<div style="text-align: right;"><strong>Paul Raike</strong> (http://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=84632.msg3727041#msg3727041) - <strong>City Streets</strong> - <em>Standing outside, talking with Lulu and Ronin</em></div><br/>Things were moving too fast, it felt, and Paul simply looked around helplessly, itching for something,<em>anything</em>, to do to be helpful. He glanced up at the second floor, and sighed; both his bike and his camera, his two most valuable possessions, were up there, and quite likely ruined. A voice intruded on his thoughts, and suddenly Ronin was breaking through the growing crowd, smiling and waving at them. Paul felt a wash of relief that he was also ok; suddenly, however, his hand was empty, and as Paul looked down he realized that Lulu had let go of it, and instead had moved over to hug<em>him</em>.<br/><br/>Jealousy's serrated edge cut with surprising swiftness through bone and flesh, and shock alone, at the situation, at the fire, at the magical evening that had preceded it, kept him from acting at that very moment. His vision swam, and he felt light headed and dizzy, a condition he feared had little to nothing to do with smoke or fire. Instinct screamed at him.<em>Escape, and seek time to find balance, and center!</em>He shifted uncertainly; on the one hand, that would be best, to find time to cool off, and figure out why the hell he was reacting so strongly; even then, however, another voice teased cruelly.<em>Just imagine what will happen if you <strong>do</strong> leave...</em>Everything about the situation was dangerous, and he could feel his hands balling into fists; he forced them open again, forced himself to relax, and took a deep breath of charcoal air, before letting it out in a whistling stream. "I'm...."He paused for a moment, and considered his words carefully before continuing. "...glad to see you're ok," he finished, much more calmly than he felt, and honestly, as he thought more about it he was glad, even if he felt like beating the model into a pulp in a misguided effort to protect something that wasn't even really his.