It seems... Useless... [Open-ish]

It had been so long since he had been here.. The school had moved on without him, things were happening with Argona's Forces.. He couldn't really tell for sure what was happening. He had been told to go so many places, but he was only there for information. And once he got what he wanted? He was out of there.

He had been avoiding direct contact with actual AF people, receiving his orders indirectly doing the little bit he needed to do to keep them satisfied. He was so set on this path before, wanting to do what was best for the school. Keeping them safe, and safe from him as well. But somewhere along the way he lost what he actually wanted. He still had things to do, things he couldn't go back on. He planned on carrying those out still, but from there? What was he going to do?

He knew he was a father. He knew Kota had his kid. A son named Cody. He regretted doing that to her, making her become a mother at such a young age. It was his fault, he needed to go see her, go see his son. He wasn't going to slack on his father stuff, he was going to be there for his kid unlike his dad, but he couldn't get the confidence to go see them. He had gotten rather emotional when he heard his kid crying for one of the first times.

The former student let out a sigh and shook his head. Running a hand through his hair before leaning back on the truck of the tree. One of his legs sitting on the branch he sat on while the other hung off. He had been spending a while out here. It had been more than a week or so. He lost track of time so he didn't know the number. Anytime he wasn't on a mission for AF he came back here. Spending time in the forest, sitting up in the trees listening to the students gossip below. While he thought out what he wanted to do next to get rid of the lost feeling he had.

Three hundred and sixty five days.

The number always came off as very large on paper, but the year always flew by so quickly nowadays that she wasn't sure what had happened. It had been a little more than that ever since she could officially consider herself a student, but now that she was able to settle back, nostalgia washed over her. Warren's place in Italy had always been filled with lush plant life, a beautiful garden that rivaled her mothers' and the sweet fragrance of roses rising into the air, and everything about it screamed the very reason why it used to be considered holy grounds. Yet, at the same time, it couldn't compare to the local forest at Beata. All of the memories - good or bad, for better or for worse - that had come in the many years she had attended the school warmed her heart in fondness as she trudged through the twisting maze once more, happily humming and near-skipping down the damp path. Her steps lightly touched the ground, bouncing off like it was a sponge, the birds heralding the symphony for the day, as she drank in the warm sunshine and picturesque world around her.

An academy without her... Curiosity had held a firm grasp on her mind, and a part of her wanted to look around and play a game with herself, to see what had changed and what she could remember as being as it always had been. Had Barry been alright? Maybe leaving him alone like that, especially after telling him what she did now, was a terrible miscalculation on her part. Dread drowned her mind at the prospect of him loathing her for it, but at the same time, she couldn't blame him. Who could? All of his closest friends left and disappeared into thin air, just like that. She was lucky enough to have gotten into contact with Magic while he was sided with the People in Black, though it wasn't a very pleasant moment. Callum too, he was with Argona, most likely. The night of the masquerade, the site had been blown up and most of her family was killed. Kearn was thrown the responsibilities of figuring out how to sort everything together with a few others; a twinge of jealousy spiked when she realized she was being left behind again.

Furiously shaking her head, the violet-eyed girl silently chided herself, wondering whether all of the rather catastrophic events that took place in the densely packed forest was why she was focusing too much on the negative parts. But it wasn't like only bad things happened then. Not at all. The past year may have been empty in a few ways, but it was filled with life in others. Her stay with Warren had given her an opportunity and time that she wouldn't have been able to get otherwise. She had to remind herself to be more grateful for it, for everything that family did for her and live for the both of them. So much to experience, so much to learn... There was more that she wanted to do.

For now, though, she wanted to let nostalgia overwhelm her, to reflect on what had happened and what could happen. Finding a direction and motive to carry out, to grow more confident and overcome her struggles, and to support all of the others that she could. And maybe a sacrifice of that order when necessary. Having that much time on her hands, she couldn't let it go to waste. She couldn't recklessly use it either. When she was certain that there wasn't anyone else around, her humming softly lifted into a vocal verse.

♪ "Twinkle, twinkle, little star~ How I wonder what you are~" ♪

Magic perked when he heard humming. He figured it was just another student working their way through the forest like usual, it wouldn't be a surprise to hear someone humming as the enjoyed their walk in the forest. It was a common thing usually depending on if the person was alone or not. He closed his eyes listening to the pleasant humming, enjoying the break from his own thoughts.

As soon as humming turned into singing the familiar voice startled him. He shifted in the tree, his gift acting to keep his movements silent, as he looked down at the ground trying to spot the source of the voice. Was it really her? Wasn't she somewhere in Europe? That's what he knew last time he checked for information on her. Gray green eyes soon spotted the familiar small figure. It really was her.. She was back in the safety of the school. He didn't know if it was permanent or if it was for just a short time. Either way that put him at ease somewhat. It was one less thing to worry about for the time being.

He shifted himself back to the way he was sitting before. "It's a shock to see you here.." He said loud enough for the girl to hear. "It's been a long time hasn't it?" His palegreen eyes were looking up at the leaves, not looking directly at the girl for now. He couldn't, not after what he had done.

♪ "Up above the--" ♪ Behind her, a voice rang out, nothing too loud yet not too gentle, just enough that it registered in her ears, disrupting the verse and causing her to nearly jump a foot or two. Frantically, a violet gaze darted around, searching the densely packed forest until its attention fell on a figure resting on a branch above. Tilting her head upward with a few steps back to get a better look, her eyes owlishly widened. Though it had been very long since they last saw each other, mistaking the disheveled dark hair coupled with gray irises that appeared near-green in the right light was impossible. Back then, they only had a few chances to speak with one another before going months on end without any communication.

A part of her was glad that they were able to see each other so soon, but she hadn't been expecting it. A pleasant surprise, yes, but she hadn't prepped anything, hadn't allowed any of the conversation starters to play in her head, what she would say, what she would do, what to ask-- Maybe doing that wasn't a good idea at all. It would sound stiff, forced, and a myriad of other issues. Nervously giggling, Adeline muttered, "S-same to you..." For a few moments, she kept her eyes focused on him, but after awhile, she averted them, a tiny bit fearful that her impoliteness had resulted in staring.

Her fingers bunched up the edge of her skirt, memories and nostalgia flooding her thoughts. Being with him had resulted in a lot of very unique experiences, emotions that she hadn't felt so strongly before, and... so much more. Softly, she asked, "H-have you been doing well?" The answer was most likely 'no,' but she could only hope that wasn't the case. Everything wasn't smooth-sailing for him in the past year as much as it was for her... After all that had happened, her life ended up with fewer obstacles than before, but the academy and Magic didn't have that same fortune. "Uhm, I-I mean, you don't have to answer i-if you don't want to." It was a rather insensitive question in the end, wasn't it?

Magic blinked. She was still concerned about him after what he had done? Or was it just a formality? He couldn't tell anymore. It had been a while since he actually had to analyze voices.. at least friendly ones. "Well isn't the term I would use to describe my situation." He stated, honestly how he was doing didn't matter at all for the past while. No one cared, all they cared about is if he did his job, didn't matter how he was feeling. He let out a small huff at the thought.

"Honestly I should be the one asking that question. Last time I saw you here you wouldn't speak at all and were rather weak, and now we are back here again and you are singing and seeming to be enjoying yourself." It was an observation for the most part. She was stronger the when the thing happened at the party. It was a relief. What ever she had been doing seemed to work a whole lot better than anything he ever did for her, and yet he still cared for her deeply. Though it seemed she didn't have a need for him any longer. Maybe it was for the best, after all he was still in deep shit. He had a lot of things he needed to fix before he could try to fix any of the connections he had with others.

"A lot has happened since you disappeared." Vincent died, he killed his mom, betrayed Barry, Laine was sort of involved in that... Afterwards betrayed the school, got a girl pregnant.. Oh yeah destroying Adeline's family was in there somewhere.. As well as killing innocents and AF members. There was a lot he had done, none of it helping his sanity. A lot of which he should tell her, but he didn't think this was the time right now.

Warren had mentioned something about Magic converting over to Argona's Force, having caught word from an informant still in the group, and while she hadn't believed it at first, Barry had brought it up when they spoke with each other some time ago during her short visit. A feeble smile etched itself across her lips, fingers twirling a lock of sable. "Right..." Learning more about what exactly that group did and the members within it, 'well' was the last word that one would describe the situation, depending on the person. She knew that he wasn't exactly the sort of individual that would normally get involved in that group, especially considering his vehement dislike of the former Amell, but he must have had his reasons to have willingly entered the organization.

How she was doing? Having all of her senses back and so many other things, so many chances and opportunities pouring forward, she had nearly forgotten that it hadn't been that long since she didn't have any of those at all. A rosy tint of red rose on her cheeks - had she been so obvious with her own delight at being able to sing so freely? Was it that easy to hear? And to think she had chosen such a childish song too... Idiot. Adeline bit her lip. "I was lucky. I-I probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for Warren." Once the name slipped out, she flinched before hastily attempting to cover it up. "I-I-I mean, uhm, he's, well... That..."

Shaking her head, her eyes fluttered to a close. A lot had happened on both sides, for better or worse. Silently, she walked towards a tree trunk, hand pressing softly against the rough texture in attempts at finding a decent hold to pull herself upward. The idea tempted her for a few moments, the thought of maybe being able to join him on the same level as him, but she had doubts that she would be able to climb up without having issues. Instead, Adeline sighed, taking a seat in the grass. "But, uhm... Is it okay for you to be here r-right now? You won't get caught?"

Warren.. Oh how he hated that name. It was ironic that he would be the one to help her in the end. He gritted his teeth, trying to keep himself from snapping a sharp reply at the name. He should at least be thankful she was alive. Seeing how the first time they had interacted with Warren, he nearly tried to kill her. He still couldn't forgive the man for that. Threatening them all, all that time ago.. Magic shook his head. Running a hand through his hair shortly after to clear the black strands from his face. It didn't matter anymore he guessed... If she was alive and well because of him he could only assume he gave her his time or something like that..

He heard her move closer to the tree. He still wasn't looking at her. There was a lot of guilt eating away at him at the moment still. Though with her sitting below him it was a little easier. He crossed his arms across his chest. It seemed she still cared for him somewhat if she was worried about him getting caught. "No. I won't get caught. I know this forest well, and my gift makes it easy to move around unnoticed. I know a place I can hid out if someone comes looking for me."

No one was looking for him yet, at least not out here. This was his safe haven, and if someone did come looking for him, he knew where the Cavern thing was that cancelled out gifts. He wouldn't be found even if they had someone with a gift tracking him down. It would seem like he disappeared. At least he thought that is how it worked. "I have been out here for a while and your the first person I have talked too." And the last person he ever thought he would see out here.

She figured that Magic still wouldn't really like Warren at all, so she simply allowed the laugh bubbling in her throat to release itself a little. It would be nice if the two of them were able to get along better or for her friend to understand where the older man was coming from. Warren wasn't that much older than them, and the two of them were more similar in a few ways than either of them would really care to acknowledge. But for now...

"Oh." Running into him was a complete coincidence, and the fact that they ran into each other shouldn't have happened. She wasn't actively looking for anyone - just that she wanted to indulge herself in nature for a little while to relax -, but it was her of all people that found him when he had been extra careful about not being caught by a single person, to remain unnoticed and hidden in the shadows. Adeline blinked momentarily before everything hit her mind and caused her to sputter, "A-ah, wait! Nobody's supposed to know you're here, r-right?" As if to emphasize the last line, her hands rested over her eyes for a few seconds before she lowered her arms. "Sh-should I pretend I never saw you? O-or should I move somewhere else so that you can get some alone time? O-o-or..." Her voice trailed off, more frantic than she would've liked to admit about the fact that she might have accidentally jeopardized his safety without realizing it just by sticking around.

"You're fine. I would hear anyone coming before they would hear us anyway. I could hide if I needed to." Magic said. It really did seem like she cared for his safety, his prior assumptions were wrong. After what he did, he didn't understand how she could. Though she never seemed to care about what he had done before. She knew about his past, she knew what he was capable of, but yet she didn't seem to care too much. Maybe it was the same this time.

"If I didn't want you to know I was here, I wouldn't have said anything and let you keep going like the rest of the students that have come out here." Maybe he shouldn't have said anything. Maybe he should have let her keep going, and enjoying herself. It would be hard to find joy with him around, yet he had to speak up didn't he? Hopefully she wouldn't run off an tell anyone. He figured she wouldn't. He didn't need Barry coming charging after him just yet.

"In all honesty this is really the only place where AF doesn't really show up to get me to do things, and this place is too big for most students to notice me. Its the only peaceful place I have left really." Mason said, his hand digging into his shirt to pull out the necklace she had given him a while ago. He still wore it. It helped him sometimes.

Despite knowing his gift and what he was capable of, she wasn't sure why exactly she ended up panicking like that and allowed such an important detail to slip her mind. Adeline bit harder on her lip, ducking her head in a futile attempt to distract herself from her own embarrassment. A complete oversight with where her mind had been roaming - he really wouldn't have called out to her if he didn't want her to know. That was so obvious and transparent, she wasn't sure why she let herself think in such a silly manner. After awhile, she turned her head upward, noticing a shiny glint reflect off of the sunlight, obscuring her vision for a few terse moments before she recognized the shape.

He kept it. It was amateur's work, but back then, she had been proud of it and was happy that he had accepted it. How long it had been since then... The fact that, after all of this time, he held onto something that she gave him for no particular reason. She wasn't sure what had motivated her to say what she did, what inspired her spirit to act so boldly after listening to his explanation, but by the time the words had come out, it was already too late for her to take anything back.

"I-It's not the only place left. We can stay together, c-can't we?" After fully processing the words, Adeline pulled her knees closer to her chest, burying her head there. "I-I mean, uhm... I-I-If you d-don't mind..." How had she managed to say something like that in the first place?

He had accepted her silence. Figuring that was the end of their conversation for now. He was surprised she didn't ask him more about AF stuff. When her soft voice reached his ears again he froze. There was only one word in his mind after hearing that. He wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. "What?" He wanted to say he didn't hear her but it was impossible for him not too.

He sat up off the tree, and turned to jump down, landing solidly on his feet in a sort of crouching position before straightening up. He didn't really know to say. Asking him to stay was dangerous he was dangerous. There was a lot of things he needed to clear up. So much left to do. But isn't this what he wanted at one time? Before she left? Before he left?

The boy shoved his hands into his pockets looking at the girl for the first time. He wanted to say yes, they could stay together, but he had to make sure. "Are you sure this is what you want?" Magic asked, his voice turning somewhat soft. There was still so much left for him to do, but he couldn't say no.

Magic near startled her, leaping down from up above with such ease, his gray-green eyes meeting her own amethyst ones, prompting her to stand up herself. Quickly, she dusted off her skirt with her hands, his question repeating itself on loop in her head. Was this what she wanted? "Yes." No hesitation, no thinking, nothing. A straight answer without a delayed wait time. It wasn't as though she wasn't aware of the dangers - it was as clear as day that he had always considered himself a monster, a threat to the safety of everyone around him. They had gone through the routine multiple times over, had issues where it could severely hurt those he cared about. He was the most powerful student at the academy after that tournament, almost undisputed in his position, and she was sure that he had so much more that he had to wrap up before he could actually stay on-campus again, but at the same time...

... He never actually meant to injure his friends. Maybe he was stand-offish, kind of difficult to talk to at times, very blunt and direct, and people thought he would be one of those people to avoid at all costs, sure. That was what they saw on the surface, and now, more than ever, she was sure many would have a worsened perception of him. It was fine. She knew that he was kind and soft at heart. He was a good person, regardless of what others may think, regardless of what he may think. "Y-you don't have to come back right away, but... Wh-whenever you're ready, I'll be the first to say 'welcome back'." Adeline smiled, placing her hands behind her back. "J-just make sure to take care of yourself while you finish up what you need to do."

Magic didn't really know what to think. He expected her to hesitate and stutter out her answer, but it took her no time to answer with a solid yes. All he knew was that she wanted him around for some reason that he couldn't identify. It was nice.. nice to know there was someone at the school that still wanted him around. He should have said something but soon she spoke again.

He didn't have to come back right away? Was he that easy to read when it came to that kind of stuff? Whatever it wasn't important now. She would be the first one to welcome him back. Probably the only one to do it when the time came. His pale green eyes turned towards the round, "Thank you." Mason let out a small sigh as he sat down on the ground. "I can't guarantee my safety though.." His eyes stayed on the ground as his arms rested on his knees. It was good that he would have one constant in his life, but the rest he still needed to figure out.

Her fingers intertwined with one another, out of both of their visions, fidgeting and playing around in an attempt to distract herself from any nervous or plaguing thoughts that might come to mind. Adeline only smiled when he thanked her, wordlessly acknowledging the phrase only for the corners of her lips to turn downward at the next statement. He really couldn't guarantee his safety... Argona's Force was dangerous and the line of work could easily cause a person to get killed if they weren't careful in or out of combat and missions. The slightest show of betrayal would result in death, or even worse, an unfathomable session of torture that could break one's spirit. She couldn't ask him to stay safe, as much as she hoped that he would come out of everything unscathed; it was a feeble, hopeless wish.

But at the very least, asking this much wouldn't be big, would it? "I-I know. So please survive..." Reaching for a batch of flowers, she began to weave them together slowly in a chain, each flower elongating it like a never-ending braid. "A-am I being too selfish to ask that?"

Magic let out a soft sigh, he didn't know if he could promise that either. He knew that he was going to have to get out of Argona's hands at some point and the only way he could think of right now put a high price on his life, which would probably only end up with him dead.

He watched as she took the flowers in her hands and started forming them into some chain of some sort. "You aren't being selfish in asking that.." He still couldn't guarantee he would walk away with his life either. The black haired boy bit his lip as he thought of what to say. "I will try my best to survive.." Was all he said in his soft tone. There was more to it but he didn't want to say it. The possibility of dying was to high right now. It was going to take a while for him to figure out how to get away with his life, and he needed to think of something fast before they had him going to kill some of the students.

Mason let out another sigh and ran his hand through his hair, as his eyes once again turned back to the ground. What was he going to do?