Sing to the Flames (Open-Pre Time War

[The Phantom]

"Isn't it obvious? Find pyro, kill pyro. It's perfectly simple." he responded.

"R-right." Maria agreed before she asked. "W-what's your n-name?"

[Alec Harrison]

"R-right." Maria agreed before she asked. "W-what's your n-name?"

Alec sighed. This was a tough blow. And these weren't even his real parents. Xandavier was gone, chameleon arched and gone. His mother... He did not know what had happened to her after he had been cast away to a foster home.

And now his makeshift family was deceased. Only one "brother" was left. His taken name, after all he couldn't always be Īokiyetishyaku, was Alec Harridon. Alec was taken from his step-dad's name, Yamashutetangelociplisalec, and Harrison was taken from his original mother's name, who he for all his memory could not remember the name of.

At least Xandavier had always treated him like a champion, as if he would matter one day. He'd been mostly useless since that day. It was not as though his father was the most affectionate, but he always knew he cared. Maybe years of discipline had not toughened him, rather softened him, and his gaze froze on the face of Marie. Her innocence and youth.

He wasn't willing to lose that yet.

"I-I, can't kill..." his gun clambered to the ground, and he curled up against the concrete, hugging his knees and rocking back and forth slightly.

In the amount of time it took for him to do that, he was back on his feet, a crooked smile hiding any hint of pain or memory.
"Ice cream, on me, eh?" he offered reaching and placing a warm hand on her shoulder.
"Or cake, depending on what you fancy this time if day."

[The Phantom]

"T-that sounds good." Maria smiled at him, happy that he changed his mind. "I-I'm Nar'niaythaliarau... Or M-Maria."

"S-sorry about m-my stutter... I-it's not you, I-I just don't normally talk t-to anyone." She admitted to him, giving him a weak smile.

[Alec Harrison]

"T-that sounds good."

Alec chuckled.
"Well, which one? Or would you like ice cream on top of cake?" he said, grinning.
Maria smiled at him, looking happy that he changed his mind. "I-I'm Nar'niaythaliarau... Or M-Maria."

"Should I call you Marie?" he asked.

"S-sorry about m-my stutter... I-it's not you, I-I just don't normally talk t-to anyone." She admitted to him, giving him a weak smile.

"And I talk to way too many." he replied with his most comforting smile, with more warmth than before.

As they turned to walk off, he reached down and put his arm around her shoulders in a disperate attempt to get her to stop stuttering. He hoped it would break the ice a bit more, but her comment about anti-sociality made him wonder if he was being too blunt.

"You see, there is this amazing ice cream shop down the road, my dad used to take me there when I earned high marks in the academy. They literally serve cones ray defy gravity." he winked.

[The Phantom]

"Should I call you Marie?" he asked.

"You c-can if you want. I-I don't mind..." Maria answered feeling better

"You see, there is this amazing ice cream shop down the road, my dad used to take me there when I earned high marks in the academy. They literally serve cones ray defy gravity. Alec told her with a wink, after he put his arm around her shoulders.

"R-really?" Maria asked excitedly, her face seeming to light up with the thought of gravity defying cone (trays?).

[Alec Harrison]

(Autocorrect faaaaaaail)

Alec cleared his throat,
"Excuse me, I've been having trouble with vowels this week." he grinned.

"R-really?"

"Really." he repeated in reply.

He blinked heavily. Ah, rain. Does amazing things to fires." he commented.

Alec produced an umbrella, handing it to Marie. In seconds the rain was pouring, but luckily the umbrella covered them both.
"I've seen a cone that melts upwards into your mouth." the Timelord assured her.

Stepping inside, he guestered to the cones. One resembled a French horn. And the flavors. Man, the flavors. They must've had everything. Not to mention how pricy it was. No wonder Xandavier had only taken here when he got good grades. But he had offered.

"I need a branch of these in my Tardis." he joked.

[The Phantom]

"W-wowww..." Maria said, looking around in total awe at the many selections of icecream, and cones. "This is, r-really wonderful. T-thank you."

She smiled happily at him, then looked at the cone selection. "There's s-so many!"

"W-which one do you like?" Maria asked him curiously, "I mean, w-which is your f-favorite?"

[Alec Harrison]

"W-wowww..." Maria said, looking around in total awe at the many selections of icecream, and cones. "This is, r-really wonderful. T-thank you."

Alec smiled shakily.
"They've expanded since I was last here." he admitted, "Alot."

She smiled happily at him, studying the cones now, "There's s-so many!"

"No kidding, eh?" he agreed, reaching into his pocket and retrieving his wallet, "Shouldn't cost too much." he figured to himself.

"W-which one do you like?" Maria asked him curiously, "I mean, w-which is your f-favorite?"

"Which one to I like?" he repeated, "Well, the intrepolar beta tops my list, but it's a but tough. I mean, the halucintions are. I'd go with a eighteen level chocolate. Each level includes a diffferent kind of chocolate... Then there's also the frozen hot chocolate on a cone. That one's pretty good." he suggested.

[The Phantom]

"No kidding, eh?" he agreed, reaching into his pocket and retrieving his wallet, "Shouldn't cost too much."

"Y-you don't have t-to pay for mine.." She started.

"Which one to I like?" he repeated, "Well, the intrepolar beta tops my list, but it's a but tough. I mean, the halucintions are. I'd go with a eighteen level chocolate. Each level includes a diffferent kind of chocolate... Then there's also the frozen hot chocolate on a cone. That one's pretty good." he suggested.

"T-that Frozen hot chocolate one s-sounds good." Maria answered, "T-thank you, really."

[Alec Harrison]

"Y-you don't have t-to pay for mine.." She started.

Alec chuckled heartily, his head falling back in a forced laugh. He had put on a most believable facade, but no one got over something like that so quickly.
"Of course I do."

"T-that Frozen hot chocolate one s-sounds good." Maria answered,

"Ah, nice choice." he slid the money over the counter, which was quickly exchanged for what look literally like a cup of hot chocolate frozen in time (but really in ice) in a very thorough fashion, complete with marshmallows and "smoke" made of sugar.
"Enjoy," he handed it to her.

"T-thank you, really."

"Your welcome, really." he took a sip of his beverage, a simple vanilla shake.

[The Phantom]

She gave him a smile as she took a a bite of the sugar smoke.

"Y-you know, you n-never did tell me y-your name.." Maria pointed out as she tried a marshmallow next. She couldn't deny that she was curious about him, and she felt bad that his house burnt down.

"I h-hope I'm not b-being nosy by asking, w-why?" She asked, looking at him with curious eyes.

[Alec Harrison]

"Y-you know, you n-never did tell me y-your name.." Maria pointed out as she tried a marshmallow next.

Alec tilted his head back to look at the ceiling, then back at Marie.
"Alec Harrison." he half-mumbled.

Another sip of his shake.

"I h-hope I'm not b-being nosy by asking, w-why?" She asked, looking at him with curious eyes.

"Why was my house burned down?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes a bit.

Why had it been? Was it his fault? Was there some freak out there who wanted to burn every foster home in Gallifrey? An enemy of Xandavier?

"I don't know..." he admitted, grinning crookedly.

[The Phantom]

"Why was my house burned down?" he repeated, narrowing his eyes a bit.

"I don't know..." he admitted, grinning crookedly.

"I d-didn't mean that, w-well... I suppose I-I was curious about t-that as well." Maria explained. "I-I meant why did you c-change your mind about ending the c-culprit?"

She continued to enjoy her ice-cream, as she waited for an answer.

[Alec Harrison]

"I d-didn't mean that, w-well... I suppose I-I was curious about t-that as well." Maria explained. "I-I meant why did you c-change your mind about ending the c-culprit?"

Now she was stuttering like crazy. He supposed it was partly his fault, feeding the girl ice cream.
"I suppose the change of heart had to do with..."

His head ran over with ideas.
"Zogoolakas. They entered my brain so that all I could think about was ice cream!"

[The Phantom]

"Zogoolakas. They entered my brain so that all I could think about was ice cream!"

Maria laughed slightly, smiling at him. "R-really? Those c-can be quite s-sneaky.. They g-get me in class."