Escaping (OPEN)

Arsen arrived to the city with Hades by side along apparation. He stormed off in the opposite direction as his father wanting to be as far away from him as possible. He came across a square in the middle of the street seperated by black metal railings. He approached the gate and sat on a bench hidden away by bushes and tree's and cleared his mind.

Charlotte had been sitting on the opposite side of the fountain with her easel and her paints, this was a rare occurrence for her to be outside but she had changed herself beyond recognition so even if her mother did show up she wouldn't know it was her.

Snapping her head up when she heard someone else coming into the rather empty square her eyes lit up when she saw that it was Arsen, walking up to him leaving her paint and picture behind Charlotte sat next to him on the bench.

"Hey Dark."

Smiling gently she hoped that Arsen would get that it was her from the voice and her use of his nickname, otherwise, having a slightly Parisian man with a beard sit next to you and start talking to you would be rather weird.

He spun around his wand raised before he clicked on to the nickname he used. "Char? God Char i nearly killed you, you really shouldn't sneak up on me like that." He frowned sitting down on the bench, if they found him now, he would never forgive himself if they hurt Char. He'd have to hunt them all down.

"That... that is creepy." He smiled sliding away from her on the bench. "People would get the wrong idea about this you know. Hades would thing you were trying to take advantage of me." He smirked before he spotted her paints. "You painting again?" He asked looking over to the spot she must have come from.

Charlotte held up her hands and waved them frantically in the air, which she thought would look sort of comical coming from a man in his 30's. As Arsen spotted her paints she nodded lightly bidding him to come over and see how she had been getting on if he so wished.

"Thanks for realising it was me, I was hoping you would do."

With a smirk Charlotte sat back down on her artists stool, where she had left her paints, the picture was near completion, after all she had been here for a while. It felt good to be outside but it felt a lot safer now she wasn't alone any more.

"Why would I take advantage of you? I know you think you're good looking and all but, you're not my type."

Shifting the beret on her head, or rather, his head Charlotte took up her brush once more finishing the blue oil paint of the fountains water.

"Yes, again, I never have much else to do I'm afraid...are you alright? You looked a bit...angry?"

"Okay that is just weird." He laughed pushing his hands into his pockets. He stood and followed her to her spot, the painting looked great as usual. "You know you really are good at this." He smiled his eyes glued to the painting.

"Of course i knew it was you, you do this thing with your mouth when you smile. Plus the nickname was a huge give away." He smiled looking back at her. "Oh it's like that is it, so if i were to kiss you right now, you wouldn't feel anything?" He asked his eyebrows raised.

"I'm fine." He said turning his back to her to take back up his seat on the bench. "Are you warm enough out here?" He asked looking at all the snow around them.

"I would turn into my normal self but...it might look a bit odd."

Charlotte realised that she must seem really weird to Arsen making herself look like a man but she didn't want to risk being spotted by anyone who might know her mother, even though her mother had been living abroad for years. Finishing her painting with a flourish, Charlotte signed the bottom and dated it with black ink.

"I do?"

She blushed lightly, and tried to busy herself tidying away her paints so that Arsen wouldn't catch her blushing and by accident smiling.

"Obviously I'd feel something, your lips on mine but...we're friends yes? It is not normal for friends to kiss..."

Slightly confused Charlotte shrugged her arms and let her hands relax by her sides as she moved her art stool over to the bench now she had packed everything up.

"When you control ice, everything stops becoming cold, only numb."

"Odd how you'll be fine here with me and my minder ugh." He sighed dropping down on the bench. "Yeah all the time." He smiled looking over to the end of the street and spotted the back of Hades walking into a shop, the smiled fading immediately.

"Yes we are friends i was just proving a point Char relax, you're not my type either." He smiled watching her sign her painting. "Some friends do kiss i don't know why, i never understand people."

"Well it must suck to be numb all the time, i'm always warm. I can control my body heat so i'm never cold if i don't want too." He smiled. "But if you're ever feeling cold i'm always here, i'm a walking hot water bottle." He smiled rubbing his hands together.

Charlotte smiled gently and transformed back into her normal self fixing on Arsen with her dark red eyes, ruffling a hand through her hair she wondered why she didn't feel the cold, to her, it was only slightly chillier than a summers day. With a grin Charlotte held up one finger and placed it against Arsen's hand.

"I don't mind, because I always feel like this it's just become normal, when I touch other people though, sometimes it's a bit shocking."

Pulling her tongue out at what Arsen said about her not being his type she pretended to be upset for a minute before shaking her head giggling softly, Arsen had an ego the size of that fountain.

"It might be nice...to be warm for a change though."

Charlotte looked deep into Arsen's eye, a hopeful look in her own before she smiled and laughed lightly.

"Do I look more normal now I'm not a 30 year old guy?"

"That's better it was weird looking at a 30 something man. It was creepy." He shivered then smiled up at her. "Woah your freezing." He fliched pulling his hand out the way with a smile.

"Well come here then, i'm all hot i have way to much heat i could share a little." he smiled patting the bench beside him for her to sit down. He lifted one arm behind the bench ready to wrap it around her once he had sat down.

"Well you look like Char." He smirked spitting his tongue out at her.

"And Char looks drop dead gorgeous doesn't she?"

Charlotte opened her mouth to protest, but then she quickly closed it again, she knew she didn't look normal why bother arguing that she did. Smiling lightly she sat on the bench next to Arsen and leant herself against him, Charlotte nestled her cold face in his warm neck and shivered a little, she wasn't used to warmth.

"Thanks Dark."

She muttered kindly, moving her head slightly so that she could see her painting Charlotte cocked her head to one side and frowned. Sighing loudly Charlotte got up from her seat on the bench, broke the canvas in half and threw it in the bin.

"Messed up the damn shading." Charlotte growled angrily

"You speak as if are not her." He said his eyebrows pulled down in confusion. "Do you get multiple personality disorder after you've morphed?" He laughed placing his arm around the back of the bench.

"No problems at least i can use my powers for good." He smiled to himself before wrapping his eye around her and making himself comfortable. He turned his heat just a little bit more after feeling how cold she really was and looked up at the cloudless sky.

"Hey i was comfy then." He moaned as she dived away from him and attacked her painting. "Hey i liked that, it looked good to me. Are you OCD?" He smirked

Pouting playfully Charlotte sat back down on the bench next to Arsen and curled up under his arm once more, she lay her head on his shoulder, her eyes also looking up into the sky, it was lovely and clear. A cold wind was whipping softly about the square, lightly stinging Charlotte's legs as she warmed up.

"When it comes to things I love, yes. So I am very rarely happy with a painting, normally it takes me two or three goes to get one like that."

She pointed to the bin where 5 other canvas' lay broken and smashed. Charlotte grinned a little and lightly punched Arsen in the arm.

"Hey, I was just speaking the truth, I am drop dead gorgeous. Don't deny it."

Wanting to be warmer Charlotte wrapped her arms around Arsen's waist and placed her head on his chest, he was right, he was a little hot water bottle. Just one that worked for her.

"Thanks by the way Arsen. I'm a lot warmer now."

"Thanks." He said letting her back into his arms. "It's nice being outside for once. I used to always come out and just look at the sky. It's so open and has no end it's amazing."

"Really isn't painting meant to be fun, stop stressing about it and let your creatvie side take over." He smiled, he had just given his first bit of advice which made him laugh.

"You really shouldn't waste them, someone will like them just the way they are." He smiled turning to look back at the sky just as an owl flew by.

"You want to be i'm nealry triple normal body heat." He laughed. "You are really cold."

Charlotte blushed a little she had never been told that she should keep her paintings if they were anything less than perfection, she walked over to the bin where she had placed the canvas next to and picked it up, Charlotte rummaged in her bag to find some masking tape and stuck it back together.

"You think so?" She asked with a smile "How much do you reckon I'd get for a painting like this...? Maybe I should take comissions."

Musing over this idea Charlotte sighed and placed the canvas on her lap, you wouldn't have been able to tell it had been ripped at all. She leant her head into Arsen's neck to get her nose and cheeks warm, if she was truly that cold then Arsen must be boiling!

"Dark, do you like Hades? I mean, you look very unhappy whenever he's around...I wish I could do something to make you happier. I don't like it when you're sad."

"People don't look for perfection Char, art isn't perfection it all about getting your words seen but not heard." He explained sitting up straight in his seat.

"I know so, people love a bit of art, imperfections just make you human." He smiled shoving his hands in his pockets. "Oh i have no idea but i'm guessing quite a bit. You are quite the artist you know."

"See they look as good as new, or well as good as when you finifhed painting them." He smiled looking down to the canvas she had just fixed. He turned to look away as she mentioned Hades. "He saved my life Char." Was all he could say.."

Charlotte raised an eyebrow at what Arsen said about Hades, so her assumption was right, he didn't like Hades, not really. Deep inside Charlotte wondered why...after all as Arsen had said so himself this man had saved his life but then again she didn't know the ins and outs of how Arsen lived with Hades.

"I wish I could do something." She whispered, her voice lined with worry "If there is anything, please, tell me and I'll do it for you. Even if it's dangerous I don't care..."

She smiled weakly at Arsen and watched as he put his hands in his pockets, reading his actions Charlotte moved away from him sensing he might not want to be held right now.

"There are more paintings in my house...lots more."

He removed his hands from his pockets and placed them down on the bench either side of him and shook his head, looking down at his feet. "It's okay Hades is fine, it would just be nice to have a break every once in a while." He explained and to not have to do everything he asked he thought not wanting Char to know the extent of why he couldn't leave Hades side.

"There is nothing anyone can do." He sighed looking over to the door Hades was just walking back out of. He glanced back down again his hands gripping tighter on the bench.

"How many more? Enough to make you rich." He smiled glad in the change of subject.

Charlotte sensed that Arsen didn't want to talk about Hades any more so gladly she changed the subject to something still personal but about her rather than him. With a little laugh Charlotte stuck out her tongue and tried not to sound too conceited as she said:

"I'm already rich without selling my paintings. My fathers business however troublesome is profitable, everything belongs to me so...I am quite rich."

With a cheeky wink Charlotte stood up from her seat on the bench and placed one foot then another on the stone base of the fountain, walking along the narrow rim sticking her arms out into the air for balance.

"I have at least 50 at home."

He smiled weakly as the subject changed. "Wow me too, we can be rich together." He smiled, he had given his money to Hades he didn't wnt any part of his fathers money.

"Well are those 50 like these, you could be a billionaire by time you've finished." He smiled taking hold of one the canvas' to examine it closer. "I don't know how you do it, they're amazing." He smiled.

Charlotte grinned when Arsen asked her how she was able to paint so well, she thought that he should know the only way you get to be good at something in life is if you practice at it. Ruffling a hand through her hair Charlotte flushed a little and wobbled on the fountain nearly falling in but recovering herself.

"Practice, when you're all alone and need something to take your mind off things, art is perfect, well it was for me. I just kept at it until I'm as good as I am now. I will only get better as well."

She smiled gently at Arsen wondering if he would like to learn how to paint, or at least have some sort of outlet for his anger and his hurt despite that Muggle.

"Would you like to learn?"

"I've never had anything to draw with." He frowned. "Otherwise i would be an amazing artist with the amount of time i've had alone." He smiled weakly. "But i would love to learn how to draw." He smiled looking over to her.

"What you'll teach me?" He asked. "I would love to learn."

Charlotte smiled happily at Arsen, she had a feeling that he would like to learn how to draw and she would be able to help him to deal with his anger as well as with his lonliness and need for self expression. Charlotte jumped off the fountain and ran over to Arsen pulling him gently up by the hand.

"Of course I'll help you. I'll teach you. I hope I'm a good teacher by the way."

Winking lightly at Arsen she pulled him to his feet and held him close to her moving her hand across the sky dramatically. Thinking about what she first needed to teach him, and what she could do while they were outside Charlotte smiled.

"Before you start, you need to find something you find interesting, beautiful, something that captures your very imagination and you never want to let go of it."

"Woah, what's wrong?" He said jumping to his feet as she ran over to him, scanning the area for any potential threats. "Don't do that to me Char you nearly gave me heart attack." He said giving the area one last scan before sitting back down.

"Really?" He smiled forgetting his surroundings for a second. "I'm not a good student though. But i'll give it my best shot." He smirked patting the bench next to him for her to sit down again. He felt better with her close at least then if someone did come to attack them he could protect them both.

He was pulled to his feet and he stood without really putting in any energy so his spare arm and his head flopped. He lifted his head and stood up straight looking up to the sky as she wanted.

"How about fire?" He smiled. "It's the only thing i find remotely interesting, i could stare at it all day."

Charlotte giggled when Arsen thought there was something wrong with her, she was just excited, in fact Charlotte was over the moon that Arsen wanted to learn how to draw it was the only thing she was passionate about and for Arsen to want to share in it made Charlotte so happy.

"Fire huh?"

Thinking about it carefully Charlotte mapped out what techniques she would need to go through with Arsen before he could actually start drawing and painting properly.

"That's a hard one to start with, but you'll manage. We can't do that here now...so perhaps we should try and draw something else, something inanimate to begin. How about that tree?"

Charlotte pointed to an old tree covered in a blanket of thick snow.

"Yes fire." He smiled then lifted one eyebrow. "Who says we can't have fire here." He smirked before looking over to the tree she pointed at.

"Okay let's start with the tree, so what do i need to do Professor." He smirked standing so the tree was in his direct line of vision.