Alien

Coyota's eyes darted from one storefront to the other, her nerves on edge. This was so different from her home. Everything was so quiet. Not that she minded quiet, but this was the sort of silence that made you feel like everyone was watching you, and even the air itself was pushing down on you.

Her fingers began to compulsively twitch. This was nothing like what she was used to. Cities were supposed to be loud and alive and bustling with activity. There were large gaps in between people where they shouldn't be and she didn't know what to do with herself.

The girl's breathing quickened, and she suddenly realized how very, very alone she was. Her family was gone, she was counting on the people who killed them for protection, and she didn't even have the familiarity of her home city to rely upon. She was completely and utterly alone.

"You smell like panic." She observed, pushing off the wall she'd been relaxing against. She hadn't really gotten around to seeing many people yet, this summer, but Aria was back, she had Hothead Wizard tickets, and there was a lot more happiness than she was used to, not that she was complaining. Even with Gorn in a coma and Julian in the hospital dragging down her emotions, it was still... nice.

"It's well contained panic, but panic nonetheless." She smiled, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans, the short leather jacket and shirt showing just the smallest bit of midsection. Her Property of Arsen tattoo showed proudly, that is, if someone were to look at her back. She kicked the ground with the scruff of her sneaker, cocking her head to the side as she looked at the girl. She was a year or two younger than her, at least.

"I'm Karma by the way. Karma Black."

It took all the restraint Coyota had not to jump out of her shoes. Instead she slowly turned towards the girl that had spoken. Upon registering what she had said, she raised her chin just the slightest bit, "A Rangan doesn't feel fear."

She looked her over, still with the air of someone much more important than herself. There was no way the girl was human, but there was something about the way she held herself... "You're a vampire, aren't you?" iT was either that or a werewolf, and that seemed unlikely.

"Coyota."

"Just as a Black does not weakness. But everyone has a weakness, and everyone feels fear. Even if you don't believe it. Accepting it makes it better, promise." She snorted, holding in a giggle. "Sure. A Vampire. Why not?" She shrugged. "Might as well be, I suppose." She waved a hand and started walking, falling into step with the girl and glancing around. "It's okay to be a bit paranoid I suppose. Keeps you alive, you know." She shrugged a shoulder, hands still in her pocket, her pace easy. She spoke of fear as if she'd never felt it, of paranoia like it wasn't something she developed and honed into an almost seventh sense.

"I've never seen you before around here, Yota. Where you from?" She asked pleasantly.

"You speak of it as if it were familiar to you." She wasn't about to admit that she was afraid, but this girl, Karma, seemed straightforward enough to be around. She allowed herself a small laugh, "I guess I am paranoid, but being on the run for three years does that to a person."

She frowned at the new nickname, but said nothing about it, "I just moved here from India."

Coyota looked at the girl with a mixture of curiosity and caution, "What about you? You seem young enough to be a student. Or are the schools too afraid you'll eat your classmates?" She would have smirked at the remark, but she didn't really find it funny. It was more of a genuine question.

"Eh. Life as a Hybrid is a tough one. Neither side wants me, it would seem. Like me better dead." She eyed the girl, shrugging again at the easy truth. You had to accept it after a while, or you died. That's just how it was.

"India." She breathed. "That sounds amazing. Remind me to go visit there sometime."

Laughing out loud at that, she eyed the girl again. "I go to Hogwarts. I'm a Slytherin. Fifth- well, now, Sixth year." She wrinkled her nose at the thought. She was growing older. Soon, she wouldn't have school to fall back on. Maybe Arsen had a plan for his future, and she had a plan to help it, but she didn't know if she... well...

Blinking away that thought, she smiled again, eyeing the people that they passed.

Coyota gave a small laugh, "Now that's something I can sympathize with." Being stuck in between two different worlds was pretty much her life ever since she was born. Funny how no one anticipated the whole thing backfiring in the first place.

"Sure. Don't spend too much time in the city, though. It gets stale after awhile." She was beginning to relax a little. Her blood still started rushing whenever she saw anyone approaching her, but she no longer felt the instant need to attack them.

"I think that's the school I'm going to." She frowned, "What's a slytherin?"

Karma's mouth twitched at the mention of that word sympathy. Might as well be calling one or both of them weak. She pushed down her revulsion at the thought of that and kept walking.

"Oh. Hogwarts splits its students into four Houses. Slytherin, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor." She wrinkled her nose. "I hope you aren't a Gryffindor. I actually kinda like you." She bumped her shoulder against Yota's companionably, before slowing to a stop, a slight frown marring her face.

"Oh." She said, cocking her head to the side. "That's unfortunate."

Her hands went from her pockets to the straps of her small backpack, tightening on it just as a blur ran out of the alleyway in front of them and grabbed at it, attempting to yank it off her back.

She shifted her weight forward, yanking the boy off his feet to land painfully on the ground. Karma turned and looked down at him, glaring in displeasure. "What are you doing trying to steal?" She asked, her voice turning cold and condescending. The hint of good nature was gone. "I don't like when people try to steal things that belong to me." She glanced at the alleyway, smiling when a small kitten padded out, coming to rub against her legs. The boy winced, shying away from it. "Nightmare, dearie, show him why we don't like thieves." She aimed a warning glare down at the kitten, who looked back up. She looked disappointed. "Eh. You can kill the next one." Purring now, the kitten pounced on the boy, becoming a panther midleap and tearing into him.

"Come on, Yote. Keep walking." She said, all trances of the coldness disappearing . "She'll be done in a moment." It was true, the kitten-turned-panther-turned-kitten-again was back at Karma's side, walking beside them as if nothing had happened. Her hands returned to her pockets, and she relaxed again, all the world as if nothing had occurred at all. "Tell me about yourself, hmm? You have a favorite color? Favorite food? Favorite animal?"

Coyota was already shocked back into agitation when Karma bumped against her. She was not used to being touched. Ever. Her hand slid to the small marble in her pocket, just in case she tried anything. A movement out of the corner of her eye and she instinctively muttered a short incantation and it quickly morphed into her trusty knife.

She pointed it at the thief just as Karma had pinned him to the ground. The girl watched with an unwavering expression as the panther tore at him. She shook her head, "Sloppy. Us vagabonds already have a bad name. No need to make us look stupid."

Coyota allowed herself to give Karma an impressed smile as they continued walking, "Let's see... Red, puttu, and eagles."

Karma frowned. "What's puttu?" She asked curiously, opening her arms instinctively as the kitten hurled herself at her and catching her easily. She looked over at Coyota as Nightmare climbed up her arm to her shoulder and sat there, twitching her tail and watching the world from there.

"That's a nice knife by the way. You should try to transfigure it without the incantation though. That's a handy trick. I keep mine in pockets of air." She continued walking, deliberating it. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen someone transfigure a knife before, I mean, their personal knife." She hummed slightly, pausing at the corner of a street before walking across, a habit from spending so much time in the muggle world.

"Puttu?" She bit her lip, trying to think of the best way to phrase it, "It's when you cook ground rice inside of a coconut shell, and then you cover it in ground coconut. People usually have it for breakfast."

"Oh. Thank you," She glanced down at the knife, then muttered the reverse incantation and put the marble in her pocket, "It was a gift from my father. I'm actually not entirely sure how it works, but I'm almost certain it is it's own artifact, and not just something you can transfigure. Like, the marble and the knife are bound together, just two different forms of the same thing." Coyota thoughtfully rubbed the marble between her fingers.

She watched the cat as it glided up the girl's arm, finding herself transfixed by the way it's coat glinted in the light. "What a beautiful cat," She frowned, "At least I'm assuming it's a cat."

"That sounds... nice, actually. Will you make me some when we're at school next year?" She hummed a small tune, her eyes sweeping over the shop windows as they made their way into the town square.

"Is that a marble?" She asked curiously. "That's pretty awesome." She looked away again, hands in pockets and stance more relaxed once more.

Karma looked at her shoulder, and Nightmare nipped affectionately at her nose. "I suppose she is a cat." She mused as the kitten leapt up to curl in her short hair. Karma made a face, but made no attempt to move her. "But she's also a kitten, and a panther." Nightmare gave a wide, adorable yawn, and closed her eyes. "She's been favoring her kitten form, actually. Not sure why, but whatever."

Coyota frowned, "Are the kitchens really that extensive?" She bit her lip, her anxiety beginning to return to her after she caught a glimpse of a woman with a cobra on her hoodie. She unconsciously rubbed her forearm, which was hidden under her long-sleeves.

She nodded, "I'm not sure what significance a marble has to anything, but I guess it's kind of cool." Her eyes began darting between people just a little faster, trying to see if any of them could be concealing weapons. But it was too overwhelming, and she just settled on looking down at her feet while she walked. After all, she might not be at risk of dying at the moment. Not with Karma around, anyway.