against the grain

[Anonymous]

There was peace. His body plunged deeper and deeper into the warm waters, they seemed to hug at his skin and hold him tight like the warm embrace of an old friend. His form slowly plunged deeper into the abyss until the sense of peace suddenly broke away and panic set in. Air. For the first time since hitting the water - how long had he been under? - his eyes shot open. Against the ocean's aqua hue, growing darker and darker as he plummeted, a set of green eagle-inspired eyes flashed. The reality of the situation sunk in, and he began to claw his way to the surface... only that wasn't necessary at all. In a panic, his whole body seemed to spasm and with it, the set of great wings on his back propelled him to the surface with one strong surge, his body breaking the water and elevating him into the air where he remained suspended for a few moments in an almost dream-like fashion, then flopped back into the waters.

He quickly looked around for a boat, but found nothing on the waters surface save for a few gulls. With some sense of baring, he began to swim towards the shore - he'd seen it the moment he'd exited the water - but his body ached. He could hardly make it to the shore, and once he could touch the sandy bottom, his legs struggled to propel him forward, twice faltering back into the water. He looked at the scene that was presented before him, finding himself at the loading docks of a seaside village. He did not recognize it, and he could connect no faces to names.

He fell to his knees the moment his bare feet touched grass. He looked down at himself. He was wearing a white shirt, or at least a shirt that used to be white. It was covered in faded blood and for a moment he thought it was his own, but could not find a wound. His pants were black and torn, and again he looked for a wound, but found none. He took a moment, closing his eyes, and breathed. Breathe. He thought to himself, but it was all he could remember to do.

Slowly, he stood up. His legs felt as though they were shaking, but in reality they were stable; it was most likely the muscle spasming that he felt. He slowly began to walk into the village, running his hand along the buildings as he passed them as if to make sure it was all real. Where had he come from? Had he bumped his head? He reached up, again anticipating to find a wound. Nothing.

He faltered once more and only caught himself midway. Leaning against the stone wall of a small shop. Caanan opened his eyes as he stood up again, making his surroundings clearer, but in his minds eye there was nothing but a steady blur.

What happened?

[Rhindeer]

Crap, crap, crap, crap!

Panting, Sachi weaved through the crowds as best she could, shouldering a few unlucky people that were too slow to move out of her way as she full on sprinted down the street, her own heavy footfalls muffled by the drone of the crowd and the shouts of people behind her. Eep! It was those shouts that had her running, and it was the lump in her pocket that had them chasing, but darned if they were going to catch her! Granted, it probably wasn't the best move, a thief stealing from another thief, but...

It had also been a while since she'd last been to the Guild. She wasn't up to date with all the new faces! She didn't know! And heck if she was going back! Besides, for a thief he was rather clumsy. He could...think of it as a lesson!

That is, if he didn't catch and pummel her. He was pretty big.

She chanced a glance over her shoulder as she ran, then put on an extra burst of speed when she saw that she was losing the guy. Yes! He couldn't maneuver like she could through the crowds! Just a bit more and she'd lose him for good! Tucking her tail in close to her body, she turned a corner sharply, stumbling a little and almost falling, and raced down another street that only had a few people around. Ack! She'd be out in the open, and she couldn't go much longer at this rate; already she was getting a horrible stitch in her side. Alright, alright...next street!

Unfortunately, she wasn't really looking in front of her as she turned the next corner, more concerned over what was behind her. As a result, she smacked right into another body, hard enough to stumble backwards and fall flat on her rump, letting out a muffled yelp when her tail got squashed in the process. Ow! Damn! She quickly scrambled up onto her knees, breath coming out in short bursts, and flicked her sore tail out from under her before looking up with a frown at...whatever it was she'd run into. Yuck. Whoever it was, the person was all...wet and cold. Ew. Probably a bum or something, she didn't want to know why he was wet and--

Her silver eyes traveled up his drenched body, frowning and rubbing her throbbing side and trying to catch her breath, noting the golden wings with a small pang of surprise--that was unusual--before, finally, her eyes moved up his neck and landed on his face.

Sachi just about had a heart-attack.

"C-Caanan...?" she gasped, the color draining out of her face, and her legs just about buckled in sheer shock. Good thing she was still sitting on her knees. Her mouth hung open stupidly as she stared up at him, unblinking, and for a moment she couldn't breathe as her throat constricted. Never mind that the man was wet and his shirt was blood-stained. He looked...he looked...

He looked like Caanan...

She gasped when her body abruptly demanded air, forcing herself to breathe again, and she shakily placed her hands flat on the ground for support so she could get to her feet. Ahah...don't be silly, Sachi. It...it wasn't Caanan. it couldn't be. Caanan didn't have wings. It was a striking resemblance, but...this was just her imagination and wishful thinking talking. Shakily, she rose to her feet and gave a small, sheepish grin. Right. Just a coincidence. And the guy was bloody. What if he was some psycho or something? Ahem.

"S-sorry 'bout that...you reminded me of someone and, uh..." she cleared her throat. "Yeah. Wasn't watchin' myself. Eh heh. Um...I'll...I'll go now..."

That was what she said, but instead of leaving, she just stood there and looked at him, unable to help it. That was...that was crazy. The resemblance was too freaky. But it had been so long. Maybe she was going out of her head. It wasn't him. Just a likeness.

[Anonymous]

Caanan stumbled again, and this time had no reason to continue going. His mind kept on going back to the fact that the only thing he knew for certain was that he'd come from the water. He had to have fallen from a boat or something, maybe one leaving port? Maybe he'd been swimming, but who swam alone in the ocean? He felt more and more that he would have stayed on the shore and waited for someone to find him. He was convinced he'd bumped his head on something smooth enough that it hadn't left a physical wound, but had jumbled his thoughts regardless. Still, he had to stop walking into the city and he had to turn around and go back... to what? He did not know and, despite the logic that told him to turn around, he didn't move. There was a feeling that told him the sea wasn't where he was meant to be, but that implied he was meant to be elsewhere, and that was even more uncertain.

"Wha--?" He said as someone ran into him, making him take two steps back as he caught himself. He legs hurt so much. He was just so drained that when he took two steps back to catch himself, he had to cling to the corner of another building to keep from falling. He watched as the girl fell to the ground but couldn't make any motion to help her, if he had he may have ended up exactly where she was.

"C-Caanan...?" She asked but the name sparked nothing in his mind. He looked behind her to see if she was talking to a friend, maybe someone who should have been right behind her, but found no one coming towards them. It had not yet occurred to him that he might be the one the name belonged to, but when a word does not even remotely stimulate a response, not even within your soul, its hard to put things together.

"S-sorry 'bout that...you reminded me of someone and, uh... Yeah. Wasn't watchin' myself. Eh heh. Um...I'll...I'll go now..." She said as she finally stood. She looked very unique and seemed to stand out amongst the other people walking the streets (he'd not yet realized how out of place he himself must have looked to them), and her silver eyes suddenly seemed transfixed on him. His brow furrowed for a moment, wondering why she was taking so much interest in him and even gawking at him like he was an event but.. he'd sort of done the same to her.

He guessed they were both a little out-of-the-ordinary.

"Its alright," Caanan said at last, noticing she had not left as soon as she made it sound she would have. Perhaps she wanted acknowledgment for her apology? "I shouldn't have just been standing there, it was my own fault." Did he believe what he'd said? No. But at this point he needed to rest. He didn't know where, but standing was becoming more and more of an arduous chore...

His voice had not changed. It was level but there was kindness there, even if he was exhausted.

"Do you know where I can... Is there a shelter anywhere? A hostel or..?" He asked, realizing he had no money on him, either. Why did he know these words and places and not recall where he'd come from or how he'd come to be in the water?

[Rhindeer]

There was no recognition, no nothing. He'd even looked behind himself as though to make sure she wasn't talking to someone else, and then he just looked back at her like she'd lost it. She supposed that's why she had lingered. She needed to see that reaction for herself, otherwise she'd always wonder, stupid as it was. Duh it wasn't him. He would have recognized her.

It was still so bizarre...his face was so similar.

Sachi let out a low sigh, chuckled to herself, and ran a hand through her longer bangs. Even his voice sounded the same! Ugh, was she cracking up here? And if so, why here and now? It had been three years...

"Heh, yeah, totally your fault 'cause, y'know, ya so knew I was gonna be running there. It was a set up," she joked lamely, and took another deep breath. No need to get worked up. This was silly, and she'd probably creeped him out enough by now. She shifted from one foot to the other, scuffed the toe of her boot against the pavement. "Anyway, there's a few places. Got some inns, hostels, and...ah crap!"

Suddenly she jumped, abruptly remembering that, duh, she was being persued! Straightening and stiffening, she turned and peered carefully around the corner, straining her ears and flicking her tail nervously. The street was still fairly empty, nothing out of the ordinary. Still...she didn't exactly want to take any chances dilly-dallying around.

"In fact, hey, I can show ya to one." She looked up at him, then bit her lip and averted her eyes, not looking at his face. It was too weird. Instead she focused on his shirt, and the blood. Right. She had more important things to think about, like why he was wet and bloody. She should probably be worried about that, but he didn't sound threatening. Just tired.

And like Caanan. Eugh.

"Um...are you okay?" she asked. "I mean, if I lead, are you gonna be able to make it?" Despite herself, she really wanted to ask his name, but...if she was going to be showing him to a shelter, that could wait a little longer. Even she could admit that part of the reason she was doing this was to see if she could find out a little more about him--just for curiosity's sake, nothing more. Really!

[Anonymous]

The reality of the situation had yet to set in. Caanan's mind had not even begun to think about himself - who he was, whether or not he had family, where he lived. His thoughts were just concerning what happened, and why he had been left in the ocean. He figured he'd just bumped his head and things would start coming back to him soon enough. He did, after all, remember how to speak and what everything around him was called. He was a man, she was a woman, the ground beneath them was cobblestone and the tree in at the street corner opposite to them was a birch tree. He knew all this, so he did not question his permanent memory. Though... it was hard to begin thinking about family and home if you couldn't make any sort of connection between those commonly familiar ideas and yourself.

Caanan didn't laugh at her joke. He was sure it was funny on some level, but not enough to strike his sense of humour...if he even still had one. She seemed somewhere between anxious and nervous, although both those qualities could go hand in hand with one another.

Sachi went on to explain that there were a few inns and hostels, and that she could show him to one. He was about to repeat that he would need a hostel or something that didn't involve money or much of it, but she suddenly spoke again and asked if he would be alright to actually make it to wherever it was they were headed.

"I'll be fine." He lied. He wanted to drop dead right there. Some weird sense of pride kept him from struggling to stand up. He made sure he stood tall and firmly on the ground, concentrating on maintaining some level of normalcy, though his eyes probably just looked very focused, or completely uninterested in anything Sachi had to say.

"Is it far?" He asked. If it was too far, he'd rather just find a pub and have a seat before trying to journey to some random hostel.

[OOC: Oh, the crap of it all.]

[Rhindeer]

"Okay, if ya say so," Sachi said, raising both eyebrows and looking him over from head to toe. He didn't look "fine", he looked beat, and the blood on his shirt still worried her. Still, she knew how hard-headed guys could be--damn if that wasn't so familiar! "It's not that far. There's one just down the street. C'mon, I'll take ya there." Turning and absently patting the lump in her pocket as though to make sure it was still there, she began to walk, leading the way and making sure to keep her pace slow so he could keep up. Not that it'd be easy to lose her, because how many people had silver lion-like tails? Wasn't like she'd lose him, either; with those wings and that face, he kinda stood out in a crowd.

To her, at least.

She looked around cautiously as they walked, still nervous about that thief and his cohorts popping up to steal back what she'd stolen--and give her a royal beating--but so far the coast was clear. Besides, she'd strategically chosen to lead the guy there via some side streets and alleys as opposed to the main road, which was too crowded, anyway.

"Hey, if you don't mind me asking, ah...you're not hurt badly, are ya?" Sachi asked, glancing back over her shoulder at the man and wrinkling her nose a little at the various and unpleasant alley odors. You know, smells like rotten eggs and unwashed bodies and...other stuff. Eugh. She was not going to think further on that, lest she lose her appetite completely. "'Cause I mean, if you're injured, I could probably do something about that."

And then it struck her.

No, he definitely wasn't him. Caanan healed on his own, after all...so there was no possible way.

And why the hell did she still have her hopes up like that, anyway?! Bad Sachi!

It wasn't much longer before they reached the inn, and Sachi finally paused in front of its entrance and offered up a little smile, sliding her gloved hands into her pockets and swishing her tail back and forth absently. "Well...here it is. Hope you weren't expecting anything classy or anything, because, well...this is pretty much the best there is here," she told him, pulling a hand out of a pocket so she could make a sweeping gesture to the building, cracked walls, peeling paint and all. Somehow she didn't think he'd complain right now, but...she felt she needed a disclaimer, anyway!

[Anonymous]

"Oh.." Caanan said as Sachi referred to his wounds. Only they weren't wounds - or, well they could be! They just weren't his. At least, not that he could see. "I'm not hurt.. Er.. That's not my blood. I don't think." He said with clear uncertainty in his voice. He wasn't sure how any of this had happened and was curious himself as to why his shirt was covered in blood all around his torso. He probably looked completely insane to Sachi, and he was beginning to become aware of that fact. He followed her, not knowing who he was, what he was doing there, or why in hell his shirt was covered in blood!

Ugh, that smell. It was putrid and struck his senses, but he didn't say anything about it. The smells of an alley were hardly this woman's fault, and he wasn't about to complain to a woman who was kind enough to help him. He knew better than to complain...right?

She lead him up to a building that, he assumed, had seen better days.

"No, this is fine," Caanan said with a smile. The thought of rest had, oddly enough, made his body more at ease and less weary. "Its only temporary, anyways." Well, he was pretty sure it was temporary, right? He'd go back to the docks tomorrow, or maybe later that night, and see if he remember anything or if anyone remembered him.

"Thanks for your help...Uh..." He said, nodding his head, but realized he didn't know her name. He wondered, if she introduced herself, she would most likely assume the same in return from him. Only he couldn't remember. He didn't even have a vague idea of what his name could be, or even a visualization of what initials he probably wrote down on things.

What the hell was wrong with him?

[Rhindeer]

...Not his blood? Sachi's eyebrows climbed, and she wasn't sure what she should be worried about more, that it wasn't his blood or that he didn't remember how it even got there. Err...well...that was interesting. How the heck did you not remember how you ended up covered in blood? Maybe he wasn't quite all right in the noggin, maybe she was helping out some serial axe murderer, and all just because they looked like someone she'd known and loved years ago. Part of her was starting to think this might not have been a good idea, but...

Who was she fooling? She'd never been full of good ideas to begin with, and when did she ever shirk danger? Besides, he was nice enough!

Yeah, and psychopaths are some of the most charming people on the planet until they slit your throat.

Oh well. Too late now. And curiosity always came before rationality, and damned if she wasn't curious about him. No matter what she told herself, she just couldn't help it. She couldn't.

All thoughts of him being a possible axe murderer left when he smiled for the first time. It actually hurt. It was so damned familiar it was a little surreal, and she couldn't help but wonder if some deity decided today was her day to be messed with!

"Oh...o-okay. That's good," she said, still smiling, though it wavered a little. "It was no problem, anyway. Ah...right! Name's Sachi, by the way!" she said, sticking a gloved hand out to him in greeting, taking his pause as a hint. After all, they hadn't properly introduced themselves, had they? "What's your name?"

Finally, a chance to ask. Here it was, the moment of truth.

[Anonymous]

There was something fidgety about Sachi. Her eyes seemed to sparkle at times, then turn more sullen at others, like there were fireworks going off in her mind, but the glow was always quick to fade. The gears of her mind were constantly turning, coming across conclusions she favoured and those she did not necessarily like, and all the while her eyes were giving her away with each look she gave Caanan.

"Name's Sachi," she introduced and Caanan, again, smiled. "That's a pretty name, Sachi. Its a pleasure to meet you," he said as he extended his hand to her's in greeting. Then... then she asked him to return the gesture, and he didn't know what to do. He could tell her the truth or he could make up a name, but either way he felt uneasy.

He stammered for a bit, and out of uneasiness ran his hand through his hair, a rather embarrassed look suddenly coming over his face. "Honestly, I don't know," he answered with a little bit of a nervous laugh. It then occurred to him that she might think he was joking or just didn't want to give her his name, so he tried his best to straighten his expression. "I.. I can't remember it, actually." He added, clearing his throat.

Well, he certainly felt like an idiot!

[Rhindeer]

Sachi took his hand and shook it, and was surprised to feel heat rise in her cheeks when he commented on her name. Blah! Now was not the time to be bashful. Good Gods, her emotions were all over the place, bouncing from cautious to hopeful to worried to...blushing? Jeez, what was wrong with her? Hopefully it didn't actually show on her face. She did her best to ignore the way his grip felt, to ignore the sense of deja vu, and instead smiled all the more. "Thanks! Nice to meetcha, too."

Then from there on it was waiting. It was only a few seconds, but it felt like forever. But instead of getting a name, she got a lot of stammering, and her smile slowly began to fade. He seemed nervous. Hah! Maybe he was a criminal, too, after all! Ahem. But then he finally answered, and Sachi blinked several times.

"You...don't remember...?" she repeated as though finding that hard to believe. She released her grip on his hand and tilted her head to the side, bird-like, and looked him over musingly. "Really? Are ya sure you're really not hurt? I mean, didja hit your head or something, does your head hurt? Are--"

Sachi cut off abruptly, her silver eyes widening as her sensitive ears picked up an all too familiar sound. She turned her head to peer over her shoulder and just about choked.

The theif she'd stolen from had just turned onto the street, cursing to himself. He was currently facing in the opposite direction, his back to them, but it wouldn't be long before he turned and saw them. With a soft gasp, Sachi bolted to the inn door, yanked it open, and grabbed Caanan's wrist.

"Gyah! Well! Let's be going inside now, shall we?!" she said just a bit too cheerfully, tugging on him. Eek! Maybe she'd...just stay here for a while...

[Anonymous]

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>"I'm fine, really." Caanan answered. He should have expected that she would think he was injured - she'd questioned him before, after all - but he knew he felt fine, aside from the exhaustion. And, speaking of exhaustion, when she pulled him into the building, he nearly tripped over his own feet. The sudden movement sent a waive of uneasiness throughout his entire body and he felt faint. He raised a hand to his forehead and shut his eyes, trying to regain his composure. After a few moments, he breathed in and opened his eyes. He would be alright.

"What was that about?" He asked, though he regretted it as soon as he'd asked. She'd been nice enough to help him out so who was he to question why she was acting the way she was? She didn't look like she could hurt a fly, anyways! (Oh, if he could only remember the legendary ass-kickings delivered by his beloved Sachi!)

"Can I help you lads?" A man said from behind a counter. "Er.. lad and lass," he corrected himself.

"Uh.. Yes, actually." Caanan said, but then didn't know what to do. Was this girl sticking around? Was he just getting a room for the one night? Was getting a room even an option, or was it just one smelly room and the every man for himself mentality? What if there were thieves and they got mugged?

[Rhindeer]

Sachi gave a nervous laugh and waved a hand through the air dismissively. "Oh nothing, nothing!" she said a little too quickly, laughing again. "Just thought we oughta get inside, that's all! You're beat, I'm tired, I just figured we should stop dawdling and go on in! Yup! Sorry for nearly pulling you off your feet. Eh heh." She cleared her throat and gave a shifty glance toward the door as it slowly swung shut, trying to make sure they weren't going to be followed. But the door closed before she could get a good look.

Hopefully they hadn't seen them enter this inn...

She looked to the counter when the innkeeper spoke up, frowning a little at his correction. Heeey...she didn't look that boyish! Did she? Sachi looked down at herself, pursing her lips thoughtfully, and finally straightened and placed her hands on her hips. She had boobs. They stuck out enough. Must have been the shortish hair and the breeches and stuff, though really. Flicking the tip of her tail, she looked back to the man she had helped, then to the innkeeper and replaced her frown with a smile.

"Yeah, he'd like a room," she said, then looked over to her "new" friend. "Hey, you don't mind if I stick around for a bit, do ya?"

It might be a good idea to lay low for a while, considering what was outside. Besides, it was also a chance to try and find out more about him.

Eugh, she couldn't help it...there were too many unanswered questions, and the fact that he couldn't remember squat only opened up more questions. And more possibilites.

That was probably just her being stupid, though, and she knew it.

[Anonymous]

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Sachi kept looking at him. Again and again and again! There was an inquisitiveness about it, a seemingly playful curiousity and then, in some moments, it looked focused and concerned. It had not gone unnoticed, and it was making Caanan nervous. At first he wondered if perhaps he was a criminal and she might recognize him and.. well, what next? What if he was a criminal? At least he'd learn something more about who he was, right? If he had a family? Someone had to claim him, didn't they?

Unless he had no family.

Think. He told himeslf, closing his eyes for a moment once he and Sachi were within the room they'd just gotten. Think! He tried to remember something, anything! But the furthest memory he knew was the soothing, peaceful feeling he'd gotten when he was plunged beneath the surf of the ocean.

"Um.." He stammered. How to ask this? "I've noticed you.. noticing me, I guess. Do I know you?" He asked, smiling faintly. It felt strange to ask that sort of question; he didn't like not knowing.

Though.. What if she said she did know him? How could he be sure? He couldn't remember her, so she could give him any answer and he'd be fine! She could say he was a pirate from a distant land, wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity and that could all be true but... he'd never know for certain.

It hit him, then. When he was checking for wounds - seeing if the blood on his shirt was his - he'd seen some scars on his chest. They looked like claw marks, <I>deep claws. His shirt's collar was high enough to hide them, the highest visible one being just at his collar bone. If she said she knew him, he could always ask if she could tell him of some distinct mark or scar on him.

Then again, that would also be assuming she'd seen him naked. Or, at best, topless.

[Rhindeer]

Once inside the room, Sachi took a deep breath and let it out in a low sigh. Whew. She was kind of surprised that he'd let her stick around, but relieved nonetheless. Not only did she get to hide out until she was confident that she could stick her nose out the door without it getting broken, but maybe she could quell her curiosity some! Not that he could tell her much since he didn't remember anything, and even while she felt foolish about this whole thing. Glancing over at him as he stood there with his eyes closed, she couldn't help but wonder how he felt about the whole thing. Did he mind her being here, or was it...awkward?

If it was, she wouldn't be able to tell. She'd hung out and even slept in the same room as plenty of guys in a totally platonic way; she'd been tight with the other thieves like that, especially growing up. Hrm...hopefully she wasn't coming off as a stalker or anything creepy, which was a funny thought considering he was the one with blood on him.

Not knowing what else to do for the moment and not wanting to pester him while he looked so beat and...well...lost, Sachi headed over to the small, rickety table in a far corner of the room and pulled out an chair with one leg shorter than the rest. Better to sit there than on the bed, heh. She flicked her tail out of the way and plopped down onto it, crossing one leg over the other and leaning her elbows on the table, staring down at the cracked wood. But then he spoke up and her attention snapped back onto him.

And she couldn't help but blush. Erk. Had she been that obvious? Crap, and here she thought she'd been thiefishly subtle!

On the plus side, he asked just the right question.

"Um..." Sachi's back straightened as she sat up more, and she gave a crooked grin. "I...don't know." She shook her head and pushed her bangs out of her face even though they were already out of her eyes, just to give herself something to do. "I don't think so. Eh heh, sorry. I hope I didn't creep ya out, 'cause I wasn't checking you out or anything, you just...you look like someone I knew. A lot. You even sound like him. So it was just kinda...you know? Kinda interesting," she finished lamely, clearing her throat.

"And then you say you don't even remember your name or anything so...I dunno. It's pretty dumb, huh? Especially since you have wings and everything. Caanan sure didn't. I dunno! I'm just being silly. Er..." She blushed again and winced. "That...doesn't sound weird or freaky or anything does it? I swear I'm not stalking you or anything just because you look like someone and--I'll be quiet now. You should probably sleep, you look beat."

Wow...talk about awkward. She should have probably stopped talking a lot sooner than that.