Lost With No Purpose (Mdu!)

[Anonymous]

Becoming lost in a forest was what Dacia hated most. It was time wasted, time that could have been spent preying upon her victims or hunting to scrounge up what was necessary for survival. Yet here she was, wandering in what she thought might be the right way towards a civilization but in actuality was leading her in circles. Frustrated when she realized this, Dacia walked off the path she'd been on and climbed the hillside until she was perched on an outcrop of rocks. Dangling her legs off the side, the woman looked out across what little she could see from this new height.

After about an hour of sitting like this, she saw a flicker of movement in the brush below where she'd previously been walking. Curious about what it was and where it was going, she launched herself from her seat among the rocks and back down the hill. Scanning the trees, she noted movement again ahead of her on the path. Stealthily she followed, careful to not give herself away as she identified the being that was so unfortunate as to catch her eye.

As miserable as she was with being lost, her nature of thievery and current pangs of hunger drove her to confront the man that walked among the wood. At first she attempted to snatch his bag but getting a hold on it proved too difficult as it was fastened tightly to his belt. Frustrated in that the simple task could not be accomplished as quickly as she'd hoped, Dacia rushed forward and wrapped an arm around the unsuspecting victim, her intent to drag him down. Succeeding in halting him as he struggled against her, she drew a dagger in a show of her control of the situation.

Waggling the blade in front of the man's face, a smirk spread across her lips. "You shouldn't walk alone, sir. Not with anything on your person at least, hand over the bag," she demanded bringing the shape metal instrument to his neck. A look of panic reaching the man's eyes as he fumbled with the ties that held his small store of food and water, letting it drop to the ground. "Miss, I didn't do nothin' to harm ye, lemme go will ya?"

A frown reached her lips at his request and she withdrew the arm around his neck to allow her dagger a more effective position should he choose to try and run. With an arm now free, the woman quickly drew it back before delivering a few sharp blows to the man's ribs, punishment for his vocalization. "Speak again and you die. I want all of your money too, I know you have it on you and I'll let you go after you give it up. Besides, we wouldn't want anyone getting hurt, now would we?" she taunted, a grin upon her lips as she enjoyed the fear she felt radiated from the traveler.

Of course her intent now was not to release the man but to play with him a bit before she killed him, wanting a little fun for herself as the price he would pay for not being easier to catch. A terrible price to pay, she knew, but she was not thinking of the possibly that he might know how to get out of the seemingly endless maze of green and brown. She wanted her fun, though, and she often found it in the pain of others as she intended to do with he that was so unfortunate as to upset her for something he had no control over.

[Anonymous]

Vivian pounced, or rather, pounced as well as his battered body would allow. He needed the rabbit; he needed it's blood more than anything else in the world. He shuddered as he pushed himself onto his knees. His body was far too weak from the lack of blood and all the attacks he'd been through. He'd been in better health at his mother's place. At least there he'd had enough blood for her to feed off.

He didn't even have enough for himself anymore and it was taking its toll. His body looked like little more than a revived corpse and his skin was grey and sickly. He didn't even look human. Please, just let me catch one rabbit, he prayed.

He pushed himself up and waited for another to hop past. His sense of smell and hearing were depleted to a human level and though he had adjusted to the weakened senses, it was still hard to find food. When another hopped past he held his breath and remained still, waiting for it to coem close enough to him. It did come close but he began to sway and instead of pouncing on it, he fell on it.

The little creature squealed and Vivian clenched his eyes tight. It always upset him to know they were in pain. All he could ever do was make it as quick as possible. He huddled there on the ground and pulled the creature to his mouth. It's warm blood ran into his mouth and he drank greedily, trying to ignore its screeches and the taste of everything it was feeling: mainly terror and pain.

When he was finished he dropped the animal and curled into a ball. It was getting harder and harder to justify killing them. It took too many animals just to keep him alive and he was doing no good with his life.

He heard noises and pushed himself back into a kneeling position. People didn't come this far into the woods: that was the reason he was hiding here. When there were no people around, his ancestors couldn't make him kill people. Like they'd almost done outside Reajh. He closed his eyes and pretended nobody was there. That was until he heard a distressed man's voice.

He opened his eyes and got up, walking over to a tree for support. He wanted a better look before he went near. If they were just passers by, he didn't want to arouse his ancestors.

[Anonymous]

By now, the unfortunate victim was panicking, fumbling as he tried to work his fingers to untie the coin purse he had in his coat. Dropping the small sack beside the pouch that already lie in the dirt, he tried to turn his head to look back at his attacker. This, however, earned him another punch to his bruised ribs and he quickly faced forward again. "Miss, it's all I got on me. I ain't here to do you no harm, I'm just passin' through, see, and-" His words cut off in favor of a loud screech as Dacia sunk the small blade she carried deep into his shoulder, whacking the hilt a few times for good measure.

"I told you not to talk," she said coldly, teeth clenched as her agitation grew. She decided that she didn't like this man, that he was worth killing just to be rid of his voice. Abruptly, she turned him around and struck him in the face before reaching over and yanking her dagger from his flesh. Grabbing him harshly by the injured shoulder, she pulled him in close as she waved the blood-smeared metal in front of his face. "Do you want this in your throat, sir? I'll stick it there if you speak out again. Now, give up anything else you have, people don't just go out waltzing in the forest for fun, so don't try me."

The man was surely scared of her now, she was sure. She could see it in his eyes and his nervous mannerisms as he reached into his coat again to retrieve an even smaller bag than the others. One, Dacia presumed, contained a small amount of jewels or some other valuable. Quickly snatching the bag and scooping up the others, she smirked at the man, intending to taunt him further before ending his life. It was obvious on his face that he'd given up something he cherished, and after opening the last bag he'd handed over, she saw that its contents were but a ring. A ring, though, that was of the correct styling to be used in a proposal for marriage.

Looking the stranger over she saw that his face was young, his eyes filled with sadness as he stared at the bag she held so carelessly in her hand. "This for your girl, eh? Reckon you won't be seeing her again, so I suppose you won't mind so much with me taking it." Eyes wide and mouth gaping with surprise as he returned his gaze to the thief, the man turned to run from her. He wasn't fast enough, though, and soon found his face meeting the dirt as she lunged a leg out to trip him. Walking closer, placing a boot to his neck and another on an arm, Dacia laughed as she looked down at her victim. "Don't try to run, I'll make it quick for you so you won't be thinking so much about your girly, kay?"

[Anonymous]

Vivian crawled foreward with the dead babbit stioll in his hand. As he peered from behind his hidy-hole he saw - and SMELT - the wounded man. The scent was delicious and revolting at the same time. His stomach growled at the thought of food but he felt ashamed of wanting to drain a human. He wouldn't sink that low. He wasn't that weak yet.

Despite how much he did not want to do it, his yearning had him crawling forward until he was crouching near the two people. He breathed in the man's scent and bit his lips. This was wrong but he was so hungry. He dropped the rabbit and his fingers twitched towards the man before jerking back. He held tightly onto the tatters of his cloak and made a squeeking noise, causing the man to flick his eyes towards Vivian.

'Hello,' Vivian managed to say. He immediately regretted it, he probably sounded defective. He probably looked it too with his shrivelled, grey appearance and hunched back. Life had not been kind to Vivian.

OOC: FAILURE!!!!! Sorry, I'm not exactly back yet. I still have to get the internet at home.

[Anonymous]

She had been having fun. Yes, definitely more so than if she'd spent the rest of the day sitting alone up on the rocks or hunting for anything edible to satisfy her. Even though she kept company with someone she intended to kill, she still relished in keeping the full attention of her victims. She looked away, though, at the same time the man did when a sudden sound interrupted the scene. Eyeing the figure that crouched a few feet away, Dacia allowed a smirk to paint across her face as she evaluated him and the weakness he portrayed very nicely.

The man looked sick. No, worse than sick, he looked like he was dying. This sparked a glint of curiosity in her eyes as she wondered why a dying man might chose a deathbed of dirt and twigs. This, though, mattered little to her for the fact stood that he'd come upon them at such an opportune moment. Cocking her head as he uttered a greeting, her expression showed slight puzzlement, for she thought it strange that he would speak something so simply polite as a 'hello' when he came across two people, one holding a weapon and clearly in an unfriendly setting.

Digging her boot into the man's shoulder as she adjusted herself, Dacia flashed a smile filled with confidence at the new stranger before glancing down as she made a large slash down a good portion of her victim's arm. Giggling to herself as he cried out, she released him to allow the poor fellow to nurse his wounds as she moved to crouch in front of the sick-looking one. "Aye, hello. You've, uh, come about at a strange time, sir. You have a reason for being here? Because I'd like to finish business," she said, glancing back at the man that sat with his eyes tightly shut as he rocked and put pressure on his wounds.

[Anonymous]

'NO!' Vivian gasped as the woman cliced at the bleeding man's arm. He clenched his eyes tight and tried to ignore what his senses were telling him: the enmating scent of pain and the sound of the man's screams. The blood too, the scent of blood was so good that it was tormenting. Even as he tried to ignore it he began sucking on his bottom lip. 'Please, don't hurt him.'

When Vivian finally opened his eyes, the woman was in front of him. He instinctively flinched and inched backwards. Sometimes a woman could be the most terrifying sight imaginable. 'I could smell the-' he paused. He didn't want to say "blood" out loud. 'Don't hurt him.'

That didn't seem likely however, "finishing business" could only mean one thing. Vivian's already hunched shoulders dropped lower. He did not have the power or the courage to do anything. 'You don't have to kill him. Please?'

[Anonymous]

The pained look in the man's eye caught Dacia's attention, sparking her curiosity as to why the scene bothered him so much. She had not before taken care to think of the people who grew queasy with the sight of blood and now she took the strange, sickly man as one of those people. Frowning as she tilted her head, she watched him closely as he pleaded with her to not kill the other man. While she was distracted with her attentions on this newcomer, however, she had no idea that the young man behind them was slowly moving away.

It was only when she heard the distinct sound of boots scuffing and pounding against the earth did she turn her head. Alarmed at the sight of her victim running away, she vaulted to her feet and began chasing him but for a moment before she realized he was far quicker, as well as less hurt, than he'd let on. Cursing, she whirled around to face the man crouching on the ground. "Now see?! He's getting away! Damn it, why did you have to go and distract me like that?" With her words away, Dacia made a mad dash after the one that was quickly putting distance between them but she ended up, in her fury, circling back unknowingly. When she arrived at the same spot as before, the spots of blood in the dirt and the man she now loathed with her being, she cursed again. In a fit of rage, she got down to his level again, got right in his face, and screamed in frustration before slapping him across the cheek.

Then, she let herself fall back to the ground, her eyes searching frantically for the bags she'd intended to take from the man only to see all gone away with him. Sighing, she put her face in her hands and began to talk to herself, "Damn it all...that was a nice ring...would've sold for a good bit. And the food...the money..." She raised her head, then, thinking of who had caused her to lose what she'd so quickly gained. Giving him a death stare, she snarled inwardly before turning away. "Well, he got away. I hope you're happy."

[Anonymous]

Vivian kept his eyes away from the bleeding man, he didn't want to see any blood or any discommfort the man may show. When the woman yelled at him, he startled and bit into his lip with fright. He was glad that he had been able to inadvertantly help the man escape but the woman was now angry at him instead. 'You shouldn't have been hurting him,' he said lamely. He really didn't have much strength for anything other than basic thought.

The woman bolted and Vivian was alone once more, alone with the rabbit and the pools of blood. The delicious, wonderful, revolting blood. Vivian sucked on his bleeding lip and stared at it. Unnoticed, he began to shift himself closer to it.

The blood. It was almost calling to him. He desperately wanted it, he didn't care how shameful it was, he needed blood and this was unwanted, disguarded. Nobody would know he'd done it. He glanced around and touched the blood with his finger. He stopped as he moved his finger towards his mouth. No, he was an Aswang. Aswang did not drink human blood, they were better than that.

You are disgusting. Look at you, lowering yourself to worse than vampire standards! You dare call yourself an Aswang! You should have killed the man and the woman too! You were scared of her, you disgust us.

Vivian lifted his head slightly. He at least had enough willpower to defy them. At least for now.

The woman came crashing through the bushes and Vivian scurried backwards, embarassed that he'd almost drank the blood on the ground. He still had the blood on his finger but he didn't quite want to let it go.

She was right in front of him now, he could feel her breath on his face. She screamed and Vivian flailed backwards as she slapped him. He'd been expecting more than a slap.  

Damn it all...that was a nice ring...would've sold for a good bit. And the food...the money... And then she glared at him again. She was a terrifying creature, even if she was only human.

He looked at the rabbit and picked it up, about to hand it to her. If it was food she needed, he could provide that. 'You should not torment people like that,' he murmered. He moved closer to her. 'Here, I can't eat it.'

[Anonymous]

Now what? she thought, looking up at the hill that had been her home since she'd gotten lost. Assuming she would have to go hunting for herself if she wanted to eat, the woman seethed with anger towards the man she'd been yelling at. She almost turned on him again when he made a comment about tormenting, but she realized that she was too hungry to yell anymore and all she wanted was to find something to eat, but then the man was speaking again.

Patience wearing thin, she turned her head sharply to see what in the world he was offering her, mouth drawing in a tense line at the sight of the rabbit, of food. It looked a little off, though, and when she snatched it out of his hand she realized why. There was a little dried blood on its fur and then, upon further examination, she saw the wound the blood had come from. Looking up at the man, she scanned his person for a weapon of some sort and, seeing none, became puzzled. "Well, I'll consider it repayment for the food you made me lose," she muttered, not wanting to thank the stranger for the act of kindness, whether he really wanted the rabbit or not.

Getting to her feet, rabbit in hand, Dacia began walking away towards the rocks that had been her home these last few weeks. Dashing into the cave that had been serving as both her bedroom and kitchen, she deposited the rabbit before heading back down to collect wood for a fire. Eyes scanning her surroundings for the strange man that had interrupted her, she called out, "So are you traveling or something?"

[Anonymous]

Now that they were nearer together, he could smell her anger. He coughed to loosen his fear-tensed throat. He didn't like it when people got angry, especially her. She seemed the type to get violent when she got angry. Yet she didn't hurt him, she instead took the rabbit for him and looked at the hole he'd bitten into it.

'It's safe,' he said before brushing accumulated filth from his once-fine clothes. The only way she'd become an Asw... vampire would be if she bit him, which he would never let happen.

Well, I'll consider it repayment for the food you made me lose.

'Thankyou,' he said, bowing low to her. He pulled his cloak around his shoulders and shifted to a shadier spot. Most of his skin was covered but it still paid to be cautious. He already had enough swollen and blistered patches to hide, some of which showed through holes in his shirt, pants and gloves.

When she started to get up, he offered her his hand, though he would probably topple over if she accepted it. He didn't want to go back to being alone so he followed her, staggering his way between the shade of tall trees. He sat against a treetrunk as she entered a cave, he would not go in without permission and he was still scared of her. She might only be human but he was weakened by trail and starvation.

'I am... I'm trying to stay away from trouble. What of you?' he asked. 'Do you need help?' If she did not he would go back to attempting to find food.

[Anonymous]

Shuffling through the dirt and fallen leaves, she swiftly grabbed up what reasonably-sized sticks she could find. Her goal was to build a fire so she could cook the rabbit, and she was determined to stick with that goal as she dropped what she'd found nearby at the mouth of the cave. When she heard a response to her question she lifted her head and looked out to the man as he rested against a tree. Twisting her mouth, dissatisfied with the answer she'd gotten from him, she made her way over to him.

Dacia looked over him again as she stopped in front of him, her arms folding out of habit as a frown threatened at the corners of her mouth. The man looked sickly still, his clothes tattered and his skin an unhealthy shade. She determined that he could probably use a few good meals, a bath, and some new clothes, but she also had it set in her mind that she would not be the one to provide those things for him, especially since she was having trouble keeping just herself in order. Muttering, she finally dropped her eyes from him and began walking off along the treeline to search for more wood.

"I got lost here and found the cave to stay in so I stayed," she explained, voice tense in her frustration. Of course she hadn't mentioned that she was still lost and had no idea where she would go next if she managed to get out, but she felt that he didn't really need to know that. "Make yourself useful and help me get wood," she added when he'd asked if she needed help. "What's your name anyway?"

This thief was not one to trust too soon, as is her nature, but she felt that even this person could manage to gather firewood instead of stand under a tree all day long. This was assumed, though, because she had no idea what he actually was.

[Anonymous]

*beats the topic with the ugly stick*

Vivian watched the woman pick up sticks and closed his eyes slightly when the world shifted in his view. He needed something to drink, even water would be good at this point. He sucked his lower lip and shifted to be more comfortable.

He opened his eyes at the sound of her coming over and flinched as she appeared to leer over him. He put his arms up slightly, thinking she was goingto hit him but the woman only appeared to be studying him. She didn't seem impressed with what she saw and he had to agree, he was far from impressive.

'I thought humans preferred company. It seems strange for you to be so far out. Aren't you lonely at all?' Vivian asked. He had little knowledge of humans, only what he'd read in the many books that had taken up most of his life and his recent interractions with them. He had deduced that they were often violent, distrusting of anything that might be stronger than them and that they lived in communities. So far the woman only lived up to the first.

Vivian did not relish the idea of getting up and down to pick up sticks but did as he was bid. He used a stick to help him stay upright and to manouver others off the ground. He made sure his body didn't move outside the shadowy areas and paused often to wait for his head to stop spinning. He needed to hunt before his blood levels got any lower.

'I am Vivian, what of yourself?' he said curtly, trying to keep his embarressment out of his voice. He didn't like his name and after all these years, it still stung when people used it for their own amusement.

[Anonymous]

As she shuffled about the brush in her search for decent sticks for the fire she was planning to make later on, she tried not to think about how upset she was with herself. She didn't want to talk about how upset she was with him but she also felt that she might have to if she got desperate enough. For now, that was her goal: to not get desperate for an outlet. She convinced herself that she could tough it out until this guy decided to leave the forest, then she'd just follow him out and everything would be fine!

For now, Dacia decided, she would just try and ignore the comments he made about her and any of her habits. He'd struck a chord about her being lonely, which was very true, but she felt that she had an image to uphold even if he was the only one to see it. As these thoughts were going through her mind she stopped her previous task of gathering sticks. Instead, she found herself watching him and his cautious way of walking about. She noted especially that he was staying out of the light and was using a stick to support himself.

Despite the fact that she usually kept away from the matters of others, unless of course it had to do with her thieving ways, she felt herself change a little on the inside. Watching him didn't make her feel as good as she thought it would and she slowly made her way over to him. She placed a hand on what he'd gathered and tugged slightly to let him know she wanted to take them for him. "I'm Dacia, Vivian. Let me have those sticks...you look like you're about to pass out or something."

[Anonymous]

The woman didn't reply to him, not even a scowl or to warn him to silence himself. It made him think that perhaps she was lonely, that this is not where she chose to be. Although Vivian had chosen to remain away from others, he still felt lonely. Growing up with an attention seeking sister had meant that he rarely got the chance to be alone unless he was "sick". The occasions he had been able to sneak out and enjoy his mother's gardens had always made him think he was a solitary creature but now that he faced loneliness, he disagreed.

Vivian continued to pick up sticks after he noticed the woman watching him. When it started making him uncomfortable he pulled his cloak closer around one of his shoulders before stopping to look back at her. There was no malice in her features this time, only curiosity. It made him wonder why she had been so cruel with the other man. I've seen a lot of violence since leaving Hyoite, perhaps I should be wondering why she is being so kind to me instead. Perhaps this is what all women were like, changing from violent to friendly as often as wind in a snowstorm.

'Is something amiss?' he asked. There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice, relics of his life as the son of a noblewoman.

'Thankyou, Dacia,' he said as she took the sticks from him. 'Don't worry, I won't pass out, I just need to hunt.' She may have to knock him unconscious if he got too bad though. There was nothing worse than a crazed, starving vampire... except being a crazed starving vampire and waking up from a branch to the head.

[Anonymous]

His comment about hunting confused her a bit, making her wonder why he'd given up the rabbit to her if he was hungry. Maybe something's wrong with that rabbit, she thought scornfully, her eyes narrowing for a moment. She readjusted the sticks in her arms before looking up at him again. He still looked sick to her, nothing really changed other than his expressed appetite. "Well, I'm going to start a fire now...if you find anything you want cooked I'll share it with you." The comment seemed pointless to her oblivious mind, though, knowing he didn't really have anything on his person to actually hunt with. He'd managed to catch a rabbit, though, something that was nearly impossible for her to do without some sort of weapon.

Swiftly she turned and walked up towards her cave, deciding she would leave him alone and if he came back then he came back and she'd just have to deal with it. Kneeling down near the mouth of the cave she set the pile of sticks against the wall and started arranging rocks to form a circle around the spot she planned to build her fire. After, she carefully placed sticks together so that the fire would burn properly and set the remaining ones to the side. Getting up and walking outside again, Dacia went back to the treeline to look for even smaller twigs to get her fire started with.

As she headed back up to the cave she began to think about Vivian's earlier comment. His tone was almost a teasing sarcasm and it irked her that someone else might have been poking fun at her. There was something, though, and she didn't have it in her to tell a stranger that she was lonely. It went against almost everything she believed in and she felt that she could keep herself from getting desperate enough to talk to him about it.

By this time small flickers had started among the smaller twigs, the hot sparks jumping around the gathered wood as each piece was spent of its fuel. She set down the stones she'd used to get it started and looked over to the rabbit that she still needed to clean, smiling when she remembered that the kind man had given it to her even though he looked about starved himself.

[Anonymous]

Vivian shook his head and smiled, 'no thankyou. Cooked food doesn't agree with me. I'll hunt once I've rested.' Or rather, he was going to hunt when the sun was down and he was at least a little stronger. When the sun no longer peeped through the trees he would be able to turn into something with better senses and sharper claws. With his health the way it was, he would probably be the same strength as Dacia at night.

He followed Dacia but stopped once she passed into the clearing. He wouldn't follow her to the fire until dusk. Even then he wouldn't venture into her camp without permission. Women required courtesy and he didn't want to anger her. If she got angry or attacked him, his panic might wake his ancestors. There was no way he would let them control him. The first thing they'd make him do would be to drain her.

Vivian leaned against a tree by the edge of the clearing and watched Dacia go about her business. He had nothing else to do until night so he could rest. With that in mind his eyelids began feeling heavy and he gradually sank to the ground. Finally he lowered his eyes from Dacia and half-closed his eyes, not quite falling asleep.

[Anonymous]

Once the fire was built up enough to support itself for a while Dacia shuffled over and grabbed the rabbit. While she was cutting the fur away with her knife she noticed the holes again. Setting the pelt aside, she began cleaning the carcass and when she was done she saw that the holes in the animal's side clearly showed that whatever had pierced it had been quite sharp and long enough to reach the vitals. Shivering at the thought as she remembered she'd gotten the food from a sickly man she began to wonder just where he had gotten it. Perhaps he'd spooked whatever had killed it, she decided, not wanting to dwell on it anymore.

After setting the rabbit to roast by the fire she got up and walked out of the cave to see if Vivian was around. She spotted him near a tree, slumped over, and she wondered if he might be either dead or asleep. Jogging down to him she knelt by his side and pushed him on the shoulder. "You still alive, Vivian?" she asked, trying to keep a laugh from her voice. Of course she wouldn't laugh if someone she'd been talking to only minutes before just died, but she figured that if he was truly dead some animal would have been around him checking out the body.

[Anonymous]

Vivian lifted his head slightly, he could just detect the scent of the fire and the rabbit roasting upon it. He breathed in the scent. It would be a wonderful thing to eat food without becoming painfully ill afterwards. The few times he had tried to eat he had ended up curled on his side with eyes dilated so that none of the colour remained and screaming until his bowels evacuated every last morsel of their contents. He shuddered at the memory and looked up when Dacia came closer.

'There is nothing fatally wrong with me, you needn't worry about my health' he said. 'Do you often show concern for those you would have killed?'

He shifted over just enough to let her sit beside him and opened his eyes. His shallow breathing deepened when he caught her scent so close to him. The other times she had come close to him he had been too frightened to notice it. It was a nice smell, though musty from sweat.

'You would do well to bathe before nightfall. Animals are bound to pick up your scent,' he said even though his scent was probably worse than hers. He'd gotten used to his own scent during his travels and no longer noticed it.

[Anonymous]

When he opened his eyes she felt relieved; the idea of burying a body and possibly her chance to get out of the woods frightened her. When he scooted over she sat down beside him. "The rabbit's cooking now," she mumbled, wiping dirt from the heels of her palms. His questions irritated her but she knew that she couldn't keep ignoring them forever if she wanted his help. "No, not usually...but what you said earlier- um...I guess I have gotten a bit lonely."

His other comment brought her temper to near the surface again, though. She knew that she smelled, she hadn't had a decent bath in days, but it irked her that he'd felt the need to comment about it. Checking that fiery rage was difficult enough without thoughts to further provoke it but she managed to settle down. Enough, actually, to just reach up a hand and tap his temple with her hand. "You shouldn't say things like that, Vivian, you might make people upset. Are you always so...blunt?" she asked, looking over at him.

It was a wonder he hadn't been killed already if he always felt the need to be so honest with his observations and speak his mind. The thought that he'd managed to stumble through life made her smile, though, sad as it was. Dacia had always been one to dwell on the mistakes of the weak but somehow in him it was more funny than serious.

[Anonymous]

Vivian inclined his head in a weak bow, grateful that she had admitted that she was lonely and even more grateful that he was accepting his company. 'I will stay as long as you desire my company. If you it be your wish, I could offer you food in return for lodgings and your company,' he replied. 'My own choice to remain alone nolonger seems... comforting.' The comfort of knowing that he would not hurt anyone seemed less important with her company. He didn't want to harm her but in his current state, she was more likely to cause harm.

After his previous thoughts, it seemed ironic when she hit him. The touch shocked him and he swayed a little though it did not hurt. Once he righted himself he returned her gaze. 'I'm sorry for offending you, Miss Dacia. I did not mean it the way it sounded. There are many creatures that stalk these woods by night and I would hate to see you attacked by any of them.'

'Often I do not speak at all,' he said. 'I was brought up in a household where it was safer for me to speak plainly, else my thoughts be found out in other ways.' Perhaps it would be safer to change that outlook again. There was nobody around to drink his blood to delve into his deeper most thoughts. They were nolonger on display to be taken advantage of. I am free; I have choice over how I speak to others.

He caught her smiling at him and became worried perhaps she enjoyed watching him make a fool of himself. 'Have I done something that amuses you?' he asked.