a very bad thief, indeed. [Aubrey]

[Anonymous]

It had happened so fast - a whirlwind of confusion and rather painful kicks. It's what went along with being a pick-pocket - occasionally, you weren't so good at it, and occasionally, the person you were stealing from turned around, back-handed you so hard you came down with a case of whiplash, causing you to hit the ground almost simultaneous with them kicking the living hell out of you. Actually, it didn't seem to happen ALL that often to Maiara - but it sure as hell did happen occasionally, but she usually managed to get away.

However, not such was the case today. Most unfortunately for Maiara who was nursing a busted lip, a slowly closing eye, bruised ribs and various cuts along her arms, legs and torso. Limping along, looking a little pitiful, agitated, her stomach twisted. She moaned softly under her breath.

"Not you too," she mumbled, rubbing her stomach, the other hand lifted to rub at her temples. Her head was beginning to throb. He had gotten a glancing kick off her head. It was strong enough to see a mini-explosion behind her eyes and give her a painfully throbbing headache.

Mai hunkered down at the side of the street, holding her head in her hands for a minute. Her head was bleeding - it was beginning to mat her wavy, light brown hair. She could feel it touching her face and trickling down into her air and down her cheek. She attempted to wipe it away, but head wounds always bled a lot. Hers was no exception.

"Ahh... It hurts," she complained to herself, resting her forehead on her knees, pressing her palms to her ears. Everything was so damn loud. She could hear it all. People talking, the passing of carts and wagons. For God's sake, she could feel the damned vibration of the carts.

Still, sitting around wasn't going to get her food. Or the money she needed to buy it. Even if she was sore and aching, she needed someone to target - and damn, it was always hard trying to pick a target. And she hurt all over - she could taste blood in her mouth, she had blood down her face, on her pants now for thoughtlessly leaning her forehead on her knees, and she was all scuffed and scratched.

She hadn't eaten in three days. At least.. not what most consider food. She had sunk to the point, not for the first time, of eating trash and bugs and grass.. and when she caught one, a rat. Not exactly filling, but sometimes she wasn't a very good thief. Actually, lately, that's been a reoccurring theme as of late. For some reason, it all started two weeks ago - she had stolen some money, but she had misjudged the person she was stealing from, realized they were barely scraping by as it was and handed it back. Then every time she stole from someone she couldn't help but think of what she stealing and just maybe they depended on that money to the point where it was very critical. It made her sloppy. Careless. And she was almost always caught and when she wasn't, it was by sheer luck. It was about time that luck was running out.

Mai stood, teetering and swaying like a drunk, her head spinning. She used the building as a crutch, leaning against it until her senses came back. She wiped the blood off her face, using her shirt. What the hell, right? She licked the fresh blood off her hand - she figured she'd need that later if she kept getting the shit kicked out of her.

She started walking, slowly and with a hint of bewilderment in her step, but changing gears she forced herself to walk casually, ignoring the fact she looked her part - a dirty little thief that [rightfully in the minds of most] had gotten the hell beaten out of her. It'd make stealing a lot more complicated when her appearance nearly beckoned people's attentions.

And then she spotted him. Now or never, right? Her stomach knotted at the thought. He looked the part of a wanderer. He didn't look that old - she felt sick at the thought that if he wanted to he could beat her senseless. Despite his height and her slightly dazed state she could clearly make out lean muscle. Her stomach twisted harder, feeling like it was turning in on itself, beginning to eat her from the inside out. She needed food desperately - she didn't want to have to kill a rat for food. It was disgusting and it made her cry. She couldn't stop thinking about the people she stole from or the animal she killed. In the end, it left her pathetic and starving. She really wondered if it had only been three days.

Walk, walk, walk... Move. Try, at least she told herself repeatedly, silently. Still, Mai hurried, moving quicker, trying to block out the pain in her legs and in her body, trying to stop the ungainly limp. How pathetic! She hated it, she hated looking like this. She hated feeling dirty, and she hated eating what some people wouldn't even consider. Where the hell had her pride gone? And then her stomach knotted, reminding her it had went with the food.

Maiara stumbled, tripping into her subject. That was not the desired effect at all - quite the opposite. Surely, the poor guy would notice her now. And that's not what she had wanted. Still, she grabbed him then pushed herself away and fell onto her ass. More pathetic than she could stand! Almost literally.

"Sonuva-! Jesus!" She cursed herself and then glanced up and looked away. When had the blood dripped into her eye again? God. "Sorry," she grumbled, recognizing it was her fault.

Stand, dolt, stand! She mentally screamed, slowly standing up with a groan. So. That hadn't worked as well as she had wanted it too. On to plan... c, was it?

[Anonymous]

The city was something new for Faolan, new and strange and awfully loud. He'd never been anywhere but home on the plains with his family, and though he'd passed through a few small villages and towns on his way here, they were all tiny compared to... this. The crowd and clamor made his hackles rise, in a not entirely metaphorical way. More than that, it made him want to go somewhere safe and quiet, and far, far from people. Humans, rather - while not all of them here were human, there were enough of them, and they were all crowding in so close and clamoring to be heard over each other and to what point? He couldn't imagine a person who wanted to live here, much less liked it.

He growled softly, low in his throat - the sound was ominous and rumbling, not exactly something most human throats could produce, and it made a man near him eye him uncertainly and take a few cautious steps away from him. Faolan took advantage of the space that gave him to take a deep breath, though city air smelled wrong, tinged with simply too much to take in all at once. However, almost as soon as he got that tiny bit of personal space, someone stumbled into him from behind.

Tensing automatically, Faolan turned around to see who had run into him, so quickly his long sandy-colored braid whipped over his shoulder. At first he saw nothing - and then a curse and a pained, mumbled apology brought his attention to the girl on the ground. Bloodied, dirty, and looking fairly pathetic. He stared at her for a moment, lips parted in a surprised expression, and then he leaned down automatically to help her up, the coppery scent of blood heavy in his nostrils. He wondered how he hadn't noticed it before, but it was hard to pick up specific scents in this crowd.

"Are you alright? What happened to you?" His hand remained on her arm, trying to help support her though not wanting to grip her too hard lest he hurt her somehow - as beat-up as this girl looked, it looked like anywhere he touched her would probably hurt one way or another.

[Anonymous]

Why did blood have to be such a troublesome substance? It really wouldn't stop coming from the cut on her head - which she was sure was placed across a large, throbbing lump - and blinding her left eye. For Mai, it was simply frustration upon annoying frustration that got to her in such a way she just wanted to sit down and cry. But she was positive that that was no way to look less pathetic. It'd just make her look more pitiful if she began to bawl her eyes right there and then. She'd never live it down, even if other people would never realize who she was, that she was a crying and beat-up mess in the street, she'd still be too embarrassed to show her face in this part again.

And it really wasn't a time to be crying. It was a time to be... sleeping. It was the only other thing she could come up with that'd allow her to ignore the pain and pass the time.

She hadn't seen his surprised expression - she'd been focused on wiping her face again and slowly getting up. She wasn't prepared for Faolan to grab her and help her up. Almost automatically she thought she was going to get kicked around again, which would explain why she squeaked in surprise and almost fell all over herself again. Instead, she instinctively grabbed Faolan to keep steady - and then she realized she was grabbing him with her dirty hands she let go.

"I'm fine," she tried to make her voice a little louder to mask the fact she was in pain, tired, and hungry. Although her stomach twisting and growling didn't really help the situation [it chose that time to start acting up]. Her other hand went into her stomach and she clenched her jaws together. Quiet! I don't need to be seen as even MORE pathetic! She told herself firmly.

"I lost." Was the only thing she dared tell him - she wasn't proud of her status in society or her 'job' either - and the fact that her pride was still wounded. Thus, it came out a short, curt, bitter sentence.

Then she realized she was probably only standing because of his help. Her cheeks flushed out of embarrassment. Was she really that weak? Certainly, not eating a few days would make anyone lack strength, and how she managed to escape by using her few tricks, which she shouldn't have used because of her weakened state, all came down to make her very weak. And the additional fact that her ass was completely and utterly kicked, she really was beaten. Which absolutely slaughtered her pride.

"I.. don't feel good," she mumbled, more to herself than anything. A bad habit of hers was to talk to herself. And of course she didn't feel good. She didn't look very good either - but she was mostly referring to her mental state.

Mai tugged at her arm weakly, straightening up as much as she possibly could. She didn't realize her legs were trembling slightly. Nor did she realize just how bruised they were or the fact they each had cuts and were bleeding. Her knees felt about as stable as jello. And her head really throbbed. She wanted it to stop. But it wouldn't.

"What a bad day..." she grunted to herself, for a moment completely forgetting about Faolan. She doubled over, her other hand planting securely on her knee for a second. It was really the only way she figured she could prop herself up. Again, she didn't have much pride for the posture but she figured it was better than laying on the ground. Although she wasn't quite sure.

[Anonymous]

"Oh, hell," Faolan murmured softly, sounding faintly horrified. He'd seen people injured, of course - even in the pack, accidents happened, and the animals the pack hunted could on occasion be dangerous, with hoof or horn. But he'd never seen people beaten like this, and completely ignored by everyone around them. How people could just walk by when she was in pain, when she was bleeding...? The smell of blood ran into everything else, forcing him to do <I>something. Usually with the scent of blood, it meant the hunt, but of late it just gave him the image of kin's blood on his muzzle, a wolf's body at his feet.

"You're... you're really hurt, aren't you?" he asked slowly. It was the only one of a tumble of questions in his brain that actually made it out. He could have asked, Who did this? or Do you want to lie down somewhere? or something else useful. Instead, all he could ask was that. Stupid question. Grimacing at himself - questions like that had to be terribly obnoxious at a time like this - he shook his head and gently pulled her back upright, still not daring to grip her too hard.

"Uhm. Can you stand? Or... walk? I can walk you home, if you can tell me the way, if you've got a friend or a family member nearby..."

It didn't even cross Faolan's mind that she might not have a friend or family member to help her. It's different for him. He's an exile, kinslayer, he brought his solitude on himself, however accidentally. But most people would have family to take care of them, wouldn't they? That's what family's for, after all. And families always take care of each other.

Faolan had a lot to learn about non-Garou families, in the world outside the pack.

[Anonymous]

There's always that awkward transition between tired, inability to care and downright hysteria. Mai was safely beginning to enter into delirium right about.. now. She had to stifle giggles - she felt incredulous and at the same time exasperated and found it so... funny. This poor guy probably thought she was absolutely insane. Hell, she didn't blame him. She was just beginning to think that of herself. A shame, really. Even she couldn't think she was sane anymore.

And for a moment she was absolutely dumbstruck by his question. Was she hurt? Yes, actually, quite so. So, for a few moments she just stared at him, rather dimly and in a mild haze, before she erupted into a fit of giggles. Where the HELL was that coming from? Why was she laughing? She didn't think it was very funny - but she was afraid if she stopped laughing she'd start.. ugh, crying. She felt like a mess. Disastrous.

"S-sorry.. It.. I.. not.. ahaha," she spoke in fragments, her face distorted in a kind exasperated anger that she couldn't properly communicate - her brain was telling her rather clearly [or was it?] what she wanted to say, but her lips wouldn't say it right, "Laughing isn't stopping," she giggled out, suddenly struck with the humor of it.

Well, not really. She still couldn't find the humor in it - maybe that she was laughing for no reason at all was funny, but at the moment she did need help. And the only person she could get to help her was the guy who possibly thought she belonged on a one-way ticket to an asylum. That absolutely would not help her.

After a few moments of trying to calm herself down - which she eventually did, and without consequence might I add - she looked back up at him. The word of 'family' or 'friend' looked like they were completely foreign to her. The only way to even describe her expression [if you could clearly read it through the bruises, swollen eye, and blood] was baffled.

"Don't got any. Ya standin' on my home," she finally said in a rather matter-of-fact tone. She was surprised he hadn't thought the worst of her when he saw her. She was a little stunned [or maybe she was still reeling from that head injury, who knew?].

"Walking... may be a problem," she muttered, glancing down at her legs and swaying slightly - that was a rather un-welcomed dizzy spell. Why did the ground seem to be moving? Was she on a boat? No, no, that didn't make sense - she wasn't on a boat, she was in the middle of Ketra. Thus, no boats. Land. So why was it moving? Why did she feel so sick? Not that she had actually to throw up besides bile.

It was awkward, swaying between clarity, sickness, confusion, and delirium. It was perhaps the weirdest thing, like one trip gone terribly wrong. In a part of her brain that was completely unconcerned with everything, she was wondering if she'd remember this when she woke up. Rather ridiculous, right?

[Anonymous]

Faolan stared at the girl in startled bafflement as she started giggling, though he waited out the giggling spell with something as close to patience as it was possible to get in this situation. He looked... well, actually not like he thought she belonged in an asylum. Rather, he looked worried, genuinely concerned, and yes, a little disturbed by the unexpected laughter, but willing to wait for her to explain it. That said, he was quite grateful when she managed to get it under control.

When she announced that he was standing on her home, he involuntarily, unthinkingly looked down, and then looked back up at her with wide eyes as realization dawned. "You can't honestly... Here?" The disbelief in his comment combined his distaste for the city and inability to believe that anyone would want to live here, and his shock that there could be anyone without a family to care for them. It just... Didn't these people have any sense of decent behavior?

"You need to lie down. And get cleaned up, and..." He eyed her and grimaced. She needed to eat too - he imagined he could probably see her ribs, though with all of the bruises and blood, they might be indistinguishable. He took a breath and then asked, very politely, "Since you can't walk... do you mind if I carry you?"

Perhaps this friendliness and concern toward a complete stranger was some sort of instinctive thing for Faolan. Perhaps it was just that, having lost his family, he would grasp at anyone who could serve as a new one, a new pack. Whatever the reason, since this girl so obviously needed his help, he couldn't, in conscience, turn her away. Not that she'd asked for his help, but... Well, she'd stumbled into him, which was close enough.

[Anonymous]

While he was amazed that she didn't have a family or even a home to speak up, she was amazed that he found that amazing. He looked baffled, she looked blown away - he didn't know that? It wasn't much of a secret, especially in the city. She supposed he really wasn't a city person at all. It'd explain his nature and what would probably be considered naivety by any city dweller. Perhaps Mai would've even went that far, but if she wasn't in her position, she might have. But considering the circumstances, she didn't really think she had any right to call Faolan anything than a strange guy.

Maiara had honestly no idea where this was going - she was so positive that he wasn't going to offer his help, and the more she became positive of it, the more she didn't want it. So she wanted to get away as soon as possible, to lie down somewhere, anywhere. Just a place to rest her head for just a few minutes. Maybe, when she woke up, miraculously, everything would be better, suddenly fixed.

She almost laughed. How childish was she going to be before she faced the situation head on? Ridiculous.

Her jaw dropped slightly. That was... miraculous, right? That was definitely as close to a miracle as Mai had ever seen. And all Faolan had done was express concern [which seemed genuine, either that he was a damned good liar] and even asked to carry her. But where? Mai looked confused - and then she remembered she wasn't supposed to take his help. But this changed everything. He had actually offered it to her. This wasn't making any sense.

"N-no! I'll be fine. See?" She spoke hastily, slightly insulted but nothing compared to the earlier insults.

But those certainly were dying words, right? Well, something like that.

Mai attempted to push him away. She even attempted to stand straight all by herself. That was fine and dandy, but she really shouldn't try to be tough - it wasn't very becoming when you're at your limit. Not at all. Because, suddenly, she couldn't see. She didn't know why, and she jerked, her arms flailing out slightly, trying to keep her balance, trying to scrabble for something to hold onto before all city noise as she knew it screeched to a screaming halt. There was the ringing of silence in her ears and only the loud voices of her thoughts and the sharp and dull ache in her skull. And then... nothing.

Absolutely  nothing. It was like she completely shut down, immediately collapsing.


[yay! blackouts. XD]

[Anonymous]

Faolan should've seen that coming. He should have reached out for her the instant she pushed away, the way she was swaying on her feet - it was obvious she couldn't stand on her own. But he hesitated, not wanting to impose on her, and then winced as she toppled to the ground. Next time (assuming there was a next time, though he rather hoped there wouldn't be), he'd remember that "I'll be fine" probably meant the exact opposite.

A few passersby paused to look at the collapsed girl in surprise or concern, but most walked on by, indifferent to yet one more street child who couldn't take care of herself. Faolan unthinkingly growled, deep in his throat, at a cluster of men and women who passed by without a glance. The growl was of an ancient and primeval sort that reached right to a human's hindbrain and reminded them some creatures preyed on even them. It was the sort of growl that began in the back of one throat, and ended in another, following a set of deadly fangs. Those who heard it hurried away, thinking they would probably feel much safer behind a set of thick doors.

Faolan bent to scoop the girl into his arms, holding her protectively against his chest. It wasn't hard to lift her - she didn't look like she'd have weighed much even if she were healthy, and as it was, she weighed hardly anything at all. "Where's your pack?" he murmured softly to the unconscious girl, and wondered distantly if she'd done something to make them cast her out, same as his had. But that was probably just wishful thinking, wanting someone like him...

He didn't make a habit of carrying around a great deal of money - he hadn't much use for it, since as long as he was on the road he could hunt his own food, and he had a wolf's endurance, able to go without food for longer than humans. But he'd made enough, on odd jobs in the few towns he'd passed through and once as a caravan guard when they happened to be traveling the same direction as him, that he could certainly pay for an inn...  and food for her. That was definitely necessary.

He didn't bother searching for the most affordable inn or anything of that sort, just kept walking until he located the nearest. The innkeeper eyed him in speculation as he stepped through the door, probably because he happened to be holding a battered girl in his arms - and if Faolan paused to think of what assumptions the man came to, he'd likely havebeen horrified. Luckily for his sake, he didn't stop to consider it, simply said, "I need a room. And water and clean cloths. Please." As much as he tried to be properly commanding, he couldn't seem to keep the politeness back. Even if it somewhat ruined the effect.

The man studied him for a moment longer, seemed to think better of asking just what had happened to the girl, and nodded. "Right away, sir."

In short order, he'd led Faolan to a tiny room upstairs - it constituted of just a bed and a small bedside table, but it was enough. Faolan lowered the girl onto the bed carefully, waited for the innkeeper to bring him the requested water and clean cloth, and once he had, set both on the bedside table, sat beside her, and set about carefully washing dirt and blood from the cuts he could see. In places, it was hard to tell what was dirt and what was a bruise, and Faolan winced in sympathy as he wiped away what he could. She was such a little thing, to have taken a beating like this...

[Anonymous]

Mai's mind drifted to the beginning - it was a blurred start, where neither side was clear. She couldn't remember the exact moment she had began living on the streets, and even the reason was faint. All she could really remember clearly was how surprisingly hard it was. There was no catching a break, there wasn't anyone to turn to - it was cold, lonely and.. dirty. The dirty thing was a big problem - she had never felt so... infested. But she had quickly learned that bathing fell from being a top priority to the last. It made her uncomfortable and awkward at first, and constantly at odds with herself. And then she learned to cope when the pain in her stomach was overwhelming everything else.

What's... soft? Her mind asked stupidly, her good eye opening slightly. At first she didn't see much of anything - and then she saw a blurry outline. Her breath caught in her throat - she completely forgot what happened before the blackout. She shrieked, sat up suddenly, which didn't go over well with her head - she reeled, the room spun and she fell back down, eyebrows drawn together.

First things first  - was she in tact? Yes, she didn't feel like she was missing any body parts - always a good sign. Functions working? Slowly, with some trouble, but all in all, working. Except for her left eye - swollen shut, she thought. That entire side of her head felt awkwardly heavy. Like instead of a brain she had stones in her head. Great. Worst fear confirmed. She had rocks for brains. Good.

Pain? Everything. She couldn't tell what hurt worse or where the pain was coming from - she knew it was hard to breathe. Probably from getting kicked in that area so many times. Her arms and legs were bruised and swollen and cut - she didn't think anything was broken. And so what if it was? She couldn't do much either way. Although the thought of pain and the inability to use a limb really didn't sound nice.

Inventory done, she began to panic. Short, quick breaths before she dared to look again. Ah... that guy... familiar. She got so confused she actually forgot to panic and stared at him - rather dumbly, too.

"Ahh... you..." she said, completely baffled by these turn of events.

What? That didn't make sense. She closed her eye and thought about it. She remembered she was talking to him and the last thing she said was... Oh. Oh crap. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment - you think she'd let it go considering he did her a favor - and her flashed open, staring at him.

"You carried me?!" She squeaked hoarsely, wincing at the pain to open her mouth so wide - she must look horrible.

"Why?" She asked hotly, staring up at him. She was confused - and embarrassed. She didn't know how to react besides being insulted and grateful. It didn't really occur to her to say thank you to him. She felt like she had lost tenfold to that guy who beat her - it made the loss all the more painful.

Yell at him from a lying down position. With your face all bashed up. Good, Maiara. Sucha fool. No wonder ya got beat! She reprimanded herself, closing her eye and groaning under breath - mostly out of frustration. She had to win SOMETIME didn't she?

[Anonymous]

Faolan jumped as the girl sat up shouting - he himself might have shouted a little, but instead his vocal cords merely seized up out of sheer surprise, resulting only in a startled gasp. Nevertheless, he stood up, backed away to give her her space, and held his hands up in a show of good intentions, the damp (and now bloody and dirty rag) still in his hand. "Hey, hey," he said, attempting to sound soothing. "It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you..."

He wasn't sure if she heard him - she had a wild-eyed, not quite conscious look, as if she weren't all there yet. Gradually, though, her eyes cleared, and she seemed to remember who he was. Vaguely, at least. It was enough.

"Yes," he said slowly, giving her an odd look at the question. "I couldn't very well just... leave you on the street, could I? And you said you didn't have anywhere to go, so... I thought..."

He bit his lip, feeling silly for some reason. He couldn't see any course of action other than the one he'd taken, but the way the girl stared at him, he felt faintly stupid, for a reason he couldn't quite put his finger on.

"My name's Faolan, by the way. I don't think we got to that before you... well... passed out."

[Anonymous]

A sharp pang of guilt to go along with a pang of hunger. He seemed a rather genuine individual. She wondered, briefly, if maybe she was losing her mind. Maybe being on the streets made her desperately want someone to even look like they cared, to even look like they saw her that she became deluded with wanting it - that she'd see it in anyone, that she'd mistake common interest for something more or be completely taken in by lies. Was she absolutely losing her mind? It felt that way, it felt that she was grasping at water, and every time her fists closed all she got was her hands wet - all she got was the slightest feeling she knew what was going on, but still the major idea slipped away.

He said he wasn't going to hurt her. What had he been holding in his hand? A.. rag? It looked like he had been cleaning the dirt and blood off her... Another sharp pang of guilt. She glanced down at herself, frowning with pain, her frown becoming increasingly strained as she struggled onto her elbows, pushing herself with her hands. She gripped the bed clothes determinedly and managed a sitting up position. Not without pain. She was beginning to pant. The world swirled and she closed her eye. She touched her head with her fingers, her face contorting painfully. Throb, throb, ache, ache.

"Faolan? That's a pretty name," she spoke absently, looking up to him for a moment. It was her indirect way of saying 'I'm sorry' without actually saying it. She didn't want to feel guilty for making him look that way. But she wasn't lying, either.

"I'm... Maiara," she told him, suddenly feeling awkwardly embarrassed for simply saying her name - she wondered how long it'd been when she had told someone something so simple. Why did she even care about that?

"Just call me Mai," she told him with a slight eagerness - she hadn't told anyone her name in such a long time... and she had the chance to say her nickname! It made her feel strangely good to say it.

She wanted to talk. She hadn't realized talking could feel so good. That it could be so relieving to remember her own name and have someone else remember it. She wondered how long this would last - she steeled herself slightly then. Not long. He'd leave soon. Just because he showed her some kindness before didn't mean it'd last. Faolan would leave - but at least he'd remember her, if not her name. It was hard to forget a beat up kid, right?

She stared at him for a moment. "You're not from around here, are you?"

[Anonymous]

"Thank you," he said in response to the compliment about his name, sounding a little more pleased than one normally would be in response to that comment. But then, most people don't have much to do with their own names, it's the fault of their parents, for good or ill. Faolan, on the other hand, had chosen his own name. It was good to know that he'd chosen one she liked.

"It's easy to tell, isn't it?" he said with an expression that wasn't quite a grimace, but near enough. It wasn't like he was trying to blend in or anything, but that that was nearly the first question out of her mouth... "Ah... no, I'm not. From around here. I've been traveling for a while now." He would ask how long she's been living here, whether she was born here or something else, but he sensed that wasn't a good question to ask this girl.

"Uhm. Do you, ah... want anything to eat? I can run right downstairs and grab something for you... You look like you could use it." Blunt, yes, but he still had the memory of how light she'd been in his arms.

[Anonymous]

Was it easy? Very. She nodded to assure him just how easy it was. She didn't mean to be rude - actually, she thought she was being nice - because it wasn't always a good thing to be from Ketra. Then again, she supposed people were the same everywhere. It simply depended how they were in heart. Mai began to wonder if he'd be so kind if he knew she was just as bad as they were - that she was just a dirty little thief who stole from anyone. And the bad part was [at least for her] she was obviously not very good. Certainly, she always had tricks. Always! It got harder to use those tricks when you're half-starved, however. She got clumsier when she should have gotten stealthier. Stupidity was all it was.

She stared. A little rude, yes. Her lips parted - she went beyond staring into a full-out gawking session. She suddenly realized what she was doing, touched her mouth and looked away. She was almost salivating, for heaven's sake! She had completely forgotten to be insulted by that remark. Belatedly, she felt a stab to her pride. But more persistent and angrier stabs at her stomach.

"P-please," she muttered, frowning slightly.

"..I-I'll pay you back, I swear!" She blurted out, suddenly. Stealing from strangers was hard enough - how could she possibly steal from the guy who just helped her? She didn't want to be another charity case. Mai just about called her pride slaughtered and let it lie. There wasn't anything she could do about it today. It was bad enough she even had pride - she WAS a thief. Well, well, wasn't she a bundle of lovely contradictions.

[Anonymous]

Faolan smiled a little and shook his head, holding up a hand to assure her it was okay. "You don't need to pay me back, really. I mean, you're... hurt, and it's no harm to me..."

He set the rag carefully back in the bowl of water - now no longer clear, since he'd been cleaning the girl, but a muddy shade of brown - and wiped off his damp hands on his shirt. Those left streaks of dirt too, which he seemed to either ignore or be oblivious to. Dirt never hurt anyone.

"Just... stay here, and I'll go get you something."

He stepped out of the room before she could protest again. Her offering to pay him back made him uncomfortable - never in his life had anyone offered recompense for help freely offered, it was simply accepted that help was to be accepted, and repaid in turn when the opportunity arose. But actual payment seemed wrong. If that was the way things worked in the world, Faolan was pretty sure he didn't like it.

The young man padded down the hall near-silently. Having learned how to move silently in the grasslands, making no sound on a simple wooden floor was no trouble. His boots fell lightly, and as he reached the bottom of the stairs, the innkeeper took no notice of him - and jumped when he spoke. "You serve food down here, yes? I need some of it to take upstairs. Plenty of it."

The innkeeper considered him for quite a while with a knowing smirk, opened his mouth as if to make some comment on the young girl Faolan had alone in his room - and then took note of the whipcord muscle, and thought better of it. "Of course."

In short order, Faolan returned to the room, balancing a bowl, a plate with a couple large hunks of bread on it, and a mug with an unidentifiable liquid. "Here, food. At least in theory. I'm fair sure what's in the bowl is supposed to be stew, though I have my doubts."

[Anonymous]

She wondered if he took notice to the trail of dirt he had just streaked down his shirt. With a reluctant glance, she looked into the bowl. She was that dirty? She didn't know why the thought surprised her - or maybe because it didn't repulse her [and him] that surprised her. Some dogs lived better than her. But at least she lived.

She was anticipating the food - her stomach twisted harder, wanting it more and more now that it was so damn close. Her hand pushed against her stomach lightly, wincing sharply as she unknowingly touched a bruise. She shook her head slightly - as much as she dared - and sighed. "You've waited a few days, a few minutes should be too much trouble, right?" She spoke quietly, hoping that the walls were thick enough and Faolan was far enough away to not hear her talking to her own stomach.

Then she began to become suspicious. Why was he being so nice? He didn't seem to want payment - he even said it wasn't necessary. Which was something she didn't understand. Wasn't that how it all worked? Didn't people just give to take? She had never heard of someone willingly giving - it was beyond her comprehension.

Maiara couldn't deny the feel of panic rising inside her. Sure, he seemed like a nice guy, but so did most con-men. He was strong, any half-wit could see that. So what did he want? Was he going to sell her into one of those slave auctions? She'd been there before - although she had always been at her best [at least better than her worst] and was capable of getting away. But now...

Anxiously she pulled at the bed clothes, scratching at the fabric that scratched back. She bit her lower lip, touching her face before jerking her hand away. Calm down, calm down, calm down...

As soon as he opened the door and she saw food her mind completely switched gears. Finally! Oh god. I wouldn't be shocked if I'm hallucinating... Food... The smell was near enough to make her start drooling there and it was quite apparent that if she trusted herself to walk she probably would've met him while he was standing in the doorway.

"Oh, no. THIS is definitely food. When was the last time I had stew?" It took very little to make her ecstatic - and at the moment, she was absolutely beyond ecstatic. She was far above cloud nine.

She didn't waste time, taking a hunk of bread and digging it into the stew, soaking it for a few seconds before lifting it up and taking a large bite. All the while, her stomach wouldn't stop grumbling and making noise.

"Hah! Food it is! Way better than trash and rats," she remarked gleefully, trying to slow her food intake down. She remembered hearing a story of someone who ate too much too fast after starving - their stomach burst. Still, it was hard to pace herself with such awesome looking food in front of her.

"It's really good. Thank you," she said, already halfway through the stew - and keeping surprisingly neat [mostly because wasting ANY would be a shame]. Then again, even if had tasted like rocks she would've eaten it. The important thing it was food - and she needed it. She felt like she'd died and gone to heaven.

Food. That tasted GOOD. Maybe just to her, but still.

[Anonymous]

"If you're sure..." he said, still dubious to the quality of the food. For someone who often ate raw rabbits or other animals he'd caught himself, he was awful picky about his food. Although, to be fair, he only ate rabbits when he was in his wolf form, which perhaps made it a little less... well, gross. Certainly he didn't see anything wrong with it.

Faolan paused, considering sitting down next to her on the bed, since there seemed to be nowhere else to sit, but after a moment chose to give her her space, and instead leaned against the closed door, arms folded over his chest, his pose unconsciously languid and graceful. Small as the room was, even with him against the door and her on the bed, he was still close enough for comfortable conversation.

"You're welcome. I gather it's... been a while since you had anything to eat, huh?" he asked, stating the obvious. The way he could probably count every single one of her ribs, how she weighed so much less than what a girl her size should, and the way she looked like she was in heaven over this half-rate inn food...

"Who hurt you, Mai?" he asked, and immediately looked surprised by his own words. He didn't know where that question had come from, why he had asked it so... indelicately, except that, of course, he couldn't very well get his mind off it. And given that he wasn't even thinking that she might have brought this on herself, it seemed rather important. But then, Faolan couldn't imagine anything the girl could do to deserve this. You just didn't hit half-starved children, no matter what they'd done.

But then, in Faolan's view of the world, you didn't leave children to starve. Garou packs had a different view of responsibility in these matters than it seemed city folk did, and Faolan wasn't terribly eager to adjust.

[Anonymous]

He was rather good at stating the obvious, wasn't he? She looked up, but with her mouth stuffed so much where she resembled a chipmunk she opted for a close-mouthed grin and eagerly went back to her food. She refused to be deterred from eating. She had a slight fear that suddenly, it'd just end. Without reason, it'd simply stop. She was afraid it was all a very complex delusion in where she was still on the street, passed out cold and this was all something strung together in her pitiful, exhausted mind. Even if it was dream-food, she'd like to eat it all. So she did. And then she chased it down with the drink and leaned back onto her hands. She felt.. stuffed. Mai paused to simply enjoy the heavy feeling of food in her stomach before sighing softly.

She wondered if he had noticed how she slowed down eating when he had asked his question. She didn't know how to answer him - she could tell him the truth, she could tell him that she was just a little thieving brat. She could tell him that she probably deserved the beating. Or she could lie and hide her 'profession'. She didn't blame him for asking - she supposed he was just curious. But she really didn't what to have to tell him that he just gave charity out to a little thief. What he didn't know couldn't hurt him, right?

"Ah? No one did. I'm a klutz, so I fell," she told him flippantly.

Out of all the lies she could've come up with she had decided on 'falling'. Why? She didn't really know - it sounded so... stupid. It was even a slightly good lie. Nothing about it should have compelled her to say it, but in the end, that was what she said. Honestly! What possessed her to say such a thing? Of course he'd know she was lying. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was lying. Oh well. She'd just lie and lie some more - the issue wasn't even that important.

"Why? It's nothing big." ... or new, she thought as her dark eyes flickered up to his face. Her eyes, unintentionally so, were peculiarly intense, especially for a child.