~*Lost Again*~

[Anonymous]

Blue sat up, groggy and light headed. The light blinded her the moment she opened her glossy hazel eyes, and she immediately groaned and closed them once more. Her body ached in places she'd rather not address currently, and there was a pounding headache pulsing in her temples.
She felt...
...hung over??

"What the hell??" She screeched, eyes shooting open, and was suddenly swatted at by a strange, rather large, haired hand. With a squeal she toppled off the stiff bench she had been apparently laying upon, landing on a musty wooden floor. Finally, the sharp odor of vomit and alcohol reached her sensative nostrils.
Oh hell...

Ignoring her splitting headache, Blue bounded up, nearly bashed her head on a table, and surveyed her surroundings. She was...in a tavern! Oh no, oh no, oh nononononono!!! Not again! She'd had another blackout!
And this wasn't the first time she'd woken up drunk in a tavern either...
Oh no...

There were a few very drunk men asleep on the floor and a few benches as she had been, one of them the owner of that hairy-knuckled hand that had swatted her for being so loud. Clutching her shamefully torn dress, Blue dashed from the tavern, nearly toppling over with blindness as she broke out into the open air.
Good god the sun was bright today!!
Stumbling along the street, and trying desperately to ignore the stares she was sure she was getting, Blue made her way as far from the tavern as she could. She could feel the hair sticking to one side of her head, and she didn't even want to know why. And what was left of her dress was stiff with stale beer, not to mention torn in places that basically showed all her private parts, which she was desperately trying to cover.
Wonderful, just wonderful! Her damn blackouts again!!!
How was she going to get out of this one with what little was left of her dignity intact...

[Anonymous]

A young man strolled down the crossing street, coming to the intersection.  A black cloak covered his body and his spiky red hair stood out from his tan frame.  He rounded the corner, only to be run into by a frantic girl.  With swift reflexes, he caught her by the shoulders after she hit and stopped her from falling flat on her bottom.  The man was lean and tone and with his arms out, one could see the unusual clothes he wore through his coverings.  His clothes looked fancy and futuristic as well as a classic mage look in some places.  He blinked curiously and went to retort something, but stopped.  He looked her up and down.  She was a mess.  She was hiding herself in that partial dress and was covered in dried beer.  His bright green eyes met hers and he refrained from yelling after feeling sorry for the poor thing.  His face kept stern and he released her calmly.  In that very instant, the extended his hand over her head and began whispering a short chant.  Without warning, the girl was doused with icy cold purifying water.  The pouring water washed her clean and with that distracting her, he untied his cloak.  As the shower finished, her clothes purged to the point of washing away with the water as they dissolved, and a cloak was quickly wrapped onto her shoulders and he began to tie it.  "Alcohol is bad for you." He commented softly, his eyes moving back to hers once done with the tassel.  And if people were staring earlier, they were surely staring now, but he could care less.  "But you are cleansed now." His voice was gentle, yet firm.  He then brushed the wet hair from her face and gazed at her, his expression still straight.  He then held her chin gently and looked at her more closely.  He could see that she was frightened and degraded.  "We need to get you away from all these people." He stated almost kindly, knowing of the people who have nothing better to do than stare.

[Anonymous]

Blue yipped as she suddenly slammed into someone, jerking with surprise as she was grabbed immediately after. Something in the back of her head said the stranger was just keeping her from falling, but she couldn't help going rigid with surprise and fear. Her heart was thudding in her chest, blood pulsing in her ears, and she only stared wide-eyed up at the man, mouth open with a frozen apology. She could only look at the man, still trying desperately to slow her frantic heartbeat. She couldn't focus on any one part of him, didn't notice his clothing or the leaness of his body. The only thing she distinctly identified were his vivid green eyes, nothing more. She was like a skittish animal, jumpy and nervous. She wasn't always like this, only when she woke up frightened and bewildered from one of her blackouts.
And she still hadn't said sorry!

She found herself suddenly released, and would have stuttered something out, when she was suddenly doused with icy cold water. A muffled cry of alarm escaped her and she hunched, large fennic fox ears flattening to her long blue hair as the water cascaded over her. It was washing away the beer and remnants of whatever she had done last night, but it also seemed to be...dissolving her clothing???
Blue screeched and quickly tried to cover up as her tattered clothing began to leave her, a once puffy tail, now skinny with water, wrapped around her waist.
But suddenly, something warm and big was drapped around her, and she managed to peek open one tightly shut eye to see a cloak wrapped around her. Both eyes slowly opening, Blue shivered, the thin layer of downy soft fur now plastered to her skin from the water, it's usually sandy brown color darker with wetness. Clutching the cloak around her slender body, Blue just stared up at the man as he spoke, hazel eyes now a bright forest green.
"Um..." She blew some water from her nose and lips as the drips tickled her, "could you please warn me next time??" She shifted from one foot to the other, at a slight loss for what to say. She was always so awkward after waking up from her episodes, and after nearly being drowned by a stranger, she really had no idea what to do.
"I...I'm sorry for um, for running into you..." She rubbed her small, human-shaped nose cutely but with embarassment. "Er, thanks for...uh...cleaning me off..."
Gah! She was so stupid... and it wasn't like she could even explain how she had gotten into the condition she had been in. She didn't remember any of it!
She was such a freak...

[Anonymous]

His head tilted as he gazed into her eyes.  Had they just changed color??  That was quite interesting.  Then his lip curled on one side as he cracked a small smile.  "I'll remember that next time.  Just give me some warning when you run into me next time." He teased, his voice extremely calm and flowing.  He stared at the little Fox girl with curiosity and amusement.  Her delicate features...her soft fur...her long hair...and her luring eyes.  Those eyes...they were just so...intriguing.  "C'mon, let's get you somewhere...else."he suggested softly, his tone firm and abiding.  Without warning, he scooped her into his warm arms and carried her off, continuing in the direction he had before meeting her.  His smile faded away and look was more blank than anything else as he seemingly stared off straight, not paying attention as he walked.  But he did.  He was paying full attention the whole time as he pondered his usual ponderings, some related to his profession, and others random.  "Would you like something to eat?" he offered as they passed by a cozy little diner.

[Anonymous]

Blue's head snapped down with embarassment as he spoke, the blush neatly covered by her wet fur. "I really am sorry about that..." She mumbled, clutching at the cloak in a nervous gesture. It was long enough to basically cover all the way down to her ankles, but she still felt naked and vulnerable without some real clothes.
When she managed to pull her hazel eyes back up to him, he was staring at her. Like, really staring at her. She quickly went ramrod straight and gulped. Normally, she'd confront him about staring at her like that, but she was way too off center to act normally. Ahhhh man....the staring was creeping her out...

Without warning, she was swept off of her feet and into his arms, with only time enough to put a vice-like grip on his shoulder and look surprised. "Wha...ahhh....that..that was sudden..." She stuttered, the surprise lingering. She was uncomfortable, to say the least, and tensed nervously. The slender hand she had on his shoulder pushed at him slightly, fingers tipped with light claws.
"I, um...could you...could you let me down please?" She was trying to be polite about it, but the pressure was building in her forehead, signaling another possible blackout. They usually came on in stressful situations like this, and she did NOT want to have another one just minutes after recovering from her last.
She blinked at his question, hazel eyes still a vivid green with strong emotion, and then shook her head, still twisting a bit to try and get him to let go. "Uh, no thank you...I'd rather get some clothes actually..." She responded after a moment, still a bit too uneasy to think as quickly as she'd like to.

[Anonymous]

"I suppose you could use some clothes." He replied.  His green eyes stared down at her gripping hand and the followed her arm to her face.  "I suppose." He answered to her previous question.  He set her down ever so gently.  "And I owe you some clothes, I guess."  His expression was still blank as he spoke with a straight face.  "Will you let me buy you some new ones?" he offered apologetically.  "It is the least I can do."  Something was familiar about her.  He had seen her somewhere before.  Her face...  He pondered internally, showing no signs of his true thinking.  She definitely was a very attractive little fox girl, but he couldn’t place her just yet.  He did not want to leave her just yet either.  He wanted to repay her as well as remember why she looked so familiar before he left her.  "By the way, I am Chase." He introduced.  "What may I call you?" he asked politely.  Maybe the name would help.

[Anonymous]

His unwaveringly straight face was really creeping her out at the moment. Then again, she wasn't entirely sure of his intentions, and that made her nervous and wary to begin with. Her nerves were eased somewhat when he complied with her request, setting her down gently. "Th-thanks." She managed, now finding herself with the jitters. Perhaps if the situation weren't so strange and awkward, she could be more herself. It would also help if he wasn't so cute, aaaand if he'd stop staring at her.

She blinked at his offer, still holding the cloak about her shoulders. Should she say yes?? She didn't really want to make a complete stranger buy her clothes, but at the same time, she didn't want to walk around naked either.
Guess walking around naked overruled trying to be polite.
"Well, sure, I guess...I mean, just a shirt and some pants would be fine. Then I can get out of your hair."
Standing next to him, her 5' 4" frame shivered lightly. That water had been really cold, and the cloak couldn't seem to take the chill out of her flesh. One large ear flicked, a few beads of water dislodging from it, before it returned to it's flipped back position. Her ears were very expressive of her feelings, and right now reflected her nervousness, as well as shyness and embarassment.

"Oh, nice to meet you Chase. Um, I'm..." Her eyelids fluttered suddenly and she swayed a bit before blinking it away. A smirk spread across her features briefly. "Well, there's alot to account for, but for starters..."

Blue shook her head with a groan, placing the palm of one hand against her forehead. What the...?
"U-uh...Blue. My name's Blue."
God dammit, that had better not have been another blackout!!

[Anonymous]

"Your welcome." he responded plainly.  He then placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her a little as he rubbed his hands up and down her upper arms for friction gently.  The cloak then became warmer, but not the simple warm of friction.  It had warmed up like it was heated by something.  The gentle warmth coated the inside for the little fox girl.  He nodded at her request.  "I'm sure we can do more than that.  Don’t worry about expense; it doesn’t brother me any."  He replied in a gentle tone.  A small smile crept up on his face at her cute ears.  One of his hands openly reached up and began to rub it gently.  He then began to notice she was uncomfortable with his staring and focused his eyes elsewhere. "Hello Miss Blue."  He greeted her kindly as his eyes looked away from her.  He noticed her not feeling well and thought about it.  "Do not lie to me.  I can plainly see that you are not feeling well.  Will you tell me your symptoms?" he asked after inquiring.

[Anonymous]

Blue shied away from his hands, but managed to check herself before actually stepping backward. Her body was reminding her that it had been violated the night before, and wasn't too keen on letting anyone touch it right now. But the warmth was welcome, though it quickly grew into something unnatural. All that heat couldn't just be coming from the friction, could it??
She blinked up at him again, and quickly shook her head. "It's alright, really! I'd prefere something simple...!"
She swayed again, her eyes rolling back to expose the whites, before she was suddenly 'herself' again. "I most certainly would not like something plain! No better than peasants' rags, the clothing around here!"

Blue shook her head again, holding her temples with either hand. Oh god...that had definately been a black out! "I..I'm so sorry! Whatever I said, I'm sorry!" She blurted out quickly, keeping her head bowed as tears welled up in her eyes. Why??? Why did this happen to her???
Her ear flicked away from his hand almost before he could touch it, and she stared up at him as he blatantly asked about 'symptoms'. Her eyes were already fairly wide, making her look all the more innocent. She never told anybody about her blackouts, because she knew they'd think she was crazy. Maybe she was crazy...
"I..I...um...n-no, I'm fine! I mean...I'll be ok!" She covered up quickly, trying to back away from him now.
There was a distinct pressure in her forehead now, and she clutched at it, her other slender hand having returned to holding the cloak. "I-I'll be fine...I'm always ok, just...just give me a minute..."

[Anonymous]

After she spoke almost as if she were a different person he determined what her problem was, and he let it be.  And then the poor girl began to cry and then she lied to him again.  He sighed and closed his eyes.  Without warning, he immediately embraced her in his arms, pulling her up to his chest and rubbed her back after she tried to explain herself.  "Shhh." He coaxed her.  "You're lying.  I know you are not all right." He whispered warmly.  "Let's get you something to wear, and then something to eat.  And..." he paused to think.  "...Do you have a place to stay?  A place I can take you safely?" he asked politely.  He still couldn't remember where he saw her, but he knew he did see her somewhere.  And her name...it was so distinct and he still didn’t know.  This boy was definitely an unusual person.  He held little Blue compassionately and tried to calm her.  His reasoning behind his actions were very...unrestrained, making him a very open person, willing to act without being held back by the 'I don’t know them' attitude.

[Anonymous]

Blue gasped as she was suddenly embraced, her slender frame gone rigid with fear. For a moment the pressure in her forehead became blinding as her panic surged, and a small sound of pain escaped her. And then...the pain was gone, just like that. He was rubbing her back, and saying something, but she was too busy blinking away the confusion and ebbing throb to fully comprehend him. She was completely silent for a moment, staring at his chest, which was now about a nose-length away.
She trembled once.
Twice.

The tears came suddenly, her eyes glossed over by them as they ran down her already dampened cheeks. "I...I'll be...I'll be ok...after...after alittle bit..." She sniffed lightly, trying to be quiet, even though her shoulders quaked with her silent cries. Both arms hung limp at her sides, unaccustomed to giving hugs, let alone to strangers, even if they were trying to help.
Blue tried hard to focus on his kind suggestions, nodding meekly against him in agreement. His question reminded her painfully of her current situation. "N-no...I..I can't hold a room ever, and I don't...I don't have any money now anyway..."
She always somehow got herself kicked out of every establishment she tried to stay in. And she remembered none of it, which made it all the more confusing and hurtful.
It wasn't even her fault...
"Thank you Chase..." She murmured very quietly, the flood of tears slowly coming to a hault as she calmed.

[Anonymous]

He just held her warmly, his hands still rubbing her back soothingly.  His heightened senses could feel her frustration and pain, but he could not distinguish it.  He could only try to comfort her.  With each tremble, he held her a little more firmly with a deep sigh to coax her, though he moved a little stiff, not usually one for such actions.  He soon felt better as she released her emotion and let out all her tears against him, letting her use his soft shirt to bury her face in if she wished.  He listened to her sobbed words and thought to himself.  Would she be all right?  And she had no place to go...  "Don’t worry.  You can stay with me if you like..." He offered generously, his voice soft and warm.  And then she thanked her.  He froze for a moment.  An old memory flashed before his eyes.  It was his sister...when she was little.  Someone had taken her teddy bear and he had gotten it back for her.  She snuggled to death and gave her brother a big hug.  'Thank you, Chase!' she exclaimed happily as she clung to him.  Other than his sister, no one had ever thanked him...  After Blue had said that, his embrace on her grew much more caring and alive, his stiffness loosening up drastically.  He hugged her as he would his sister, his mind lost in that word...'thank you'...

[Anonymous]

Now all wrapped up and warm in Chase's arms, Blue relaxed completely, only a few sniffles remaining after her brief cry. Finally, she turned her head to the side and rested her face against him, blinking up at his offer. Her large ears flipped back as she thought about it. It seemed kind of an awkward thing to do...go stay with some strange man you hardly know. But then again, she wasn't really getting the feeling he wanted to hurt her, and usually her pre-blackout headaches kicked in whenever she was in trouble and she was feeling fine.
But still...it was just...weird. She sighed nervously, looking away. At this point it wasn't like she really had any other options. She was wet, hung over, sore, and without clothing, money, or other resources.
"Um...ok I guess...but not for very long, alright...?" She mumbled finally, looking back up at him and confused by the odd look on his face.

The embrace shifted suddenly, became more caring, more personal. Something had changed...she could feel it. As to what had changed and why, she had no idea. The focus lifted from her and fell on Chase, who seemed to be elsewhere, thinking of other things, another person.
Blue, alittle lost, slowly returned the hug, alittle unsure of what she was doing. Slender furred arms now gently around his waist, she waited for a long moment, the silence never broken by him and neither by her. Finally, she spoke softly, timidly. "Chase...?"

[Anonymous]

Chase embraced her warmly as his mind wandered.  And then his name was called.  It took him a moment, but he shook out of his daze and repeated his name in his mind.  Then realizing it, he gazed down at little Blue.  He noticed that she had returned his hug and stood with him for the soft and silent while calmly.  She stared at her for a moment and then blinked.  "hmmm?" he responded, tilting his head slightly.  "I'm sorry, for my behavior.  Is there something you wanted to ask?" he replied calmly and carefree.  He seemed so laid back and neutral about everything.  Just so natural.  He then rewound for a second, and thought about if he missed anything while they hugged.  He then remembered that she answered his question.  "So you will accept my offer?" he asked about the place to stay, accidentally veering from the subject.  "I'm sorry again...I didn’t mean to interrupt you." He cleared the slate.  "Now, what were you going to say?"  Apparently his past had invaded his mind again and he had begun to reminisce.  His thoughts were always elsewhere, always wandering.  He then pondered her face again, trying to figure out where he had seen her.  Eventually it would come back to him.  He definitely knew she was familiar, but where from was the question.

[Anonymous]

Blue watched him come back into himself, watched as he tried to remember what had been going on before he drifted off. She very gently pulled back a bit, no longer sure of her willingness to hug him back. Her hands still barely sat on either side of his waist, elbows bent since he was still holding her. She opened her mouth to speak, but he interrupted, addressing what she had said before.
"Um, yes, I think, for alittle bit." She responded again, large ears twitching forward a bit as she watched his laid-back expression.

What a strange man. She still wasn't really afraid of him, and his almost innocent behavior kept her from being wary. But his weirdness wasn't lost on her. His question caused her to laugh softly and shake her head. "It's alright. I mean, I just wanted to make sure you were ok. You sort of zoned out there for a minute." And held her like someone else...but she didn't feel it necissary to fill him in on that as well.
She blinked those large hazel eyes at him blankly as he stared closely at her face. It was like...he was trying to remember her. Or her face at least. As if...as if he had seen her before. She was fairly sure she had never met him before...
Then again, it could have been during one of her blackouts...
"Um...what is it? Why do you keep staring at me like that?"
The sun was rising higher over the village, and the light was really begining to affect her eyes. Damn...having a hangover sucked! She winced at the rays penetrating her eyes, which were sparking a throbbing headache.

[Anonymous]

"Alright then, it's settled.  You can stay as long as you like." He responded plainly and politely.  "Oh...yeah...sorry about that.  I was just thinking about something." He smiled a little in reply to her zoning out response.  And then she asked him about his unusual staring that he was so blatant about.  He really needed to work on discretion.  "Oh that.  Sorry about that too.  Its just...um...you remind me of somebody I know." He answered in an honest tone.  Noticing her reaction to the sunlight, he placed a pair of sunglasses gently on her face.  "There.  Does that help?" he asked, still pondering something.  After realizing what he had forgotten, he placed his hands on her shoulders and held them there for a moment.  He then abruptly pulled the cloak from her in a swift flash and draped it over his arm.  Little Blue was suddenly dressed in a soft pink sunflower dress that he had made under the cloak before removing it.  "There again.  That’s much easier than going to the store right now." He smiled a little more.  "Would you like to head off to my place now?" he asked kindly.

[Anonymous]

Blue's ears twitched as he answered, but other than that she did not react to his honest lie. The sun really was getting to her, and she was suddenly acutely aware of how sick she was on alcohol. Those damn blackouts! Why did it have to be in a tavern?? Why???
The squinting girl jumped slightly as the sunglasses were suddenly placed on her nose, shielding bright green eyes from the sunlight. "Oh, um, thanks. That's much better."
What was the word coming to mind? Sweet? Woah, now that was weird for her. Not a word she would normally use...
Note to self: make sure not to let that one slip out.

A few rapid blinks behind the shades were given to his suddenly resting his hands on her shoulders. She could only stare at him as he seemed to concentrate on something totally beyond her knowledge. And then he did it. Without warning, he yanked that cloak right off. Blue gave a short, surprised shriek before she realized that she suddenly had clothing on underneath of it.
"I..uh...wha...???" Blinking with confusion, she just stared at it. How did he...? What the hell??? She didn't even mind the fact the dress was pink she was so astonished. Finally her gaze snapped back up to Chase. "How the heck did you do that??"
The dress fit perfectly, and ironically, was the perfect kind of dress for her small fennic-fox body. Despite it being pink...

It took a moment for her to realize he had asked her if she was ready to go. "Oh, uh, er...yeah, sure."
Freaky...

[Anonymous]

"Easy." He answered with a small smile.  "Its called Magic." He continued half joking and half serious.  He then held his cloak out and with a small shake, it was dry again.  He threw the cloak back over himself and straightened it out.  "Now then."  He extended his hand and took hers softly.  "That pink dress and those little pink shoes suit you well." He complimented kindly, pointing at her small slip-on shoes that matched the dress.   "Shall we go then?"  He began to walk with her, heading in the direction of his home.  It was a decent stretch of distance, but after a while of walking, they reached a very large and lovely-looking home.  He guided her to the door, unlocked it and led her inside.  It was very spacious and tall.  He walked her down the foyer's corridor and entered the circular living room.  "Make yourself at home." He left her by a luxurious sofa and headed off toward the bar-kitchen area.  "Is there anything you'd like to drink?" he asked softly in his neutral tone, keeping that small smile for her in case she was uncomfortable still.

[Anonymous]

Magic?? Was he serious...? Personally, she wasn't entirely sure if she believed in magic or not. She had an open mind and all, but for someone to make a dress appear out of thin air...on her body no less...
That probably wasn't just a slight of hand trick.
Woah.

She watched his movements, but not that closely, her mind still pondering over her odd dress. However when he took her hand, she blinked, and her attention was snapped back to the present. She was going to have to get used to all this casual touching. It wasn't like her to hold hands with people, just like it wasn't like her to hug people (or be hugged by people) she didn't know.
My, they were just breaking all the rules today.

Pink shoes...? Her eyes quickly snapped down. Good god, she had matching shoes! She gawked at them, but was already being led away, and was forced to look up for fear of running into some innocent bystander.
She walked alittle behind him, maintaining a very light grip on his hand. But surprisingly, she wasn't really all that nervous. She actually felt...almost good. She could use a good nap and some food, but really, she felt pretty ok.
Last night's veiled actions were quickly fading into the back of her mind, where the rest of her traumatizing black-out memories went.

And then they arrived at the house. Good grief...
Should she have expected a gorgeous house out of him? Somehow she felt she should have...
"Wow..." Her head tilted back as they stood at the porch while he unlocked the door, trying to take in the appearance of the house with only one glance. And then they were inside, and she was scoping out the tall roof and elegant surroundings.
Make herself at home? Most definately. She sank into the couch, and immediately the fatigue hit her. Jeez...had she not slept at all last night?? Wait, no, don't think about it...you probably don't want to remember anyway Blue...
She took a deep breath, and answered his question when it came, scooting around on the couch so she could see over the back of it.
"Um, no thank you. I am, uh, I am alittle hungry though..." She wasn't sure if it was polite to ask for food, but her queazy stomach demanded something solid to settle it. Like...toast. Of course, beggers can't be choosers (not that she was a begger), and she felt that it WOULD be rude to ask for specifics without him offering food to her first.

[Anonymous]

"Of course.  You must be hungry."  He rested his hands on the counter and looked over at her.  "Hmmm..." he pondered for a moment, listing off things he had in the house.  "Would you like some sirloin, filet minion, ribs, ham, chicken, turkey?" he paused, thinking if there was anything else he had and could think of.  "I also have fresh shrimp, crab, lobster, or fish."  He smiled gently, not thinking twice that those choices were very fancy for some.  "Oh, would you like to see the aquarium?  You can pick out your choicer of seafood there."  He offered.  The aquarium was both for decoration and to house the fresh seafood.  "And don't worry, I can make it any way you like."