No such thing as mirages... (Tebby)

[Lion]

He could not even begin to imagine the capacity of her trepidation had he even the faintest idea.  He wasn't dim, just...humorless to a capacity that he didn't understand everything that came his way.  There wasn't a portion about him that ignorant to the emotions that ran rampant through her, but not because he too had ever experienced them but, in fact, because the Haremites rarely gave him a moment to himself.  Euzec was hopelessly naïve to whatever plagued Cosette, who by now, he considered a short-term friend for the time being.  But, whatever it was, he hoped that she wouldn't be too long and that it wasn't so severe.

Euzec jumped in slight surprise when she opened it.  He stared at her face to face, hoping his presence might calm her even in the slightest bit.  "Um...Cosette.  You're alright, right?  You sure there isn't anything I could do for you?"

[Anonymous]

She just stared at him, her eyes filled with the lust that coursed through her. She gripped the frame of the door, nearly shaking as she strained against herself. Her breathing was shaky and her heart beat raced. Her eyes darted, moving from his hair to his skin to his eyes and finally landing on his lips. Her lips parted slightly in response and she blinked, finally hearing his words.

"There is one thing you could do for me." She stepped closer, completely ignoring the shooting pain in her leg. She got up close to him so that they were nearly touching. She felt his body heat radiating onto her. She leaned into his ear and whispered "kiss me" and stepped back to stare into his eyes.

[Lion]

The dusk tiger was tired of waiting.  Even as he was attempting to sleep, resting his large head on his paws several times and purring his way into surrendering slumber.  But alas, he was not moved by his notions.  Something was amiss here.  This was just a quiet settlement, one that he had not seen nor cared to see in his years of wandering alone.  Dusk tigers roamed sands at night and slept in caves to keep cool during the day.  To sleep now would be a crime against his nature.  No, he'd have to stay awake and keep watch.  He would have to watch out for that woman, he did not trust her.
~~~

Euzec stood calmly, breathing as if in a silent meditation.  And while he wasn't, he found this moment to be particularly soothing.  He was usually like this even within such close proximity of a lustful woman.  Had he walked another path in life, he might have been thrice more lustful than she and surely would have made moves to conquer her minutes before this moment.  But Euzec stood here as if this was just another normal, everyday moment for him, and not as if he was facing his nature.  The aura that swept off of him without his knowledge however, called to her yearning.

He waited patiently while she considered herself and he merely smiled when she confirmed that, indeed, there was something that he could do for her.  She seemed distraught somehow, though he couldn't tell from what. She then leaned forward and whispered her request into his ear.  "Oh a kiss," he said calmly, smiling fully and prepared to satisfy her appeal.  "I can do that!"  He, of course, was unaware of the true nature of her desire, and so would assuage it to the best of his knowledge.  Euzec leaned down and pressed his mouth to hers softly in a friendly kiss.  "Like that?" he asked, raising his brows.

[Anonymous]

She closed her eyes and sighed. But it ended quickly. She opened her eyes, slightly taken aback. This kiss was not like anything she had ever done. It did not spell lust or love to her. Something more like friendship. But that's not quite what she was looking for. She smiled and glanced at her feet, giggling quietly to herself. "That was nice. But I was thinking something more like this." She cautiously grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him towards her, pressing her lips to his. It was gentle at first but grew more intense as her body longed for more. Her breathing increased and she removed her hands from his collar, entwining her fingers into his hair. But there was something wrong. Something different and unknown to her.

This was not a kiss full of lust. She was almost shocked to feel pure passion replace all the other emotions she was used to feeling in these kinds of situations. This was definitely not something she was used to in the least. The surprise caused her to pull back and stare at Euzec. The kiss had lasted less then a minute. She blinked, breathing hard. "I'm s-sorry. I don't know what came over me." She gave a light chuckle and hobbled over to the bed. The lump in her throat reappeared and, try as she might, she could not clear it. She sat on the edge of the bed, sitting on top of her hands and staring at the ground. She bit her lip before looking back at Euzec, apologizing to him silently with her eyes,unable to speak anymore.

Her mind raced. Thousands of different thoughts flooded her mind. What had just happened? What caused her to react like that? Why was he different? She had no answers for any of these questions and she didn't know how to phrase them so she didn't sound like a complete idiot. So instead she just stared at the ground, concentrating on the pattern of the floor.

[Lion]

He wasn't much of kisser and...to an extent, he wasn't even sure he knew how to kiss.  He hoped that she would be satisfied with that small peck that he rewarded her.  For one, it seemed like it suited the moment.  Though he had few acquaintances outside Kushumoro's palace (and for good reason), he knew that kissing was something that friends did sometimes in comfortable settings.  And while the room was far from that state, he figured he might as well show her an act of kindness now.

But it seemed she was more than willing to express the same towards him!  His eyes shot wide as she kissed him with such enthusiasm.  Not sure how to react, he stood stock still and let her mouth work on his.  Yet it seemed instinct was determined to take over for a second's flash!  He found he was kissing her back and that very idea left him in both a state of statue-like confusion, wonderment, and horror all at the same time.  What the hell was that for!?  Friends didn't kiss like that!  And furthermore, his body never reacted like that!  Surely there was reason behind Kushumoro's law of him having to stay away from the Haremites during certain times of the year, but there was no explanation that Euzec could convey or understand.

But he liked it, it was different.  One of the Haremites showed him how to kiss like that once.  He wasn't sure then what he was sure of now.  Maybe that was how good friends really kissed.  But he saw her seem disappointed and she apologized.  Euzec, lacking the understanding of the moment, watched her as she hobble over to the bed like an awkward cripple.  But instead of being angry, he merely grinned widely as if amused and stalked over to her, kneeling down he cupped her cheek and said, "That was interesting way to kiss.  Here, lemme try!"  And with that he kissed her softly again and put more pressure into it than before.  This friendship kissing thing was more confusing than he'd thought.

[Anonymous]

She saw him smiling and was instantly confused. He didn't seem like the kind of person that would like someone losing control like that. But his smile sent her heart into a fluttering beat and as he neared her, cupping his hand around her cheek, her breath caught in her throat. She had been around the block more then a few times, done several different things with several different people. She thought she had tried everything. But he kissed her in a way she had never experienced before. He showed sincerity, kindness, friendship. She fed on it, allowing her lips to move with his. They seemed to be working in tandem. She closed her eyes gently and instead of letting her instincts spread like wild fire across her body as they normally would have, she held herself together, determined not to let it go any further then that unless they both desired it to.

She touched his face with one hand while the other rested on his shoulder. She was slightly worried that she was enjoying this more then he was but it didn't bother her too much. She parted her lips and pulled away slowly, staring into his eyes before letting out a small nervous giggle. She looked at the ground, surprised by her own reaction. She felt like a teenage girl experiencing her first kiss, wanting it to last forever. But she didn't want to test the waters too much so she just sat there, looking into his beautiful golden eyes. She smiled, whispered "Thanks" and bit lightly onto her lower lip. Her heart began to slow and her breathing was collected, but she couldn't look away from him. Her body ached to continue with the normal routine but she fought against it, not wanting to ruin whatever could be between the two of them.

[Lion]

It was a relatively easy move and Euzec was quite satisfied that it had all gone out so well.  What an interesting method that got such interesting reactions from her.  He didn't expect his lips to be so hot afterward nor his face to feel so abruptly and sternly flushed, but it was there and he'd just have to deal with it.  "Um," he began slowly, feeling the warmth of his cheek and then measuring it against hers.  "Oh you're very welcome.  I've never kissed like that before.  It was nice!  Anytime, okay.  Just ask!  Though I do have a question, if you think you might be able to answer it.  I'd like to know why we're both very warm.  I don't recall ever feeling like that before."

Euzec nodded and took his place by the couch.  "Well, good night then, Cosette. See you in the morning.  If you still wanna travel with me to where I came from, you're more than welcome to come along.  I'm sure Kushumoro would love to meet you."  With that he put out the light and prepared for sleep.  He'd want to leave as soon as he could tomorrow to buy the necklace than head back.  It would be a long walk and chances were he'd fall asleep for the rest of the day afterward.

[Anonymous]

She kind of sat there, slightly dumbfounded. Never kissed like that before? With the way he looked he must have women all over him. She looked at him curiously. He felt her face. An odd gesture but kind of expected. She smiled at him. "Um i don't know. I guess if you are really into the moment, your heart increased, sending large amounts of blood rushing through your body. Kind of like when you exercise." She paused, smiling bigger after she said that. Maybe he had felt the same way. Maybe he was enjoying himself. Just maybe.

She glanced at him as he walked over to the couch. She felt kind of bad, taking the bed from him. She pursed her lips figuring whether she should offer they share a bed. But then she realized enough had happened tonight. She had gotten one of her wishes this evening fulfilled. If she tried for another it might backfire, leaving her alone in the village with no money for supplies to even get her back home. So she pulled the blankets up over her shoulder, rested her head on the pillow and quietly drifted off to sleep.

The same dream she had had in the cave returned to her, only this time Euzec stood off behind the monster. The monster slithered towards her, showing it's teeth. She tried to scream but could only whisper. She whispered Euzec's name, trying to get his attention. But he was too busy with something she couldn't see. She glanced from him to the monster. Thinking her life was about to end, she closed her eyes tight. Out of nowhere she heard a roar. A dusk tiger leaped at the monster, knocking it over. The tiger dug his teeth deeply into it. The monster let out a terrible noise which could only be described as nails on chalkboard times one thousand. She gritted her teeth together. After a few seconds, the sound ended, leaving hallow silence. She watched as the dusk tiger walked over to Euzec, lightly brushing up against him. It then turned and looked at her, bearing it's teeth. It growled and stalked towards her. Her eyes grew wide and she shielded her face with her arms as the tiger leaped at her.

[Lion]

Euzec didn't dream much, never had the thought to and when he did it was usually something painfully suggestive.  When he slept, it was more like a void, a rest zone where no thoughts entered, no sounds; nothing but the sound of his breathing and the rhythm of movement of his chest as he did so.  He was a rather quiet sleeper, never uttering a snore or a groan or heavy breathing.  Even so, when he slept, he was always at that halfway point between awake and true sleep, a place where he could linger for hours and still wake up fully rested.  In this place of slumber, he was still in his own world while simultaneously being aware of the rest of the world around him.  The slightest disturbance could make him spring up in surprise, often with his staff in hand.

In this case, his sleep went over quite well, no disturbances thus far.  Euzec shifted uncomfortably on the spring-loaded sofa that left his feet hanging out on the opposite end on the armrest.  He hoped that there weren't tiny things crawling inside it...and now that that thought entered his brain, he suddenly rubbed his arms fervently as if something was crawling all over him.  "EH!" he said in a whisper before his eyelids thrust open and he leapt off the couch.

"Goodness," he whispered again, sitting up and wiping off his forehead.  It was only then that he heard whimpering in the corner.  Looking about the dark room, noticed it was coming from Cosette's corner.  Was she having a bad dream?  He heard noises come from her as if something was making itself quite vivid to her.  "Cosette?  Cosette," he repeated in the darkness, striding awkwardly over to her and nudging her shoulder.  A little more force might be necessary.  "Cosette!" he yelled as she shook her shoulders.  "Wake up!"

[Anonymous]

"Euzec!" Her eyes shot open. She looked around in a worried frenzy, trying hard to remember where she was. The smell of must and grime reminded her. Her nose crinkled slightly. She felt around to find the edge of her bed when her hand brushed over something warm and alive. She pulled it back, holding a squeal in. Her mind was not quite out of it's sleep mode. She put her hand back down, trying to find whatever she had touched before. She found it and picked it up, realizing after a few seconds it was a hand. "Euzec?" She looked around, focusing her eyes in the dark. She blinked a few times and could see the outline of a man.

"Oh Euzec." She wrapped her arms around his stomach in some sort of embrace. She shut her eyes tight, trying to forget her nightmare. Tears streamed down her face and she wrapped her arms tighter. "It was terrible. Just awful." She shook her head and gripped his shirt in her fists. So vivid, so horrifying. She trembled slightly.

Her mind drifted to the tiger. What had happened to it? Had it gone back to the desert? Was it somewhere in the city? Had it been killed by a scared villager? Where ever it was, she hoped it came no where near her or Euzec. And if it did, she would do whatever she could to keep it from harming either one of them.

[Lion]

The action surprised him and he nearly cried out a significant yelp of his own as she graced his hand with her hand.  It surprised him and he nearly flinched in response.  Instead she reached for it quite gently before lunging at him and clutching him desperately in a hug.  Whoa!  What the hell had gotten into her!?  Euzec was just as surprised and such wasn't quite as pleasant as it might have been.  Nobody ever hugged him like that, like they were afraid for him or if something bad was about to occur.  However, she did and he certainly couldn't have felt more awkward in the moment.

He might have uttered her name and questioned her about it until she said something caught his attention.  "Terrible?  What was so terrible?  This room?  Oh I know, no matter how I thought I could get it cleaned up, it still feels like a dumping zone for junk.  Goodness, I'll have to do something about that in the morning.  I'll make sure— "

Euzec paused for a grand moment suddenly when he felt her slight trembling.... Wide-eyed, he stared into the darkness of the wall beside the bed.  What was wrong with her?  Maybe it wasn't what it thought it was after all.  "Wait.  Cosette, tell me what's wrong."  He frowned harshly.  "You're shaking.  Tell me what happened."

[Anonymous]

Even after she thought it was over, even after she had woken up, the dream kept adding to itself.

The tiger leapt at her, and right when she thought it was going to take her down, she heard a shout come from above her. She opened her eyes and saw Euzec jumping at the tiger, hitting it full force. He took down the tiger, landing on it and pinning it to the ground. He looked over at her and yelled at her to run. The tiger struggled beneath him and he shouted louder at her to run away. Her legs were frozen to where she stood. She stared at the struggle between the two in front of her. The tiger growled and flipped himself over so it's massive paws were underneath it. It hoisted itself up, lifting Euzec up along with it. The tiger looked over it's shoulder and saw him. It grabbed onto his shirt and ripped him off it's back. She closed her eyes, only hearing growls before snapping back to the real world. She could only hope the dream ended better then her mind was imagining it had.

Her hands trembled and tears streamed down her face. She clenched her teeth together tightly. Cosette sat there for a minute or two, trying to gather herself up before daring to open her eyes. She felt like a small child, fearing her life based on a nightmare. But she had never had a dream like that before. It was so vivid, and try as she might she couldn't shake the image of the tiger coming at her from her head.

When she felt she had controlled herself enough to speak, she looked up at the shadowy figure and explained to him her dream, leaving out the newly added part to her dream. She didn't care if he thought she was crazy, she just needed to tell someone. When she was done explaining the trembling began again, shaking her entire body. She looked down and bit her lip. "S-sorry I woke you." Tears continued to fall down her cheek and onto the bed. Her mind kept flashing back to the dream, replaying it over and over.

A sob burst through her throat, once again shaking her frame. She covered her mouth with her hands and continually shook, using her other hand to hold onto Euzec tightly.

[Lion]

Euzec had no idea what she was talking about.  If he'd known the nature of dreams, dreams that were a lot less sweaty and loud, he might have been able to see the harm in thinking such horrible things as getting shredded to pieces by a dusk tiger.  Most people would consider such dreams to mean that perhaps the dreamer themselves were losing their sanity; but Euzec did not consider such a thing.  He thought only that perhaps the fear of the tiger had gotten to her earlier and that she needed comforting.  That was something simple enough that even someone like him could provide.

Euzec worked her grip loose and moved down to her level, kneeling beside her before wrapping her in his embrace.  A hug was always a kind gesture and if she needed a shoulder to cry one, he had two of them she could choose from.  He found her tears to be very unnerving, especially in the fact that he wasn't accustomed to women crying around him.  Euzec couldn't stand when a woman cried; it broke his heart to the point where he would do almost anything for them to alleviate their tears.  He knew that this was a weakness, a soft spot in him, and surely one he would never tell to anyone.  But it was an easy one to figure out.

Euzec hugged her still, though awkwardly and he blinked confusedly.  "Oh...um, don't worry about that.  I couldn't sleep anyway.  That couch is really lumpy.  You didn't wake me at all.  Just please stop crying.  Look here, take my shirt, dry your tears."

[Anonymous]

The tears streamed down her face and onto his shirt. She felt him try and loosen her grip on him which made her try harder to hold onto him. But in time he won, removing her hands from his waist. She whimpered slightly but gave in, relaxing her arms against him. But then he hugged her. She felt relieved to have him so close again and she tried to calm her breathing with little luck. She buried her face in his chest, shutting her eyes tight.

She trembled and looked up at him, barely able to see the pained look on his face. Her eyes widened in confusion. "Euzec, you ok?" She sat up, letting go of him completely. He offered her his shirt which she declined politely. "I think I'll b-be ok." Her breathing was still harsh and the tears still fell down her cheeks, but seeing Euzec looking so uncomfortable made her feel uneasy. She looked down and sighed.

"Sorry I, you know" she paused, blushing. "freaked out so much. It's just, I haven't had a dream like that since.." She choked slightly on her words as a few more tears fell down her cheeks. "Since my father died." A quiet sob broke through her chest, shaking her entire frame again. She bit her lip and buried her face again, holding in whatever tears were trying to escape.

[Lion]

Euzec had never cried a day in his life, nor had he ever held a heavy hand over someone's head.  He could not recall at just what point in his existence that he discovered that, over all, despite the occasional beatings and constant, even annoying, attention from the Haremites, his life was all-around all right.  There were few things to actually be sad for and therefore hardly a tear graced his eyes.  He knew tears to be caused generally by heartbreaking things.  Perhaps this dream penetrated as deeply as such things, though he couldn't possibly tell why a dusk tiger would make her cry.

"I'm....I'm fine," Euzec patted her head carefully let her go when she let go.  He was somewhat relieved when the tears slowed...but seemed to still burn her eyes.  They flowed again for a time when she suddenly spoke of her father a memory that caused her to bury her face again.

Awkwardly, Euzec softened his features into something more sympathetic and smiled gently.  "Your father?  Who was he?  What happened to him?  Was he beautiful like you?"

[Anonymous]

The tears stopped flowing. Cosette thought it was because they had run out. But it didn't stop the sobs from threatening to explode from her chest. She bit her lip at what Euzec said. Thousands of memories of her dad flooded her mind. Some grand, some happy, most sad. She sat silently for a minutes, gathering all her memories and picking out the ones that would answer his questions. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"Well he was my father, obviously. Mr. Rudolph J Anastasie. He was a wanderer, traveling the desert, usually with me right at his side." She smiled slightly, now only having the post cry hiccups. She took another deep breath. "He was an amazing man, and I am not just being biased. Ask anyone around Atlas Verde. They'll agree with me. He was not a quiet man, always out making friends with people from all over Serendipity." She felt herself getting off track, losing herself in her memories. "Anyway, one of the men he met one day was also a traveler, exploring way down south, going to places i had never heard of. This grabbed my dad's attention and he found himself preparing for the longest journey of his life, and the last." Her voice broke on the last word as she choked down tears. She cleared her throat and looked up at him, judging his expression on the information. She readjusted herself and moved on with the story.

" He didn't want to leave me alone with a nanny for 7 months so he decided to take me along with him...such a stupid decision. I couldn't have been more then 12 at the time. Anyway, we had been traveling for 2 months, all was going well. We had stopped at 4 different little towns, purchasing necklaces and scarves from here, paintings and instruments from there. I was like a little kid in a candy shop." She sighed, smiling. "One day, after sleeping the night in a quiet little town, we were traveling. We made it through half the day when my dad fell quite sick. We had to stop early setting up a sturdy camp up next to a cliff-like area." She closed her eyes, drawing details from the past she had been trying to forget. "The sun began to set a few hours later. I was sitting by the campfire, looking at the presents from the last town. But somewhere off in the distance, there was a loud roar. Louder then the one i heard yesterday. It was far enough in the distance that my dad didn't worry about it too much. But a few minutes later we heard the noise again, from much much closer, maybe a mile off. My dad still didn't want to worry too much about it, figuring that if we run we will only attract attention to ourselves. But i grew more worried about my dad...worried he wouldn't be able to run if we were attacked. I begged him to let us pack up and leave. Finally he agreed and we started collecting everything into the bag and moving to a different location. We got maybe thirty meters before the tiger struck out at my dad'..." A sob escaped her throat, cutting off her story.

That was as far as she could go, unless he would want her to begin her fit of sobs again. She didn't like crying but hiding her emotions would not be possible with Euzec around. He drew them out of her, allowing her to feel both comfortable and vulnerable at the same time. I guess it was something she would just have to get used to.

[Lion]

If he'd known her better on a more personal level than perhaps he might have been able to express to her some kind of coinciding emotion.  But thus far the only emotion that presented itself was a small ounce of pity and sympathy.  There were few others that made way through him, but there was little that held onto his compassion right now other than the former two.  Essentially, he could not relate to her.  "I...I'm sorry," he said softly, dissolving any discontent from his features.  He resorted to placidity and let his eyes do all the talking for him.  "I can't say that I know how you feel about losing your father.  But I do know that this desert can be a dangerous place; I know from experience.  Even though I've lived here all my life, even I haven't found a way to survive yet.  I know only how to defend myself against my enemies

"I've lived a hard life.  But I don't imagine I could lose anything as hard as you losing your father.  I'm sure you loved him dearly.  I...I never knew my parents, so in that you're lucky.  But to know loss, I can't say that you are.  I can't miss something I never knew.  I know only that I am of cursed blood."  Euzec became solemn now and resorted to sitting back on his haunches.  There was little to tell on that latter part and he wasn't sure he wanted to relinquish his own secrets to her.  He kept them safely locked away in the chamber of his soul, secrets that would make his life a living hell, almost literally when the thought was considered, if they were let out.

He just looked at Cosette with soft eyes and then kept them glued to the ground.  He attempted to remain hopeful of the situation.  But then things suddenly started to get very solemn.  Perhaps it was to be the theme of the evening.  Still, however, he attempted to put on a kind smile and looked at her with gleaming eyes.  "I think you were right to love your father.  And think you're very brave to venture into the desert again.  Let alone slink along with a dusk tiger and I.  He seems quite tame for the time."

[Anonymous]

She looked up at him, letting her eyes focus on his face. Features appeared, though the dark made them hard to figure out. She tilted her head as she listened to him talk. Cursed? what could he be talking about? He was perfect. Incredible. Amazing. She paused her thought there.

Maybe that was the curse. Maybe it was the fact that he appeared so beautiful to the naked eye. Maybe it was the fact that people rarely looked past the exterior to figure out the person on the inside. She was suddenly frustrated with herself. She had messed up. She had been just like everyone else, falling for the trap of beauty. She exhaled sharply which ceased all tears flowing from her eyes. How could she be like them? How could she be so weak?

She pulled away from him, moving a foot or two away from him, staring at the ground angrily. She looked back up at him "I'm so sorry." She shut her eyes tight, fighting the anger down so she could hold a normal conversation with him without the fear of exploding. Taking a few breaths, she looked back up at him with significantly gentler eyes, thanking the fact that the lights had been off this entire time. She listened to the rest of what he had to say. She nearly burst out laughing at the word brave. She shook her head. "You're the brave one. I am the silly little girl who thought she could do something she was never meant to do. You've survived here your whole life. I can barely live out here for one day without falling into a hole or getting attacked by something." She giggled a little at the last words. They were all true, and she knew it.

[Lion]

The matters of what he called a 'curse' went deeper than what could be seen on his person.  His physical features: Face, hair, eyes, clothes, body, appendages—everything!—were only one layer of this part of him that he direly referred to as a 'curse.'  He simply had no other way to describe it.  Exactly what do you call the consistency that were his erotic dreams or instincts that drove him mad at certain times of the night when the moon was at it's fullest or how sometimes being around the Haremites was a little more than he could handle.  It was the curse of his blood, of his soul, of his heritage and the hate it brought him from his Master.  Though Kushumoro hated men, he hated Incubi above all, constantly paranoid that they would take his women away from him.

To be sure, Euzec was agonized by this curse of being what he was.  Even if he was a eunuch, that didn't change the fact that he was also an Incubus.  He was lucky to be alive, and as far as the Master of the Palace was concerned, lucky to be in Kushumoro's service.

Euzec changed his sentiments now and smiled brightly to her, putting on a façade so that hopefully she would calm too and look at him again.  Euzec laughed too.  He'd never been called brave before.  "That's new for me!  But honestly, I'm not.  I just do it because if I don't I'll get beat and that's never fun.  I'd rather hold off the punishments and do as I'm told.  You might want to put it that way.  But think of it this way, if you didn't fall in that hole, you and I, we never would have met!"

[Anonymous]

The tears were basically gone now. But it didn't stop the sadness or anger flowing through her. She tried hiding it, doing a pretty good job. She wished she could understand his words. But she didn't know what he meant by punished. She had never truly been punished, at least not by anyone on earth. She had never been hit, grounded, or scolded by anyone for anything, mainly because she rarely did anything wrong. Or a better statement would be she never caught.

But even though no physical punishments came her way, she felt her sins were evened out by the events in her life. Her parents splitting, her father dieing, her becoming the type of person she was. She blamed it on Karma, even though she didn't truly believe Karma ruled a persons life. But the events in her life, she had no other way to explain them. So Karma was the best she could come up with.

She shook her head, trying to figure out what he meant by 'not brave'. But she wasn't going to contradict him. She just giggled. "If you say so. And i guess you are right. As much trouble as the falling was to both of us, i am glad it happened." She grinned before yawning openly. It was then that she realized she didn't know what time it was or how long she had been asleep. "What's the hour? Do you know?" She stood up, moving towards the window in an unsteady fashion. She reached the sill, feeling around for the end of the curtains. Finding them, she separated them slightly as to not let too much light into the room.