When Dusk is Falling [open]

[Ickedu]

A warm Serendipity summer day drew to a close. The last slice of the setting sun was reflecting in the little lake near the Ora river. A flock of wild geese cackled aside the road in the shallow water. The crickets chirred and a lonely frog croaked somewhere, not to be seen.

A young woman slowly walked the road to the lake. She wore simple travelling clothes and carried a bag on her back. Phoebe obviously was exhausted from her day on the road, but when she came near the water, her steps got a little faster and her expression lightened.

When reaching the shore, she carelessly dropped her bag, unfastened her travelling boots, kicked them aside and stepped right into the refreshing, cool water.

For a moment Phoebe just stood there, to cool her tired feet. Then she lifted up her skirt, fastened it with her belt so that it ended at her tights and slowly wade further into the water until it reached right over her knees. She bowed down to scoop some water with her hands and slowly drank it.

Refreshed she straightened up again and closed her eyes. For a while she just stood there, enjoying the water all around her. Then she slowly raised her hands, and with them, two globes of water rose out the lake and slowly began dancing around Phoebe.

[Brisinger987]

The thunder from the storm over Connlaoth was of no concern to Aurael. Not even the people that had attacked her concerned her. She was totally immune to their attacks, and yet, despite the amount of people that had interacted with her, she still felt lonely.

Maybe because cannons and magical attacks aren't affectionate.

She sighed, her huge form plodding along the Serenian country side. Sure she couldn't head back to Connlaoth right now, as it would be cold, but after the storm abated, she could go back. Maybe she could head far north to Hyoite.

No, it would be too cold. Much too cold. Maybe the Kishahn Jungles? Too small. She was limited as to where she could go, evidently.

Eventually, her thunderous footsteps would become obvious to Phoebe, and she approached the river cautiously, her large, demonic appearance intimidating.

Down by the river,
The jolly old Fisher lays.
He sings a song
About love so far gone.
Along comes a fish,
To grant him a wish...
"I wish she could see,
what she meant to me."
Next morn he awoke,
To bacon and smoke.
For out on the bend,
His love sat so bright,
His heart went to mend,
His loveless blight...

She began to hum the tune to herself as she washed the dirt off her rocky hide, her presence in the river somewhere between frightening and strange.

[Ickedu]

Phoebe was lost deep in her meditation, so deep that she didn't even hear the thundering footsteps. Even as the flock of geese took of in flight of the strange noise, she still didn't notice.

But then her floating globes of water that had levitated in perfect circles around the young woman began to deviate from their path more and more. First Phoebe thought, that she was getting too tired to maintain her control over the water and tried to concentrate even more, but then she could feel a strange disturbance in the water, as if something was troubling its steady flow.

Finally she lost control over the globes of water and they splashed uncontrolled back into the water of the lake.

Phoebe opened her eyes again and looked around uneasily to see if she could find out what caused the disturbance. When she eventually noticed the terrifying monster not far away, a piercing scream escaped her throat, only to die down instantly, her whole body petrified of fear.

But... could this be real... did she already began to hallucinate? ... she could hear a not a bit terrifying tune from the direction of the monstrosity. Her head spun with confusion, fear and curiosity, but all this still was too much for her, so she just could stand there motionless and stare to the unexpected sight.

[Brisinger987]

Aurael heard the scream, and let out one of her own, this seemingly phantom person scaring the frightful monster. As she screamed, she stumbled backwards, knocking over several trees and splashing a good portion of water out of the river.

Then Aurael, in her usual fashion, couldn't help a look at what she thought was some terrifying ghost, and saw that it was actually a person. And this person was just as scared of her as she was of the person.

"Oh my gods, by Ziov, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you... Were you asleep?" The big fiery eyes, and the smell of brimstone and magma began to settle in the air, and Aurael stood up, her 16 foot tall frame making her look like some dinosaur next to the human.

"I'm Aurael, nice to meet you."

[Ickedu]

Phoebe still stared at the incomprehensible sight in front of her, her confusion rising even more, when the thing began speaking to her, apologizing and finally introducing itself. Instinctively she began to answer it:

"I.... am Pheeeee..."

But the answer ended in a inarticulate squeal when the choking smell of the monster hit her and finally put her over the edge. Her mind had mercy with the poor girl and let her faint, her body collapsing into the water.

[Brisinger987]

Aurael fished the girl out of the water before she went under, making sure the girl didn't drown. She laid the girl down, and gathered some fire wood, lighting it by poking it into her mouth.

"Why did you faint then, little one?"

[Ickedu]

Phoebe regained consciousness when the... Thing... laid her down on solid ground, but still she could not move, neither to do something about ... It... nor to run away. So she first just laid there, dripping wet, slightly trembling, even Phoebe didn't know if from fear or from the cold.

When she saw It lighting the wood on fire with Its mouth, again a muted squeak escaped her, but she quickly covered her mouth with her hand to not call the Things attention to herself.

When the Thing again talked to her, she tried to back away slightly, but finally she got the strength to talk... or rather whimper:
"I... please... don't... don't harm me! ... What do you want from me? ... I will give you anything, just... just let me go... please!"

[Brisinger987]

Aurael jumped to speaking when the girl began to talk, and she sat down in front of the fire, merrily chatting away, as if they were good friends.

"Oh, it's good that you're awake. People are so much more fun when they're awake." The firewood in front of Aurael turned from a petite flame to a blaze, a bonfire in the cold.

"Come, sit, warm. You'll get ill if you're soaked to the bone. And I don't know if I can catch things yet." Aurael's wording betrayed her meaning, making her sound suspiciously dangerous, with intent to eat and consume Phoebe. In reality, Aurael was just being friendly, but choosing the wrong choice of words.

[Ickedu]

Phoebe turned pale and trembled even more "No! Please, don't do this! I... I have supplies... there, in the bag!" She pointed to her bag that still laid a few steps away on the ground.

"I will give you all that I have. I don't need it any more! And... I can catch fish. As much as you need. Just... let me live! Please?"

[Brisinger987]

"I don't like fish. Prefer people. Can't talk to fish before they're gone." Aurael felt something brush her leg, and looked to see a giant spider, big enough to ride, and she let out a girlish scream, stabbing with the huge claw on her arm, then putting it in the fire.

"I hate bugs." Aurael explained, trying to hide the fact she had screamed like a twelve year old girl.

[Ickedu]

When suddenly a giant spider appeared and the Thing screamed in terror and smashed it and burned it in the fire, Pheobe didn't bother to react anymore. Slowly she assumed, that she was dreaming... or hallucinating. Maybe she even was already dead and this was hell.

She decided, the best would be to just accept her fate. So she stared into the fire, where the giant spider twiched once more, before it crumbled away in the flames.

"I.... I also can't stand them. What... do you want? ...what happens now?"

Her voice sounded absent, as if her mind had left her.

[Brisinger987]

"We talk silly. It's not like I'm gonna eat you. I don't need to eat. Or sleep. Or breathe. Or even reproduce. 100% indestructible. So we can talk. Unless you don't want to of course..." Aurael began to get the feeling that a sixteen foot tall monster that was scared of-

She screamed and jumped backwards, seeing a rat brush past her feet.

"EEWWWW! I FELT IT TOUCH ME! EW, EW, EW!"

[Ickedu]

Phoebe only looked at the rat, her mind trying to process the words she believed she had heard from the Thing. Anyway, sitting beside a gigantic fire-demon-Thing, a rat seemed kind of...insignificant.

By the way... what was this sound the Thing just had made? Phoebe rubbed her ear, something seemed not to be right with it. Somehow everything didn't fit together.

"You... don't? You won't? But... who are you? No, WHAT are you?"
Pheobe obviously was still not persuaded, that the Thing did not want to eat her, but... if It wanted to talk first... maybe she could live just a little longer.

[Brisinger987]

"I'm an aurael. A monster. I was a victim of the tragedy in Fell." Aurael stoked the fire, before sitting back down. She could feel that the girl was unnerved and decided that she needed to explain.

"I used to be a shape shifter, but I got hit by the dark magic in Fell, and now I'm stuck like this. So I hope that explains me."

[Ickedu]

"I... I don't think I really know, what you are talking about, but... you want to say, this... is not your real shape?"

Phoebe still did not relax, and she surely would not trust this Thing. But... It had gotten her curiosity and maybe there was really more than could be seen?

"So... what is your real shape? Who are... who have you been before you... got stuck?"

[Brisinger987]

"This is my real shape now. I used to be a human, but now, I'm stuck like this. I've always liked to hope I could go back to how I was. To be normal again." Aurael sighed, and stoked the fire with her claw. She was a visible horror, but she liked to think she was a big softie.

"I wish you could hug me. You seem nice."

[Ickedu]

Phoebe shrank away a little bit, staring at the supposedly glowing hot creature "I really don't... know if that would be good. I... I'm sorry. So... you... will rest here for the night?" In secret she hoped, that the Thing would disappear as soon as possible.

And now that the adrenaline began to leave her body, she shivered even more, her wet clothes cooling her in the chilly evening breeze.

[Brisinger987]

"I think I'll stay for a few hours, unless you want me to get some rest. In which case, I can leave..." Her voice sound sad and rejected, and her face tried to reflect it, a tear of lava rolling down her cheek.

"If you don't want me to stay, I can go."

[Ickedu]

Phoebe hesitated for a moment. She was tempted to send the ... Thing? ... away as it had offered.
But then she had a better idea. At least she hoped it was better.

"No, you... you can stay if you want. But... I think I should get out of these clothes and into dry ones, so... I will go away for a moment to change."

Shivering and weak at the knees she stood up, fearfully looking up at the Thing, if it would let her go.

[Brisinger987]

"Of course. If I was human, I would want privacy to change. " Aurael gave a sad look to Phoebe, afraid the girl would leave for good. If this girl left, then she really was a monster. And maybe that was the root of her problems. Maybe that was the root of every problem she had tried to throw to the side.