodie, and converse. She wasn't going to take any chances in wearing her heels tonight. She'd even tie her hair back into a bun and hide beneath the hood hoping that her stature could put her off as a boy who wandered the night. That'd buy her sufficient enough of an excuse if she'd got into trouble.

A shiver running up her spine a good four blocks from home as she'd begin the search for the grocery store, having only spent a brief time here she'd yet to find one such place yet. The mindset framing in her head hopefully granting her a bit of luck.

"Hey douchbag!"

Her head sharply raising in surprise.

"Yea you there, you know whose turf you're on?!"

"No sorry, I was just lost and passing through."

"No shit you're lost birdbrain, now we're going to have to teach you for your trespassing.."

The man cloaked in shadows as he paced forward, tan skinned of Hispanic origins, his posterior slightly rotund from evidently overeating or possibly genetic. Though Jayr wasn't afraid of just one man.

*rattle*

A can shimmying across the floor making notice to another's presence. "Juan, seems like we may have to break a few things to get this across." Make that two.

The smaller man of similar descent approaching from her left behind a garbage bin. His attire scraggly and meshed. Their presence leaving her only one clear escape route which was to her right. Seeing as the Leader was larger she could bolt make a good run for it.

Jayr shifted turning to run before the smaller one caught her yanking the hood back with a swift jerk. The force freed her tied back hair revealing a true identity. "Eh homes he's a she!"

"Then guess we'll have to make her choke on her words."

The gestures implying a sexual connotation the thing she truly feared most. Crippling her there frozen for an instant with her hand grasped by the meshed male. There had to be an escape. Though even that was complicated when a dark skinned man appeared to her right, not a savior but another offender.

"Babe, once you go black...." The words started as he approached driving a laugh from the group quickly.

Fuck this!

Jayr's face would grimace sharply features showing anguish as her wrist snapped back grabbing the mesh's wrist and twisting roughly ducking down sharply her body under him now taking his force and using it against him to capsize the lightweight fool over her head and shoulder to smash into the ground head first.

"Try me...."

[Phoenix]

Phoenix closed his eyes to the delights of the night and focused his attention on the sensations flowing up throw his hand. The coldness of the metal began to seep through his hands only to be washed away in the warmth of the amethyst fire that his custom lighter emitted. Flicking the flame on and off, Phoenix enjoyed these sensations over and over again until he knew the rhythm of the flame and the environment around him.

Sounds travelled a long way through the cold, still night air and as Phoenix slowly opened his eyes, he could faintly hear the harsh sounds of a Hispanic man’s voice yelling abuse at someone a couple of blocks away. In response, Phoenix was surprised to hear a female apologise. As Phoenix listened, a dire situation began to present itself as it seemed that the male wasn’t alone, in fact, it seemed that he had a couple of friends with him.

Deciding on a course of action, Phoenix closed the lid on his lighter and returned it to a pocket located within his overcoat. Placing his hands into his pant’s pockets, he would set off at a brisk pace towards the sound of the woman’s voice.

Soon enough, Phoenix heard the sounds of a struggle ahead of him, about 1 block by his estimate. Slightly increasing his pace, Phoenix would turn the corner and be surprised to see one of the men on the ground behind the female who had apparently fended him off successfully.

Intrigued with the scene before him, Phoenix no longer felt bored with the night. Upon this realisation, Phoenix decided that he would watch to see what happened, whether or not he was going to side with the female who was obviously trying to defend herself or the men with impure intentions, he wasn’t sure. All that he knew was the chaos swirling inside of him was calling out to him, begging for the attention that it so desperately sought. It had been a long time since Phoenix had indulged his inner chaos and maybe tonight it would be unleashed on San Diego.

[Jayr Byrne]

Not the hero.

"Aiyeehh!"

The piggish squeal as she broke his wrist with the slightest ease, a huff to her breath coming out in wisps looking at the stares she'd received their senses apparently numbed to the frost hers were fiery as the second mask slipped into place that of her warrior nature. Her eyes shifting in the cold air latching on the the big guy in front of her now. Shady rims covered his eyes apparently the type who wore his sunglasses at night. Stocky features looked as though his clothes had been worn for a numerous amount of days before tonight. Muscles bulging as he stared on at a point between charging and making another dick joke.

Tubby, Clearly at odds as he heard his friend blubbering head buried in a mesh of garbage. His thick layers swaying with labored breath. The tight wife-beater he wore sported stains of mustard and donut crumbs giving away that question she'd earlier thought through.

And a third party who lingered just beyond the line of sight perplexing her to the ideal of friend or foe. Not willing to over exert her attention span Jayr lingered only moving enough to plant her foot into the downed boy's back stretching his arm over his head.

"Step up or get the fuck out lard ball." her voice cold and unconcerned.
Out of the corner of her eye the large dark skinned male made a lunge for her. Hands protruding out before his body there was little to stop him other than what Jayr had been trained.

Stepping up into the scene was the fist strike where she'd grab for his fingers, simultaneously her body would drop backward onto the downed boy's bent arm virtually adding her weight and the black man's weight into his arm snapping it clean from the bone resulting in the man passing out from shock. Jayr's knee would go up into the man's sternum thrusting him up and over her head and into the garbage bin behind her.

Clearly they'd underestimated her.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix watched through the veil of the night. The scene unfolding before him was interesting. Phoenix was surprised at the level of aptness of the girl’s movements as she dispatched another one of her foes with a throw that Phoenix guessed was some form of Judo.

As Phoenix followed the path of the man through the night, he considered what actions he could take. If he stood back in the shadows, out of sight, and waited to see what would unfold then the girl in front of him would become suspicious of him almost immediately after she had finished fighting and took stock of her surroundings. If he came out now then there was always the possibility that she would mistake him for an enemy an attack on sight. Phoenix knew that there was a third option but he wasn’t sure if he should utilise it, embracing the chaos the lay dormant within him could prove to be a mistake. He had controlled it for so long but he hadn’t felt such a strong urge to cause chaos on this scale for a long time. Despite his initial tendency to lean towards chaos, Phoenix knew that it would spell danger for that girl, just how that danger would manifest itself, Phoenix couldn’t predict.

Taking one more glance at the situation at hand, Phoenix would navigate his way around in the shadows of the night until his was behind the only man left standing. As the girl had managed to willingly put herself in a dangerous position, that of lying on her back as she completed her throw, Phoenix knew that soon the robust man would try and take advantage of the girl’s situation. Stepping out from the shadows, he would keep his hands in his pockets and making no sound at all he would raise his right leg to the maximum height that he could and would bring his right heel crashing down onto the back of the man’s head, using gravity to increase the strength of his kick.

As the man fell to the ground, unconscious, Phoenix would step over his immobile corpse and glance around to see what the girl had done with herself.

[Jayr Byrne]

Luck be a lady tonight

Her motions having drawn obvious attention though she was swift enough to maintain them to this event agile, quick, and observant just as her father had taught her knock out your opponents through stealth alone and you'd be saved the disadvantage of suffering the calls of their reinforcements. With two clearly down and nothing but the tubby landlord in her way Jayr's wasted no time springing up from a back bend courtesy of gymnastics all her life.

Her stature split left foot leading forward with her hands angled up in compulsory boxing tendency only her palms left open a typical counter fighter's advantage only to not the landlord's face buried in the ground a pair of feet in his backside with the strange man lurking just behind his own veil.

Clearly Jayr wasn't quite ready to back down, she hadn't seen him down the man, nor move for that matter of course she'd been preoccupied her mind elsewhere and now cursing herself for acting as such. The lessons of her father stinging in her head. "Be wary of your surroundings." Yes that was the lesson she thoroughly recalled now.

Her lips pursed thoughtfully keeping her guard up, her hips bouncing as she competed against the wind for heat. "Who are you, and what do you want?" Something of a harsh demanding call despite their predicament.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix saw the girl get up and assume an orthodox boxing stance but with open palms for counter attacking, a defensive stance that Phoenix had used in more than one situation. Phoenix allowed a sinister half smile to creep across his features that were still partially hidden within the shadows of the night.

“Such a sharp tone for someone who just saved you. You can call me Phoenix. What is a girl like you doing out on a night like this?”

Phoenix would slowly take another step forward reducing the distance between himself and the unknown female; Phoenix estimated that the gap now separating them was just over 1 meter in length. Removing his hands from his pockets, Phoenix would move to them to a relaxed position by his side, just in case the girl was so insecure that she attacked Phoenix even after he had indulged her question with an answer.


The wind had dropped a couple of degrees resulting in the night becoming even more unwelcoming that it had previously been. Shrugging his shoulders to raise the collar of his overcoat, Phoenix would enjoy the additional warmth that the overcoat was providing him with.

[Jayr Byrne]

Clear Definition

“Such a sharp tone for someone who just saved you. You can call me Phoenix. What is a girl like you doing out on a night like this?”

Jayr's stance was lower but only slightly, names were simply a perception, a very small part of what revealed a person. There were other things to openly consider; intentions, mindsets, upbringings, all which fell into reasonable doubt on a first encounter.

Her lips puckered shortly in a thoughtful pretense hands lowering slowly to her waistline in a purposeful exchange on a very relateable level giving off those tell-tail signs not to try anything funny. not even as he closed the distance, nothing but a slow wispy breath that rose in her chest a comforting relevance that she was understanding.

"You didn't answer my second question." She grinned narrowly provoking the game to start of course. And by all means it would be her game.

A tilt of her head revealing a long stretch of the nape of her neck, the slow tremulous flow of blood pounding under it making the veins go tense, still the pound of the wind against her knocking her hair to move in even flow with the wind . Clearly like every movie where the Heroine was seen.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix was grateful to see that the girl opposite him lowered her posture from one of defense to one of defiance. Phoenix would return the grin with good humour as he realised that it wasn’t going to be as easy to get things past this girl as it usually was with others.

“Your correct, I didn’t.”

Phoenix let the grin grow into a sinister smirk, as he once again didn’t answer the female’s second question. Enjoying the small feeling of rebellion, Phoenix would watch the girl for a short moment before asking her another question.

“You know it’s rude to tell someone your name after they have told you theirs. So if you don't mind telling me, what’s your name?”

Slowly growing increasingly bored as the atmosphere of excitement and danger that had originally inhabited the area disappeared, seemingly driven away by the ice-like grip of the wind itself. Moving his right hand from his side to a pocket within his overcoat, Phoenix would withdraw his custom lighter, enjoying both the cold feel of the metal on his hand and the feeling of holding such a familiar object.

[Jayr Byrne]

Manners escape me

Sometimes that was keen to happen, but in Jayr's own defense this wasn't a grocery store run in at broad daylight, or even some casual meeting at school rather it was at the depth of night in a littered alleyway. Talk about convenient settlements. Rather than acting out violently Jayr shifted her lips into a sharp pout, pursing them together without care of how it looked.

“You know it’s rude to tell someone your name after they have told you theirs. So if you don't mind telling me, what’s your name?”

Her brow cocking gingerly at an angle feeling as though he was about to break into some lesson streaming, but he stopped short leaving her to figure he was the type of boy who went about playing things to a very unserious degree.

"Yeah well so is sneaking up on people in the dark."

Her eyes narrowed into a glare challenging him for a go at round two. Defiance was her most attributed point regardless of foe she could always manage a way to bite back at them.

"Its Jayr...." She'd say after a brief pause, the glare shifting into something of a cunning smile hand coming up to her face to graze her hair behind an ear. "And thanks, though pretty sure I had things under control."

Still defiant....but in a nice way.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix chuckled as the girl in front of him provided him with a sharp retort to his statement. Inwardly, Phoenix was a little concerned about how much emotion he was showing lately and would promise himself that he would practice mastering his emotions later on in the week. In response to the retort, Phoenix would smirk once again.

“I thought that helping you out would outweigh the rudeness of sneaking around.”

Phoenix enjoyed the look of defiance in her eyes, taunting him to keep playing at this game of words, and Phoenix would always be willing to oblige. Almost subconsciously, Phoenix would begin flicking off the lid of his lighter and engaging the wick and allowing the amethyst flame to momentarily flicker before closing the lid, cutting off the supply of oxygen to the flame and causing the flame to go out. Phoenix would complete this habit in just over a second as he listened to the girl he know knew to be Jayr speak with the defiant look in her eyes still there.

“No problem, but I’m not so sure if you had it just as under control as you thought.”

Silently chuckling to himself again, Phoenix would give Jayr a defiant look, using his amethyst eyes to his advantage as they shone through the night, exactly matching the same colour that was coming from his lighter.

[Jayr Byrne]

Playing with Fire

A bit of a laugh from the guy, hopefully not at her. A quick examination under the radar as her eyes batted to make sure she didn't have much of the men's filth on her that they'd just accomplished in knocking out. Alright good, all set.

“I thought that helping you out would outweigh the rudeness of sneaking around.”

Then he began to play with the fire, a little bit of a Pyro this one was. It was okay she could definitely handle the heat. Let alone she had her own little obsession with burning things. Though completely normal.

Not set aback she huffed bringing her arms across her chest and leaned aback. Her lips pursed with a distaste at the fact that she didn't mind this guy just yet. Mainly what set him apart was the fact that he wasn't insulting her, didn't look to be too proud, and had yet to demean her abilities.

“No problem, but I’m not so sure if you had it just as under control as you thought.”

Then again...

"Oh? Then I think its best you take a better look next time." Her voice laded with attitude as she cocked her head at and angle puffing out her chest in verbal challenge. But assuming his reaction wasn't immediate she couldn't keep up the mask too long as it broke and revealed a shimmering smile.

"Care to tag along?" She said jutting out her thumb in the direction of the main road. It wouldn't be bad to have company and perhaps pretty eyes could redeem himself with a bit of chatter.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix had always been able to discern the intentions of those around him, it had been one of the first things he had learnt to do back in military school in Australia, and it helped him calculate his strategies in New York perfectly. When Jayr issued a verbal challenge to Phoenix, he instantly knew that it was a bluff. Simply waiting it her bluff out seemed to be the easiest course of action as even if she did take action, Phoenix was confident that he would be able to stop her.

Proving himself correct, Jayr soon broke out into smile as she spoke once again, inviting Phoenix to walk back the way he had come. Thinking about the events of the night so far, Phoenix was relieved that he was no longer bored, and because he owed that to his girl and to the fight, he decided that there would be no harm in accompanying her for a while. After all, it wasn’t like he had anything else to do tonight.

“Sure, I’ve got time for a walk. Plus, I can make sure that no one tries to hurt you.”

Phoenix would once again engage Jayr in a word game, teasing her with his words in a gentle manner. Cheekily half smiling, Phoenix would take the few steps needed to bring him beside Jayr.

“Where to then, Jayr?”

[Jayr Byrne]

Midnight Flame

A question asked and awaiting the reply, she best not have to wait long on his answer because it was getting pretty cold and with only the limited amount of clothing she settled into and that gave her a very small window to bolt to the store and bolt back under the sheath of night.

“Sure, I’ve got time for a walk. Plus, I can make sure that no one tries to hurt you.”

Good good good. Wait what? He didn't seriously just say that. Eyes narrowing in an irritated fashion. She would make him pay for that. Later though, when it wasn't so cold. And when her tummy was full, yeah.

And affirmative nod both mentally and actually physically putting that bob to work before feeling sheepish for doing such a think before she turned to prance off. Her uptight and defensive posture shifting into a carefree speedy skip as she pulled out into the main road, the heat from exhaust giving her a brief span to break before she was back on the defensive showing nothing of herself to be interpreted.

“Where to then, Jayr?”

Jayr moving to open her mouth to speak quickly as her mouth chattered in the cold wind, "H-hhh-hurry up its friggin' cold, to the store."

She didn't risk pointing across the street and shirk her arms clasping to herself giving a narrow field of warmth. Her skip stopped at the street forming into a very slow walk never exerting much energy until she'd reached the door not bothering to turn back and see if the boy was following her she simply bolted shaking a bit as she came in before regaining composure hands cupped at her chest lips pressed against them blowing in for warmth.

"Okay, now to the serious business." The frigid chattering lips shifting upwards into a smile once again as she began regaining blood in them.

[Phoenix]

Phoenix smiled at Jayr’s facial expression as she realised what the last part of his comment meant. Savouring the emotions that travelled on cold night’s wind, Phoenix would see the small nod from Jayr and follow her from the street towards the main road.

Hearing her teeth chattering in detest at the cold of the night, Phoenix momentarily thought about offering Jayr his overcoat, however, reconsidered his unspoken offer as, from what little he had discerned about Jayr, she would probably refuse to accept such charity, preferring to be defiant and self-dependent. Laughing into the silent night at Jayr’s answer to his question, and watching the water vapour coming from his mouth turning into a cloud before his eyes and rise up in to the air before dissipating at the will of the wind.

Phoenix would follow the girl where she went and stop when she did, looking about to analyse his surroundings he wasn’t exactly sure where they were but knew there was probably a reason for being here. Glancing at Jayr as she spoke, Phoenix saw that she was warming up very quickly and even curled her lips into a smile as the blood began to pump faster around her body, warming her to a more normal body temperature.

“Serious business? What are you talking about?”