ﾟ･stars were made for falling ﾟ･ (original)

2- frost

They didn't stop running, even when they were out of breath, plunging deeper and deeper into the trees surrounding the Virgo Compound. Every time Leo considered slowing down, he could almost swear he heard the crunch of a Keykeeper's boots in the brush, growing ever closer with every step. Halley kept pace beside him, surprisingly nimble, considering how much shorter her legs were.

Eventually, Leo came to an abrupt stop, tripping over a hidden tree root poking out of the ground. He held in a scream, hitting the ground with a hard thud. Halley stopped as well bending over double as if she was about to throw up. She shook her head, wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, grumbling something that sounded like, "Are you alright?"

Leo had pushed himself upright at this point, staring up at the still hunched-over girl with a dazed look on his face. Gingerly, he touched his arms, his legs, his face, his torso; they all seemed to be okay, if not just a bit achy from the fall. He had hit the ground pretty damn hard. Nothing seemed broken or sprained; he breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing needed healing- if he would have had the energy to do so, anyway. "...Yeah, I'm okay. You?"

"I don't think I've run like that once."

Leo snickered, but it devolved into a gasping cough; he was still trying to catch his breath. "Well, running's our life now. Probably should get used to it."

Halley straightened, her eyes narrowing into a glare- a look Leo was quickly getting used to. "You're a real comedian, Starboy."

The silence that fell afterward was enough to make Leo squirm a little; how in the world did he consistently manage to piss her off? What was it about him that made her so angry? He shakily rose to his feet, eyes darting around the dark woods uselessly- he couldn't see anything, anyway. He reached into his bag- good god was it wonderful to have back- digging around for a flashlight. He was almost certain he packed one, it would have been stupid not to. After a few moments of awkwardly digging around, he stopped, meeting Halley's dry stare self consciously. "...lookin' for a flashlight."

"Ah." She looked down at her hand, flicking her wrist, igniting it again. Halley gave him a snarky grin, looking somewhat ghoulish in the green firelight. "This good enough?"

Leo swallowed, staring at her hand stupidly for a second. "Am I... am I allowed to ask?"

She pushed past him, careful to keep her burning hand away from Leo. "No."

"Okay, suit yourself." His eyes trailed after the light for a second, enraptured, before blinking. Leo's eyes dropped to the ground, searching for branches- they were obviously going to need a bigger fire than the one in Halley's hand if they were going to keep warm. Although, judging from how warm her hand had to be, he wasn't too worried about her freezing overnight. He scooped some sticks up, kicking some spare brush out of the way to make a small clearing- the last thing they needed was a forest fire. Halley watched him for a moment, before reaching down as well with her free hand.

Leo made a small pile in the center of the clearing, satisfied that they wouldn't burn to death in their sleep. Halley threw her small contribution onto the pyre as well, igniting it with her flashlight hand, watching the dry wood catch with ease. She smiles in a grim way, flicking her again, making the green fire disappear with a tiny flash of light. Once again, Leo felt almost hypnotized by the sight of the flames, his gaze drifting from her hand to the smoldering wood. The campfire, for whatever reason, had turned a normal shade of bright orange.

He sat down somewhat roughly without meaning to, cringing a little at his lack of grace. Halley crouched elegantly opposite of him, absentmindedly pulling at the ripped fabric of what was once a pristine, white skirt. It still went way below her knees, but it seemed like the underbrush had done a number to it as they ran- not that that mattered, anyway. She was going to need warmer clothes soon enough. Her eyes were also fixed on the flames, and when a cold breeze blew through the small camp, she didn't shiver like Leo did; she just sat there, completely unaffected. Once again, he wondered if the pyromancy made her permanently warm, but he didn't bother asking- she wouldn't have given him an answer, anyway.