In Search of Quiet Places (Devarius, open?)

[Harbor]

Aoife had been living in a copse of mangroves bordering the elf lord’s pond for several years already when she decided she wanted to see a new place again. She barely left the lord’s property because she was so intimidated by the presence of other people, and where else would she go anyway? But she wanted to see the sunset on another lake that day, so she decided the next that she would fly out over Du Weldenvarden, to the realm of the humans, until she found a peaceful one she liked. It wasn’t that the lord frightened her—he was a fairly quiet man, who enjoyed sitting out in his garden, feeding the fish leftover bread and putting out seed for the bird. He seemed to like having her there, for all that he was baffled by the fact that he had no idea what kind of bird she was. Occasionally other people came to see her, to see if they could identify her, but when she knew other people were coming she hid. She didn’t like most people, only the quiet ones. Even the elves were getting louder and louder with every passing year, unrest seeping under their skin like insects and emerging from their mouths with strange sounds of frustration, impatience, and anger. That was what most frightened her. So, over the course of a week, she left the lord’s pond and flew over the forest until she found a lake.



Aoife in fact passed several lakes, but she dipped down and circled them, and eventually found the first few all to be unsatisfactory. She always left again within an hour of rest. By the time she found the lake she’d been looking for, it was nearly dusk, and she was exhausted. The border of the lake she landed on was filled with reeds and cattails, so when she curled her slender legs beneath her and tucked her head underneath one wing, perched across a small outcropping of moss-covered rock, she was nearly invisible.



As sunset came she woke briefly with the breathless pain of changing into another shape without being able to control it, without the body wanting to accept the change, and as soon as it was finished she fell asleep again curled on her side. She wore the same ruffled dress of gray feathers that she always wore in this body, which was only just three and a half feet tall, and the feathers that sprouted from her hips and legs lengthened to create a skirt that covered down to her knees. Her rough, layered hair was the same gray, and trailed over the stone into the water. Too tired to enjoy the evening harmonies, glad that even sleeping over snowy water the air wasn’t quite cold enough to shake her, she slept again.

[Devarius]

He was a city creature, more at home among the rooftops and cobbelstreet than the wild. Used to sneaking around in the shadows and crawling along the roofs at the dead of night, the wide open space on the road made him feel uneasy. It made him feel small and insignificant compared to the world around him, he would have preferred to stay in the city, but that wasn't an option. Somebody had been selling drugs in large quantities, it was something new and it was deadly. More so than what had always been sold around Teirm, some sort of plant mixture which was both highly addictive and deadly. More and more people become addicted and died with every passing day, it was something he could not allow to happen in his city.

Luckily criminals were cowards by nature and drug dealers even more so. They would sing like small birds if squeezed correctly. When they feared for their life they would give up anybody to save themselves, and fear him they did. He was the ever watching eye, always looking out for the city. Determined to strangle the problem before it grew too large he launched his investigation. After breaking a few bones and bleeding a few local pushers he got the name of a man high enough up to provide him with answers. Unlike the unlucky dealers this guy wasn't just hanging around at street corners pushing. After days of work he finally tracked him down to an abandoned house right outside of town.

Their meeting had been a short one, Devarius had been forced to negotiate with the tip of his sabers to get a location and a name. It was as simple as that, he wanted to know where the drugs where coming from and who was bringing them. After permanently dealing with the thug he had come to the conclusion that in order to shut down the drug traffic, dealing with the criminal elements inside of the walls wouldn't be enough. He would have to find out where the drugs were stored, who got it there and backtrack from there. Until he had taken down whatever organization was behind it. It was the best way to get a permanent solution.

Dusk was quickly approaching as he continued his travel, by his estimate he still had a few hours of walking left as the sun started to settle. While most others might have seen that as a sign to strike camp Dev didn't. If anything he felt more comfortable in the dark after the sun had gone down then during the day. He knew the night, it was his cloak and protection, better than any shield. Within a few hours after the sunset he found himself at the border of a small forest along the edge was a large pond. Sneaking in among the trees he continued closer to make sure there was no guards or anything. Sure it should still be a way until the hideout but being caution was in his nature. While he was no woodsmen he had long ago learned how to be sneaky even if the area was unknown to him. His black leather boots making little to no sound as he moved among the trees.

Say one thing for Devarius, say he's stealthy.

Slowly approaching the pond he crouched down as his eyes scanned the area, finding no real threat he decided that he might as well get ready to spend the night outside below the stars. He was no stranger to sleeping outside with only the stars as his roof and company. Preparing to roll out his coat he froze as a sound reached his ears. It was a sound he knew well, the sound of breathing, somebody else was around. Holding his breath he strained his ears, from the sound it was a small being even so he took no chances and drew his sabers.

Say one thing for Devarius, say his cautious.

Slowly he moved in the direction of the sound, his gray cloaks blending in perfectly with the night around him as he approached. The sight that meet him as he peered out from the high grass wasn't what he had expected and quickly made him sheet his sabers. In the grass sleeping peacefully was a young girl dressed in what looked to him like a dress made out of light gray feathers. What was a young girl doing outside all alone he wondered to himself. While this could be some sort of tricks or trap Dev knew that he wouldn't be able to harm the girl regardless. His hands were already soaked with the blood of one innocent girl and he knew that he would die before adding more. For a moment he was indecisive about what to, he had dangerous criminal to captures but could he just leave a small girl outside in the cold alone? While she didn't appear to be suffering yet who knew how it would go with her if it the weather got worse? From what he could see she wasn't even wearing shoes, no he couldn't leave her. He had too much on his conscience already, slowly to not frightened her he moved closer. "Hello, are you okay." He asked as he pulled away his hood revealing the human underneath, the blond hair, blue eyes and slightly bent nose.

"I mean you no harm." He assured her as he held up his hands to show that he was holding no weapon. "I'm just worried about you, are you okay out here all alone?" His voice was soft almost a whisper, like a man approaching a wild animal, afraid that even the smallest movement could make her run away. "Are you cold?" He asked as he sat down in the soft grass, hoping he would seem even less threatening while being seated. While Dev knew that he could never find it in himself to harm a child the girl didn't know that.

[Harbor]

Aoife was dreaming of a world where the shadows cast were all light and the shadows were the phenomenon that caused them. The trees reflected themselves on the snow outlined in a yellow white as the grayness beat down on them like drifting beaming charcoal. It was a very peculiar world, but very pretty. Then a breeze caught and the shadows fluttered, icy branches twitching and crackling against one another like frosted glass, or grass crunching underfoot.

It wasn't until a living voice reached out to her that Aoife realized that she wasn't dreaming anymore, that the voice was real. She had spun up from her island of mossy grass, in a flurry of pale snow, and run several steps through the water with her feet bursting through the thin ice before she even looked back to see who had spoken to her.

It was a man. He'd nudged his good back so she could see his face, and now he showed her his hands in a calming gesture. It was hard for her to remember the language of the humans, it had been so long since she'd heard it or used it herself. How long had it been since she'd last been seen? Last been spoken to? Last spoken back? A year at least? Probably. The tone of his voice implied a question but it took her a moment to remember how to hear it in the language she'd been born to. His question wasn't threatening, just his presence. She stood frozen, still stuck between running away and speaking to him. She had begun to miss, lately, things like conversation. He spoke quietly, like she did. That alone made her feel slightly less like trying to run.

He sank down to the grass and the hard throb of her heart eased somewhat. She was only about half his height, and didn't like the feeling of looking up at people who were clearly strong enough to catch her and keep her. She understood his last question and while she hasn't been cold while she was sleeping, now that she was awake, and now that he'd mentioned it, her hands crept up to cup her elbows as to ward off the chill. She hesitated to reply, and when she finally did, her voice was hoarse with disuse, and just as quiet as his had been. "I don't get....cold, much," she said at last. She shifted, still uncomfortable, and looked down at the thin ice encircling her ankles. Her feet felt numb but not cold yet.

[Brenton]

Darkness and silence, the two greatest companions of a predator, were cloaking the land as soft padded paws touched lightly against the ground and s massive form sunk low to the ground. As the shape got closer to the water, a small voice spoke and suddenly the form froze and feral eyes scanned the area. He had been following one person so why were there two now? Quietly, the wolf sank lower and soon was completely hidden in the grass listening. Many missions required information and so he had to get information before attacking. Silently Nightshade lay there with his ears pricked and alert for any change in surroundings.

[Devarius]

She looked ready to flee, ready to run away from him there she stood in the cold water watching him. Around her the ice was reflecting the light from moon, giving it all an aura of something magic. He didn't blame her, he had tried to hone the skill of intimidation as a weapon most of his life. Fear was useful when dealing with people in his line of work, however he had no wish to frighten young girls. Dev couldn't help but wonder what was the right thing to do if she tried to run, should he chase her? If she stayed out in the cold water or tried to swim away chances were good that she would drown in the cold water, even if she did succeed in getting back onto dry land she would suffer a serious case of frostbite. So far away from any source of heat or shelter that would kill just as quickly as a sword to the gut. He had seen what cold water could do to a body in his time on his street as a kid. One of the others he had shared a roof with had been out too long and wet clothing and succumbed to diseases few hours into the night. First the most exposed parts of his body had turned blue and black, the he had started coughing and his fever rose. By the time he died he was too weak to even talk. Since then he had seen countless of dead bodies but the image of the young boy dead on the roof still haunted him from time to time. Such a young life cut brutally short.

He almost got up, intending to run after her when she had first started to run but as she came to a stop a few meters out he had sat back down again. The water reaching slightly above her ankles there she stood, ice already forming around her feet. When she turned around he could see how young she really was. It made his heart twist, she reminded him of her. Getting up he took a step towards the water slowly, while she might say that she wasn't feeling the cold yet he didn't believe it. She was holding her arms around her body, trying to keep the chill away. "My name is Devarius, you can call me Dev for short if you like" He said as he approached her, his voice still a low grumble. Reaching behind his head he started to unfold one of many cloaks he kept around his body. "What is your name, do you come from a village close by?" He asked, if he was able to get her into a conversation the chances of her doing anything foolish was reduced greatly.

Stepping into the water he could feel the cold water sipping through his black leather boots but he paid it no attention. He had felt a lot worse in the past and a little water wouldn't distract him, let alone stop him from helping. Stopping when the water almost reached his ankles he held out his hand with the black clothing in it, still far enough away that she would feel safe but close enough that she could with a few steps reach out and grab the cloak. "I've always heard that you should dress before you get cold. Why don't we go back onto dry land?" Hoping that she wouldn't do anything foolish he gave her a small smile trying to comfort her. He would remain in the water as long as it would take to make sure she didn't attempt anything foolish.

[Harbor]

She watched him. He looked more concerned about her than anybody else ever had since the curse changed her. Nobody else had bothered to think about her welfare, just their own as they chased her down and besieged her with questions about their own lives that they ought to be able to know on their own. She rocked backward with anxiety when he stood again, but the way he moved was just slow enough not to send her lurching away again. He looked like shadows casting shadows, this man. He was human, she could see when his pale hair shifted in a faint breeze. Always attuned to the wind, she could feel the way it slid over every pore and wrapped around strands of her gray hair, inspecting the grooves of her fingernails before releasing her and flowing east. She cast one longing look the the east, hoping to see a faint glow starting at that horizon, the one that would permit her to change and fly away, but so far all she saw was darkness.

Her head whipped back around when he spoke, and her ears relished the sound of sentient conversation even while her mind shrunk with fear. People were dangerous and there was nothing about her to convince them to leave her be, no matter the reason they wanted her attention. All she had were wings, and then only in daytime.

Her throat contracted as she worked to squeeze the words up out of her throat. "Not near here," she said at last. She hadn't spent time in anything more populated than a broad residential area in decades. The people made her nervous. But why should he assume she was from a place where normal people lived? A grown-feather dress, gray hair and pink eyes hardly lent themselves to normalcy.

When he got close enough that she had to start tilting her head back to look at him she retreated a step further, and he stopped, some bit of bundled clothing draped in a hand that be extended out to her. He didn't understand the nature of what covering she had if he thought she had any influence over what she wore, and she shook her head. Language wasn't coming back easily, and she couldn't find the way to say with few enough words that she couldn't do anything to change herself anymore. All of that was out of her hands. But her lack of a definitive aversion to the cold was slightly easier, almost. With him as an epicenter, she crept sideways through the water, through the reeds at the edge of the lake, and up onto the stiff grass. She shook the water off each foot just as she would have in her other shape. "I don't...feel the cold anymore. Just warmth." And discomfort. But discomfort wouldn't hurt her. A small sound behind her made her whirl to face it, breath catching, but she didn't see anything and didn't like having people at her back so she faced the man again. Devarius.

[Brenton]

((Wolves are silent when stalking so what noise did she hear))

Nightshade had been listening when the scent of another came into his nose and caused him to move slightly, rustling the grass with an amateur movement. Instantly the wolf froze and grinned as he got an idea that was demented. Nightshade crept backward, rustling the grass and stepping on twigs the whole way backward until he was at the edge of the thick grass. Using speed, the lupine form darted to the left and rustled more grass. Finally he darted to the right and rustled grass before growling. This would be fun. Using stealth again, Nightshade moved into the grass and waited.

[Devarius]

The cold didn't bother her, or so was her claim, she had refused his offer but at least she hadn't walked further out in the water. While it was good that she made no further attempt at running he was worried. When you were out in the cold the real danger was when you started feeling warm, it would make you feel safe. You would feel numb then you would feel tired, soon enough laying down to sleep would sound like a good idea. A slumber you would never awaken from. Even so he could not see a way to approach her so he started to once more wrap the fabric around himself. He would just have to be watchful incase she passed out.

He didn't realize he had been holding his breath until she stepped back onto dry land. However what small measure of peace had been creeping in on him seeing her safe quickly gave way for a growing feeling of unease. It wasn't anything in particular, there was no simple way to describe it. It just was. Devarius narrowed his eyes, something wasn't right.

It was like a sixth sense, a feeling born out of many years of skulking in alleys, hiding on rooftops and fighting. Always fighting, every moment in danger, it had saved him many times in the past and he had long since learned to really on it. Dev wasn't normally one to worry about a fight, he had seen his share in the past and knew what he could hold his own in a normal fight. However there was the girl to consider. What of her? Would she try her chances with the water if something was to attack them? There was also the uncertainty about what exactly could be dwelling out there in the darkness, bandits and thief's he knew. Their cowardly ways he knew and didn't feel threaten by, but this wasn't a back ally, it was a forest and who knew what was hiding there.

His right hand found the hilt of his sword as the other gripped firmly around one of the many daggers he carried as he moved up on dry land. His hands hidden underneath his cloak, he looked exactly the same. The small tension in his steps, the way he observed the forest, it was all easily missed unless you were paying close attention. Careful as to not scare the young girl he moved pass her, between her and the forest. Like a shadow he stood there watching listening, he was not a creature of the forest but even so he was no stranger to darkness. For a moment he was starting to believe that perhaps his intuition had failed him and that they were safe, that he was just on edge until the rustling started. Within seconds a dagger had found its way from his hand speeding towards where he had last heard the sound. However from the thud it made he doubted that it had hit anything but dirt, whatever was making the sound was fast. For all he knew it was nothing but a rabbit but he was not taking chances.

"Stay behind me" He sneered as he pulled out his sabers from underneath his gray cloak, for all he knew the girl would run away into the water once more, but that was simply a risk he would have to take. Innocents had died due to his failures in the past, so many ghosts hanging over his shoulder, this would not be another such occasion. Whatever was there would have to get pass him to get the girl. "Come out coward" He taunted hoping to draw the attention towards him, normally he would really on stealth and try to sneak or lure opponents but not now. Not when he had somebody to protect, he would have to make himself the target.

[Brenton]

Nightshade watched with his gaze going between the girl and the man who was guarding her with weapons drawn at the ready for a fight. This was one of those times he had to decide if a frontal assault was best or a more sneak attack would work in his favor more. The sneaky approach might be the better option so Nightshade shuddered and his fur began to disappear as a man slowly appeared in place of the wolf. Still he was on all fours and hidden by the grass. That meant that no one would be able to see him just yet as his hands appeared and the fur completely shrank down to a pair of fur leggings, fur and leather boots, a silk shirt with fur vest over that. He had no weapons on him as Lazarus stood up.

Lazarus Koth, the bipedal form of the Empire werewolf, was not a very well known person because he preferred to be in his wolf form. So as he breathed through his nose and got less than he normally would for scent, the man winced but he could barely tell why. His vision was far less clear and his hair was hanging in his eyes which made it worse.

"Don't attack, please. I mean no harm to you, just...scared and c...cold." Lazarus spoke in a hoarse chattering whisper as he held his hands up, seeing the claws completely disappear. Finally he was normal for a bipedal but this was so much harder to be one of these inferior beasts than it was to be a wolf. Why did he choose to do this again? Oh yeah, stealth and a sneak attack.

[Harbor]

The moment she noticed him grasp something beneath his cloak Aoife shied backward away from him again, though she was similarly uncomfortable with moving in the direction of the grass and the trees the sounds had come from. Really, why couldn’t she just have had a peaceful night’s sleep? The tiny island hidden in the weeds had been the perfect spot really, hidden from the eyes of most, even if this fellow had seen her. She didn’t like the way he was moving now, as if he were stalking ghosts and didn’t want to frighten them off, but since she preferred the company of frightening things she could see as opposed to frightening things that she couldn’t, she did her best not to lean away from him when he moved toward her, then past her. Being behind him wasn’t nearly as stressful as being before him, but this was still one of the times she wished she could keep her wings throughout the night as opposed to just during the day. It was difficult when her body went back and forth between forms—there was never a time she felt fully comfortable either among others or among the trees, because her body no longer decided what shape it took.

Aoife jumped when Devarius spun a dagger out into the grass. She hadn’t even seen him draw it. The tone he used in ordering her about made her lips curl inward in disapproval—what had she done to earn his ire?—but she didn’t mind being told to avoid him, which was what the command amounted to in her perception. She took several more steps backward, edging toward the safety of the ice-bristled pond, and stared warily past him at the darkness.

A man rose awkwardly out of the dark haze, and Aoife stiffened. There was something wrong about him. What sort of person—herself aside—lurked out here in the blue frost and gray cold. The pants would keep him warm enough but the vest wasn’t sufficient for this kind of chill, and the silk might as well be a layer of flower petals. She doubted his body was equipped to the cold as hers had developed to be. The slight breeze shifted and Aoife rocked back another step, frowning with suspicion. He smelled strange. Not entirely like a human and certainly not like an elf. There was something….rangy and thick about his scent. It was wrong. She didn’t want this man anywhere near her.

[Devarius]

He tried to consider himself a good man, or at the very least a decent man trying to do his best. That attitude made him always wanting to look for the best in people, yet the man in front of him was suspicious at best and dangerous at worst regardless of how he turned it over in his head. The facts didn’t add up, he didn’t have a habit of missing when he threw daggers, if he did he would have been found floating face down by the harbors long ago. It didn’t make sense that his dagger had missed the man in front of him, he didn’t look nearly agile or fast enough to dodge. Perhaps the darkness was playing tricks on him, along with the cold it could have been enough to throw his aim of, yet he doubted it. Something wasn’t right. He said he was harmless yet he was lurking around outside, barley dressed.

Suspicious, a distraction maybe? Turning his head slightly he tried to look around himself without completely taking his eyes of the mystery man. Could he be one of the bandits he had been searching for? According to his information they should still be at least another day or half away so it was unlikely. He was too ragged and poor looking to be one of the people he was hunting, yet that didn’t mean he wasn’t up to no good. He had learned a long time ago to never underestimate people regardless of how weak or beaten they looked. Even the smallest man could get lucky and slide a knife in between your ribs if you didn’t pay attention.

«Stay where you are» To make certain that the man understood how serious he was Dev casually rustled his cloak, showing that he was armed and ready. Just in case he had any foolish thoughts lingering around that brain of his. You could never tell what desperate people would do and the ragged vagabond in front of him sure looked desperate enough «What are you doing out here so far away from civilization, in this weather without proper clothing. Depending on your answer things might get rough» The last three words he growled.

Why couldn’t things just be simple black and white, he was unsure of what to do. On one side he had the man, even if he wasn’t completely honest he was cold. He looked like he didn't have much of a chance making it through the night without help. On the other the girl, what if the man was dangerous or had friends lurking around? Should he risk her safety to save the man? This was one of the reason he didn’t usually leave the city, there he knew who was bad and who was innocent. All he had to do was kill thieves and murders, he wasn’t forced to make a moral decisions. He didn’t second guess himself, now however.

In the end he decided that he would hear the man out, if he found him believable he would have to help him. If he wasn’t? What then? Could he kill a man based on nothing more than his gut feelings? Could he live with it? Could he afford not to?