Madison and Lara 3

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

The amount of time that it took Ashverr to respond was unsettling to Ophelia, and it made her regret saying anything at all in the first place. She had her eyes closed in concentration, so she couldn't see the expression on his face, or the way he was looking at her, and honestly, she wasn't sure that she wanted to. This feeling was new to Ophelia too. This feeling of regret. She hardly ever regretted anything that she did, and she didn't know why she regretted speaking now. She supposed that it was because for some reason, she wanted to please Ashverr, to impress him with her character, and her cleverness, and her cunning. However, her quest for knowledge was interfering with this immensely. And why did she care so terribly much what he thought of her anyway? Ophelia had never cared about what anyone thought of her, or at least that was the image she had been projecting for a long time.

As he finally pulled his hand away from her grasp, Ophelia finally looked at him, meeting his eyes. "I apologize Mr Grey, I didn't mean to pry," she muttered before he got a chance to say anything. When he finally did speak, she found herself speechless, for she had not expected something like that to come from him. She was far too clever to believe that he was talking about anyone but himself, for she was easily able to see through all of his attempts to make his thoughts and feelings seem more universal. By the time he had finished, stating that her intentions were good but that they didn't change things, there were tears in her eyes that she wasn't even aware were there at all.

"If only you knew how much I understand," she whispered to his back as he promptly left her standing there, "If only you would let me help you, because I can... I want to...." If only he knew how she had completely abandoned the person that she had used to be, that she could relate, even if he insisted that she couldn't.

She did disagree with him on one thing though. Ophelia knew that you couldn't run from your past, as much as you might want to, for it was the only reason that you are the person that you are today. Everything that happens in a person's life shapes them, for better or for worse, and she firmly believed that it was always darkest before the dawn. The best of people always arose from the worst of struggles, and they didn't run from those struggles, the owned up to them and embraced them for what they were.

She knew that he was right, she had a faithful friend in Tommy, but there was a reason that she cared for the young boy so much, why it brought her such joy to see how happy her praise and approval made him. At the end of a it all, he was just a boy, more like a little brother than someone who he could truly confide in. What she wanted was a faithful friend in Ashverr, but due to his many attempts to keep her out and push her away, she doubted that that would ever happen. After a few moments, the tears in her eyes were gone and she took a deep breath, collecting her thoughts before she went to the door. "I'm ready for whoever is next," she said, forcing a smile for the boy's benefit.

-------

"I'm sorry that I yelled at you," Carter muttered after over an hour of silence, the guilt finally starting to kick in now that his anger and frustration had diminished.

Thinking her to be asleep, he continued, speaking words that he only wished he could say to her when she was conscious. "Not that you care, but this has all been hard on me. I mean, trying to help someone who clearly doesn't want your help is hard, but I also feel like it's my responsibility to prevent you from making the same mistakes that I did, which makes it all so much harder." He didn't know why he was still speaking when he thought that Leanna was asleep, but he supposed that it was nice just to talk, even if no one was listening. He knew that if he went to Calista she would listen, but his conflict was nothing that she could help with. So for now, he simply kept talking to Leanna as if she could hear him.

"As I suppose you could guess, I've had a run in with wolves as well when I tried to run away. They tackled me to the ground, and started ripping at me with their teeth and claws. Eventually, like you, I went unconscious, but when I woke up, there was no one there with me. I wasn't in a safe place, I was laying out in the forest on a pool of my own blood, barely breathing. Thankfully, that was when Calista came by on her nightly ride, looking for lost travelers, and she took me home with her. She tended to my wounds; she saved my life.
I started to recover, but it didn't take long for me to realize that something was very wrong. No matter how many times she asked me what my name was, or where I had come from, I simply couldn't remember. After a few days, she sat with me and told me that I had some kind of amnesia.... I must have bashed my head on something during the attack, but I don't know for sure.
To this day, I can't remember any part of my life before the day that I was attacked. I don't know where I came from, I don't remember why I ran away, I don't remember my parent's names or faces, I don't even know how old I actually am. Calista said that she guessed I was ten the day she found me, but I could have been around eight or maybe twelve, there's no way to know for sure. I don't even know my own name. Calista gave me the name Carter, but it isn't the name I was born with....."

He found that sometime in the middle of his little speech, Luna had slipped back into the room and laid down on the floor next to his side of the bed. He smiled a bit and reached down to gently scratch her behind the ears just how he knew that she liked. She nuzzled and licked his hand, then rested her head on her paws, ready to go to sleep. "Yeah, I missed you too," he whispered to her, knowing that he should do the same and go to sleep. Now that he'd gotten a lot off of his chest, he felt better. Even if his words had fallen on sleeping ears, or so he believed. "Well, anyway, maybe if you would hear me out sometime, I'll tell you everything when you're actually awake," he muttered, more to himself than to Leanna, and with that, he finally closed his eyes.

[Lara]

She had looked so forlorn standing there as he left her, so wracked with longing. It was an image that stayed with him as he lowered his face and stepped out into the damp grey streets, ripe with pigeons, people, and purses for plucking. But that was not a hobby for today. He pushed aside the memory of a strangely sincere expression gracing Ophelia's features, and put his mind to the task ahead, as he walked up to a large house with a big brass knocker hanging from a heavy wood door. He rapped the knocker twice and when it was answered, Mr. Grey slipped into the house and out of the streets.


Back at the safe house, man after man went to see Ophelia to be changed. Those who still needed to buy supplies and gather things outside of the building, were to be changed later, but everyone else stood in line for their turn to lose their colouring and become another domino in the growing albino masses. Some of the men and boys attempted to make small talk with Ophelia. Some of the more reserved ones just contented themselves with silence and let her work. The one who had smiled at her, didn't hesitate to do it again.

After hours, Katie showed up, hair in a tight braid and clothes clean. There was no evidence as to where she had been all afternoon. However, she did get right to work again, clearing the room and ushering everyone out. She put her hands on her hips once the group was gone, and smiled. "I have to say, that was some pretty impressive work there, new kid." She winked at Ophelia.

Walking to the window, she pulled the drapes closed and then took the candle from the table and walked around the meeting room, using it to light a torch on the wall, and then she used that to light the others. "Take a break. You can do the rest of them tomorrow." She returned to Ophelia and smiled gently at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Tell me if you ever need anything, or even just want to talk, ok? I'm here for you. We women have to stick together." She winked and then let her hand drop off her shoulder, as she turned and headed for the door.

...........................................................................................................................

Leanna had thought that Carter was asleep. She thought that surely after all this time of lying there that he would be fast asleep, not caring, probably not even dreaming. And then, he spoke, out of nowhere. It was so sudden that Leanna almost jerked, but she managed to maintain her composure enough to keep from reacting. He had apologized.

Part of her loosened, relaxing enough to listen. He had apologized? That was not the action of someone violent and dangerous, of someone out to kill her. And then he started to tell a story. The 'not that you care' part stung a little. She hadn't cared, true. She had thought he was out to murder her. But she didn't like that he had assumed that much of her. She liked to think that she would have cared if she considered him a friend.

But of course, she just stayed silent and still as the fire crackled in the hearth and he told his story, a story of pain and sorrow and loss. To lose one's memories, their entire identity, their past. Those questions must plague him. And yet, part of Leanna thought he was lucky, not knowing who he was, not knowing what exactly he was and what that meant. But she knew she was selfish for thinking that.

She had seen the scars over his back, the old wounds. Wolves had torn them there. He wouldn't have wanted to draw on the wolves purposely if he had ben torn apart by them before. Guilt seeped into Leanna then, and she closed her eyes in shame and regret. She should not have shouted those things at him, she should not have accused him of such things. He was just a stable hand that had been hurt in the past, that had been hurt in the same way that she was now, and had been trying to warn her of it.

She was frustrated by how little she knew of the world, frustrated by how harsh she had been, how untrusting, and how unsure she was even now. If she was honest, then she knew she would have to admit that this all terrified and confused her. Then Carter said that maybe, sometime if she listened, he would tell her all this, and suddenly she realized he thought she was asleep. This little fact made the distrust towards him grow paper thin. He thought she was asleep, which meant he wasn't saying any of this to please or calm or lie to her. He was speaking to himself, really, and that meant that she could trust what he said. What he said was true.

With hot tears in her eyes, she let herself relax and drift off into a dreamless sleep.

When Leanna woke, it was to a searing fire in her arm, which was resting at a weird angle that apparently pulled on the stitches. Groaning, she tried to straighten it out and winced. The pain wasn't as bad as yesterday, and her body seemed to be patching itself together, but she still felt so weak, and those meds from last night had worn off. Lifting her head to look down at her torn and bloodstained clothes, and the stitches in her arm which were red and irritated, and then the wrappings around her ankle, Leanna groaned and leaned her head back on the pillow, feeling weak and nauseous all of a sudden.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

The next few hours were a blur for Ophelia as she changed man after man from their regular appearance to that of a Northerner. She tried to be as pleasant as possible, to smile and make small talk with those who desired it, but to anyone with a keen eye, it was clear that she wasn't the same as she had been earlier that day. She had lost her clever spark and her bold fire that always seemed to come so naturally. Still, she worked diligently, putting her full effort into each transformation that she performed, but towards the end, it was clear to anyone that she was weary, both physically and mentally. Physically from the energy that she no longer had due to preforming so many transformations, and mentally due to, well, she knew why she was mentally weary, even if she didn't want to think about it any longer.

When Katie suddenly entered the room, Ophelia's face visibly lit up a little bit, even though she still looked worn. "Hello. I must say, you're a sight for sore eyes," she admitted with a small, genuine smile. She watched as Katie shooed everyone away and began to prepare the meeting room for nighttime. "It was nothing, really, although, I missed getting to do your transformation. What have you been up to today?" she asked out of curiosity, but, truly meaning nothing by the question. However, she was quickly reminded of one of the things she had learned that day. "Oops, I'm sorry, I'm not supposed to ask things like that, or anything at all really," she stated somewhat bitterly before Katie could reply, not having the energy to be shut down again. Ophelia was a curious woman by heart, she couldn't help it. She never meant any harm, and she never meant to pry, but it seemed as though everyone around here took offense to her questioning. Therefore she had decided that perhaps it was better just to keep her mouth shut.

She watched silently as Katie went around the room lighting all he torches and then came back to her, telling her that the rest of the men could wait until morning to be transformed. But, hadn't Ashverr said that it all needed to be done tonight? Before Ophelia could object, Katie placed a hand on her shoulder. She listened as she insisted that if she ever needed anything, to just ask. Ophelia knew that she said almost the same words to her before, and she knew that she truly meant them. She knew that she could trust in Katie, and that she had a friend in her. And maybe that was what she needed now.

"Wait," she said loudly enough for Katie to hear her before she left the room. Ophelia took several steps closer to her so that they were not so far away before she spoke again. "Clearly you can tell that I have a lot on my mind, and I appreciate your kind words very much. However, I'm just not in the mood to talk right now," she admitted, "I don't want to dwell on it anymore for now anyway..." If she was being truly honest, she just wanted to forget about everything for a while. She didn't want to think about Ashverr, she didn't want to question whether what she had done and was doing was wrong or right, she didn't want to think about what the future held. She could think about all of that later, but no more for tonight.

After a moment of silence, she looked at Katie with a bit of light and mischief in her eyes again. "What do you do for fun around here?" she asked, seemingly out of no where. Ophelia decided that she wanted to have a little fun, maybe even a little bit of dangerous fun. Anything to take her mind off of things, and she felt like Katie was the right person to ask for a suggestion. "The night is young, and I'll bet we can get into some good natured trouble before it gets too late if you're interested," she said.

-------

When morning finally came, it was Luna who responded to Leanna's groan of pain. She had been asleep on the floor beside Carter's side of the bed, but as soon as she heard the sound, her ears flicked up and she was wide awake. Confused, she trotted around the bed, sitting on the floor next to Leanna. The wolf whined and began to sniff her, trying to figure out if she had ever seen this strange girl before, and trying to figure out what she needed. After a moment, she gave up and trotted back to Carter, beginning to lick his hand, which was hanging over the side of the bed.

Carter groaned, being roused from his sleep by something wet and rough on his hand. Slowly, he opened his eyes, remembering where he was as he saw Luna standing there, incessantly licking his hand. "Luna, that's gross, quit it," he mumbled, pulling his hand away and closing his eyes to go back to sleep. Unsatisfied with his response, Luna barked once, padding at the floor with her paws to indicate that something was wrong.

Carter was startled by her sudden bark and finally sat up in bed. As he did, he caught a glimpse of Leanna laying beside him in his peripheral vision. Oh, of course that was what Luna was trying to get his attention for.

"Oh, uh, good morning," he said somewhat awkwardly, not used to waking up with a girl beside him, especially this particular one. He quickly got past this though, figuring that Luna had woken him up for a purpose. "Are you doing alright?" he asked, glancing over her. Her bandages clearly needed changing, and she probably needed more medicine, but that was Calista's area of expertise, not his. "I can go and get Calista for you if you want, but I'm sure she'll be in eventually," he told her, "She doesn't really believe in the concept of sleeping in."

[Lara]

"Long day huh?" Katie smiled, having noticed how worn Ophelia looked. And no wonder. She had just spent a hard day at work. Katie knew hard work. Knew how it ground on your bones and your resolve, knew how it tired the muscles and strengthened the heart. But Ophelia looked like she had something else weighing her down, darkening the smiling heart that Katie had met. She would have asked her about it, when Ophelia spoke first, asking what she had done all day.

Katie smirked, not really minding in the slightest. "No that's quite alright. I was sent to dispatch a certain individual. Spent all day tracking him, he even tried to dupe me a few times, once he figured I was on his tail. Can you imagine? Believing that you could dupe the Blade." She shook her head, a sort of playful gleam in her eyes, like a cat recounting how it had caught and played with a mouse. "But I admired his efforts, so I let the chase drag a bit, but eventually all games must end." She shrugged a little, nonchalant about her job. It was one of the duties she had been hired to do, and she had accepted that fact a long time ago.

Then Ophelia stated that she didn't want to talk, and Katie merely shrugged her shoulders, hooking the torch she had used to light the others back into the wall again. "Suits me fine. But know that I'm here." She turned around and walked back over to her again. "What do we do for fun? Oh honey, I'd be more than happy to take you out for a bit. Honestly, everything we do here is fun, but there are a few choice activities, like roof racing, the pubs or gambling houses, or the hot springs in the caves along the shore. What are you feeling up to?"

Katie raised an eyebrow, wondering what Ophelia would find interest in. She didn't know this woman very well, so she couldn't claim to guess what she might choose. Never the less, Katie was always up for some fun, and figured it was high time to get out while the night was still young.

..................................................................................................................

Leanna was aware when the wolf woke, and she heard as the animal's nails clacked across the wood floor before it came to sit at the end of the bed. Leanna felt a nose nudge against her, sniffing, and she held very still, closing her eyes and trying to breathe deep. She hated that she was afraid of the wolf. She knew it meant her no harm, and that it was nothing like the wild wolves, but after last night, she couldn't help the shock of fear whenever the wolf's nose nudged against her. She supposed it would just have to be something that she worked on getting over.

The wolf then moved away and Leanna let out of a soft sigh, trying again to position her arm in a way that wasn't so painful, but to no avail. It was throbbing, and there didn't seem to be much she could do about it. It was then that Carter shifted on the bed beside her, and she once again became aware that she had spent the night beside a man who she had been convinced was going to murder her, a man, and a servant. Three things she'd never have thought possible to be in her bed all at once. But then again, this whole event had been rather impossible all around.

"Goodmorning," she whispered, for that was the polite response, and now that she knew he wasn't out to kill her, and truly was an honest man, she also knew she couldn't treat him like garbage. but it was rather awkward to be nice to him, after all that had happened, and it was even more awkward to get herself to try and interact properly given the pain she was in, and the fact that he was very different from herself, or anyone else she had ever talked to for that matter. Too add the cherry on top, while she appreciated her help, Leanna really did want to be on her own, it was easier that way, and she still intended to strike out by herself as soon as the moment arose. But chivalry and charisma was needed for now, even if the pain was horrid. "Better than last night," she whispered, her brows drawn as she tried to focus on anything but the fire in her limbs.

She coughed feebly, to hide an inevitable moan of pain and just nodded when he said that the woman, Calista, would be coming around soon. Then she pursed her lips, drew in a deep breath, and forced herself to crack one eye open. "I'm sorry for believing that your intent was to murder me last night." Inwardly, Leanna let out a sigh at being able to manage saying that. Apologies certainly did not come easy. "And... I'm sorry if I offended you in some way..." she swallowed and grimaced, again trying to shift her arm to get it to stop throbbing. "But I must say in my defence I well and truly thought you might have malicious intent, as I've barely just met you." She closed her eyes again and let out a long breath through pursed lips, deciding something as she lay there. "And also... I may or may not have been awake and watching to make sure I wasn't murdered when you talked about the wolves... and your past..." Leanna's face was flushing, and she was extremely uncomfortable. Usually she was more composed, usually she could hide her emotions, but somehow that talent had left her just now. "I'm sorry about that too."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ophelia listened contently as Katie explained what she had spent her day doing. She was unsure of when Katie said "dispatch" if she truly meant kill, but it certainly sounded like it. She was the Blade after all, and Ophelia knew that that must be what her job entailed. Honestly, she wondered how she did it. It seemed as though everyone here had some kind of role to play. Ophelia was here to transform, and Katie was here to, well, be the blade. But what if one day they decided that they wanted to break those roles? Would Ashverr allow them to do something different. Ophelia mentally cursed herself for thinking about him again and forced herself to move on.

Instead, she focused on Katie speaking again, saying that it was alright if she didn't want to talk, but that she would be there for her. Her kindhearted nature really made an impact on Ophelia, and she could honestly say that Katie was probably the most genuine person she had ever met. Unfortunately, she had primarily dealt with mean spirited and sleazy people for her entire life. From the children that she had grown up with at the orphanage, to the other girls working at the brothel and everyone in between. She had never known kindness like Katie showed her, and it truly touched her tried and tested heart. Something in the way she called her honey... She couldn't put her finger on it, but it was simply something that she had never experienced before.

Ophelia gave her the brightest, most genuine smile that her tired body could manage, thinking that all of the things that she suggested sounded interesting. It would be very difficult to pick just one. Going to pubs and gambling houses were things that she had done before, and besides, she wasn't really in the mood for that tonight. She wanted to try something new. The words "roof racing" clearly got her attention, causing her eyes to light up, but feeling her aching muscles, Ophelia decided that it might not be the best idea for tonight. That meant that there was only one option left. "I've never been to a hot spring before," she said, "It sounds wonderful..."

Aaaaaaaaaaa

--------

Carter frowned, for it was obvious that she was in a lot of pain, even if she wouldn't admit to it. He truly didn't understand that about her. If she was in pain, or if she needed something, why didn't she just say so or ask for it? Was it truly that hard for her to admit to weakness, even when she had every right to but weak now after she had been attacked by hungry wolves the previous day. Carter had been bed ridden for days after his attack, and he hadn't been able to do anything on his own. Thankfully, Leanna wasn't as bad off as he had been, but still, her condition was still serious.

Knowing that there wasn't anything that he could do for her until Calista arose, or Leanna admitted to needing her, whichever came first, Carter stayed silent, unsure of what else to say. However, h was surprised to find that it was Leanna that spoke. His eyebrows raised slightly as she made an apology for judging him and his intentions so harshly the previous night, for it was the last thing he had ever expected to come from her.

He could tell how uncomfortable admitting that she had been wrong was, and he simply sat cross legged on the bed, listening as she spoke. Luna had laid down with her head in his lap, and he gently rubbed her belly, causing her to start panting with joy.
He was confused as to why Leanna didn't believe that he was going to murder her anymore, of why her perception had changed, but as she continued, he got his answer. "Oh...you heard all that?" he asked, rubbing the back of his neck nervously, but then he stopped, realizing that he had no reason to be nervous. "Well, that's alright, I mean, I was going to tell you eventually. You have a right to know after how I acted yesterday.... It's just a little strange, because I've never told anyone about that before, well, except for Calista of course..."

He stopped, realizing that he had left something out, the final piece of the puzzle that would hopefully make Leanna understand. "After everything that happened, she took me in. She...she raised me essentially. I lived here until I was nineteen. This was my room, this was my bed..." Calista was the closest thing to a mother that he could remember. Despite her flaws and quirks, as many as there were, he still loved her. "When I was nineteen, Calista and I had a bit of a falling out. I left to get a job and try and support myself, and that's when I became a stablehand. I just... I just haven't been back here since then..." He hoped that there didn't have to be bad blood between him and Calista, but the way she was looking at him so coldly last night made him think that she definitely had held a grudge.

As of simply thinking about her summoned her, Calista entered the room, carrying tray of things for Leanna. Another cup of steaming tea infused with pain killing herbs, fresh bandages, and a small plate of breakfast. She set the tray down on the dresser and took in the scene before her. Oh how strange it all was.... Shaking it off, Calista took the tea cup and gently handed it to Leanna, taking one look at her torn, bloodied clothes and frowning. "Carter, go take Luna outside for a while," she instructed, and with a sigh, he stood and obeyed, leaving the room with the wolf at his heels. Calista opened the dresser and pulled out a simple light blue dress. "It isn't good for you to lay in dried blood, so you're going to have to change," she said, not giving her a choice in the matter, "You'll feel much better when you do."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

((AGH ignore the many a's lol))

[Lara]

((Lol sounds good))

Katie watched as Ophelia responded to her, lighting up a little at the mention of roof racing. She made a mental note to try that out later when they had more energy. For now, she was secretly glad that Ophelia had chosen the springs. She loved the springs. They were a fantastic place to relax, chat, and calm down after a hard day at work.

Katie grinned. "Good choice. We can head there now." She checked around the room to make sure everything was in order, and then peeked out the door. Crow was still standing there dutifully, and Katie smiled at him. "Hey bud, go get some rest. It's way too late for you to still be working."

"But Ophelia..."

"Ophelia and I are going out. Take some time off kid." She nudged his shoulder and watched the boy smile, turning to go head off.

Katie then turned to Ophelia. "It's just a short walk to the springs." She nodded towards the door, leading them outside, through the streets, and down to the shore. It was a clear sky, so the stars were brilliant, and there was almost no breeze to speak of. Padding over the sand, Katie glanced behind her to make sure Ophelia was following, and then beckoned her forwards. "Come on. They're in a secret cave that no one knows about." she nodded forwards. "well I suppose not no one, but only a few select people." she winked and dodged around a few sea sprayed boulders, before ducking in an opening. Within the cave, the reflection of a crystal clear pool splashed on the cavernous ceiling, the stars dancing on the surface of the pool.

"It's quite warm because of the springs below," Katie promised, stripping down to her sift and lowering herself into the warm water. she sighed in contentment, enjoying how the heat chased away her aches and pains from the day.

......................................................................................................................

Leanna only found it more awkward when Carter seemed surprised that she had heard what he said. She started to feel bad for eavesdropping when he said it was alright, and that he meant for her to hear it eventually. Leanna sighed in relief, wincing as the movement caused a stinging in her arm. These injuries were truly starting to grow old and she hated that she was bedridden because of them.

But Carter started to tell the rest of the story of his childhood, and she grew distracted by his words and forgot about his pain. She nodded along occasionally, when what he said made sense, or she acknowledged a point. So Calista had become his adoptive mother. she wondered where his real parents were. If they even missed him, or if they were even alive. She kept these thoughts to herself, finally nodding when he had finished. "Thank you, for telling me. It makes me feel better to have more knowledge about a situation, or someone's past." she realized that might sound rather callous, so she ducked her head, her face turning crimson again. "I'm sorry, I mean, your story is of value to me, so thank you for sharing. And I'm sorry that this was the second time you got attacked by wolves."

Calista walked in then, with some food and some of that wonderful painkilling tea. Leanna immediately wrapped her hands around the stuff, letting it warm her palms before she brought it to her lips and sipped, relishing the feeling of the warmth in her stomach, and the pain slowly dwindling as she took another sip.

Calista pulled out a dress, saying that she should change, and Leanna looked warily at her and the dress. The statement had been phrased as such, and not a question, but Leanna had only changed in front of the same maids her entire life, never a stranger. Never the less, the blood stuck to her clothes and skin was rather gross, so she put the cup to the side, and pushed herself slowly off the bed, wincing a little as she did so. Then, she managed to get herself onto her good leg, but the moment she bent down to reach for the dress, she nearly toppled over, and had to steady herself on the wall. Looking rather lost and forlorn, Leanna glanced at Calista nervously. "I... I might need some.... need some help." She swallowed hard, her pulse increasing. She shouldn't have to ever ask for help, she was supposed to be strong and independent. But she couldn't do this on her own.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ophelia was pleased when Katie said that they could go right away, and she followed her out of the room as she opened the door. Her heart melted when she saw that Crow was still standing dutifully outside the door even bough everyone who needed to be seen had long since gone. She smiled at him with light in her eyes. "Go get some rest, you've done so well," she assured him, loving to see the joy on his face that came from being praised, "We'll be back later." With that, she continued following Katie.

She followed her outside, and through the streets, and down to the beach, slipping her shoes off and carrying them as she walked, feeling the cool sand between her toes. Finally, she followed her into the secret cave, seeing the clear pool and smiling. It was dark in the cave, but not too dark that she couldn't see. It was a pleasant sort of dark, the kind that calmed.

Ophelia followed suit, stripping off her dress so that she remained only in her shift. It wouldn't have bothered her to take it off as well, but she simply mimicked Katie and slowly stepped into the warm pool. She sighed audibly at the soothing feeling of the warm water on her skin. She closed her eyes, letting her long auburn hair absorb the water as she lowered herself so far in that only her head and neck were above the water's surface. She was silent for a very long time, just taking in the relaxing atmosphere and feeling her weak and tired body respond. However, as her mind began to wander, she found herself thinking about a certain mysterious dark haired man again.

"Katie, if you can't go an hour without thinking about something, it's worth your time to pursue, isn't it?" she softly asked at last, deciding that maybe contrary to what she had said earlier, maybe she did want to talk about this. Maybe it would help to take it all off of her mind. Besides, she knew that Katie was the only person that she could go to about this. "Because... I need to help people, I need to fix what's broken. If I don't at least try, it eats away at me night and day. It's like a poisonous addiction...."

She was quiet for a long time, unsure of where she was really going with this. She knew that she would have to be more specific eventually so that Katie would understand who and what exactly she was talking about, but for some reason, Ophelia almost felt ashamed of it. Everyone else seemed to be perfectly content to leave Mr Grey alone and let him do his own thing, for that was what he appeared to want. Why then did she care so very much when no one else seemed to, and why was she not afraid.

"I can see past his facade, and I know that he suffers greatly. But he is a good man at heart, and he doesn't deserve so much pain. I don't care what he thinks. He just doesn't deserve it," she continued, starting to be more specific as to what was bothering her, as her tone became more and more frustrated, "But he won't accept help; he doesn't think that he needs any. He thinks that he can do it all on his own, but he can't, and he should take it from someone who knows." Someone like her. Why couldn't she be this forthright with Ashverr when discussing this topic? Why couldn't she say that he was going to be there for him whether he liked it or not? Why did her words always fail her like they had earlier that day? Ophelia knew the answer to all of those questions in the back of her mind, even though she hated to admit to it.

Rejection. It was her lifelong fear of rejection. She wanted so desperately to have a true friend in Ashverr, and she didn't want him to turn her away like she had been turned away by so many before. Whether he knew it or not, his words earlier that day had stung. He had said that her intentions were good, but that they didn't matter, that they wouldn't change anything. That to Ophelia felt like a slap to the face, and the pain of it was only truly sinking in now. He didn't care about her or her intentions, he only wanted her around to work for him. Nothing more.

------

Calista couldn't help but smile out of the corner of her lips when she saw how quickly the girl took the tea from her and began to drink it. She set the small plate of food on the bedside table so that the girl could eat as well if she so desired. On the plate, there was simply a roll covered in fresh raspberry jam and a small bowl of warm oatmeal. It wasn't much, but it was all that Calista had to offer as far as breakfast went.

As the girl stood on her own and struggled with the dress, Calista simply stood and watched her. She knew that she would need help, but she was not about to overstep her boundaries and offer it, for she knew that she would only receive scorn in return. After struggling for a moment on her own, the girl finally admitted to needing assistance. "I think you do," she replied matter-of-factly when the girl finally admitted to needing help. She stepped closer and steadied her, her touch gentle but firm. "Stay still," she instructed, as she began to help get the girl out of her bloodied clothes. Then, she cautiously guided her injured arm through the sleeve of the dress, moving it in such a way as to minimize the pain as much as she could.

Once the dress was sufficiently on, Calista helped her lie back down again, handing her the tea cup once more. "I believe that you have me a loss, for you know my name, but I do not know yours," she said, knowing that it was very true indeed. She perched on the edge of the bed, looking at her and sitting up straight, her eyes alert, yet soft, not unlike her wolf companion. "Would you care to enlighten me?" she asked, "I know that you are not one to share information freely, but a name cannot hurt anything. I never even said that it had to be your real one. I just need to be able to call you something."

Even as she pulled her long, thick, blonde hair over her shoulder and began to undo the loose braid that it was in, Calista's eyes never left Leanna. They stayed on her always, as if she was afraid that something would happen if she wasn't watching. Calista knew that to ordinary people, her mannerisms seemed a little odd, or sometimes more than a little odd, but she had her reasons for the way that she acted and the way that she treated others. After all, it was the only way that she had ever known.

[Lara]

The water was deliciously warm, and almost completely still at the surface, save for the few bubbles that rose from the hot spring far below. Katie closed her eyes as she sat in the water, loving the feeling of it. Bathing was not a luxury she often got, and never with warm water. She could stay in this place and soak until her skin wrinkled like a dried grape. Reaching up, she pulled her hair out of its leather strap and let it hang around her shoulders. She braced her elbows on the rocky edge of the pool and then dipped back, soaking her scalp in the warm water. "I need to come here more often," she murmured, smiling at Ophelia then.

"Thank you for picking this as our outing. I must say, I am mightily happy."

Then Ophelia started speaking, and Katie saw that it was with a weight on her heart, and so she knew to grow serious and listen attentively, as this would be something she would not want to miss. Ophelia asked her question, and Katie nodded. If you were thinking of something by the hour... "Chances are it means something to you if you think about it that much." She smiled gently and dipped her ears under the water again, before leaning back against the edge of the pool.

Then Ophelia continued, stating that she needed to help people, that she needed to mend them, and Katie tipped her head a little, just listening. What a life to live, to care so much about others. Katie knew that if she lived like that, then her job would tear her soul to threads. It was only through the use of an alias, and a hard heart at times, that she made it through her work. She nodded along, wondering what Ophelia was trying to get at with this... when suddenly she understood.

Her brows creased, and she listening to Ophelia talk, with growing certainty of who she meant. There was only one man she knew that fit this description so well, heart and soul. One man who, long ago, she had learned to let fight his own battles.

She listened to Ophelia, staying silent before she finally let out a slow breath of air, wondering what to say. The cave was nearly silent. There was no wind, only the soft trickle and dripping of water. Then she swallowed hard. "He knows that he can't do it on his own, and that is why he's so hellbent on proving himself wrong." Her voice was soft, but it seemed to echo in the cavern. "I tried... once." She knew that Ophelia would understand, so she didn't bother explaining. "I tried... I thought I had gotten through, past the iron safe, but I had only hit a wall ten times thicker." She looked up at Ophelia then, a sort of sorrow in her eyes. "I want to see him happy, more than anything. I want to see him healed. I couldn't do that for him, so if you can, then I'll be eternally grateful."

She looked down then, swirling her fingers through the water and letting the silence draw on. Such a heavy mood had fallen on her shoulders and she wanted to shake it off. But Ashverr was such a stubborn man, and her failure to help him was not an easy load to bear.

...................................................................................................................

When Calista agreed with her needing help, Leanna only looked even more forlorn, feeling rather badly about herself and her lack of independence. It was hard to feel superior and on top of things when you needed a stranger to help dress you. Never the less, she stood still as Calista helped pull her out of her dirty clothes, and tried to put on a brave face when her arm was shifted a little in the process of getting the sleeve on.

Once she was in the clean dress, she felt eons better, with the soft cotton against her, and the wool skirts to keep her warm. She leaned on Calista heavily when getting back into bed again, but soon she was propped up against the pillows with her tea back in her hands, and the ordeal was over. Leanna smiled hesitantly at Calista. "Thank you," she said softly, taking a sip of tea quickly to try and force away the embarrassment of the whole situation. She then picked up the roll that sat on the tray and bit into it.

It wasn't anything fancy, but it was hearty and sweet, and Leanna could not complain as it filled her hungry stomach. Then Calista spoke, asking for a name, and Leanna froze, not able to hide the way she tensed and her nose flared in fear. She had to remind herself that the woman didn't know her lineage, didn't mean any harm, only wanted a name. She even clarified that it could be a fake one.

Despite wanting to be safe, Leanna felt bad lying. Especially when it was this woman's oatmeal she was currently eating, and her medicines that were keeping away the pain in her arm and ankle. So she swallowed and took a deep breath, settling for one of her names. "Lea." She smiled a little, deciding she should tell the truth. "It's my nickname." She then scooped up another spoonful of the oatmeal and swallowed it, finding with each bite how good it tasted, for she was hungry from not eating since the day before.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

((Sorry I've been feeling gross recently. I'll have a reply up tomorrow!))

[Lara]

((Np, take your time :) ))

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

((I got half of it done today, but I promise that tomorrow morning it will be up! Thanks for being patient, I've been sick for the past few days but I REALLY want to get back to this!))

[Lara]

((No problem. Your health is most important! Get better soon :) And sounds good. I look forward to it. I'm glad you're enjoying this rp :) ))

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ophelia stayed silent as Katie tried to find the right words, and when she finally spoke, she listened attentively. She listened as she explained how she had been in the same place as her before, how she had tried to get through to Ashverr. It was clear that Katie loved him, whether that love was romantic, or similar to that of a brother and sister, or to that of deeply connected friends. Katie loved Ashverr, and she only wanted to see him happy, even if she wasn't the one who could bring him that happiness. In fact, she knew for a fact that she wasn't the one, and therefore, she had simply given up trying. Ophelia made a silent vow to herself then and there that she would not make the same mistake.

She was silent for a long time before she finally spoke softly. "I've suffered for my entire life for the benefit of others and none of them ever deserved it. But he's worth it, and you're worth it, so for the benefit of all of us, I'm going to do it. He'll be a challenge, but I love a good challenge. Darling, I live for them...."

She sighed deeply, closing her eyes for a moment before reopening them. "I'm going to tell you something that I've never told anyone before. It isn't that big a deal really, but if it ever happens, I at least want someone to know. Whenever I'm feeling something negative, such as fear, anxiety, or strong sadness, it sort of... has a way of taking over me. To make an incredibly long story short, I sometimes simply go mute. I cannot speak for the life of me, and the harder I try, the harder it is. I've struggled with it for my entire life and I've never known why, but it has created this strong fear of rejection within me."

She shifted somewhat uncomfortably, making it clear that this was all hard for her to admit to. It was going against the image that she had spent years perfecting, the image that had become her everyday way of acting and existing. It wasn't necessarily not her, it simply was an exaggerated version of the best traits that Ophelia saw in herself. "When Mr Grey blatantly turned me away earlier, it hurt..." she admitted bluntly at last, "It's not that I'm not used to it though. Despite how I act, and how everyone thinks of me, I really am not that strong. My whole life, no one has ever valued me or wanted me around, because of my oddity. I think it's why I have such a soul crushing desire to help people and fix what is broken. It's because no one has ever offered that kindness to me..."

She sighed deeply and shrugged a bit.
"Well, I've really ruined our nice relaxing night out, haven't I?" she asked, "I truly am sorry Katie.... I'll leave you alone if it is what you want, I promise," she assured her again, "But for the both of us, I will not give up on Mr Grey. Whatever he throws my way, I will embrace it, I will not allow him to reject me anymore, I will keep pushing and pushing until he cannot stand it anymore because it is what needs to happen in order for change to be made. I won't let him suffer like I suffer, or how you suffer, because I care for him too. Maybe not the same way that you do, but I do care for him. I will do this for all of us, and I will not give up, I swear it."

This had all started as a curiosity of hers, something to dig into to pass the time and find answers for the sake of finding them. She had wanted to be the one to crack the secret of the mysterious dark haired man with a kind heart and dark eyes, but now, it all meant so much more to her than that. Everything about Ashverr was a silent cry for help, and even if he turned everyone away, and even if everyone else was too afraid of him to help, Ophelia was determined to be different.

--------

Calista could tell how the girl tensed when asked for her name. So she did have things to hide after all. Interesting.... Of course Calista meant her no harm, but she was simply curious. What was a girl like this doing hanging around with Carter? Where in the world had they been running off to last night, and why? And the greatest question of all, just how had this girl slaughtered all of those wolves without so much as a weapon? Calista was still bitter about that honestly. It wasn't that she would have preferred that the wolves had torn them apart, but it was just that... Calista had a very strong connection with the wolves. There was a reason that she was sort of a thing of legend, why her connection to the wolves had earned her the name Wolf Woman. Someone told stories of how she ran with them in the night, some told stories of how she was raised by them, some even believed that somehow, she was one. Though Calista never confirmed nor denied the seemingly absurd stories, it was undeniable that something was very odd about her.

Even now, as she sat perfectly straight, watching Leanna, something was off to say the very least. "Lea...." she repeated, committing the name to memory. She was unable to tell if the girl was lying about the name or not, but it didn't matter to her honestly. The amount of times she had lied about her own name would take her an eternity to count, so she didn't judge the girl for it. "There. Now we are no longer strangers," she said, as if it it was that simple, and to her, it truly was.

"But, of course that does not mean that there are still things about each other that we do not know," she continued, "And therefore, I have a proposal for you. A question for a question, and an answer for an answer. Ask me whatever you want, and I must answer truly, but of course, the condition is, that I will then do the same to you." She spoke as if this were all a game to her, and truly, it was. She played this game with all sorts of people who suddenly found themselves under her care. She liked to know a bit about the people who she was harboring, and this girl on particular. In exchange for information about them, she shared information about herself to make them feel more comfortable around her, if such a thing were possible, for she did have a rather unsettling aura about herself. Calista knew that she had nothing to lose, and even if she was asked a question that she did not want to answer, she was always able to twist her words, making her response some variation of the truth. For, Calista always told the truth in this little game of hers, and if she suspected that the other person's answer was a lie, she made sure that they paid for it later. She was not one to be easily tricked.

"So, what do you say, do we have a deal?" she asked the girl at last, "Go on, ask me anything."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

((AGH I just realized that I never actually responded to you, just the rp. Lol sorry! Yeah, I love this so much, it's actually my favorite! Hopefully you like it as well? It's just all working out so well, and I really love all of the characters and everything. And omg can we just talk about how we've somehow ended up making AshverrxOphelia and CarterxLeanna polar opposites, but also very, very alike? They are all so perfect for each other!))

[Lara]

((Lol np. That's awesome :) glad you like it. And yeah I enjoy the characters as well. AshverrxOphelia and CarterxLeanna are quite the opposites, lol. Makes for some good drama. I suppose we'll see where it takes us :) ))

Katie was quiet for a long while after she had finished speaking. She just listening to the soft splashing of the water around them, watching as it rippled and distorted, pulling at her hair like it was some soft seaweed caught in the current. She almost wished she had not said anything at all.

But then Ophelia spoke up, admitting that Ashverr would be a challenge, but that she liked a good challenge. Katie lifted her head and gave Ophelia a small smile. "Good luck." She was grateful, truly. For Ashverr was a man inside himself, a man behind walls. A man who truly believed that he would be just fine without any help, even while it suffocated him.

Then Ophelia continued, telling her something more serious. Telling her about a fear within her. About going mute when she felt something negative. Katie actually smiled lightly then. "I must say, that I'd never have guessed..." She shook her head. "You know... sometimes, when you feel like you can't say the right thing... the best thing to say is to admit that. Then there's no miscommunication." She reached over and squeezed her hand. "But honestly, I think you are one of the best, with words. Asides for Ashverr of course." She winked.

She leaned back then, dipping her head into the water again, her eyes closed. When she lifted out of the water, she had an easy smile on. "Don't worry. I trust you'll be able to help out Ashverr. And I think you're fitting in just fine with us." She ducked under the water again, disappearing below the waves for a moment. When she came back up, she had two shells in her hands. They were pale, almost translucent, and they had a perfectly smooth inside and edge. "Mirror shells." She handed one to Ophelia. "Should get you a couple of coins on the market... or it makes a pretty decoration." Tucking her own shell in her pouch that still sat beside the water, she pulled herself up and out, wringing out her sift as best as she could before slipping back into her clothing.

........................................................................................................................

Leanna finished the last couple of drops of tea in her cup and then set it down on the little tray beside her bed. She picked up the small roll of bread with jam spread over it and bit twice into it. The jam was sweet and the bread was savoury. It helped soothe her hungry stomach. In no time at all, that was gone too.

Yes. Even though she knew Calista's name, and she knew her nickname.. they were still very much strangers in all regards.

Leanna liked it that way. But apparently Calista did not. She offered a game, where it would be a question for a question, an answer for an answer. Leanna wasn't sure how much she would like that game.

But she supposed maybe one or two questions wouldn't hurt. So she looked at Calista, judging for a moment what might occur if she went through with this. Then she nodded. "Ok. But only a few questions." Her need for survival, for self preservation, was greater than her need for answers about this woman. "What is your aim, exactly, in what you do? That is... why do you do it?" Why was she helping her, a complete stranger... handing out her food, using her valuable time and medicines to heal her. She didn't seem to aim to hurt or sell her, but if that was so, then what was her aim?

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ophelia sighed softly in relief when Katie said that there was no way that she never would have guessed that she had such a trouble with words sometimes. That was exactly the image that she always wanted to portray. Oh, but if only Katie knew what a lie it all was. Maybe one day she would see. Maybe they would all see, and the thought terrified Ophelia, so she simply pushed it away.

She stayed silent as Katie went under the warm water, unsure what she was doing. When she returned and placed the small shell in her palm, Ophelia inspected it curiously, for she had never seen anything like it before in her life. "Get a few coins for it at the market?" she repeated, sounding horrified by the idea of it as she gently closed her fingers around the shell, almost as if she was protecting it, "Why would I ever do that? It's worth far more to me than a few coins, especially since it was a little gift from you." She smiled softly, gently rubbing the smooth shell in her palm, having an idea of just what she would do with it.

As Katie climbed out of the small pool, Ophelia knew that she should follow. They had been out for a while, and it had to be getting late. Ophelia was lost in thought as she wrung out her hair and her shift, then put her dress back on. There was something between Katie and Ashverr that she had never noticed before, and she found that she couldn't stop thinking about it. She had always known that the two relied on each other immensely for business purposes and such, and she had always assumed that they were close friends, but now it almost seemed as if Katie held him in some other regard as well. There was no way that she could feel such pain behind not being able to help him if there was not something else there. Ophelia felt deep sorrow within herself for this woman, which was not something that she was used to feeling. She wanted to say something to make her feel better, but she didn't know what.

Before she knew it, Ophelia was gently embracing her newfound friend. She remembered what Katie had just told her and sighed, knowing that she had no choice but to follow her advice. "I can't find the right words to say what I want to say to you..." she whispered, then sighed, knowing that it would have to do for now. With that, she simply let the other woman go, taking a step back. She looked sheepishly at Katie for a moment, which was an expression that rarely crossed her features, but it was quickly gone and replaced by a small smile. "Come, let's go home, you've had an even longer day than I have. I'll make you some tea, and then you should really get some rest. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."

Ophelia knew what an important day tomorrow was, what with the heist taking place. She knew what a big part of it Katie would be, and she wanted to make sure that she was feeling better both mentally and physically by morning. With that, they began to head back.

--------

Calista was pleased when the girl agreed to her little game and listened, wondering just what she would choose to ask her. She played this game with many of the travelers that she harbored, and their questions sometimes amused her very much. When Lea finally asked her question, Calista wasn't all that surprised by it, but she also believed that it was a rather stupid question. "Well, why do you do whatever it is that you do?" she challenged calmly, not expecting a response to the question, but simply posing it to make the girl think.

"I saw a need, and I filled it. People are foolish. They venture into these woods unprepared all the time, and more often than not, they lose their lives because of it," she explained, "It is rare that I gain anything from what I do. It simply gives me a purpose. I cannot imagine what I would doing with my time if it was not this."

Her last statement was much more true than she knew that Lea could understand. Calista knew that she was a bored and lonely woman, with nothing to look forward to in her life. Going out every night to find lost and injured travelers gave her a sense of purpose. It was her routine. It was the only thing that she had. If it was not for her nightly expeditions, Calista knew that she most likely would have faced her bitter end years ago, most likely by her own hand.

"Besides the forest is my home. It always have been," she continued, "I cannot imagine being anywhere else. I've never even been to the city. I have never seen the palace where the royal family lives, and I do not even know the name of the current king and queen. They come and go like the wind, and they do not truly matter anyway. There is not much that your society values that does."

"Now, I believe that I have answered your question throughly. Now it is my turn," she said, silently contemplating what it was that she wanted to ask this girl. There were so many things that she wanted to know. So many things that made her curious. One of them stood out more than the others, but she knew that it would be unwise to start off with that question, so she picked a less dangerous one. "How do you know Carter, and why are the two of you running away together?" she asked at last.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Reminder :)

[Lara]

((Thank you!!!! I didn't see this before the break for some reason and then Christmas break was so hectic! I spent my time reading mostly :) How was your break??))

When Ophelia looked at the shell Katie had given her, saying again that it would get her a few coins at the market in a somewhat horrified voice, Katie was at first worried that Ophelia didn't like the gift, and that a few coins was far too little of something to gift to her. Katie's heart sank a little but she was careful not to show it. And then Ophelia explained what her words meant, that she valued the gift, and Katie couldn't help the way her face lit up with relief and delight. "Fantastic." She smiled. "I was worried for a moment you didn't like it."

When Katie finished changing, wringing out her hair so that it wasn't sopping wet on her clothing, she was surprised to be greeted by a hug from Ophelia. She stiffened at first, not used to such physical show of affection, but after a moment she awkwardly melted into it, hugging her back. Katie wasn't one to show affection often, after all, but she did like this. This was nice. It was good to have a friend that was not a male. Refreshing even.

Ophelia said she couldn't find the right words, and Katie smiled, a soft understanding motion. "It's ok. I understand." She smiled lightly at her and then started the trek out of the cave again, lightly stepping around stones. It touched her to know that Ophelia worried for her. It was going to be a rather taxing day tomorrow. She had to get this whole show on the road, after all. And they still had a lot of travelling to do to reach the northern city. Katie would have to make it all the way there and inside, to open the gates, before the rest of the party arrived. Then the real fun began, infiltrating the city, the distractions planned, and those who were meant to actually secure the goods. Ashverr always came up with elaborate plans, and that's why they always worked.

"Oh don't worry about me. I'll be fine," she smiled lightly, surprised that Ophelia would offer to make her anything. She was the new girl after all, and had plenty to worry about herself.

It was really only a short trek back to the safe house, and once inside, Katie's shoulders relaxed a bit, as if she truly had been concerned about people spotting them as they walked, or perhaps seeing someone she recognized. This wasn't far from the truth. Her job was a dangerous one, and there were many who would want her dead because of work she had completed. "I think I will head to my room now though." She turned to Ophelia. "I hoped you had fun tonight." Her smile was light as she turned for the stairs, silent on her feet and started to ascend them.

.........................................................................................................................

Leanna was a little surprised when Calista returned her question with another question. Why did she do what she did? Leanna wasn't sure why. That's why she had run from her responsibilities in the first place. She never felt that she had been meant to be born in the palace. She longed for purpose somewhere else, and the royal life could not give it to her.

She hoped that that wouldn't be the only answer she was to receive, and she was rewarded when Calista then went on. She spoke of seeing the needs of foolish humans. Leanna couldn't help but feel that that was a jab at her own decision to run into the woods, but she wouldn't let it get to her. Maybe it had been a mistake, but it wasn't a conscious one. How was she supposed to have known that that was a bad idea?

But Calista spoke about purpose, and Leanna found that that resonated with her own need for purpose, and so she believed the woman. Maybe it was a little unheard of to help without gaining anything in return, but maybe that just made this woman better than anyone else Leanna had met before.

She found herself without a reply, so she merely listened. Until Calista brought up the royal family, and Leanna barely resisted the sudden urge to look at Calista in shock. She tried to school her expression into indifference, and relaxed a little more when the woman said that she didn't keep up with the current royal family. Well that was good at least. Safer. She nodded slightly.

Then Calista asked her question. And Leanna tensed in preparation, and then relaxed once she heard it. That one she could answer easily. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but that really isn't an interesting story." She shook her head. "I met him only two nights ago. We ran into each other when I was leaving... and he tried to keep me from going. Then he insisted that he come along too." She shook her head, her nose wrinkling up.

The sooner she could get away by herself, the better. No ties, no annoying boys trying to tell her how to live her life... even if he had somewhat saved her from the wolves... but she was still upset with him, so she'd overlook that for now. "And I guess that's how we got here." She shrugged lightly. She chewed on her lip for a moment, thinking about what she could ask. She knew so little about this woman, that she had no idea where to begin. "Why don't you tell me something interesting about yourself, and I'll tell you something equally interesting."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Ophelia hurried after Katie, following her back to the safe house. "Yes, of course I had fun," she assured her, truly meaning it. Even though a lot had passed between them tonight, she had had fun spending time with her newfound friend. She nodded, watching as Katie headed off towards her room, knowing that she needed her rest for tomorrow. Oh, what a day that would be....

Ophelia went into her room then, changing out of her soggy dress and shift and into a fresh, dry night dress. She dried her hair with a towel and then braided it loosely down her back. With that, set her mirror shell on the dresser and decided that she was going to go and make herself some tea, even if Katie didn't want any.

Once she was in the kitchen, Ophelia began to boil the water and quickly realized that she had made too much for just herself. Deciding that she didn't want it to go to waste, she began to think about just what to do with the extra tea. It didn't take her long to think of some people who would appreciate it. Putting in the tea leaves, pouring a cup for herself, and then pouring the extra into two extra cups (she would have split it into three if Katie had wanted some), she placed them gently on a tray and went off to deliver them.

She moved through the dark and silent safe house until she reached Crow's room.

Ophelia crept in silently, gently placing the steaming cup down on the table by the boy's bed. She glanced at his sleeping form, thinking of how peaceful he looked. It pleased her to know that his sleep was not troubled. Gently, she reached down and smoothed his hair back, careful not to wake him in the process. Watching him there, she realized that already, she loved him. Like the little brother that she'd never had, she wanted him to be happy, and she wanted to protect him always. She sighed softly, leaving he room then and gently closing the door behind her. Perhaps the reason that she has latched on to the young boy so quickly was because she knew that there was very little that he could do to hurt her, as others had hurt her in the past. She knew for a fact that kids could be cruel and terrible, but Tommy was neither of those things. He was innocent and kind, and Ophelia couldn't help but love him immensely.

Picking up the tray from where she had left it by the door on the floor, she headed towards the second and final stop on her little late night tea delivering journey. She wandered down the hall until she found herself in front of the door to Ashverr's room. Something told her that she shouldn't be here, but quickly she found that she truly didn't care. Mustering up her courage, she finally knocked on the door softly, unsure of whether or not he was even here. She knew that he very well could be out still, visiting his contacts, or whatever it was that he said that he was doing.

When she didn't receive an answer after a few seconds, nerves got the better of her and Ophelia simply set the tea cup down on the floor in front of the door, knowing that whether he was here or not, he would find it eventually. After all that she had been through today, she was unsure if she truly had the energy to face Ashverr now anyway. Deciding that it was better to simply leave and go back to her room, Ophelia turned to do so, but she froze, seeing a piece of wood on the floor, probably from one of the cracked floorboards. She picked it up, quickly willing her fabrication powers to shape it into a little carved fox, similar to the one that she had made the first day she had been here. The one that had earned her the name Vixen.

She set it on the floor beside the teacup and quickly hurried away in case Ashverr really was in there and was just slow coming to the door. Ophelia found herself back in the main hall, deciding that she would sit in front of the fire and enjoy the cup of tea that she had made for herself. She took a seat on the floor in front of the fireplace, but found that she was still chilly in the large, drafty room. She ripped a small part of her dress off, knowing that she could repair it later, and with her powers, she willing the fabric to expand and turn itself into a blanket which she wrapped around her shoulders. Finishing her tea, she discovered how truly exhausted she was after a long day of using her power, and decided that she would simply curl up on the floor in front of the fire. Laying down on the floor and curling into the fetal position, Ophelia closed her eyes and instantly went to sleep.

-----

Calista couldn't really tell how the girl reacted to her response because she didn't say anything that gave it away and she didn't get a look on her face that suggested that she felt or thought anything too extreme. People always had different reactions when Calista explained her strange way of life, but of course, there were still more things to the story that no one knew and she had no intention of explaining. At least, not any time soon. She had answered Lea's question truthfully and effectively, so she didn't see a need to continue.

As the girl began to explain just how she knew Carter, Luna reentered the room and laid down on the bed, her head resting in Calista's lap. She knew that Carter was supposed to have taken her out for a walk, and she supposed that he had done so and was now getting himself some breakfast or something. She didn't think about it too much, petting her beloved wolf without taking her eyes off of Leanna. Both she and her wolf companion gazed at her the same way, always alert, yet always calm. They even seemed to blink at the same time.

"You've only known him for two days?" she questioned, entirely understanding why Carter would force her to let him come with if he hardly even knew her. Calista had simply figured that they were friends, if not lovers, but Carter knew this girl just about as much as Calista did. She didn't necessarily distrust her, but that didn't mean that she wasn't wary.

And, she supposed that that was just how Carter was. He would try to stop anyone from making the same life altering decisions that he did. Calista knew how depressed he for sometimes about having no memories of a time before he knew her. No memories of his parents, or of possible siblings, or friends, or where he was from. He would want to stop anyone from enduring the pain that he did. She couldn't help but wonder if he'd told her. She doubted it.

Listening attentively to the question that Lea asked, Calista was displeased by how vague it was. "Something interesting..." she repeated, trying to think of just what that would be. She liked the question because it meant that she could choose anything to say, but that also meant that she had no idea what it was.

Finally, she made up her mind. "Since I stay so secluded, it is to my understanding that I have become somewhat of a legend," she explained, "One that men talk about in taverns and little children fantasize about. They call me the Wolf Woman apparently. For obvious reasons I suppose..." And some no so obvious.

"For someone who does not want attention, I certainly get a lot. People tell all sorts of stories about me, but no one is certain that I truly exist. The world is funny in that way," she mused, silent for w moment before she continued, "Im not sure if that was what you were looking for, but I certainly find it interesting....."

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Boop

[Lara]

Katie smiled softly at her newfound friend and nodded, glad that she had enjoyed the night. It had been a nice escape for both of them apparently, and she was happy of that. When they returned to the safe house, however, she was quick to retire to her room, where she stripped her clothes and climbed into something soft and dry, before passing out on her bed. She needed a good sleep for tomorrow.

..........................................................................................

The night had been quite the busy one, many people to see, many things to do, bribes to fashion, hints to drop, research to be collected. Far too much for one night really. By the time he got back to the safe house, his hands were aching. He had saved time by travelling the way that Blade did. Using the rooftops. Which meant a lot of work for his hands, but faster travel than winding through the streets worrying about who may spot him.

After all, no one ever looked up.

He clung to his window, slipping inside just as silent as a panther, before he slid the window shut again. He tugged up his gloves and then moved to shrug his jacket off when a soft noise made him freeze in his tracks. Someone was outside the door. At first his hand slid towards his weapon, but then he heard a knock and one eyebrow inched up.

Someone was outside his door, but friendly enough to knock... He stared at the door, trying to garner information about this strange presence as he listened to the movements.

Eventually footsteps carried them away again, and Ashverr waited a good few seconds longer, before he strode to the door and opened it, finding a steaming cup of tea, and a small wooden figure. He bent and scooped both up in one graceful motion. He stared at the little fox, running his gloved thumb over its pointed ears. Then he retreated into his room, shut the door, and sipped the tea. This action puzzled him, and he had a crease in his brow as he walked to the table and set the little fox there, before sitting on his bed to finish his tea.

Even once he was done, and had laid down to sleep, he still hadn't puzzled out the mystery of why the vixen would bring him a drink.

..........................................................................................................................

Leanna tucked her blanket around her a little more, finding that it helped her both with staying warm, and with her confidence. Not to mention that the quilt was just comfortable, and quite the reassurance to have surrounding her.

She had finished her breakfast now, so she returned the dishes to the little beside table, and then moved it back a bit to ensure she didn't knock it over.

"Thank you for breakfast," she murmured, nodding then. Yes, she had only known Carter for two days, and didn't intend to continue the relationship. Two days had been more than enough of him playing mother hen and ordering her around. Of all things. A stable hand to order her around. She still couldn't quite get over it. Of course, some leniency had to be allowed on the account of how she had been brought up.

It was natural for her to think of staff in this manner. For her father always told her, if they wanted better jobs, they would work for them, and if they were smart enough, they could get them. That's why the lowest class wasn't as smart as those higher up. It was an instilled belief, but Leanna wasn't even aware how instilled it was. After all, her exposure to the outside world was minimal. And yet her determination to escape into it was strong.

"You're somewhat of a legend," Leanna replied. She supposed that was rather interesting. She had met a legend. What an exciting adventure for her first day out in the wild. Not to mention the wolves. A situation she still mostly blamed Carter for. Even though she had to admit he had saved her life. Or... perhaps. This woman had saved both their lives. "Well it's nice to meet you wolf woman. can you talk to the wolves?"

She thought then, about something interesting she could reply in return, and really... there was not much that was interesting that she could tell. But there were some things about herself, she supposed were interesting besides the obvious. "This is my first time in a forest, without my father, or a hunting party," she admitted softly. "I ran away to escape that life, but I must admit, that I know very little about this one. I'm trying to learn as I go." She was being honest, telling a truth while trying not to tell too much about herself.

After all, a princess, with her powers, was a target. And that was another reason to be wary of Carter. He knew far too much, even though he had promised he had no ill intent towards her.

((Hello :) School's started back up again, so replies won't be as quick as over the break ))

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

By the time that morning came, Ophelia was still asleep, curled up on the floor in front of the fire in the main hall. The sound of footsteps and doors opening as some of the men began to awaken was what finally roused her from sleep. She was confused at first, unsure of where she was or how she had gotten there, but it didn't take her long to remember.

She sat up, her entire body aching from sleeping on the hard wooden floor all night long. She knew that it had been a silly thing to do, but she had simply been so exhausted, and the fire had just been so warm and inviting....

Ophelia stayed sitting on the floor, pulling the blanket around her shoulders tightly to keep out the cold air. It didn't take her long to realize that sleep had done almost nothing for her. She still felt tired, and weary, and weak. Maybe this was jus how she was going to feel all of the time from now on. Maybe she would just have to get used to it.

She found her thoughts drifting slowly but surely back to Ashverr as they always seemed to do. She wondered if he had ever found the tea that she had left him last night. Had he enjoyed it? Had he cared about it at all? Where was he now?When would she see him again? What kind of mood was he in? Had he slept well? Ophelia sighed, pushing thoughts of him from her mind for what felt like the millionth time. "If you knew the amount of time I spend thinking of you, you would surely think me to be mad," she muttered, knowing that this wasn't right.

Ophelia placed her face in her hands and closed her eyes, trying to ignore the sharp pounding in her head. Truly, she felt awful mentally and physically, but she knew that she couldn't let it show. She had to be strong, especially today. She had transformations to finish, and whatever other jobs Ashverr had for her to do before they left for the heist.

She sighed, wishing that she had something to give her strength, but she had no idea what that would even be if she did possess it.

-----

Calista tensed a bit when Lea addressed her as wolf woman. Just because it was interesting that people told stories about her it didn't mean that she necessarily enjoyed the name. It brought back all sorts of memories. When she was asked if she could talk to wolves, she smiled just a little bit. "I do not know. What do you think?" she asked the girl, "The stories say so, but they are just stories. Fictional legends and nothing more... but still, you never can be sure..." Calista stroked Luna, deciding to leave it at that. If the girl believed that she could communicate with the creatures, then it would only make her seem more intriguing, but if the girl didn't believe it, it made no difference to Calista.

She listened as the girl explained her interesting fact, and Calista wasn't surprised by it. "Of course it is your first time. If you would have been out here by yourself before, you would know better than to attract the wolves," she pointed out, "They get defensive when their land is intruded upon, just as people do..." She doubted that Lea would understand, but she felt the need to defend her beloved wolves.

Calista wondered what it was that made this girl choose to leave behind the life that she had had, but she doubted that Lea would tell her if she asked, and besides, she didn't want to waste her question, seeing as it was her turn to ask. There was only one more thing that she wanted to know right now, but she knew that it would be a hard thing for her to ask, and probably a hard thing for the young girl to answer.

She was silent for a long time, simply petting Luna before she spoke, "How did you slaughter them?" she asked at last, knowing that Lea would know what she meant. Calista simply couldn't clear the image from her mind. So many wolf bodies laying motionless on the ground with no wounds inflicted upon them. It was all impossible, but she knew that nothing was truly impossible.

"I understand why you had to do it, but how? How is it possible?"

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

:( ????

[Lara]

((So sorry :( I'm in midterm season now at University, so I've been really busy. Sorry in advance. I'll try to reply as much as I can, but tbh I've hardly even been able to stay updated with reviews lately. But I haven't forgotten about our wonderful rp, don't worry!))

Ashverr woke early the next morning, cleaning himself up with the basin of water in his room, getting dressed, and then strolling down into the main level of the safe house. Despite it being such an early hour, the rest of his crew was already up and moving around, collecting the things they would need for the journey. It would be quite the adventure indeed. He had a ship docked in the harbour that they would be boarding in only a few hours.

Time was ticking.

Ashverr glanced at his pocket watch, and then slid it away again before lifting his head to watch people loading all manners of tools into barrels and sacks, every one of them armed to the tooth. Not that you could tell if you were a casual observer. Only the telltale bump of a dagger handle here... or the slight ridge of a gun barrel.

"Where do you want the explosives?" A burly man with a rather scruffy amount of beard asked, a barrel on his shoulders.

"With the rest of the supplies to go below deck," Ashverr answered promptly, tapping his cane on the floor boards as he walked, surveying the stock. He didn't need to shout orders, because everyone already knew what to do, like a well oiled machine.

That was the nice thing about being a good monster. You didn't have to do any work. Your reputation did it for you.

There was a few people who were missing, however. Namely, Blade, who was off on her job already. And... Ophelia. Ashverr frowned, wondering if she was alright. He turned abruptly and strolled up the stairs approaching her room. He tapped on her door briskly with the handle of his cane, remaining a few paces from her door as he waited.

"Are you alright, Vixen?" He kept a level tone, "Haven't gotten cold feet, I hope?" He thought of her tea last night. Had that been something of a parting gift to him? A sort of farewell before she ditched their operation? Had he scared her off? He had told her that she was expendable, that he could find someone else should she turn the offer down... but this last minute? Even his resources only reached so far.

............................................................................................................

It wasn't much of an answer, to answer a question with a question. What did she think indeed. Leanna was afraid to think. What if the woman could talk to the wolves, could control them? If she was an ally, then she was a strong one. But if she was a foe...

Leanna cursed herself inwardly for being so standoffish about strangers, but she had reason not to trust them. However, even she knew she might be being a little unreasonable, still unwilling to trust a woman who had done nothing but offer help and refuge to her.

She did bristle a little when she was so soundly scolded, as Calista said that it was very clear it was her first time, and that she should have known better than to attract the wolves. The idea that the wolves got defensive just as people did, was amusing to Leanna. She suddenly saw the wolves as many angry arguing lords, fending off each other from stealing each other's land. That brought a small twitch of a smile to her face.

And then that smile faltered, and disappeared all together. Of all the questions to ask, she had to ask this one. Leanna's heart started hammering as her mind spun. How could she get out of this answer? She didn't trust this woman that well. Heck, even her closer friends back at the palace didn't know. Carter had been an accident, and she didn't mean to repeat that accident so soon after it happening.

Leanna swallowed hard, a lump of ice travelling down her throat. "I... I didn't mean to kill them. I was frightened... and just..." She shook her head. "I'm sorry," she glanced at Calista, before looking back at her hands which were clasped in her lap.

Calista said she understood why she had to do it, but Leanna knew that she must also dislike what she had done.

She swallowed hard again, trying to control herself and gather up courage. Goodness this was hard. "I'm not sure, exactly, how it is possible." She was being honest. Her hands bunched at the blanket and she avoided looking at Calista. "Some call it magic." Her voice dropped softer. She hoped that was enough of an answer for Calista, for she felt weak from the stress of just forcing that much out.

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

((Oh good! I would never want you to forget about it :) Hopefully midterms are going well. Or went well....? They are probably over now. I was really busy with stuff for a few days too, but hopefully we will both be able to be on more regularly now :) I know that I will be.
Do you have any plans as to where you would like to take this when they go off for the heist specifically?
Also, on a side note, I really want Ophelia and Ashverr to make some relationship progress soon. They haven't had as much time spent together as Carter and Leanna. Ooh, maybe somehow they get stuck somewhere together?))


Ophelia was suddenly alert when she heard a knocking at her door. She turned, hearing a voice talking to her through the wood. It was unmistakably Ashverr. Why on earth was he visiting her so early in the morning? The heist! She realized that she had somehow completely forgot in the chaos that was ensuing in her mind as of late.

Standing up, she quickly tossed the blanket that was around her shoulders on to the bed and pulled her hair back so that it didn't look quite so messy. With that, she sighed softly and opened to door to see him standing there.

"Good morning, darling," she murmured absent mindedly, force of habit getting the better of her. "Mr Grey," she corrected herself speaking a bit louder than before to cover her mistake. It was almost as if she had never misspoken at all. If he hadn't been paying attention, he would have missed it altogether. Ophelia's expression didn't even change, but there was only a slight glimmer of panic in her eyes that was gone as soon as it had arrived. She was still sleepy, that was why she had misspoken, but that didn't mean that it was any less embarrassing on her part.

She leaned against the doorframe, clearly not one hundred percent alert yet. "What do I owe the pleasure of a visit from you, hmm?" she murmured, "I imagine that you have a half a million things that you need to do...." Ophelia knew that this was the case, seeing as the heist was taking place today.

He must have so many thing to attend to, so many things that had he had to make sure fell into place in order for the entire thing to be successful. But instead, here he was, outside of her door. For some reason, she found herself wishing that he had simply come here to see her, that there were no strings attached. Of course though, she knew that that was ridiculous. Why would Ashverr want to see her just because? He had made it clear that he didn't even want to be her friend. Or rather, he wouldn't allow himself to.

"You must want something," she concluded bluntly. Not angrily or bitterly in any way, but his bluntly. Of course they had to be it. Why on earth would he be wasting his precious time to come and check on her unless he had a task for her. It wasn't like he desired to see her simply because he wanted to.

"I apologize, Mr Grey, I'm a afraid I'm a little slow this morning, what is it that we were talking about?" she asked, unable to remember for the life of her where this conversation had began. He must have said something when she had first opened the door and before she had began rambling..... Oh! She remembered now. He had asked her if she had gotten cold feet. "Now, why would you think that?" she asked as she suddenly remembered his question, providing no context to the statement.

It was clear that she was all over the place this morning, and was trying much too hard to appear as if everything was just fine. However, she was completely sleep deprived and weary from her experiences and conversations yesterday and yesterday night. "I'm not that easy to get rid of, Mr Grey, I can assure you of that," she continued. It was completely normally for Ophelia to talk a lot, but the rambling and topic jumping was very unlike her. It was almost as if she had had too much to drink. Part of this was obviously due to her long, sleepless night, but part of it was because talking to Ashverr just made her so darn anxious as of late. Another thing that was extremely unlike her, seeing as she had always been a woman who had a way with words.

------

Calista caught how the girl's reactions changed from amusement to fright when she asked the question that she had been longing to know ever since she had seen the many corpses of the wolves on the forest floor late last night when she had rescued the two of them. So, there was something here that this girl didn't want her to know. Oh, how Calista loved secrets. Not because she enjoyed gossip, but simply because she enjoyed knowing things. If someone could teach her something that she hadn't known before speaking to them, then she would be very grateful.

She was surprised when one of the first things that the girl did was apologize. Calista simply hadn't expected it. "You do not need to apologize to me. If anything, you should apologize to their families," she told her, speaking of the wolves again as if they were human. "But the fact that you feel guilt is promising," she mused, giving no further insight to that statement.

When she went on to explain that she didn't really know where her so called "magic" came from, Calista hoped that she would say more, and was disappointed when she did not. Both fear and hope flashed in her eyes for only a second before it was gone again.

"You would not happen to be what they call a fabricator, would you?" she asked, knowing that she technically wasn't allowed to ask another question, seeing as it was now Lea's turn. Calista didn't care though, she had been searching for a fabricator for years. They were rare to begin with, and they didn't like to make their powers known.

"Well no, I suppose that you are not," she said somewhat sadly after a moment of thinking, "You killed those other wolves, and as far as I am concerned, though I may be wrong, fabricators do not possess that power..." She sighed, gently petting Luna and not looking the girl in the eye.

She had mentioned nothing about turning her in, mentioned nothing about selling her into slavery or exploiting her. No, none of those things ever even occurred to Calista.

"No," she continued after a long beat of silence, "You must possess some other sort of dark magic. All magic is dark at it's root. It is dangerous..." That was her own opinion at least, but she knew that she was speaking from personal experience when she said that. "I would advise you to be careful," she said solemnly. If this girl was capable of killing on such a wide scale, Calista couldn't imagine what else her powers entailed, and quiet frankly she didn't want to think about it. "I promise, that if you mean Carter and I no harm, then we mean you no harm in return, but you have to...."

At that moment, Carter poked his head into the room, cutting her off. Obviously, he had come back from his walk. He saw how Leanna seemed to have regained some color in her cheeks, and that was certainly a good thing, but he also saw how Calista had seemed to lose some. "Everything going alright?" he asked, stepping more into the room.

Calista only sighed and rose from the bed, Luna at her heels. She glanced back over her shoulder once at the injured girl in the bed but didn't say anything before she continued, exiting the room without another word.

Carter sighed and sat down, taking Calista's place on the end of the bed, picking little stray wolf hairs off of the blanket. "Don't worry about her too much," he said, not wanting Leanna to feel guilty for whatever it was that had happened between them, "You struck a nerve in her, but it's alright, she gets over things quickly." He continued his task, then dumped the little white wolf hairs on the floor. "What...what was it that you two were talking about exactly?" he asked curiously.

[Lara]

((Good timing! You replied when I was just checking into Goodreads again! I won't be able to reply tonight, unfortunately, but I'll try to get a reply up soon.
And sadly, no, midterms aren't over yet. They fluctuate with really bad weeks, and better weeks, but I have 11 midterms this term, and projects and essays in-between, but I've finished 3 midterms and two essays already so that's good! Making progress! However, I will try my best to reply as often as possible, even in this busy time.
The heist can be anything, really. But it should be complicated, and take quite a bit of effort. It's not just something quick that can be rp'd in a few posts. It's more like a journey. It'll take a while to set up the whole thing, and then do each of the tasks to pull it off. And people can get captured in between, or whatever else we imagine up. :)
And I hear you. It's tough seeing a stubborn couple dance around each other. I haven't been making Ashverr push towards anything because that's really not in his character, as he's quite the closed personality. In fact, really, he should be trying to avoid her, and ignoring her, because he knows she's dangerous to be around... but then we'd get nowhere. So forcing them together in circumstances, or having Ophelia make advances, will be the fastest way to get things rolling. But it will certainly be a long road to his heart, lol :) ))

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

((Ugh, that sounds awful :( I forgot that we aren't in the same country, so I was confused for a minute haha. Here, we have everything that you're doing now crammed into one week called finals week. We obviously have projects and stuff in between, but all of the high stakes exams are all in finals week. My next one isn't until May, so that's good :)
Oh yes, I totally understand what you're saying! I'm by no means suggesting that you change his character or force things, I just meant that they need some time to talk, you know. I feel like they haven't had much time to just get to know each other and stuff. Ophelia is definitely not in any state of mind to be making advances on him just yet. She still is extremely curious and intrigued by him, just not in a romantic way. Quite honestly, she doesn't know what love even is, not really. She just thinks that he's an interesting person that she desperately wants to befriend and be there for. ))

[ϻαđίѕσи ~ I'm gonna be free, and I'm gonna be fine, but maybe not tonight]

Reminder :)

[Lara]

((Yeah I hear you. I had finals week in high school, but in Uni they see fit to spread it out over many many weeks of exams. Final's week becomes finals month, lol. And midterms can stretch for over a month. But that's good! So you have a little time to wait for that :)
and awesome, sounds good. I'm sure a situation for the both of them will arise soon :) ))

There was some scuffling behind the door, indistinct noises and then the door swung open and there she stood, looking decidedly disheveled. Maybe she had slept in. But here she was, very much ok, and very much still here. So she hadn't run off. Well that was a relief. and the notion that she had just slept in on a day like this made his lips twitch in slight amusement.

Darling? Well that certainly was a surprise. One of his eyebrows lifted just a fraction, listening as she corrected herself. "Goodmorning," he merely replied, being polite. He leaned on the handle of his cane, observing her. She certainly seemed to be a little bit less composed this morning. Whether it was because of the heist or because she was not fond of mornings, he wasn't sure. "I simply came to make sure you were alright, and had not run off," he said, when she asked why he was here, stating that he wanted something. He wanted to make sure she hadn't been scared away. He knew every one of his men, and if any of them disappeared, he'd go looking. They were his band, his group, and he felt responsible for them to some extent.

Why would he think that she might run? Well that was very simple. "You were reluctant to come here in the first place, have found it hard fitting in with my men, and have expressed some displeasure about my methods and work. It seemed a natural conclusion that you had decided to back out, when I didn't see you among the group downstairs," he said simply, his gaze meeting hers. There wasn't much expression in his features. He was very good at staying collected, no matter what he was feeling at any given time.

He smiled a little then, "Well I am glad to hear that. There's the rest of my men waiting for a disguise downstairs. You'll have to do mine once we board our ship. I still have some business with the captain to take care of." This was true. They had a lot of work to do before they set sail. But a bit of a thrill ran through him just the same. To feel the salty breeze again, and stand aboard a swiftly moving vessel. That part of this heist he would truly enjoy. He nodded to the hallway. "Ready?"

......................................................................................................................

Apologize to the wolf families? Did they have families? She thought she had dropped at least a whole pack. But maybe there were a few left behind. If that was the case, then Leanna was very sorry for it. But she had been so frightened, and her injuries still hurt even now. Even so, she did feel guilt at their deaths. It was always quite alarming when an accident like that happened.

She asked if she was a fabricator, and Leanna shook her head. She was not. She didn't spin colours and elements together, creating at will. She could feel the thrum of the earth, the beat of ever living heart. She could heal, or she could hurt. She was a heartrender. But she kept quiet about that, finding it fit to simply say that no, she was not a fabricator.

But Calista seemed to come to the same conclusion herself, muttering then about dark magic. Leanna clutched her hands to herself, feeling a sick sort of twist in her gut. Many people before had said that the gifts were dark. And Leanna, sometimes felt that maybe they were. Especially after some such accidents like that with the wolves. It was terrible to kill something without meaning to, really.

Leanna bobbed her head. She had every plan to be careful, and to get out of here as swiftly as possible, take off alone with people who didn't know her secret. So many people knowing at once was far too overwhelming, and almost invasive. She felt like she had bared an ugly part of herself that she didn't want any one to see. She certainly didn't mean Carter or Calista any harm, however, and was glad to hear they were safe. But what did she have to do?

Calista was cut off when Carter entered, and Leanna sent him a wary glance. Was he still planning to be just as insufferable as he had been previously? She supposed she would find out, as Calista left, and Carter took her spot on the end of the bed. She nodded slowly, as he said that she had struck a nerve, but it was ok, because Calista got over things quickly. Well that was good, she supposed. She wouldn't have an offended enemy to add to the list of people she knew.

She shifted a little bit in discomfort then, when he asked what they were talking about. Shifting, of course, hurt, and she winced. "We were talking about me," she admitted, taking that moment to look around the little cottage again. It was quaint, and tiny, compared to any of the rooms she had ever been in. But she was still thankful that it was warm, and the people here had helped bandage her. "Not a topic I quite enjoy."

Now that she knew no one here was out to harm her, she felt a little more free in what she said. So it was without much thought that she blurted. "This room is so small. Is her whole cottage this way?" The ceilings were short, compared to what she was used to, and the floor covered considerably less area. It felt almost restricting, and what with hardly being able to move at all, she was feeling almost claustrophobic. She shifted restlessly on the bed again, trying her best not to pull her stitches.