#araxadd

The first time Ara saw Add was a week after she joined the Elgang. Everyone was rushing around, packing to leave Hamel and go to a place called Sander.  The guy who'd tried to kill Ara's brother, Chung, was coming with them, and Ara was pouting about that as she folded her spare clothes and made sure each of her tea packets was in the correct place inside the wooden box she used to keep them organized. Honestly, the nerve of some people, she complained silently to Eun, pausing in her packing to reach up and run one finger over Eun's hairpin.  Trying to kill Aren, then deciding to come with us- What us? Eun interrupted her.  You were taken in by the Elgagng in just the same way.  Remember, you can't insist that a kindness be shown to you, and then protest when it's shown to someone else.  Is that the justice you stand for? Ara made a disparaging sound in her throat.  I didn't ask to join this group! Her protests went unnoticed.  Ara felt the fox curl up and withdraw, a smug sense of amusement emanating from the hairpin. Ara reached up and lightly flicked the hairpin to annoy Eun, then went to find Eve to ask her if she still needed extra room for her luggage.  Eve was one of the few people that Ara wasn't shy about talking to.  She and Elesis had shown Ara the most kindness when they first met. Ara was just raising her hand to knock at Eve's closed door when she heard footsteps.  It was a tread she hadn't heard before, somehow light and heavy at the same time. The footsteps stopped a few feet away from her.  Ara turned, tilting her head back to see dully inquisitive purple eyes staring at her. Ara dropped her gaze first.  “I haven't seen you before,” she managed to say, staring anywhere but at those intense magenta eyes.  She noted the magenta line running down his face, the weird black bodysuit he wore of a material somewhere between metal, cloth, and stone, and the eight things hovering behind him. “I have.”  His voice was rather soft.  “Though I'm not familiar with your name, kuhuhuhu.  Are you traveling with us now?” Ara wondered why he laughed.  “Y-yes.  My name is Ara Haan,” she offered, carefully sticking out a hand to the man.  “What's your name?” He stared at her hand like he didn't know what to do with it.  “Tch,” he muttered, then continued walking down the hall, leaving Ara with her hand outstretched like an idiot. Needless to say, this was not an amazing first impression.

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Ara soon learned that the weird white-haired boy was named Add.  According to Eve, he was a crazy stalker who should die as soon as possible.  Of course, this last bit was what Code: Nemesis said about anyone she disliked, but Ara noted down the stalker bit.  Nobody really seemed to trust Add very much, and he didn't exactly invite trust, either.  He was always a little bit away from the group, it seemed, even when they made camp for the night.  Then he would sit away from the cheery campfire on the floating metal things that everyone called his “Dynamo”, flipping through holographic screens and muttering.  Not exactly what one would call normal social tactics. Only Elesis had a different opinion, when Ara asked her.  She rubbed the back of her neck, then untied the black ribbon from her hair and redid it.  Ara waited patiently for her answer. “I think he has some good in him,” she said finally.  “But it was far more prevalent about six months ago, before he started being obsessed with a guy called Glave.  He disappeared then, and only reappeared a couple months ago, acting like he does now.  But before....” Elesis glanced over at Add.  He was skating on his Dynamo, as he usually did when it wasn't his turn to fight point and clear the way in a field, seemingly lost in his own thoughts. “He was calmer.  Less stressed.  He was always insane, but his madness just seemed to get worse and worse after he reappeared.” Ara nodded.  Eun poked her head into Ara's mind, wondering about the scar on Add's face and the Dynamo.  Did Elesis know about those? Before Ara could ask, Eve called out a request to switch spots with Ara.  Ara gripped her spear and complied, taking Eve's job as lookout while thinking about Add. He's lost his way.  Like your brother, Eun commented slyly.  Ara sighed. Eun, don't start this again.... If you were truly just, wouldn't you try to help him? Eun asked.  After all, even mad people are deserving of help. He creeps me out! Ara protested.  And face it.  You just like watching me squirm when you confront me with a dictionary definition of justice, that's the only reason you're bringing this up. Actually, I think he could be useful.  Ara felt Eun's wide yawn, felt the fox begin to withdraw.  Now if you'll excuse me, that late-night training that you felt the need to do really wore me out.  I think I'll take a nap. This has nothing to do with how foxes are nocturnal, does it? Ara asked, just to have the last word and get the conversation away from Add.  Besides, she knew this was a rather sore point for Eun. Eun didn't respond.  Ara let out a long breath, twirling her spear just to get her mind back to the present, resolving to watch Add and see if he needed any help.  Just for the sake of pacifying Eun. There was no other reason to watch Add, right?

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“Rena!  Stay back and shoot!  Aisha, gather mana!  Chung, protect her!” Ara ducked back, using her spear to shield herself from the sharp boomerangs this Trock was throwing and listening for her name in Elsword's shouted orders. Elsword's crimson eyes stayed fixed on the attacking Trock.  “Raven, stay back for now.  Try and recover a bit from that Overheat you did back there.  Add, if you're even paying attention to a single thing, Ara, Sis, I need your – AGH!” The Lord Knight's attention had wavered, turning from his opponent for a split second.  The Trock had taken that opportunity to smack him to the side, the small red-haired boy flying to land and roll rather hard on the sandy ground. The Trock raised a boomerang to finish him off.  Ara looked to the side, noticed that Elesis was engaged in a struggle with a Trock mage already, and called up Eun. Time to go! Ara launched herself into the air, handing off control to Eun halfway through her flip.  She'd long gotten used to the sense of not being in complete control of her body when she landed in Awakening, feeling her limbs move without her orders and watching through her own eyes as foxlike ears and seven tails that DEFINITELY did not belong to her waved gently. Eun ran forward, jumping into the air before diving and smacking her spear into the ground at the Trock's feet.  Ara felt Eun shake dirt off her tails as she rolled to her feet, spinning to stand in front of the Trock and giving Elsword time to get up. She was expecting orders from Elsword to get back or possibly duck when she heard a scuffling of movement behind her.  Instead, Eun's ears swiveled to pick up a different voice. “Void Impact!” A purple crack in the air opened, dragging the Trock from the ground and spitting him back out.  Eun jumped to the side as Add walked forward, his Dynamo humming with electricity, seemingly ready to fight. “What are you, kuhuhu?” he asked Eun conversationally.  His weapons were in a fighting mode, but he himself didn't seem to be.  “I have never seen a human with fox ears and tails....” Don't embarrass me, Ara pleaded silently.  If she were in full control, she knew she would be blushing. Embarrass you?  How would I do that?  Why do you care enough to be embarrassed around this boy? Eun seemed to be laughing in her foxlike, mischievous way. “I'm not Ara.  I'm Eun, the spirit of the nine-tailed fox that lives in Ara's hairpin.  And if you haven't noticed, we're in the middle of a battle.” Add turned slightly, seemingly noticing that the Trock was getting up.  “If I kill it for you, will you tell me everything about this 'spirit of the nine-tailed fox'?  Kukuku.....” “What-” Eun started, then turned in surprise as a few boomerangs sailed past her nose. Don't do it.  Is Elsword okay?  Ara wasn’t surprised when Eun ignored her. Eun turned slightly, clutching Ara's spear and readying herself to defend Elsword.  The boy was kneeling, slowly prying his sword out of a rock.  Damn, that blade was sharp, if it could wedge itself deep into solid stone like that. “Stardust Shower!” Add yelled.  Eun spun again, seeing purple balls falling from a rip in the sky.  Add himself descended on a last ball, the shockwave flinging the Trock away. Ara saw her chance.  She urged Eun on as the fox dashed into the air, catching the Trock in a quick combo and tossing him to Elsword, who had just pried his sword from the rock.  Elsword had no trouble dispatching the weakened beast. “Good job, Ara.  You too, Add,” he said while panting.  Ara felt Eun recede back to the hairpin.  If Eun stayed in Ara's form too long, bad things could happen.  Ara didn't know exactly what those “bad things” were, but she trusted Eun enough to not pry. Add said nothing in response to Elsword's praise, just giving Ara a long, hard stare with those crazy eyes.  “You owe me,” he said, then laughed as he turned away. Ara had no response as the El Search Party regrouped and forged onward.

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Ara began to understand Add more and more after that.  Add had caught her alone after they fought Waldo, demanding answers, and Ara had no choice but to comply.  She was in his debt, after all.  But Add turned out to be a fairly good listener, besides the occasional “kukuku”, and he was civil when he asked to speak to Eun.  When that night was over, Ara had learned more about Add than possibly any other member of the Elgang.  He had inadvertently revealed to her that his parents were Nasod researchers who had been killed in a slave raid, but when Ara pressed for detail, he clammed up and walked out. Still, Ara decided, Elesis was right.  Add probably wasn't as bad as he seemed, even though he did ostracize himself from the group at every chance.  Even if he did, in fact, stare at Eve like he wanted to cut her open for science. Ara found herself watching out for him.  During battle, she would keep an eye on the insane man, making sure he was coming out on top.  If he wasn't, she would attempt to run over and thin the attacking crowd surrounding him, though it was a rather thankless activity and all she ever got in return was a glare and a “tch”.  Add, for his part, seemed to mostly ignore Ara.  The only signs that he ever knew of her existence were the occasional glare and a couple of incidents where he had (inadvertently?) protected her on the battlefield.  Ara could count the latter on the fingers of one hand, so she chalked it up to coincidence. This pattern might have continued indefinitely if Fate hadn't intervened.  Well, Fate in the form of nightmares and one mischievous fox spirit.

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ARA! Eun cried.  She pushed at Ara's mind, trying to force a takeover, but didn't get very far.  Ara, wake up! Ara stared her brother down in the remains of her burning village, then the scene changed.  She was trying to protect her brother from Chung's missiles.  She had to admire his sense of justice, of course, attempting to get revenge for his country.  But this was her brother, her family, couldn't he just - Eun bit her. Ara woke with the pain.  She cried out, a strangled yelp, holding her head.  “Eun!  That hurt, you little-!” It worked, so shut up, Eun retorted.  Another nightmare? Ara ran her fingers through her hair, eyes darting to the spear leaning against the wall.  “Yeah.” Don't kill yourself training, Eun commented, knowing Ara's habits of going outside and tiring herself out after experiencing a nightmare.  Ara threw the bedsheets off of herself and walked over to her clothes, beginning to dress. “I won't.”

Add looked over at his shuttered window in mild disgust.  For the love of the El, what were those noises from outside?  Didn't they know that they were interrupting him and ruining his work?  It was probably Raven again, doing his pathetic “training”. If this continued, Add might not be able to concentrate on his newest calculation.  He would never be able to see Mother, never be able to change what happened to him, never.... In frustration, Add stalked over to the window and threw the shutters wide, drawing breath to yell at Raven for making this much noise at two in the mor- oh. That wasn't Raven. A different fighter trained outside, running and flipping above the sand, diving at what looked like a training monkey that she had set up.  Her spear thudded into the wood and the surrounding ground time and time again.  She looked exhausted. Add recognized Ara's thick, graceful black hair as the girl stopped for a moment, panting.  He noticed that Ara's posture was drooping.  How long had she been training? Ara twirled her spear and ran at the training monkey again with the blade outstretched.  Add watched her graceful movements, noticing that she was just slightly off on some of them.... No, of course he hadn't been watching her fighting style since the day Eun revealed herself.  Why would he do something preposterous like that? Oh, look.  Ara had collapsed.  Add sighed, jumping out the window and waiting for his Dynamo to catch him. They did so, exactly four feet from the ground.  Add jumped off of their platform, adjusting his chain tails (and why were those still on his costume, all they did was get in the way), and strode over to the unconscious Ara. He took a moment to look down at her, lying helpless and prone in the sand.  She wasn't going to be happy about the sand in her hair and clothes when she woke up, Add knew, and he chuckled at that. Following a gesture from their creator, Add's Dynamo whisked downward, lifting up Ara and hovering with her.  They followed Add as he walked back into the house and up the stairs, finally laying Ara down on her own bed. Why had he done that? Add wondered as his Dynamo flocked back to his side.  He could just as easily left Ara there, and it wouldn't have required his Dynamo to delve into the sand beneath her.  He glanced at one as it shuddered, trying to clean itself of the clinging sand as it was programmed to do.  No, sand was definitely not good for his electronics.  Then why- Add looked back at Ara as her hair turned white, ears sprouting from her head.  Nine separate tails poked out from under her, and her eyes opened red. “Eun,” Add said quietly, then chuckled.  “What are you doing here?” “That question would be better put to you.” Eun showed sharp teeth as she laughed.  “Isn't Ara just a silly, clumsy girl to you?  You're more than that to her, of course, but....”