Beside the Magma

Even if she did vow never to return here after the eruption happened at this peak, Umbra found herself perplexed to come back and view the hot, bubbling magma several yards below. It was so warm, almost violently elegant, like a twisted symphony reflected into an actual image. It made her think, most of all.. maybe that's why she was so drawn to this place. Sighing, she just kept standing at the edge of the volcano, staring down into the molten earth..

"Ahhh...this is just how it should be. Nice and fiery."

*not too far from Umbra was London, rubbing his hands over the pit. The manga's hot steam ran into his hands, usually enough to scorch the skin, but it didn't for him. It ran like a hot spring's steam between his fingertips. Looking down into the magma, he grinned happily*

"Aw wow. This place is amazin.."

*he managed to take his golden eyes off the bottom of the pit though, and look up to Umbra. Noticing someone else was here along with him, he waved to her, shouting to her from afar over the bubbling of the magma below*

"Oi! I didn't see ya there, sorry."

She'd been eyeing him suspiciously since he appeared, but what was more perplexing was how molten earth itself didn't burn his hand off entirely.. just what sort of person was he? she got so worked up trying to figure this out that she just kept looking at him the entire time, her face eventually twisting in confusion as she tried to figure it out... ..until he spoke to her, and she caught herself, quite embarrassed, looking him in the eye with an attempted natural, serious face.

"Um! Yes.. I was just observing the magma myself..!"

She attempted to sound natural, making a slight wave to him as well.. this wasn't like her at all. Yet somehow she could tell that the people she ran into these days would only become more and more odd..

*he stayed silent for a moment before he decided to stand and saunter over, his hands steaming like hot coals. He came over, a bit marveled by the sight of a girl like this around a dirty old magma pit*

'She's quite a looker too, eh?'

*looking over his shoulder to the pit, then back at her again*

"That magma's so hot, it could work as a nice good grill. Invite a few friends and we'll have a barbie."

*he laughed, raising his hands a little to shake hers, then his golden eyes noticed they were burning hot, his expression was wiped to an almost surprise. He retracted them back to him*

"Err...sorry about that, best not touch those. Bit hot."

*a grin was on his lips again and he flexed his fingers and wrist for a second*

M'name's Joshua Alec. Call me London."

She sighed as he began to walk over.. she knew that her shyness and surprise at his noticing her would only increase his confidence. And she knew what he was after now too. It was the same with all men..

"Mm, yeah I'd imagine they would be."

His name was a tad odd.. why would he want a different name entirely than what he just introduced himself as? She'd never understand some people perhaps. Then again she wasn't really one to talk:

"Umbra.. just Umbra."

She looked away slightly, back at the bubbling, peaceful magma. She really never could just sit and observe peacefully these days anymore..

"It's nice to meet ya, Umbra."

*he sensed that she was uncomfortable and quieted, waving his hands as if to dry them, though it was the opposite. Resorting to blowing on his hands to cool them down, London finally sat a few feet from her, on his arse, legs bent in front, his forearms rested on his knees. London's interesting looking weapon lay against the ground as he sit, spreading it's broad blade. He said nothing surprisingly and his back was slightly arched forward to watch the sizzling pot of magma. He idly looked at the sky at times, and once in a while it would look as if he was looking at Umbra, but instead he was looking past her, to the mountains beyond. He blinked, returning his golden eyes to study the ground. It was a strange sight to see, a man who was so enthusiastic before, to silence himself to say not much of anything*

Umbra sat in a similar fashion, knees up to her chest, hands couled around her ankles. She noticed his sudden spike of enthusiasm, and then realized it was her own lack of comfort that was causing it. Looking over at him, still in that balled sitting position, she slowly brought a sliver of magma floating up to greet him, right in his face. It was almost like a magma bubble, spinning with molten rock and tiny enough to marvel at. She was thankful that her water manipulation extended to most other liquids. This was starting to get fun~

*surprisingly he did not flinch nor did his expression change. His hand extended to the magma, and his expressionless face broke into a small smile. London grabbed it in his hand and the sound of a flame could be heard, a crackle. Hand smoldering now, he shifted his golden eyes to her and gave a smirk*

" An' I was wondering what a young sheila like you would be doin around a strange place like this."

*bringing his hand closer to his face he opened it, rolling what now seemed to be spherical between his thumb and inner palm. In one movement, London ate the solidified magma bubble, the bump quite apparent as he went down past his Adam's apple and into his stomach. There was a silent moment, then London took a deep breath, throwing his head backwards to the sky. As he exhaled, an explosion of fire came from his mouth, a fire thrower from his lips. It ran from several seconds, creating flames that cut the oxygen in the air above him, a marvel. After his grand performance, London grinned with pride and studied the ground below his legs absently*

"Now I know. Ya got somethin' special like me."

Umbra was taken completely by surprise at this gesture. Her eyes were as wide as dinner plates, still looking at London in an even tighter balled position. She had just been playing around, and then he unleashes this display...

But she wasn't about to be outdone. Standing now, she cast a dark, pitch black shadow over her body, making her look almost like a silhouette. She then moves a finger as two, much smaller magma spheres came to her face in the place of her eyes, slightly slanted and alluring orange... She was having fun honestly, trying to refrain a giggle.

*the Aussie was silent watching for a moment as she refrained her silly giggle. London was actually surprisingly quiet.......suddenly a roar of laugh came from his mouth, loud and echoing through the valley. A puff of fire still came out, which he licked like candy after he settled. His eyes then turned different, his eyebrows narrowed and his mouth is a wicked smile. With a hand raised slightly, London's outstretched fingers curled inwards, like a soft beckon. The spheres whirled from their position, looping and twirling towards him till, like small soldiers, stood in front of him waiting for a command. With a finger, he twirled it, the blobs staying still while he stood. London unbuckled the broad kukri where he stood, leaving the sheathe at his feet, then walked towards the edge of the Pit. Running his hands over his blonde hair, it seemed to take on a red sheen. London looked over to Umbra and grinned. Instantly, the two blobs ran thin, turning to make letters for her to read:

'OH YEAH?'

*the blobs stood still for her to read for a moment, regrouped as two blobs again, then formed 2 new words*

'WATCH THIS'

at that moment, London jumped off the edge and into the Pit itself, a blonde haired head falling into the red abyss*

Umbra immedaitely discarded her black guise, running over to try and stop him moments before and during his jump, but of course she wouldn't reach him in time. Falling flat on her chest in the dust, hand still outstretched, she whimpered slightly, daring herself to peak over the edge and into the Pit..

*a soft shouting was heard...and getting louder. And louder. It was his voice...and along with it grew a, unbelievably, magma spout, huge. It shot something into the sky, what looked like a gigantic flame which somehow dislodged from the spout, which was retreating back into the Pit. The flame sat suspended in the air until it began to plummet down, losing it's flame and that was when she could see it was London himself. His expression was of pure adrenaline and ecstasy as he finally reached full speed at the ground face first. Before he hit the ground, he drew his kukri and stabbed into the earth, the gravity and velocity driving the blade so far down, that only the hilt, which he held upon, was seen. It broke much of his fall, yet the momentum was still so strong, that London rolled comically several times in order to smooth out the force, finally landing on his bum close by her. His blonde hair was a mess, and still had the strange auburn sheen, and he seemed breathless. However his eyes were wild with ecstasy and adrenaline*

"W-Wow...th...tha' was almost as wild as the last time I-- Oh."

*he peered over at her, the figure who tried to grab him. He took in a breath, still trying to catch it, squinted his eyes to see her better, then cocked his head to the side*

"I'm sorry, did I scare ya?"

Her face was white as a ghost; looking quite comical as it contrasted starkly with her black-purple hair and eyes. She wasn't quite sure what to do with him.. he was such a ball of energy, and she, a quiet and graceful girl. The two simply didn't match, and it genuinely frightened her. Yet she sighed, feeling her racing heartbeat once again, and rose to her feet, still a tad shaky.

"I..Idiot..."

*Still sitting on the ground, he stretched his legs out a bit; he was grinning, white teeth straight and gleaming evilly. He seemed quite pleased with himself as he looked up at the girl who still seemed a bit shakey. This aspect he seemed to just overlook*

"I'm sorry I said! How else can I make it up ta ya, eh?"

The grin is what gave him away. Umbra now knew from the bottom of her heart that this man meant ill to her afterall, nothing meaningful was coming from this. Why she fell for it earlier she would perhaps never figure out. Turning her back to him in a huff, she made one tiny drop of magma rise up to cause a small flame ignite his hair.

"Stop trying. You're really getting nowhere.."

*the small ball of magma did nothing. The layer of auburn soaked it all up. Realizing that that Umbra indeed was not happy with him, he frowned, sitting himself in a more proper position*

"Come on now, Umbra! I didn't mean to scare ya!"

*thinking of a brilliant idea, he rushed to the edge of the Pit, taking care not the drop down, more for her sake and not his. His hands ran over the Pit's steam, but this time he cupped his hands; the steam began to now gather, more and more, a mixture of red and grey...and few seconds later, what looked like large beads of tainted white glass with flecks and spots of red in the center began to form under his hands, suspended. Though the beads could look like they were solid, sometimes a bead would shudder, as if it were only semi-solid like a gel, the only thing keeping it together were a membrane. After a while, many beads seem to come together, one bead particularly large. London was done, turned away from the Pit so his back was to her. Closing his hands a little bit, the beads formed into a necklace without the use of string. Walking towards her, he rung it the chain around her neck: it was a beautiful necklace with what felt like glassy beads but the texture was very different, smooth, yet a feathered touch as if handmade. What kept the beads together was not a string, but the very same material that created the beads themselves. The middle of the bead that was once just shown as red had hardened now into a dark red crystal like material that captured every source of light. Backing up, London wiped his hands dry as if he had done some great work*

"And do be careful with that will ya? The stuff in the middle is carbonated remains of magma. Don't let some wanker snatch that from ya or I'll catch him on the dunny and rung his neck myself."

*he laughed, then blushed a bit*

"I'll be honest, that'll be the first present I've ever made for a girl with my abilities. It beats buyin some expensive assed diamond necklace for a sheila that's just gonna run out."

Umbra blushed ever so slightly as she felt the necklace on her neck, then with her hands. It was so soft, yet so solid.. A genuine work of art, that the man was smply giving away for free. Not to mention it was absolutely beautiful as well. She turned around to look at him with glazed eyes.

"You didn't have to..."

In truth, she felt somewhat guilty. She also didn't really know what else she felt about him; he was wild, crazy and scary one moment, then calm and genuine the next. Just what sort of man was he, and how did he ever get through her emotional defenses...?

"I know I didn't have to but I did anyway."

*he looked down to the pit of magma, not quite knowing what to say. His cheeks were a bit red in embarrassment but not because he was shy but because he knew she liked the necklace in the first place. He sat then, away from the pit, upon a staired platform. Stretching out his legs, London sighed absently*

The magma began to bubble slightly, and then more violently, as a pillar of lava came out of the Pit like a large, narrow wave, followed by Skye, with orange-red hair and sharp sunglasses. He skidded to a dramatic halt in front of the two.

"Ah, so there are people here.."

He smirked and bowed slightly, his tall figure making it seem condescending though.

"So, how's the volcano~?"