Yoon was about to say something until she remembered not everyone could see the feline. She sighed and bit her tongue, making distorted faces to shoo the cat away. She glared at it momentarily before scoffing you herself and gently rinsing the blonde’s locks gently. Yoon lathered her hair with a rose-scented shampoo thoroughly.

"–and be more gentle when you're tending to my hair! I don't want mine to be falling out and looking all short or whatever like yours!" The woman continued nagging at every little detail. "Ugh, where are the actual professionals in this place?! You must be new!"

The feline extended its front paws out, giving a satisfying purr as it stretched. "It's a shame isn't it? Tending to a bunch of two-legged swine more obsessed with what you're not doing rather than what you are doing. And yet here she sits, this woman–or rather this tall little girl is doing exactly that. All over the life expectancy of a electronic rectangle." The cat hopped off the back of the chair, landing gracefully onto one of the sinks. "And here I thought you were on a much better hierarchy than this."

“Get your dirty paws off the sink!” Yoon exclaimed, ignoring the blonde’s insults. She left her lathered hair alone momentarily while she went to go pick up the cat and drop it on the ground. “Shoo!” She scolded it before returning to the client's side, talking to herself in Korean before rinsing her hair.

"Shoes are what you wear." The cat spoke, shaking itself off from being touched. "And I'll have you know that I tend to my paws. Unlike you humans, who have to go elsewhere to fix-up yourselves. I can wager that my claws are cleaner than your nails."

"Paws?!" The blonde woman had sat up sharply. "You've got animals in this place? Around my hair!?" She shrieked, her eyes growing wide. Her head snapped to either directions, looking around for the animal in question.

"See? Now look at what you've done? I'm sure this has helped your situation a great deal hasn't it?" The feline took a few steps and jumped up onto the arm of the customer's chair and across onto the other before hopping over into the seat of the chair that sat across from her where it made itself comfortable.

Yoon cringed at the sudden outbreak from the blonde woman. "N-No, no animals here--sorry, I sometimes j-just talk to myself..." She chuckled awkwardly. Yoon finished rinsing her hair, squeezing the excess of water before wrapping her locks in a towel and momentarily covering her eyes with it to take care of the cat. She quickly hurried to the opposite chair, mumbling to herself before snatching the cat from the chair and plopping it on the ground. "Go away!" She whispered with furrowed brows.

"Go away?" The cat swished its tail. "I'd rather not. You see, I've just gotten back a little while ago and it would be counterproductive to depart again on such a short noti–"

"Then stop doing it! What sort of headcase talks to themselves while they're supposed to be their job!" The blonde woman's voice cut in over the voice of that in which she herself was unable to see or hear. "Ugh, I'm never coming to this place again!"

The feline chuckled. "It sounds as if that would do well for everyone," it spoke in response to the woman before its gaze returned to Yoon. "Say, I know a solution that will surely silence this youthful hag of a woman. That glowing rectangle she possesses, it requires energy for it to continue to function, yes?"

Yoon bit her lip in annoyance at the woman’s voice. But at the cat’s attempt of doing anything, she shook her head. “Stay out of this.” She whispered with threatening eyes. “Or else I’m splashing water on you.” Yoon quickly returned to her station and apologized, helping the blonde woman up and guiding her to a different seat where she could style her hair. She patted her hair until it wasn’t dripping, retrieving her comb to start brushing her hair.

"Actually, that sounds quite nice if it means you'll be taking the liberty of giving my fur a nice cleaning. Surely it would lead to a much better outcome than your current grooming." The feline gave a reply while watching her return to the blonde woman, watching as the customer bit her lip while attempting to keep her phone in sight the entire time. "Besides, who knows. You may follow threw with what I'd assume was a threat. However....you just may miss."

And the expression on the woman's face was, if put into a more serious context, was one of horror as she witnessed the percentage of her phone drop into the single digits. Her fingers tapped at the screen, the rapping of her fingers against it causing quick pop sounds from the phone's keyboard. She dropped down into the next seat that she was taken to like her legs had given out completely, her focus remaining on what mattered the most to her.

Yoon didn’t risk talking to the feline in case she was heard by anyone nearby. She sighed to herself, not really caring anymore to comfort her client since she was beyond her limits. Upon brushing through her hair softly, she was able to use the rolling brush as a curler and a hairdryer as the heat needed to curl the hair.

The feline, more out of spite than much of anything else, hopped back into the chair that it had been in previously and started to speak again while doing so. "Quite a thing, this place is. This...mall, it's called yes? So many spaces for so many things. It makes me wonder whether or not something like the malls were made for convenience, or for the humans who were too inadequate to go to separate places–" But the cat didn't just stop when it had gotten back into the chair, where it paused to tend to and itch around its mane. It continued with hopping onto the back of the chair. And then it leaped suddenly, it's paws latching onto the wall as if they had been glued there on immediate contact.
It casually proceeded up the wall while speaking. "Don't you find it ironic that with as complex as a creature that humans are supposed to be, they can make even the simplest things an issue to themselves. Perhaps there is only the thinnest of lines that distinguish human beings from apes that they are said to supposedly come from."

"Oh my gooooOOD!" The woman groaned in a way that almost seemed as she was about to burst into tears as she watched the rectangle appear on her phone screen with the words "Powering Off" within it. She was forced to watch the dim light that her phone conjured be swallowed into darkness as the device was rendered as good as dead. "Great! Just great! And you're telling me that no one has an i-Phone charger anywhere!" She snapped in dismay and let out a "stressed" groan.

"Oh my. That can't be too good now can it?" The feline sat down. However, its luminous yellow eyes were now peering down at them, for its place was now on the ceiling of the room.

Yoon leaned the woman’s head down to start curling the bottom part of her hair, and also to keep her sight away from her reaction of the cat on the ceiling. Her mouth fell agape, and she almost found herself burning a chunk of her hair with the curler. This wasn’t like any other cat she had seen on the streets or in stores. “K-keep your head down please...” Yoon warned her client. She looked around momentarily before grabbing a nearby lightweight object she could throw up in attempt to scare the feline off the ceiling.

"H-hey! That feels a hot–you better not have mess up my hair!" The woman hissed when it felt like, to her, the curler had gotten closer to her scalp that it was supposed to be during the unknown event of Yoon's reaction to the ceiling cat.

But things quickly became stranger. The small object that had been thrown at the feline slowed to a sharp stop until it almost touched its head. But it didn't fall, the object, and instead it...floated. Like some invisible hand had arrived and caught it. Not only that, but the cats eyes were now gleaming like they had small lights within them. "Now now, I don't believe that that is a very nice gesture. Your female parent seems to be a strict one. Surely she has taught you to play well with others."

“N-No ma’am, of course not—“ Yoon responded back to her accusation. But despite being shocked, she glared at the cat now, rolling her eyes at its comment. She grabbed one of the spray bottles of water on the desk near her, aiming towards the feline until a voice cut her action.

“Everyting oke here?” The older woman, or Yoon’s mom came into the scene. Yoon quickly hid the spray bottle behind her back and nodded “ 예” She said, quickly returning to curling the client’s hair.

The feline gave a "hmph", watching Yoon hide the spray bottle upon the arrival of the older woman, almost seeming to give some variant of a grin that shouldn't have been possible for it to give. The object that had been thrown, still in its float in the air closer to the ceiling.

But it was the question that had been asked the made the blonde woman speak again. "Uh, uh-no," she scoffed. "My phone died because none of you had a charger! Do you have any idea how many people that are waiting for me? My follower–" She let out a sudden squeal when something landing on her lap, causing her to jump at the unexpected feeling.

The lightweight object that had been thrown at the cat had fallen at its will not a second too soon when the woman had started to talk to much in its opinion.

Both Yoon and her mother gasped at the unexpected visit on the client's lap.

"S-Sorry, I don't know how that got there..." Yoon mumbled, removing the luckily empty container and continuing with curling her hair. She had to stand on the tip of her toes to achieve maximum range of her head.

The older lady observed the client's phone, noticing they didn't have a charger for it. "Oh, I see." Her soft voice spoke. "I go buy." She smiled sweetly.

Yoon's head perked up. "Huh? What, mom no-- 쓸모없는 것에 돈을 쓰지 마십시오." She switched languages with ease.

"향후 고객에게 필요합니다." Her mother argued, saying it would benefit future customers besides the current one.

Yoon cursed softly to herself, watching her mother bow slightly before she went to fetch what was asked for. She shook her head in dismay not only at her mother, but also at the thought of the feline.

The feline itself was no longer on the ceiling, but instead, sitting a few inches away from where the blonde client's feet had been. It turned and looked at Yoon's mother, its nose wrinkling in thought, concluding that it had indeed been correct about one of its earlier statements. Hmm...she cannot see me...yet she is able to sense that I'm here. Interesting, it thought to itself while thinking back to when Yoon's mother had sneezed before. It watched the brief exchange between mother and daughter in wonder, only able to pick up on brief bits from their language.

The woman in the chair was brushing off her lap where the container had landed as if it had left some invisible grime that was her duty to get off. When she "Soooo what? She's going to go get a charger then?" The blonde woman asked.

The cat wrinkled its nose in its own settling in dismay as it looked at the woman. "It seems that the tides have turned, and the creators have become pets to their creations. How suiting." It's gaze then shifted to Yoon, though it was silent for some seconds. "You may want to hurry. I sense that misfortune is creeping about behind this woman."

Yoon ignored the cat this time, purposefully getting in its way so it would leave as she curled the last strand of hair from the blonde woman. The worker sprayed long-lasting hairspray, clipping her locks back to retain longer the curls before she commenced with the nails. "Yes..." Yoon answered with a bitter tone. "She's getting you the charger." She said, scooting a low-level chair near where her client was sitting with a box of tools in her hand. Yoon grabbed the blonde's left hand and began to cleanse each of her nails with a rose-scented alcohol solution.

"Oh really? Well it's about time! At least someone in this place knows what they're doing." The woman rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Hopefully she can hurry up and get back here. God knows how slow some old people can move." She said, making a futile attempt at turning her phone back on in hopes that it possibly still had at least a percent of energy left. And when it didn't she only became more annoyed. "See! This is exactly why–wait a minute..." Whatever she had been about to say was immediately changed in course when she finally looked over at who was tending to her. It took only about two and a half seconds for her to realize who it was and pulled her hand away. "Oh...my god. A nutcase..is touching...my hair and nails. Oh my gooood oh my GOD–Trevor!" She began to call out. "Trevor!"

Yoon blinked at the woman’s shrieking, feeling all the eyes in the salon fall on her and the blonde lady. She was just finishing filing her left hand when her mother returned from the store with a small bag. “I back!” She exclaimed, retrieving the newly bought charger and plugging it into the nearest outlet.

"I demand a different employee!" The blonde woman exclaimed, pointing a finger at Yoon. "She's that loon that was screaming at herself! I knew that whole not having chargers thing must've been bullcrap–or maybe that CaT ran off with them! I'm not going to sit here with this whacko ma–"

Through the woman's ranting, the feline's voice could be heard. "Oh for the love of–"

There was a single flicker from the lights in the room, and then a bright flash. A blur of thick fur like smoke that knocked the woman back into the chair, barely able to be seen with the brightness of the flash. And then slowly, the lights dimmed back to normal, and the sound of choking came from the woman for a second or two. She ended up coughing harshly, leaning forward to cough into the sleeve of her shirt as she held her throat.

There were gasps heard everywhere from within the salon when the lights dimmed. And at the sudden outbreak of the woman choking, Yoon’s mother quickly rushed to her side and aided her while she coughed, ordering another one of her workers to fetch a glass of water. Yoon stood there in disbelief, taking a step back momentarily before glancing at the feline. “Stop this! You’re ruining everything!”

Yoon’s mother glanced back at the shriek of her own daughter, watching her yell at... nothing. Her brows furrowed softly, ensuring the client was well first before placing her hand on her daughter’s forehead to check her temperature.

“나를 따라 다니는 고양이가있다!” Yoon exclaimed in frustration about a furry animal haunting her and being the cause of all this, her cheeks red with anger. Her mother looked around the salon where all eyes were on them. And what she heard from her own daughter was beyond ridiculous and perhaps even insulting.

For the first time in a while, the mother raised her voice at her daughter when she continued ranting about a fake cat. “충분히!” The elderly woman slapped one of the hairbrushes on the counter to make her stop talking fables. She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat, suggesting in her native language to go home and rest. But firstly, to pick up her brother before doing so.

“하지만 엄마—“

“충분히!!!” The mom yelled again this time. Yoon’s face was a shade of red now, her trembling hands clutching into fists. She looked around momentarily, intimidated by the eyes on her. She sunk any exposed skin into her jacket, shoving past her mom and other workers to retrieve her bag and exit the shop with angered stomps.

It was the moment that Yoon went to glance at the feline that the image of it wavered like a mirage of shadowy air, and there was no direct or immediate reply that came in response to the young woman's accusation of it ruining everything while the woman continued to cough. And soon, the outline of the cat quickly faded out of the place that it had been sitting in. One of the lights above where the blonde woman was gave a quick flicker again, but returned to its normalcy afterwards.

As the blonde woman was given the glass of water that had been requested by Yoon's mother, she coughed again, her chest heaving a few times. However, she didn't gulp down the water. Instead, she stuck her tongue into the glass, swishing it around for a moment until she saw the eyes of the people that were on her. She seemed confused, lost even for a second or so before she finally took a sip, leaning herself back into the chair. And then another. And another before clearing her throat. "Oh..oh goodness~" She said in a sigh of relief. However...it wasn't exactly due to the water that she had been given.

She looked up at the older woman, the owner of the salon, with an expression that could only be explained as...off. She looked at the woman as if she had never seen another human being in her life. But something that could have been considered even stranger were the pair of eyes that now looked up at the woman. The eyes, a dark, honey color. And almost considerably...cat-like. Her lips twitched, and a stiff smile came to her face. And though her voice came forth when she spoke, it was not her way of words that came with it. "My deepest apologies for my comments from earlier upon my arrival. It was rude of me to project my frustrations onto you and your offspring just because I was having a bad day. My cycle has just began, and life is a..trivial thing, yes?"

The older woman shook her head in disagreement. “No, no—“ She held one of her wrinkly fingers up. “Customer is always right.” She said. “Apologies for any inconvenience. Refund Oke? Full refund.” She specified. Whether the blonde woman was mad or not, she still didn’t like the way the situation at hand was handled by her daughter. “I brought charger. You relax and I finish nails, oke?”

The blonde woman looked at her nails momentarily when they were mentioned, her brows raising and knitting together in puzzlement. "I don't think that will be necessary, I assure you. Not finishing the progress that has been made on these...nAiLs, nor a refund of any kind." She paused, looking down at the phone in her possession. "I do thank you for the uhm...charger. I'm sure that it will come in handy for my electrical rectangle–my phone, I mean." She stood up from the chair, settling her glass aside before looking over herself. The denim "jeggings" that she wore. The white v-neck t-shirt with the word "Priceless" and its definition on it in a very dictionary-esque fashion. And arrow was above the word "priceless" and supposedly pointing at the wearer. And this brought about a sly smile. Priceless, hm?


She dug down into her pocket and pulled out a snap-wallet, inspecting it before opening it up. Or rather looking as if she was just figuring out how to open it. From it came a fifty dollar bill that was placed into the hands of the owner. "This should cover for the charger as well as decent amounts extra for the inconvenience. My thanks to you for your grooming services. Now if you'll excuse me, I have business to attend to elsewhere." She went to where the charger had been plugged in and grabbed it more out of convenience. Well that, and not wanting the mother's trip to the store to have been in vain. And as she was making her way towards the door, she stopped and added, "Oh, and by the by, I'll be sure to give your place of occupation the highest rating that I can. Au revoir!" With a stiff wave, she was out the door.

Mrs. Park held an expression of genuine shock when she was given the extra fifty as tip, denying it in Korean. But she was forced to accept it, watching the blonde woman take her leave with half-done nails. “M-Many thanks!” She followed her to the exit, bowing gratefully for the donation with interlocked hands. When she was on her way, her hands reached for her phone to call her daughter, however, she was immediately sent to voicemail.

Meanwhile, Yoon was waiting for her order at the Taco Bell, declining her mother’s phone call out of anger. Her foot tapped impatiently, the hood of her hoodie well hiding her face and any figure of her body. She couldn’t enjoy her own meal from home since that was ruined by the cat as well. Instead, she waited in line for a quesadilla and a iced tea.

Meanwhile back at the mall, the blonde woman had to catch herself by holding onto the rail to the second floor outside the salon after stumbling out the door, the one steering the body finding that it was still just as a task as it was before. Damn these two-legger appendages! But luckily, it took a few minutes less to shake the numb feeling the rest of the way out of her legs. Her gaze moved to her surroundings, not able to help but to take a moment to stare at everything in wonder. It was strange how a shift in something as simple as height could change the perspective of everything around an individual. Without having to be closer to the ground where everyone else's feet traveled, it didn't seem like nearly as many people were there as it had before. Either that, or there truly wasn't as many people there as it was prior to coming across Yoon.

She inhaled deeply through her nose, taking in the scents of the vicinity. There were so many people there that it was harder to distinguish an individual one out of them all. And as she started down the stairs towards the first floor, she started thinking to herself. With this many people here, the probability of this being something swift in conclusion are significantly lower. However, perhaps if–oooo, salmon! "Focus." And the more she thought to herself, the more she remembered what had drawn her there in the first place. The feeling.

~

~Meanwhile, in Orlando~

[Jackline]


"Jacky!"

"Leeexxxyyyy!!"

At long last after three years apart, aside from a Christmas Eve, and what seemed like an eternity of seasons and holidays in between, the two that could have been considered as sisters from different parents finally reunited. Friends since their first year of college, there had never been a person that Jackline had had such a strong urge to see again after so long. Sure, they had spoken over the phone and sometimes on Skype or when it was the most convenient, Facebook Messenger, but none of it was nowhere near seeing one of her best, if not the best friend that she currently had.

"Damn girl, it took yo ass so long to get here that I didn't think you was eva gonna come! What, lemme guess, you got lost?"

Jackline chuckled, her cheeks becoming a light shade of red out of embarrassment. That was actually exactly what had happened. Her phone had died, and with the shortage in her charger cord being the way it was, she knew that there was no way in hell she was going to be able to charge it. And instead of doing things the easier way since she didn't want to have to make another stop after the grocery store, she asked around and eventually got the directions she needed pretty quickly. The bottom line was, Alexis knew her all too well. "See, what had happened was...yeah, pretty much."

"How the fuck you get lost on a damn near straight road!?" Alexis started laughing, pulling Jackline into a hug. "I missed youuuu~!" She said. "Oh but shit, come'on in. We got so much stuff to catch up on, and tryna explain all of it over the phone wuhn' cuttin' it. Didju bring the stuff for those pies?"

"Hell yeah I did!" Jackline nodded, enjoying the embrace of reunion. She couldn't help but to grin like a fool now. "What? Are you gonna make them now?"

Alexis rolled her eyes. "Girl please, we'll save that for tomorrow...after the mmaaAAaaaAAllll!!"

"Girl YES!"

And with that, the two entered into the small brick home already cooking up years worth of conversation.

Yoon thanked the worker and took the bag and drink, immediately popping the paper from the straw and inserting it into the cup. She took a couple sips before she went on her way to the parking lot. The girl didn’t want to be anywhere near anyone at this point, she just wanted to eat and be alone at home blasting music. That, and unfortunately having to pick up her brother from school.

[Individual Unknown]

People...so many people. Lives wasted of potential. A society much different than my own. Much, much different. There were components that were so scarce that they could be considered missing that they made up for with the use of technology that had advanced a good ways passed where he had come from. Because where he came from, he didn't need technology. To him, it was just mimicking that in which they had failed to sustain. And therefore, this society had failed as a whole. Became fragile. Vulnerable.

He watched them go back and forth, the people roaming the streets, the sidewalks in the vicinity filled with a variety of them. Some that walked in small groups of three that laughed among themselves. A few that were on business. Women young and even some middle aged walking around in clothing that was just beyond skimpy. But none of them had the misfortune of being a part of the importance of being there. None of them...except the one that he watched closely as they entered and exited the fast food restaurant that was known to be a Taco Bell. Colorless eyes followed after the young woman, but he remained motionless as he stood across the street at a crosswalk. And under the hood of a modern day cloak, he smirked, his head remaining low.

Yoon was talking to herself in Korean, obvious curse words emitting through her mouth while walking through the mall and eventually down the stairs. She unwrapped her quesadilla and took a few bites, chewing vehemently and taking a sip of her drink. She watched the stores surrounding her turning into cement walls as she entered the parking lot and to the designated floor of her mom's car.

While Yoon was heading through the parking lot, there was an extra set of footsteps that followed behind her, barely audible, but noticeably there. Something began to creep into the air, a feeling that caused the atmosphere to shift. It was like the air was gaining weight to it with a tingling electric surge coursing through it that would bring goosebumps to the young woman's skin. There was something about the feeling of it that would definitely be unsettling, almost baleful. However, there was no one behind her.

Yoon turned around when she felt something behind her, confusion about the unsettling feeling that washed over her. She paused in her footsteps and looked around momentarily, shifting some in her oversized hoodie. And then she quickened her pace, rushing through the parking lot and clicking on the button hooked to her keys vehemently. She looked around while doing so, opening the door once it unlocked and jumping into the front seat, shutting it harshly and locking it. She sighed softly, peeking her head above the driving seat.

[A Cat's Keeper?!]

The moment Yoon peeked over the seat, she would find someone standing in front of the car with dark purple hood draping over his face down to where only his mouth and some of the visible thick black lines around it could be seen. Yet the most noticeable thing about him is that he wasn't exactly small, either. He was tall, looking to be a bit more than six feet.

And then it happened, what felt like a searing knife cutting a space into her thoughts for itself. A malicious, snarling monstrosity of a voice forced itself into her mind that was accompanied by a chuckle. Each word was like the prickle of a cactus jabbing at the inside of her. "Please, don't hurry off so soon Keeper. Or Yoon, was it? 잠시만 기다려." It said, suggesting that she stay for a bit instead.

"Eeep--" Yoon cringed when she felt the voice enter her head, jolting some enough to almost hit the top of her head against the seat. She slowly turned around to view the figure in front of her vehicle, a gasp escaping her out of the sudden presence and its appearance. Her hands trembled as she jammed her key into the ignition, gripping the steering wheel tightly as she heard her engine start. Quickly, she skipped looking into her rearview and went straight to back up her car, her tires screeching at how fast she did so.

The tall figure smirked as he watched the hunk of metal on wheels pull away from him, his lips twitching at the screech the vehicle's tires gave. He lifted his hand, and from Yoon's perspective she would only be able to see a mere outline of the transparent smog rushing from his sleeve and to tips of his hands where it clustered the most. The back of the car suddenly rose up off the ground a few feet to where only the front tires spun against the concrete. The windshield and windows slowly began to crack as if pressure was pushing it inwards from the outside.

Yoon attempted to accelerate her speed to escape the lifting of her car, but failed. Her constricted eyes looked in horror at her windshield began to crack. She didn't scream, rather she mumbled quickly in her native language, something along the lines of "what the fuck" repeatedly. Her breathing raced, and with much hesitation, she unlocked her doors and jumped out of the car with her bag, landing flat on her stomach. Her breasts served as some cushioning, though painful, enough for her to roll away from the scene. Crawling, she got to her knees and ran as fast as she could, jiggling her phone between her hands to turn it on.

Smash! The sound of the back of the car slamming back down onto the concrete stabbed into the air, quickly followed by the shattering glass that sprinkled across ground. The tall covered figure of the man was still, watching the young woman flee until he slowly started after her. Yet it was the voice that still managed to reach her, painfully invading her mind just as it had done previously. "You intend to run. But how far will your legs carry you? The other ones attempted to do the same. Don't make this difficult for yourself, Keeper. The pain will be brief if you allow it to be so. Come back to me, child."

Yoon panted heavily, wincing again when she heard the awful voice. She regretted ever skipping gym class because now she was quite unfit, and she got tired easily while running. However, she didn’t stop. She ran as fast as her short legs could take her, turning quickly at every corner in attempt to lose her chaser.

"Where oh where will you go?" The voice gave a long, dry chuckle. The sound of footsteps seemed to become closer with each corner that Yoon turned, yet the slow pace that the tall man had started after her at hadn't changed at all. In fact, he wasn't anywhere immediately behind her. Suddenly, the footsteps stopped. And from around the corner ahead of her, the looming figure lumbered from around it, its head turning towards her. "Your legs, they will tire. Your body, it will collapse. You will fall, Keeper. You will fail."

“Aahhh!” Yoon shrieked, stopping her pace to avoid bumping into him. She panted, taking a couple steps back while rummaging through her bag. Maybe if she would’ve taken the taser her mom always tells her to she would be able to defend herself. But for now, all she had as a weapon was her Taco Bell drink, which she uncovered and splashed on him. “G-Go away! I’m going to call the police!” Yoon continued running backwards, taking random items out her bag and tossing it at him. However, a chapstick and a few books didn’t do much damage. She turned all the way around this time, heading for the entrance of the mall.

The man couldn't help but to smirk as the Keeper let out a shriek, the smirk extending into a grin. And with each step she took away from him, he took one forward. But the grin that had welcomed itself to his face fell into a deep frown, finding himself caught off guard as the unexpected drink splashed over his cloak. And though it couldn't be seen and despite the chuckle the more audible chuckle that came from him, there was definitely a glare beneath the hood. "The police? The police!?" The snarling voice came as a sudden boom, shoving thoughts aside as it pushed to the front of her mind.
The items that came at him after the drink froze in midair, and with an agitated wave of his hand, the books tore asunder like the air had become a paper shredder. "Call who you may. They will be nothing but cattle to a slaughter" The smoggy build-up returned to his hand. And as he pointed a finger at the fleeing woman, he spoke in his own severely scratchy voice. "Freiza nul."

A deep grungy hue of orange flashed behind Yoon, and something that felt like a hot shard of glass struck Yoon in the back with so much force that it should have knocked her off of her feet. However, this wasn't the case. Instead, a numbness would fall over her body and cause it to lock as if under paralysis.

Yoon gasped when she felt something hit her back, an overwhelming feeling of numbness spreading through her body. Her footsteps slowed until she was forced to stop, falling on the ground. The phone that was dialing her mother fell from her hands and rolled a few feet in front of her. She tried reaching for it, but lost sense in her arm. Yoon writhed in discomfort, but her eyes shot open to the voice of her mother answering her call. However, she couldn’t say anything besides a few mumbles.

"Lun magniete." No longer than it took for the phone to hit the ground in a roll, there was a glow of the same hue that occurred prior to the young woman's fall that wrapped around the device. And before Yoon's eyes, it lifted from its new found place on the ground and into a newer one within the air. The phone gave a sudden jerk and flew passed its owner and into the possession of the unnatural man. He looked at the phone for only a brief moment before crushing it within smoggy aura that flowed around his hand and throwing it aside as he started towards Yoon once more. "Are you prepared, Keeper?"

Yoon's eyes widened when she witnessed her phone crush under what couldn't be explained as something real. Her body twitched some, trying to gain back strength in order to run again. However, once she saw him approach her, her mumbles turned into distorted screams trying to phrase words. "....a-a...aWAY!" She attempted to kick. "g...goo... AWAY!!!"

The grip of long fingers wrapped around Yoon's ankle when she attempted to kick him. And soon, the man drug her off the ground and up into the air, dangling her upside down with shockingly abnormal ease. He put his other hand raised for him to press a finger to his lips. "Ssshhhhh," He shushed her in a way that was in no way soothing. "I can almost smell it within you. Such a pity. So much potential, wasted. But no longer will it be. Even if you have to be drawn, hung by your ankles and quartered, I will drain every inch from your blood." And accompanying these words were a chuckle. "Be grateful. You've remained alive much longer than the other ones. However...it didn't take me as long to locate them either, and I must say...that doesn't...settle well with me." All traces of even the slightest hint of laughter were gone as if they had never been there.

Yoon's entire body went stiff when she heard the eerie words emit from her kidnapper's mouth. She couldn't see with her hair covering her face thanks to being upside down, but she still fought with any strength she had left, successfully kicking his chin with little strength. "날 놓아 줘!" She shrieked, feeling the tears beginning to form in her eyes. If she died, her mother would have no idea what happened. And no one would be able to pick up her brother after school either. Yoon shook her head some to get a sight of something, and thanks to her short height, she was stiffly able to punch her arms around, eventually hitting below his gut.

Though the young woman continued to fight against the man, the kick to his chin with such little strength behind it wasn't nearly enough to do any actual harm, though it did seem to bring at least a flinch out of him. However, it was the strike beneath his gut that brought forth a grunt out of him, his grip loosening for just a second. "Insolent little–" Without hesitation, the fingers of his free hand curled into a fist. At first, it seemed as if he was going to return the favor with a punch of his own until his lips curled into a unsettling grin. His hand opened, his fingers stiff. "Pyro Firaga." Now that he was much closer than he had been before, the layers of voices within his could be heard when he spoke the strange words. Strange embers exploded into his palm, trailing across his fingers and to the tips of them. "Lets see how much you'll scream with your mouth melted shut."

Yoon refused to stay put, her feet kicking wildly in the air. But at his threat and the sudden strange appearance of embers, she settled down just a little. Her brows quivered, trying to lean away from the heat she felt. "I-I-Ic-cangiveyouagoodd-discounttofi­xth­ose­nai­lso­fyo­urs­---­&qu­ot; She spoke quickly with fear. "IFYOUCANJUSTLETMEGO!" She shrieked again. "F-Freea-anythingyouwant--newfacenewn­-na­ils­new­mas­sag­en-­new­h-h­air­?&q­uot­; She suggested, now trying to bargain her way out with tears still present.

The man paused, mugging at the young woman from under his hood as she started to blurt out offers of things that he had no interest in. And as she went on, he began to chuckle, and then laugh. Or more so cackle. "You seem to misunderstand, girl. I have no interest in such trifling things. What I want, Keeper," his head lifted for the black irises within his eyes to look the young woman in the eyes. "Is what runs through your veins."

“WHY DO YOU KEEP CALLING ME THAT—IM NOT WHATEVER A KEEPER IS!” She yelled at the top of her lungs, that is, until she saw the eyes of her kidnapper. Her pupils shrunk to the size of a pin, jolting in his grasp at what he wanted. “N-No! Let go of me you CREEP!” She kicked his gut this time with surprising flexibility. “GO SUCK YOUR DAD INSTEAD!” Yoon insulted almost childishly.

This time, the man was more prepared for the kick that landed in his gut, giving a disgusted scoff. "I will enjoy breaking you down into dust after I get what I–"

There was sharp flash of yellow sparks, and Yoon was suddenly dropped hard onto the floor, and a couple of feet away from her came a devastating thud that sounded as if someone had punched through a metal wall, the sound of shattering glass once again greeting the atmosphere.

"Keep your grimy, corrupted fingers off of the Keeper you wretchedly detestable fiend!" Someone snarled fiercely, the voice more than familiar but the parlance being one that didn't belong to it. Soft hands were wrapping around Yoon and working on pulling her up to her feet. It was no other than the blonde woman who had been making such a fuss back in the salon. "Come, come! We must go now!" She said urgently.

Five meters(or 16 feet) away from them the man hooded man let out a groan, working on picking himself up. One of the cars within the parking lot had been shoved over a few feet out of its original position from the impact of his body smashing into it.