Spirits of the Earth

It was a mistake to take the job.

It was the most overcast day he'd seen in months and the sky looked angry, like it might pour down the awful rainstorm dangling above them at any moment. The wind howled menacingly as it whipped and whistled through the trees, but it was the icy chill in his bones that frightened Kynton.

He was weak, weaker than the others but he stayed quiet about it. He kept himself bundled in a thick coat despite how the others in the party seemed entirely unbothered by the sharp turn in the weather. The brothers, Lev and Raidin, led the way while Nel scuffed her boots along behind them with Kynton bringing up the rear.

A wealthy lord of Whitesands had sent them to this wretched place. The man had seemed a little...unrealistic in what the brothers had told Kynton upon bringing him on. They were to bring him a unicorn. Alive. What he wanted with such a beast he was afraid of knowing, but it was really none of his business or any of theirs for that matter; a job was a job.

Nel was the bait. Whatever that was supposed to mean. She was bitter and mean and Kynton had no idea how she got put on this job or what a unicorn could possibly want with such a woman.

As they all shuffled along he found himself lagging further and further behind in an almost comical slowness for what he was. The others didn't seem to notice, but even as they pulled out of sight in the growing darkness of evening he was unbothered. He could sense them still in the distance, a faint scent in the air giving him confidence to continue on through the trees at his own pace.

As day slowly became night and the chill in the air became stronger he was feeling less certain of where they were. Perhaps it was just paranoia but as he navigated his way through the woods, turning this way then that, it seemed like what he could sense of them was becoming weaker. He didn't realize he'd gotten himself completely turned around, accidentally following the path they'd first walked, putting more and more distance between them until Kynton realized his own scent mingled with theirs.

He stopped dead in his tracks, tense as his expression twisted to a scowl of pure irritation and exasperation. The darkness didn't bother him, but it was colder than before and he knew that the brothers had most of their supplies for a fire; he didn't quite remember what he'd hastily thrown into his own small pack.

Kynton slowly turned to follow the correct path again, shivering terribly as he hugged himself and prayed there weren't more than a few miles between them all and he might be able to find them again once they stopped to rest for the night.

Belladonna was dozing when she first heard them, curled into the roots of a massive willow tree. But the hunters' footsteps drew her from sleep and she raised her head, peering through the long, leafy vines of the tree in an attempt to identify the source of the noise.

She could vaguely see shadows moving in the trees, but couldn't make out anything specific. Humans carried a specific scent though, and she recognized it almost immediately. With a soft breath through her nose, the unicorn got to her hooves and began picking her way out from under the tree.

Delicate head held high on a long, graceful neck, she silently made her way from the willow to the bank of the small stream it grew over, large ears flicking as she listened to the continued sound of footsteps.

She was curious- what we're humans doing out here, so deep into the woods? She rarely saw two-leggers put such effort into a hunt, if indeed they were hunters. She flicked her tail lazily as she raised her head. Perhaps she could ask them- but she's never actually spoken to a human before, and the idea was a little nerve wracking.

It never even crossed her mind that she could be their intended prey.

By moonlight her light coat was easy to pick out among the darkness and shadows of night. They noticed her immediately, the brothers pausing to study the light creature but quickly turning away and continuing on their journey, too convinced in their own opinion that she was simply a deer and a unicorn would have been a bit larger. Nel's eyes lingered on her, but the woman continued along after them, willing to trust their silent judgment of the odd creature despite how she noticed her horn and the brothers had not.

They moved swiftly through the brush and it took Kynton nearly an hour to catch up to where they'd seen her. He smelled her first, the scent of something unfamiliar grabbing his attention as his eyes were drawn to the blurry white of her in the distance. Could he really be so lucky? Had she not been there when the others had passed through? She must not have been or he didn't understand why she might still be around at all.

He paused, an ache in his bones for the lack of movement in the chill. He adjusted his coat, trying to draw every bit of warmth he could from it as he inched closer to the unfamiliar creature. "Um, hello?" he mumbled, uncertain if it was correct to alert her to his presence but not wanting to alarm her if she hadn't noticed on her own. The last thing he wanted was to scare off their "prey."

The unicorn snapped her head around as she heard the voice, ears pricking forward curiously.

She looked the stranger up and down. Why had this one approached her when the others had moved on? Intrigued, she took a few careful steps forward, tilting her head to the side as she observed him.

Human. Yes? No. Maybe? She got a sense from him, something distinctly other, but she couldn't quite place it.

Curiosity piqued, Bella picked her way across the stream toward him, her whole body seeming to glow gently in the moonlight. She didn't speak, but fluted a soft breath through her nose, eyes large and gleaming.

He'd expected their search to be long and difficult, yet here she was. Kynton stared at her, wide-eyed and momentarily drawn away from his own troubles as he watched her form cross the stream. "It's real," he murmured in disbelief, frozen in place as he looked all around.

It was confusing to sense the others, it was clear they'd been through the area but he assumed she hadn't been there when they had. Of course it was just his luck only he had happened upon their prey. The brothers had almost all of their resources, certainly all their rope at least. He wondered if he could coax her to stay around until he could catch up to them again.

Slowly he lowered one hand and then the other, carefully outstretching one to her as he would any livestock and unaware she was capable of any more meaningful greeting. He prayed she might be curious enough to approach him on her own, his mind racing as he wondered how he might keep such a creature on his own while being so weak.

Bella snorted as he stretched his hand out, arching her neck and eyeing it warily. What was he doing? Was it a human thing? Her kind greeted each other as any equine creature might, a brush of noses and a breath of air to teach each other their scent.

But if this was what humans did... She picked another few careful step forward, trying to reconcile the two ways of greeting by stretching her neck forward and lightly nosing his palm.

She liked this human. Somethings about him called to her, some strange sort of innocence. She snorted softly and pressed her nose more firmly into his hand, looking up at him with limpid indigo eyes.

Kynton was startled by how easily she approached him, her actions seeming unusually human to him especially with the way she looked at him. No animal he'd ever known had ever tried to do such a thing intentionally.

He gulped nervously, his cold hand warmed by the gentle contact and her breath that was a balm washing over his skin. "Hey there," he whispered, intrigued by the glowing quality he could see in her now that she was closer. He'd never imagined such a creature would be so... well, small.

Cautiously he cupped his hand around her chin to run his fingers along her muzzle, privately relishing in the odd warmth. "I've been looking for you," he spoke gently, smiling at the irony of her practically walking into his grasp.

She tilted her head, a little surprised by that. He'd been looking for her? What did that mean?

His skin was cold, almost unnaturally so. She nuzzled against his hand, her healing instincts trying to soothe.

"Why?" the unicorn asked quietly. Her voice was light and airy, almost musical as it chimed softly through the air around them. She gave a little toss of her head, mane and horn glinting like starlight.

He blinked in stunned silence. Had he just imagined that? Kynton shivered, pulling his coat tighter around himself with his free hand even though it didn't help at all.

"You- No." He shook his head, letting his hair fall forward as he scrunched his eyes closed against a wave of dizziness. He'd just imagined it, that was all. He was sick and delirious.

"They don't talk," he mumbled. "Get it together."

Bella's ears flicked back a bit, not in an angry way, more confused- the human equivalent of furrowing her brow.

"They- but I just did talk," she protested, tossing her head again. Tilting her head at him, she blew out a soft breath and blinked. "Are you alright?" He didn't seem to be. He looked rather uncomfortable.

"Here." She took a step closer, lowering her head in an attempt to touch her horn to his chest, just over his heart.

And now it was asking after him. What a strange day. Part of him knew it was true, knew the voice came from the smallish creature before him, but he desperately didn't want to believe that the creature he'd been hunting was sentient too.

Eyes glazed over a bit Kynton tried to wave her off. His hand hovered above her mane, though, quite drawn to it and almost forgetting himself to reach out and touch it. As she took the necessary step to close the distance between them, though, he shied away as her horn reached out to him.

What she'd intended he had no idea but it looked sharp and the last thing he needed to add to his day was being impaled by the very creature he'd been hunting. "I'm f-fine," he muttered, narrowing his eyes in discomfort as he shivered, his teeth clattering uncomfortably. "You just- You stay here," he ordered firmly, not knowing what he could really do to keep her from wandering away.

Kynton turned his back to the hoofed creature, reaching around in the dark until he was able to pull some vine down from a tree. Not confident in his skills at building a proper halter he fashioned it into a messy collar with the tail as a leash and turned to hold out the open end to her, as if he expected her to just accept even a mild form of confinement. "Wear this for me, girl. Won't be long, just a little while," he promised, speaking as though she were a child. He bit at his lip in anticipation, desperately trying to keep his teeth from chattering painfully even as his jaw trembled.

The unicorn snorted again as he stepped away from her, confused. All other creatures knew that a unicorn would mean them no harm, that the touch of her horn could heal ills.

But perhaps it was not something humans taught their young. After all, she'd be told by other members of her herd that only certain humans could hear their voices- she'd assumed that because this two-legger could hear her he would know all about her kind, but apparently that wasn't true.

She tossed her head and took a few steps back when he approached her with the makeshift lead rope, glancing from his face to the vine. "But why?" she asked, flickering her ears in confusion again. She shuffled her hooves, sort of prancing in place, but not running yet.

Kynton fidgeted anxiously for her questioning, not really expecting her to think that far ahead. Her prancing made him nervous, too, afraid she might just bolt and be gone for good before he had the opportunity to show the others he'd found her.

Hesitantly he lowered the offered loop a little, not wanting to scare her off. "I- Well... So you don't run away." Honesty might be good, right? He didn't have much patience -or time- to be talking about it with her, though. While he had no idea she'd been trying to help him all he had on his mind besides her was how desperately he needed to find shelter for the night and soon.

If she could have frowned, she would have. "Run away?" Bella snorted, pawing at the ground lightly. "If anyone is running away, human, shouldn't it be you? I belong to these trees- you do not."

She gave another toss of her head, horn and mane glittering. "I assume you want me to stay with you? Do you need healing?"

She pranced a few steps closer, then one back. "Or perhaps someone else? Someone you know? Is that why you were looking for me?"

He opened his mouth to protest, eyes narrowing at the surprising burst of confidence from the unicorn. No words came, though, and he snapped his mouth shut again and pouted instead.

Healing? He supposed he certainly needed it in ways but none he thought a creature like her might be capable of. How did a unicorn heal anyway? "Um," he finally mumbled, nodding. "Yeah. Healing. Just- Just stay with me, please? And there's someone else. Someone really far away. He needs you, too." Maybe she would believe that. It wasn't exactly lying anyway.

"Oh!" If she could have beamed, she would have. Bella nodded easily, stepping toward him and lowering her head so he could slip the "rope" around her neck.

"I will go with you then." She fidgeted a little, nervous, excited energy. Not excited that someone needing healing, oh goodness no, of course not. But with her particular...oddity Bella had never really had the chance to be a healer, not like other members of her herd.

She was pleased to get the chance. Even if this human was rather odd and felt the need to have her wear some sort of vine necklace.

Kynton couldn't believe his luck. He hadn't thought she might actually buy that, but she had. He felt a little bad for "tricking" her, especially not really knowing how exactly a unicorn could help with such things. For a moment his thoughts turned bitter, reminding himself to not get his hopes up about what this odd creature was capable of.

He forced himself to smile for her, trying to be as non-threatening as possible as he slipped the makeshift collar over her head, careful not to touch her horn. The lead was held awkwardly in his hand as he looked all around them. Everything was still the same and he honestly had no idea where his companions might have been at that very moment.

"I came here with other...people," he began slowly, squinting in the dark but not aided much by it. Digging the toe of his boot into the dirt distractedly he tried to reorient himself, tried to pick up their scents again without being too obvious about what he was doing. She was an animal of sorts after all, he expected her to pick up on a rather animal behavior if he wasn't too careful about hiding it.

"I need to find them. Then we can go," he explained, finally forcing himself to take steps out into the direction he believed was correct. As much as it pained him, his body feeling like it might shatter from the cold, he tried not to look too stiff. Fire. Heat. He focused his thoughts on that instead and just hoping he didn't freeze to death before they found the rest of the hunting party.

Bella gave a little toss of her head as the lead slipped around her neck, not sure that she was entirely comfortable with the feeling. She followed after the strange human though, picking her way delicately through the foliage.

As they got further into the trees, it became clear that the unicorn was not reflecting moon and starlight, but rather sort of emitting a soft glow of her own. She kept casting concerned looks to her companion, noticing his shivers and general discomfort.

"Are you sure you're not the one who needs healing?" she pressed, head cocked slightly to the side.

It still surprised him to hear her speak and he jumped slightly for the sound. He turned to look at her, scowling for his discomfort as he studied the odd little creature of light. "What makes you ask that?" he growled, wincing at the unintentional bite to his tone but not apologizing for it.

His hand tightened on the lead as he mulled it over. He wasn't so sure willingly offering himself for her to use her magic, or whatever it was, would be such a good idea.

"It's not something you can help with," he decided instead, somehow not wanting her to think he was really rejecting her offer to help him. He desperately wanted help, but he was already comfortable in knowing his existence was permanent. If the cold didn't kill him, that was.

Bella snorted and jerked her head back from him slightly, startled by the bite to his tone. "You just seem...uncomfortable," she defended herself. "I can sense things like that. I just thought I could help..."

She sighed, shaking her head a little so her forelock fell over her eyes. "So, who is it that really needs the healing then?" she persisted, oblivious to the fact that her chattiness might be making him uncomfortable.

"Sense things?" Kynton tensed at that, not realizing before that she even had such an ability. He wondered just how much she could sense of him, if his thoughts or feelings besides the obvious discomfort were in any danger.

But then she was asking more questions, pressing for information he really didn't have, or at least didn't remember. "Uh... Just some guy," he mumbled, warily eyeing her sidelong, uncertain if she would just accept that. He didn't exactly want to tell her he'd been hired to retrieve her with no real reason. He'd never even considered he might need to discuss the whys and hows with a unicorn, but he didn't really want to think about what some wealthy stranger wanted with a creature like her.

"Oh." She was a little disappointed he didn't seem to have more information to offer, but her companion didn't seem like the chattier fellow.

Still...it just wasn't in her nature to let things lie. She was curious, she couldn't help it. "Well, what's your name? I should know it, right? Unless this some guy is really close and we'll be parting soon- but even then, I'd like to know what you're called, you know?"

Realizing she was babbling, she tossed her head and gave a tinkling, chiming sort of sound that was actually an embarrassed sort of laugh.

"He isn't," he answered quickly, "Isn't close, I mean." Lifting his head momentarily he looked off into the distance. He wasn't even sure where he was looking or where they were going, besides following his instinct. Everything was a blur. A giant, irritating blur of darkness.

"My name is Kynton," he offered distractedly, not really liking that this strange creature knew enough to ask after it and now had that information for herself. What should he possibly be afraid of, though? Blackmail from someone who seemed eager to offer healing? It was odd, certainly, but perhaps it was her calling of sorts. At least, he assumed so.

"Is there something I should be calling you? Or...that you want to be called?" he wondered, knowing it was the polite, human thing to ask at least. He stared at her, though, uncertain how she'd made whatever sound she'd made or what it really meant.

His eyes shifted nervously. She looked alright but he didn't really know enough about her kind to say for sure.

"Kynton," she repeated, tossing her head slightly as she did. Every time she moved her neck, the vine "necklace" reminded her irritatingly of its presence and she snorted, though she didn't ask him to remove it. She assumed he had a reason for keeping it on her.

"I'm called Belladonna," she said after a few moments, remembering he'd asked for her name in turn. She paused for a moment then, not quite sure she should have shared that. While her kind were not like the fae, exactly, a name was still a personal and a powerful thing.

"Belladonna? Isn't that two names?" he complained lightly, scrunching his nose as he tried to wrap his mind around it. It was an okay name, he thought, but definitely a longer one than he was used to hearing.

"I guess it's alright," he finally mumbled, shrugging and not really remembering he really didn't have much reason to judge her for it. "So you're...really a unicorn, right?"

She gave him a droll look- well, as droll as a unicorn could get. "It's a flower," she informed him primly with another little shake of her head. "You can call me Bella though, if that's easier."

Tilting her head at him, Belladonna answered slowly, "Ye-es. I am. Were you...expecting something different?" Other members of her herd had told her that sometimes humans were surprised by their kind, expecting...well more. Something not as small, certainly.

Kynton just grumbled at her correction, rolling his eyes. How was he supposed to know that? Bella definitely was easier, though he hoped for her sake he wouldn't have much occasion to use it.

"Something different? Well...kind of. I mean I just thought your kind was more not you." He frowned, knowing that wasn't very helpful, but talking with her was doing wonders for helping distract him from his discomfort. "I just had to make sure. That you still were one, you know. Are there, um, different types?" He certainly hoped not, he'd never been told about getting any specific type of unicorn if there even was such a thing, but at this point he would probably believe anything.

She tossed her head again, picking her hooves up a little higher as she pranced along beside him. "I'm not sure," she answered honestly. "I imagine there could be- there's all sorts of creatures in the world, and magic molds us in mysterious ways."

She kicked her back heels out a bit in a playful little buck and skipped a few paces ahead of him, then paused as she came to the end of her vine-tether. "I've only ever met my own kind though."

"Mmm. And other things," he mumbled, watching her closely with a grumpy look as she just looked so...happy and carefree. Nobody should just be that happy.

Seeing how she stretched her lead, though, he lifted his hand to give her that much more room. He wasn't confident that the flimsy thing could actually hold her against her will, but he felt a little guilty for it already. "I just heard stories, is all," he explained, having no real way of knowing if any of them were true. Her kind seemed very rare, or at least very well hidden.

"Can you heal anything?" he asked curiously, knowing it probably wasn't the best idea to talk to her or get to know her in any way. The talking helped, though, and he was very curious for his own reasons as he was uncertain what his own suffering might be considered.

Bella paused as she considered that. "Mm...maybe. Mostly." She nodded decisively. "Ailments that aren't magical in nature, yes. For the ones that are, I think I'd probably be able to alleviate certain symptoms, perhaps heal minor things."

She pranced back to him, eyes bright and curious. "Why? Does "some guy" have a magical illness?" She paused a moment, then persisted, "Do you?" She could tell there was something wrong with him, she just wasn't quite sure what.

"Ah..." Damn. "I, um- I actually don't know," he mumbled, making a conscious effort to not meet her eyes. She really was so damn persistent.

"I'm not sick," Kynton insisted stubbornly, knowing full well his unfortunate set of conditions probably looked that way to an outsider. "I got a little messed up but it isn't anything to heal... I don't think so at least."

"Oh?" She paused, shifting her weight from foot to foot. "Are you sure? You don't seem...well."

Her social skills were limited enough that she didn't realize that may not be an entirely polite thing to say to someone.

Kynton flinched at that, unsure how to approach the subject without outright revealing everything to her. Not that it was a big secret or anything, he just didn't like the idea of his affliction being known information to too many people...or creatures.

"Mhm. I just...don't handle cold very well," he admitted in a grumble, not meaning to sound angry but if she hadn't been put off by him already he didn't think she would be now. To his old self it wouldn't have even been that cold, but his blood felt like ice in his veins in the dark and shadow of the woods with every small gust of wind feeling like a knife slicing at his skin even through all the padding of clothing.

"I...see." Bella hesitated a moment, then moved forward and lowered her head as she had when she first approached him, horn aimed for his heart.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she murmured as the twisting silver spire barely tapped against his chest. She closed her eyes and blew out a soft breath and the glow around her seemed to intensify.

It wasn't healing, exactly, and she wasn't sure how long it would last, but she sent a breath of warmth into the human, hoping to relieve some of his discomfort.

"What?" He hissed in surprise, tense and standing still to brace for what he feared would come of whatever she was trying to do. He shut his eyes tight, turning his head away from her in anticipation. When no pain came and instead a pleasant wave of warmth washed over him his eyes snapped open to stare at her accusingly, breath coming in short pants in his confusion.

"How- What was that?" he murmured, a firm sense of relief filling him for the first time since he'd set off on this trip. He hadn't realized how much of a toll being out in the elements for so long had taken on him. More than anything, though, he was surprised that it persisted and hadn't just disappeared as quickly as it had come.

The unicorn hopped on her back legs in a little half rear and tossed her head happily, ears perked forward. "Healing," she said excitedly. "It worked, yes? Oh, good!"

Her excitement faded a bit and she added a little quieter, "I'm, uh, not quite sure how long that will last though, I'm sorry. Best I could do."

"Well... At least you didn't kill me," he grumbled, relaxing some and looking down at his chest pointedly, as if expecting himself to burst into flame, or something.

"This is...nice. Much warmer. Thanks, I guess," he offered, extending a hand to give her a tentative little pat on the neck. It felt a little wrong to offer touch as praise to an animal that talked but it was a little too late to take that back.

The glow around Bella seemed to flare happily for a moment and she nickered softly, though the sound wasn't so much equine as it was bell-like, chiming.

"You're welcome," she said cheerfully, glancing at his hand briefly but deciding not to comment on the pat. There were plenty of her kind that would have taken offense to be treated as a common animal, but honestly she found she didn't mind. She was just happy to have helped him.

Kynton continued shuffling along, sneaking glances at the unicorn and privately admired how...unique she was. He'd never met a creature like her before, but he supposed that was what he got for trying to live a rather human and magic-free life in recent years.

Looking at her, though, he suddenly had a thought and fidgeted the lead in his hand nervously. "You... You're allowed to leave the woods, right? You don't have to stay here? It's...kind of far away, is all."

"Oh yes." She bobbed her head in a semi-nod. "Most of us stay in our home forests, but I've been traveling recently."

Suddenly nervous though, the unicorn glanced at him and asked slowly, "How, um...how far is far, exactly?"

Maybe that was why he'd never had a chance to meet one of her kind before, but he shook his head to refocus himself on her question. Suddenly he looked quite embarrassed, knowing how far away from her home he was taking her. He had no idea what their employer's intentions were with a unicorn but he couldn't imagine she would have the opportunity to return soon, if ever. But what reason did he have to feel so damn guilty about it? A job was a job.

"Maybe a couple days of walking?" he admitted quietly, looking away and hoping she wouldn't try to break free from her makeshift collar just for hearing that. "Maybe sooner if we can find my- My um..." What were they even? "Other people." That sounded bad. "Friends," he finally lied.

"Oh. I see." she'd never been that far from home before. It was nerve-wracking, but also kind of exciting.

"Other people?" Bella tilted her head to the side. "Oh, wait- there were some others, before you came along. They went northeast, I think. Do you think that was who you're looking for?"

He was surprised she took it so well but more than that he was surprised to hear she'd seen other people at all recently. Kynton lifted his head slightly, already knowing her directions were correct by the paths he could sense. He couldn't detect any others, though, so he thought it unlikely she'd noticed anyone else besides his companions.

"Do you remember what they look like? How many there were?" he asked warily.

"There were three," she replied easily. "Two males and a female. I thought the female saw me for a moment, but she just kept walking. The males were rather...gruff, I suppose is the word."

She tilted her head at him again. "Does that sound right?"

"Ah... Yeah that sounds like them," he agreed. Then, not wanting her to think he had been privy to all of that information already forced a brief smile and offered a few mumbled words of thanks.

"They were...looking for you too, but I'm glad I found you first." Else he might have just frozen to death that very night. Besides, his way of "confining" her was probably much gentler than what the brothers had intended for their prey.

He needed to distract her, keep her entertained and (hopefully) from asking too many questions. They still had a long ways ahead of them just to catch up to the boneheads that apparently couldn't even keep an eye out for what they were after. "So how many of 'us' are there? You know, other unicorns I guess."

Bella suddenly clammed up at that question, eyeing him warily. "I'm not sure," she said slowly. She wanted to help him, but she really saw no reason to give him herd secrets in order to do that. "My herd wasn't very large, but I'm sure there are others."

She paused suddenly, drawing her vine tether taunt. "Hold on." She picked her way forward cautiously, nudging Kynton slightly to the side. Lowering her head, she hooked her horn under the tripwire she'd sensed and pulled, snapping her head back quick enough to avoid the clack of the trap clapping together.

"You were about to step in that."

"Wasn't? So...you're on your own?" He stopped short at her nudging, though, not understanding her warning until she'd already disarmed the trap. He jumped away from it anyway like she'd just revealed a curled snake in their path.

"I didn't see that," he mumbled, a little flustered as he rejoined her at her side. It was times like that he cursed his poor sight, but he had no excuse for not at least smelling the damn thing. "So you're a guardian too? Or was that just coincidence?"

"I'm alone now, yes." She gave him a kind sort of look and another of those chiming laughs. "A guardian, huh? I suppose I could be, if that was what was asked of me."

She tossed her head and kicked her heels out a bit as she added, "It's not surprising you didn't see it- that's what they're there for, yes? To catch people by surprise."

He shook his head in disbelief as he watched her. How could anyone be so happy? So cheerful and carefree?

"That's true, I guess." Kynton trailed off, biting his tongue to keep from explaining how she was wrong, how he was an embarrassment for being caught off guard at all. "Just seems like you're looking after me." Naturally, not even consciously. It was weird, but he wasn't sure how to say that without being outright offensive.

"Oh." Bella paused, then continued her way prancing along beside him. "Well, I suppose I am, aren't I?" She laughed again. "Habit, I guess. My kind do tend to look after those in our forests, it's a sort of instinct I think."

She walked in quiet for a few more paces, then tossed her head with a soft snort. The vine around her neck was growing quite irritating, but she didn't want to complain. There had to be a good reason for it, right?

Kynton wasn't oblivious, he noticed the way she tossed her head looking all suspicious of him and uncomfortable, but he was also hesitant to bring attention to it. The lead was flimsy at best and what would he do if she got away? Act like he never found her?

Instead he committed to staying quiet about it. "Is there, um...anything I should know about you? Special stuff?" It was only polite, he didn't want her to die on him.

"Special... I don't think so," Bella answered easily. She didn't feel the need to tell him about her rather unique gift among her kind. That may just frighten him.

She allowed her pace to slow a bit to walk more sedately beside him, trying to force herself not to be so chatty, so curious. It seemed to make him a bit uncomfortable.

"Right," he sighed, giving a nervous huff and clearing his throat. At this point he expected her chattiness so when it didn't come he was a little anxious as to why. But he enjoyed the silence and eventually relaxed to let it settle between them. It was a temporary arrangement after all, no need to get too personal even if she had probably saved his life. Twice.

It wasn't much longer until he picked up the faint scent of smoke in the distance. It startled him enough that he faltered in his steps before unconsciously picking up his pace, following his nose rather than the obvious, if small, trail of smoke rising in the distance to distort the view of the stars. "I think we're close," he mumbled, unsure of how to handle an introduction if one was even necessary. How did one even speak of a talking unicorn without insinuating at least a tiny bit that she was an animal? It was clear to him already that she was something more but he didn't know enough to speak of it properly.

"Oh, really?" Instantly Bella was excited again, the anxious sort of energy seeming to make the soft glow around her sparkle and gleam. She gave a full body shiver, like a horse trying to rid itself of a fly, and a small whicker.

"What are your friends like?" she asked eagerly, staring at Kynton with wide eyes. "Are they like you, with the cold? Oh, sorry, was that rude? I tend to babble when I'm nervous." Another chiming laugh.

"Friends?" His eyes snapped to her for the word, his brow furrowing in confusion as he tried to make sense of why she'd used it as well as the odd look about her. He wasn't sure because of the fuzziness but she seemed even brighter then before somehow.

"I don't think so they're just...normal," he mumbled, careful not to use the word human. "I don't think they need any help, if that's what you're asking." Even if he didn't feel like it he still wanted to think he was still entirely human. But it would be clear immediately that he was very different from his companions so he didn't want to give her any reason to question him.

"Maybe just- When we get close, I mean, don't talk, okay? I'll...handle it," he told her nervously.

"Oh..." Her ears drooped- rather more like a puppy than a horse- and her head hung a bit. "Um, sorry. I really do talk too much, don't I? I'll be quiet," she promised with a flick of her tail.

Once again silent and sedate, she picked her way along the forest path beside him, footsteps hardly more audible than the rustle of leaves.

He hissed softly under his breath at that, eyes narrowing for a moment before he noticed how pitiful she looked. "That wasn't what I meant, I just- They don't expect you to talk," he blurted out, hoping the truth might make her feel better. "They don't know you can talk."

Somehow he'd decided he would shield her from that, if possible. He wasn't sure what they might want to do with her as far as restraints if they knew she was more than just a magical horse, or whatever she was. He thought he might be able to convince them to let him handle her since he'd managed to find her, even if that was just stumbling upon her.

"It's for your own good," he muttered, eyes flickering forward towards the blurry figures gathered around the fire.

The brothers were more than a little skeptical of his sudden appearance, noticing him and the strange, glowing animal. Her horn was the only part that made them believe she was truly a unicorn but all three looked as exhausted as Kynton felt and were eager to accept his word as truth so they could begin the journey home.

Only Nel spared more than a moment's thought for her, the woman's eyes wide with an almost childlike wonder as she studied Belladonna.

"She'll stay with me. I'll watch her tonight," Kynton offered casually, though his shoulders were tense and eyes dilated in anticipation of resistance. None came, though, besides a mumbled "Don't lose her," from Raidin. Without another word he slipped away to the edge of the little camp the others had set up to put as much distance as he could between them all with hopes that it might be far enough for the chatty unicorn to speak with him quietly.

Exhausted from the effort of keeping himself moving Kynton collapsed to sit among the brush almost dreading the cold that he knew eventually came from stillness and sleep. With a few suggestive glances between Bella and the space beside him he reached out to pat at the ground hoping she would bed down without fuss.

Bella paused as she was led closer to the fire, suddenly wary. A strange, shivery sensation crept up the back of her neck- if she'd been more worldly, she might have recognized the instinctive fear.

But she was too trusting for her own good, and she simply followed Kynton where he led, truly believing her was taking her to someone who needed her help. She took his instructions to heart and made not so much as a whisper as she eyed their new companions curiously.

She thought she might be able to get on with the female, if given the chance. There was still a bit of innocence to her, a bit of wonder in the face of pure magic.

Such thoughts were chased from her mind when she saw how Kynton collapsed though, a worried little huff coming from her. Trying to keep her voice as quiet as possible, she murmured, "Are you alright?"

Taking his indication of the spot beside him as an invitation, she cautiously curled her legs under her body and laid down- unlike horses, her kind actually did not prefer to sleep standing up. Still worried for her new friend, she stretched her neck a bit to rest her head on his chest with a soft, sort of musical nicker.

Kynton tensely eyed the others across the clearing for a moment before allowing himself to answer her. Even once he deemed it safe, though, he shot her a quick glare for the sound she made. He really had no reason to try to quiet her, it was a perfectly animal sound all things considered, but he thought it best to be as cautious as possible.

"I'll be fine," he mumbled, the effort to remain irritated almost too much as he finally relaxed to offer her another gentle pat along her neck like he might a horse. "Just...going to be cold soon. I think... Don't worry about it, but just- Stay with us, alright?"

Briefly before he could mask it his eyes openly showed his fear of losing her, the object of their search. It had seemed so easy to stumble upon her but he wasn't so sure he would have such good luck a second time if she wandered off or decided she didn't want to follow anymore. He still wasn't sure what he was going to say to make this "far away person" that needed healing seem more real to her.

The unicorn let out a soft, contented sort of sound as he stroked her neck. The touch was surprisingly comforting- she'd been in her own for quite a while before she met Kynton, it was nice to have contact with someone.

"Don't worry. I'll stay with you until your friend is healed," she assured him, blinking large indigo eyes at him kindly. She kept her voice low, trying to heed his warning about not talking in front of the others. "Get some rest."

She nestled a little closer to him, trying to share her warmth. She still couldn't figure out what his ailment exactly- if it was truly an ailment- but she had realized he was sensitive to the cold.

Friend. She kept using that word. Every time he felt more guilty for it, realizing she had a much more positive opinion of him than he really deserved. If he really had such a friend it would be thoughtful to find a healer for them but it was such a big, fat lie and she was showing herself to be so caring for a stranger's sake.

"Thank you," he sighed, squirming to lie down more comfortably but careful to not push at her too much in doing so. It was certainly odd for him, but she was welcome and he didn't want to push away even a small source of warmth since he wasn't comfortable resting with the others.

She blinked at him slowly, the glow around her dimming some as she eventually let her eyes slide closed.

"Of course," she murmured easily, dropping her head to rest beside him. "Sleep well."

Perhaps most telling of her naivety was how easily she fell asleep surrounded by strangers, for it only took a few minutes until she was out.

Despite how exhausted he was Kynton waited until it seemed she'd fallen asleep. Only then did he allow himself to get some proper rest.

As he expected the chill of night settled deep in his bones. Bella's presence helped take the edge off but he still woke with a fitful start once he awoke in the morning. He moved tensely, limbs flailing awkwardly as he tried to orient himself and remember where he was and who he was with and why. He wheezed pathetically for his efforts, only stopping once he'd managed to crawl to his hands and knees where he remained, trembling and just trying to gather his composure.

A fairly light sleeper, Bella jolted awake as Kynton began thrashing about and got quickly to her hooves.

"Kynton?" She pressed her nose to his cheek, huffing softly, forgetting his warning not to speak. "What's the matter? Are you hurt?"

He was tense even with her presence but he cast wide eyes at his companions across the camp to make sure no one had noticed them. "I just... It's nothing, I had a bad dream," he lied grumpily, instinctively shying away from the touch to his cheek, gentle as it was.

With a sigh he turned to sit, rubbing at his face a bit before tugging his coat closer around himself. "Did you sleep okay?" he asked, not really curious but wanting to keep himself distracted for the time being.

Bella hesitated a moment, then picked her way over to stand beside him, her body sort of curved around his, and let her muzzle rest on his shoulder. "I...was comfortable," she murmured.

Honestly, her sleep had been a little restless, but she didn't want to complain, didn't realize the instinctive wariness attempting to warn her away from these strangers. Or if she did recognize the feeling, she dismissed it offhandedly.

While he felt she meant well he couldn't help being little tense still even with her resting against his shoulder. Kynton eyed her warily, green eyes blinking slowly as he mentally talked himself down, convinced himself she meant no ill by the gesture and wasn't going to hurt him.

"That's good," he finally mumbled, relaxing a little and tilting his head to look across the clearing to his companions. None of them seem concerned with him or the unicorn, probably didn't care to since it was obvious enough they were both alive and still there.

"You can walk, right?" he asked, turning a thoughtful glance to her almost impossibly small hooves as he fumbled through awkwardly, "I mean, long distances. I guess I'm asking...do you need me to carry you?"

The unicorn tossed her head with that same chiming, tinkling sound of laughter, though she did try to keep it quiet.

"Could you?" she asked softly, eyes sparkling. "I'm not sure I'm very...portable." It summoned an amusing mental image, at any rate.

Sobering a bit, she nodded and huffed at him, rather touched by his apparent concern. "Yes, I will be fine, thank you."

Kynton bristled defensively, gritting his teeth at the thought that she was laughing at him instead of the idea itself. It set him in a foul mood at any rate, arms crossing tensely over his chest as he turned his head away from her to try and hide the growing flush of embarrassment the small creature was inspiring.

"Good," he huffed, suddenly in a hurry to scramble to his feet and brush dirt and leaves from his clothes. His stiff behavior was nothing new to his human companions who didn't bother to pay attention to the pair across the clearing any longer than to confirm that the small unicorn was still with him.

"Are you hungry?" he asked with a sigh, hoping he wouldn't have to go to great lengths to keep her close and happy. He'd never given much thought to the transport of such a creature back into civilization, thinking any hooved animal would do fine on a bit of grass every now and then.

Oh dear. It seemed she'd offended him. Bella lowered her head slightly and fluted a soft, apologetic breath through her nostrils.

"I'm quite alright, thank you," she murmured, glancing up at him through tendrils of her forelock. "I probably won't need food until this evening, perhaps tomorrow." Her kind ate little, with large gaps in between meals.

She glanced over at the other humans, then lowered her voice even more. "Should I stop talking now?"

Well that was a relief. Though, he couldn't help but feel like she might not be telling him the whole truth.

At her question he glanced across to the other humans, studying them for a moment before waving dismissively. "Nah, humans don't hear that well," he explained with a shrug. "Maybe stay quiet once we're closer, walking together," he mused, not really liking the idea of forcing her into silence but still thinking it better than his companions finding out she was more intelligent than they'd all believed unicorns to be.

"Stay close to me and you'll be fine," he added, rummaging in his pack for a waterskin. He splashed his face a bit before gulping practically all of the rest down. It was enough to help him feel a bit more himself but he was far from at-ease.

"Very well." Seeming to take him quite literally, the unicorn took a few prancing steps closer until she was almost brushing against his side.

"Are you well?" she asked quietly, tilting her head at him, eyes large and concerned as she could feel the tension almost radiating from him.

"Mostly," he sighed, peering down at her. He actually smiled a bit at the comical way she looked with her rather innocent concern.

"I'm restless here," he admitted quietly, looking around them before lifting his pack onto one shoulder. "I don't like new places. Always too cold or too hot." Kynton pursed his lips slightly in thought, drawing them firmly together at the realization that she'd gotten him to speak again. He wasn't used to that and wasn't really sure what to think of it.

He settled on the short explanation of "not good for my kind."

"What is your kind, exactly?" Bella pressed, leaping at the chance to sate her curiosity now that he's given her an opening, however slim it was. "You don't feel quite...human."

As soon as she asked he knew he'd slipped up, eyes widening in surprise and just blinking at her in silence for a long time.

"I'm human!" he insisted, not wanting her to get the wrong impression. "I just have some...modifications." Kynton sighed heavily, feeling rather defeated that he didn't last longer before coughing up an explanation to her. "Not by choice, mind you. I had a bad run with a mage a long time ago. She...messed me up."

How could he even begin to explain the rather personal nature of his problems? "She mixed up some snake in me. Never been able to get rid of it." There, that was good enough, right?

"Don't go telling anyone that, though. I'm human as far as they know," he said, gesturing across the clearing at the others.

"Oh." Bella's eyes widened and she snorted in surprise. Well, that explained a lot of things.

With a small sigh, she nuzzled at his hand back mumbled, "I'm sorry. If it were a simply curse or an ailment I may have been able to help, but this...sounds like she did something to the make of you. I can't change that."

Another snort and she tossed her mane in a glitter of silver. "I won't tell."

"Thank you, but-" Kynton huffed and rolled his eyes at the idea of him seeking out such a small creature for help with such a large problem. "I never asked, did I?

"Besides," he shrugged, toeing his shoe against dead leaves on the ground to crush them distractedly. "I've learned to live with it. This kind of...thing. It's rare for me to be out here like this, so don't worry or anything."

"I know you didn't ask," she said easily. "I offered. It's what I do." Well. What she was supposed to do, at any rate.

She tossed her head again and nudged his arm with her nose lightly. "I will not worry, so long as there is no need to." She couldn't very well help it if she became concerned for him, there would be a reason for it she was sure.

Her reminder only served to make him feel bad, reminding him in a rather uncomfortable way that he was being too harsh with her especially for how she'd already helped him a little in easing his discomfort.

"There is already no need to. I'm a stranger to you. I'm not the one who needs your help." It was a bit of a lie considering how he wouldn't be paid without her but he had to keep stoking his other lie about the man who'd hired them.

Bella gave a brisk shake of her head and pawed at the ground. "Right. Forgive me, we should not be dawdling."

She glanced to the other three humans and found herself shifting a little closer to Kynton's side almost unconsciously.

"Right," he sighed, cautiously reaching out to pat at her neck like he might have a common horse, ruffling her mane gently before turning to join the others.

The brothers studied him briefly but barely glanced at the unicorn. "Ready then?" Lev asked with a bored yawn, gesturing at Bella.

"Yeah, should hurry back. We've been...gone a long while."

Raidin shrugged, pulling his pack onto his shoulder and righting himself to pick his way through the brush towards the main path that would lead them home. His brother followed easily enough but Nel's eyes lingered on the small unicorn again. The woman stumbled several times as she snuck looks at Bella with wide, obvious eyes.

Kynton glared at her lack of manners, not liking that she was doing that. Bella wasn't some performing animal and he didn't think she had done anything that warranted the staring.

Defensively he placed himself between the two, making it difficult for Nel to see the unicorn directly without being obvious about looking around him. It was enough to curb her interest for the moment and Kynton relaxed as he walked with them in relative peace.

The steady movement was enough to warm him a bit, enough at least to loosen the ties on his extra coat but he was still horribly overdressed for such weather.

At first the unicorn didn't seem to notice the young woman's interest, although she gradually began to pick up on the furtive glances. Her first reaction was to stare back, just as curious about the human female as Nel was about Bella.

After a while though she started to grow uncomfortable, not quite sure what she'd done to warrant that much attention. She was secretly a little relieved when Kynton stepped between them.

It was difficult for her to remember to keep quiet. She was just so curious, about their companions, the man they were taking her to, even this part of the forest. She'd never been so close to the edge before.

Kynton marched along automatically with the others for most of the day. It wasn't until early evening that he began to lag behind again like the previous night.

It was clear from the thinning brush and younger trees that they were nearing the outer edges of the forest, a welcome sight to his tired eyes. The place had its beauty but he was not eager to return to it again.

"How far would you say?" he called, though whether he meant until they stopped to rest or made it to Whitesands he had no idea.

"They'll probably go until sunset," Nel answered quietly, trying to peek around him at the small unicorn again. "And then...I don't know, how long did it take us? Two days? Shouldn't be very far at all.

"Good." It was better than good, it was wonderful. He couldn't wait to be rid of them, to never have to see these humans again. A small pang of guilt lingered in his heart, though, as he was uncertain what their employer intended for Bella's fate.

He found himself sneaking a few glances at her, frowning openly for her obvious innocence and trust.

Bella started to pick up her hooves a bit as they grew ever closer to the edge of the forest, almost prancing in excitement, though there was definitely a fair amount of nervous energy in her steps as well.

Feeling Nel's eyes on her again, she suddenly tossed her head and sprang forward with a musical whinny, cantering a few paces before circling around in front of the brothers before falling back to Kynton's side at a playful trot.

She kept silent, but her eyes sparkled excitedly and she kicked her heels up in an effort to rid herself of some of the energy.

The other humans watched her curiously, eyes following her every move as the small creature pranced about in her carefree glee.

Kynton tensed considerably for the display, paranoid that the others might see her for what she truly was. He watched her closely, eyes narrowed like a concerned father's more than anything. When she returned to his side, he couldn't help but roll his eyes at the silly mark of equine happiness, especially coming from a creature so small. Cautiously he reached to ruffle her forelock in praise, careful not to brush his hand against her horn.

He didn't say a word and neither did the others, but the brothers noted the way the unicorn stayed at his side without him having a hold on a lead as he had the previous day.

She gave another happy sound, a fluted nicker, as he ruffled her forelock and pressed into his touch lightly. Another of her kind might have taken offense to the familiar touch, but she found it quaint, soothing almost.

Bella was having a harder and harder time resisting the urge to speak, to ask questions about the world around her as she drew ever closer to leaving the forest for the first time.

"Not much longer," he encouraged quietly, shivering as a chill ran down his back.

He gave her a quick parting pat and ruffle of her mane before dropping his hand to his side again, aware of the eyes upon them and not wanting to encourage their staring. A part of him was proud of her for listening to him for so long, but he was worried about how long that could last with her.

Kynton let the others draw ahead slowly, allowing the growing dimness with the falling sun to make it a little less obvious that he was letting them pull ahead to give them a bit more privacy.

Bella waited until she thought it would be less likely for them to be overheard before she lowered her voice and murmured, "You're cold."

It was more an observation than a question and she pressed gently into his side. "Should we stop?" Why didn't his companions seem to notice his discomfort?

"Yeah...a bit." He frowned at that. The feeling was familiar but he was all but numb to the pain of it at that point. It was still odd to him that anyone would care about that, though.

"It's not too bad, I'll live," he promised, his eyes lingering on Nel's back for a moment but confident she could not hear them. "I'll stop when they stop. Shouldn't be too much longer. Unless you're tired?"

He actually smiled wryly at that, his eyes narrowing in playful scrutiny as he remembered how energetic she'd been.

The unicorn snorted and pawed at the ground. "I'm fine," she said with a prim little toss of her head. "I can go for days."

She dropped the playfulness and gave him another concerned look. "Are you sure you're alright? I could pretend to have a bad leg, if you don't want them to stop for you," she offered.

He made a sour face for the mere suggestion he lean upon feigned injury to get out of a bit of walking. "No, not necessary."

He sighed, rolling his shoulders to try and rid himself of some of the discomfort. It didn't help, of course. "Shouldn't be much longer."

The brothers seemed to finally take notice of the lagging pair. Lev watched them over his shoulder, eyeing the dark-haired man curiously. He couldn't hear what was being said but it seemed like he was speaking to the unicorn and he wasn't sure how he felt about that. He'd gotten the impression Kynton was an odd one, but to be talking to an animal? That seemed a little too weird.

Bella huffed a breath but didn't push the issue. She pressed her nose into his side breifly, then pulled away to continue walking demurely beside him.

She caught Lev's look and suddenly felt herself tensing, though she didn't really know why. She shook herself as though trying to rid herself of a fly and ducked her head slightly.

"They're watching us," she mumbled to Kynton, not sure if he'd noticed.

He was surprised to hear that, his head snapping up to meet Lev's eyes. Automatically he narrowed his own sharply, surprised at how defensive he was feeling over being "caught".

"I can see that," he whispered, careful to not let his mouth move too much as he dropped eye contact.

Kynton did his best to look embarrassed, hopeful that he might be able to fool them into thinking he was just talking at her and not actually having a real conversation. After a few moments it seemed to start working, Lev turning with a huff to face forward to pull ahead of his brother. The others glanced back at them a few times but didn't seem nearly as interested in what was happening and were just as quick to leave them alone again.

Relaxing once their eyes were off of them Kynton rolled his shoulders and eyed her out of the corner of his eye, not realizing how tense he'd been through it all. "Sorry for the staring. We don't, um, see much of your kind around here. Or anywhere, really," he explained quietly, automatically reaching out to pat at her shoulders in apology.

"It's quite alright," Bella replied softly after a moment. "I've been doing some staring myself. You lot are the first humans I've ever seen with my own eyes."

She snorted softly and picked her way delicately around a few stones in the path, not wanting to pick one up in a hoof. "How do you know them?" she asked with a sidelong glance in his direction. "Forgive me if I'm too forward, but you do no let seem as...as much a part of their herd."

"Herd?" Kynton chuckled quietly at that, genuinely amused by her innocence. Of course a unicorn would call a group of humans only what she knew.

"No, I suppose we're not." After a moment to ponder their situation he continued, "I wouldn't really say I know them. I met them -the two men up there- at some tavern. Said they needed another man for....um, help. With finding you, I guess." It was as close to the truth he was willing to admit at least.

"But you're right," he sighed with a shrug. "We're not of the same...kind. Probably will never see each other again after this. Probably for the best."

"Hm." She glanced to the other humans, then back at him. "So...where is your herd then?" He must come from somewhere, right?

"I...don't really know," he mumbled uncomfortably, feeling a little awkward in that being the truth of it. He didn't know what family he had or might have had at one point, he'd been alone since he could really remember. As a child leaning upon friends was common but as an adult he really didn't have a place in life he felt he could call his own or call his homeland.

"I mostly stay in Serendipity," he decided. It was true enough at least, and maybe that would be enough to satisfy her curiosity about him. He hoped.

"It's close to here. Sort of...but it's a very big place."

"Serendipity." She sort of rolled the word around in her mouth. "It sounds like a sweet," she laughed quietly. "What's it like? Woods? Fields? Oh, are there lots of those human-den-things? Houses?"

Kynton gave a snort at her questions, rolling his eyes dramatically. "Well, sure. All of that. Somewhere, at least. It's a big place, lots of...well, everything. Just depends on where you go."

For a moment he pondered telling her a partial truth and didn't see the harm in her knowing. It wasn't like she was a prisoner. Not exactly, at least. "That's where we're going, actually. But...it's on the coast. Um, it's very...beach-y. You know, with sand. Not as forested as some other parts, but lots of water. But you can't drink it."

"Beach?" She pranced a few steps. "You mean...like the ocean?" Her eyes lit up excitedly and she gave a little whicker, then a half-hip forward. "I've never seen the ocean before!"

Evidentially quite keyed up now, the unicorn broke into a short canter before she circled back to trot happily at his side again, tossing her head and swishing her tail every once in a while.

"Yes like the- Bella!" He hissed a little too loudly, catching Nel's attention. The woman's eyes went wide as she watched the small creature run. Automatically she reached out towards her, thinking she was actually fleeing, but Bella was out of her reach far too quick for her own reflexes.

Raidin tensed and shot Kynton a glare over his shoulder and it only took a few moments for the others to join in on the intense staring as they looked to the pair and the curiously excited unicorn.

Kynton waved his hand dismissively at them, side-stepping to walk a little closer to her as if to demonstrate that he could keep things under control. The deep maroon of his eyes flashed nervously under his facade, though, quite unable to appreciate her innocent excitement under such scrutiny.

"Yes," he whispered once the others had looked away again. "I'm sure you'll have plenty of chances to see it. It's just water, nothing special," he promised with a snort.

"Oh." It seemed she'd done something wrong. The others were staring now and Kynton was tense. Bella lowered her head slightly, ears drooping, and her tail stilled. "Um, right. Sorry, I- I got excited..."

She huffed a small breath and pawed at the ground bashfully.

Though he knew he hadn't done anything to really warrant it he suddenly felt terribly guilty, like he'd scolded her for something she hadn't deserved.

"You're allowed to be excited," he reminded her, feeling bad for what he saw as nervous antics.

Reaching out cautiously he set a gentle hand to her mane behind her ears, petting in what he hoped was a reassuring manner.

"They're just...not used to something like you," he offered. Granted he wasn't either, but she was growing on him and he wasn't nearly as bothered as he'd been the day before by her natural cheerfulness.

Bella's ears perked up and she flickered them at him with a small, happy whicker. She didn't mind te others staring so much if her new friend was alright with it.

"Do you think they'll get used to me?" she mused aloud after a few moments. It would certainly make traveling together easier if they could all be friendly.

And she was getting more and more nervous that she was going to slip up and talk in front of them.

He flinched at that, uncertain of how to skirt the truth. He wasn't sure they would really be around her long enough to even worry about that. The job seemed to be the priority of the rest even though she'd managed to more or less befriend him.

"Couldn't say," he mumbled, scratching gently between her ears for a moment before letting his hand fall away. It seemed inappropriate to pet something that could talk, especially when he wouldn't have appreciated it himself.

"I wouldn't worry yourself with them. They don't seem the...social sort. Well- I'm not really either, but-" Kynton shrugged, not really wanting to say that it was easier to talk to an animal than a person.

"Everything will be fine."

He seemed to be quite concerned with her understanding that. Everything would be fine.

For perhaps the first time, Bella felt a twinge of suspicion. She shoved it aside quickly though, not even entirely familiar with the feeling. A toss of her head and a murmured, "As you say," we're her only response.

He actually felt more uneasy with her lack of speech and lack of questions. Without anything else to distract him Kynton lagged further and further behind the rest, his limbs moving sluggishly.

He was envious of the others, of what his former self would have been capable of. It left him feeling like a washed-up old man. Walking shouldn't take such a toll on a person, even for such long distances.

He grit his teeth and continued on, stubborn and not wanting to beg for mercy or a rest. Slower. He would just catch up later. Just like yesterday. And the night before. And before. At least they didn't seem surprised by it now.

"You can go on with them if you want to," he offered, looking down at Bella.

The unicorn had been unconsciously slowing her pace to match his. At his suggestion, she shook her head. "No. I like walking with you."

At least she knew she could talk to him.

Giving him a concerned look, Bella murmured, "If you'd let me, I might be able to help. Like how I helped you stay warm before? I could do that again."

He grunted in acknowledgement, feeling too weak to argue it if she said she was all right with him. Her suggestion was surprising, not something he'd considered could become a "regular" thing while they were together.

"Well, if it isn't inconvenient for you," he agreed, not wanting to directly ask for her help with it. "Or take too much from you."

Kynton slowed a bit more, his feet barely shuffling along the path until he stopped altogether. Eyeing her anxiously he swallowed hard and stared down at her curiously, uncertain if things would need to happen the same as they had before with her horn against his chest. He wasn't exactly thrilled about that, but if it was necessary he couldn't really complain.

"It's not inconvenient." A silvery toss of her mane and she turned to stand in front of him. "This is what we do. It's what we're made for, to keep balance, heal, protect."

Sensing his tension, she took a cautious step forward and craned her neck up. Instead of pressing her horn over his heart, she tapped his lips lightly. Without much experience to go on, she was really just experimenting with which methods seemed to help him the most.

He frowned at that, actually feeling a little sorry for her. It sounded like a bunch of idealistic bullshit to him, but he didn't feel like making things awkward if voicing that would hurt her feelings.

Kynton couldn't deny that her magic was real, though, no matter the purpose. He was more than a little surprised by the touch, flinching instinctively for any part of her to be so close to his fangs. Almost immediately a warm wave of calm enveloped him, though, and he stilled like a man entranced.

He didn't even bother to check if the others had gone on without them or not, didn't care. Her magical warmth felt distinctly deeper, like the ice in his veins might have truly been thawed. It was the most wholly human he'd felt in...well, years.

Better yet, he didn't feel like he was swinging from one extreme to the other. There was no burning, no uncomfortable feverishness for the bundle of coats he'd wrapped himself up in. Just...comfort, pure and simple. For the second time since they'd met he felt like every breeze didn't just blow right through him to chill to the bone.

In a haze of bewilderment he finally focused his dark eyes upon her, pupils dilating to what could almost be considered a normal roundness. Suddenly he wasn't so sure turning her over would be the right thing to do, at least not for himself. He would be an absolute fool to throw away such an opportunity to have relief from his affliction so readily available. Briefly he wondered how easy it might be to hide a unicorn. Further, though, he wondered how he might even be able to convince her or another of her species to help him long-term when he had nothing to offer them in return.

"Thank you, Bella. That's...amazing," he murmured distractedly, still staring but his eyes holding a far-off look as his thoughts drifted further and further from the present.

Bella pranced back a few steps from him, eyeing him with her head cocked to one side. She could almost feel his relief as a palpable shiver in the air.

If she could have smiled, she would have. "You're welcome." She tossed her head and moved toward him, pushing her nose into his hip in an affectionate nuzzle.

Kynton reached to scratch lightly at her cheek, though it certainly was no payment or affection worthy of what she'd done for him. Even a brief reprieve was better than he would ever get on his own.

By the time he realized they should keep moving the others were far ahead along the path, shrouded by shadows and the the growing darkness of night. But he knew the way, could sense it and his companions.

"We should keep moving. Don't want to worry them," he prompted, eyeing her curiously but moving forward with a spring to his step, no longer weighed down by an invisible burden. All of his senses seemed clearer but somehow he doubted that contributed to the almost glowing quality of the unicorn.

He stumbled occasionally as he walked along, but not out of weakness. His eyes kept being drawn to her, completed distracted and not paying attention to where he was going. Every time he mumbled some apology but it didn't stop him from doing it again.

The unicorn gave a tinkling nicker and tilted her head slightly into his touch, then nodded when he urged them to keep moving. She kept quiet for a while, simply walking sedately along beside him.

His little stumbles caught her attention though, and eventually she paused to ask softly, "Are you alright?" Had she done something wrong? Perhaps in her attempt to ease his discomfort she'd somehow messed up his equilibrium or something.

He blanched at that, fumbling for words and snapping his eyes forward again. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. Sorry. Just...." Again his eyes went to her and again he forced himself to look away.

"Just...feels like a cruel twist of fate," he pointed out vaguely with a nervous chuckle. "I've never been able to find anything like that." He pointed at her horn, careful not to touch. "I just can't believe you can do that. I know it isn't a cure but... It's the most normal I've felt in a long time, these past two nights."

"Oh." Her glow flickered a bit, and for a moment seemed a little more gold than silver. A unicorn's blush. "Well, it's nothing special, really. Any of my kind could do it."

Her eyes glinted at him kindly and her head tilted to the side. "But why is that cruel? It's...a good thing, isn't it??"

He huffed at that, eyes dilating in mild panic as he tried to sort out how to talk his way out enough to satisfy her curiosity. "Well yeah, just- That I'm not here for you. Well, I am, but... Getting you for someone else. He'll probably need you for...a long time." Forever, he guessed. He wasn't sure what plans there were for her ahead but he couldn't imagine someone paying the coin they were to receive for Bella would intend anything but to make her a prisoner.

"I...see." Again, that instinctive wariness crept up her spine, but she was too naive to name it for what it was and just tossed her head. "Well...perhaps you could come and visit while I heal your friend? Or I could come to you!"

Pleased with herself, the silver glow around her brightened and she nodded firmly, as though that solved the whole issue.

He clucked his tongue, pretending to give it serious thought. In reality he had no idea whether any sort of arrangement might work or not, what her "owner" would allow.

"I don't know. I mean, I move around a lot," he pointed out, hoping that might be enough to deter her from pursuing it further. "For a good climate and all. It's hard for me to stay in one place for long."

"Oh." Her ears and tail suddenly drooped like a dejected puppy. "Of course, I understand." She shook herself a bit and glanced up at him again, trying to be chipper. "Well...if you ever can, I'd very much like to see you again."

Kynton huffed and rolled his eyes at that, not really believing her to be genuine. "You don't have to be polite. Or nice. I know I'm not a pleasant person. Probably better this way anyway." He grumbled the last, his mood souring at the sudden thought that he might miss her quirky cheerfulness once he was gone.

The idea of visiting didn't seem so bad if he got a little magical help out of it, but how would that ever happen once she belonged to someone else? And he doubted she would even want to see him if he could bring himself to follow through with leading her all the way there just to turn her over. It was for the best if he could manage not to get her hopes up. Somehow the idea of disappointing her was very unsettling.

"But I'm not being polite," Bella protested, genuinely surprised by his reaction. "Really. I like you. I like talking to you."

Sure he was a little surly, but honestly his personality was so different from hers that she found all those pieces of him fascinating.

Liked talking to him? He couldn't fathom why.

He tilted his head, staring wide-eyed at the unicorn like she'd just explained the impossible to him. "You- What? There are much...better humans than me. Friendly. Nice. Decent people. I'm not one of 'em," he added, raising a brow questioningly as if he expected her to just accept that and correct herself.

Bella shook her head firmly. "Maybe. But I like you."

That silver glitter in the air around her again, the hint of a smile, and she added, "Besides, not everyone can talk to unicorns. Or see us, for that matter, not unless someone points us out. You're special, Kynton."

"They can't? How- What? Really?" He'd stopped again without realizing it, still staring but now with a rather dumbfounded disbelief. How in the world could he be special enough for something like that? Even before his little accident he was, in his mind, a very unremarkable human with a very dull life.

"Why wouldn't someone be able to see you? Do you, um, have a way of hiding yourself? A...mask or something?" Or the magical equivalent. The word camouflage was frustratingly out of reach for him at the moment. The talking he could at least believe. Maybe that had something to do with magic. He hoped that meant she might have had a bit of protection from his companions overhearing her after all, though he wasn't sure what might stop them from seeing him as a little crazy if they were within earshot.

Another tinkling laugh and Bella shook her head slightly. "No. No mask. It's...difficult to explain. All animals can see us except humans- or, well, some other two-leggers I suppose. If you have that...innocence? Yes, innocence, or something like it, then you can see what we really are. If not, you'd just a see a white doe, maybe a small mare."

While he understood her words it still made no sense to him why he was special enough for it.

Innocence. He didn't think he had any, so it was puzzling.

"So...maybe they wouldn't know if they can't see on their own," he mumbled distractedly, his thoughts far off into the future. Perhaps she would be able to keep her freedom if he never truly said what she was, if they might not notice without his help.

"Yes." She looked to the other three humans. "You told them what I am, so they can see me now. The female might have been able to do it on her own...but I'm not sure."

Kynton nodded distractedly, flushing a little as he struggled to correct himself. "I was thinking too far ahead. Humans you haven't met yet," he explained, though only after did he realize it might be unusual for him to want to hide her existence.

"I'll worry about they later, but... I guess I'm happy you don't hate me yet." He managed to crack a rare, playful smile at that.

"Hmph." Bella tossed her head and swished her tail at him, tapping his hip. "Of course I don't hate you. You seem quite determined that I should though," she noted with a curious tilt of her head.

He gave a grunt at that, reaching out again to scratch gently behind her ears while shoving his other hand in his pocket. "Of course I am. Would be better if you did. I'm...not any good. Not anymore. Just dangerous."

"You're not." She was quiet a moment, then amended, "Well, I suppose you could be dangerous. But that doesn't mean you're not good. I can tell."

She blinked up at him. If he looked, he might see that, instead of his own reflection, her eyes showed an image of the woods, peaceful and utterly serene.

"Those two... They don't really go together," he pointed out, a little confused by what she'd meant but not wanting to press it anymore. There wasn't much point if he couldn't change how she saw him anyway. Her blind faith in him seemed so unfair he could feel the unsettled churning in his stomach he didn't quite realize was horrible guilt.

He didn't look at her, too caught up in his own thoughts to notice any changes with a rather pained expression fixed upon his face.. He could tell they were getting closer to the others as he shuffled along but it almost didn't matter to him anymore. What was he going to do about her?

"Perhaps. Or perhaps not. There are stranger things in the world, no?" Bella laughed quietly and pressed her nose into his side in a brief, affectionate nuzzle.

Her own growing anxiety did a good deal to blind her to his discomfort, as as they walked along she started to fidget nervously.

"Hmm." He wasn't sure how she would know that being the most naive creature he'd met in his entire life, but she did have an odd sense of wisdom about her that didn't really seem to fit the rest of the her. Not yet at least.

With the silence that had fallen between them he noticed her fidgeting quite easily once he'd managed to climb out of his hole of distracted, far-off thoughts. "Cold?" he guessed, unable to distinguish it from shivering.

"Hm? Oh, no." She shook her head quickly and tried to calm herself. "No, just...nervous, I suppose." Bella gave a tinkling little laugh and tossed her head again. "Silly, I know. We're days away from our destination anyway, right?"

He felt a bit guilty for that. Of course he'd given plenty of cause for her to be nervous. He needed to be more careful if they were going to make it without incident.

"Yeah. Couple more days, I'd guess. But...don't be nervous. I'm sure you'll do, uh, just fine." He prayed that was all that concerned her, knowing if he'd made her uncomfortable he only had himself to blame.

[Do you think we should do a time skip soonish?]

"Easier said than done," Bella snorted with a light, chiming laugh. She pranced nervously in place for a moment. "I just...you are the first humans I've met. I'm not sure how to...act."

What was that supposed to mean? "Are there rules about that? Can you not just...be normal with humans? Just be yourself?" he asked curiously, uncertain if there was some unicorn code of ethics he wasn't aware of. After the past couple of days with her he wasn't even sure that would be a surprise anymore.

"Well...not exactly." Her glow flickered, a thoughtful sort of frown. "But it's difficult- it seems like there is some much about your people I don't know."

He hummed thoughtfully, not quite sure what could possibly be so puzzling about his kind. Apparently she was far more naive than he'd originally believed. "There's not much to figure out," he admitted, offering an encouraging little half-smile. "Humans are...simple at heart. Mostly. I'm sure you'll be used to us soon enough. And then you'll be tired of us for being so dull."

Bella laughed quietly and bumped his side lightly. "Perhaps. But I doubt it. There is always something new to learn, no?"

She swished her tail, catching the back of his leg, and fell into a sort of contemplative silence as they walked.

He supposed she might have been right, but she really did have such an odd outlook. It was strange being around someone so...positive.

~~~

The rest of their journey was fairly uneventful. Nel and the brothers seemed on their best behavior and content to let the strange, snake-eyed man take the lead concerning Bella. It seemed odd to have any trust placed in him at all, but he supposed he'd proven himself capable of watching over her in their short time together.

It was only as they were reaching their destination and approaching a pair of large gates Raidin was leading them to that he became anxious. He wondered what kind of person they were taking her to, if they might be merciful and see that she was a special creature and not just some animal.

He'd rehearsed so many times in his head how it was supposed to go, what he would say to the man paying for Bella. In his heart he felt like he was about to betray her. He supposed he deserved that for leading her on in her innocence.

After a bit of murmured discussion it was Nel the brothers sent to knock on the front door. Kynton expected a sprawling manor would have servants doing practically everything within. None of them had ever seen the lord of the house to recognize him when he opened the door himself, though Kynton was suspicious. Even without a coat or being properly made-up the man was clearly dressed in fine clothing.

For a moment Lucas studied the girl curiously before his eyes swept past her to count the men gathered at his doorstep. Then he settled on Bella, eyes sparkling and a smile tugging at him lips. The Fae immediately recognized her for what she was.

His silence was a little unnerving for Lev, who cleared his throat and was the first to break the silence, "Um, we're here to see your master. Um, Lucas Renwick."

"Of course you are. For the unicorn. Come in, come in." Lucas smiled broadly and stepped back to make way for them, amused at the way the young man thought to address him. It seemed clear to him that they didn't know who he was.

Kynton felt a little odd at the invitation. With no explicit mention of Bella aside from what she was he wasn't sure if the man was allowing her in or not, but he figured it was safe to assume that she was allowed.

"Stay close," he whispered to her as he shuffled forward to follow the others. At least it was light, bright and didn't look like some terrible dungeon but he was skeptical anyway, looks could be deceiving. The brothers seemed a little restless, and soon he understood why.

Lev crossed his arms, seemingly uncomfortable as they were led through the home without any idea of a destination. "We probably should have said... We're not here to visit. Just need to talk with him and we'll be on our way." Of course all they cared about was the coin.

Lucas eyed him over his shoulder and hummed in acknowledgement. "In good time. These things can't be rushed," he reminded gently, earning him a scowl of disagreement even though Lev argued it no further with words.

Nel seemed distracted, her eyes wandering and feet drifting as she swayed this way and that through the hall. Her hands skimmed the walls and curtains like a child that had never seen anything like them before. Kynton winced as he watched her fingers skim over other decorations, uncomfortable with the idea of her breaking something and earning the wrath of the house's owner.

"Wait here," Lucas chirped, drawing his attention as he opened the door for them to an empty parlor. "I'll be back in just a moment."

Bella was content to follow Kynton's lead for the rest of their journey, sticking close to him as they traveled and slept. It wasn't as though she was consciously avoiding the other humans, she just found she didn't really feel the need to be around them. Perhaps it was because Kynton was the one who found her, who saw her first for what she really was.

As they approached the manor however, she found her anxiety steadily ramping up until she was prancing mess, eyes constantly flickering about in a combination of curiosity and nervousness.

She barely paid attention as the humans talked, only really tuning back into the conversation when they were ushered into the building.

Her hooves echoed in a way that seemed far too loud as she struck the stone and she jumped, startled, then her silvery glow flickered in embarrassment.

The man her companions had been talking to left and she sidled closer to Kynton. "Is he going to get your friend? The one who needs healing?"

Kynton tensed at her questions, nodding stiffly and whispering, "Yeah...I think so. Come on." He reached out to ruffle her forelock gently before slipping into the room after the others. At least it was nice inside, not too hot and not too cold.

The brothers took no time at all sprawling out on the chairs, kicking up dirty boots onto the delicate-looking cushions. It made him wince to witness but at least Nel seemed more gentle, quietly taking a seat off to the side. Kynton moved to go sit in the far corner, consciously trying to place himself as far away from the door as possible.

Lucas returned a few minutes later, this time with a few small pouches in one hand. The brothers eyed him skeptically as two were offered to them. "Thank you very much. I can't tell you how long I've been looking for one of these," he sighed.

It took them a few moments to connect the dots before they were hurrying to take their boots off Lucas's furniture. Raidin took them both since his brother seemed a bit dazed, scratching at his head. "So that's it?"

"That's it." The blonde man smiled warmly, eyeing Bella with genuine adoration. "I think she'll do nicely."

Lev huffed at that, taking his share of the coin from his brother before hurrying to his feet and out the door with a barely mumbled, "Have him find us if you need any more."

Nel seemed a little shocked at their disappearance, the girl just staring at Bella even as Lucas approached her and handed her a cut. "Thank you for your time, Miss," Lucas bid her with a short pat to her shoulder. "I don't trust men like that to split fairly," he offered in amused explanation.

She nodded slowly but continued to watch the unicorn as Lucas approached her, seemingly unfazed at their journey coming to an end so suddenly and without and fanfare.

The Fae crouched down to her level, excitement bubbling in his eyes as he offered her an open palm and a few gentle clicks as he would have any horse. "My, aren't you a pretty girl," he admired.

Kynton sat tense, aware of the remaining coin in the man's hand but afraid for some reason that Bella might not go willingly with this stranger.

She huffed affectionately and nudged her head into his hand as much as she could without jarring him up against her horn.

Following the others into the hall, Bella looked around curiously. Since no one seemed keen on stopping her, she paced around a bit, nosing at things or tilting her head, once or twice going into a half-rear to better see the tops of shelves.

Her nerves got the best of her eventually though, and she turned to clop her way back over to Kynton's side. While her steps seemed loud to her, they were still barely audible, even on stone.

She folded her legs under her body delicately and rested her head in the man's lap, eyes still flickering around even as Lucas reentered the room. She watched him carefully as he passed out the small bags. He didn't seem sick- in fact, the sense she got from him was...

More from curiosity than because he beckoned her, she stretched her head forward to nudge her nose against his palm. Indigo eyes shot wide and she jerked her head back with a snort and a surprised, unthinking, "You're not human!"

Lucas stared in surprise, blinking rapidly as he slowly lowered his hand to rest against his knee. He laughed under his breath and smiled broadly as he shot Kynton a playful glare. "Oh, fancy that! Was she not told who I was? Poor thing, poor thing..."

Kynton tensed even more, gnashing his teeth a bit as he struggled with how to address the situation. "I...wasn't really told. I never talked to your man, only them." He gestured at the door the brothers had departed from but quickly brought it back down to nervously pet at Bella's neck.

Lucas sighed dramatically, tilting his head from side to side in contemplative silence for a few moments before lifting his hand to the unicorn once more in offering. "I'm not human, but you are a marvelous little thing," he declared, already proud of what his money had brought to him. "Tell me, do you all speak? Or did-" Golden eyes flickered to Kynton briefly in prompting but when the man refused to produce his name he carried on without. "Did your friend here just find me someone extra special?"

The unicorn blinked, looking back and forth between the two men. "I... It depends, I think," she murmured in reply after a moment. Kynton's petting was oddly comforting and she leaned into the touch.

Eyes flicking over Lucas, she said slowly, "You are not ill. Where is the person I'm meant to help?"

Lucas's brow furrowed in confusion, his eyes again seeking Kynton to clear up why she seemed to expect him to be ill. The dark-haired man fidgeted nervously in his seat, hand still moving rhythmically along Bella's neck and mane.

"You're here for him," Kynton mumbled, though his tone was that of a man who didn't even believe his own words.

Lucas looked between them, puzzled by the clear sense of attachment between the man and the unicorn. "Is she...yours?" he asked in his confusion.

Kynton froze then shook his head. "She doesn't belong to me. But she's my...friend."

"Ahh." The fae cracked an understanding smile at that, reaching out to gently brush against her shoulder with the back of his hand. "Truthfully I didn't request a unicorn for myself. I have a friend who is...very fond of your kind," he offered in explanation. "Would you like to meet him?"

Suddenly the petting started to seem a little suffocating rather than comforting. Bella got to her hooves, shifting her weight nervously as both men started stroking her.

"Um..." She looked at Kynton, then to the fae man. "I- yes? But I thought...no one is sick then?"

Her eyes flicked to her friend, the very beginnings of hurt creeping into them. Had he lied to her? No, perhaps he just hadn't been informed- he'd said he didn't get much information from the others.

Lucas eyed Kynton curiously for that. Just what had he told the little creature?

For all the staring Kynton just dropped his eyes to his lap, letting his hand hang limply as Bella moved away. He couldn't look at her, realizing she was beginning to see what he'd done.

Lucas stood slowly, brushing a hand along his arm and casting a quick look to the girl that remained quietly in the room. "Well he's a bit sick in the head," he offered with a laugh, shaking his head. "If you could cure him of that it'd be a miracle."

Though it certainly was never what he'd meant Kynton latched onto it desperately, not wanting Bella to think he'd led her on and lied. "I think...that might have been it," he mumbled quietly.

"Oh." She glanced back and forth between them again, eyes narrowing slightly as her mind started to work a bit faster. "Um. Well, if he's sick mentally...I'm not sure what I can do for that, but I'll certainly try my best."

She took a tiny step back from them though, almost involuntarily, and her hooves clipped unusually loudly against the stone.

"Wonderful!" Lucas cheered quietly. He wasn't fazed at all by the soft sound of her hooves against the floor, as if having a unicorn in his home wasn't a particularly unusual occurrence.

"Have you traveled long? Would you feel better having a rest before I send you off to him?" he asked kindly, genuinely concerned for her comfort now that he considered her to be under his care.

"It's been...a while," Kynton chimed in, turning his head to finally look to Bella with guilt.

"Um...some rest would be nice," Bella murmured after a moment. She tilted her head at Kynton, then at Lucas.

Th fae man seemed perfectly pleasant, albeit perhaps a little...off. But her friend was nervous, and she couldn't quite figure out why- which in turn was making her nervous.

Kynton just stared for a moment, tense and holding his breath as he met her eyes before releasing it with a sigh and looking to Lucas with a rather gutted expression. He had no idea why he was hoping for this man he'd just met to be merciful but he didn't look the sort to harm him for asking.

"If she's going somewhere else...would you mind if I stayed with her?" he asked quietly.

"With her? What, as her...escort?"

Kynton shrugged. "If it must be that way. So she can have a familiar face," he explained.

"Ahh." Lucas tapped at his cheek in contemplative silence, eyes looking between the pair. He didn't sense any outward aggression from the man before him. "You two seem close," he observed.

Kynton bristled defensively at that. Of course they were! Well as close as they could be after a few days together, but it still counted. "Yes." Then after a moment he added, "I'm...the one who found her."

Lucas nodded, twisting to look at the door briefly as he thought on Kynton's offer. "I suppose you expect to be paid for your trouble," he murmured thoughtfully.

Kynton's eyes widened, hoping he didn't think he was making any demands but if he was offering... "I'm asking as a favor to her, but...it could save you time and effort finding someone else," he reminded him. Gods, what was he getting himself into? Where did this crazy friend of his even live? And what in the world did he want with a unicorn?

That seemed to be all the curiously bubbly man wanted, the grin that flashed for his answer feeling a little unsettling. Lucas gestured at the three remaining in the room. "Very well. You've been kind enough to lead her this far. You all can go together. I'll give you details in the morning, hm?" Lucas tossed the final purse of coins to Kynton, the dark-haired man only barely catching it on his lap as he struggled for the words to explain that his request hadn't included the girl.

But Lucas was already heading for the door with a dismissive wave of his hand. "I'll have some rooms arranged for you, shouldn't take long," he announced, and then he was gone.

Kynton glowered at Nel without even trying to hide the irritation swirling in his eyes. She seemed distant and distracted, though, like the fae man's presence and the end of their initial journey was simply too overwhelming for her to do anything but stare off and look like she might fall asleep at any moment.

With a huff and sigh he extended a hand towards Bella and apologized, "Sorry about that... I didn't realize any of this would be necessary." Truthfully he was a little happy that it was, though. It gave him time to think, time to spend with her and devise a plan on how to free her from whatever might be waiting for her with this friend of his. Surely there must be a way for him to correct his mistake.

The unicorn kept her piece as the two males talked, though her glow did brighten considerably when it was agreed that Kynton would come with her.

Though even she wasn't entirely sure why- it was clear now that her new friend had been keeping things from her, though she desperately wanted to believe it was unintentional on his part.

And then there was the matter of the girl. Nel had never been very chatty, but now her silence was almost unsettling. Bella tossed her head and shifted nervously closer to Kynton, glancing up at him with wide eyes.

"I...may we talk? Please." She glanced to the woman, then back to him. "Perhaps once we are alone?"

He was worried that would have been what she'd want. Though why he'd hoped for anything else to happen but a chat with Bella he was uncertain. Just wishful thinking; it was practically mandatory. "Yeah... We can talk."

He impatiently bounced one knee as he waited, casting a few awkward glances to the young woman who would apparently be joining them. She seemed intensely aware of Bella suddenly, casting little glances that were far too obvious for her curiosity not to show.

Kynton stood almost immediately once the door opened again, relieved to see the servant girl that entered. He noted how her eyes seemed drawn more to Bella than to either of the humans in the room and cleared his throat loudly to try and get her attention.

"Sorry. Pretty mare," she offered in explanation. She flashed a smile and gestured for them to follow. "Does she need to...be in the stables? Or have a separate room?"

"Hm? No. No, she- she can stay with me." At least he hoped that would still be fine with Bella. "The... Um, young lady will, though. Need her own room, " he mumbled awkwardly. It felt a little odd to be directing sleeping arrangements when they'd technically all been sleeping quite close in the past days.

"Of course. Erm, Miss?" Nel perked up at that, seemingly snapping out of a trance as she hurried to her feet and moved to the door with a mumbled apology. Kynton followed after, more eager than words could convey to be free of the others for a little while and get things sorted out with Bella.

The young woman led them further down the hall to a room on the ground floor for Kynton. There were some words about breakfast options at sunrise as guests of the house but he hardly heard them in his haste to open the door and go inside as Nel was led away to a room upstairs.

He didn't even have time to be uncomfortable among all the finery, just paced about anxiously before finally settling to lean against a ridiculously ornate bureau with his face held in one hand.

He was definitely nervous. Bella felt her heart lurch in an unpleasant sort of way that she didn't recognize.

Then her head snapped around and she stared at the serving girl. Mare. Mare? As though she was a simple horse- wonderfully intelligent creatures as far as that sort of thing went, but rather insulting all the same. She snorted and tossed her head angrily.

Kynton's companions had been told what she was. She'd never actually encountered a human you couldn't see her, and she wasn't sure she enjoyed the experience. It made her feel...not quite real. Like she really was just a story human parents told their small children.

Then they were being led away and she didn't really have time to consider it as her mind was suddenly rocketed off in other directions. Namely, what she should ask Kynton.

When she clopped into the room after him she paused as he dropped his head into his hand. He looked...guilty.

Her glow flickered and dimmed. "You didn't know...right? That no one was sick?" Please, tell me you didn't know.

Kynton flinched. He didn't want to lie. She'd gone with him in good faith because of a lie and he was beginning to feel sick to his stomach for letting it go for so long already. Now he had no idea what their future might hold and while the servant and her master had been quite relaxed around them he had no doubts that plans were already in motion to ensure her "captivity," as it were. He hadn't counted his money yet -that was far out of the question with her right there with him- but by its weight he assumed the four of them had earned a sizable reward just for retrieving her. That certainly seemed an investment worth protecting.

"Well someone is sick," he reminded her, glancing at her before dropping his eyes again. That was a lame excuse and he knew it. "I- I thought you'd feel better about it if I just...told you that," he admitted, though his tone was quite pained. "I needed you, I- They would have abandoned me out there if I'd refused to help and taken you anyway." At least that was what he felt like they would have done, what he'd told himself would have happened.

She shifted her weight, front hooves sort of prancing nervously as she glanced around the room, instinctively starting to take stock of escape routes. There weren't many.

"So you...didn't really lie," she murmured, though it felt an awful lot like she was trying to make herself feel better. "But then- what's going to happen to me?"

He just shook his head at that, not wanting to actually say whether he'd lied to her or not. He'd done what he needed to earn her trust at the time but now...he just wanted to take her home.

"I...don't know. Do you want to, um, see this other person? See if you can help at all?" Kynton had his own doubts, personally thinking Lucas had been truthful telling them to their faces that his friend was sick mentally. He didn't even want to think about what that might mean for her, what she might endure going up against something like that when she was so innocent and pure. Did he torture? Did he kill her kind for sport? He had no idea but he didn't want to find out if she wasn't keen on going.

"Otherwise... Maybe I should just take you home." He had no idea how that was going to happen, though.

"I-"

She felt torn. A part of her desperately wanted to help, even if this person had no physical illness. It seemed almost like it would be disrespectful to her own kind if she didn't do everything she could to heal him.

And she'd certainly had enough of feeling like the outsider.

But at the same time she was afraid. It finally dawned on her, that the wariness and nervous flutterings she'd been feeling were the twinges of an instinctive fear she didn't entirely understand.

She wanted to go home.

"I- I'm scared, Kynton," she admitted in a soft voice, dropping her head in shame. "I just... Can you really get me home?"

Kynton watched her anxiously, the guilt sinking in deep as she finally admitted her fear of this whole situation. He'd caused it, there was no way around that, and now he wasn't even sure if he could fix it.

"I- I mean I don't see why not, I think I know the way." But that wasn't the issue.

He sighed, turning to look out the window across the room. The bright sunlight beyond seemed a cruel joke when faced with the reality of what she'd been brought there for. "I think I could. If that's what you wanted," he whispered.

"Please." Bella took a small step toward him, head still bowed in an unconscious gesture of submission and supplication. "Please, I- I want to go home, Kynton."

His eyes widened with guilt for that and he just stared at her in silence for a few long, awkward moments. Then he dropped his face into his hands again, rubbing angrily with a loud sigh. "I can- I'll try. I need to talk to...that man first," he explained. "But I'll do what I can." He didn't want to promise her he could do it, he didn't want to lie to her anymore than he already had. She knew the truth, or seemed to know as much as was necessary, and that was good enough for him.

"You should...probably try to rest," he suggested, dropping his hands and reaching out to gently scratch behind her ears. "I'm...sorry about this. Just relax, I'll help you."

A little shiver ran through her body and Bella started when he touched her, then allowed her body to relax. Not quite sure why she did it, she moved forward and butted her nose against his hip, seeking the comfort of more contact unconsciously.

"Okay," she mumbled. A part of her felt like she was abandoning a piece of herself if she left, but she was just so uncomfortable in this place. She just wanted to be back in her forest.

Twinges of guilt tugged in his gut to see her like she was. He had caused this problem for her. Maybe things would have been better off just finding a different unicorn before they'd left her forest, one who wasn't so innocent and trusting and genuinely kind. But...they might have all been that way. He might never know.

Kynton reached a cautious hand to lightly scratch against her cheek, the action more to distract himself than any conscious effort to comfort her. "I'm sorry. It was a mistake to take you," he mumbled, frowning in disgust with himself as he dragged himself to shuffle closer to the door. The manor was unknown to him but perhaps he might be able to at least scent out the oddly bubbly man from before. "Stay here, alright?"

Bella fluted a soft breath through her nose and tilted her head into his touch. She blinked at him, trying to reassure him with a, "Don't, it's not really your fault-" but she couldn't get much else out before he was moving to the door.

She shifted nervously. "I- okay. I'll...stay here."

He offered a sad smile, rolling his shoulders a bit as he mentally prepared himself for...whatever it was going to be. He had no idea what to expect of a stranger but as a friend he truly wanted to protect Bella from a seemingly grim fate.

Setting his hand to the door he opened it slowly and stepped out into the hall. For a moment he just stood there, twisting this way then that trying to decipher the fae man's scent as it truly was...everywhere. He wasn't quite sure what he'd expected, trying to track him in his own home. Once he'd caught on to what seemed like the freshest trail, though, he followed it upstairs. It seemed mingled with Nel's, which made sense considering the circumstances he'd last seen them, but Lucas's trail seemed to stretch even further so he followed it once Nel's came to an end at what he could only presume was her guest room.

He continued on down the hall until he was nearly at its end and...Lucas's trail stopped at a rather unassuming door. Kynton wasn't quite sure what to make of that. Was he resting? Had he left? There was really only one way to find out.

A few moments later once he'd finally worked up the courage to knock he was surprised when the very man he was looking for answered it almost immediately. Lucas seemed a little surprised to see him and had a rather expectant look about him, expecting Kynton's questions to be short and sweet and a matter of basic hospitality.

"Hello. Um, sir." The dark haired man bowed his head briefly, feeling a little awkward and uncertain in how to greet him without embarrassing himself or offending the other man.

Lucas nodded in acknowledgement and smiled kindly, not moving out of the doorway. A quick look past him revealed that it actually seemed to be a small study instead of proper quarters. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Actually...yes. I had a question. About the unicorn. Bella. Belladonna."

"Ah, that's her name, then?"

"Yes, but- I'm very sorry but she's really not comfortable with this whole situation. I'd like to just...take her home. To her home. I could find you another unicorn, I think, but...I don't think she would be very useful to this, um, friend of yours."

Lucas frowned thoughtfully, crossing his arms loosely at his chest as he gave it a moment of silent contemplation. "I've already paid you and your party generously," he pointed out, raising a brow as if to suggest Kynton was way out of line in his request. And really, he was.

"Yes, but- I could get the money back to you."

Lucas shrugged, obviously disinterested as he studied the nails of one hand. "That's too much trouble, I'd rather not. Besides, and no offense to your ability individually, but I've no idea how long I might need to wait for another. She's here. Right now. And I assure you, you won't have to travel far to deliver her. If she trusts you to...I'd just try to calm her down if she's a flighty thing. We already have an agreement, no? If you're unwilling to fulfill your end of the bargain I can find others to do it for me, and I must say that doesn't bode well for our future prospects, but..."

Kynton blanched at that, shaking his head vigorously. He couldn't even think of turning her over to anyone else to essentially abandon her.

Lucas took that as agreement and offered an understanding smile. "My friend is very fond of creatures like her. She will be very welcome in his home, I assure you. Go rest yourself for the morning. I'll have a personal guard escort you three and give you the rest of the details then, alright?"

Well shit. Kynton nodded, dazed and defeated as he turned to slowly drag himself back to the room he was sharing with the unicorn. The fae man obviously trusted him enough with her care but he was slowly coming to the realization that she was being discretely guarded already as he noticed a few people posted at the hallway exits. He grit his teeth, setting his jaw tensely as he cautiously re-entered the room.

He looked up but not at her, too much shame overwhelming him to break the news to her.

Bella paced circles around the room while she waited, anxious and fidgety. She jumped a bit when the door finally opened and Kynton slipped back inside, whirling to face him. "What-"

She'd been intending to ask what had happened, but his expression seemed to answer that question for her. She deflated slightly, tail and head hanging low, ears drooping while she pawed nervously at the ground.

Then she sighed and moved forward, nudging her nose against his hand. "Thank you for trying."

And yet...she knew. It was painful to see her disappointment expressed so clearly. He supposed that's just how things were with her kind but it didn't hurt any less to know he was the bearer of bad news for his unlikely friend.

Her touch allowed him to relax a bit. It seemed like a small sign of acceptance, but he felt she deserved to be angry with him if she'd wanted. Kind. She was too kind.

Rolling his shoulders he scratched his nails lightly against her cheek and gently pat at the top of her neck before moving to step further into the room. Kynton slumped down to sit on the edge of the bed, his back stiff against the unfamiliarity of their surroundings despite her presence.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, hanging his head slightly, still afraid to try to meet her eyes. "I did try, Bella. Just seems like he's got his mind made up about you."

Kynton sighed, shifting nervously against the bedding beneath him. Perhaps this new man they were going to would be more open to negotiating for her. Maybe they would be in luck and he wouldn't be as interested in the ownership that seemed to be implied by the fae man. Welcome in his home. Bah!

"I'll figure something out for you," he promised.

"You don't have to apologize," she murmured, sighing quietly and leaning just a bit into his touch. "I know you tried. I believe you."

Bella moved away from him and started pacing a small circle around the room. "Do you know- did he say what's going to happen? At this new place?"

Kynton withdrew his hand to watch her with a heavy heart and tired eyes. He leaned forward with his arms resting against his thighs, contemplating her question. Lucas hadn't exactly said anything bad, but the feeling he got was anything but pleasant. What could anyone possibly want with a unicorn?

Instead of speculating out loud he just shook his head, smiling apologetically. "He said you would be 'very welcome' there," Kynton relayed, mimicking the fae's accent as much as possible and rolling his eyes.

"He said we would find out more tomorrow, so... Don't worry about it too much right now, alright? I'll make sure nothing bad happens." At least he hoped he could at least promise her that.

"Okay." She huffed out a breath and tossed her mane, then said again, "Okay."

Her eyes flickered nervously around the room, then focused on him. Her glow brightened a bit and she bobbed her head in what might have been translated as a shy sort of smile. "Get some rest, Kynton. There is a bed, you may as well use it."

She sighed and looked to the door again. "No use worrying the night away."

Kynton watched her curiously, a little tense until she released him from the conversation to rest for the night. If he could even manage that.

"Right," he sighed. Setting his pack on the floor he slowly moved to curl up on his side, taking in their surroundings with a cautious look as he finally allowed himself to really study the room they'd been taken to. It was nicely furnished, at least by his standards, though a bit too fine for his tastes.

"Where will you sleep?" he asked, the words coming slowly as he eyed a few chairs surrounding the small table in the corner and the rug upon the floor. Kynton frowned, not really seeing those as fitting for her. He supposed unicorns simply weren't considered when decorating the place, and he could hardly blame him for that.

"There's room enough, you should join me when you're...settled," he decided, patting the empty space beside himself in offering.

"I, um..." Bella tilted her head to the side and eyed the spot on the bed curiously. "I'm not sure if...it might be awkward, that's made for humans... Oh."

She closed her eyes and tossed her head. Why hadn't she thought of that before? With a few easy, prancing steps forward the glow around her shimmered, stretched, and then seemed to change shape.

Between one step and the next her form shifted, hooves becoming feet and hands, tail shrinking away, her spine curving up until she walked on two legs. "Ah- oh." Bella stumbled slightly, unused to her human avatar, and collapsed onto her side of the bed. "Right. Well, thank you. G'night, Kynton."

She turned on her side and curled up- evidently not understanding the concept of blankets as the only thing covering her was her ridiculously long silver hair- and seemed perfectly content to go to sleep.

His dark eyes watched her curiously, not understanding why she couldn't just...hop up or crawl if it was really too high. Hell, he would have lifted her if she'd asked, she certainly didn't seem too heavy for his help. But that all quickly faded from his mind as he watched her, frozen in shock as he stared in silence as unicorn was replaced by human, or at least what looked human enough for him.

Kynton scrambled to sit up, chest heaving animatedly as he stared at the woman laying beside him. He had to be dreaming, right? There was no way it could be real, she could be real. It had to be a trick of some sort, an illusion, he figured. And yet...his brain wasn't exactly buying his own frantic excuses for her. Even he couldn't dream up something so amazing.

"Uh... Wait- Bella?" he muttered, hissing in a tight breath as he studied her and the long mane of hair that curved along her body. Still trying to convince himself one way or the other Kynton reached a tentative hand out to lightly poke at her shoulder. It would have been the perfect test except...well, she was soft and her hair felt so silky.

Kynton recoiled his hand like he'd been burned, a soft hiss of surprise escaping him as his wide eyes glazed over distractedly. The unicorn was suddenly...not a unicorn. After accepting his companion as she was after their time together he was speechless to see that she possessed such an ability and truly didn't know what to think of her now.

When he called her name Bella shifted, twisting slightly to look at him over her shoulder. "Yes?" She grumbled a bit as he poked her, sitting up and frowning at him curiously. Her hair fell around her arms and spilled over her back, curving around her like a silver cloak.

"What's wrong?" She tilted her head at him, a bit of concern slipping into her voice. He seemed...nervous? "Kynton?" Her horn glittered a bit as she tilted her head the other way and reached out to touch his arm.

He shook his head to clear the fog on his mind, realizing she was trying to get him to speak up about it. Of course she hadn't understood his surprise.

"I-I... How did you do that?" he asked, voice filled with wonder and genuine curiosity as he reached out to her again, though he stopped himself from touching, his hand hovering instead close enough to feel the warmth radiating from her body.

"Is this...an illusion?" he guessed, voice soft in his distraction and awe of such a beautiful woman seemingly appearing out of nowhere and seeming entirely...well, unaffected by her own existence.

Bella smiled with a small, relieved chuckle when she realized what the problem was. "It's just...something I can do," she said with a shrug. "It's actually fairly rare among my kind- you either have the knack for it or you don't, see?"

Another tinkling laugh and she shook her head. "No, not an illusion. Look." The unicorn-turned-woman reached out and took his hand, pressing her palm to his and letting their fingers line up. Her smile turned almost wistful. She'd never actually touched a human in this form before, it almost felt like she could feel his warmth more easily without a coat of fur.

Kynton nodded slightly, still a little shocked that what he was seeing appeared to be real the more he looked at her.

He looked down to watch as their hands pressed together, the feeling so foreign to him as he rarely allowed himself to get close to others. He'd thought he was safe enough with Bella but somehow his problems felt a bit dwarfed in the presence of her abilities.

A faint blush rose to his cheeks, making him painfully aware of the rather unusual heat that spread across his face and neck for it. It would have been welcome had it not been for the distinct awareness of embarrassment that came along with it.

"You feel real," he murmured in agreement, allowing himself to press lightly against her palm with his own, marveling in the rare opportunity for touch. Kynton couldn't bring himself to part from her quickly, as much as he normally would have been eager to.

Green eyes observed her almost nervously, flickering all over her as if not trusting he would be allowed to do so and needed to be quick about it. He was still having trouble believing the tiny Bella he knew was able to transform into a woman. It seemed impossible, but many things of magic did, he supposed.

"That's very interesting. You're, um, quite special," he finally decided, smiling almost sadly as he tried to meet her eyes.

Her smile widened as he pressed back against her touch and she pushed a little further, linking their fingers together.

His words brought a blush to her cheeks- a strange feeling, one she didn't really experience in her true form- and she ducked her head almost sheepishly. "I'm not all that special," she mumbled. "It's just...a knack."

She lifted her eyes to his face again and smiled slightly. Fingers still entwined with his, she laid back down on the bed. Her hair swayed slightly as it fell over her like a silver blanket and she curled her legs up toward her chest.

With a glance down she wiggled her bare toes, chuckling quietly to herself. She didn't think she'd ever get used to the feeling.

Kynton just stared at her with open wonder, shaking his head and smiling slightly at her denial of being special like he thought she was. To him, it was a miracle of magic and that she had such an ability was amazing to him.

He felt quite guilty for doing so but he let his eyes wander again, quickly sweeping along her body as if wary of seeing her at all, like that should have been forbidden to him. "Your knack is amazing. So...you are special," he insisted gently, cautiously lifting their hands and attempting to untangle their fingers as smoothly as possible. It wasn't that the touch was unwelcome, but he felt paranoid remaining so close to someone who looked so human, like she might completely turn his world on its head at any moment if he continued to allow it, ridiculous as that was.

Clearing his throat he asked her sheepishly, gesturing vaguely at her clear nakedness beneath her curtain of hair, "You're going to be comfortable sleeping like that? Not cold at all?"

"Hm?" Bella glanced down at herself, a little confuse by what he meant. "I should think so. I've never slept in a bed before, so I may be a little...awkward, but I don't think I'll be cold."

She pulled back her hand to tuck it against her chest, using the other arm as a pillow. Her fingers flexed unconsciously, a sort of reflex reaction of her exploring what a human body could do. The way their hands had connected like that had been interesting- perhaps human thumbs were more useful than she'd thought.

Suddenly frowning in concern, she jerked her head up in that startled way she sometimes had. "Wait, will you be cold?" Was that why he was asking? Did he want to share heat again?

Kynton swallowed slowly, lips tight and eyes narrowed with concern as he allowed himself to look her over once more.

"I don't believe I would be- But- Well... But you're naked, aren't you?" he finally blurted out, cheeks darkening as he tried to keep his eyes above the shoulder out of respect.


"It's just that everyone I've ever known has slept with clothing," he offered in flustered explanation. "You could borrow some of mine if you think you might prefer that."

She blinked down at him, then smiled slowly. "Kynton, I'm naked all the time, I don't mind it," she said, as though explaining something slightly complicated to a child. "I might be more uncomfortable if I put some on."

She plucked at his sleeve and tilted her head. "Honestly, I don't know how you lot walk around in this. Doesn't it itch your skin?"

"All the time?" he sputtered, dumbfounded and eyes blowing wide in surprise. Looking down at the sleeve of his shirt she'd touched he just shook his head slowly at her question.

"Some fabrics can be itchy but I like these. They're soft and they protect me." Kynton smiled sheepishly, reaching out to roll his sleeve back some to show the rather uniform coloring to his skin. "I burn easily in the sun now. Too sensitive without them," he offered in explanation before gesturing shyly at her again.

"You really won't be cold like that?"

Bella shook her head with a smile. "No, really. I'll be fine." She nuzzled a little closer to him, curling up with her head on his chest as she had in her more equine shape.

"We should get some sleep," she murmured, lashes fluttering against her cheeks as she closed her eyes.

"Oh. Yeah, you're right," he agreed, though he was suddenly entirely clueless how to cuddle with her how she was instead of the small, deer-like creature he'd come to know.

"Sleep well," he whispered, finally deciding to settle a hand to her shoulder as he closed his eyes and tried to relax.

"Mm. You too." She cuddled a little closer, adjusting her strange new body to fit better against his side.

Quickly enough she dropped off to sleep, her breathing evening out as her hand moved to rest lightly on his stomach. Her hair covered them both, shimmering gently almost with a light of its own.

It took Kynton a while to get to sleep, the new but comfortable weight of her body against him something he wasn't entirely familiar with. Every time he got settled and almost drifted off he found himself suddenly alert again, eyes open to stare into the darkness around them and his hand caressing her hair just to make sure she was real and still with him.

He wasn't sure he'd ever felt something so soft in all his life, but then he'd be drifting off again until at last the first light of morning started peaking through the window when he next opened his eyes. Kynton grunted and fussed sleepily at the intrusion, moving his free arm to sling over his face to shield his eyes, though it wasn't enough to quite find the peace of sleep again.

Bella stirred slightly as she felt him move, then blinked and murmured quietly in her sleep as the light fell across her closed eyes. She yawned and lifted her head a bit.

"Mmm..." She twisted her head to look at her friend. "Kynton? You up?"

Her voice made it clear he wasn't dreaming up being awake already and he heaved a big sigh as he moved his arm to peek down at her. "Yeah, kind of," he mumbled. "Not sure if I can move yet."

"Oh." She blushed a bit and sat up, brushing a few locks of hair out of her face as she did. The whole silvery mess swayed around her gently with every tiny shift she made.

"Sorry, was I keeping you pinned?" She frowned at her hands. "I'm...not very used to this body. Was- was that uncomfortable?"

"Huh?" He frowned thoughtfully, his mind working groggily to try and figure out why she'd left him so abruptly. Pinned? That was an odd choice of words.

"No, nothing like that," he answered slowly, sitting up a bit and just staring at her mesmerizing curtain of hair. "I just don't like much direct sun. It was in my face," he muttered in explanation, gesturing sheepishly at the window but doing his best not to look at the glaring light again. "Did you, um- sleep okay?"

Bella relaxed a bit, relieved. "Oh. Alright." She smiled at him and nodded, shifting a little closer. "Mhm. I slept fine. Better than I thought, actually."

She shifted again until she was almost in his lap, tilting her head so her hair fell over their faces a bit, blocking some of the light. "Is this any better?" Her eyes were wide and almost too concerned, as though the sun bothering him was the biggest problem she'd ever faced.

Aware of her moving closer, Kynton remained a bit tense until he realized he was being shielded from the light by her. Relaxing some he just stared for a moment at the pure innocence in her eyes before letting out a bark of laughter and shifting some to sit up a bit better.

"Yes, thank you, but I can move somewhere out of the way. You don't have to be my personal shield," he reminded her, reaching out cautiously to press a hand to her shoulder, trying to steer her to move aside.

The unicorn beamed at him and shook her head, pressing back against his hand to show she wasn't moving. "I don't mind," she said with a shrug. "Call it a healer's nature."

Her eyes flicked toward the door as she suddenly remembered healing was why she was here. Her brow furrowed a bit and she leaned into Kynton slightly unconsciously.

Once it was clear she wasn't going anywhere Kynton frowned, brows knitting as he tried to think of how to convince her he didn't need to be cared for in such a way.

"But- It isn't healing exactly," he pointed out, speaking slower as he suddenly had a glint of suspicion in his eyes.

"Are you ill or something?" he demanded, reaching out to feel her forehead and then cheek with the back of his hand. "Do you need to rest for the day instead?"

Bella rolled her eyes. "I'm fine," she insisted, batting his hand away gently with a smile. "Just wanna make sure you're comfortable," she said with a shrug.

"Hmph." Kynton pouted as he stared at her questioningly, crossing his arms loosely in the small space between them.

"I guess that's alright. Just take care of yourself first. I don't know the first thing about unicorn medicine." He trailed off, eyes wandering to stare at her radiant hair again for a moment before he spoke up again, scratching at his chin thoughtfully with one hand, "Do you want to travel like this today? You know, human-like?"

"We don't really need medicine," she replied with a shrug, shifting off his lap to give him a bit more room. "We don't get sick, and we can heal any wounds we acquire."

She glanced down at herself at the suggestion of traveling in her human form and frowned a bit. "Well...I suppose I could." She'd never stayed in her human avatar for more than a few hours at a time. It would be...interesting.

Kynton nodded thoughtfully, sitting up a little more to look around the room. His eyes didn't find what he wanted, though, so he climbed to his feet stiffly and padded across the room to search through the drawers of the bureau and the small closet for possible lady's clothes left behind.

But suddenly he stopped, shaking his head and eyeing her over his shoulder. "You've never worn a dress, have you?"

Bella shook her head and got to her feet. She yelped quietly at the chill that curled around her bare toes and wrapped her arms around her middle, shivering. Her hair fluttered around her for a moment in a nonexistent wind.

"I've never worn any clothes. Never really had a reason to." She frowned a bit. "Aren't they itchy?"

Kynton flinched at her yelp, eyes blowing wide for a moment until he realized there wasn't really a problem and it was just the chill of the room. Her question had him fumbling for an answer, though, with nothing definitive to say.

"It depends..." he trailed off, turning to face forward and continue his search that had only resulted in some loose trousers and a few shirts so far. "Materials matter, some are itchier than others and some are very, very smooth. Silks mostly. I just worry you'd get...unwanted attention if you were naked."

He frowned deeply, brow furrowing in disappointment as he finally turned around with just a tunic and the trousers he'd found. "These might not fit well but I didn't see any dresses in there. Try them?" he asked, holding them out to her and not really realizing she might not know how to even dress herself if she'd not been paying attention on their travels to Whitesands.

"Um..." The same thought seemed to have occurred to the unicorn. She took the clothes with some trepidation, staring at them quizzically. "...Alright."

She fumbled, managing to get the shirt on okay, but the trousers proved to be a bit more difficult. She wound up hopping around on one leg, desperately trying to get her foot through the hole at the bottom of the leg.

A small squeak escaped her as she suddenly found herself toppling backward, all her natural grace fleeing in the face of this new challenge.

Kynton watched her expectantly, smiling encouragingly as she seemed to not be having much trouble with it. Until she suddenly was and he found himself unable to stop her from falling, just staring at her with wide eyes instead as he fumbled for words.

"Oh... Oh crap, are you okay? I'm sorry," he muttered, hurrying to offer her his hands to pull her up. "Want some help with that, or...?" he asked nervously.

Her face was hot. Was that normal? "N-no. I got it now," Bella muttered, blushing furiously as she managed to drag the trousers up over her hips from her seated position.

She did accept his hand in helping her get up, unable to quite look him in the eye as embarrassment made itself apparent in every line of her body.

He smiled encouragingly, feeling a bit bad seeing her fumbling so badly with dressing herself. "Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?" he asked, brow furrowing with concern as he stepped around her to see if she was favoring a particular leg or anything.

"You look kind of...tense. Sprain something?" he asked innocently.

Bella fidgeted in embarrassment and shook her head. "No, no I'm fine," she muttered quickly, eyes on her feet.

Kynton watched her suspiciously, worried she didn't want to tell him something was wrong. "Are they uncomfortable? Want to try different ones?" he offered.

She huffed and shook her head. "No, no. This is fine, really." She tried for a smile, and her blush was more obvious now that she had a human shape, coloring her cheeks and making the air around her glint silver.

Kynton tilted his head curiously, studying the odd glow about her that seemed to keep happening. "Is that your magic?" he blurted out, reaching out to try to touch it near her face but frowning when he met no resistance. "You're glowing or something," he huffed.

Bella jerked, head flying up like a startled horse, and stared at him with wide eyes. Her blush deepened and she ducked her head.

"It's, um...sort of my magic. It- it happens when I get embarrassed," she mumbled.

Embarrassed? Kynton moved his hand away, brushing his palm along his trousers as if the odd effect had left his hand dirtied with magic dust or something when there was nothing there at all. "Why are you embarrassed? The clothes?" he guessed, looking her up and down.

She huffed, frowning at him a bit.

"Well...I fell over," she mumbled, ducking her eyes.

His eyes widened slightly as he tried not to laugh at that, but a wide smirk curled his lips that he couldn't hide. "What you think I never fall over? Everyone falls over. Even graceful, glowy unicorns sometimes. You going to be shy for the rest of the day now?"

Bella jerked her head again, eyes wide as she blinked at him, then frowned, tossing her hair in a distinctly equine gesture.

"Leave me alone," she mumbled, folding her arms and pouting at him. "I'm not used to this body," she huffed, giving another little toss of her head.

He rolled his eyes, reaching out to "fix" a strand of her hair that wasn't lying with the rest for all her tossing. "That wasn't supposed to be an insult, you know. You can either get used to it or go back to your other body. If you can. Are you stuck like this?" he asked, suddenly a little concerned as he looked her up and down.

She shook her head. "I'm not. But...well, if I'm going to be around humans, maybe I should look a little more human, yes?"

"They'd certainly take you more seriously," he offered, though he was uncertain how seriously with how innocently adorable she looked still in human form. He shook his head and tried not to think about how he was continuing to betray her trust in him. Perhaps there was a way to make it right before it all went wrong.

"But they'll probably want to talk to you now instead of about you. Think you can handle that?"

Bella nodded, though her expression seemed at odds with the answer. "I can handle it," she said, almost trying to convince herself more than him.

She gave her head a little toss- a rather equine gesture- and the weight of her horn shifting on her human head made her frown and repeat the motion in an attempt to get used to it.

Kynton shrugged, a little doubtful in her confidence as he watched her head loll about with the weight of her horn. "You sure about that? You haven't done this before, right? Could always go back, nobody would ever have to know you can...do this if you don't want them to," he reminded her, gesturing at her vaguely.

She nodded again, a little more firmly this time. "No, I can do this." She straightened her shoulders and offered a smile. "Let's get on with it then."

Kynton rolled his eyes playfully for her enthusiasm, almost able to forget for a moment that this wasn't going to be just a carefree little stroll through the countryside. "Well you look good. For a non-human human at least," he offered, lifting a hand to tap his own forehead that was bare of horn.

Gathering up his things he moved to lead her to the door only to find a man waiting just beyond the doorway with an unpleasant curl to his lip. The stranger's eyes widened at the sight of Bella, for he'd been told to expect a small, deer-like creature instead of the woman within the room.

"That the unicorn?" he drawled, gesturing to Bella and readjusting the pack slung over his shoulder.

"Um... Yes," Kynton answered, moving a little more to put himself more squarely between the her and the man. The stranger didn't seem bothered by it, though, simply craning his neck to look at her anyway.

"Hm. Name's Nigel. You two'll be coming with me. Mister Renwick sends his regards," he informed them, turning without offering a handshake or any niceties to lead them through the halls so they could be on their way as soon as possible.

The unicorn tried not to wilt under the man's stare and she shuffled a little closer to Kynton. She shot her friend a rather wide-eyed look as the stranger seemed to expect them to follow him and almost instinctively latched onto his arm.

"Well then... I suppose we're on our way," she murmured.

While a little surprised by the contact Kynton fought hard not to shrug her off instinctively. He could only assume she was nervous, he couldn't exactly fault her for that as much as the touching made him tense. "The sooner this is over the better," he whispered, following after the man but finding a question still lingering on his tongue.

"How... How long will this take?" he finally managed, a little startled when the man whipped his head around quickly to make sudden but firm eye contact. That he couldn't manage, averting his eyes after only a moment as the man gave a gruff chuckle.

"Just a long day's walk, could be there by sundown if we keep a good pace. As long as little miss there doesn't need too many breaks." Nigel faced forward again as he opened the front door for them so they could be on their way.

It was hard for Kynton to admire the beauty of the estate's grounds bathed in daylight, his mouth set in a hard line of thought as they made their way to a more worn path that eventually connected to an established dirt road.

Bella's hand slid down from the death grip she'd had on Kynton's arm to clutch at his hand a little more gently as they started to walk.

She flinched a bit when Nigel looked back at them again, dropping her eyes. For some reason this human made her uncomfortable.

She kept quiet as they followed him along, eyes only occasionally flicking up from being fixed on her feet.

Kynton relaxed a little more once she'd released his arm and he'd warmed up a bit better from the sun being out and bathing them. Realizing they probably weren't going to get any privacy to talk anytime soon he decided to just ignore the man that was taking them to Featherfall.

"Are you still feeling alright? With the clothes and the walking?" he wondered, brow furrowed slightly with concern and hoping she wasn't too uncomfortable with it all.

Her head snapped up, a little startled, and she blinked at him before she collected herself to answer. "Oh- yes. I'm fine." She smiled and nodded quickly.

A long day's walk though...well, she'd be getting a lot of practice having two legs.

Kynton nodded, smiling some but still having a very serious look in his eyes as he contemplated something else. "If it gets to be too much I can carry you the rest of the way. I know all of this was very sudden for you, I'm sorry."

Bella crinkled her nose and shook her head defiantly. "I'm not an invalid," she pouted. "I'll be fine."

His eyes widened in surprise and a small, embarrassed hiss escaped him before he could catch it. "I didn't mean to imply anything like that, Bella. Just...it's an option. If you get too tired."

Kynton huffed moodily but gave her hand a small squeeze of reassurance, though it was more for himself than for her.

She chuckled quietly and gave his hand a squeeze in return, her pout gone in an instant. "I appreciate it. Thank you."

He relaxed to see she didn't seem mad anymore, the mere thought of it being enough to set him on edge was a little concerning. He really had taken to the whole ensuring her happiness thing quite well. Maybe too well. He felt to responsible to her now.

By the time they'd traveled north to the border of Featherfall his limbs already felt as though he'd been walking all day. The sun was a great help to his stiffness but the small buffets of wind were making him tense. Walking through nearly the whole of the province he was feeling so tired once they'd arrived with the sun nearly set and the chill of the mountains above the darkened estate seeming to roll down to them far too easily. He prayed there would be a nice fire. Well if he was even permitted to stay, he hoped he could at least on the grounds of helping Bella get settled. It was a far stretch but he needed time to convince this stranger they were meeting to let her go. Or if that failed, time to formulate a plan of escape.

The wait after Nigel knocked upon the great doors seemed an eternity but eventually a pale young woman answered and allowed them in with a polite smile. He passed them off with such a rush or quick words, his business apparently done as he left them with the girl to escape to his own borrowed quarters to settle in for the night. Neither Lucas or Akakios would have ever expected the man to travel without rest, something he realized had barely been afforded to himself and Bella the night before. "I'll take you to my master," the woman explained calmly, not wanting to assume the vampire's intentions with such precious cargo.

The halls were too dark for Kynton's liking, bathed in shadows and still somehow managing to feel like a long pit of darkness despite the many torches upon the walls to light their way. He scowled grumpily as they were led up a quiet staircase, the rooms at the top seeming far too quiet for such a large house. Either everyone was asleep or the rooms were empty, and if they were empty... Things truly seemed far too clean, shiny, and perfect for that to be the case.

For all the darkness he hissed softly when a door was finally opened to a room bathed in light from a roaring fireplace. "Mister Renwick sends a gift for you, sir," she greeted him, though Kynton had to fight a scowl from his face at the words. His eyes were quickly drawn to another pair that looked up from across the room, a little unnerved by the smirk that curved the man's lips.

The servant bowed slightly to her master before being dismissed with a wave of his hand and leaving with the door firmly shut behind her. Akakios stood up in a way that managed to both be casual and eager all at once. Kynton tensed to realize he was a good bit shorter than the man they'd been brought to, his odds of merely overpowering him looking bleaker by the moment.

There was a particularly predatory look in the vampire's eyes as he looked at Bella, his dark eyes unmoving from her as he crossed the room. After a few moments, though, his features softened and he held out a hand in offer to the unicorn. "What a pleasant surprise. And who might you be?" he asked, tone gentle as though he were talking to a child he didn't want to frighten.

Oh no.

She did not like this.

It was dark, and close, and something smelled...off. Unnatural. Life too long lived. Something.

Bella squeaked and ducked behind Kynton at any little sound, clutching at his arms as she peered around. She was exhausted from walking all day- how did humans manage with just two legs?- not to mention slowly growing more and more scared.

Then the man was in front of her and she had to swallow a whimper, resisting the urge to take a step back. "B-Belladonna," she whispered, eyes wide.

Akakios stared her down curiously, not really registering her fear as something to acknowledge even though he could practically sense it flowing off her in waves. "My, what a pretty name," he praised gently, finally bringing his eyes up to meet Kynton's again. "And you?" The vampire hadn't even realized yet that his gift was just Bella and not the pair of them. He could tell there was something different about Kynton, his eyes so different from any he'd ever seen in a human's body before.

It made the snake-man's skin crawl and he had to bite back a hiss as well as fight himself down from baring his teeth at the man before them. Angering him probably wouldn't help him get Bella out of the situation. "Kynton," he ground out.

"Are you married, then? Or mated at least?" Akakios raised a brow and gestured between them curiously, guessing at the reason for Kynton's defensive posture and Bella's with hiding behind him. It only made the younger man wide-eyed as he struggled to tell the truth while also wanting to preserve his place at the unicorn's side.

"Not... Not exactly." Maybe he would take pity on them for simply being in their predicament together.

Akakios was certainly one to dig up the truth in time but he was also one to make rather bold assumptions. The vampire laughed a rather carefree laugh at Kynton's bewilderment that was mistaken for embarrassment. "Oh come now no need to be shy, you're among friends and you don't even know it. I assure you it's in your best interest to be honest here." He simply wanted to hear the words from them himself but he didn't even realize how the snake-man was struggling.

There was that predatory grin again but Kynton's face fell and he was suddenly paralyzed and it was all he could do to turn to Bella wordlessly for help, eyes pleading with her despite how he had absolutely no right in this situation to ask it of her.

Bella nearly fell over at the question. Married? Mated? Cheeks very red, she almost started to shake her head, but then Kynton spoke up. She looked from him to their "host" with wide eyes.

Should she play along? Was that what he wanted?

Could he stay with her if she did?

Slowly, she murmured, "Kynton...is my- my mate."

Akakios watched them like a hawk, enjoying the way they struggled with it and so very sure that he'd been right. His lips turned up in a slow smile at her confirmation, humming thoughtfully as he looked between them. And then he just laughed, finally relaxing his posture.

"Well aren't you quite the pair? You must tell me how that came about someday," he insisted lightly, moving away easily to no longer cage them back against the door. In a small way he was certain he'd already won and felt no need to physically keep them from leaving. He'd already decided he would keep them and keep them together, even if they were just to be his possessions.

"So all the way from Whitesands? That's quite the journey on foot, but I assure you Featherfall is much nicer and very worth the trip. You'll be taken care of well here. I assume you're probably tired from your journey, hm?"

Kynton relaxed slightly once the vampire had moved away, no longer paralyzed by fear or silently terrified that something ill might befall them. He didn't trust the man, not one bit, but at least he wasn't being outwardly hostile. And he was tired. So very tired. It was okay to let his guard down a little, right?

He shakily reached to hold Bella's hand, squeezing it lightly in silent thanks for saving him from potential disaster. "Yes, very. Is there anywhere we could sleep? We've been walking all day." Maybe he would take pity on them for that.

Akakios frowned slightly, a little worried that Lucas had rushed them over just to leave them worn out, but he supposed some good rest before he saw what they were really all about as magical creatures would be acceptable. They would have plenty of time for that, after all. "Certainly. I'll have a proper room prepared for you but my servant will take you to something temporary, just a guest room I'm afraid."

The young woman from before poked her head back inside now that the coast was clear and she'd been summoned back. "Downstairs or upstairs, sir?" she prompted him quietly.

"Upstairs." He waved his hand dismissively for them to follow her before returning to his seat at his desk. "We'll get you rested and fed, then we can talk again. Sleep well," he bid them.

Kynton was in no mood to linger, grunting his thanks and turning with his head downcast to follow after the servant in total silence. He didn't want to speak again until they had more privacy, though he didn't realize there really wasn't such a thing as total privacy in the vampire's home.

Bella clutched tightly at Kynton's hand, pressing herself close against his side. She was quiet, eyes flickering around warily.

"Kynton, I don't like this place," she whispered, practically glued to his side now. "I don't want to stay here..."

Kynton hissed softly at her complaint, not liking that they shared the same feeling but not knowing what he could do about it right now. He was exhausted and the more he thought about it the more he was certain it had all been done on purpose.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, squeezing her hand some, pained to admit to her, "I don't know how to fix this." He eyed the servant warily, not really comfortable discussing it in front of her no matter how much a failure he felt.

When she stopped at an unassuming door and unlocked it for them he jumped slightly to see that a fire had already been stoked inside. Inside a locked room. What kind of house was this?! He looked around warily before stepping inside. "Let's just see how this goes," he tried to encourage her softly, hoping she wouldn't panic on him.

The unicorn skittered back, spooked more by his jump than the fire itself, but she followed him into the room with a softly murmured, "Alright..."

She didn't want to stay here any longer than she had to, but she would trust his judgement.

As soon as Bella was past the threshold the door was shut upon them and Kynton winced at the familiar sound of a lock being put back into place. Just lovely. He shuddered involuntarily at the cold already beginning to set in and shuffled closer to the fire.

"Maybe... Maybe if you can get him to let you do some of your...unicorn magic things that'll be all he wants to see," he offered, attempting to be optimistic for once. It was along the lines of the lie he'd fed her to even convince her to come along with him in the first place after all. "Hopefully they'll come back for us tomorrow."

Bella gave a soft whimper, wrapping her arms around her middle as she looked back at the door, then to Kynton.

"He- he's not sick," she whispered. "I don't know why he- I don't think I can help him..."

Kynton paced in front of the fire anxiously, probably too close to the licking flames but unable to resist the delicious heat it gave off in waves. He didn't want to be caught out in the lie, it seemed she'd already figured it out partially what with her whole unicorn's intuition.

"Well... Maybe there's something. There must be something you can do for him." He hoped so, at least. He didn't want them being trapped there forever for his stupid mistake. He never should have taken her in, not a creature so pure and innocent as Bella. But beyond her blind trust in him how was he to know?

He fidgeted nervously, combing his fingers through his hair as he brooded in silence.

"Kynton?" His pacing was making her nervous- well, more nervous than she already was. She shifted her weight anxiously, her eyes flicking to the fire and away again, to him, then to the flames once more.

"I don't...okay," she whispered, not sure what else she could do.

"I'm sorry," he sighed, finally turning to her again with an uncertain look in his eyes. "I wasn't expecting today to go like this." At least that was partially truth.

She looked nervous, though, and he probably wasn't helping. At all. "Are you alright? You look a little...off."

She nodded jerkily. "I- I'm okay...I..." She took a breath, then moved to the bed to perch on the edge. "I'm tired," she whispered, closing her eyes and dropping her head into her hands. "And I'm scared, Kynton."

Well, shit.

Kynton swallowed hard, uncomfortable with her being fearful of this place. Sure, it hadn't been his plan to be stuck even for one night but he was hopeful it could just be one and then they could be on their way.

"What are you scared of?" he asked quietly, shuffling closer to stand before her but not quite ready to take a seat beside her.

Bella curled in on herself as a shiver ran through her. "It's...cold. There's something wrong here. Something unnatural," she whispered.

He frowned slightly at her explanation. He felt it too, something off about this place, but he was hoping it was just because it was new and dark. Maybe come morning things would look better.

"Yeah it's a bit weird," he sighed, finally moving closer to sit beside her. "I didn't see anything exactly unnatural, though. Maybe... Maybe your mind's playing tricks on you if you're so tired, Bella." Kynton really didn't want to think about how real her natural intuition might be. "It's dark and late... Maybe let's get some rest and see how you feel in the morning?"

She didn't really believe that was true, but... "Yeah. Maybe." She sighed and ran a hand through her hair and glanced back at the bed. "We should...get some sleep."

With a grunt of affirmation he discarded his things at the side of the bed, too wary of this place to put anything too far away from himself in the one place he would be vulnerable. But then he paused, eyeing her with concern for a moment before looking between her and the fire. Perhaps he was making himself too comfortable.

"You don't mind if I'm here, do you?" he asked cautiously, patting the bed in a slow motion. "I can sleep by the fire instead if you want some space. Just need to keep warm."

Bella shook her head. "No. No, this is...fine." She sighed and settled herself onto the bed, closing her eyes. She was still tense, curled in on herself protectively, but she was determined to at least try to rest.

Kynton hummed in affirmation, watching her with sadness for a moment before he laid down beside her. Despite their closeness throughout the day he left a respectful distance between them now. There was no need to get comfortable with her anyway, he assumed she would come to hate him in short order once she figured out what had led them to their predicament.

"Good night, then. Sleep well," he bid her, closing his eyes and just listening to the quiet crackle of the fire and the muffled noises of the house around them. Now that he could pay more attention, it seemed rather alive below them on the main level despite the late hour. Odd.

Despite his exhaustion he slept very little, waking every hour or so with a start as he instinctively sensed something was amiss, that they might not be safe. It was hard to stamp the feeling out but he managed to only for it to resurface again each time.

Once the light of the morning sun was peeking through the curtains at the window he was startled awake again, but this time for a sharp rapping at their door. He grumbled and hissed, curling in on himself a little more and defiantly staying where he was: They'd locked them in here, they could damn well open the door for themselves!

Bella had no more luck sleeping than her companion, but rather than tossing and startling, she kept eerily still throughout the night. Her body curled into a fetal position, hair wrapped around her like a blanket, she alternated between staring at the wall and the ceiling for most of the night.

The creeping, cold feeling of an unnatural life tingled up and down her spine, she couldn't shake it.

When the knock finally came, she started violently and nearly jumped from the bed, eyes wide as he chest heaved with pants.

The sound of her breathing told him she was awake. And...she didn't seem entirely herself still.

He turned slowly to look at her -well, her back really- before reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder, uncertain if she was awake as he couldn't see her face. "Are you okay?" he whispered to her, not wanting to startle her if she happened to just be having a nightmare.

Again the knocking sounded, a bit louder this time. Kynton mumbled a curse under his breath, lifting his head slightly to glare at it from his place on the bed. If they cared to bother them so much and interrupt their rest why did they care to have them come to the door personally?

She jumped again when he touched her, flinching away from his hand. "I'm f-fine..."

She huddled into the bed when the knock came again and eyed the door warily. "Should we...get that?"

He felt bad for the way that she jumped, quickly moving his hand away as he rolled to sit up. "Yeah... I'll get it, I'm sorry. You stay here." At least with the fire and the warmth of the bed he wasn't as stiff as he normally was first waking up.

Shuffling his way to the door he made to open it with a scowl, surprised when it moved freely. He hadn't heard it being unlocked. A different woman from before awaited him on the other side, an expectant but somehow distant look upon her face that he found quite odd. "My master had a breakfast prepared for you," she said without even greeting him. "I can take you downstairs if you'd like."

"Oh, um..." Could Bella even eat human food? Maybe she'd prefer grazing outside... If they could even go outside. He looked over his shoulder at her, beckoning for her. "Want to go downstairs? They have food for us."

The unicorn sat up slowly, eyes flicking from Kynton to the strange woman as she listened. She nodded warily and stood, still sort of clutching at the blanket.

"I...don't mind. If you're hungry," she murmured.

"Well... Can you eat like this?" he asked curiously, furrowing his brow thoughtfully as he gestured at her person. "Or is it greens only? You know, grazing?"

Not really understanding what Bella was exactly despite her horn the servant chimed in with a quiet, "If the lady prefers there's plenty of vegetables."

"I can eat," Bella confirmed quietly. "Whatever I'd normally eat, I can eat in this form. Just...no meat." She shuddered delicately, arms wrapped loosely around her middle.

Kynton nodded in agreement, a small smile of endearment reaching his lips at her honesty. "I think they can accommodate that," he assured her gently. He lifted his hand to beckon her but hesitated, holding his arm out and mistaking her shuddering for cold.

"Would you like some time to wake up before we go?" he offered politely, eyeing the servant briefly to let it be known she'd interrupted their morning. But the woman seemed unfazed, smiling politely but waiting for their answer one way or the other.

She gave her head a quick little shake and automatically reached out to take his arm. "I'm alright," she murmured quickly. "Really. Let's just...get moving."

"Uh, sure," he mumbled, swallowing hard against the guilt lumping in his throat. Pulling his arm closer he stood stiffly for a moment before reaching out to pat lightly at her hand, as if that small gesture could soothe her fears.

Moving towards the servant he startled slightly at how quickly she turned to lead them away, navigating the dark hall with the confidence of familiarity he didn't have. They were taken to a large room with several long tables within, each row of chairs tucked neatly and evenly against the wood.

"Please sit," the woman prompted, turning to slip through a side door and leave them alone in the cavernous room. It was still far too dark for his liking even with all the lamps and candles. It didn't feel like a warm space at all, like the dining hall of a home filled with life and laughter. It seemed dull, like it rarely got any formal use and was mostly for display.

"Where should we sit?" Kynton muttered wryly, already moving towards the nearest table and half-expecting the chairs to be dusty. But they weren't. He didn't want to think about how much effort must have gone into keeping them clean.

Bella followed delicately after Kynton, keeping her hand in his where allowed, taking comfort in the contact. She tried not to flinch away from the voice of the serving woman, but everything about this place had her on edge- each new sound and scent nearly made her jump out of her skin.

She shook her head helplessly in answer to Kynton's question, eyes wide as she stared up at him. "I- I don't know," she whispered. "I'll follow you."

Kynton offered her a sympathetic smile, leading her to the nearest corner of the table and taking a seat for himself while patting the chair beside him. As soon as he'd chosen his seat a couple more servants shuffled into the room to give them all the proper pieces to their place settings, a fact that confused him greatly given their brief encounter with the owner of the house. He'd assumed such niceties wouldn't be wasted on them. Perhaps, he thought, it meant it was more the servants' doing.

He nodded dumbly in thanks, unused to being waited upon. He watched as goblets were filled with clean water for them and finally three platters were brought and laid along the table, one each of meats, steamed vegetables, and an assortment of bread and cheese. Kynton's eyes narrowed at the feast, baffled as to why so much food would be brought for two people. It could have easily fed ten times that and he dearly hoped it would not all go to waste.

Speaking his thanks was forgotten as he sat in dumbstruck silence for a few long moments after they were left alone without any explanation. Either the staff of the house thought them starving or, he hoped more reasonably, the house breakfast was being laid out early with all the preparations that had clearly gone into it. He tilted his head to Bella, smiling nervously as he plucked his choice of meat, bread, and cheese to his plate.

"Eat your fill," he offered, nodding towards the vegetables and hoping they would be to her liking. "I'll have some after."

Bella stared at him with those wide, doe-like eyes for a moment before she nodded and began picking at the vegetables. The meat honestly made her stomach turn, but she couldn't begrudge a predator for living according to its nature. She she just tried to steer clear.

"What do you, um..." She glanced up at Kynton worriedly. "Our...host. What do you think he'll...say? Is he eating with us?"

Kynton nervously picked at the food upon his plate, eating little as he pondered her questions. He wasn't sure what their host even was, but he suspected he wasn't human or at least not entirely. Had he not been under such stress he would have thoroughly enjoyed the treat of such a savory meal and being waited upon, but it left everything feeling just a little bit empty of flavor as his thoughts weighed heavily on their fate.

"I'm not sure," he finally answered her with a tired sigh, shuddering at the thought of disappointing her or giving her cause for fear. Neither was his intention and he hoped she didn't wonder about the worried crease of his brow.

There were only a few minutes more of silence in the dining hall, though, the quiet shut of a different door nearer to where they'd entered from making Kynton's head snap to the side as tension coiled in his body. The sight of Akakios walking towards them didn't soothe him at all but he gulped down hard, trying to remember that he needed to be strong for Bella and keep his wits about him.

The vampire eyed him curiously for a brief moment but settled his gaze upon the unicorn more fondly and even smiled as he approached and took a seat at the head of the table nearest to them. "Good morning, I trust you slept well? And breakfast is to your liking?" he greeted her as he settled comfortably and confidently in his chair, though he did glance to Kynton to include him for which he only received a nod.

Belladonna found herself scooting subtly closer to Kynton as the minutes ticked by in tense quiet, unconsciously seeking the comfort of familiarity. She didn't respond when he answered her questions, but nodded as though that was what she'd expected- honestly she wasn't sure what she'd expected- and continued picking at her food.

When the door opened and their host entered she jumped slightly and suddenly found herself pressing into Kynton's side, peering around at Akakios warily as he took a seat.

"I...slept fine," she said softly, lowering her eyes to stare at her plate. The aura this man gave off set every nerve in her body zinging with the prelude to a fight-or-flight response. She did try for a smile though, giving a noncommittal noise about breakfast in the hopes of not offending him while still being able to hide the fact she hadn't touched the meat.

The vampire chuckled, murmuring a gentle, "Good," even as his eyes wandered to her plate. It seemed she had taken at least a little, and he was happy enough with that. There was no point or sense in seeing her go hungry if his intentions with her could be realized.

Kynton's frown did not go unnoticed, nor did his protective posture as he settled a hand to the unicorn's shoulder when she pressed closer to him. Akakios was already concerned over what trouble he might cause for him. He'd never before kept a creature for his collection with its mate and he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to start with the pair.

"Was the room to your liking? I was under the assumption your kind preferred the outdoors, but- If it is because of your human I understand, though I would enjoy seeing your true self at some point," the vampire chuckled.

The unicorn started slightly and looked from their host to Kynton. "My...human?" Brushing the odd label aside, she cleared her throat and tried for another polite smile and a nod. "No, the room was...fine."

Honestly she would have preferred to be outside, but she hadn't really thought that was an option. His comment about her "true self" had her hesitating again though, and once more she found herself looking at Kynton for reassurance.

"If- if you'd prefer, sir, I can...change my form?" Was that what he wanted from her?

Kynton found it hard not to glare at the man across the table, his arm kept protectively around the unicorn and pulling her closer as she tried to guess at his meaning. He didn't trust this man and he didn't like the sound of her taking her smaller form that would make her more vulnerable. "There's no need for that," he grumbled, squeezing gently at her shoulder.

Akakios only smirked, greatly amused by Kynton's displeasure. "Not necessary, perhaps, but I'm quite curious. There's no harm in showing me, right Belladonna?"

"I-" She looked from Kynton to Akakios and back. "I can...I don't mind," she murmured, trying to offer a small smile for her companion.

With a shaky breath, she stood from her chair and looked around again, then dropped her clothes quickly and inhaled deeply. Silvery light haloed her form as she bent forward, hands reforming into hooves just before they touched the ground.

She flicked her tail and shifted her weight on her back hooves as she took her natural form. Her head bowed and she peered around Kynton's chair at their host.

Kynton looked on with a scowl fixed upon his face, worried for her safety and convinced something bad would happen if she appeased the vampire. He remained tense as he watched her, though heat rose to his cheeks slightly for the ease with which she shed her borrowed clothing. It passed quickly, though, as he observed her taking her natural form again. Admittedly, it was rather beautiful to see, but it was soured by the hungry look in the vampire's eyes when he glanced up to him again.

Akakios had leaned forward like an eager child to get a look at her, tilting his head to look around the grumpy man that was blocking his view. Finally, though, he stood and stepped around the table to crouch down before her, palm outstretched as though he expected her to be a skittish animal. "My, aren't you special," he murmured softly, wheels already turning in his head about where he might keep his new "pet."

Kynton turned his head with a scowl, lowering his arm to rest a protective hand at her withers. While the vampire didn't seem outwardly threatening to him at the moment he still didn't like what he knew about what would be expected for Bella and wanted to be cautious.

The unicorn froze, eyeing their host's outstretched hand warily. Slowly, she stretched her neck forward to press her nose briefly against his palm, then quickly pulled her head back again.

She glanced up at Kynton a little nervously and leaned against his side, grateful for his hind on her withers, though she couldn't exactly place why.

"Thank you," she murmured after several long moments, staring up at Akakios with wide eyes.

Akakios's eyes widened in surprise, not expecting her to still be able to speak in her natural form but quite delighted to hear it. He chuckled incredulously, shaking his head with a smile as he reached out to run a hand along the soft hair of her neck. "Are you all like this, then? Or do you have gifts your sisters do not?" he asked with a sincere tone of wonder.

Kynton glowered at him, not liking that the man was taking liberties to even touch her the way he was. He didn't like it, didn't want him to get comfortable with her at all. Speaking out against him probably wouldn't be good for Bella, though, or whatever favor he might be able to garner with him for that matter.

Bella tensed under his touch, not sure how to react. She didn't think she liked it, but she was honestly too afraid to pull away. She flicked a glance up toward Kynton, eyes wide-- and for once reflecting what she saw, rather than the forests of her home as they usually did.

Being in the mortal world had begun to take its toll.

"Um...many of my kind can," she murmured in reply to Akakios's question. "My herd all could, mostly. I'm...not sure about others."

"I see..." The vampire was pleased to hear she was not entirely alone despite her rarity, a thought he filed away to the back of his mind to discuss with Lucas at a later time. Perhaps she might do better with a friend or two eventually. A rumbling snigger of delight bubbled up his throat as he lifted his hand to catch her by her muzzle, tilting her head this way and that to study her rather clinically. There was something a little...off about her that he just couldn't pinpoint, but he chalked it up to not being very familiar with seeing her.

Kynton, however, had noticed the change to her eyes. He was tense as he watched them, wondering if the vampire had done something to her with his presence, though he did not want to bark his judgments and displeasure at the man while he quite literally held her life in his hands. Instead, a soft hiss of concern from him caught the vampire's attention.

Akakios looked between Bella and Kynton with amusement, chuckling under his breath as he caught the other man's eye. "You think I will harm her," he pointed out, a bold guess but one he was quite certain of. He tightened his grip on the unicorn just slightly to test that.

Kynton narrowed his eyes sharply, his hiss growing as he moved to pull Bella away and place himself between her and the vampire. "Don't handle her like that...please," he growled, softening his features and voice as he tried to remember that he likely didn't have much say in the whole matter. Still, it seemed important that he stood up for her.

Akakios relented at least, dropping his hand away to rest upon his thigh and only further amused by Kynton's desire to throw his weight around. "I will give you both some time to settle in, but you will need to learn that there are certain things expected of you here," he reminded him firmly, unable to keep a spark of hunger from his eyes as he leaned to peer around him and look at Bella again.

Suddenly terrified and entirely unsure why, Bella jerked away from Akakios's grip the moment she was able and skittered back behind Kynton, silently grateful that he'd moved to shield her.

Entirely without thinking, she allowed her form to shift, shivering and shimmering into the young woman she had been the night before, silvered hair curtaining her body as she pressed against her friend's back and clutched at the hem of his shirt, hiding her face in his shoulder.

She suddenly froze as she realized what she'd done. She'd just...panicked. She'd wanted to be closer to him, to feel that comfort of touch, and in her equine form it would have been rather more difficult.

"...Oops..."

Kynton was surprised when he felt human hands clutching at his shirt, casting a curious look to Bella over his shoulder. He took her frozen form as fear, worry creasing his brow as he briefly looked her over. Something still seemed so different about her.

"It's alright," he murmured to her, worried for the unicorn and settling a hand to her arm as he watched the vampire rise to his feet out of the corner of his eye.

"There's nothing to fear, my dear," he directed to Bella, eyes still dark with hunger as his attention shifted to her odd companion again. "I'll see that you're moved to better rooms today."

Kynton just nodded, clamping down on the argument on the tip of his tongue. He was scared and a coward and if he said a damn thing he was worried he wouldn't be able to back it up if their host challenged him. He didn't want Bella to see him like that, see that he was just as afraid as she seemed to outwardly show.

"May we leave?" he mumbled, mostly just thinking out loud but startled when Akakios nodded and gestured towards the door.

"That would probably be best for her at the moment. My apologies, Belladonna," the vampire offered, bending into a short bow before stepping away and exiting out a separate door.

Kynton took a steadying breath, finally releasing some of the tension he hadn't realized had been there for the other man's presence. "I'm sorry about that," he muttered, having no idea which example of his cowardice he felt the worst about but knowing he felt the need to apologize as he turned to put an arm around her shoulders.

Bella quickly took the refuge offered by her friend's embrace, burrowing into his side and wrapping her arms tight around his middle.

Perhaps a human body was good for something. Hugs were not exactly something she could partake in when in her true form.

"Why are you sorry?" she mumbled against his shirt, shaking her head before lifting her face to look up at him. Silver hair shimmered in a soft halo around her, though the glow that usually surrounded her was certainly dimmer than was typical. She shivered slightly, a belated reaction to losing the warmth of her natural coat when she'd shifted into this frail, naked human form.

She cuddled against Kynton again, relishing his body heat.