Courtyard

[Its Smiley]

He turned and glanced at the ground next to his companion, noticing the new distance between them, and nodded numbly. "I fell in love, had a child, and got engaged." he said then looked over at the fountain's water, as if he could see the memories through the reflection. "I was happy... Then, just a few days before the wedding, my family vanished." Erik said with a hint of sorrow in his tone. "I waited patiently, thinking that they would come back from some sort of family problem.... but they never did." he said then dipped his hands in the water to mess with the reflection. "I found them eventually.... And you met them, too." he said with obvious sadness as he referred to the Graveyard.  

[Mayah Playah]

Myka blinked, silently absorbing the tragic story. As he finished, Myka bowed her head and clenched her fists. 'At least he knows where his family is...' "Didn't anyone tell you that minotaurs aren't supposed to fall in love with mortals? It's been a rule ever since minotaurs came into existence. It's not safe, not for the minotaur and not for the mortal." Myka looked up, her eyes full of pain. "All it causes is destruction." She whispered.  

[Its Smiley]

"Yes.... I understand that now." Erik muttered. Surprisingly not comforted by her kind words. He chuckled a little as he thought about love. "Believe me, nothing is safe if love is involved." he said, not looking at her.  

[Mayah Playah]

Myka rubbed her arm, suddenly chilled by the breeze, and quickly took out her glasses, cleaning them and putting them on in one swift motion. "I'm not so young that I've never been in love, but I'll save you the story. Either way, it makes you want to forget about love altogether. The only problem is that love is too addictive to give up." Myka pulled at her sweater and attempted to lost the sudden chill she was experiencing.  

[Its Smiley]

Seeing her chill, Erik sighed and got close to her, wrapping his arms around in her in a type of hug merely to keep her warm. "I already want to forget it.... yet at the same time, I don't." he whispered softly.  

[Mayah Playah]

Myka closed her eyes and remembered when her father used to do that. She giggled mentally at the memory of her father singing an off-key version of "Not While I'm Around" and stopped herself from leaning her head on Erik's shoulder. A few tears ran down her cheeks as she forced her father from her mind, but she quickly stopped them, not wanting to lose her only form of warmth. "You can't forget love. It nags at the back of your mind and drives you crazy, but it's amazing when it wants to be." Myka took a shaky breath and shuddered as a strong gust of wind hit them. "I'll stop reading your emotions." she quietly promised.  

[Its Smiley]

He looked down to see a few tears stroll down her cheeks and wiped them away with his thumb. "That... would be nice." he said and tried to smile, but couldn't bring himself to. He simply forgot what it was like to smile, let alone how to.  

[Mayah Playah]

Myka closed her eyes as he wiped away her tears. She opened her eyes to reveal red-brown eyes full of tears she wouldn't dare let fall and watched him try to smile, fighting the urge to touch him again. 'No, I can't. I don't want to upset him again.' She thought. 'Why would anyone want to hurt you?'  

[Its Smiley]

His left emerald eye looked into her eyes for a second, as if trying to see something, but he looked away after a while. A little after the silence washed over them, Erik let go of her and took a few steps back, clearing his throat. "I noticed that you know my race, but I've yet to know yours." he muttered and glanced back at her.  

[Mayah Playah]

Myka bit her lip, suddenly losing all warmth. 'Minotaurs are the best form of heat. You'd think with it in my blood, I'd be warmer.' she thought bitterly. Myka lowered her gaze. "This is going to sound really stupid, but...well...I honestly don't know." She turned to look at the tree and tried to hide her face from him, not wanting him to see how red it was. "I know my dad was a Minotaur, but my mother's a complete blank. I'm a alchemist, which I get from my dad, but my empathy and pyrokinesis a complete shock. No one else in my father's family can do either of those things and my mother was supposed to begin teaching me about it when I turned 13. She...uh..." Myka stammered slightly, not wanting to give away too much. "She didn't get to."  

[Its Smiley]

Erik nodded, finding the fact that she was a minotaur surprising. He walked up to her and hugged her again; this time it was an authentic hug, not one to give her warmth. "I'm sorry..." he said softly as one hand gently grabbed her chin and made her look at him so she could see the small glint of sympathy in his eye.  

[Mayah Playah]

Myka blushed lightly as he hugged her, then found herself hugging back for the first time in a long time. She smiled up at him, the smile just barely reaching her eyes. "What's gone is forever lost, now all I can do is live." she whispered. She closed her eyes and a tear slipped out, a small, salty reminder of the pain she's seen.  

[Its Smiley]

Erik looked at her tears and let go of her chin to wipe them away. Seeing someone with a past as bad as his... it was comforting. He didn't notice his heart beating a little faster as his hand caressed her cheek. As if by some invisible force, he gently lowered his head and kissed her.  

[Mayah Playah]

Myka's heart raced and she closed her eyes, leaning her head on his hand as he caressed her. As she was beginning to open her eyes, she felt pressure on her lips and opened her eyes to see that he was kissing her. Her eyes grew wide, then they fluttered shut, as she carefully and sweetly kissed him back.  

[Its Smiley]

He felt her kiss back and let his arms wrap around her waist, gently pulling her a little closer to him. His mind was in a flurry. Erik knew that he had to move on after his family's recent death, but it felt so strange...