Priest

Surprise me

"Impossible."
Green eyes ablaze with storm clouds looked up at him, "of course it is."
His eyes were deceiving him, there was no way she could be controlling the weather, that was impossible. 
"This isn't a sleight of hand Priest," she twisted her fingers beneath the cloud, marvelling at the little sparks of purple and blue that flashed amongst the grey; "it's magic."
"Impossible."
She sighed, dropping her hand and letting the cloud dissipate to nothing, "you can say that all you like, it won't change what you've seen."
Anger suddenly boiled beneath his skin, fire in his veins as he turned back to the storm clouds overhead frightfully close to where they stood on the now vacant sky walk. 
"I've seen nothing but a trickster, a woman so heavily invested in tampering with the minds of others that she can create illusions seemingly out of thin air."

Blu had never been met with aggression from a mere  parlour trick before. Back home making mini versions of the weather was fun, it was something she did to bring together kids and entertain adults. In the blistering summer months in Australia she would create miniature versions of the sun and the waves from the ocean. There were the skeptics, there were the disinterested and the mildly unamused, but never had there been aggression.
"Why would you think I'm invested in tampering with people's minds? What could I possibly gain from something so sinister? Do you really think me that petty as to focus my attention on disrupting your plane of belief, your... dedication?"
He rounded on her, "I do. I believe you to be dedicated to something other than God and as such anyone who doesn't conform to your beliefs must be out of their mind and need help."
"And what's your MO then?"
"Excuse me?"
"You talk about me thinking anyone who doesn't see things my way needs help, but what exactly are you doing here? I show you something that goes against what you believe in and you're throwing what, anger and frustration my way?"

She was right.
"I'm sorry," he shrugged, sucking in a breath, "you're right. There's nothing wrong with some parlour tricks and light hearted fun I suppose."
Pursing her lips she nodded, "sure. If that's what you need to tell yourself. You're a terrible liar, just as an aside."
There was that silence once more, strangling, consuming, powerfully charged silence.
"We should get under cover, it's about to open up."
As if on cue a growling roll of thunder sounded directly above them. Before they'd even had a chance to run for the main building the glass beneath them was practically devoured by rain, the canyon disappearing behind the downpour. 
"So," the Priest shouted over the sound of water hammering on the tin shelter above them, "are you going to try and tell me you can manipulate the weather now?"
An easy laugh escaped her, a serene and beautiful sound amongst the noise, "no, I can't manipulate the weather. I'm just really good at reading a bloody great big black raincloud."

He liked her. He didn't understand her, and nothing about that display of... whatever it was... sat well with him; but he liked her. 
"What exactly brings you out here then Priest? I'm going to go out on a limb and say that accent of yours isn't local?"
"No," he smiled, running a hand through his crop of hair, "not local at all."
She raised her eyebrows, waiting for a response. 
"Well?"
"I'm over here for a retreat. Some time away from the UK and all the things I am comfortable with. Nothing like a bit of travel to shake things up and strengthen the faith."
Blu glanced down at her fingertips, tiny sparks of pink flame dancing across her nails as she looked up at him, "strengthen the faith hey?"

Messing with him wasn't what she was intending to do, but the look of confusion and distress in his eyes was enough to make her realise something was becoming dislodged in his world. She extinguished the tiny flare of colour and folded her arms. 
"Look..."
Before she could get another word out the attendant from the sky walk was heading towards them.
"Excuse me? Sorry to interrupt but were either of you staying at the Vineyard Hotel down the road?"
"Yes."
"Oh," she cleared her throat looking at the two, "there's been a problem with your accommodation, they're actually admitting everyone to the Canyon hotel, all of your things are being brought up and your reservations transferred for the remainder of your stay." 
The two exchanged a brief glance. 
This was going to throw a spanner in the works. 
"I'm sorry, but," Blu stopped the woman before she could go, "is there any way I could stay in a different hotel?"
"Uh, I mean, you can find somewhere else but the money won't be refunded or anything. This was the next best fix they could provide. Besides, every other hotel around here is booked out for the rest of the week. It's up to you though if you want to drive somewhere else then that's cool. Your choice. I just work here, I don't know anything other than what the hotel people told us."
And with that she was gone. 
"Something wrong with that accomodation?"

Wrong wasn't the word for it. It had been a decade since her last visit, but some things remained burned into a persons memory.
"Nope," she grinned. Maybe having a Priest around would help. "I just stayed there some time ago and wasn't exactly intending on staying there again."
He narrowed his eyebrows and gave her a strange look, "Why not? I've heard that it's the most sought after accomodation in peak seasons. I've also been told multiple times that it was the place to stay if money weren't a concern."
"You mean to say being God's go to guy doesn't pay very well?"
He laughed, "not that well."
Another flash of lightening sparked around them, a single fork slamming into the ground a few yards from where they stood.
"This storm is getting pretty bad, maybe we should make our way to the hotel?"
Clenched fists by her sides Blu's gaze fell to the murky depths of the gaping mass below them. History had a bad habit of repeating itself and something in her soul told her today would be no different. 
"Yeah, you should definitely head down."
Yet he didn't move.
"I'm not leaving you here without a way of getting back."
"You're really going to play the chivalrous Priest protecting the non-believer from the dangerous outburst of natural weather?"
Be. Careful.
"Isn't all weather natural?"
"Did you just crack a joke Priest?"
He grinned, "Why? Surprised my choice of lifestyle allows for bit of humour?"
Another electrical storm of lightening rained down around them, Blu's eyes focusing on the gaping canyon before them as a strand of crackling electricity pierced straight into the spot she was staring at. 
"Oh Priest," she turned, eyes glowing in the diminishing light, "you'll have to do more than crack a joke to surprise me."