Takes more than eyes to see.

[Anonymous]

It was disgusting. The roof dripped, the beds were old and falling apart, every mirror had been broken. Of course the moonlight only enhanced how simply not pretty this place was, the holes, the creaking from the wind. The only thing there  were rats, bugs and a strange haunched creature gazing almost fondly into a hand mirror.

Well, as fondly as a furry man of a beast could look. The sounds were different tonight though. Someone was here. So he quickly tucked the beautiful hand mirror under a pillow to turn away and then say in a low voice, a slight growl. "Who's there?"

[Xphy]

Cyrithii wasn't even sure how she had ended up wandering into this part of town, but at the moment that was the least of her worries. She was much more concerned about getting out of the rain she had been caught in. The last thing the wind runner needed was to get sick so far away from home.  So as she ran through the streets her eyes were busy scanning her surroundings for some shelter.

Eventually they would fall upon a rundown building that appeared to be exactly what she was looking for. Based on how poorly it had been kept, even by the standards of the surrounding buildings, she assumed that it was probably empty meaning no one would mind if she spent a few hours in it until the rain passed.

So she quietly slipped through the open door, and sighed lightly as she removed her drenched boots from her feet. There was no fire in the place, but it was better than nothing. Just as she was about to remove her soaked tunic to let it dry a bit she heard a voice call out from deeper within the building. Needless to say it had caught her by surprise. She couldn't imagine anyone living in these bad conditions.

"My apologies sir," she called out to the unseen figure as she refastened her tunic. She really didn't want to be seen naked by a stranger, especially one that sounded as grumpy as this person did. It sounded almost as if he had growled at her. "If I may ask, do you mind if stay here until the rain passes? I have nowhere else to go."

[Anonymous]

He felt his lip pull up exposes sharp teeth to someone who couldn't see them. This was his home! How dare she ask if she could stay. It was just a little rain. She didn't have fur, and if it wasn't a she that was he most feminine man he ever heard. Eros was careful to keep the mirror face down on the creaky bed.

His steps were quiet, he didn't wear shoes, the nails didn't click against the ground, the pads of his feet were rough and the hair between his toes softened any possible noise anyway. He grew closer, watched her, frowning. "Yes." it was just rain. What a pansy. A little rain never hurt anyone.

"You may stay." He could put conditions up but, what would they be? Don't run? Don't scream? You have to stay the whole night or he'll steal her pants? Did she even have pants? Eros sighed and moved closer, still a good ways away, but close enough for her to see him and the fact he looked beastly. "If I am to have company for the night, I am Eros." Again, his voice didn't match his appearance. His voice was charming, even, though there was the occasional growl and rumble in his throat.

"You may start a fire if you find something dry to burn, just keep it from destroying my home. What is your name, Girl?"

[Xphy]

A sigh of relief escaped Cyrithii's lips when the man told her she could stay. She had been afraid that he would toss her out into the rain. Perhaps he wasn't so bad. He'd even allowed her to start a fire, which she desperately needed if she didn't want to get sick. The sooner her clothes dried the better, especially since she couldn't remove the now with him there.

Upon second listen the man's voice was actually quite elegant and refined. It was a shame he had growled at her earlier. It really hadn't done it any justice. He even had a pretty name, which raised the question of why he was living in such a derelict place. It really didn't seem to suit him, or anyone for that matter.

"Thank you very much. I greatly appreciate it." As she spoke the forest elf placed her bow on the ground next to her boots and scanned the room for something dry to burn. There were a few pieces of old broken furniture that would do nicely, though she wasn't quite sure which ones he was still using and which ones he wasn't. She would have to ask just to be safe.

"My name is Cyrithii of the Arlay. It's a pleasure to..." Before she could finish her statement she finally caught a glimpse of the man, and needless to say his image didn't match his voice. He appeared almost feral like some kind of werecat or wolf or dog. She couldn't put her finger on which though. If anything he seemed to be a mix of all three. "meet you.

"I'm sorry that was rude of me," she apologized as soon as she realized that she had paused. It wasn't right for her to react that way, especially after he had been kind enough to let her stay.

[Anonymous]

He felt her pause more than heard it. He waited for the scream. The gasp. The movement away from him. The shuffle of clothing as she ran from the building. But there was nothing. Just a confession to being rude and he frowned and narrowed his bright yellow eyes at her.  He couldn't very well be a nasty bastard if she was being polite.

Eros still had enough of a gentleman in him, inspite of what he looked like and where he slept. Even he could admit the broken down orphanage was a little creepy. Of course he noticed that she was wet and he watched her for a moment before he sighed and removed his own jacket, placing it on her shoulders. "You should remove your wet clothing. This place has too many open windows and drafty areas and you are a tiny excuse for a elf, you'll freeze and then I'd have to warm you with my body."

 Eros wrinkled his nose at her before he turned around, his tail sweeping behind him. "Do you require food?"

[Xphy]

Cyrithii accepted his jacket when he offered it, turning away to minimize what he could see as she undressed. She was very meticulous about it as well, taking extra care to ensure that her undergarments were covered at all times. As kind as he had been to her so far she didn't know him, and didn't feel comfortable letting him see her like that.

Once she was done and the jacket fastened around her she turned around once more, her cheeks puffed slightly. "Don't call me tiny!" If it wasn't for her complexion her cheeks would have been bright red as she spoke. She hated being reminded of her size. It wasn't her fault she was born that way. Once she had calmed herself she unpuffed her cheeks and her expression loosened a bit. "But th-thank you nonetheless.

"And I would greatly appreciate it, if you can spare something of course." She didn't know what he had to offer her in terms of food, but the fact he had offered seemed to suggest he at least had something. And as much as she hated to admit it she was hungry. Once the rain stopped she would have to make it up to him.

[Anonymous]

She wasn't tiny. Eros scoffed loudly and gave a wuff of disagreement. She was tiny, and even if she argued until his fur fell out, she'd still be as tiny as when she started. He meandered towards the cool box he kept in the corner of one of the rooms. He'd gotten a witch to enchant it for him, wonderfully useful.

It wasn't anything amazing. He'd stolen a chicken and it was cooked chicken breast meat, some bread, cheese. Either stolen or bought at dusk while wearing a ridiculous looking get up that didn't cover his tail anyway.

Eros returned to her with the coolbox between his hands and he placed it down in front of her. "I am look like a beast but I share better than one." He nodded towards the contents before he took a seat on the cool ground. He didn't personally feel the cold, the furr that covered his body did more than enough to insulate him. The fur and the fat and the muscle, his tail gave a few tick-tocks while he waited for her to dig in.

It was... Nice. To have another living being here that wasn't trying to eat everything. Well, Eros looked at the girl, Cyrithii. "What sort of name is Cyrithii? You're not from here, are you?"

[Xphy]

When he brought out the plate of food Cyrithii scanned it carefully, curious about what exactly it was that a man like that would eat. It seemed normal enough though, and there wasn't anything that a normal person wouldn't eat.

The chicken in particular stood out to her. Her people weren't quite vegetarians, but they didn't exactly eat a lot of meat either. To them meat was usually saved for special occasions and celebrations, though she wouldn't complain. It wasn't the polite thing to do. Plus she was too hungry to care at the moment

 So instead when he placed the plate in front of her she bowed politely before sitting down. "Thank you," she replied as she broke off a piece of bread and cheese, and placed them into her mouth. To her surprise it was actually pretty good, her eyes widening a bit and her expression drawing back a bit. Of course her hunger might have had some influence on it, but still she was impressed.

Had he made this himself? If he had he was quite talented.

When he asked about her name looked back at him before replying. "I was born in southern Serendipity, but my name is distinctly elven. It me..." she paused before she could complete her sentence. There was no way she was going to tell him her name meant 'little tree.' Not for him to make fun of her!

Her eyes then wandered back down to the plate of food before her for a moment before looking up at Eros once more. "Won't you have some as well?"

[Anonymous]

"No." His answer was short and simple, he'd had eaten a while ago,  a small meal would last him a while and maybe if he didn't eat often enough he'd eventually starve and he could stop living as some ugly monster. Eros wrinkled his nose and glared off to the side before he looked back at the girl, Eros sat down a bit from her, his tail curling around his legs. His fingers idly brushed at the fur.

He eyed the girl for a moment, " It means?" He purred  and his maw dropped in a type of doggy smile, "Why won't you say?"

[Xphy]

Cyrithii eyed the man-beast curiously when he refused her offer. She couldn't help but wonder if he was just being nice. His answer had been too quick and simple. She would say nothing of it however as she took another bite of chicken before turning her attention back toward him.

The question he asked next had caught her off guard however, her back stiffening and her face reddening almost immediately. "I-Its meaning is u-unimportant," she sputtered, visibly flustered. If only she hadn't begun that statement...  Now she had to find a way to change conversation. Or at the very least she had to deflect the question somehow. "B-besides a person is defined by their a-actions, no their name."