Against All Odds, We Have To Save The World (Candira & HeartOfTheDarkness)

After looking around the room, it seemed safe enough. There was food to last them a day or two, enough for them until they go buy food themselves. And there were two rooms. At least that calmed down Alex's worry about whether or not he'd have to sleep in the same bed as Mia.

Once he was done looking around the room, he went into the smaller bedroom and began unpacking his things. There wasn't really much to unpack, just a week's worth of clothing, a couple of plugs for his electronics, a couple of books, and hygiene supplies like toothbrushes and deodorant. There was also his weapons, which he put his sword in a corner by his bed, and his handguns one the night stand.

Then he noticed Mia looking into his room. "Oh, did you need something?" He wasn't sure whether or not she wanted to discuss the mission more, or just talk. He'd be fine with either one, as long as she didn't get too personal with questions.

The sun was sinking below the horizon, casting beautiful light around the room. It was a lovely campus, a nice place on the second floor, and they were all alone. She hadn't found any charms placed on items that were out of the ordinary--a few knives had been enchanted so they would never have to be sharpened, the furniture had a stain resistance charm. Little household things like this were common among mages--especially ones who managed property. If there was a threat here, it wasn't magical.

The redhead looked around Alex's room--he'd already managed to unpack quite a bit. It was good that he was making himself at home. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't glad his weapons were out in the open as well. Well, at least two of them anyway. Oddly, she found that kind of sexy. What a strange thing. Still, it was good to know that he could protect her and that he was dedicated to doing so. When he acknowledged her, she smiled and shrugged. "Just thought I'd see if there was anything you wanted to go over with me. Do you think you'll be comfortable here?" she asked, gesturing around the room. It seemed like he would be, but who knew? Each person was different.

"If there's nothing, I think I'll call it a day. Do you mind if I use the bathroom first?" she asked, wondering if everything would really be okay.

"I think I'll be alright. The room seems fine, and I'm not too far away if you need me." He smiled as he leaned back and relaxed on his bed.

"Oh, go ahead. I'll search the rooms while you clean up. Check to see if any non-magical bugs are here. We should be fine though, I don't have that feeling of being watched like I had when we were at the bar or airport." That wasn't to say that there could be other ways to spy on them. Summon a familiar while they slept, watch them from afar and possibly attack. He had know idea what the enemy was capable of, and that was the scariest part.

Once Mia left, he started with inspecting his own room. Pulling out a device a member of the technology department gave him, it allowed him to detect certain devices mainly used for spying. As he searched his room, there was nothing to be found, aside from his own supplies if he needed to keep an eye on anyone suspicious. He then continued with the rest of the rooms. Finally finishing with Mia's room, nothing brought up any concern, except for accidentally stumbling across her underwear. Quickly leaving everything in her room as it was, he left and went back to his own room, a little embarrassed that he saw her private garments.

"Alright then. I'll see you tomorrow morning unless you need me for something sooner." Mia smiled at him and then left him to his own devices. She unpacked her things--more things, in fact, than what should have fit into her duffle. She had suits, sweaters, skirts, dresses, pants and shoes. They all fit into her closet nicely. She put her jewelry case on top of a dresser and took off what she was wearing. She tossed her discarded clothing into a hamper, slipped into a robe, and took off her accessories, putting them in their proper place.

She slipped all her bras and panties into the top drawer of her dresser, stashing her bag in the closet on a shelf. She took a clean pair of panties and some pajamas with her, along with her toiletries into the bathroom. After a nice warm shower, Mia came out of the bedroom, her hair loose and a bit wavy from the braid it had been in earlier. Her short pajamas covered her underneath the robe.

It looked like Alex was back in his room so she knocked and waited patiently for him to answer the door. She just wanted to say goodnight. Surely that was an expected courtesy, right? At least he would know what she was up to.

Alex answered the door when he heard a knock. Still a little flustered from the sight of her underwear, he answered the door, trying to act natural. "Oh, hello. I went ahead and checked the rest of the area, we seem to be ok. No spy equipment in any of the rooms." Which implied her room as well, hopefully she wouldn't think of him as some sort of pervert.

He looked into his room, trying to avoid looking down her robe. "I guess I'll go clean up next. Feel free to come to me if anything happens or if you feel unsafe. Goodnight." He then closed his door and gathered his things to clean up. When he got to the bathroom, he set up his few toiletries to the side, away from Mia's. Afterwards, he got in the shower. Finally, he was able to relax a bit. Was he that attracted to Mia? Of course he thought she was very attractive, and she was pleasant to talk to, but he didn't think he'd have to hold back from making a move on her so much. And thinking about how long they'll be together, it'll be rough.

Once he was done cleaning up, he put on a pair of pajama pants and a thin t-shirt and went back to his room, with his dirty clothes in his hands. He figured it would be rude to mix their clothes together, so he'll keep his separate and wash them himself. Before he went to bed, he knocked on Mia's door and shouted, "Goodnight" to her before going into his room. Instead of falling asleep, he decided to read a book, figuring he should stay awake for a while in case someone wanted to sneak in at night.

Mia smiled when he opened the door. The sight of him was pleasant, if not a bit strange. He seemed a bit flustered for some reason. "Well, that's good. I just wanted you to know that I'll be going to bed now." He seemed preoccupied with something in his room which made her curious. Best not to be too nosy, though considering nothing seemed to have changed since last time. He mentioned cleaning up and coming to him if she felt unsafe. "Alright then. Good night." She smiled and then shuffled off to bed, closing her door behind her. She closed the blinds and curtains on her window and cuddled up to a small stuffed fox she'd hidden under a pillow.

She stayed awake as Alex showered, the water running through the pipes seeming to fill the room with sound. It was a nice, soothing sort of sound, though. And before she knew it she was drifting in and out of consciousness. Then, there was a knock at her door and a voice calling out good night. "Sweet dreams, Alex."

And then she was out like a light, plunged into darkness. Her dreams were vivid but nonsensical in the most obvious of ways. Nothing seemed to be quite what it was, and yet everything was what it was. None of the rules seemed fair, but no one followed the rules because they weren't really rules--more guidelines. Nobody was who they said they were. They simply were who they were. It became clear that the dream was a manifestation of her confusion. The world was her friend, but it was also her enemy. Her mission was of the utmost importance, but there were so many obstacles. All of her obstacles were people. And she simply could not tell the difference between a cult member and an innocent. Not knowing the enemy was likely to drive her mad before all of this was over.

She woke up in the middle of the dream and stared at her bedside clock for a moment. It had only been twenty minutes. Oh, this was going to be a fantastic night. She groaned and rolled onto her stomach, her little fox in her arms and tried to fall asleep again.

Not much time went by when Alex got a strange feeling. It was difficult to describe the feeling he had. It was like there was someone, or something outside waiting for him, but not necessarily watching him. Reaching for his sword, he held it tight in his hands, ready for whatever was going attack.

Almost an hour went by and nothing happened. Loosening the grip on his sword, he released his grip on one hand and reached for his book again. At least he had something to pass the time, and still be ready for and attack.

More time went buy, and nothing happened. A few more hours have passed, and nothing happened. Maybe it was all in his head. The thought of the fate of the world on his shoulders, as well as the enemy coming from anywhere was possibly making him paranoid. Maybe some sleep would calm him down. Putting his sword back where it was, he got under the covers and placed the book on his nightstand with his guns. Hopefully nothing will happen while he sleeps, but if so, he'll be ready to take on whatever happens. Finally getting relaxed, he drifted off into sleep.

Mia managed to drop into an incredibly restless sleep a few hours later. Travel always wreaked havoc on her inner clock. Her sleep was light, but she was finding a relaxed point. She was sinking deeper and deeper into the black. Her body was floating in space but so heavy. it was difficult to move through all the water. The redhead found it difficult to breathe. Air was becoming more and more difficult to come by. Her air passage was closing rapidly and she couldn't move. Suddenly, the thought that she'd experienced this before brought her out of it. She shot out of bed gasping and failing to draw in air. In a panic she raced out of bed and to her door, turning on lights, shaking as she tried to gasp.

She ran to his door and knocked frantically on his door. The effects of the spell were wearing off too slowly because she couldn't calm down. Please answer! she thought, pounding away at the door.

Alex's night was fairly calm. He slept for about an hour before there was violent knocking at his door. Jumping out of bed, he grabbed his sword and went to open the door, ready to cut down anyone planning to attack. When he opened the door, all he saw was a panicking Mia. "Mia, are you ok, what's wrong?" Did someone try to attack her? Was she just having a bad dream? She looked as if someone was trying to strangle her, terrified and gasping for air.

"It's ok, it's ok. Calm down. Take deep breaths." He would've noticed if someone entered the room. If it was an attack, then it must've been from a spell. If that was the case, he really wouldn't know what to do to help her. The least he could do is try to calm her down and figure out what happened. Holding her in his arms, he sat her down on his bed. "Just try to relax, and tell me what happened." He spoke to her as if she was a terrified child, it was all he knew how to do, for now at least. Once she calmed down, he'll be able to help out more.

When Alex opened the door, her entire body was shaking. She still couldn't pull air into her lungs. She was too keyed up. She needed him to help her with this. She still felt a bit like she was being strangled. He seemed to understand what was wrong, however. Something was making her panic, and he knew that she needed to calm down. It was good to know that he could be relied upon to help her. Mia tried to focus on him--his voice, his face. She managed to croak out, "spell," as he pulled her into his arms. She moved with him and slipped her head down between her legs, trying to take deep breaths, slowly succeeding.

Finally, she got air back into her lungs and she coughed a bit when it happened. Eventually, her breathing calmed and she stopped shaking and coughing. She was still in his arms, and it helped her feel safer. Tears collected in the corners of her eyes from the effort and she took a moment to just look at him before she spoke.

"It's a form of magic that invades dreams. Only very skilled mages can use it. They made my brain that I was drowning," she said, trembling a bit at the memory. She put her arms around him and leaned into him, trying her very best to be calm despite the fact that she was so frightened the idea of sleeping again made her heart speed up way too much. "I know it wasn't real," she said softly, still taking deep breaths. "I know it wasn't real, but I could have died." Very much against her will, a whimper escaped her, and she felt so much smaller for it.

So it really was a spell, which meant that someone is really after her life. And the way she explained that spell, it had a pretty scary effect. It was powerful enough to trick the brain and make the body think that it was about to die. It wasn't surprising that she would be afraid to go back asleep. "Is there maybe some sort of charm you know to defend yourself while you sleep?" It might not work though, if it needs her to remain conscious for it to take effect.

To be honest, even though it was a crucial moment, Alex though Mia looked pretty cute. Seeing her hold him close to her, going to him for protection. And seeing those tears made him want to find the culprit and make him pay.

"Is there anything I could do to help?" Maybe he should stay by her while she sleeps. He also thought of a way to possibly combat the attacker. Pretty much involving her constantly shifting her sleep schedule, but it might mess with her sanity due to frequent lack of sleep she'll get. He wasn't really sure what to do, except to hold her close to him for the time being.

Mia stayed in his arms as he suggested a charm to defend herself. She wasn't sure if she knew how to do anything for this particular problem. This was an attack she would need to research in order to combat. That would mean heading to the library or computer lab since she didn't have the right materials for that with her. "I'm not sure. I can't think of anything right now. I'm still too keyed up." She trembled a little in his arms and stayed close to him, not really wanting to let go of him. It was comfortable here, and he smelled nice.

She looked up at him as he asked if he could help her. There were many ways he could do that. She did not, however, let go of him. "Well...um...don't let me fall asleep until I find a way to counter this. Not that that will be a problem. I'm a little too scared to try it just now. Will you come with me to the library? I need to find a way to solve this." Mia watched him, not really sure what else to say or do, her eyes locked on his.

Just seeing that innocent look on her face, Alex felt his heart skip a beat or two. "Yea. I can do that. I'll do what I can to keep you awake. And I'll stay by your side at the library tomorrow." He could tell that she didn't want to leave her side, and he honestly didn't want to let go of her either.

"W-would you....." He was having a hard time asking her this question, but he knew that she was most likely thinking of the same thing. "Would you like to stay here with me for the night?" His face was bright red when he asked Mia, with tons of dirty thoughts going through his head. It would be the best way to keep an eye on her, and he could keep her awake if she was with him. They'll find something to do to pass the time, and if not, he'll be right by her side if they fall asleep again and she needs him.

The relief she felt when he agreed to help keep her awake was nearly tangible. He was saintly to her at this very moment. "Thank you," she said softly, hugging him again. It seemed like the thing to do at the moment. She could tell, however, that he was having a little trouble dealing with everything. Either he was a little understandably freaked out, or she was making him uncomfortable. Since he wasn't making an effort to push her away, she thought it was probably the former.

When he asked if she'd like to stay with him, a weight lifted. She managed a little smile and nodded. "Please. Thank you for understanding, Alex. I promise I'll make this up to you soon." She took one more deep, shaky breath and let go of him with one arm, pushing some red locks behind her ears. "So, we should make some coffee, I think. And figure out something to do so I don't fall asleep."

"Sure thing." Alex took her hand, making sure she never left his sight, and they headed into the kitchen. After helping her to a chair, he began to set up the coffee maker. It was a start, but coffee won't pass the long hours of the night. Maybe a movie would help, but he wasn't sure if they had one. The only movies he had were on his phone, and he didn't know about her. Maybe something is on tv, other than the 'after-hours programs' that come on nowadays. It would be too awkward to watch something like that with her around.

While he thought about what they should do together, the coffee finished up and he poured each of them a cup. Then he reached into the fridge for a carton of cream, then he found a little jar of sugar in the cupboard. "Here we go, I wasn't sure how you wanted your coffee. Feel free to put in what you want." He said, pouring some cream and a ton of sugar into his coffee.

"Thank you," she said softly. Mia followed after him feeling much better, but a little silly in her pajamas. Still, she'd much rather feel silly than die in her sleep. She sat at the kitchen counter and smiled as he gave her a cup of coffee. "Ah, plain coffee is a bit much on an empty stomach." She took the cream and sugar, applying them liberally to her coffee. Some stirring and a few safety blows, she took a sip. "Not bad, Alex. Thank you. So what should we do? Wanna play cards? Or maybe there's something on tv...We could take a walk." She shrugged and took another sip, still feeling a bit nervous. Anxiety was dying down. It was good to know that she had someone to count on.

After a couple of sips from his sugary coffee, one of her suggestions did give him an idea. "Ok, let's go for a walk. Maybe some fresh air will help us out." And it was much better than any other ideas coming into his head. He sadly didn't know many card games, and tv could only last for so long. Then they could also just do 'that' in bed together, but that would possibly lead to them falling asleep afterwards. Just thinking about doing 'that' made Alex's face go bright red. Plus, he could go for a little late night snack.

Finishing his coffee, he went into his room to quickly change into his normal clothes he was wearing earlier. He grabbed his guns in case they get attack, and he also reached into his bag for something. A rather large pocket knife, it wasn't much, but in case the guns failed. He then came out and approached Mia. "I'll stand outside your door while you change. I doubt anyone will attack you while you change, but I'll be sure to save you in case anything does happen."

She watched him over the brim of her cup, drinking copiously. Yes, things would be fine. They had a plan, and he was going to keep her safe. She was going to be alright. She took a deep breath and calmly chugged down her coffee. He left to change and she waited patiently. When he came back she felt even sillier. Sighing softly, she stood up and stretched with a yawn.

Mia smiled and nodded when he told her he would stand guard. "Alright. I won't be long." She gave his arm a little squeeze and then padded off to her room. She took off her pajamas and put a protection charm on them before slipping into a pair of jeans and a fresh blouse. She was dressed in under five minutes. She slipped on a pair of moccasins and put her keys in her pocket with some folded cash. She wore a few charms on a necklace that looked elegant and tasteful.

"Ready to go?"

She looked good, even for rushing to get dressed. "Cool, let's go." They walked out of the room, and he waited for her to lock the door. Afterwards, they left for their little walk.

It was surprisingly calm. It didn't feel like they were being watched, which felt odd. He would've thought someone would keep an eye on them since they supposedly failed at killing Mia. Perhaps killers need to go to bed as well.

"It's nice outside, isn't it?" Alex held her hand as he tried to start some sort of conversation to pass the time. The weather was perfect for them. There was a slight chill, but nothing too bad. No chance of rain, and the street lamps were nice and bright, perfect for them to see the road ahead of them.

Once they were outside, she felt a little bit better. Oddly, she felt safe. Despite the fact that they were out in the open, she didn't feel exposed. She took a deep breath as they walked along. She held his hand, glad that he'd reached for hers. Mia stayed close, glad to be there. "It is nice. I'm starting to feel better. Thanks, Alex." She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

"So the library is closed until morning at least. Then I can look up what I need. Where would you like to go in the meantime?"

It was very pleasant, almost like the two were going out. While the thought of that did sound tempting, he had to keep this strictly business. Although, that didn't have to stop him from being friendly with her, he just couldn't go much further than that. "I don't have much in mind. We could maybe stop by any fast food places open late and grab a snack. Other than that, I guess we could just walk around and kill time." There wasn't much coming to mind for things to do. He figured that at least they could kill some time, and he could learn a little more about her, get to know her.

It was almost like a date--but not really. There were too many circumstances, too many protocols involved for that to be the case. Still, she was walking along with a handsome man in the middle of a beautiful night on a lovely campus. It was soothing to her, and a stark contrast from the extreme panic she'd been in just moments before. Yes, walking was helping, and it was also keeping her from falling asleep since the adrenaline rush was now over.

"We could go for a snack. Maybe there's a grocery store open, too. We could get that shopping out of the way," she said with a nod. "If you don't wanna do that, though, I'm okay with exploring campus a little. I don't know my way around just yet--only to administration and housing. I have a general idea of where the library is, but nothing else." She shrugged and wondered if he was thinking that this was like a date. Did guys think about stuff like that? Or maybe she was just a little loopy from earlier.

Or maybe she was reading far too much into the kindness he'd shown her earlier. It was best to keep things relatively professional, but there was no law against being someone's friend, right? And Alex seemed like he would be a wonderful friend. Besides, she'd be seeing him every day until her mission was complete. Possibly, he was the only person she could trust. "We could play twenty questions," she suggested.

"We can go ahead and get some shopping out of the way. Get some things to make our meals when we need to stay indoors and research. Plus, if I'm staying awake late more often, I'd like my usual fuel for the night." He liked coffee, but he much preferred colder drinks like iced coffee and energy drinks. Plus he could drink it faster and get back to what he was doing sooner. "We can wonder around campus afterwards, it'll still be a while until the sun comes up."

While it would be nice to play a game to pass time, he was too bad at that game. He could never think of anything interesting, and his guesses ended up getting him nowhere. He wasn't really the best person to think of things right on the spot. "How's about we just talk, kill some time while we take care of our errands?" That was easier said than done. What would he ask her? Granted, there were a few things he'd like to ask, but what was appropriate to ask? "I guess, how long have you studied magic? Has it been something that runs in your family, or did you just one day decide that you wanted to study magic?" He knew nothing about magic, it would be interesting to learn a thing or two about it, anything that could at least come in handy.

"Good. Okay, so we'll get food and we'll talk and wander around campus until I cannot physically move." She smiled and nervously squeezed his hand. She was still holding it because she couldn't help it. At least Alex didn't seem to mind. He wasn't pulling his hand away. She thought for a moment about her question and she smiled a little. It was sweet that he wanted to know more about her. It even seemed like he was interested in magic, as well.

"Well...my parents were always interested in mystical things--crystals, stars, fortune-telling and divining. In turn, I got interested at an early age and I really enjoyed the idea of magic. My parents encouraged it, and I started taking lessons and before I knew it I was going to the magical academy and learning all about magic along with my normal college courses in education and business." She smiled and shrugged. "So in short, since I was a little girl. How about you? How long have you wanted to do what you do?"

She smiled at him and was suddenly very glad that he'd been assigned to her. After all they'd been through, it was good to know that he was supportive and he'd have her back no matter what.

So it was since she was a girl that she wanted to study magic. And it sort of did run in her family, at least with her parents. As for his parents, it's been a long time since he's seen them. They talk every now and then, but it's only every few weeks. Maybe he should call them when this is all done.

"As for me, I haven't really had much interest in anything. And all the males in my family have sort of served the military. It was a bit of a pain in the ass though to have a dad that acted like a drill sergeant. Also, my friends decided to join as well, so for a while, we had our own little squad going." At least for a while, then there was an accident that lead them to losing one and the rest separating, not really speaking to each other. It was hard to think about at times, how his little circle of friends broke up, all because of a mage woman.