The Night, Its Call

Lion · October 17, 2015, 08:40:36 PM

"I see," he said with a sigh and ran a hand through his hair. He would give Roxanne her space for now. She needed it after what she went through, but he wouldn't leave just yet, not until he figured she'd be all right. "How do you deal with it?" he asked the griffon, curious.

Zero · October 27, 2015, 05:21:55 PM

"I don't. Usually no humans." Dirk glanced at the scarred back of his 'mother', "Nothing good happens with humans."

His mother obviously being the exception in his perspective. If his mother didn't even like her own kind, then he had no reason to want to be around humans either. Although he did like playing with the children. Too bad children grew up.

Lion · October 27, 2015, 09:47:34 PM

"I guess you're right about that," Rook said thoughtfully. He didn't think about it when he did it, but a hand reached out and pet the soft feathers on Dirk's head. He gave a small shrug and tended to a fire to allow their clothes to dry. "You should go to her," he said to the griffon. "Or comfort her in a way that I probably can't. She'll need a familiar presence. Something I didn't have when I lost everything."

Zero · January 30, 2016, 06:59:03 PM

Dirk's feathers ruffled slightly when Rook reached out to pet him, but the gryphon merely huffed lightly, before making a purring chirp in response to the hunter's suggestion. Since he didn't want to see Roxanne upset, trying to comfort her was a good idea. Even if he didn't like admitting Rook had any good ideas.

"I will keep her warm." Shaking out his feathers and fur a little, Dirk made his way over to lay down and curl himself around his still rather unresponsive mother.

Lion · October 27, 2016, 10:34:59 PM

Rook came back after what seemed to be a whole hour of tending the fire and drying clothes, but when he returned to Roxanne's side, he held a small white flower in his hand and sat beside her. He didn't know what it was supposed to represent. He just thought it was better than watching her sink into a catatonic state.

So when he could, he slowly slipped it between her fingers and closed them around the base of the picked white flower.

Zero · March 09, 2017, 06:58:24 AM

There was a war between trying to think of everything and wanting to think about nothing going on in Roxanne's head. She wasn't used to not thinking things through and forming a plan of action. Coming up with a plan of action after the events of earlier seemed far too difficult.

Rook was leaving in the morning. Should she try to go to Ketra with him to seek healing for her wrist or should she go home and forget the healers, try to forget Grams, and Nancy, and everyone else?

Dirk barely looked up when Rook gave her the flower. Despite the small fire and having the gryphon next to her, she was cold and her fingers were numb as he wrapped them around the stem. Flowers were such a pointless gift, she never had understood why men gave them to women. They were plucked and already dead, slowly wilting over time to reflect it.

Maybe she was just a plucked flower - seemingly fine at first, but slowly decaying.

If so, it was her own fault. She'd chosen to carry on like this, shutting out and ignoring every friend she might have had through the years of struggle. Terrible things had happened to her that were not her fault, but how she dealt with them was definitely on her.

"Rook, can I ask you something very personal?" Her voice was quiet and subdued, but it was at least there.

Lion · March 09, 2017, 05:04:17 PM

Maybe the plucked flower was meaningless, but Rook thought the gesture would have some semblance of meaning. That even if they didn't last forever, there was still some beauty to be found in this world. And that it should be appreciated before it was gone forever.

Rook moved closer to her, examining her and the flower. "Yeah? You can ask me anything," he said.

Zero · March 10, 2017, 07:31:09 PM

"You know what it's like to lose everything." Not a question, more an affirmation. She knew that beast pursuing him had killed the man who raised him, he'd told her about it.

Roxanne felt like every time she turned around she had lost everything again.

"How do you make life mean something again? Is revenge on that beast all that keeps you going? What if you managed to kill it? What would you do then?" What would she do now? Avenging Grams might carry her for a short while, but once she did that, well, there was no more point to anything.

Lion · March 10, 2017, 07:56:20 PM

A perfectly justified question, and one he had thought about before. It wasn't like him to dwell on things, considering there was so much more he held with him every day. His father was dead, and he was trying to kill the beast that slew him. It was an honest question that deserved an honest answer.

"I guess, I just try and take one day at a time," he admitted. "I didn't count on meeting you. But I'm glad I did. I probably would have just kept on hunting as I always did. I don't know anything else. If I ever do kill that beast, I'll go on living. Maybe even with you....if you'll have me." He smiled at her, although he wasn't sure she would see it.

Zero · March 10, 2017, 08:07:28 PM

One day at a time. That was all anyone could ever really take life, wasn't it? Well, even one day seemed insurmountable at the moment. Roxanne wasn't sure she had it in her to start over again with trying to put everything back into something resembling livable.

"With me? Why would you want to do that?" Had they just lived the same two days? Nobody should want to be around someone like her. Hell, at this point she was pretty sure she was just plain cursed. It seemed as reasonable an explanation as any. "Everybody close to me dies, I think you'd be a lot safer getting as far away from me as you can as quickly as you can."

Lion · March 14, 2017, 10:14:40 PM

"I'm still very much alive, thank you very much," Rook said a little defensively. But still he chuckled and tilted his head at her. He scooted in closer and he shrugged. "I dunno. I just like you. I think we make a great team. And if we part ways, then'll we'll be just back to where we started from. Only me a little less because I'll miss you. You're my friend. At least I hope I can call you that."

Rook poked lightly at the flower he gave to her and admired it's beauty. "I'm only offering. If you would rather be alone with Dirk, I'll understand. I'm not trying to force anything on you."

Zero · April 01, 2017, 01:42:14 PM

"I never do know where I'm starting from." It wouldn't be the same for her. Sure, she hid herself deep in the woods, but she'd known that Grams was still out there. There was always the option to go see her, when she needed her.

Now Grams was gone.

Forever.

Roxanne fought the tears that wanted to well up in her eyes and grabbed his hand, holding it fiercely for a few moments. "Let me go with you. I can't stay here anymore. I can't watch anymore people die here."

Rook was from some other great forest area, wasn't he? Maybe there would be better luck for her there. These trees were cursed to her. "I can help you find and kill this beast of yours."

Lion · April 01, 2017, 04:46:06 PM

His hand in hers, Rook met her gaze and set his jaw firmly. "Roxanne," he said softly, and he gave her a soft smile. He didn't know exactly how he bounced back from watching his father be mauled to death, not the exact directions for doing so. There weren't any.

All they could ever do was move forward.

"We'll go. Together. I'll stay with you as long as it takes. And...I'd be honored to have such a skilled hunter on my side," he replied and leaned his head in to kiss her cheek. "I'm your friend, Roxanne. I'm here whenever you need me okay? We'll leave in the morning, yes?"

Zero · April 01, 2017, 06:04:34 PM

Her friend, there whenever she needed him. It was a strange notion, to her. Grams would have been there whenever she needed her, but she'd practically raised Roxanne. Rook had known her for two or three days.

Maybe she didn't understand how he could like her or want anything to do with someone like her, but right now, she'd take it.

"Right...in the morning." Roxanne nodded her head and wiped at her eyes. Dirk was warm next to her, and obviously sleeping quite soundly by this point. She buried the fingers of her other hand in his feathers. "Thank you, Rook."

Lion · April 08, 2017, 05:29:03 PM

But now Grams was gone. And even after only knowing her a few days, Rook wasn't just going to up and leave. What kind of person would he be if he did that? He had alone much of his life, and knew that sometimes the feeling could be grating, radiating on you until you felt it's seeping emptiness.

It wasn't pity. It was understanding. She was his friend...his lover? He didn't know what definition existed between them, but they were companions never the less.

"No problem," Rook whispered to her as she pet Dirk. "Here. It's kind of chilly out." He turned around and took his shirt and draped it over her shoulders to stave off the cold.

Zero · April 11, 2017, 10:29:22 AM

Roxanne wouldn't have known how to define their relationship either. For now, Rook was there, and that's all that really mattered.

She sighed as the shirt was draped around her. The fire had dried and warmed the fabric, and she scooted closer to Rook, leaning into him for comfort and warmth. Dirk was warmer, but she wanted him instead. "You should try to rest if we're leaving in the morning. It's not too far, but your leg will feel better."

Lion · April 11, 2017, 05:06:48 PM

Rook followed her advice, curling into her for warmth even though the floor was hard and uncomfortable. He looked at his wrapped leg. Frowning, he knew it should probably get looked at again, but for now it wasn't bothering him any.

"Roxanne.... Is it weird that...I like you?" he asked gently, laying a hand gently on her hip. "You seemed really distraught be it before? Is it me?"

Zero · April 11, 2017, 05:46:38 PM

The hand on her hip only had Roxanne leaning into him more, head laying on his shoulder as they huddled there in their temporary shelter. "It's not you."

She closed her eyes and sighed, brow furrowing as she tried to figure out just what to say. Asking if she could go with him had been hard in ways, but if he was taking her that far...well he deserved a little more openness than she'd displayed so far.

"I try so hard to make myself unlikable. I don't want people to like me." It was true, and her voice was quiet. "It's lonely sometimes, but I've always figured it was better that way. Every time I've turned around it feels like people have done nothing but either let me down or died on me. The last time I let anyone in he hurt me so badly. So yeah, I might have freaked out a little at the idea that you wanted anything to do with me."

Lion · April 11, 2017, 06:30:45 PM

"Oh, well that's perfectly understandable. And I wouldn't want to impose on your or make you feel like you were obligated somehow to let me into your walls, your world even after what we've been through. I just like you... I dunno what it is about you. You're....reliable, strong. Formidable," he said softly and shifted closer to her. He was close enough to simply purse his lips and have them touch her forehead.

"I have no expectations. I don't want anything from you. Just you. That's all," he admitted, smiling tiredly.

Zero · April 11, 2017, 06:40:09 PM

"That's good, because I don't have anything left to give but myself." And she hardly felt like she even had that to give. Everything felt wrung out of her. Even the things he claimed to like. What strength did she even have left? Roxanne sighed softly and clung lightly to him, face pressed against his warm skin.

"You should sleep if you can. Dirk will wake us if anything comes close." They both needed to recover from the day. It'd taken a toll, both physical and emotional, on her.