Spirits of the Earth

He was so hungry. It had been days since he had eaten, his stomach rumbling so much it shook as it growled. He wasn't one to hunt. He felt too guilty to do the hunting, and he was no good at cooking or gathering food (there was one incident when he tried, and was sick for days before an old lady found him and helped him.) He remembered that fondly. She had given him meat to eat. It was chicken! And fresh bread. Ugh.

What he wouldn't give for fresh bread now! Or noodles. Oodles of noodles to just slurp clean up! His stomach growled again, painfully so as he held it and leaned against the side of a tree. He had been traveling for too long, not really drinking much and there was no food to be had. The caravan he tried to seek out food had none, and the loan traveler he tried to ask thought he was being robbed and pulled a knife on him (Leaving Feni'tat to run off into the woods for a few hours before the man finally stopped the chase.) That was one of hte few times he was glad for the strange powers inside him. It never seemed he got as winded as the other people. But it was just as well.

It wasn't until he finally made it to the city that things began to look up. But that's when it all went down hill.
He must've looked a mess, with hair so filthy with dirt, the black color turned a pale brown simply from the dust on the road. And his skin faired no better, nor did his clothes. So when he began to drool infront of the bakers, they chased him out with a broom. So did the butcher, and the lady at the Inn. They all called him a filthy beggar, to get out and to stay out! And all Feni'tat could do was sit there and pout with his stomach rumbling after each affair. It seemed none of them were interested in being clung to and hearing his sob story. So with a brush to his eyes, he gave a sniff and moved onward. But the hunger was really getting to him he began to get dizzy, and perhaps even became a little delusional, for he could smell fresh fish steaming in the market, but when he tried to approach, his nose and eyes lead him to a near by bucket of fish.

He was salivating, his entire body tingling over the sensation. So as he reached down to take a fish, the man running the shop took notice and freaked out. Feni must not have known what he was doing, for he had the bucket in hand, a fish in his mouth, and soon the guards were upon him. He nearly choked on the fish, clinging to the bucket with one hand as he cried out, "I'll pay for the fish later! I'm so sorry but I'm so hungry!"

He was racing down the way, gobbling fish as he went, but eventually the guards had him cornered at the bridge the arched over the river in the middle of the city. And before Feni'tat knew what he was doing, he dove right in, leaving the bucket of fish behind with a yelp of 'I'm sorrrrrrrryyyy!" before plunging down into the waters belw.

Feni'tat seemed to disappear after that. He figured staying and being soggy in the water was much safer than the pointy spears of the guards. But he really was going to pay for it! He just.. needed to find a way how.

As time passed, he began to feel ill. The raw fish he gobbled up just were not agreeing with him., so when he figured the cost was clear, he found a quiet part of the city and curled up against a building, shivering as he was still wet, water dripping down from his curly hair (which was at least a bit cleaner now from his romp in the river, though the river itself wasn't the cleanest to be had..)

So he smelled a bit like that, a bit like dirt, and a bit like he ought to get a bath. Perhaps he'd seek one later. He was too tired now, and despite being strung out from the day, he found himself easily slipping off to sleep, curled up and snoring softly in the middle of some random street, the hustle and bustle of the day easily becoming his lullaby. And as he dreamed, he drooled a little, thinking about that delicious bucket of fish.

     Eleni wasn't exactly sure how it lead up to this. How long had she been walking? Where was she? The girl let out a sigh. This didn't seem like such a convenient place where she could easily blend in with dark cloaks and hoods. No, this place was lively and busy. So, she heasitantly put down her hood and let the old, faithful cloak hang on her shoulders.
     Her feet ached from walking by now. Her hands covered in dirt and her once pale skin was dusty. She smelled like life; the earth following her scent. The horrible thing is the smell didn't suit her. With her silver hair messily tied back in a pony tail, and her eyes dull and empty, the lively earthy smell she carried gave her more looks than needed.
     She was deffinately thinner than she was a good few weeks back. She needed food! I mean, everyone needs to eat right? Eleni was skilled in theft considering she grew up having to a scavage for daily needs since a child. It was nearly Impossible to get a job with her look so she was forced to steal. The funny thing is, she thought one day, that society is the reason people need to steal. Yet, society labels you as a thief and gets angry at you for being one! Life was a game of survival and Eleni was positive she was going to win this game.
     Ruby red eyes filled with boredom watched the busy butcher. He worked hard and the half demon appreciated that. Though, as soon as he met her gaze she realized he was just the same as most people around here. Eleni hopped out of the wagon she was sitting in and roamed the area, looking at the meats and the cheeses and bread that was being made around her. Oh how good everything looked, and Oh how hungry she was..! Her cheeks have hollowed and her stomach screamed at her for not feeding it.
     Nimble fingers snatched up a fresh loaf of bread as panic Burst through the stands. Fantic yells could be heard from the baker and guards were chasing her down. Wow, these people took their job too seriously... The point was, Eleni was running. Fast. Accustomed to a chase, the girl zigzagged through the frantic people. The guards were barely on her tail-- this wa her chance! Quickly, she turned a corner only to trip. She grumbled and rubbed her head but crawled into the shadows cautiously once she heard the guards' voices. Finally, she was safe and everything should be ok now... Except for the fact she accidentally sat on someone or something. "Eh?!"

OOC: I'm sorry this reply is short but it amused me greatly to have her sit on him and he didn't even notice X3

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The yelling of the guards, the approach of the frantic foot steps did little to rouse the sleeping young man upon the ground. In fact, he merely nuzzled his face more into the crook of his hand and the worn cobblestone he lay upon. He was too exhausted, too weak, so when the young woman sat upon him, the most he could do was to continue to sleep.

     Eleni was about to scurry away from the sleeping form but stayed put not wanting the guards to notice her. As she heard their footsteps and angry murmurs pass, she rolled off of the figure and looked to see if he was ok. She shook his shoulders lightly, unsure why she even bothered to stick around. Maybe, she decided, it was because he looked a little beat up. Usually, she would've cursed a bit and left, but something told her to stay. So, she sat there, poking the boy and seeing if he was still alive. He looked a bit thin, and-- was that a collar? She couldn't read what it said... Was he a slave? Maybe he... She shook the thought and leaned over him curiously, sighing. He was alive; he was probably just tired. With that she leaned against the wall beside him and took out the loaf of bread. The red eyed girl nudged him lightly with her foot, breaking the loaf in half.

As she nudged him, Feni made a face, scrunching his nose and burying his face into his arm. That was, until he caught scent of the bread again and his blue eyes popped open. Sitting up suddenly, he looked over at her, haggard curls of his hair falling just into his eyes as he gave her a leftward smile and tilt of his head.

"Oh, hello there." He leaned is face forward, giving a sniff. "Say, that breads smells delicious." He leaned forward even more, seeming to almost sit like a begging dog as his blue eyes widened while he looked at the bread, mouth salivating. "Hey, are you... going to eat all of that bread? I'm starving and if you could spare just a small morsel, I'd be grateful for it!" He asked, putting his hands together in a prayer like fashion, a smiling pout upon his lips.

Then he went on, smiling even bigger as he closed his eyes and said, "I'm Feni'tat!"
He pointed to his chest. "Though you could call me Feni!" And just as he was finished enthusiastically giving his introduction, his stomach gave a rather loud rumbling as it growled. It caused him to laugh, an easy noise that carried like music between them. "And that was my stomach!" And he leaned forward, still smiling. "It says it's hungry. Sometimes I call my stomach that! Hungry! And that's because I seem to be hungry all the time!" He laughed about it in good humor again, before studying her.

"Say," his eyes sparkled a moment as he leaned forward again, hands on his knees as he tilted his head curiously. "Do you have a name?" His nose twitched a bit, sniffing towards her, eyes still on the split piece of bread she held, then looking up at her, his blue eyes warm and sparkling.

       The confused girl blinked at the person in front of her. She processed what he said and slowly handed him half of the bread. "... It's fresh. Um, I hope Hungry appreciates it." Grins at him, studying his features.  "Um, my name's Eleni." Finally says, taking a bite from her piece of bread. It was still warm and fluffy; bread like this must've cost! And yet, she managed to get it for free. She smirked at that fact, feeling proud.
       Still, she wondered how he could stay so happy and cheery when he looked so hungry! She looked up from her piece of bread and looked at him curiously.

OOC: lol hope it's ok Feni is clinging to her XD he erm.. has no boundaries loool

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Feni's eyes went as wide as saucers as the bread was handed to him.
"OH HE WILL! HE WILL BE VERY HAPPY ABOUT IT!" he said enthusiastically, stuffing the bread into his mouth and gobbling it down within seconds before wiping the bread crumbs from his lips off with the back of his hands and turning to her, catching her name and sporting a smile.

"Thank you, Eleni!" he said, suddenly leaping upon her and clinging to her in a hug. "Thank you! Thank you! The bread was sooooo delicious!" and he was holding her so tight and close, he began to nuzzle his cheek against her in a most affectionate way. "The bread was so tasty and fluffy, it must've been incredibly fresh, still warm from the baker's oven! The old baker was mean! They wouldn't let me have any! You must be great friends with the baker to have gotten such a delicious loaf!" and then he paused, staring down at her eyes (since they were only a few inches from his) as he blinked.

"Oh!" His blue eyes widened. "Maybe they liked your eyes!" He leaned in closer, studying the way his face reflected within them, and the way the color shined, even in the dim lighting wthin the alley. "They're awfully pretty! They're like rubies! Do you like rubies? I like them! They're the color of some of those meadow flowers I've seen on travels. AND OH, OH!" he gave his foot an enthusiastic thump. "And roses!" He thumped his foot a few more times. "Sometimes roses can be red, too!" and he was so happy, his hands were now clenched into fists, eyes closed tightly as he smiled.

      She blushed and shoved his face away. She squirmed as he clung to her tightly, putting her hands on his chest to keep him from getting any closer. "N-no I'm not f-friends with the baker...!" Breathed out, feeling a bit clostrophobic. Eleni wasn't used to hugs and people being so close to her, in all honesty. Wow, this kid was enthusiastic! His smile and cheeriness blinded her.
      The half demon sighed as he would not let go. "T-tulips?" Offered, knowing they are red too sometimes. 
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OOC: I suck at writing long posts I'm sorry ;3; Im used to chat rooms .-.

OOC: You're fine. Posts on a forum don't have to be long :3 It's really just about substance and moving the actions/ story along X3

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His eyes brightened. "Yes, tulips! And no? You're not friends with them?" He pouted a little at the thought, his arms still on her shoulders as he blinked, seeming not to realize she was squirming. "Well you and I can be friends!" He gave another broad smile with his eyes closed. "And I like your name!" He gave at thump of his foot. "Eleni!" His lips curled almost cat like in his excitement. "Eleni.. Eleni! Eleni!" he laughed as he tried out the name again.

     She relaxed a bit and looked at him. "F-friends?" Thinks. She's never really had friends... Since she was younger she just walked around with a hood over her head. Always lingering alone, keeping her walls up....! The only couple friends she had made, she ended up leaving behind. Maybe a friend would be nice?
     As she came back down to earth, she could here him saying her name again and again. Eleni couldn't help but crack a smile at that. "Fen-i!" Said his name finally, testing how the words sounded as they left her lips. She laughed.

His smile broadened, his eyes sparkling even more when she said his name.
"Yes! We can be friends and maybe I can even get you one of those flowers that match your eyes sometime! AND! Oh, oh! Maybe even some of the little white ones! Those are always pretty, too! I do owe you for the bread, after all."

But just as the two were becoming fast friends, a guard noticed the pair down the way.
"Hey! There's the thief!" the man shouted angrily, pointing a sharp spear in their direction. "Stop right there,you are under arrest!"
Gasping, Feni'tat grabbed onto Eleni's hand and dragged her along as he began to run.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to try to steal!" Feni wailed as he rushed down the alleyway and back out into the open street. "And I'm sorry they're chasing us!" he shouted back to Eleni, having no idea they were actually after her.

"HEY!" the guards shouted, realizing the two of them weren't about to comply. He signaled to his men. "AFTER THEM!"

     Eleni jumped at the sound of the guards. So close...! She felt Feni pull her to her feet as she stumbled along behind him. What was he talking about? He stole something too? He must've thought... Eleni tripped and let go of Feni's hand while deep in thought. She grasped for his hand but only found herself stumbling forward onto her knees. People shoved their way past her as she got lost in the crowd. Suddenly, someone dragged her to her feet from her hair.
    "Ow! Gah, let go you idiot!" The girl screamed as the men grabbed her wrists and shoved them behind her back. "F-feni!" She desperately screamed his name, it being the first thing that came to mind.
    "You are under arrest for theft!" Announced one of the guards, holding her back as she screamed and kicked. She felt the cold metal spear against her back and she stopped her fit. Her eyes growing emotionless again as she hung her head in defeat. So close...

When he felt her hand slip, he stumbled forward in the crowd. But the streets were so busy, the crowds of people acted like a river and began to pull him away.
"Eleni!" he shouted, trying to jump up in down in hopes to see her over the throngs of people, but he could barely make her out, and his futile efforts only got him pushed farther along.
His blue eyes were large and desperate, and then when he heard her call his name, something struck through him.

It had happened before in the past. Fear. The art of survival, to keep going, to live strong...
But had the times before been for him? Or for another? For her? And who was her?
HIs mind rattled, his blood shivering in fear, and before he knew what was going on, black, feathery wings tore out from his back side, blossoming and exploding open wide and taking up most of the width of the streets and leaving the people around him screaming in dismay as they stared in owe at the winged boy while the feathers that came loose fell around him like snowy ash.

Now it was much easier to push through the crowds, to push off the ground with his long legs and take flight, soaring up and over the people and landing near the guards as he muttered his apologies along the way. The guards had turned around at the noise, surprised to see some strange winged boy approaching them, especially when Feni'tat suddenly grabbed onto one of their arms and clung tight.

"No! Please let her go! I'll help pay for the bread!" he shouted, pressing his face desperately against the guards arm like a child. Though Feni'tat was no child, and the guard was rattled by the display.

"Unhand me!" the man snarled,a nd back handed the young man away, sending Feni'tat sprawling onto the cobblestone street.

          What was he? She looked at him in awe but quickly snapped out of it. She noticed the guard had loosened his grip, distracted from Feni. Eleni shoved the other guard away and tried to scurry away. Sadly, the guard had noticed and shoved the other who was being desperately clung to by Feni.
           A wall of curious people had clustered around the scene keeping the girl from leaving. She started to shove past the ocean of people but was pulled back. The one guard gripped her hair and pulled her towards him. Tears pricked the corner of her eyes from the pain. The guard once again held her hands behind her back forcefully and shoved her to her knees. Eleni's knees buckled as she was forced to the ground.
         "This city has had so many thefts, you think I'm going to let you slip away?" The guard hissed before turning towards the crowd. "This is an example of what will happen to you if you decide to smuggle any goods," He explained as he kept a tight grip on The demon girl's hair, "Need I remind you the consequences of your actions?"  The crowd looked at him in astonishment and shuffled quietly as he snarled at them.
          These people were serious when it came to theft. What was to become of her? If Feni? "Feni!" She exclaimed, remembering he was with the other guard. Was he ok? She tried to turn her head to catch a glimpse of him but was only forced to look forward.
          She knew he should've left. They would've never met and she wouldn't have been held up in that alley. The guards wouldn't have found her and Feni wouldn't be in this situation. Why doesn't he just go, though? With those enormous wings of his, he could do what he pleased! Suddenly, the guard teared her away from her thoughts as he tugged at her hair forcefully and screamed back at his little friend over there to hurry up. Why did life hate her?

Feni'tat raised his head up from where he had fallen in the streets. Blood dribbled down from his nose as his eyes widened. Things had escalated quickly into something terrible, and fast, and before he knew what was going on, his wings shot out to their full length. He gave them one heavy beat and tore across the small distance between he and Eleni, his wings powerful, giving him enough strength to break away from the guard and get to her, tearing her from the guard's arms who tried to hold her back, as he scooped her up into his arms and carried her up, up up and away, into the skies.

His heart was beating heavily within his chest, winds whipping around him as he flew up higher and higher, and clutched onto Eleni tightly.
"Just hold on!" he said, eyes searching frantically for any safe place to land.

      Her eyes widened as he ripped her away from the guard and scooped her up. "F-feni...! I should've told you this but I'm-" she clung to him as they rose higher into the sky. The girl did as she was told and held on tightly. "I-I don't exactly appreciate heights...!" She admitted trying not to look down. She should've been asking questions, but all she could do was hold on for dear life.

At her words, Feni'tat held her a bit tighter, keeping her close to his warm body.
"I'm sorry!" he shouted against the winds. "I'll try to make landing soon!" And his blue eyes were searching frantically for a spot, but all he could see where buildings, and the river.
The river.. perhaps they could find solace there? Tucking back his wings, he began to descend, his shadow fluttering off the sides and roofs of buildings before he landed with a bowed crouch, then set Eleni delicately on her feet.
This was an area that seemed all but abandoned, the only things stirring that were alive there were rats, which scurried away at the sudden presence of a flying boy and the girl he carried.
"Are you alright?" Feni'tat asked, his wings folded in against his back side. He was sure to keep his arms around her in support, just in case she was weak in the legs from flight.

       The girl opened her eyes as she looked around at the river. She sighed "I'm okay..." Eleni loosened her grip on him and looked at him "T-thanks." She muttered. She didn't enjoy feeling helpless but he made it his job to make her feel that way, Apparently. She started to untangle herself from his arms and sighed. Her wrists were bruised and her head ached terribly die to the guards shoving her around.

Feni heard a few windows closing as he glanced up. An old woman was staring down at them, clutching to a shawl. And in another window, more eyes were peering upon them. Perhaps they were not alone. Rubbing at the back of his neck, he turned to her.
"That was close," then he added with a frown. "Those guards were mean." Though most guards he'd come to know were awfully mean. "And those spears and swords they carry are awfully sharp. We're lucky we didn't get one in the butt."
There had been that one time he was prodded by one, and it hurt for him to sit for weeks!
But then his eyes softened as he smiled. "But I'm glad you're ok. And there's no need to thank me." He closed his eyes as he smiled broader, tipping his head to the left. "I'm just glad I could help! You did give me some bread, after all."

To think, all of this trouble for just a loaf of bread!

         She groaned "Don't remind me of that bread." She sighed. Looking around at the closing windows she commented "There aren't much areas for privacy around here are there?" She glanced at him seeing his smile. He was sweet and it pained her to have to leave him soon. She sat down on the ground and looked at the river "... I should be leaving..." Eleni said suddenly.

"But the bread was really tasty!" Feni'tat commented, his smile ever growing, but at her question, he tilted his head curiously, and frowned a bit when she then mentioned having to leave.
"Do you need to be somewhere?"

      "Not exactly... But I don't exactly fit in here... Plus I may or may not have stolen that guards bracelet..." Grinned tossing him the chain, "Don't worry I didn't really steal that... From the guard at least. I ran into some man after stealing that bread." Laughed "So I haven't made a very good reputation of myself here." She shrugged. If there was no place to hide from prying eyes, the best idea was to leave. That look on his face almost killed her to have to say it though. She just met the kid but already in pained her to go. After what he did for her, she decides to leave him?

Feni'tat blinked and caught the bracelet, staring down at it with his eyes going cross-eyed. But then at her mentioning of a reputation he simply nodded.
"I don't think I'm welcome in towns either," he said, rubbing at his shoulder, near to where his black wings connected on his back. "It seems most towns aren't too keen to those who are hungry. Even if you offer to help." He pouted at the idea, his wings wilting a little.

      A frown worked its way onto her face. She looked at him carefully before speaking "... What are you?" She asked him curiously. His wings were still noticeable even though he had them folded behind his back. Wings like an angel would have, except they were black. And that collar... "And why are you wearing a collar?" Made a face. She stood up and leaned closer to him, looking at the collar again.

Feni'tat blinked when the conversation turned to him ( And his wings). He looked at them from over his shoulder, then went cross eyed as he tried to look at his collar on his neck, but said nothing as his eyes drifted away. He was staring at the river now, appearing a lot sadder than usual. After all, this entire time he was rather clingy and bubbly, but it was obvious what he was, and the collar, all of it struck a cord.
But he only shrugged.

"I don't know. I can't remember." He gave a light scratch to the skin on his neck near the metal collar. "I don't remember much about where I'm from. I always thought I was just a normal human until.." his wings twitched nervously as he looked shamefully away. "Well, I didn't even know I had wings. I don't even know what controls them. They just come out from time to time, and disappear just as fast." He then gave a light laugh, his smile returning. "So I suppose that makes me something slightly different than most of the humans, huh?"

       Eleni notices his frown and sits down looking at the river as well. She knew how he must've felt . She had been raised by a stranger, tossed into the street, and found out she was half demon when she accidentally burned herself and a man when she was 11.
       The demon girl stayed silent, simply watching the water flow through the river. She didn't rip her eyes away from the scene as she spoke. "I remember everything... But... I never knew my parents." She said quietly, "I always knew I was different too..." Eleni finally turned towards him, "I'm sorry you didn't know about that. It's kinda scary at first, huh?" She smiled lightly, "I guess it does."

Scary was an understatement...
As he thought back to that fateful day, remembering how he tore those people apart-
the sound of breaking bones, of tearing bodies, the warm smell of blood and battered flesh, he visibly tensed and felt ill. Tears went to his eyes, but he looked away. He had to find a reason to smile again. He did. No, no, no. He could not get upset or angry..
Lest that dormant power come out again.

So he thought about something else..
his wings..
And unfolded them a moment and gave a laugh, though his back was still to her. It would take some time,just a moment, for his tears to fade away.
"Wel, the wings were certainly scary at first, but they can be very useful. I'm not sure how they work exactly, but they definitely helped us out today." he turned to her with a grin. "How are you different?" he blinked, face twisting curiously. "You seem normal to me, or do you have wings as well?" His smile brightened at that. It would be interesting to find someone like him!

     She smiled, "I, uh..." Her smile faltered. What if he turned on her? Most people did when they realized what she was. "Let's just say I have red eyes for a reason," She left it at that. After all, imagine how he would react if he found out she was a demon. It wasn't a title she could wave around in pride. Demons represented evil- death. She represented the opposite of light; the opposite of hope. Eleni hated it, but she embraced it after a while. There were times it had gotten out of control. Times where she would find herself curled onto the side of a wall covered in blood... Drenched in regret and dread. Nightmares from those times never left her, either. Soon, she could hear their screams in her head; those poor people's pleads and cries clawing at her mind. Lifeless eyes and corpses throughout the silent town... She still saw the blood on her fingertips at times.
     The fist time she realized her powers didn't leave her unscarred either. Literally. Burn marks ran up her arms... And that man...! Eleni shook her head violently, tears forming. All those memories seemed to stay fresh in her mind.
     She couldn't tell him what she had done, what she was. He would run away from her; leave her alone like everyone always did. So, the shaken girl wiped the tears from her eyes and prayed he hadn't seen. She really was weaker than she liked to believe.
     

Feni'tat gave a curious tilt to his head.
"Oh, do red eyes come from another country? Where are you from, anyways?" He had no idea. It wasn't like he could see his own eyes turning red when he transformed to his darker side, but he did notice the tears in her eyes and frowned. Placing a hand upon her shoulder, he asked, "Hey, are you ok? I didn't mean to scare you. If I could put away my wings I would." And they drooped uneasily against his back, making him appear even sadder and concerned than before.

      "It's fine, it's not your wings." Assures him. After keeping so much locked up, small things seemed to get to her. She turned back to him, a nonchalant look painted across her face again. Her heart ached seeing him look so troubled. The worst part was she knew she has caused it.
      Eleni readjusted her cloak, "I've caused you enough trouble, I'll be going." Announced quietly, taking a step in the other direction.

Feni'tat stared at her, sensing her melancholy with a frown. She seemed to avoid the question about her eyes and where she was from. Perhaps she was running away from something? He was too.. well sort of. More or less he was just afraid.. of himself.
Then when she moved to leave, his eyes widened a bit. "But you haven't caused any more trouble than I would have done." ANd he hadn't noticed he clutched onto her hand. He was just used to clinging to people, and he was over whelmed with sadness, and the fear of being alone, that he just naturally clung to her hand. He liked her and well, he was hoping he'd at least find some sort of friend. Although he had been wrong before... he looked up at her with a bit of a pout.
"Are you sure you'll be ok?" maybe he could assist her getting out of the city? This place was being a jerk anyway!

The girl looked at him as he gripped her hands. She could see the desperation and loneliness that lingered in his bright blue eyes. Eli sighed. "I'll be fine." She needed to stop this. Staying just a little too long in a place and having someone trick her into thinking they want her around. Honestly, the happy boy amused her and interested her. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to let him hang around... Oh, she was going to regret this!
"... You can come with me... If you want... You did say you didn't feel welcome here either..." Looks at him hesitantly.

Feni'tat's eyes lit up at her invitation.
"I can come with you?" he said, and the happiness was just about exploding from him as he leaped forward and clung to her, his cheek snuggling affectionately against hers as he held her tight. "Thank you, Eleni, thank you!" ANd he gave a few happy thumps of his foot.

The girl blushes deeply "I-It's no problem..." She squirmed a bit as he clung to her. She needed to get used to this physical contact thing, Huh? She wondered exactly how this would work out, but momentarily pushed the thought aside. Right now she was still trying to pry the boy off of her...

Feni'tat was still clinging to her, snuggling away and seemingly unaware that she wanted him to get off.
"I'm so happy! I rarely have traveling companions. Oh, boy!" And the young man was so full of elation, if he had a tail like a puppy, he'd be wagging it furiously. Though instead, it seemed the wings on his back might do the same, as they remained hanging beautifully against him. They seemed almost like angel wings, if not for the color that was black as night- but still beautiful and perfect none the less, appearing as if not a single feather had ever been ruffled or misplaced.
"So where are we going?" he said when he finally released her from his grasp.

Eli has never had a traveling companion. She had given up on trying to make him let go and instead let him hug her, her face flushed. How could he be so happy..? She gave a sigh of relief as Feni let go of her. She fixed her cloak and shrugged "Away from here," She stated simply. She usually walked until she found a decent destination. As long as she found food and water, she was good.
   She looked down the river, trying to imagine where it ended. Her eyes shone, their bright scarlet color glimmering in the light. The demon girl ran a hand through her white hair and sighed looking back over at him.

Feni noticed her glancing at the river.
"It's nice isn't it. And pretty in the way it distorts the world, as if taking the colors and making them run, like paints across the waters surface." Bending over, he swept a hand against the tops of the air so that his shadow stroked across the water, but it was too far for him to simply reach down and touch, due to the stone wall that kept it tamed while running through the city. But then he had an idea and perked up and looked over at her.
"Say, we could follow the river!" he said, pointing at it and letting his eyes follow it down the way. "You know," he gave a shrug. "To see where it goes!"

A smile tugged at her lips. She peered over the wall looking at the running river "We should!" Her curiosity peaked, "Where do you think it'll lead?" She looked over at him anxiously. The breeze blew across the river making its flow look even more spectacular. He was right. The river seemed to pull everything together... She looked at the water to see her reflection. She frowned a bit as her eyes glowed for a split second before returning to their normal state. Why was it that all she saw in her reflection... Was a monster...?

"Maybe it'll lead to a nicer town?" Feni'tat mused as he gave an itchy scratch to his hair. Then smiling, he added while patting her on the shoulder. "Either way, it should prove to be fun. Shall we be off then?" And he tilted his head, giving a happy grin.

"Hm?" She pulled her gaze from the water and looked at him "Oh, yeah." She faked a smile and stood up straighter. She stood there awkwardly for a bit before starting to walk down the path that the small stone wall lead.

As they moved down the path, Feni'tat was humming happily to himself, laughing from time to time at the echoes along the walk (which amused him greatly). His child like, care free nature easily kept him in tune, and he was back to humming again, a song he did not recall the words to, as he kept at Eleni's side.

She looked at her feet as she walked. Becoming more comfortable with the carefree spirit beside her, she bounced a bit in her stride. Lyrics flowed in her head to the tune the other hummed softly and she grinned. Eleni's eyes scanned the dusty ground distractedly. The girl was Glad she was able to push aside the burning sensation in her chest and her questioning thoughts. She let a few lyrics slip from her lips and she paused embarrassedly before continuing like nothing had happened.

He paused in his humming when she began to sing and smiled brightly.
"Hey.. do you know the words to that song?" he asked, reaching out and gently placing a hand upon her shoulder. "I recall my mother singing it to me when I was little, but never the words." His smile brightened as he looked at her. "Would you be able to sing that song for me?" he asked curiously, his eyes bright as the afternoon sky.

She blinked at him, clearly surprised. "Oh, no... I can not... I mean, I can't sing very well..." She looked at him embarrassedly. She frowned slightly, feeling a bit bad. She felt his hand on her shoulder and thought for a bit "But... I can teach you the lyrics...?" She looked at him with an apologetic, lopsided smile.

Feni'tat blinked at her.
"But I just heard you." And his smile broadened. "I thought you sung very nicely."
But then at the mention of teaching him the lyrics, he gasped and moved forward, taking her hands as his blue eyes widened at the prospect.
"You could do that!?" he said, eyes shining brightly. "Why that would be.. be.. well.. wonderful! Fantastic!" he said, giving an enthusiastic thump of his foot and a laugh. "I would love to learn! It's been ages since I heard the song and the fact I didn't know the words has driven me crazy. Something about the red bird in the spring I think, and the last smells of a fading winter.."
He tapped his lower lip in thought, his blue eyes casting skyward as he mulled it over.

"Somewhere there's a red bird' song, she sings well into the morning.. " he began, not really recalling the rest of the verse, but it was evident he was trying really hard to remember it as he hummed the next few beats of the song.

 the girl shook her head at his compliment. She thought about the lyrics as he hummed the tune. "And you can still feel the icy breeze, as winter fades into Spring..." she sang hesitantly, amused at how hard he was trying to remember the lyrics

-------
A/N
Sorry this sucks more than usual, I've been writing all day. I'm brain dead x_x

"And the smell of freshness grace his wings. Then that redbird tweets, and takes to the sky, calling forth the sunlight." He tapped his hands in rhythm, smiling as he sang along, seeming to recall only fragments of the song here and there, then went into humming as he could not recall the next line of the song.

So there they were. Singing. Down the river. She taught him the next line, singing it proudly. Then the line after that, and after that...! It seemed that moment lasted ages. Finally, she let go of what was happening around her and forgot about her worries, only melting into the moment. It felt good.

"Sing loudly, hear his song ring through the valley! Can you hear him, his gracefulness enchanting; and yet Im just beginning..!" she took in a breath "Somewhere there's a young girl's song, I sing it into the morning.." She finished

Singing along with her brought back so many memories from his past. Not everything from his past Feni'tat wanted to be forget, but as the last note was sung, he found himself turning to her and met her eyes. It was only then he realized how close he was to her as his face heated up into a blush.

"Hey, you sing nice." he informed her, a smile growing across his face as he happily closed his eyes. "Now hopefully I can remember all those lyrics." And he started to hum the song again.

As their eyes met, her face flushed. She didn't remember being so close.... As he complemented her, she took a step back into the stone wall trying to calm her blush. Eleni simply nodded and smiled slightly as he closed his eyes to hum.

The pair had made it to the edge of the city once they had finished their song, and Feni'tat paused a moment to observe the iron gate that blocked passage on this side of town. He figured he could fly over it, as it would be a difficult wall to climb, but turned over to Eleni.
"Er, perhaps we should try another route? It seems they dont' want people coming in and out of the city on the river path." Though as he turned around, he paused to observe a grate that was partially opened against a cracked side of the wall. It looked large enough for people to fit into. Curiously, he approached it, and he could hear music in the world down below.

"Say.. I wonder what's down there.." he said, not realizing his black, feathered wings began to dissipate and all but disappeared from his back.

While he was peering past the gate, she put her hands on his back "Your wings!" She said in awe, pushing against his back softly. She was pulled from her trance by the sound of music below them, "Hm?" She looked past him, looking in the direction he was looking.

Feni's eyes went wide at her exclamation, and blinkingly, he peered over at his back.
"Oh." He blinked again, then smiled. "They sort of do that sometimes. Not sure how to control them. THey come out on their own and vanish on their own, just like that." He shrugged then looked back at the opening.
"Do you want to see what's down there?" he asked, apart of him did. The music sounded fun.

She grinned and let go of him, "Of course I do!" She didn't like parties... But her curiosity always overpowers her. She walked through the crack in the gate cautiously and looked around. "Feni.. Look..." Her eyes widened at the sight as she encouraged Feni over

As they moved through the underground pathway, they entered the slums. And although the people down here were very poor, there seemed to be a network of celebration and people moving around and dancing to reed pipe music and stringed things. Instruments of the like Feni'tat had never seen. Though he knew lutes when he saw one and his eye lit up.

"Look at all of the dancing!" he said, his smile stretching widely across his face. THen he turned to Eleni suddenly and took her by the hand. "Come on! Maybe we can dance too!" and before she might know what was going on, Feni'tat had dragged her amongst the crowd and he was laughing and dancing in silly steps along with her, spinning her around, and seeming not to really move much to any beat. But he was having fun, so was everyone, and the atmosphere was light and wonderful.

"Wha--no!" She tried to interject before being pulled into the crowd. Eleni tried to clumsily follow his steps. She couldn't dance to save her life...! She closed her eyes whenever he twirled her around. Eventually, she just tried listening to the music and flowing with Feni's out of beat moves. The girl found herself giving a hesitant smile as they dances through the crowd.

The two probably looked quite the sight, dancing and limbs flailing about. But Feni'tat hadn't a care in the world, and was laughing and now taking Eleni's hands into his own and was spinning with her fast- that was, untilt hey accidentally ran into another pair of dancers. Stumbling to a halt, Feni'tat sheepishly bowed his head. "Er... sorry about that.." then turned to Eleni with a shrug. "Perhaps we ought to stay out of the dance circle, lest we run into any more people."

And no sooner had he said it did he smell something good.
"I smell.. I smell.." He gave two sniffs. "Oh.. meat!" and before Eleni could stop him, Feni'tat was scrambling over to a meat vendor's station.

She laughed nervously as the couple they ran into tried to make conversation with her. She noticed Feni run off somewhere as the nice couple tried to get her to say something. Eleni had always been a bit of a shy person around certain people... She only nodded at the couple's words before mumbling a quick goodbye. She shoved past the rowdy, lively crowd looking for Feni. Where had he gone? What was that he mentioned...? Meat! She looked around for a meat vendor's station, mumbling quick 'hellos' to the people she passed.

A moment later, Feni'tat came rushing right past Eleni and dove behind a giant, woven basket, just as a rolling pin came clattering to the ground. Someone had just thrown it at him, and by the looks of it, it was the angry meat fying merchant.

"Get the hell away from my food if you can't pay!" the man spat, and Feni'tat cowered behind the basket, staring with a pout as the man walked away. Looks like he wouldn't get any meat today.

By this point, people were looking at Feni'tat and the merchant in confusion. The music kept playing loudly, and the couple from earlier helped usher people back over to the circle to dance.
     Eleni walked over to Feni with a frown and crouched down next to him. She looked at him pitifully and pursed her lips before standing up and walking over to the meat vendors station. The man scowled at her and asked If she had any money "No but..."
    Eleni walked back over to Feni about 15 minutes later with some fresh meat "Be happy. You have no idea how hard it was to get my hands on this," She sighed.

Feni'tat's eyes became as wide as saucers, and their blue color glittered like stars.
"Oh wow!" his mouth began to salivate. "Really, you got this for me?" ANd before she could stop him, he leaped over the basket and clung onto her in a possessive, cuddly hug.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" and he began to nuzzle his face against hers as he laughed.

Before she could oppose, Feni was clinging to her. She blushed and tried to get him off "Feni'tat, please let me go.." She finally managed, trying to keep the meat she had gotten him from falling out of her hands.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" but the boy was unyielding (or it seemed he had not heard her) as he continued to snuggle his face and cheeks against hers. "I looooooooooove meat. You have no idea." ANd he gave a happy thump of his foot.

"I-I get it, I get it! How about you just take it then?" She overs, struggling against the young man. Eleni did like her personal space, Feni loved invading it. Other happy people ignored the scene and continued eating and dancing and cheering. She wondered what this festival was for, anyways. Though, right now she was more concerned about getting Feni'tat off of her...!

Feni'tat smiled even wider, and still continued with his thanks before taking the meat.
And he sat down right there, in the middle of the stone street in the center of the slums market place, and began to gobble it down, it appearing as if he hadn't ate for days.

Eleni looked down at him as he ate the meat hungrily. She sighed and sat down in front of him, unwrapping a piece of bread from earlier that morning. The bread was cold by now, but food was food, right? She took small bites and ate slowly so she could save as much as she could, who knows the next time she'll get her hands on something? Especially when she's already on close watch in this town.

Feni'tat had nearly gobbled up all of the meat when he paused to observe Eleni merely eating some of the left over bread. A moment later, he was puttin gout his hand, the remaining meat in his palm.
"Here, put this on the bread. It'll taste really good!" he said with a smile.

Eleni looked at his hand for a second before taking the meat "Thanks" she tried a smile, "Im going to try to save the bread though." She explained as she ate the remaining meat he had given her. She closed her eyes in content as she favored the flavor. It's been a while since she was able to get her hands on this stuff-- she usually stuck with vegetables and fruits along with bread when she managed to smuggle it.

"It's really good, isn't it!" Feni'tat said, all smiles as he was licking at his fingers. "Say.. how did you manage to get it anyways?"

Sighs "Woman have their ways," she stated simply. She put the bread away and licked her finger, still trying to savor the flavor of the meat that lingered in her mouth

Feni'tat looked up at Eleni with a curious blink.
"Oh? What sort of ways?" He was too naive to realize what she might have meant from it as he titled his head to the other side and stared at her.

She laughed "Well... Persuasive ways, you could say" grinned as she stood up and dusted herself off. He was so naive, much more than she.

"Ooooh," he replied with an innocent blink. "Did you have some money or something to trade with?" ANd his eyes went wide at the idea.


OOC: Lol, poor Feni. He's so slow!

OOC: I know~ x3
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She shook her head and let out a sigh "Do you really want to know? I'm not sure it would be of any use to you anyways" warned him.

"Oh," he replied, blinking again. "That's true, since whatever it was you already gave to the seller." ANd he scratched sheepishly at the back o fhis head, but then his smile brightened. "So what about htis place, huh?" he looked around, his blue eyes large as he took it in. "Seems kind of nice." You know, despite the fact it smelled slightly of sewer and people were living in cloth huts.

She smiled glancing around "Yeah. Smells a bit strange but most of the people are kind" noted as she waves at the couple passing by. It was a strange little place but the people seemed happy for the most part! She just hoped she wouldn't do something to hurt them...

He nodded and glanced around. "Say, I wonder if any of them know the path out of the city. Shall we go ask one?" BUt before she could answer, he approached a more elderly fellow, one who was extremely frail in appearance with a long, grey beard and shaggy brows.
"Say, do you happen to know the pathway out of here? We were aiming to leave the city and well.."

The gentleman chuckled before Feni'tat could finish his sentence. "A lot of people hiding frm the guards around here. But if you're looking for a way out, the only way is through the sewer path down there." ANd he pointed an old, crooked finger towards a dark hallway, lit with only one torch that was fading at the end of it.
"But good luck if you go that way, and hold your nose," the old man said wiht a chuckle, pinching his own playfully before he walked away, still carrying his smile.

Feni'tat smiled, then turned to Eleni. "Looks like we found our way out!"

She blinked, her crimson eyes focusing back on him "We did? Where?" The girl looked around curiously.

Feni's grin only widened as he pointed down the dark hall, the one with the single torch lit far off in hte distance.
"Over there. The man said it would lead us out of this city!" and he was positively beaming, seemingly unaffected that the man warned him it would lead them deeper into the sewers, and deeper into the smelly muck there in.

She glanced over at the dark hallway. She was a bit hesitant at the idea but shoved the feeling away. "Are you sure that's the only way?" She started walking towards the passageway, the mucky smell that filled the happy place becoming much stronger and more unpleasant.

Feni'tat gave a shrug. "That's what the man told me." and he had to frown as the stench began to quickly fill the air the nearer they got to the place. "Though... I have to wonder if it's worth it." he wilted a bit as he continued walking. "After all, we're not sure what's even down there. Well, aside from stinky sewer sludge."

The young girl scrunched up her nose, nodding in agreement "But I'm not about to stay here for the rest of my life." She continued on, walking a bit more confidently now that she set a goal. Besides, if there was something down there, she could take it... Right? Or at least, she liked to believe she could. What was so wrong with a little adventure here and there?

Seeing her traveling with more confidence in her stride made Feni'tat perk up as he smiled and followed suit. And stinky smell aside, the sewers weren't all that bad, so as the two descended into the darkness together, he crept along, keeping close to Eleni's side as his blue eyes peered around, taking in what he could. But there wasn't much to see aside from the scurrying of a rat here or there, the sludge making the waters appear quite nasty, and a few scones lit here or there along the way.

Though the further they went, Feni'tat was surprised to see a few make shift houses down here, and a few boney beggars looking up at the pair, and asking for food. Feni'tat felt awful, bu thad to refuse.
"S-sorry, I don't have anything." And his frown deepened as they continued to walk. "Man, everyone down here seems to be suffering. It seems pretty awful." And even as they walked on, they found one old man keeled over, his skin leathery and grey from death.

Feni'tat felt his blood chill at the sight and visibly shivered as he stepped nearer to Eleni.
"This place is awful. I hope we never end up living in such a place someday. I just wish there was something we could do for them."

Eleni tried to pay little mind to the moaning and begging people on the streets. She could feel Feni creep closer to her as they passed the dying elders. She did wish there was something they could do, but then again, it wasn't so much in her nature. Besides, what could they do?

As they continued down the mucky passage, Eleni saw what appeared to be a dead man in the middle of the way. His body twisted and laying limp on the floor; skin unnaturally gray. Eleni sucker in a breath and stopped infront of the 'corpse.' She hesitantly stepped over it, sighing when she reached the other side. She continued on until she heard a low moan and felt a cold hand wrap around her ankle. She froze.

Feni'tat could have leaped clean out of his skin at that terrifying moan. Whirling around, his eyes went as large as saucers as he stared down at another suffering soul clinging onto Eleni's leg.

"P-please.." the man begged. "Just a drop of fresh water... to ease the pain."

Feni'tat's heart, which had leaped into his throat, now sunk deep within the pit of his belly. He pouted, his eyes shining with sympathy as he knelt down beside the man.
"Are you suffering greatly, sir?" he asked gently.

The man nodded, his grip not releasing from where it held onto Eleni's leg as his arm began to shake. And although it was obvious, Feni'tat could sense the man was dying. He might have even only had a few minutes to live. There was really not much they could do for him.

So he did all that he could do, and Feni'tat scooped a hand full of murky water, which, in a glittering display of light cast off from his hand, was purified and turned into the most mineral rich water the man would ever taste,a nd he offered it over to him.

"Here, drink this," Feni'tat said softly, and the man obeyed, drinking only a few laps with his tongue before his eyes closed tightly and he keeled over. Feni'tat blinked, watching the man shaking in pain before he closed his eyes and placed a hand upon the man's forehead.
A soothing light escaped from Feni's hands and entered into the man's body.
And the man felt no more pain, and as he was standing at death's door, the old wretch on the ground actually smiled before he took his last breath and faded into death.

"Good luck in the next life," Feni'tat whispered, before moving to gently remove the dead man's grip from Eleni's leg before he rose up from the ground.
"We should get going. I'd like to bury him, but this is not the sort of place to do such a thing." Feni'tat wiped the back of his hand at his nose, catching the running snot there as tears began to pool at the sides of his eyes. Those, he tried to blink away before he turned to make his way back down the stinky sewer path.

Eleni watched the scene in shock. She never liked death. The girl was a bit shaken but glad to see him smile before he went. Before she could even acknowledge it, Feni was leaving; he seemed a but shaken himself. A burial? She stared down at the corpse before scooping it up, barely struggling. She cringed a bit as the dead flesh making contact with her creme, Porcelain skin, but continued on. "We'll bury him when we get out of here." She stated trying to leave the emotion out of her voice as she started to catch up with him.

Feni'tat's eyes widened at the sight of Eleni carrying the dead man.
"Do.. do you think it is wise to just be carrying him around?" Though if he had thought that too, he would have done the same and carried the man to somewhere else for a proper burial.

She stayed silent for a bit before continuing, somewhat struggling to carry the deceased mans body "I'm not sure..." Answered plainly, "Lets just continue, yes?" Gave him a reassuring smile. It was obvious that she had gotten used to the other's company. She wasn't used to having people around her except perhaps Xerordir, but she of course left him like she did everyone. They crossed paths, and eventually had to continue forward. Eleni glanced over at Feni and blinked, deep in thought. Eventually, she would have to leave him, too, no? When they got out of these sewers? After they give this poor man a proper burial? Perhaps... She was a traveler, after all. More like a wanderer, actually. Slipping from town to town; region to region. Eleni never really settled down and maybe it was better that way. After all, running away was all she's ever known.

By now she must've looked strange. Red eyes glazed over with a far away look; body stumbling to keep hold of the man. The girl must've looked like she was in some strange trance..!

"Hey!" Feni'tat's voice cut through her thoughts as he stumbled against her side.
"Let me help you carry him." he said, reaching out to take the man. "You almost slipped back there, and I don't mind helping!"

Stopped a bit confused as she was yanked from her thoughts "Oh, thank you" a small clumsy smile graced her lips as she handed him the man, standing up straight again and recollecting her posture "Are you positive you have him?" Glanced at him as she began walking again, looking around to see where they were exactly

"Yep! No worries. I've got him!"
Feni'tat wasn't the most muscular of young men, but he was able to shift the weight of the dead body easily since the man had been starved before his death. Though this detail made Feni'tat frown as he studied him and walked onward through the smelly sludge of the sewer. "It's a shame he had to die in a place like this."

Eleni nodded as she studied the area. The place reeked of death and illness; she could almost feel the flickering and moaning souls this place held. She wondered why they wouldn't leave this place... "More will and have." Pointed out seriously and quietly. An eerie silence seemed to trickle in before the girl brushed some white strands away from her face, "I think we're almost there... I think..." It seemed like an opening but it was dark.. There wasn't really a light source past that opening it seemed. It must've been late, Eleni decided.

They had been traipsing around in the sewers for quiet some time, that by the end of it, Feni's hair was slicked down in ringlets against his forehead, plastered down by sweat. There was a light at the end of the tunnel, a small opening and the sound of water.
Moving forward, Feni'tat took the lead now and stepped through the end of the tunnel, and out into a bed of water full of muck, grime and disease.

it was as if this portion of the world were uninhabitable, for the grounds seemed sludgy and swamp like as Feni'tat stepped out into the water and gasped as he suddenly began to sink, for he had stepped right into a bog!

Gasped quickly reaching forward to try to help him up and out of the muck. This was probably why no one ever left that sewer like place.  "ugh" she groaned as she struggled to help him

The corpse was being jostled in his arms,a nd the more he struggled, the stronger he felt himself being stuck in the muck. His eyes went wide as he looked at her. "Be careful, Eleni! We don't need you to get stuck in here, too!"

Looked at him before looking around to see what she could do.

"Just give me your hands and let go of that man." Ordered almost a bit sternly and stubbornly. She took hold of his hands as her eyes flashed into a bloodier shade of red. Sneering, teeth biting down on her bottom lip, Eleni gave a frustrated growl. She was not loosing to a pile of mud, and she knew she could pull him out-- easy. Seemily too stubborn for her own good, the demon girl gave one final tug followed by a grunt before yanking his body from the bog. Falling back into the sewer muck with a thud, groaning as she looked up to see her work.

Feni'tat gasped.
"But we can't just leave him here!" Though when Eleni insisted, the look in her eyes terrified him, and he found himself trembling beneath her gaze. Unknowingly, his grip on the corpse slackened, and suddenly, he was pulled out from the bog in a few powerful pulls-
and a moment later, he was gsping as he stumbled and fell into a muddied pile ontop of her.

A moment later, he lifted his head from her body.
"Hey!" he sid, his face brightening in a smile, legs straddled over hers, "It worked! You pulled me out of there! Thanks!" and he clung to her ina massive hug, snuggling against her cheek, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I might have been dead if it weren't for you!"

Groaned, putting her hands against his chest and weakly pushing against him "it's no problem.. Just.. Get off, please?" Asked looked down at him as he nuzzled her, a light blush tinting her now muddied cheeks. She felt exhausted from all the reserved strength she had used to pull him from the bog.

Despite her request, Feni continued to cling to her before finally letting her go. Though he sat up now and looked down at her curiously.
"You know, we smell kind of bad."
For the stink of the sewer was a bit much- even as the two were now slicked in mud.

Scrunching her nose in disgust, Eleni nodded and sat up slightly as well. White hair slicked back by the sewer water and nails caked with dirt; her cloak was ruined as well!

After some time of simply staring at their surroundings, the girl spoke up, "Do you think we can get out of here through there?" Her red eyes turned back towards him waiting for an answer. Reds and golds mixed with purple hues swirled in those demon eyes of hers; worry seemed to settle into those eyes of hers, no matter how serious she tried to keep her face.

"Through where? You mean back through the sewer?" He asked with a curious blink. "Maybe.. or we'll have to be careful if we move through this area. The swamp seems deep."

Nodded and frowned "Well what do you want to do? I mean if we go through the swamp... Maybe we can find a lake or river we can bathe in if we go far enough..." Thought about it carefully, seeming to zone out.

Feni'tat also stared off in thought.
"That's not a bad plan, though we'd have to be careful where we step." He said, then gave a laugh once he looked down at his body, covered in mud. "At least we won't have to worry about getting dirty!" and as he smiled at her, it was more apparent that he had even little sticks and pieces of debris jutting out from the muk on his skin, and in his hair.

The girl groaned inwardly, though smiled slightly at the sight. Leaning forward, Eleni seemed concentrated as she pulled some twigs out of his curly hair, moving the muddy hair away from his face. Smearing the mud on her hands on his cheek with a grin, she finally spoke, "We better start walking then." Her red eyes sparkled and seemed to glow as the sun began its journey down and under the horizon. "Besides you still owe me those flowers don't you?" The smaller girl (she wasn't exactly smaller, she just appeared that way. Perhaps it was her frame) gently pushed him off of her and pulled herself out of the thick, dirty, water.

Feni'tat's eyes went crossed as she plucked at a few twigs in his hair, then he laughed as she tried to help is unruly mess of curls. Shaking his head, he shrugged and moved to walk beside her.
"Well, if you see those flowers, or any you like, I'll gladly pick them for you!" the boy said cheerfully as he remained close to her side.

Laughed softly as she carefully made her way through the marshes "Thank you, but you don't need to do that, you know. I was just kidding." Pointed out to him.
---
Sorry I haven't been on in so long >_< I'll try to get on more but right now I'm passing out .-.

OOC: It's ok! Real life happens so no worries~

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"Yeah, but I want to!" he assured her as he moved swiftly to keep in pace beside her. "Besides, flowers might add to the nice color of mud shared between us!" ANd at that remark, he gave her an even broader grin.

Scoffed Flashing him a grin "Well I doubt we're going to find anything too colorful in these marshes." Tried too keep her balance, holding onto near by trees "I hope we get out of here quickly though. It is getting dark out.." Looked up at the purple painted sky.

Following her gaze, Feni'tat frowned.
"Yeah, you're right. It'll make travel a lot more difficult in the dark."
Though as they pushed onward, Feni'tat noticed something.
"Hey.. is that some sort of road sign?"
There appeared to be some sort of sign post jutting out from a mound of dirt not too far from where they were sloshing through the marshes. Though it was crooked, it looked as it might be a fairly reliable resource to give the pair a sense of direction.

At this notion, Feni'tat's spirits perked up as he gave a laugh and took her by the hand, "Come on!" and he helped lead her over there, dragging her the rest of the way out of the slushy grounds and onto a more stable dirt road.

The girl blinked, her white lashes fluttering in contrast to her bright red eyes. Noticing the sign, she grinned. The feel of stable dirt beneath her soaked boots felt uncomfortable but better than the slosh from earlier. Before she could do anything, she flexed her fingers that were intertwined with his. The demon girl blinked before letting go. Taking off her boots, Eleni left them next to the sign and wiggled her toes. "Ah, the ground feels nice~"
"Hm, so where to go.." The girl muttered, stretched, and looked  at the sign noticing the name of a town not too far off. Her eyes lit up knowing that there should be woods or something near by. Feeling a little relieved that they might just be able to sleep in peace left a sense of security on the girl. 

Feni'tat stared at the sign for some time, trying to read it as he scratched his head.
"It seems the name of the city's been worn off, but it appears if we follow the road down this way," he said, pointing down a wooded path. "We might be able to find out what sort of town it is."
Assuming that the road DID lead to a city.

"Perhaps..." Eleni thought for a bit, before sighing, "If we don't find a river or lake... I hope they do not mind the smell... Or mud." A blithe smile made it's way onto her muddied face. She picked up her boots and started down the road, stretching a bit. They needed to find a lake. Her usually soft, white hair was slicked back in clumps by muck; her pale face was smeared with mud and powdered with dirt. Fen seemed to be about the same... His curly hair now a mess of greasy strands sticking to his forehead.
"How are you always so happy?" She suddenly asked, glancing back at him, "I saw it, by the way. The look on your face. You've seen things. You said you couldn't remember your past... You don't even seem to know what you are. I know that feeling all too well... So then, I wonder, how can you be so happy? You're always smiling or clinging onto something..."
Then it daunted on her....
The girl stopped walking, moving her heavy boots to her other hand as she held out her now free one for him to hold. Her hands had some dirt and mud smeared on it as well, but still she wiggled her fingers waiting for him to take it. She couldn't remember actually offering to give him a hug or anything. He just went on and did things, pouncing on her and catching her off guard. This time, she was the one offering something; offering to walk beside him and let him hold her hand or grab her arm.

"Oh..." Feni'tat's blue eyes grew large and were positively shining at such an idea. "Yes! A river or lake! FOR SWIMMING!" he shouted enthusiastically, even going so far as giving an ecstatic punch to the air. "We could swim and catch fish then cook the fish and-"
But then her question was pressed and his words halted in their rambling as he gave a curious look her way.

"Always happy?" He gave another smile. "But why wouldn't I be happy?" But the she called him out on something,a nd instead of seeming at all affected by it, he kept on smiling. Though he gave a simply shrug. "I don't know. It seems better than mopping around, doesn't it?" And still smiling he looked her over.
"And... whatever it is... is in my past I... well, perhaps it can just be left there. The future is what we make of it, or so I've heard. So I'm just going to keep on smiling,a nd keep on looking to that future." Because at least that, he hoped, he could control....

Then upon seeing her hand offered out, he blinked at it curiously, as if not quite sure what it was, but then upon realizing what she was doing, he gave a happy yip and took her hand into his own, larger warm one.

"Come on! Let's run out into the woods! Maybe instead of finding a town, we can find that river or lake!" he said happily, trying to coax her to follow along.

He had such a different way of things... It intrigued her. New was nice. She has most deffinately smiled before, plenty of times even, but she couldn't bring herself to be like him. She couldn't remember the days where she was given affection; she couldn't remember a time when she wasn't constantly running... Sometimes she didn't even know why. Perhaps it was because, like this time, she wasn't safe in a place... Eleni simply couldn't stand settling down. She ended up raising herself on the streets; always running, always hiding. That night... That one night when she had killed a man. Another when a village faced her... Voices haunted her sleep, and whispers lived in her head. Bitterness was most of her later childhood. A shell of a girl. Bitterness... Like those... Drinks... Coffee? Did they call it that--? Or like that cocoa drink...
Despite it all, she smiled when she found it appropriate. When having a happy conversation or enjoying a meal or when enthusiastic about something..!
Now, as he grabbed her hand and rambled about going into the woods, she smiled. The woods were familiar. They held food, water, high places to sleep and keep watch... It wasn't a bad idea! Eleni nodded and squeezed his hand, grinning.
"Who needs people anyways-" scoffed, eager to follow.

"I don't mind people so much!" he said, casting her a smile from over his shoulder as they made their way through the woods. "I just think about meeting people like you and it makes me smile and want to meet more!"

"If I met more people like me I would've lost faith in humanity," joked wryly, letting out a chuckle, "People are good to steal from... Not typically to get close to. Not everyone I meet is nearly as... Friendly as you." Stopped as they made it a decent amount into the thick woods.
"Maybe... I can climb up and see if I can find anything?" She began to let go of his hand, pulling her back. Pulling up her shirt, she tried to wipe most of the mud off onto her stomach. El took a step back and looked around for a tall, sturdy tree, walking over to it as soon as she found one.

Feni gave her a smile.
"Well, usually not everyone is as kind as you! But I have found some really nice people as I've traveled from town to town!" he told her excitedly. But as she went about examining a tree, he craned his neck up at it and gaped at how tall it was.
"Are you really going to try to climb that?"

"Of course-!" Eleni nodded, grabbing a branch and pulling herself up, "I'll be... Fine..." She bit her lip, lifting a leg and steadying it on another branch. Yup, fine... At least she tried to tell herself that. Once Eleni made it not even ten feet up, she began to shake and laughed nervously. Nope. This was about her one-hundredth attempt at climbing a tree. She did a lot better than the first ninety-nine times at least...!
".....Yes, nothing up here... I'll just... Come down now...." She tried to keep a completely straight face. Instead of returning down like she said, she climbed down a branch and sat down on it, clinging onto the tree as nonchalantly as a person could look clinging onto a tree. You would think after all this time, and how useful high places could be, she would have conquered her fear. Not at all.

Feni'tat was mesmerized at how easy she seemed to make it to scale those branches. Shielding his eyes from the sun, he craned his neck as she moved up and up. But then when her task was completed and she told him what she found, he simply gave a nod and watched as she began to ascend...
Except she stopped soon after she began.

"Eleni?" he called up to her, tilting his head curiously. "Are you okay?"

Eleni only stayed perched on the branch, holding into the tree with her deathly grip. Looking down never does help but how else was she supposed to get down. Most of the times she would just jump... But...
"I'm fine! I'll just..." Scooting towards the tip of the brach, it bended and crackled under her weight. She jumped outwards, holding her breath and hoping she didn't hit a branch.... Or land on Feni'tat.

With his neck still craned, he tried squinting his eyes to get a better look at her, but upon hearing the snap of the branch, then seeing her jump- he found himself staring at the falling figure in awe. That was, until something snapped within his own mind as he realized she was falling right at him.

Not even a second later, black feathered wings bloomed from his back side and he was in the air, catching her within his arms before halting in mid-air with one heavy flap of his wings. He held her, cradled in his arms bridal style as his wide, blue eyes peered down into her eyes.

"Eleni, are you okay!?"

The sound of something slicing through the wind rang in her ears. Before the demon girl realized what had happened, she was snatched from the air and cradled in Feni's arms. His black feathered wings flapped mightily and proudly. God, she was even higher now... Instead, she focused on his face, nodding. "Down. I don't really..." She managed to get the words out, digging her nails into his shoulders as she pushed herself closer.
"No heights."

"What?" He blinked, still holding her. "You're afraid of heights?!" Then why had she climbed that tree?

"Yes..!" She hissed, red eyes seeming to flare and bore into his blue, "Is that a problem?" Her pale skin felt hot as a pink hue covered her face. Eleni tried to look away angrily but the scenery she faced when she did only reminded her of their height. Taking in a sharp breath, she turned inward again.
"Just... Look to see if there's a lake or something..." Mumbled deciding despite her fear they should take advantage of the situation.

Feni'tat frowned as he held her.
"I won't drop you if that's what you're afraid of." But at her grumbling to just find water, he nodded and gave one powerful flap of his wings as he moved above the tree tops. At this height, he could spot a cut through the trees as his eyes went wide.
"Oh! I think there might be water over there!" And before Eleni could protest, he gave a few powerful flaps of his wings and soared over in that direction and as the forest peeled away beneath him, a mountain side revealed not only a river, but a gushing water fall frothing with mists of multiple rainbows that were only doubled in the water's reflection.

Failing at trying to stay cool, Eleni squeaked. Oh God. She began to freak out, clinging onto him and  letting out a scream or gasp every once in a while. Nope nope nope. How high were they now? They flew about the trees by this point, reaching a lovely mountain side and-- no. Eleni didn't care about how beautiful it was, she just wanted to be there. On the ground.
"F-Feni...! I don't..." She shook her head, feeling dizzy and queasy. Her grip on him seemed deathly as she curled into him, face pressed into his shoulder. She could not take heights... She's always tried to get over it but never could.

Feni'tat's eyes were still glistening. The very sight of the waterfalls was breathtaking.
"Look, Eleni! Isn't it beautiful?"
But then realizing her death grip was only getting tighter, he peered down at her and only then realized just how very afraid she was!
"Oh! Eleni, I'm sorry! Here!" AN dhe gave a sharp flap to his wings, and began to descend, and perhaps a bit more quickly than she would have liked.

Landing in a crouch, she stood up and delicately set her down beside him, but kept his hands on her hips to steady her.
"There. We're on the ground now," he told her, giving her a reassuring, lop sided grin.

As he set her down, her body trembled. A hand rose as if she were about to hit him but she sighed, lowering it. He was only trying to help, and he kinda did.  She gave him a weary look, still trying to get her head to stop spinning.
"Thank you..." She mumbled, using a hand to cling onto his arm, "Don't... Land like that please?" She sounded as if she were about to be sick or something. A calm relaxing swim would do... After washing up of course.

Feni'tat flinched back, expecting the hit- but when it never came, he peered at her curiously.
"But I... thought you wanted to land?" ANd he presumed she wanted to be on the ground as swiftly as possibly! Perhaps he mis-read what she wanted? He gave her a puppy dog stare, one that made him look and feel guilty.

Eleni hesitantly looked at him, groaning at what she saw. That face... She was getting very used to and comfortable with his company... And very quickly, too. The girl's only response was a huff, looking away again. When she lifted her head she gave a small pout of her own, grinning soon after.
"Yeah-" she ruffled his hair, only to pull a hand back covered in more gunk, "Perhaps we should clean off now?" Elli suggested, moving away from him and towards the pool of water at the bottom of the roaring waterfall. It was rather lovely.

When Feni'tat realized he wasn't in trouble, he smiled back in return- and at the idea to go in the water he gave an enthusiastic fist thrust into the air.
"Yeah!!! Let's go swimming!" And before she could stop him, he was running full force and jumped with a large splash into the cool waters, that misted all around them and at the tops of the mists around the water falls danced light visions of rainbows.

Eleni only laughed softly, the sound surprising her a little. Laughter. Hm. She took off her cloak and went to a lower part of the stream where the water rushed against stones. She sat on the banks of the stream and rubbed the muck out of it, washing it thoroughly. Her bread from earlier, she noted as she had gathered her stuff was soggy and ruined from the incident in the sewers, a small scowl on her face. Well, all that trouble for nothing... Still, she had a little bit of soap left. The bar was used and small by now, and she had to remember to find another bit. This tended to be difficult sometimes but she would figure that out later. Now she only rubbed the bar against her hands, covering them in soap to finish washing her precious, dark cloak.
After rinsing out the piece of clothing again and wringing it out, she hung it on a branch by it's hood, letting it dry. Now she stretched and looked around. She was wearing a white linen shirt underneath that she figured she could swim with along with her black pants. Both were washable and actually worn from all their washing. Leaving her muddy boots under her cloak, Eleni made her way towards Feni. She wouldn't notice how sad or stoic her face would look since it was normally like that if she didn't smile.
"Shouldn't you focus on cleaning up a bit first?" The albino asked leaving the soap in the grass as she sat on the ground, letting only her feet submerge themselves down into the crystalline water.

Feni'tat resurfaced from the water with a big splash, and gave an enthusiastic shake of his head, shaking himself off like a wet dog. Black curly hair bounced about and clung to his forehead as he gave Eleni a lopsided grin.

"I can clean and swim at the same time!" he told her excitedly, not realizing he should be not only using the water, but the soap- however, he was more focused on trying to get her to join him. "Come on in! You should swim with me!"

READ: Okay-- I'm just gonna like put a warning... I'm not sure if it's necessary. This bit talks about scars and may come off as it was intentional or self harm maybe? It's not! It says it there, too. I'm just letting you know so no one becomes offended or thinks so. It mentions how it might be her doing only because the character goes into episodes where she loses control of herself, so it is referencing to that as in how it could be her own fault or could be the demon part of her getting through(since the writing is in the demonic language and there are markings). But yeah just going to state this now. It wasn't intentional to come out in such a way if it does come off as that.

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"You need to use soap--" she reminded him, a slightly amused look on her face. Pushing off the grass, the demon girl plopped into the water, only a small splash created. She swam over to him leisurely, not nearly as hyper as he was. Taking in a breath, she filled her lungs with oxygen and went under, her hair slowly coming apart from their muddy mess. She ran her fingers through them before coming back up, leaving it slicked back and away from her face.
"So-" she began notably, behind him now, "What is this again...? What does this say--" she paused, staring hard at the word. It looked familiar... It looked... Unanticipatedly, Eleni shoved him away harshly (which really only resulted in him lurching forward in the water). Red eyes turned into a bloody color as she dove into the water and swam away from him, trying to get to the other side of the pond. No. Why does that keep following her? As the water became more shallow, she sat down, not bothering to look back towards Feni. Her body burned. At least, it felt like it... Quickly, she pulled the linen shirt up and over her head, inspecting her arms. She was hideous. She was. Burn marks ran up her arms and different scars covered her body as well as birthmarks that looked more like markings. The scars and marks though... Didn't look like any random marking. They looked as if they were carved to look such a way; as if her body was used to be written and drawn on. The scars seemed imprinted there; scars that would be thought to heal never did. They stayed.
On her wrist was a scar as well. It was a word. It was in another, unreadable, language. It was the same exact one imprinted on Feni's collar. It wasn't deep but like others, never left her. It burned.
She didn't do this to herself-- or perhaps she did. She couldn't really say. These writings would show up on her body, decorating it after every breakout she's had. The one that wrapped around her wrist had shown up the night she killed that man when she was little. Where she got the burn marks. She screamed and cried and fainted from the sight... And when she woke in the morning the word was there. The letters were there. They weren't even fresh, it always looked like that: like a scar. All the others were the same. She had about five supposed words in total written on her.
The markings--birthmarks-- had always been there as a child. They didn't look like birthmarks, though... They looked like ink. Ink markings or shapes. One started from her hip and ran up her waist: a black ink line with thorns and a circle above each of the lines. Another was on her shoulder, depicting something almost like two zig-zag lines above one another.
She sunk into the water, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. She needed to calm down. Slowly, the girl relaxed, shoulders drooping and her grip on her shirt loosening as well. She didn't just see that. That wasn't there. She was just freaking out over nothing at all. Eleni thought to herself, breathing softly in and out, letting the air fill and escape her lungs.

OOC: You're fine. It's always good to put those warnings up just in case though ^_^
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"Soap?" Feni'tat blinked then gave a laugh. "Right!" And he went about taking it, lathering it up really good between two furiously rubbing hands that quickly turned into a sudsy, frothy foam. Delighted at the show of bubbles, he went about scrubbing them intensely into his dark curls, the white bubbles standing out in obvious contrast to his black locks. He was all smiles when he saw Eleni approach him. And it was while his hands were up and scrubbing at his scalp that she noticed something.

Feni's face went long as his eyes followed hers. It was then he noticed she was staring at his collar.
"Th-that? Oh it's er-"
But he didn't even get a chance to explain, it seemed something had happened, something even he felt was wrong- and he stood there dumb struck as Eleni lurched away from him, and he could see, just barely, her eyes flaring red.

"E-Eleni?" He moved to take a step near to her, but he had only gotten a few steps when she threw off her shirt and he found himself gaping at what he saw. Her flesh- so many symbols were burned, scratched, written into it- it was so much to take in- but even from how muhc was written on her, he could still tell what it was-
For the language was anything but in the common tongue- and it was the same, scroll like text inscribed in his necklace. He placed a hand over the symbol, fingers feeling the recessed marking as he whispered the words long forgotten to his tongue.

He felt something tingle and burn within him, but whatever it was, he found the strength to swallow it down. Then, when Eleni stopped, he found himself staring over at her form, eyes studying her skin from afar.

"E...Eleni?" he said, his voice coarse an dry. "Are... are you okay?" And clumsily he splashed in the water until he was at her side, pausing just behind her and to her right.

OOC: Yeah o-o" warnings are good .w.

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A voice: it sounded so far away... She sat there silently. Hope. What did that even mean? Hope for what? She didn't bother with it anymore. Instead she shut things out and continued on. Nothing would ever get better. Then again, she wouldn't let them.
"I'm fine." She breathed out, sinking down into the water. She stayed down there for awhile... It was quiet. When she came back up, she untangled her shirt and put it back on, adjusting it accordingly. The cloth clung to her and was rather see through now but she didn't pay much attention to it. "Did you rinse out your hair yet?" The reminder was blunt and simple, she herself trying to disregard what just happened.
He looked horrified.
Eleni shifted, leaning forward and looking down at her reflection in the water. She could feel a presence bending down and wrapping themselves around her. A woman had her arms wrapped around her as she looked down at her reflection. "We're scared of you..." The woman taunted, dark skin contrasting her platinum hair and blue eyes, "You killed me don't you remember...? Oh. You didn't even know me..." The albino squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head. The woman's touch was cold as ice her voice distant and hollow, "We were so scared... Maybe that's where we went wrong. He's scared, Eleni. Are you going to kill him, too?"
"No...!" Eleni turned around frantically only to see Feni staring at her. His blue eyes filled with... What was it? He must of thought she was crazy... He must've thought she was  hideous. This is why she didn't travel with anyone. 

Clumsily the blue eyed boy stumbled through the waters after her, placing his hands on her shoulders as his eyes sought hers.
"Eleni!? What's wrong? Come on,y ou can tell me. You can trust me. What's frightening you, Eleni? Maybe I.." and he licked his lips and studied her face. "Maybe I can help you." And he frowned, his eyes a bit sad, but the spark of hope always still there.
"Maybe I can help because I don't think you and I are at all that different."
And he whispered the word that was on his collar, fingers clutching around it.
"Vrinde," he whispered, and his eyes softened. "It means hope."

"I know what it means...!" She seemed to snap, eyes wide and glossed over.
She was scared of herself. She was breaking like she does every once in a while; she wasn't used to having people around when these outbursts occurred.
All at once, the hybrid girl turned to cling onto him, body trembling and hot again, "I killed them... I killed all of them... My fault. I hurt people-- I'll hurt you. I'll kill you. I'll..." She sobbed, losing any dignity she had for herself. Her eyes were vibrant and she began to mumble incoherencies in her foreign tongue. She seemed to try to hide herself, tucking her head down into the crook of his neck and staying pushed against him, her touch burning. He couldn't help her could he? What did he mean... He was nice and innocent and... How did he know what it said? What it meant?
Eleni lifted her head, face streaked with tears and puffy from crying. Her eyes seemed to be ablaze, fiery pits themselves. She wasn't upset; she looked... Hopeless.
"What are you?"

If the touch harmed him, Feni'tat didn't seem to notice, or even react to it. Instead, his arms moved to wrap around her in an embrace, keeping her close, keeping quiet, and just simply holding her.

"Don't worry, Eleni. You're safe now. Whatever happened before, it's all in the past. We've got each other now."A nd when she asked what he was, he felt himself frown in disgust, for what she spoke hit far too close to home than he wished to admit.

"Eleni... I act this way because part of me... part of me is dark and cruel and twisted. And I've killed before too." And holding up a hand, he touched his collar again. "This collar is a reminder of what I am- because, even though there is a darkness within me... I feel.. I feel something else. And whatever it is, I think it's connected to the collar I wear. And it is this confusion over my origin that keeps me moving, keeps me on the road... and keeps me without friends."
And he paused to observe the girl beneath him, and felt his own skin began to glow softy, in a gentle, cooling blue light.

"Well, I was at least without friends until you," he told her, his eyes seeking hers. "Someone who I see as almost the same. I understand what you mean, Eleni. I.... my hands too, are stained with blood."

Eleni listened, her grip on him loosening and body calming. He and she were different; alike yet unalike. She couldn't imagine him hurting anyone. The thought of him being in any similar position as she had been was unfathomable. A part of her wanted to keep thinking of him as that innocent image she started off with... But another part wanted to believe that he could understand.
Still, they were different.
He had hope, the girl would remind herself. She could see it in his cerulean eyes, in the way they always seemed to shine. He hoped that the future held more. He hoped that someone would understand, maybe... And she wondered...
"We have each other now." his words swam in her head, "Well, at least without friends until you.." They were friends. They were friends and he wanted to stay... And he wanted to listen. He was a boy who stole a bucket of fish and had been found sleeping in an ally. She was a girl who stole a loaf of bread and had been found eating in an ally. She hadn't left him, and she hadn't walked away. Eleni had stayed that day and woke him up. The part demon girl shared her bread and talked and escaped with him. She stood here with him now.
It was late and it was dark by now. It was dark and the night was cool. It was dark and she wasn't alone.

Feni'tat took a step back to regard her.
"I'm not making you upset am I?" he asked, smiling in spite of his nerves. "Sometimes I can't help myself. I tend to like to cling to people a lot."

Elini was snapped out of her thoughts once again, looking at him quite blankly. Her face of course was still stained and puffy and her hair slicked back. She had began to shiver as well, the nights cool air starting to take it's toll. The girl had almost forgotten that they were still tangled in each other, comforting one another. He had stepped away from her, remembering how she wasn't fond of physical contant. She blinked. A small, choked laugh escaped her throat, "I have noticed; it's fine. Thank you..." El nodded at him, moving to get out of the water, "You still haven't rinsed out that soap--"

Feni'tat peered up at his sudsy hair and gave a laugh.
"I suppose you're right!" And with a smile, he dunked his head under the water and began to furiously scrub at his curls to get the suds away. A few more dunks under the water, and the river waters carried away the suds and Feni'tat stood before her, smiling again.
"There! All clean!" he told her proudly, waters rivulet-ing down his face.

A small, nearly empty laugh left her as she managed a smile. "Good," Eleni nodded, starting out of the water, "Come on, it's getting late-" the hybrid reminded him, running her hands through her hair, trying to ignore what just happened. As the girl moved towards the more open area in front of the pond, she wrung out her wet hair before grabbing her cloak and boots to relocate them closer to where she decided they could settle down. Reaching into one of the cloak's pockets, she retrieved two things: a very small cloth-- almost like a tiny towel she sometimes used as a washcloth or something to help her dry off, and a clip to keep her wet hair out of her face. The girl gathered her wet white hair and twisted it before clipping it up sloppily, hoping it would stay out of the way. (The clip was fairly nice, obviously stolen for someone a bit more wealthy.) Taking off her linen shirt (and hanging it to dry), Eli began to dry herself off with the small towel, which was barely bigger than her hand.

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OOC: Sorry for replying so late <~> ...

Not one to understand personal space or the rules of propriety, Feni'tat watched as Eleni wrapped up her hair and removed her shirt, attempting to towel herself off while he sloppily splashed his way out of the waters. He was soaking, dripping wet as he approached her, smiling much like a happy puppy and when she'd turn around, he'd be right behind her, barely a foot away as he leaned his face in real close to hers and was all smiles.
"Your hair looks cute like that," he said, smile growing wider and brighter.

Upon turning around she was greeted by a much tool close Feni'tat. At first she flinched and raised her fist instinctively but stopped when she noticed it was him. "Please don't stand so close to me..." She hesitated before nodding, "Thank you.." She shifted still quite uncomfortable with him seeing her scars and markings. She tried not to look at them or focus on them too much as she dried off. She turned back around, starting to unwrap the bandages that were bound around her chest. "Why don't you go get some wood or get dried off?" She offered, glancing back at him.  She hoped they could get a fire going to help them dry off further and keep warm, as well as provide light as night came upon them and stars began to dot the skies.

"Oh? Wood?" he asked, blue eyes going wide with a curious sort of look before he realized...
"OH! Are we going to build a fire?" And the happiness returned promptly to his face as he smiled. "Maybe cook some fish!?" And at such an idea, his eyes positively sparkled.

She nodded continuing to peel off her wet clothing and drying herself off, "We're gonna eat fish and crayfish~" she hummed with a grin. Grabbing her dry cloak she wrapped it around her, buttoning the top and pinning the bottom.  Eleni continued to hang her wet clothes, letting them dry off as she put the little towel in her pocket. "Are you going to help?"

Feni'tat gave an enthusiastic nod, which made flecks of water spray everywhere in light bursts from his soggy hair.
"Yes! Yes! Of course! Let's catch some fish!" And he gave an enthusiastic stomping of his foot a few times, his face wrinkling closed with excitement.

A laugh bubbled from her as she nodded, "I will get some wood." She announced, making her way into the woods. She somewhat trusted he'd get the job done. She flicked her wrist, a whip of fire slowly roaring to life. Apologizing softly, she lifted the whip and let it crut through three of four branches. Surprisingly, the tree or wood didn't really burn, instead the place where she cut had burned marks. "Thank you." She bowed respectively to the tree, by this point haveing a nice pile of thick branches. Bending down, El grabbed a couple branches, piling them in her arms and giving a grunt as she stood up. Her demonic strength assisted her quite a bit as she carefully carried the branches back to where they were sleeping for the night. Eleni had been gone for a bit and she was curious to see how much Feni caught.

"Oh, you don't want me to help with both?" he asked, face twisting in confusion at the question. But soon he was smiling and nodding enthusiastically once more before he skipped off into the waters. By the time she returned, he hadn't caught a single one- but was still floundering about in attempts to catch one- and almost did- with his bare hands! When it wriggled clean out of his grip, and with a gasp, he groped for it again, but when his hands caught around it, it's slick body wriggled out from his hands again and the fish flipped into the air, it's tail smacking Feni'tat in the face before it splashed back into the water.

Fish- 20
Feni'tat- 0

She blinked at the scene before laughing, putting the branches down. "You okay there...?" She grabbed her wet pants back on, taking off here cloak and preparing to join him. She stepped into the water watching as he flailed and splashed around the water trying to grab a fish. He was like a puppy-- it was adorably amusing. "Here-" she looked around carefully, watching the fish that swam past her feet. Suddenly, diving down, Eleni wrapped her hands around one and before it could slip away, she came up with it dead in her hands.

Feni'tat's eyes became wide as saucers at such a sight.
"Oh!" And he applauded at what she had done. "You're so good at catching fish! Can you teach me?" He asked, getting excited and standing real close to her as he asked.

"Well.." She looked down at the dead fish in her hands, "I used a spell.. Kinda... I touched it and it died." She explained, staring at the dead fish before kissing it's side in apology, "It's better than suffocating I guess-"

Feni'tat's eyes went wide.
"Oh? A spell?" His eyes sparkled curiously. "Can you teach me the spell?" He asked, leaning in ever closer to her so they were barely a foot apart.

Eleni looked at him and blinked, stumbling back a bit in surprise. "I.. Uh, yes, I can try...?" She looked down before throwing the fish towards the land. "First I'll show you how to catch them." She explained, getting into position, "I find it easier if I stand like this..." Her left foot was infront of her right, square to her shoulders and legs kept bent. Leaning forward, she demonstrated how to lunge and grip the fish. "You could also lean down and stab them with a blade, but mine's over there-" she motioned towards her clothes.

"A blade?" And Feni'tat stared at her in wide eyed shock. He'd never considered that, but considering he tried to do things in the most peaceful way as possible, he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to give that part a try, and in his hesitation, the once bright expression he always wore seemed to wilt.

"Yes...? Is that wrong?" She asked curiously, "They are going to die regardless... But I guess I still rather kill them painlessly..." She explained, reaching down and coming back up with another slightly bigger (dead)fish.

Feni'tat frowned.
"I.... I just don't.. don't like using weapons." He told her glumly, almost shamefully as his blue eyes were cast sadly upon the ground.

Nodding, Eleni tossed the fish with the other. "That's alright. Then you should hope you can get this spell done right... I just haven't actually said it in awhile. By now I can do things by just thinking about it." She shrugged, looking around before smiling, "You catch the fish and I'll... Yeah. I can teach you the spell on some plants when we finish." Offered with a smile, hoping to cheer him up a bit.

"Okay!" Feni'tat said, perking up again. His smile consumed most of his face and then, after realizing he had to actually start the task, he put on his most determined face and set to work, knees bent, head down, arms out and ready- butt wiggling-
and then he saw one..
A large, silvery fish.

And with a great and mighty splash he went for it, and scooped up...

A stick!
Blinking, Feni'tat stared at it and laughed.
"This is a mighty fine looking stick, but I doubt it'll taste anywhere as good as the fish you've caught!"

She watched him, ready to catch the fish if it slipped. Yes, she was so ready-! So-- she paused and stared at the stuck he was holding triumphantly. He was right, it was a mighty fine looking stick. She began to laugh along with him, standing upright in the shallow water.
"I think it looks nice-- you can practice on it later or throw it into the fire!" The girl proposed. Her demeanor had most definitely changed around him... Instead of restraining from lecturing him she had to restrain herself from laughing. She had most definitely warmed up to him and easily melted into his happy-go-lucky ways. He had serious undertones which she respected greatly and probably helped her open up to him. He was like a little kid, or a puppy!

Feni'tat's smile broadened.
"Perhaps I should try this again?" And then his eyes perked up as he noticed something moving, and without thinking, he dove at it- just as the slippery fish swam right between her legs! And in that instant, he plowed into her with a big splash, but seconds later, he splashed back out of the water, victoriously holding the fish.
"I got one! I got one!" And then he realized... he was sitting ontop of poor Eleni!

OOC: Hope it's okay I cced a bit, if not- I can change my post! The idea of him barreling her over to get a fish amused me greatly >_> So I went with it XD Hope you don't mind @_@

OOC: it's totally fine I don't mind x33
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"Fen- don't-!" She didn't even completely process what happened! She just saw him coming towards her and before she even realized it, she was dunked into the pond. Coming up for air and flailing just a bit, she was left sitting on her butt, head barely out of the water as she supported herself on her elbows. And there was Feni sitting on top of her holding a fish.He had a fish tight in his grip, trying to slip away before she raised a hand and put it on the fish, letting her fingertips barely touch it's slippery body before it slowly stopped struggling, it's life stolen away. She sighed and looked at Feni, blushing softly before giving a small smile. "Good job.. Just try not to kill me next time, alright? ..... Can you get off now?"

"Oh, right!" He said,a nd hopped off of her, still holding the dead fish in one hand, then bent over and offered his other hand to her. "Sorry about that. But look!" he said, smiling. "I got one!"

Eli only nodded, taking his hand and standing up. She laughed a bit, "It's a big one, too-" she observed, leaning over a bit to look at it. "Do you wanna catch some more?" She asked, looking at him. It was dark already, the moon and stars their only light source for awhile now. She was eager to get a fire going to cook the fish and dry off again, cold after being submerged in water.

Feni's eyes went wide.
"Oh... can we catch a whole armful of these fish?" And his eyes sparkled in wonder.

A nod came in response, followed by a wide smile of encouragement. She proceeded to dive down into the water, catching a fish as he did earlier, letting it flop and spasm in her tight grasp as she struggled to keep hold of it.
Eleni remembered when she caught fish this age-- she had been very young and had yet to put much of her powers to use. The first time she had used magic to make food come easier came to mind.
She had been young and petite, looking not much older than ten or eleven. The small albino girl would splash around in a creek, wrestling with fish and desperately trying to get something to eat... She grunted and held on tightly, holding a slippery bass close to her chest, stumbling around the rushing waters. The fish seemed to leap from her arms, and as the small girl reached out to it, she yelled out something foreign, fingertips brushing against it's silvery body... In that moment time slowed, the fish seemingly taking in one final gasp before it's eyes glossed over and it fell limp. Eleni had managed to catch it, looking down at it curiously. What was that word she muttered? How did she know it? The little girl sat on the grass, the large fish in her lap. "Adolone." And the grass she sat it seemed to cry, as it died and turned to yellow.
"Adolone-" And now the fish collapsed into her arms, bringing her out of her trance.

While he watched Eleni fish, he was entranced, but also excited. He wished to do the same. So following her in a similar, but less regal manner, he splashed about into the waters, hoping to catch a fish, though when he came up, he was yelping and flaring about.

"The fish bit me! It bit me!" and as he flailed his limbs, there, stuck at the end of his finger, was a crayfish, and it didn't appear to want to let go!

After blinking a few times, surprised by the noise and yelling, she looked up to see Feni'tat flailing about with a crayfish clamped down on his finger. A smile smile seemed to form as she watched. "You caught one-- or more it caught you..." She mused, taking her time as she moved over to calm him. When the girl reached out to him, though, she flinched and jumped, throwing out a quick curse in her demonic tongue. Another crayfish seemed to have snapped at her foot, "It bit me?!" She exclaimed in shock.

"The fish are fighting back! We should get out of the water, and quick!" And before she could stop him, he scooped her up into his arms and dashed off towards the bank.

Before she processed what happened, Eleni found herself in Feni's arms as he dashed back towards the bank. "O-oi!" Her face flushed vibrant, easily seen since it contrasted her pale porcelain skin. Actually, it quite matched her eyes when she blushed-- Huh.

By the time he had taken her to the bank, he was panting heavily as he continued to hold her, bridal style, in his arms.
"Do.. do you think we lost 'em?" Feni'tat inquired. "The biting fish, I mean. I hope they can't get us on land."
If so...
at least he had his wings! But he peered around into the mud to double check if the coast was clear.

She only nodded, shifting and pressing herself closer to him. He was so physical and she still got embarassed and flustered when he chose to invade her personal space. Still, she couldn't bring herself to scold him.... Not did she want to. She was starting to get accustomed...maybe.

Seeing how she went quiet, Feni'tat peered down at her curiously.
"Are you alright?"

Again, Eli simply nodded, turning her head and looking away from him. "I'm fine--" She continued to shift in his arms, before speaking again. "They're gone I think... Put me down. ... Please..." It shocked her how tiny her voice came out. She was aiming more for that tough, I'm totally fine voice... It didn't work.

After a moment of glancing around to verify they were in fact safe, he gently set her down beside him and gave a scratch to his curly black hair.
"I didn't think water could be so dangerous," he went on. "Maybe that's why people get so angry when I ask for fish. I never knew how much they risked their lives for food!"

Giving a wary smile in reply, Eleni moved out of the  water. Keeping her flushed face hidden behind her wet mop of white hair, she quickly made her way to the pile of fish the caught, kneeling down to pick it all up.

Feni'tat moved along behind her and glanced over her shoulder.
"Can I help?" He wasn't sure what to do, but he could at least try!

"Uh- you can go set up the wood for a fire--" she offered as she struggled to hold all the fish they caught. The dead fish slipped out of her hands or out of the pile she was attempting to balance and hold.

At the suggestion, the young man beamed.
"Okay!" That he could do! And with an enthusiastic run, he had a fire set up in no time.
"The fire's built!" he called over to her. "But we'll have to find a way to light it." He stood there, one hand to his hip as he gave a scratch in thought to his curly black hair. He studied Eleni. "You have anything we can use to get this thing started?"

Not too long after the question was asked, a fish was thrown at his head, followed by many more before Eleni walked over with the remaining amount. She looked down at the fire, dropping the fish and repeating his last pose. Hand on her hip and a hand scratching her head in mimicry. "Yes, I do..!" She finally concluded looking at him with a grin.

Gasping when a fish came sailing at his head, he tried to dodge them, but there were too many and now he was standing there, a pile of fish at his feet- and one having landed upon his head. He turned to her and saw her pose, and then laughed.

"Well that's good, because I was afraid I'd have to figure something out!"
And the last time he ever created fire...
Well, he'd rather not think about that.

Kneeling down, she placed her hands about five inches away from the pile of wood, seeming to concentrate. The wood began to splinter as a crackling sound could be heard, a faint orange peeking out from the pile. Leaning forward, Eleni blew on it softly, letting the fire grow as she continued to produce more from her fingertips at a slow pace.
It was difficult at first-- starting fires in this way. Her first encounter with a fire most definitely left it's mark... But she slowly allowed herself to practice and prefect this. The girl tried to detach herself when doing this, and it wasn't so difficult seeing as she was usually alone.

Feni'tat was mesmerized as he peered over her shoulder at the crackling orange flames.
"Ohhhh.. you're very good at that! You were able to start the fire fast!"

Eleni jumped as his voice came through, the fire bursting and roaring to life. Eleni's bright red eyes simply widened, fear washing over her at the painful memory from so long ago. Stumbling backwards, and closing her eyes, she lifted an already scarred arm to cover her face, the fire threatening to engulf her as it flickered angrily.

"Eleni?" Feni'tat's eyes widened as well. "Eleni!" He didn't hesitate to whisk her up into his arms, a protective wave of energy spiraling out from his form like an unseen wind, and the flames instantly calmed and backed away, completely snuffing out of life. And then he turned to her, his eyes shimmering with concern.
"Eleni.." he reached a hand out to touch her arm. "It's.. it's okay." He said, and found himself suddenly putting his arms around her as he held her close. "The fire won't get you. I have you now. You're safe."

The startled girl instinctively curled into him, shaking her head and hiding her face in his wet shirt. All she could see was his body burning and all she could hear was crying from a little girl. Her skin began to burn again, causing her to shift and turn uncomfortably, mouthing words to herself. He had startled her--she wasn't used to people there. "I just... Just.... I could have hurt you..." Worry seemed to wash over her. What if she hurt him-- what if she killed him? She killed that man... A quite obvious flinch came from her as her body trembled.

If her body was hurting him, or could hurt him, he made no flinch to indicate it. Instead, he just held onto her, embracing her tighter as he buried his head beside hers.
"Don't worry, Eleni. You can't hurt me." And he snuggled his face in closer, nestling it nearer to her shoulder.

Her eyes seemed to widen and hot tears began to surface. No one ever held her like this. He was so different and strange to the demon girl. His sincerity and affection was overwhelming, almost. Hesitantly, yet almost subconsciously, Eleni took her arms and wrapped them around him in return. The girl obviously didn't have many close friends which she confided in, and the one she did have was fairly formal. Feni was so personal... And Eleni couldn't exactly comprehend how or why.

Feni'tat's hug eased up when she clung back to him, and despite being elated that she hugged him back, he did not smile. He could sense her internal conflict as he continued to hold her.
"Don't worry about anything, Eleni. I'm your friend. Whatever happened in the past... it can stay in the past. I'm here now. I'll be your friend. And we can catch fish together and run from guards in the sewers." And at this, he gave a small smile as he rubbed at her back. "That's..." he went on, his words breathing lightly into her neck. "If you wish."

A shiver ran down her spine and she gave a small gasp, slowly shifting to look up at him. Ruby eyes glossy, with tears streaking down her face-- she looked pathetic. So small and weak and frail...
It was dark, stars decorating the night sky. The fire now illuminated their surroundings, letting her see his face and the shadows that the fire created. He was thin and lanky... And everything about him seemed quite long, probably explaining why she seemed more peteite with him... His black hair that consisted of thick curls, now wet ringlets that stayed a mess on his head... And his eyes... his eyes were gorgeous. So bright and deep and full of something she couldn't quite explain. No fire was needed to see them... Those blue orbs that looked so much like the ocean: overwhelming. Hers were no match. A deep ruby red, occasionally changing in shade. It was like fire that burns and consumes and destroys, flickering with purple and gold hues.
The crying girl didn't seem to notice how close her face was to his, or how curiously she was staring. Eleni didn't know what to say, and didn't bother looking for any words as she stayed there, clearly intrigued and captivated by his eyes... And honestly she seemed quite distracted, the waterworks seemingly shutting off, only a few stray tears rolling down her cheek.

Feni'tat's smile broadened before he closed his eyes.
"I take it you don't mind me as your friend?"
She would be the first... after all. How many old ladies chased him off with a broom? And angry shop keepers with knives and threats? Certainly lucky was now on his side, and if he had a friend...
Perhaps he wouldn't be so lonely anymore.

Eli blinked, being pulled out of her trance and blushed softly, shifting and pulling away from him. Silently, she wiped away her tears and moved away from him, starting to pick up the fish quite solemnly. A few sniffles could be heard as she stood, carrying an armful of fish and walking it back to the fire.

Feni'tat too blinked as she turned away, and his face twisted in confusion.
"Did I say something wrong?" And he moved to walk after her, his hand reaching for hers.. "Eleni...?"

The half demon girl shook her head and sat by the fire, neatly putting the fish down beside her and turning to grab her knife. Her face was a bit puffy from crying and face quite expressionless. She kept her eyes on the fire, jumping slightly when it flared a bit and pulling her knees up to her chest.

After a while of observing her while his face was still wrinkled with concern, he moved to be at her side, moving much like a dog with it's tail between it's legs. Once he had a seat on his haunches beside her, he looked at her with a pout.
"Are you sure you're not mad? Lots of people get mad at me..." he went on, rubbing at his arm. "You wouldn't be the first."

Another shake of her head came, Eleni still looking at the fire, "I'm not upset, why would I be?" She seemed a bit more composed despite her appearance and recent outburst. Turning her head to look at him, she gave a small smile.

"I don't know... when you stare at the flames though... I see some sadness in your eyes."

"Do you think I'm sad?" She questioned honestly, facial expression soft and calm. "If I was, does that mean I'm upset?" Eleni continued to prod gently, as if walking a child through their homework.

"I..." his voice wavered as he blinked his blue eyes.
"Normally tears are associated with sadness, but I know sadness can go deeper than that."

And he stared at her for a time, blue eyes imploring.
"Is anything troubling you? You can talk to me if you want." And he took a step near her but paused.

"Or if you want, I can leave. I know sometimes it's nice to just listen to the sounds around us and get lost in our own moments."

The girl stared at him for a long while before looking back at the fire. She hadn't talked about things in a long while... Not until today. The feeling she got from it troubled her. Why did talking with him make her feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable... And weak... Before her tears and outbursts were only between her and the nearby wildlife... Still, it was inviting knowing someone cared... A warm feeling spread throughout her chest and new emotions stirred... And yet she knew little of the person she so willingly fell apart infront of. He knew little of her... And it struck her that it didn't matter... Still...

"I've been alone for as long as I can remember. Since I was about five or six... I think... It feels like ages ago..." Eleni glanced up at him before looking back into the fire, "I don't know where my parents are... I don't think I had any. Can a girl be born without parents?"

Feni'tat stared at her for a good long while in thought, pursing his lips and furrowing his brow as he did so. But after a moment, he drew in a breath and explained, "I couldn't presume so, No." He gave a shake o fhis head and then tilted it as she watched her curiously.
"I dont know much about my past either, my parents included. My memories... my past.... I try to forget them. Because some of the things, when I think back too far, are memories I never want to live through again."

Eleni nodded in response. It was hard finding a distraction when she was typically alone, though. She had all of her free time to remember. To linger in blurry memories. After staying silently staring at the fire, the demon shifted and grabbed her knife again. "We should really cook these fish, Huh.."

Feni'tat's eyes lit up at the suggestion.
"Yes! Yes we should! What can I do to help?" he went on, becoming all smiles once again.

Smiled a little at his response and shifted, pointing to spots around the fire. "Make four little piles of wood with those extra sticks-" Eleni then pointed her knife in the direction of extra sticks and branches. She decided that could cook four at a time so they wouldn't have to wait too long for food. While Feni worked on that she could begin to prep the fish as needed before cooking! Yes, just concentrate on these fish. She didn't want to linger on past thoughts at the moment... Not before they have their late dinner.

Feni'tat happily got to work, gathering and making the piles instructed, and once the food began to cook, he found himself lingering over her shoulder and salivating.
"That sure smells good!" He went on, eyes large and sparkling.

Eleni smiled and closed her eyes, a soft hum leaving her lips. "It really does.." Came her reply, shifting slightly as they waited for the food to finish cooking.
"So tomorrow we'll pack up and head to the next town... Right?" The girl looked over at him hesitantly and almost shy, shifting once more.

As usual, the blue eyed boy was all smiles as he gave a nod of enthusiasm.
"Where ever you want to go, we can go! I do a lot of traveling, so I don't mind which road we take!"

She looked at him and found her face growing hot, most likely from the heat of the flames. She frowned a bit and shifted. "Are you ever sad...?" Eleni asked him through pursed lips, "Truley, deeply sad..?"  He was always so happy. And if not happy, then he was  surprisingly serious or empathetic. The only sadness she had seen from him was from when he had no food or was being scolded... But still it was a child's sadness, which still held playfulness and innocence.

"Sad?" he asked at the question funnily, wrinkling his nose as if hearing this for the first time. He was smiling none the less, and shook his head, loose black curls bouncing. "Well, I don't see a reason to be sad now." And he took her hand, his smile brightening even more. "I have a friend now. And because of you, I don't think I'll ever frown again."

The girl blinked, looking a bit puzzled before smiling softly. "I never really liked hugs much before meeting you. The things people do to you." Eleni finally said, a bit randomly. She shook her head and wrapped her cloak around her tightly and shifted in her spot, closing her eyes. The poor girl was exhausted.
"Can you flip them over?" She asked, hearing the flames become angry and smelling the bottom burning.

Feni'tat gave an enthusiastic nod.
"I can!" And he sounded happier than ever, and the next noise she'd hear was the logs rolling over, the popping of the awakening flames, and the crackling and warmth growing.

She smiled a bit at his enthusiasm and shifted, "Do you have dreams?" She asked moving over to him, back now to the large fire she had created. Eleni wrapped her cloak around herself tightly and watched to see how he would respond.
At times, she would also have pleasant dreams. Dreams of a woman with golden hair and a bright face who lead her through a pasture full of red tulips and tall green grasses. For whatever reason, Eleni was a child-- a child who happily followed the woman who told her she wasn't dangerous or from hell, but an angel instead. An angel who was kissed by the reddest of roses and paled by a beautiful snow.
"I am sorry, I have to go again," the woman would say at the end of every dream. When the small girl asked why, her reply came simply. "It is my turn to be your angel, sweetheart."
Even though the girl felt as if she should be unsettled by the dream, she couldn't help but feel a bubbly feeling in her stomach and a warmth spread throughout her chest.

Once the fire was fed, Feni'tat retook his seat and smiled at her, not unlike a puppy (for he always seemed to mirror a puppy's innocence and exuberance! ) But at her question, his smile only grew.
"Of course! I have all sorts of dreams, and just about every night!" he said, giving an idle scratch to his curly black hair. "Why?" He gave a curious tilt of his head. "Do you not dream, Eleni?"

Eleni seemed to contemplate her answer, knees still pulled up to her chest as she rested her chin on them. She had surprisingly opened up to Feni quickly, his open personality spreading and growing on her-- it was infectious being near him... The thought occurred to her and she found herself subconsciously scooting away from the man. No one had been so kind and open without hesitation towards her, and it really drew her in quickly. He was like a puppy, blindly following around his owner, just needing to be fed and entertained and reminded to bathe. She thought for awhile and considered herself a feline of sorts, the idea making her frown. She was cold and sly, lonely and quiet... Though it isn't hard to draw her out. Something, despite everything, made her like this. Perhaps her sense of longing for acceptance. No matter how many times she attempted to train herself to be cold and tactful, watching her step and shielding herself from everyone... She was always drawn back out into the innocence that she longed to have returned to her. Laughing almost as she would when she was a child; conversing normally without caution. This was the main reason she restrained herself from becoming a soldier... The girl wouldn't last long if she kept this up; it'd be easy for someone to trip her up and quite literally stab her in the back. She only played her little games, pretending she was strong and stoned face, playing dress up like a little girl. Though this was all so very real, it seemed surreal to her. That she was grown and wandering almost always alone, stealing for a living. How ridiculous. The child who never got a chance to play or come out much screamed and ached within her... And the stranger was awfully close to reeling her out.
"No," her response was blunt and simple, "No, I don't. Not really..."
The woman in her dreams would frown and scold her again tonight, as she caressed her gently. And suddenly she would blurt something so preposterous out it would make her face flush.
"My mother says she likes you," she couldn't belive her words or of where they came. Eleni didn't even know her mother-- she's never seen her, nonetheless heard her, "She scolds me and tells me I frown too much...."
She tucked her head between her legs in embarrassment and confusion, not knowing what that was about. Was she alright?

At the revelation she did not dream, Feni'tat found himself frowning.
"You don't dream?" It was hard for him to comprehend such a thing, and he felt sorry for her. But when she went on, admitting her mother liked him, his demeanor immediately perked up.

"Really? She does?" And his smile grew. No one had really came out to like him before, at least not in a way that said they approved of him. But then again, much like his new companion, Feni'tat had a lot about himself that he repressed, that he masked away behind the sweet and innocent persona he projected now. After all, ignorance was his bliss, and he did not want to let the darkness consume him again.

But at her statement of the frown, he frowned again and looked at her curiously, even leaning in towards her a bit to get a better look at her face.

"Why don't you smile more?"
It seemed like a simple solution to him.

Nodding in response, Eleni watched him carefully, studying his expressions. She was still quite curious about this man she decided to travel with... He seemed more like a boy, really. Always beaming... Though, despite that, despite the bright and lightness in his eyes, she knew there was more... He had endured a difficult past as well, she knew that. Yet, somehow, he managed to smile and push it to the back of his head. She wished she could do that, slightly jealous he could.
"I never had a reason to smile more..."

"Oh."
Feni gave a simple blink as he continued to study her with equal curiosity.
"Why not? Don't things like food or sunny days make you want to smile?"

Now, at this, she smiled. A soft laugh left her curled lips at his questioning. Of course he would be the one to mention food.
"The sun is hot and tiring, and I'm either eating food or stealing it to be busy flattering  it." She glanced at the fire, as she responded, shifting and moving to poke the fish gently. "Here, I think it's done...." Eleni carefully grabbed the fish careful not to burn herself as she put it aside to let it cool, doing the same with the others.

"But the sun is also so warm! And when its' rays twinkle, I'd like to think it's smiling!" Feni chimed in. But before he could comment on the food bit, it was ready, and boy did his eyes grow large.
"Ohh.. it smells so yummy!" And unable to contain himself, the young man reached for the steaming fish, and before he got a chance to even sample it, it began to bite at his fingers and soon he was juggling the greasy, hot fish like a hot potato.

"Ffft-" Eleni couldn't contain her laughter as she doubled over, white hair falling into her face as the scene unfolded infront of her. Shaking her head and trying to recompose herself, Eleni pushed him back so the fish would fall onto the grass, steam wavering above it.
"You have to let it cool," she ran a hand through her hair, which was somewhat dry now, and pushed it back away from her face. 

The second the fish was no longer being juggled he crammed his fingers into his mouth, and when Eleni mentioned what he should have done, he only whimpered and spoke through his fingers, that were still crammed in his mouth. "I know but.." And his stomach growled loudly. "I'm hungry."

"Well," she began, reaching for her knife and beginning to slice the fish open along their sides, "You can wait a minute. You ate some bread, and ate some meat, and now you're getting fish. Be thankful, not everyone like you can eat three times a day." She lectured him as she prepared the fish patiently.
After she had finished with her lecture, she motioned to the small fires, asking him to put them out.

"Oh, but I am thankful!" he insisted, and it was in earnest. "It's just I'm not good at the patience part."
Following her orders, he put the fires out as asked and sat at attention, eyes on her, and the fish, equally, as he felt his mouth water and his stomach growl, as impatient to get the fish as he.

After the fires were put out, and the fish were cooled and prepared, Eleni placed two infront of him ready to eat.
"There. See, all done- just don't scarf it down so fast or you'll still be hungry after-" the girl warned him with a straight face before looking down at her own meal. Despite her previous statement about being thankful, she began picking at her own food, picky as to what she would eat. You would think that being on the road and barely having food would make her indifferent about what she ate; she should be starving and shouldn't care. Still, she did and would save the bits she picked for last, eating slow and taking her time.

Feni'tat nodded, and studied Eleni with interest. And though he tried to mimic the way she ate, he was so much more clumsy than she, and his pacing was hardly as slow. It was just a bit too hard for him to eat that slowly, and as he shoved another finger full of fish into his mouth, he pointed at the stuff she had picked and set aside.

"Is there a reason you eat like that?"
He never saw someone just set some food aside like that. Perhaps there was bones in it? Or did she not like pieces that were burned or undercooked? Feni'tat wasn't so picky. He'd eat it all! Though he knew eating bones wasn't always the best idea, but he'd done that before, too!

She had even gone through the trouble of grouping what she didn't eat. There was a pile of bones, a pile of undercooked fish, a pile of burnt bits, and a pile of things that to her seemed iffy. Eleni took the white flesh in her fingertips and ate her food neatly. Though, when she did this again she paused and looked at Feni, seemingly confused at his question.
"Why do I..." She looked down at her plate curiously and flushed at what he had pointed out. She didn't really know why she was so picky, it wasn't good of her to be. So, she shrugged with a frown in response and shook her head. Perhaps when she was little she had been spoiled, but really that didn't seem to be the case- she did not remember being so.
"The bones are bad for you... And so is undercooked meat...! And I don't mind the charred bits I just save them for last! But... The bones hurt me, and I don't like the color red really... It bothers me..." She admitted, making a small face at the piles.

"Oh.." Feni'tat blinked as he took in her explanation and after a moment, he deduced, "Makes sense to me. Though I don't mind undercooked meat. Even if it can make me queasy. But the bones, I can relate. Now those do a number on my belly!" He went on with a smile and gently patted his belly.
But then as he thought it over, he found himself asking, "Why don't you like red?"

She gave a shrug in response, picking away at her food.
"It's ugly." Her response was short and simple- vague. Then she continued eating, seeming sort of distracted.

Feni'tat's face scrunched at that.
"Ugly?" He gave a tilt of his head and simply watched her, as if waiting for her to explain.

She glanced up at him, red eyes glowering slightly before softening.
"Ugly. It brings back bad memories." she huffed softly, finishing her food before shifting and moving about to clean up.
"But some flowers are red too, and i think those flowers can be the prettiest..." she admitted softly as she organized everything, preparing for bed.

"Bad memories?" Feni'tat wilted at that. He knew enough about bad memories himself...
So he wasn't going to press the issue. However, when she changed the subject, his eyes instantly lit up, sparkling as if possessing their own fireworks display.

"Flowers? Yes! Red flowers are the best!" And he shot up from the ground and declared, "I will find you the best red flowers ever!"

And before she could stop him, the young man dashed off into the thicket, tall grasses rustling as he rushed by. And by the time he returned, he was covered from head to toe with pollen, thistles, seeds and grass stains. But he also had an arm full of freshly pulled flowers- and all of them were bright red poppies.

"They call these kinds poppies!" he went on enthusiastically. "They smell really good and are pretty! The color reminds me of your eyes! Like rubies... or even strawberries!"
And his stomach growled at the idea of strawberries. Strawberries were delicious, after all!

Really, she had nearly given up trying to stop him. She only huffed softly, honestly quite intrigued by his energy. She set her cloak by the fire, using it as a blanket. Closing her eyes, she let the warmth of the fire wash over her as she sat there waiting. It was a nice night and-
"They call these kind poppies!"
Eleni jumped a bit, not having noticed he had come back. The first thing she noticed were a fistful of bright red poppies being thrust into her face. A blush spread across her face as her eyes averted to him, clicking her tongue when she noticed his messy state.
"Thank you..." She replied meekly, trying not to laugh at how his stomach growled, surprised since they just ate.

"Go ahead and take them. I know women like these sorts of things."
He saw it in a town once when a man was courting a young lady. He thought it was a sweet gesture, and was even more excited to be able to do the same!
"And if you're worried about what we can do with them, well, I could make you a crown out of them you could wear! Or you could put some of them into your pockets so you can smell them as we travel. Oh, you could even let me have some too for my pockets so I can smell nice, too!"

As tempted as she was to argue against his statement, she couldn't. Because, quite frankly, Eleni did like it, and was almost disappointed in herself for admitting it. Her pale face was now pink as she laughed softly, almost awkwardly at his suggestions. His enthusiasm was honestly nice, and despite how tired she was, Eleni agreed and took the flowers from him.
"We can stay up and make crowns if you want..." She tried to sound composed, shifting slightly before moving over so he could sit next to her, "And then we can stuff the rest in our pockets so we can both smell nice...!" The girl smiled at the idea, her child like qualities seeping through her usual facade. She was honestly quite excited herself, despite the long day and her weariness. Excitement was something she had always been hard at hiding- there was never much need to. The excitement she felt after getting away with stealing something always left a grin on her face; the excitement after getting down a skill she had spent weeks training to accomplish. Excitement like this, this bubbly flustered feeling, was rare, however. She kinda missed it.

"Oh! Want to race? Like have a race for making a flower crown?"

She hummed before nodding in response, making her own small pile of flowers. She's never done this before.... But it couldn't be too hard.
"Ready-?" She grinned, the blush now faint on her cheeks and seeping away.

Feni'tat shook his head furiously.
"Yes, yes!" he said, desperately scraping together flowers to make his own heap of the red buds.
He hoovered over them, like a dog ready for its owner to throw a ball in a game of fetch. And if he had a tail, surely he'd be shaking it!

"Go-" she took two flowers and sat in concentration figuring perhaps just tying the stems would work. So, that's what the girl did! Though, despite how gentle she tried to be, many flowers were hurt in the making. Stems were shredded and left a sticky residue on her fingertips. This wasn't as easy as she had thought, really quite obvious due to her struggle.

Feni'tat released an excited yelp and practically dove into flower crown making. The way his fingers worked, deft and weaving each stem together could only correlate with the fact this perhaps was not his first time making a crown. And furiously and furiously he worked, but somehow, not a single flower came out of place, and when the crown was all ready, it was actually quite sturdy looking as he held it up triumphantly.

"Ah ha! I'm done!" And a victorious beam of sun parted through the clouds just then and lit the world up in a golden glow, only seeming to accentuate the excited man's victory!

Her lips formed a small pout at his declaration as she looked down at her 'crown.' The flowers seemed as though they were weeping, the crown itself small and fragile. Eleni looked up at his and huffed softly, face flushing at the defeat. It seemed as though he had been making these forever...!
"How come yours is so good?"

With a playful laugh, he set his crown on her head.
"I like making them! When I find myself in a field and its full or flowers, I can't help but make at least one! But now that I'm with you,  I didn't have to make one by myself this time!'

It was only after his exuberance that he realized her pout. Gently, he moved to touch her crown.
"Oh wow. Your crown seems really delicate. It's.like a crown a young princess might wear!" And his eyes widened in wonder as he observed it.

As he placed the crown on her head, more blood seemed to rush to her cheeks, hair falling into her face. Fields full of flowers? Those were fun to come across- the fact that he spent his time making these crowns intrigued her. They were quite pretty; she wished she could make beautiful things like that.
At his comment she blinked and looked down at her crown that lay in her sticky palms.
"Hm. I guess you'll look like a princess then-" she grinned slightly, offering him the sad looking thing. Really, he was probably faking his interest to lighten her mood, but she didn't mind. The girl held out her hands, offering him the fragile thing. The stems thin and split, messily weaved together; the red poppies wilted and depressed.

And delicately he took it, happily placing it upon his head. But do to the fact the woven stems were so limp, the crown more or less appeared to seep into his unruly, flops of curly hair, and in turn, made it appear he simply had red flowers to contrast the black locks in a random configuration which looked anything but a crown. But, the look wasn't terrible, but to pull off the look as a young man? Perhaps the bold red flowers were a bit much, but Feni'tat was thoroughly enthused.

"How do I look? Is this princess enough for you?" he joked, pointing to his hair.

The girl hummed, tilting her head some as if deciding what her decision would be. With a shake of her head she commented how red simply was not his color.
"Blue would've looked nicer-" she decided with a smile, "They'd match your eyes." She leaned over to his pile, where the flowers were less shredded, and took a poppie carefully.

Feni'tat's smile brightened.
"Well I think you look really pretty!" An dhe leaned forward, studying her eyes while being mere inches from her face. "They match your eyes. So maybe you should wear both crowns?" And he removed the one on his head and handed it over to her. "You could wear it as a necklace!"

As he leaned forward she leaned back, blushing and averting her eyes after his compliment. Hesitantly she looked back at him before looking down at her crown and taking it carefully, handing him the poppie in her hand in return. Carefully, Eleni proceeded with putting the chain of flowers adound her neck, wearing it as a necklace as suggested.
Wow, he made her feel funny. Her eyes refused to look at his even though she was so used to glaring at other; her stomach felt funny as if falling or pressure was there... And the demon girl hybrid found her skin become warm despite it's usual coolness. It frusterated her, and without really noticing, Eleni let out a soft puff with a pout as she shifted and looked away.

Feni blinked.
"Hey.. is something wrong?" And he leaned in even closer. "Your cheeks are turning red."

"Nothing's wrong-" still she refused to look at him, face tilted to the side but she didn't bother moving back anymore. She just tried to compose herself as she shifted slightly.

"Are you sure?" he asked, still not moving.

She gave a nod, shifting some before turning her face to look at him hesitantly, jumping slightly when their noses bumped.
"Ah-" before she could say anything she fell back from the surprise- was he that close the whole time- gah.

Thinking she was playing, Feni'tat laughed and pounced on top of her.
"If you wanted to play, you should have said so! I love rolling around in the field with my belly to the sky!" he exclaimed. "Here, let me show you!" And he threaded his hand into hers and moved to roll off of her, so he was on his back like she was and he began to roll back and forth and gave a tug to her arm to encourage her to roll with it!

A squeak left her lips as he tackled her and grasped her hands.
"Ah-wha-?" As he rolled she barely rocked back and forth, being a bummer and refusing to roll around with him. Instead, she tugged back as of trying to get him to release her hand.

Feni'tat laughed.
"You're not doing it right! You have to just let yourself go with it, and not care about if the grass is itchy or will stain your clothes! Just let yourself be in the moment!"

Finally, she rolled over--but not to simply roll. Instead, she rolled onto him and gave a huff before rolling over and sitting up, "I don't like being in the moment-" she had pulled her hand away and gave a yawn before crawling back over to her cloak and curling up ontop of it. She gave a soft glare, not really upset but hoping to indtimidate him some. She had been up a long time now and she had become extremely tired physically and emotionally.

And the young man pounced towards her, much like a playful puppy, his rear in the air and hands forward with his head down low to look her square in the eyes from where she lay.
"But you just made crowns with me! That was a moment!" he protested, eyes sparkling with mischief.

She blushed, seeming to get defensive at his remark.
"Well," she blew at his face gently, "That moment passed... You surprised me," she thought about her words, working them over in her head before shifting and resting her chin on his bushy set of curls, "And now I'm tired." She made her words curt and simple as she yawned again as if to make her point.

He blinked.
"Tired?" He continued to try to look at her, eyes going cross. "Hey.. are you trying to use my head as a pillow?"

"Your hair is bushy enough for it.." Her eyes closed as if trying to rest, shifting her body and getting comfortable, "Don't you get tired...?" The girl was only mumbling softly by now.

"Tired? Yeah, sleeping can feel really nice!" he replied, enthusiastically. His arms were folded under his chin, as he continued to stare up at her, where she was using his black curls as a bed.

"Thank you," she yawned softly, "For accompanying me..." Despite her sleepiness, she still seemed to pick her words carefully, and as she felt herself doze off she pulled herself away from him and curled up on her origional spot on the floor. The crown was still on her head, taming her hair some, and the fire illuminated her face. Fore once she wasn't scowling, giving an uncomfortable look, or even beaming- her face was peaceful and relaxed.

He smiled at her.
"You're welcome." And he felt so warm when he said it, and simply kept his eyes focused on her. She looked so peaceful, and.pretty.

Suddenly, a soft sigh left her lips and her nose scrunched up. She could feel his gaze on her and blinked tiredly to look back at him.
"Hmph," she frowned softly, blushing as she closed her eyes again, "We're going to hit the road again soon, so try to rest." She nuzzled into her hand and shifted some, feeling strange. Most of the time she was alone so his presence made her somewhat uneasy... The sun was already low in the sky and the fire burning up; she wanted some rest, but still she felt uncomfortable. Eli turned, her back now to him which somewhat eased her but the chill from the night had yet to leave and she found herself curling up tighter to stay warm.

When she shifted, so did he. And he observed her, and noticed the chill before quietly moving behind her and curling up tightly against her, with one arm draped across her body.

A blush spread across the girl's face as she tensed up noticeably. Despite this, she didn't move to push him away and instead decided that it was alright since he'll rest a bit too. As she relaxed and began to let herself doze off, she thought of the things she would need from the next town. Soap, another cloth, more bandages... And a needle with thread to make some more pockets. She only had three gold coins and five silver from last times work... Soap would be nearly impossible... A cloth she could get as well as a needle- bandages she may not get either. They had a lot of fish which she left by the bank of the river that she could sell but with no ice it could go bad any moment now. And... And.... And soon her breathing  became soft as she fell asleep and the sun rose higher in the sky as time passed.

Though the sun rose higher, dark clouds were rolling in, and the distance rumble of thunder gently shook the lands. A sudden gust had the tall meadow grasses rolling like ocean waves, but what prompted Feni'tat to awaken was a single cold droplet of rain on his nose. He wrinkled his nose and buried his face against Eleni's back, and clung to her body tighter as they lay together on the ground. But soon a crack of lightning over head had the young man nearly jumping out of his skin, as he peered up at the sky when a second flash flickered followed by a deafening boom of thunder.

She was never much of a deep sleeper. Rather, she trained herself to wake up when something unpredictable occurred. Eleni ignored the wind and Feni's right grip, but when the rumblings of the sky caused the earth to tremble, her eyes snapped open. No move was made until lightning striked; then she brought herself to get up, rubbing her eyes to look over the situation. Thunder boomed angrily, lightening following behind.
"Ugh." She groaned to move before looking over at Feni, "You alright?" Tugging the cloak from beneath him she hurried to put it on and collect her belongings, stuffing them messily into her pockets. This storm seemed pressistant and ugly and they would soon need to find a place to shelter themselves.

Feni'tat stared at the sky in wonder. ANd then he was smiling and opening his mouth to catch the falling rain.
"I love the taste of fresh rain!" And he laughed through a large gust of wind. "Especially storm rain! You should try it!"

She blinked and stared at him in astonishment before shaking her head and wrapping her cloak around herself. "I'm not so fond-" she said kneeling beside the fire and bringing a hand from the Fire to her pursed lips, slurping up the fire hungrily. She never really stopped to appreciate these things, rather worried on how to get past them.

OOC: I was going to post but not sure if you meant rain instead of fire, lol so figured I'd post this just to verify/ clarify!

OOC:
Sorry-! Yeah I meant fire :3 Thanks for asking though-! I just noticed why that could be confusing =7="!

His blue eyes widened at the sight of her playing with fire over the rain. And he was completely mesmerized.
"Oh wow! I'd be afraid to do that with fire. Fire burns!"

Licking her lips and wiping her mouth, she straightened up and shrugged. It was a bit frightening; the fire was warm against her face and made her lips tingle, but she watched it and controlled the flames skillfully.
"I didn't sleep much... And I need my energy," The skies only became angrier, the rain beginning to fall harder, and Eleni's eagerness to get to shelter growing. "Now, do you wanna stay out here with this storm-?" She tilted her head, smiling softly despite her serious tone.

Tongue out, mouth open, Feni'tat was still catching the storm waters and gave a tasty lap of his lips.
"Why not?" was his only reply as he turned to her, beaming. "The heavier the rain means the more rain I can eat!"

The girl only blinked and laughed, moving to sit under a tree, pulling her hood up. "Fine then- but you made me pack for nothing. You owe me if I catch a cold-" Eleni crossed her arms, watching him run about with is tongue sticking out and gave a small smile.

That's when he stopped abruptly, rain water dripping down his face.
"Catch a cold? From what?" And he pointed at the sky. "The rain?"