Time is but a Gentle Stream, the Past Still at its Murky Depths

"Thanks," Evangeline said, taking the fruit. Rather oddly, she broke it into wedges, bit into them, sucked out all of the juice, and threw down the fruity husk. She did this with the remaining wedges, then yawned. "How'd you sleep?" she asked.

Dark looked at Evangeline. "I didn't really get much sleep," he said to her. "I just sat in the dark pit of my mind. I haven't dreamed in ages," he then explained. "I guess that's how being someone with dark aura works."

"Dark aura, you never really explained it much," Evangeline said, "I know it can mess with your personality and cause fire, but what else does it do? I'm kind of curious." She was happy to talk for once without death staring her in the face, it was nice.

Dark looked at Evangeline. "Aura can do all sorts of things, but my kind isn't particularly the most liked," he said to her. "It could heal, but at the cost of my life. I have to devour aura trainer's energy just to stay alive, considering I'm spending energy being awake right now while the sun is out..." He walked over to her, hugging her. "But I'm doing it because I carea bout you."

"If you would have said something sooner," Evangeline said in concern, "I would have opted to travel at night if it made things better for you. I care about you too, and I don't want to cause you to strain yourself. I can adjust."

Dark looked at her. "It's too late now. Besides, I know that I won't have any problems being awake now, whne all the stores are open and such," he told her. "So let's go before anyone shows up about the facility." He took her hand, scooping Nev into her arm and leading her away.

Evangeline let Dark take the lead, content to have her hand in his. She felt very much alive, and as always when she felt a strong emotion, her wings rustled, in delight this time. "I have a feeling today may be the best day I've had in my life."

Dark looked at Evangeline smiling a bit when she said that. He took her through alleyways, walking into a store and buying her a jacket like she wanted. He brought it out, handing it to her. "Here you are," he said to her. "One wing-covering jacket."

"Thank you so much," she said to Dark, giving him a small peck on the cheek. She felt a little bad for hiding herself while he could do nothing. She pushed the thought aside. "You like spicy food, right?" she asked with a devious smile.

"I'm not really in the mood for spicy food," Dark said to Evangeline, taking her hand after she had the jacket on. "I found a nice restaurant though." He led her towards it, letting her look at the sign which said they had all sorts of delights.

"Sounds a lot better than cooked berries," Evangeline laughed, she was tempted to open the door for him, but something told her he was being a gentleman today, and would probably insist on the opposite. Because of this, she waited for him to act before she did.

Dark opened the door, taking Evangeline to a table and sitting her down. He made sure she could keep her wings hidden but comfortable, having chosen a good chair for her with cushions. He sat down across from her. "Order anything you want," he said to her.

"Okay," Evangeline replied, looking at the menu with rabid and hungry eyes. After carefully studying all of the dishes, she chose the one that most appealed to her. "I'll have a hamburger. I've never had one, and they sound delicious." She didn't want to note the fact that she was part Pokemon, and would probably be eating something made from one. The thought just grossed her out. "What are you having?"

"I'll probably just stick to the salad. It's healthy, like a hamburger," Dark replied, the waitress taking their order before bringing their food. Dark just picked a bit before he ate slowly.

Evangeline smelled the depectable meat, and her eyes widened. She picked up the burger, and took one delicate bite. She chewed a bit then swallowed, her face was puzzled. "It's delicious, but so strange too. Meat is kind of strange." She ate her burger slowly, as if trying to get used to the new experience of meat.

Dark probably finished around the same time that Evangeline finished. He then looked at her and smiled, helping her up before leaving a tip and leaving the restaurant. "It's nice to know that it's worry-free today..."

"Yes," it is. Evangeline replied. Though in the back of her mind, by saying this, something was bound to happen. "Though I am a bit worried," she said, "what ever happened to Shade and her brother? What if they were killed in the lab explosion, we haven't seen them since then." She sighed, "But I guess I shouldn't put a damper on things. What do you want to do next?"

Dark took Evangeline's hand. "Well, we can get a motel/inn room so we don't freeze in the wilderness," he told her, walking with her and getting the two a room key. He handed her key to her, putting his in his pocket. "Would you like ot see the view from the room princess," he asked chuckling a bit, offerin ghis hand to her.

Evangeline took his hand. "That would be very nice," she said, giggling. "Who knew you were such a romantic?"

"I'm not much of a romantic," Dark said to Evangeline, taking her hand and escorting her to their room, sitting down beside her on the bed letting her watch the view. He had set Nev on the other bed before he walked over, rubbing his head a bit since it itched. He took her coat off, knowing that she didn't have to worry about anyone finding her wings in a private room. "There you are," he said to her, setting her jacket on a coat hanger. "I bet that makes your wings feel better," he said to her giving her a smile, making sure that the door was locked from the outside. He didn't want anyone to be able to barge in and find her wings. He also sighed a bit in relief. The shade of the room, despite the candlelight, didn't hurt his eyes as bad as regular sunlight.

He blew out a couple of candles and dimmed the other lights in the room, not wanting to run the power bill for the place up that much. He also wanted Evangeline to get a better experience from viewing the outside world, and he walked over sitting beside her again, turning his head and looking outside. "I would rather see the view from in here than in the sunlight," he said to her. "When you're in the sunlight, it blinds your vision a little. Also, you're exposed to the elements of nature, and that can all take from the experience of viewing the mountain ranges."

Dark relaxed back a bit whilst he sat on the bed. He got a bit into thinking, wondering how his mother was. Truthfully he still despised her, and he still wished he could shove a knife straight through her heart. However, he couldn't help but remember her being so kind to him for all those years after he discovered his dark aura. "Without her, I may not have even made it," he thought to himself. That was exactly why he couldn't kill her yet. He couldn't bring himself to do it because of his past. He then changed his thoughts to Evangeline, and he smiled a bit warmly, opening his eyes to look at the scenery again.

He could see himself conquering the mountain, though thinking of conquering shifted his thoughts to dominating a town, forcing the civilians to bow or die to his aura. The thought of consuming a life for strength beckoned him to do it, though he knew it was wrong, and he fought it until it was back in submission, hidden in the back of his mind alongside the other personality. "I hope that one day, this personality will disappear," he thought to himself, not liking it at all.

It was then he got back into discussion, turning to Evangeline. "So, Evangeline," he said to her, blushing a bit still. "What did you think of the meal," he asked her curiously.

Evangeline happily stretched her wings to their full span before letting them fall at their natural slack. She was blushing a bit too. "The food was interesting, to say the least," she replied, still taking in the beautiful view of the mountains. "I thought meat would be a little more flavourful, but maybe it was, I just hadn't tasted that flavour yet."

She smiled shyly, and jumped onto one of the beds in the room. "What about you? The sun wasn't too much today, was it?" she asked with obvious concern.

"The sun isn't what is getting to me," Dark said to Evangeline. "It's the want to devour people's energy..."

Evangeline nodded. "But don't you need to in order to survive. Could you train yourself to do it without hurting the person you were draining?" she was genuinely curious as well as slightly concerned. If the need grew too powerful, she'd probably have to cover up a few unusual deaths.

"I possibly could," Dark said to Evangeline. "I have a good grasp on my aura at the moment. I think I could." He looked at her before he hugged her tight. "But who would I drain," he asked.

Evangeline knew the answer even before he had finished his sentence. "Me." she said, in a non-negotiable tone. "I'm the person you'll have the most control with. If it were a stranger, it would be no loss to accidentally lose control. With me, you'll have to keep your focus or I die."