Oh @$^$@!

[Nightcandle]

She ran until her lungs burned. The stiffness in her neck she could handle and the pain in her side was agrivating but wasn't going to keep her from moving, but when her lungs began to burn they also decided they didn't want to work.

Running was a bit hard when you couldn't breathe.

She slowed down, wobbled a little bit from a sudden wave of dizziness and nearly hyperventilated once her lungs began working again. Then her stomach did a few loop-de-loops and she puked, two quick spurts and then one good long retch that got rid of anything else in her stomach. She sat down afterwards, her head still reeling and her stomach copying its motions. Maybe she shouldn't have eaten so much, but she didn't think she'd have to get out of that inn so soon.

It was all his fault. If Silvais or whatever his name was hadn't pulled off her glove she wouldn't have had to run. Why did he have to see the 'corruption' on her arm? He believed everything she'd said all night. Muffy even said that Silvais was too stupid to need any kind of proof, but not too stupid to know what she was if he saw the scars.

If he knew he would kill her, so she had to kill him. Then kill his friends. Not that she wanted to kill his friends, they tried to kill her after she put her knife through his temple. He was their friend though... if someone just killed one of her friends she'd try to kill them back. There were too many of them for her to fight and she wasn't sure if she could get to Muffy. The knife was good and bloody, so she made a fireball around it, threw it and ran just as it sank into a chair and exploded.

When she looked over her shoulder, she could see an orange smear between the other dark buildings.

All she wanted to do now was find someplace to sleep, and do such for a very long time. The closest beds were back in Provoka... Muffy was in Provoka too. Anyone following her would have caught her by now. She slipped the glove Silvais took back on. It was bloodier than her arm, someone must have tried to bandage Silvas' head with it, but she couldn't walk around with one glove on. It was silly.

[RentCavalier]

The day is cold.

The day is always cold for me. Even the drink doesn't warm me anymore. God damn booze. Even the crud from another world tastes the same. There's so much corruption here too. The people live in fear of their government. There are no knights. There is no order.

There was nothing here.

I toss the empty glass to the ground and listen to it shatter. A musical sound--like bells. Bells. When I was young, I would play little bells--no more than chimes--and they'd always calm me. Well, I was calm. I was real fucking calm.

I am too calm. I am empty. I am cold. I hate cold.

The bartender is speaking to me. I don't listen. I hand him a silver piece and he leaves me alone. I don't want to be here anymore. I head out the door--the fresh air will do me good.

A girl walks by. No...darts by. She's walking fast--trying not to look suspicious. There's blood on her arm. Somebody is dead. She's killed somebody tonight, and if I'm right about that, she'll kill again soon. I can smell it...I can see it.

A shadow follows her. She's connected to something bigger. Bigger? What could be bigger? She's just a little girl...her eyes are so innocent. She looks innocent. She doesn't think anyone knows.

I know. I know. Such a beautiful face. So young.

I follow her. I'm obvious about it--no need in hiding. Nobody knows my face here. Nobody knows who I am. She's got blood on her glove. Perfect for me.

"Miss..."

I ask her if she's hurt.

"Are you hurt?"

[Nightcandle]

At first she didn't think the voice was talking to her, there weren't any other women she could see though. It had to be her. What did they want? She turned slowly and glanced up at the man looking at her, both hands behind her back and her weight on her right leg.

Hurt? She blinked, confused for a second. Her shoulder was still a little sore from running with her bag slung over her shoulder, then there were a few little cuts from Silvais' friends. Nothing that really hurt though. Then her eyebrows shot up. He must have meant the blood on her gloves.

"No," she shook her head, looking him straight in the eye. "I'm not hurt. I had to kill someone."

Her shoulders tensed up when she was through speaking and she stood with both feet securely on the ground. All the while she kept looking up at him, her teeth gritted and one hand climbed up to the back of her hip.

He didn't look like one of Silvais' friends... then, she didn't really look at them. She didn't think any of Silvais' friends would come up to her and act nice, not after what she did. Unless... what if he was trying to trick her back? Not good, she'd never been good at tricks without knowing what to say ahead of time. She couldn't be the cursed girl again, Silvais' friend would know that one. Now she just had to be prepared in case he tried to kill her.

[RentCavalier]

"Kill someone?"

Ha. Not subtle at all. She isn't mad. I can see that. What is with her...

Mind control? Posession? Pure naivete? Something wasn't right. I brush a hand through my hair, playing it cool, playing it straight. I let my voice deep dangerously deep into the sympathy--my character will be naive.

"Were you attacked? Do you need to get the authorities down here? It was bandits, wasn't it? Or...not the militia!"

Act scared. She seems as foreign here as you. She'll trust somebody who at least acts like he knows what he's talking about.

At least until we meet what spider spins her web. I hate spiders.

[Nightcandle]

Still tense, she nodded when he repeated her words, biting her lip a little bit.

While he's guessing, she answers. "Sort of... No! Uhm, no... no," shaking her head as she in time with the no's. His nervousness starts to get to her and she quivers a little, her teeth going back to grinding against each other rather than nibbling her lip.

She knew she's not good at tricks - having one sprung upon her so suddenly is starting to make her stomach turn loop-de-loops. Then all her feelings come to a boil and she plants her feet shoulder width apart, her arms at her side and hands in fists. "You know what happened! Don't you try to trick me or I'll have to kill you too - and I don't want to!"

As soon as she's through yelling, she runs. Heading blindly forward instead of going for the inn she was looking for. She can find it later if she loses this friend of Silvais'.

---

At first Muffy thought the arrival of the man was a potentially bad situation. The last thing he needed was some concerned party trying to 'rescue' Lani. Sure, she believed that he was the only one that could do as much, but any potential saviors would find themselves doubting that once she said enough. Unless they were stupid.

Though it was tempting to think of every other being in the worlds as being a little stupid; the thought was in itself, ironically stupid. He had to watch this newcomer a bit before he made any sort of judgement about him. At the moment though, he was a threat.

Then Lani split. Good girl, Muffy grinned and began flying lazily over the rooftops to watch her. As soon as she was settled down for the night Muffy could head to that nice hot bath. Of course, since the plan ended so... differently he'd have to show up sooner to reassure her that no, he wasn't angry, he was glad she made it out alright and how worried he was and blahblahblah. All the garbage Lani wanted to hear so she wouldn't start twisting herself in knots with worry.

[RentCavalier]

She runs. Screaming--panicked. Scared. Poor thing. Such a poor, poor child. I almost wish I cared. But I don't. She's a murderer. Even if this is not my world, I am a Dragoon. Justice should be served.

I follow. I could overtake her easily--but I'm not going to be overt. She isn't of her right mind. Something isn't right here. I'm being watched. Paranoia? No, I'm too loose to be paranoid. I don't get paranoid.

Watching...

I walk towards a nearby inn. She ran passed it, but she wasn't planning on running. There were no other inns in this part of town--this was her likely destination. I pass the door, turning into a back alley and dissappear into the darkness.

I find solace in the shadows. Here I can blend in. Hide. A little enchantment helps. Dragon Magic--invaluable, undetectable. Let's see.

I wait.

[Nightcandle]

It was too soon to be running again. Three strides into it her neck, shoulder and side started throbbing again. She couldn't stop this time, this time she was being followed for real.

After twisting through a few streets she ducked behind a barrel and peeked over it. There weren't many people on the street and she didn't see anyone moving toward her barrel. No one looked like that friend of Silvais' either.

She sat and leaned her head against the barrel. It was a good enough hiding spot while she caught her breath. Why couldn't all of Silvais' friends just die in the fire? Or better, why couldn't they have ignored her. She ignored them, they weren't important. They didn't have to die.

It was Silvais' fault any of them were killled, by her knife or by the fire. Silvais was the only one that had to die, if he didn't take her glove off she wouldn't have had to defend herself. Muffy said that if he knew what she was, he would kill her. She didn't want to die, so she killed him.

If she could have kept him from taking her glove off then Muffy and her could have killed Silvais alone. Then it wouldn't be all her fault - not if Muffy helped. Now the plan was ruined and all of Silvais' friends knew about her. She messed everything up.

She tucked her knees up against her chest, resting her face against them and crying softly.

---

Damnit, the man followed her. Nothing was turning out like it was supposed to tonight. Muffy growled softly and continued to drift after them both.

Then the man ducked into an alley while Lani charged forward. If he was a local that alley could have been a shortcut toward the streets Lani was headed too. Or... there was an inn close by, he could have been waiting for her to seek shelter.

Lani would eventually try to get to an inn. She was trying to hide now, but she got tired and hungry enough she'd come right to an inn. There was no convincing her to sleep outside when a town was nearby.

Which plan was this man taking? Once he was sure no one would see him, Muffy descended and pinned his wings to his sides. Muffy crept to the alley, careful to put only his head and one paw in view. He swung his head side to side, whiskers ahead of him. Most mortals didn't pay attention to a cat's comings and goings, but there was always going to be that sensitive one that noticed everything.

Nothing, he didn't see anything. So he jerked, like he heard something that startled him and backed out of view of the alley. Big help that was. The man could be racing through his shortcut now, or he could have been hiding. There were plenty of hiding spots there and he didn't have long to look before becoming suspicious.

Oh well, he'd lost the both of them now, he'd just have to wait here until Lani came back. He flew to the roof of the inn, making sure to find a spot that wasn't visible from that alleyway. No need to make Lani's hunter think he saw strange beasties flying about. There was a chance he'd be able to link a girl with bloody gloves and a strange creature.

Muffy laid as flat as he could on the roof and watched.

[RentCavalier]

Now I have seen everything. A flying cat.

Nekomata? No...no, Nekomata don't have that smell. That stench. I can't put my finger on it, but I can tell a lot about a person from their stench. The way they smell--it's like a fingerprint. The shadows, however, protect me still. A helpful skill. So glad I'd picked it up.

Annoying though it is, I've given them both the slip. The girl is likely to return. The cat worries me, and the cold air and wet ground isn't much comfort.

Comfort.

I don't give a damn about comfort. Even if I was in a palace, I wouldn't feel comfortable. This demon was one like all the others. They take what is valuable and shred it apart like paper. I hate their kind--but I respect their ingenuity, and this one was a particularly fine specimen.

I bet Cid or Matoya would like to study it. Still...

I wait. The cold settles after awhile, and my eyes watch the street, looking up every-so-often to check on where that damn cat had gone. When you're hiding, you can't follow people so easy. Makes it difficult. I'm not liking this.

I wait. And wait. The shadows embrace me, and here I wait.

[Nightcandle]

Something touches her knee then. Not her gloved fingers, not any part of her. It isn't raining either. Besides, the rain didn't talk.

She looked up as her hands snaked behind her. Where the daggers would be if she hadn't put them in her bag.

The closest thing to her was a hand. Pale, long fingers with dark red nails. A woman, she couldn't see her eyes under the shadow of her hood, but her lips were black. When she stood straight and the light hit them, it brought out a reddish shine.

"What's happened to you?" The woman asked.

She didn't pay much attention, with the play of red across the woman's lips to distract her. She knows she shouldn't be staring at a stranger, so she dragged her eyes away and tried to curl into a tigher ball.

Where there any women with Silvais' friends? She remembersd a lot of men. The women she remembered didn't have any strange colour on their nails or lips.

The woman knelt then, carefully dropping to her knees and leaning towards her. "Perhaps it is a who that has happened to you? Hmm? I care not what or who it might be-"

She sprung then, grabbed hold of the woman to pin her down. Not to kill her, not this one, just to scare her. It didn't work, the woman grabbed back. As soon as one managed to pin the other, the pinned would wrestle free and they grappled again.

Then exhausted, she didn't resist when she was thrown off the woman again. Instead laying there panting, her eyes crossed in frustration. The woman adjusted her hood, brushed her sleeves and looked down at her. A red nailed hand was held to her soon after.

"I don't mean to hurt you, I only wish to see you somewhere safe."

---

No bath tonight. If that man weren't maybe hiding in the alleyway Muffy would have cursed bitterly. Instead of steaming hot water he had cold night's air. Even with all his fur puffed out, he could still feel the hint of it. That was enough to annoy him.

Until he saw Lani walking up to the inn with... some woman in a long brown hood. What did she get herself into this time! The longer this night went on, the more irritating it got!

Cat on the roof, cat on the roof, he thought, you are a cat on the blinding roof! Some perverse part of his brain wanted to meow, instead he sank his nails deep into the roof. Just sinking them in felt like opening up an i.v. for his irritation to flow through.