The Ugly Nights (Fatima)

[Vulpeculae]

Spring, Day 20, 512 AV He always knew when the moment was nigh. The very moment when the last rays of Syna went dim behind the horizon, and the world was handed to Leth, who cast his cool light across the land of Mizahar. The moment when his form changed, the beauty and colour that graced him was drained away by the light of the moon. In a flourish of change, his horns disappeared, the gold in his hair faded into white, and the warmth in his skin faded into a sickly grey. Once warm amber, now cool amethyst eyes looked down at long fingers, claws gracing each tip in ugly blackness. That's what he was when he wasn't in Syna's light; He became ugly and twisted. The worst part being the knowledge that this is what he once was. This frail, pale waif, with a sharp set of fangs and claws. That couldn't eat. That had been a fun lesson to learn, his digestive system keeping him bed ridden and in pain until he had forced himself sick. Painfully. He didn't eat at night anymore. He was never going through that experience again. The young man went to the window of his room, looking out into the night. It was bright. He had always heard that people had a hard time seeing in the dark, but the night's darkness held no secrets for him. He could see everything. Everyone that passed by under his window. Every person who thought they were being so clever by sticking to the shadows, he could see. And still, he never went out at night. He was so afraid. Afraid of what he was. And if he was afraid, he couldn't imagine what someone would think if they met him out in the night? Met the pale monster? But there was always that want to be out there, exploring the streets after the crowds of people had retreated to their homes, or into the taverns and inns. See the life of Alvadas after its mask had been laid to rest. Vulpeculae stayed staring out of his window a moment longer, before turning away to find his coat. He needed to go out. He couldn't stay coped up, hiding away from the night. Not with such a strong need to do something other than stay home. The coat was pulled on, hood pulled up over his head in an effort to hide his white hair, stepping out of his home into the night. A hand went into his pack, fingers brushing over the key that would lead him home. With that, he was ready for a night of exploration.

[Fatima]

I was safe to say that Fatima was drunk. Very drunk. In a rare bout of homesickness, she had sought out the only place in Alvadas that really reminded her of home; the tavern. She had consumed considerable amounts of alcohol, yelled, laughed, and generally made a fool of herself. Her hands may have strayed slightly into inappropriate territories. You can take a girl out of Sunberth, but in the end, you can't take Sunberth out of the girl. So now, having been gently excused from the tavern by a concerned barmaid, she was stumbling along, attempting to follow her key's tugging; it didn't seem to be working, as the world was tilting quite perilously. As it was, she did not see the cloaked figure until it was too late; she fell forward as the earth beneath her feet seemed to give a particularly vicious lurch.

[Vulpeculae]

Vulpeculae had spotted the teetering woman long before she had had any knowledge of him being there, his eyes wide in the dark to better see the unsteadiness in her step as she followed down the city streets. A frown graced the young man's lips, torn between offering the young woman assistance, and hiding away from her before they grew close enough for her to be aware of his presence. A quick glance around gave him no immediate exits, finding himself stuck on his early rout. Hopefully the woman wouldn't take much notice of him, and keep walking. Or fall on top of him. That worked too. The woman fell forward into him, the young man doing his best to catch her before she took a face plant into the pavement. While he succeeded in preventing her from injuring herself, he was very aware of the pain in his arm. A soft hiss left his lips, helping the woman right herself. "Gah.. that shouldn't have hurt." He mumbled to himself, his free arm cradling the other. He was hoping it wasn't broken. Cold amethyst came to rest on the woman he had just helped, annoyance clear in their depths. "Are you alright?" He didn't really care about the answer, but felt it necessary to follow through with his actions. He saved her some pain so wouldn't it be natural to wonder if she was well? The pale man gave his injured arm a stretch. It hurt, but he was still able to move it. Hopefully that meant it wasn't seriously damaged. He hadn't realized just how fragile he was in Leth's light.

[Fatima]

Fatima groaned, shaking her head, trying to push her honey blonde hair out of her eyes so she could see the person she'd inadvertently crashed into. He was cloaked, though, and she wasn't able to get a good look at his face. "Augh, shyke.." She mumbled, just sober enough to be embarrassed. "Sooorrry...urgh.." She made an attempt to right herself, and untangle from the man she had attached herself to, but her feet had ceased to obey her commands. It was a man, right? If so, he was awfully thin; absently, her hands wandered, examining with touch. He seemed delicate, almost thin-boned. If she hadn't heard him speak, she might have mistaken him for a woman. "Didn't drink your milk, I bet..." She declared matter-of-factly. She sobered slightly when she heard his hiss of pain, and observed him cradling his arm. How lucky for him! She was a medic! It was her duty to Rak'keli to take care of him, now. "Heeyy now, friend, what, whatsa matter with your arm? Oughta let me take a look, I'm a healer, y'know!" She crowed happily, her former melancholy forgotten. It didn't cross her mind that he might not want or trust medical attention from someone as scantily clad and inebriated as Fatima.

[Vulpeculae]

The annoyance that he felt only increased as he heard the woman's slurred speech, followed closely by the smell of alcohol that drifted off of her. Well, that explained the ungraceful walk. "Its alright, ma'am." He insisted, trying his best to put some form of emotion in his voice. An unfamiliar warmth rose to his cheeks as he felt the woman's hands starts to search his body, taking a step away in the hopes that she would retreat. She didn't. Well, this woman was drunk, and it wasn't as if she was doing any harm. If he felt her go for his coin purse, though, he'd make sure she was sorry for it. "Didn't drink your milk, I bet..." He let out a small huff at the comment, diverting his eyes away. Even in her inebriated state this woman could tell that he was thin and frail. He wasn't even sure if this form could drink milk, though he didn't feel up for trying. There were more important matters to deal with at the moment. Namely, an inebriated woman who thought she was going to tend to his hurt arm. "No, no I'm quite alright." He insisted, rather too quickly. He didn't want to be insulting, but this woman was drunk, and would probably do more damage to him in the attempt to help. "I appreciate the thought, but I'm fine."

[Fatima]

Fatima narrowed her eyes and scrunched her small nose as the thin man huffed, and refused her services rather quickly. Did he think she couldn't do the job? How dare he! He didn't even know her! She could be the head of the Department of Succor for all he knew! Frowning now that she had made herself angry, she poked him in the chest. "Look here, buddy! I happen to be a medic and it's my duty to heal your ass whether you damn well like it or not!" She barked, punctuating her words with more pokes. She put a hand down the front of her linen clothing and retrieved her key from the end of a leather cord. Grabbing the thin man's wrist, she began forcefully dragging him in the direction of her home, following the magnetic tug of the key.

[Vulpeculae]

Vulpeculae had expected the woman to murmur incoherently and be on her way, allowing him to continue his night of exploration and adventure. Instead, his refusal seemed to set her off, the blonde woman proceeding to punctuate every word with a hard jab to his chest. It hurt, probably more than it should have, and the pale man was sure it would be bruised by the morning. The man hissed through his teeth. "Alright! If you're a healer than stop hurting me!" Almost immediately he felt bad for the outburst, taking a step back. His lips parted to apologize, but he wasn't able to get a word out as the woman, who he still didn't have the name of, grabbed hold of his good arm and began to drag him down the Alvadas streets. Vulpe, taken by surprise, allowed the woman to pull him along, fearing that a struggle to break free would end with a broken wrist.

[Fatima]

Fatima grumbled to herself as she dragged the thin man through the darkened city streets, her feet splashing lightly in puddles. She had become more used to Alvadas, and did not question that the streets were filled with water, yet it had not rained for several days. It was best to just accept it, which she did; though it had taken her nearly going mad to do so. "Here we are, then. Home, sweet home." She soon reached the doorstep of her small home, and made it up the steps with only a small amount of wavering. She had to let go of her patient's wrist in order to unlock her door, and fixed him with a glare that promised a swift verbal retribution if he were to make a run for it. Finally she got the door open, and the sharp smell of herbs and medicines wafted out to greet them. She quickly took hold of the thin man again, and brought him into her home. Small pots of greenery were situated on all surfaces, giving the house an outdoor feel; between the pots, the area was littered with medical supplies and pretty baubles; beads, stones, anything small and shiny. She collected these things much like a magpie, and they made her home seem mystic and mysterious, like that of a fortune teller's.

[Vulpeculae]

Vulpeculae followed behind silently as the blonde woman dragged him around Alvadas. Honestly, was this really necessary? He was fine, mostly. She didn't need to care this much about him. Thankfully the woman's home wasn't to far away; the angle at which she was pulling him was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. He just gave her a smile when she glared. Really, he didn't have anywhere else to be that night. And he certainly didn't fee like being chased by a crazy drunk woman. The door was opened, letting them into the small home. Vulpe's eyes widened slightly, flicking around the room. He gently pulled himself from the woman's grasp, flitting about the room and inspecting everything. After having his fill of shiny and shimmering objects, he turned his attention back to the woman, offering her a bright smile while completely forgetting his fangs. "Your home is rather lovely."