Always Waiting for the Night [m]

[Draconian]

Maybe her mind was going places it shoulder. Some teenage rebellion bubbled up somewhere. Maybe all those romance novels were a decidedly bad idea.  The closeness and the idea of 'getting to know each other' had Gardenia blushing. It added a nice rose to her tanned skin.

"I... Um.. I see." She swallowed and gave a shy smile, not knowing what else to do with the situation. "We can start now? What do you need to know?" And she began to walk again, finding holding hands and eye gazing just a little bit too new an experience.

[DaGlobster]

Varian nodded, and walked alongside her.

"Well, when did you first start turning? I know it's a rough question, but it's a necessary one."

[Draconian]

Gardenia frowned slightly. When did she start?

"I've... Always turned. Ever since I can remember. Is that not normal?" Was she a freak of monsters? Her teeth sunk into her lower lip and she deflated, her shoulders slumped and her chin went down. Slowly she pulled her hand away from Varian's and moved to clutch them together at her waist.

[DaGlobster]

"Hush, don't beat yourself up over it. Some. Lycanthropes start later than others, it's a natural question," Varian said, trying not to get too hung up on the fact that they were waist-to-waist.

He put his own arms around her, seeing no other logical place to put them.

[Draconian]

Gardenia gave a quiet chuckle and shrugged, "I only sort of knew what I was until you told me." She pushed her hair over her shoulder, "It's a big secret, you see. I'm a High Lords daughter... Those don't turn into monsters."

There was a soft chuckle, "You're very nice, Varian. Thank you." She pat at his arm and took a breath, "I've never met anyone that understood what I am so well."

[DaGlobster]

Varian's eyes widened a bit.

"The daughter of a High Lord?"

He chuckled, visibly impressed by her title. He gave Gardenia a short bow, smiling when he came back up.

"Can't say I've ever met one. Forgive me if I've been too forthcoming, Gardenia."

[Draconian]

What? Gardenia just looked at him, shocked. Was he going to act all proper now?

"That isn't why I mentioned it!" Her hands went up and she looked at them, frowning before squeezing her hands into fists. "I can't talk to anyone about... This." She motioned to herself, implying the part where she turns into a giant beast, "you're... Special. You already know I'm a monster. Yet... Here you are escorting me back to where I need to be."

Gardenia sighed and rubbed her hands together, "if there's anything you need from me, I'll do whatever I can to help you. In return for helping me, I mean."

[DaGlobster]

Varian's smile disappeared slightly, and he rubbed his elbow.

"I... Appreciate the gratitude, but there's nothing you need to do for me, Gardenia. Kindness is its own reward."

He put his hands on her shoulders, sighing out of his nose.

"Who knows about your condition?"

[Draconian]

His hands on her shoulders made her look up in worry. Was something wrong?

"My father." She stared at him with her 'thinking face' on. Her lower lip stuck out with her eyebrows pulled down to make it look like she was pout-frowning.  "Ara. The guards who protect the area around me when I'm turned." Gardenia moved her hands to his and leaned in slightly, "And you."

She smiled and gave a nod, "You know, too. So that's... Five people. Is that important?"

It was important to her, simply because it was such a well kept secret.

[DaGlobster]

"Well, it's rather important that things like this are kept within the family. I know it sounds rather harsh, but there are very few people out there you can trust outside of family. I have... experience in these matters."

Varian leaned in a bit along with Gardenia, bringing their faces closer together.

"You needn't worry, Gardenia. Your secret's safe with me. That being said, however..."

He moved their hands down from her shoulders, holding her hands in front of his chest.

"... Perhaps if I were present when you turned, I'd be able to keep you much more docile. Perhaps even prevent you from leaving the cottage. Unless of course, if you want to go for a moonlight run with me..."

[Draconian]

Gardenia offered him a kind smile. "This is actually one of few times I've been restless enough to leave the cottage." Then it turned sour and she let her head drop forward, his chest almost hitting her chest it was down so far.  "I'd rather not turn at all.  I don't want to moonlight run..." Her head bolted up, "I'd love to moonlight run with you! Just ... In general. If it was a moonlight run or... Not needing one, I'd... I'd rather not need to."

She sighed and looked at their hands, this man was very... Hand touchy. Not that she minded. Extended contact from someone who'd seen her as a giant furry beast was nice. It soothed her nerves. Made her just a little bit less ashamed.  "Are you sure there's nothing I can do for you?"

[DaGlobster]

"No, I don't need a reward. Helping out is its own reward," Varian said.

While Gardenia would like to have her curse removed, Varian looked at it in a much more different light. To be an aberration, a mutant, was to be closer to divinity. The more terrible a person's bloodline, the better.

There was a certain angle Varian was playing here, and it definitely wasn't a long-term cure.

"And who says you can't go for a little midnight tryst as a human?"

[Draconian]

Gardenia made an effort to huff and look away in a pout, like him denying her giving him a reward was some insult to her being. Still, she looked at him wide eyed, her eyebrows up.

"As... me?" That was... She blushed and gently shook her head, "I.. I'm not nearly as athletic as she is. I couldn't go for a midnight run at all."

[DaGlobster]

"Oh, that's a shame..."

He looked back down at the ground, orienting his own eyes towards Gardenia's.

"Well, I take it my visits will be time enough."

[Draconian]

She chuckled and gave his hands a gentle squeeze, "It's not you. I'm... I'm better at writing fancy letters about why I can't go out and sewing than I am at running." Gently she bit her lip and began to walk again, surely they guards were around somewhere. Hopefully they had her clothes. This man being so close kept reminding her how not clothed she was under her cloak.

"You could.. You could come visit anyway. And... Midnight walks would be okay." She smiled, "I can do that."

[DaGlobster]

Varian sensed the presence of two humans, quite a ways away. He looked at Gardenia with a sudden face of urgency.

"Your guards are nearby and coming this way, Gardenia. They must not see you with me!"

He tightened his grip on her hands.

"I'll come visit you, two nights from now. Don't worry how, I'll find you. Stay here, your guards are on their way."

With that, Varian dipped down, left a kiss on Gardenia's hand, and popped back up. He stepped into the shadow of a tree, and he was gone without a trace.

[Draconian]

It happened so quickly that she was left there alone.

The way her hand tingled led her to believe that it hadn't been all in her imagination after all and she stood there in the forest, alone and waited.

The look she gave the guards was of slight surprise, but the two men gave a relieved smile and moved closer to her, "Lady Gardenia! We've been looking for you since you left." Which had been hours ago, the poor men. Gardenia offered them a sympathetic smile and muttered a quiet sorry. One guard noticed her bare feet and gave her a concerned look but she ignored it and began to move.

It wasn't concerning to her that they were in mostly armor since they set out looking for a werewolf. Sure enough, Gardenia didn't mention the strange man, though she kept rubbing at the spot he'd kissed as the three left to return home.

[DaGlobster]

Varian watched Gardenia from the shadows, from the crevasses between space and time. He spent quite a bit more time with her that she knew.

However, it was finally time for them to part, and Varian went his own way.

[You want to do the timeskip to their next meeting?]

[Draconian]

It had been two nights, the travel back to Jadenshine was smooth and Gardenia went back to her life of mostly idly living. Being old enough to not have tutors anymore left her mostly alone with little to occupy her time but hobbies. Usually reading romance novels about knights and princesses on grand adventures. Currently the book of the day was about a beautiful mage woman in Connlaoth who's fallen in love with a knight, sword to remove said mages.

Dressed in her nightgown and getting ready to sleep, it wasn't until that she'd gone to close her the door to her personal veranda that she remembered Varian and his promise to visit. To help cure her. Alleviate her symptoms. Whatever it was. Gently she gnawed on her lip before she stepped out onto the porch, bare feet cold against the stone.

How did he plan on getting here? Was she forgetting something about their meeting again?

Gardenia stood on the porch, her hands on the railing while she looked out at the clear night sky, waiting.

[DaGlobster]

She looked up at the stars, and something peculiar happened. Everything was calm at first, when suddenly, a random star got much brighter for a few seconds.

From behind her, Varian's voice rang out.

"Gardenia..."

He was standing with his arms out and open, perhaps expecting a hug or some kind of return gesture.