[OPEN] You can't be too careful anymore.

[atalanta cyrene jaeger]

Hunter continued to glare at him, until he mentioned mermaids. Then her claws shortened back into fingernails. "So there are merpeople in there!" She leaned as far over the water as she could, almost falling in, trying to see down into the lake's depths. But he was right; the water was too foggy to see anything. Fascinated, she stared into the swirling, foggy water, trying to figure out if the movement was ordinary currents, or if it was caused by the merpeople.

Then his first sentence registered in her head. She rocked back on her heels and turned to glower at him. "Don't call me kitty," she growled. "I'm not a damn housecat."

[mathieu 'mat' darren blank]

"Yeah. The full blooded ones who travel downstream from the ocean and get stuck here. These merpeople can't change. But there are ones walking around that are half mermaid and they only change when they get wet." He shrugged, hugging his knees. He closed his eyes, mentally going through the people he was being sent to get. He didn't know if it made him happy or angry to see Dylan's boyfriend there. And as wrong as it was, he was tempted to call Dylan and tell him to get the boy to a hospital. But that too would give him hell.

"Maybe not. But you're a feline. That's like saying I'm not a rockstar because I don't have my guitar." He peered down into the water he could finally see into. He got down onto his knees, watching the mermaid he was after swim back and forth, obviously in pain. She caught his eyes, and the black started swirling around, beconing her to come to him. Once she was close enough, he reached into the water, snatching her. He tore her soul from her body, leaving the corpse to float there. He disappeared, then reappeared on the other side of the lake, his legs stretched out in front of him.

[atalanta cyrene jaeger]

"It's completely different!" She protested. "Your guitar has nothing to do with what species you are!" She trailed off when he got onto his knees, and peered into the water, trying to see what he was looking at. When she saw the mermaid writhing back and forth, her first instinct was to attack her. She was a fish-woman. She was in pain. Every cell of Hunter's body told her to kill the mermaid, but she didn't want to get anywhere near the guy with the death-touch. So she backed away, watched him rip her soul away and... disappear?

Her nails lengthened again, and she scanned the area in alarm until she noticed him on the other side of the lake. "Don't do that!"

[mathieu 'mat' darren blank]

Mat only smirked from where he lay propped up on his elbows. "Or what? You're just gonna come over here and touch me? I can only do that with a soul." He could only will himself to the other side for the Angel of Death to take the soul if he had one. Otherwise, he had to walk everywhere. He closed his eyes, wondering bitterly if his list would change, if that boy would somehow become less important than someone else and shrink back on his list. He was almost looking forward to going get him. Even if he knew it would kill Dylan. 'He cares more about that boy than he ever did you.' Death taunted in his head and he gritted his teeth.

"So, do you have a name, or did your mommy tell you never to talk to creepy looking strangers?" He asked with a smirk, looking over at her.

[atalanta cyrene jaeger]

Hunter sneered. "Very funny," she said sarcastically. "I'm just dying with laughter." Still glaring at him, she pulled her knees up again. "Atalanta," she said. "I go by Hunter. Call me Atalanta and I'll stab you in the eye with the blunt end of a stake." Still glowering at him, she raised an eyebrow and continued, "Do you have a name? Or do Death's little helpers not have names?"

She wondered briefly why he seemed so irritated--she could practically hear his teeth grinding--but she figured he was probably just like that. 'Maybe being dead makes you cynical and annoying.'

[mathieu 'mat' darren blank]

"The name's Mat. With one T." He said with a nod, running his hands up and down the legs of his skinny jeans. He started to undo the clasps on his vest before pulling it off and tossing it to the grass beside him. He pulled it up under his head and laid down, folding his arms under his head. He closed his eyes, wishing he could be with Dylan. But he couldn't. He chewed on his lip ring, keeping his eyes closed. He finally looked up into the sky.

"Looks like another wet night at the graveyard." He commented on the storm clouds moving in. He shrugged. He was used to wet nights, sleeping on his grave. His clothes soaked through and through until his teeth clattered. 'Can't go to Dylan. No.' He thought. 'Grin and bear it, Mat.' He sighed, glancing back at the girl.

[atalanta cyrene jaeger]

"Well, hello, Mat." She made a slight face when he started rubbing his legs. He was wearing skinny jeans. She could never understand why people would want to wear those. They were so restrictive. Like a second skin that made you immobile. Ridiculous.

"Why do you sleep at the graveyard?" She felt stupid as soon as she asked the question. Duh, he was dead. Dead people stayed in the graveyard. But he wasn't a ghost. He seemed to be able to touch inanimate objects. So she continued. "If you can touch things, why not stay in an apartment or something?"

[mathieu 'mat' darren blank]

Mat looked over at her. The question seemed stupid, at least to him. But maybe it was just because he understood the reasoning behind the 'why'.

"Because.. I tripped on a wire during a show. Blew up half the stage and I blew up with it. I decided to go to the beach almost three years after the accident, three years at the cemetery. I run into the guy who was going to marry me and find out he has a boyfriend now. My dad beat my mom to death, then shot himself in the head. So I don't have any family I can go to." He shrugged again, folding his legs at the ankles. "The graveyard is fine compared to having to ask someone you're still in love with for a place to sleep.."

[atalanta cyrene jaeger]

She blinked once, startled. "Oh." Oops. She maybe shouldn't have asked. "Well... Why don't you get a place by yourself? It's gotta be pretty shitty sleeping out in the rain. Unless you've got a mausoleum or something." Personally, she didn't mind the rain, but she wouldn't want to sleep in it. The graveyard was probably pretty peaceful though, with nobody around. Gloomy and depressing, sure, but peaceful.

Shifting her legs, she changed the subject. "So, you're a musician? Or, were. Are?" She tipped her head to one side, staring at him. 'It's annoying, not knowing which tense to use.'

[mathieu 'mat' darren blank]

Mat shook his head. "I don't know how much longer I'm going to be here, so there's really no point. I've slept in the rain for three years now. I don't think another night is going to kill me. Hardy har har." He chewed on his lip, listening to her switch between terms.

"I played guitar for a touring band, yeah. But as far as 'was' and 'is' and 'are', I don't think being a musician leave you just because you're dead. Does that make Edgar Allen Poe not a writer? Or Marilyn Monroe not an actress? No. They're still a writer and an actress. The only difference between like, Poe and King is that King is still alive. Same thing with Monroe and Angelina Jolie. She's still living is all." He didn't know how much sense that made, but it seemed to make sense to him.