Like Pieces of a Puzzle

[Alessandro Darko]

High on the Ravenclaw grandstands he sat. Alessandro Darko had returned to the scene of the alleged "Quidditch Accident" that he so furiously advocated to have happened. While others had presented him with startling information that he had not gotten into an accident while flying, and that he was removed from school by his step-father, he had a hard time believing it all. He was thrown for a loop further after experiencing a strange vision as he had allowed Keaira O'Connell into his mind in an attempt for her to show him a fond memory of he and her by the lake. It was painful, and absolute rubbish, as he didn't want to believe that his mother would instruct her husband to do such a thing to him, not now, not as he was; a fifteen year old young man. He knew that he had his memory modified long ago when he was younger, to prevent him from realizing he was able to manipulate the element of flame, but he had only just recalled.

There were a great many things that were floating around in his mind. He was remembering clips of unimportant events, and losing time. He was suffering from blackouts recently, not really knowing why he was standing in the corridors when just a second ago he had been in his dorm.

He closed his eyes as he clutched his sketchbook and charcoal, then opened them, a pale grayish blue version of the normally steel gray and ringlet of green. The green this time was no where to be found within his irises. It was unusual for his eyes to change color, however, a great many things that happened at Hogwarts were considered unusual. He would never in his wildest dreams think that he would be able to manipulate fire on a whim, or be taken to a parallel dimension to be tortured and almost killed, or have to assit in the salvage of the soul of a young girl that attended school with him. Perhaps it was amongst these events that caused the mental turmoil in his brain to shred his consciousness into several different parts. There was of course, Alessandro, the base, dominant personality whom went around every day without his memories. He was timid, and shy, and somewhat afraid lately, which was usually uncharacteristic of the eloquently spoken Ravenclaw. While he was reserved indeed, he most certainly wasn't shy or reclusive. Now on the other hand was a different story.

Then there was Darko. The personality that assigned his last name as a first. Darko was the anger and rage, the confidence, the audacity. He absorbed all of Alessandro's main urges and often takes over when Alessandro finds that he cannot handle a situation due to incurring stress factor. The last time Darko had taken control, he nearly killed a fellow student that had provoked anger out of Alessandro by medium of verbal attack. Darko is the mischief that once was Alessandro, and possesses his sex drive, flirting shamelessly with girls and guys alike as he is much the hedonist. This side of Alessandro has been known to trigger his fire abilities, and usually when the brightly burning flames erupt, this triggers Darko to revert back to Alessandro, as he retains the fear factor, and is currently afraid of fire without his memories as of late.

Now, it seems, another facet to his fractured mind was emerging; A child. The personality that called himself Orion, Alessandro's middle name, was just surfacing and retained all of the information that Alessandro had lost. Orion was under the impression that Alessandro was his older brother, and had recently died, but before he died, Alessandro had passed on the knowledge of recent events to him, informing him of the shadow wars, every intricate detail, his abilities, the abilities of his cohorts, names, experiences, tastes, sounds and sensations. Every last detail could be recalled perfectly within the mind of Orion Darko, age six.

He opened his pale gray-blue eyes and scanned the area, allowing his mind to replicate the story of how his brother had once lost his memories. Humming a puerile tune, London bridge, he began to scratch at the sketchbook paper with the small piece of charcoal. The drawings lacked finesse and control of that of a fifteen year old, and definitely resembled a child's artwork, depicting a stick figure on a broom stick, crashing into a large square which was to be the grandstands. He heard footsteps across the wooden planks and looked up quickly, strands of dark brown hair swept across his face in the wind.

"Hi Dee." He said with a faint of faintest smiles, and then resumed his drawing.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

After speaking with Zane and hearing of how Alessandro had attacked him, D'rorah had realized just how urgent it was that she begin to work with him to restore his memories. As a telepath, she had encountered many different kinds of odd mental patterns and energies. She knew that in some instances, mental illnesses were the result of tampering with the mind--a memory modified carelessly, pieces of a person's past repressed by a mind trying to protect itself, damage from a poorly done mind reading by a clumsy or poorly skilled legilimens or telepath. It had taken a while for D'rorah to recover enough to even allow herself from bed and to steal away to see Wysteria. Almost immediately after, she had been confronted by Zane in the library, and that was when she had heard of Alessandro's attack on Zane.

She had spent the afternoon discreetly asking after him, mostly among the other Lightfighters, and had finally been directed out to the Quidditch pitch. She walked out across the school grounds quietly, enjoying the gentle breeze that seemed conjured simply to reassure her. Her days hadn't been wonderful since being rescued. She had previously always tried to hide the physical signs of her encounters with darkness by wearing robes that covered nearly every inch of her flesh. Unfortunately, there was no way to cover her hair, newly mottled with streaks of jet black and grey, or her darkened eyes, or the greying color of her flesh. Still, she wore her formal, all-concealing robes--no reason to add her scars into the mix of things nosey people would question her about; they fluttered around her legs as she walked.

Finally, spotting Alessandro up in the stands of the Quidditch pitch, she made her way up to where he sat, drawing away. The sounds of a children's tune wafted to her ears on the breeze. It took her several moments of listening to realize that it was London Bridge. She arched an eyebrow to herself but continued with her ascent.

"Hi Dee."

She tried to look into his eyes as he spoke to her, but found his features obscured by his hair, blown about by the wind. Even so, she caught a glimpse of something about his eyes that piqued her curiosity and caused her next step to hesitate for half a beat. "Good afternoon, Mister Darko," she greeted quietly, finally coming to sit beside him. She looked over his shoulder at his drawing, noting the crudeness of the drawing... almost childlike in its workmanship.

She moved closer to him to she would be able to see better. "What are you drawing?" she asked quietly, attempting her best semblance of a smile for him. The emotions were still difficult for her... especially expressing them. Before she had been able to call upon them whenever she wished, though she had kept them hidden out of a need for privacy; but now, they continuously eluded her. The letter from Master Xiu had confirmed for her that that would continue until she managed to find her next Elemental Master. Internally she sighed; there were simply too many things to worry about these days.

[Alessandro Darko]

He swept the strands of hair from his face with a furrowed brow, as if he was slightly annoyed that the wind had slighted him by knocking his own hair in his face, and looked back up at D'rorah as she inquired about what he was drawing. He looked down at his sketchpad, charcoal still in hand, and looked back up at her as if it was completely obvious.

"It's Al'sandro crashing his broom. Mummy and Hewlett told him thats what happened, but I know what really happened." He said as he continued to add streaks of charcoal to the picture. He glanced up at D'rorah's image as he marked away, noting her appearance looking someone different.

"Is that because the darkness inside of you is winning?" He said, referencing her appearance, focusing on the added coloring to her hair. He frowned, looking at the floor, and then back to his drawing. "I hope we find the child of wind soon, so we can all play and make light happen. The bad thing is winning...." The tone in his voice was that of sadness, and yearning. Orion recognized that the lightfighters were all in bad shape, and the forces of darkness were definitely triumphing over their efforts. He put on the finishing touches to his drawing, which were random scribbles all over the place, but it added an artistic aspect to it in a very abstract way, adding depth to the image. He set the book down and turned to face Dee, looking full on at her with his new, pale gray-blue eyes.

His facial expression was neutral with a touch of somberness to it, like a child that has experienced shocking ordeals through his life to the extent that it nullified his ability to express happiness.

"I miss Al'sandro..." He said, his eyes sweeping from her, and looking down to the right, lingering there as he picked at the wooden bench he had been seated on.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"It's Al'sandro crashing his broom. Mummy and Hewlett told him thats what happened, but I know what really happened."

D'rorah's eyes narrowed ever so slightly in concentration as Alessandro said this, speaking about himself in the third person. He didn't sound himself. Certainly, there was something quite child-like about him at the moment. It seemed absolutely absurd to think of this person attacking anyone, let along with a cruciatus curse. He seemed to have regressed since returning. She glanced over, meeting his eyes as he spoke again.

"Is that because the darkness inside of you is winning?"
"I hope we find the child of wind soon, so we can all play and make light happen. The bad thing is winning...."

It was at that moment that she noticed the difference in his eyes from the memory she had viewed with Zane. It seemed too fantastic to believe, but somehow Alessandro's personality had split... apparently into at least three ways from everything she had heard. "No, the darkness within me is not winning at the moment, but it is fighting," she reassured him. "Do not worry, I can fight for a very long time. Long enough to find the next Elemental Master of Wind. We will triumph against Yang and the Mage if it is the very last victory is see in my life."

She met his eyes as he turned his gaze to her once again. Yes, certainly they were completely different in appearance from Zane's memory and from her own memories of Alessandro before he had been taken from Hogwarts.

"I miss Al'sandro..."

"Yes," she agreed quietly. "I miss Alessandro as well. I wonder if you might be willing to help me." She paused, offering what she hoped passed for a reassuring smile. "I would like to bring Alessandro back. He has a lot of friends here at Hogwarts who miss him as well. And I believe he would be able to help me in finding the Elemental Master of Wind." She paused, recalling his words. "Did you say he was a child?"

That would certainly complicate things. A child would be someone she would feel compelled to protect, rather than fight alongside. If anything happened to a child on her behalf... she cringed internally at the guilt she already felt that the previous Elemental Masters of Wind had perished while she had been unable to protect them. Paul had never even been given a true chance, simply disappearing from Hogwarts before they had even joined. Mordred... he had run off to play the hero despite her protests. But Mallan... he should have been in the safest place of all... safe from everyone but himself, apparently. She shook her head slightly, pulling herself from her internal musings. The matter at hand was Alessandro and restoring him to his previous mental capacities. If the past was any indication, the next Master of Wind would find them, but Alessandro's mind certainly wasn't going to repair itself.

[Alessandro Darko]

"Yes," she agreed quietly. "I miss Alessandro as well. I wonder if you might be willing to help me." She paused, offering what she hoped passed for a reassuring smile. "I would like to bring Alessandro back. He has a lot of friends here at Hogwarts who miss him as well. And I believe he would be able to help me in finding the Elemental Master of Wind." She paused, recalling his words. "Did you say he was a child?"

He sat there, posture a bit slumped over as he clutched his drawing of himself that he was convinced was someone else. He didn't like to think of his brother too much. It hurt. It reminded him of all the happiness and joy he once had in life, and now it was gone. Alessandro was dead, and in Orion's mind, Alessandro had died shortly after the "Quidditch Accident". What Orion's mind had recalled was that Alessandro had been kidnapped to the shadow realm where he was tortured and whisked away to a cemetery where he ultimately met his demise by being turned into stone. This much was true, but in reality Alessandro was saved by Keaira and Zane. In Orion's reality, he had suffocated to death. It was to Orion's understanding that Alessandro's Elemental Powers had been transferred to him, giving him the new title as Master of Fire.

"Al'sandro is dead...a bad thing shot him wiv' a curse that put him in stone..." he said, his lips quivering slightly. "They took him...when he was going back to school. Took him to the shadow place. They hurt him, and then when Keaira and Zane were coming to rescue him, the bad thing turned him into stone and he died." He said, looking off into the pitch, holding tears back. It was almost true, for one could say Alessandro had been given a second chance at life as he felt his dwindling away in the stoney prison, and at the last moment, air had filled his lungs, granting him that second chance. But no, in Orion's mind, Alessandro had died.

Her next words drew his attention back to her and he blinked hard, forcing the wetness away from his eyes. The Elemental Master of Wind, yes they needed to find the new one. But who could it be?

"I just guessed...I don't know if it's a child. I'm only six, and I got all of Al'sandro's powers, so I thought it could be a child." He said shrugging, holding his hands in the air as he balanced his sketchbook on his lap. His childlike mind was bouncing all over the place now, in true childish form, he began to lose interest in the subject and began to hum to himself again, picking up his charcoal and pad, beginning to sketch another picture. As he began to draw, his manipulation of the charcoal became more erratic and soon he was scribbling, an expression of fear overcoming his face. When he was done, all he did was stare at the picture. All he had drawn onto the page were two large, evil eyes, and sharp, jagged teeth.

Although it was a child's scribbled drawing, it still was quite disturbing and frightening to say the least.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah listened to Alessandro's somewhat vague and scattered recounting of the death of... well, Alessandro. It was odd to hear someone speak of his own death. But, of course, he didn't really think he was talking about himself. It was fascinating to hear just how complete the split in his mind had been. She listened as he continued on, realizing that this personality thought himself to be the new Elemental Master of Fire. She supposed it was correct that the new Wind Master could be any age. It was possible he wasn't even at Hogwarts. Though, considering how quickly turnover had been happening this year, she didn't think it was very probably that they would be stranded with a young Elemental Master.

She watched as he began drawing once again, following his movements curiously. Even in her current state, unable to summon her own emotions, the image sent a shiver of goosebumps across her skin. "I believe it is possible that Alessandro might still be alive," she remarked, an absent quality to her voice as she continued to look at the drawing. "There may still be hope for helping him if you will help me. And... I apologize if I am intruding, but just what is it you have drawn?" she asked finally.

She had noticed that he seemed less in control of his movements as he drew. Remembering Zane's memory of how Alessandro had attacked him, she put her guard up subconsciously. Whatever had attacked Zane had certainly not been this young man, who was too youthful and innocent to use an Unforgivable Curse against another human being. Realizing the volatility of anyone who had suffered the sort of mental traume necessary to create a split personality was likely to switch between them rather rapidly. She gave no outward sign of her tension, rather increasing her awareness so she would be able to react more quickly in case things should turn against her.

[Alessandro Darko]

He shivered as D'rorah asked who the picture was of. He wasn't sure, it was just something that he drew, a figment of his imagination, or was it? At night, he had been suffering from terrifying dreams, and in them, a dark figure loomed over him every night. It looked like his brother, Alessandro, but it wasn't. It was almost as if Alessandro had been snatched through the mirror, and the mirror version of him was the contrary to his peaceful nature, a mean spirited, selfish, and purely evil being was at the controls of this version of the fifteen year old Ravenclaw. For some reason, every night, Darko, as he came to call himself, hounded Orion down, chasing him in his dreams, threatening to end his life, just as his brothers had ended.

"He's horrible...and he's not my brother..." He said looking at the picture as the dreams came to him. He looked up at her with a childlike pain present in his eyes. She was much older than he, an adult in his eyes, and adults knew how to make bad things go away. Well, they were supposed to anyhow. He wanted to reach out and hug her, but something inside of him restrained him from doing so. All he could do was look back down at the drawing and say a little bit more about who the evil face was. "He's a bad person from my dreams...he doesn't look like that though..." He said holding up the sketch pad so she could get a better look at the face he had drawn. It was simplistic and to the point, an evil jack-o-lantern type face, but still was the embodiment of what Orion felt was inside of the angry boy who resembled his brother from his dreams. He set the pad down on the seating row below, and looked back at D'rorah. "He looks like Al'sandro, and he chases me when I sleep...he scares me...so I hide in my special spot whenever I hear him coming and nobody can ever find me. He doesn't like clocks..." Orion said, giving her a slight hint at where his hiding place may be.

As if he suddenly registered something that she had said before, his eyes widened and he looked at her as if she had presented him with a toy. "You said you know how to bring Al'sandro back??" It was almost sad how Alessandro referred to himself as "Al'sandro", in fact it was sad. This fifteen year old boy had been through more traumatic experiences than most adults go through in his life, and as a result, his fragile state of mind had shattered into pieces, three of which seeming to dominate his conscious control. If he could only see himself now. If he could, in fact, he may just run off with rosy tinged cheeks from embarrassment. He was speaking like a child to someone that he held in high regards, a mentor, a tutor, a role-model.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah watched quietly as a shiver passed through Alessandro's body at her question regarding his picture. He seemed so vulnerable and frightened at the moment. The pain in his eyes was piercing and struck a chord within her, causing her to feel slightly confused and uncomfortable--confused because she could not identify the emotion her body was trying to call forth and uncomfortable because her heart seemed to constrict slightly during the process.

"It is very smart that you thought to hide somewhere with clocks so that he will not find you," remarked D'rorah, trying to think of some sort of appropriate response. She tried to think of where that might be, but came up a blank, unable to recall anywhere in Hogwarts that contained a large number of clocks. Though, perhaps he meant that he hid in the clock tower itself. That would be a perfect place, away from other students and apparently away from this pursuer.

And then, his entire mood seemed to shift and his countenance lightened as he finally acknowledged her statement that she could bring Alessandro back. She felt her tense posture relax slightly as the conversation shifted away to something less emotional and took on the track she had intended. It was amazing just how complete the schism in his mind had been, that he didn't even realize that the Alessandro and the darker being that haunted this younger persona in his dreams were all the same person.

"Yes, I believe I can bring him back," replied D'rorah, summoning what she hoped was a passable smile. She turned so that she faced Alessandro and looked into his eyes. "All you have to do is trust me. Can you do that? I need your help to find him and I need you to relax your mind..." she trailed off, dropping her voice to a softer, more soothing tone as the spoke, keeping her eyes trained on Alessandro's eyes. After several moments, she slowly reached her hands forward and placed one on either side of his temple. The contact wasn't strictly necessary, but it would make her mental efforts that much easier; and there was no telling how long she would have to hold their connection, so anything that minimized effort was a good thing.

"I would like you to clear your mind... do not think of anything other than your breathing and Alessandro..." she instructed in the same soothing tones, hoping he would easily go along with her request. What unfolded next would be of paramount importance. The Lightfighters needed their Elemental Master of Fire. Wysteria needed her Elemental Master. And D'rorah needed the premonitions that Alessandro had only just been learning to master before his parents had taken him out of school. Even though she couldn't realize it or admit it to herself at the moment, she also needed a friend.

[Alessandro Darko]

It made him feel very nervous with every movement D'rorah made. She was going to show him how they could bring his beloved brother back, but something about it all frightened him, yet he remained in control. Alessandro had told him stories about Dee, she was a very gifted witch with vast knowledge of the Shadow Wars, and a skilled telepath at that. He had told him of a time when she had to enter his mind before to help rid him of a dark presence which had somehow latched itself to his psyche via an evil book. As she put both hands up to his temples, the motions were vaguely familiar to him, as if he had experienced one of Alessandro's memories.

He was unsure of what she was planning, but if she thought she could bring his brother back, he would certainly let her try. Although, if he was dead, he didn't understand how she would try to "find" him by psychic connection to him. He could just show her where his body lay at the cemetery where they held his interment ceremony. However, that might be a more grievous task than he could manage. Staying quiet, he closed his eyes and did as instructed as she placed her hands at either side of his forehead. He took deep breaths and thought of his brother. His laughter, his posture and stance, the dark mahogany locks of hair, his grey-green eyes, the way he carries himself in conversation, always so polite at first and very formal.

No.

It felt as though his stomach flipped upside down and his entire body tensed up. Thoughts of Alessandro quickly slipped away to the back of his mind as black thoughts permeated through his forefront. Orion, in Alessandro's mind, ran screaming as far away from the blackness as he could as it settled in and made its home at the controls. His eyes snapped open revealing to be a vibrant green now, with a slim, outer-halo of grey, which usually is the dominant color. He stared straight into D'rorah's eyes, a menacing expression on his face.

"I'm going to have to ask you to stop now, dear girl." The voice that now came from Alessandro had gained some maturity back to it, it was a deeper, more cockney sounding version of Alessandro's natural British dialect, a complete 180 from the childish speak he had been using. His hands flew up to D'rorah's wrists, gripping them tightly as he continued to glare.

"Now I asked nicely, duck. Don't make me get nasty." He said in a low growl.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah could feel Alessandro's unease as she placed her hands at his temples. No... he called himself Orion, that was it. Well, at least now she'd know how to address this particular personality. As scared as he was, she felt him complying readily with her instructions. It was more of a cover, something for him to do while she searched the frayed connections within his mind for Alessandro and tried her best to make him whole again. She observed carefully, assessing the situation she had to deal with so she could start planning the healing process.

Suddenly, the entire ambience of Alessandro's mind changed. Where there had previously been light, there was now darkness, anger, and chaos. She had intended to maintain her contact, but found her wrists tightly gripped by the owner of this new personality. This, she was certain, was the entity which had been in charge when Zane was attacked. She did not remove her eyes from his, but did remove her hands even while maintaining the mental connection.

This new... Darko, she thought to herself. Each entity had taken a piece of the name of the whole. Yes, all three pieces would need to fit back together to form the whole... even this one would need to be brought under control and joined with the others, rather than simply destroyed.

"So, we meet at last, Mister Darko," she greeted, her eyes still locked on his. "You have someone very important locked inside that mind of yours. And I do intend to have him back." Her words sounded all the more menacing for the cold, emotionless manner in which they were delivered. She could fight physically if she had to, and was prepared to do so, not knowing how Darko would react, but certain it would not be pleasant.

She continued to work, hoping she could keep this entity talking long enough to continue her assessment of the connection between the three pieces of Alessandro Orion Darko. "I understand you handled Mister Bishop quite masterfully," she offered, as though she were praising his performance. "Perhaps you and I might spend some time reviewing Unforgivable Curses. That research happens to be of special interest to me."

[Alessandro Darko]

As soon as she had removed her hands from his temples, he let go of her hands immediately as if she were not worthy of his own touch. He took several scoots backwards, eying her warily. If she was anything like the boy had described, she would be crafty and masterful. This D'rorah Philosophy, he did not know, but somehow, Orion did, and Darko knew Orion, who knew everything about Alessandro's life. Odd. He raised his chin a bit as she welcomed him into reality, addressing him as "Mr. Darko." He noticed that her eyes did not leave his own, that penetrating gaze seemingly burning a hole right through him.

"Darko will suffice." he said flatly. "You want him back, eh? Never met the poor chap m'self, heard he's somewhat of spineless twit. Now why would you want to find someone like that? I do all the dirty work anyway." He said, squinting his eyes as to study her better. A small smirk came across his face as he spoke of himself, fancying himself somewhat of a "bad-ass". "At any rate, you're welcome to try, but I can't guarantee that you will succeed." he said with a touch of iciness to his words. If Darko had anything to do with it, she would not. He wanted out of the shadows, full control. That little brother of Alessandro's would become bothersome soon enough, and Darko was already on his way to eradicating the bastard from existence.

"I understand you handled Mister Bishop quite masterfully," she offered, as though she were praising his performance. "Perhaps you and I might spend some time reviewing Unforgivable Curses. That research happens to be of special interest to me."

He turned his head straight to her. What an odd question to ask of someone. Unforgivable curses. He recalled the incident that he had with that Bishop fellow not too long ago. Pity his curse missed, it would have given him great pleasure to see the insolent cretin writhe in pain like a worm on a hook. A brief flicker of a dark smile flashed across his expression before he answered her. He took one breath and then began.

"Masterfully? Hah!" He laughed loudly. If he had done anything at all it was fail masterfully. Fore if her were to have "handled him masterfully", Zane Lucifer Bishop would either be incapacitated to the fullest extent, or six feet under. "You should know my curse missed. Ricocheted off of a sniveling protego charm. Had he not have been prepared...." He trailed off as the end of his sentence inflexed into an angry tone of voice, dripping with resentment and regret. His fists clenched as he became overwhelmed with the emotion, but felt a peculiar feeling lurking about in his brain. Almost like he felt like he was not alone up there. Looking at her out of the side of his face, he sent her a thought.

You think you'll find him up here?

[D'rorah Philosophy]

"I do want him back. He is useful in his own way," she replied vaguely. She could feel the darkness in this personality like a tangible entity. Darko wanted to take over this body... and that was something she simply could not allow to happen. With Darko in control, their Elemental Master of Fire would defect to the Mage's side as Gat had done... no, it was enough of a travesty to have one Elemental Master on the side of the Mage. Two would be too overwhelming a favor for her.

She sized him up as he spoke, listening to his haughty tone of voice, surveying his posture. Each personality was certainly distinct. And then, it was almost as if he detected her presence in his mind, for she heard the thought loud and clear.

You think you'll find him up here?

She feigned not to notice, instead catching his sidelong glance and turning her eyes to meet his gaze. He didn't seem able to fight her off. It had taken Alessandro some time to learn to do it himself... and only part of him was certain to be less than adept with that particular skill. If nothing else, after having worked with him to teach him how to protect his mind, she knew what to look for if there was to be any backlash. And so, she continued to search, but pulled her mind back a bit to make the presence less noticeable. "When did you arrive at Hogwarts, Mister Darko?" she prompted, attempting to forestall him with conversation.

[Alessandro Darko]

The question asked so purposefully seemed to succeed in throwing Darko off. There was an air of familiarity as he heard the words "Mister Darko" ring though his ears, but he brushed it off quite quickly, and brought his thoughts back to the question at hand. When did he first arrive at Hogwarts? Was she trying to confuse him? Darko put his mind to trying to find the exact date, but found that he, in fact, could not quite place a date that he had first gotten there.

"What kind of question is that? He asked, feeling somewhat irritated that she tried to perplex him with such a simple question. What irritated him more was that he could not answer the question.

He took a breath and stood up, facing her. She was definitely up to something, he had felt her snooping around up in his head, but now he wasn't sure if she had left or not, but he was definitely feeling uneasy, and Darko didn't like to feel uneasy. He was in control. "Listen....you....whatever your name is, I didn't quite catch it the first time. Why don't we spend our time doing something a bit more worthwhile." He said, his voice becoming velvety and smooth. He moved closer to her, reaching out to stroke a lock of her hair that seemed dark, and grayish. "Looks like your no stranger to dark forces yourself, eh? So whats the point in trying to fight? Lets have some fun, duck, you look like you could use some." He said, retracting his arm and looking at her with an arched brow. His tone was bold and provocative. Perhaps he could make her forget about this 'Alessandro'.

Noticing the small black sketchbook and piece of charcoal on the floor, he knelt down to pick it up. Children's drawings. Orion had been here. Seemingly, he did Darko the pleasure of drawing a portrait of him, how kind. He rose back to his feet, still looking at the picture. That little bastard... He thought with disdain. He's just got my hair all wrong...

[D'rorah Philosophy]

((ooc: Holy crap! I thought you had disappeared forever! Good to see you post!))

"It was a simple question," she replied, "borne of my own curiosity. I had no intention of offending you."

She fought against the urge to stiffen and move away from Darko's touch. It allowed her an opportunity to subtley strengthen her mental presence in his mind without appearing suspicious. "My name is D'rorah. D'rorah Philosophy." She smirked and added wryly, "and for the record, D'rorah means sparrow, not duck."

"She leaned slightly closer, eyeing him as he continued to speak. "In point of fact, I am no stranger to darkness. I could, perhaps, teach you things you would only think of in your dreams." She leaned slightly closer, as though swept in by his ham-handed come on. Knowing it was merely a diversionary tactic to keep her from what she wanted, she wouldn't allow herself to actually be taken in.

"At the moment, however," she leaned back suddenly, "I find my mental energies far too consumed by the process of attempting to locate my dear friend Alessandro."

She watched as Darko rose to his feet, distracted by the sketchbook left behind by the younger personality. "You do not like the young one?" she questioned, her smile suddenly taking on a more wicked curve. "Perhaps we can trade information. You assist me with finding Alessandro and I shall assist you with finding Orion... we both receive what we want... and hopefully we receive it more quickly. You seem the sort who would enjoy instant gratification."

She rose to stand next to him, shifting slightly closer. D'rorah might not have been one to wear revealing clothing, but she was well aware that, even beneath her robes and concealing clothing, her body was lithe and nimble. Except for the extensive scarring, she might have had a beautiful body. For a moment, she wondered what Dylan would think if he saw her at this moment, but knew that he would trust her judgment and also knew that in reality, nothing like Darko might expect would happen if he accepted her offer.

[Alessandro Darko]

No stranger to darkness, indeed. Yes, this one had a dark side, Darko could sense it, and it was almost if a part of her was kept locked away, deep down, in fear that the creature within would break free and then all would be lost. Darko’s own alignment to sides was ambivalent. Anything to get him ahead, for he was a pure creature of impulse and desire. If he had to harm those to get what he wanted, he would, if he had to sweet talk his way, god forbid, he’d do it. He wasn’t evil, per se, but just lacked the morals and virtues that the normal Alessandro would hold. Smirking at her comments at being able to teach him things he wouldn’t be able to dream of, he turned to face the field. It didn’t matter to him. He liked existing as he was, and he wasn’t about to have some young brat ruin everything for him.

The brat. Yes, an offer that did tickle his fancy. Alessandro in exchange for Orion. It seemed perfectly logical, but would this D’rorah’s gain outweigh his own? D’rorah wanted Alessandro back, but if she were to have him back, Darko would cease to exist. If he, however, got a hold of Orion and disposed of him quickly, perhaps Alessandro would be lost forever, for it seems as though the single most threatening thing about the child was his knowledge and strange connection to his older brother. This was tricky. Tricky, tricky, tricky little sparrow….

“Instant gratification, yes, I do enjoy…enjoying myself. But I’m not so sure that this would be an even bargain. You see, I fear that if I were to help you locate Alessandro, which I can’t, You would have him back, but then I would cease to exist. The problem here is, you’re looking for the wrong brother. If you help me find Orion, he can pave the way to his dear brother.” He said slyly, hoping that she would change her course of direction. In reality, or insanity, whichever, Darko overcomes Alessandro when he gets into situations that he himself can’t handle. Orion comes out on a whim, retaining all of the knowledge that Alessandro has found himself bereft of. In essence, Darko wouldn’t know where to start in searching for his remedial half, he just wakes up. Orion on the other hand, is purely independent.

He was about to speak. Something about how close she had gotten to him, and that it seemed that he was not the only one that appeared to seek instant gratification, but he was unable to say so, for something that worked quite independent from any of the three personalities’ control, had just commandeered his central nervous system, his neurons firing off synapses in his cerebral cortex like an electrical storm.

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He gasped as his sight returned to him and he stumbled back a little, sitting at the bench he had been. A dazed look was spread across his features so much that any onlooker would think he had just witnessed a murder in cold blood and had been traumatized. Breathing deeply, he looked up, noticing that D’rorah Philosophy, the girl that he had helped Dylan, Cait, Susan, Keaira, and Zane purge the darkness out of, was standing before him, looking weathered from her toils with darkness. When exactly did she get here? He thought as he looked strangely at her. He noticed that his fists were clenched tight around something firm, and he looked down to see he had been holding a sketch book. Loosening his grip, he looked questionably upon the drawings. Not really understanding who drew them, or why they looked remedial, he closed his eyes and shook his head.

What is happening to me… He thought unhappily. He looked up at D’rorah. ”Hello, D’rorah…how are you feeling? You’re looking….well.” He lied. It was actually a bit frightening. She wasn’t disfigured or anything, but it scared him that something so powerful had tried to overcome her, and had left traces of its presence across her being. ”Have you….been standing there this entire time?” he asked with an air of confusion holding his voice hostage.