Spirits of the Earth

Noon arrived sooner than it normally did in La'marri, and yet despite this, the village wasn't particularly busy. At least, not as much as Sophie, who'd traveled here on request from one of Serendipity's adventurer's guilds, had expected. She'd been here before; Having traveled for a while through many of the free lands and smaller settlements with her mentors, the traders whom she'd lived alongside for several years. The last time she was here, it was much, much more lively; A self-proclaimed druid had summoned forth an unnatural winter to the village and it's surroundings, and required help gathering ingredients for a ritual that would reverse the spell and bring some sense of normality back to the land.

Sophie helped then, just as she'd come to help now; Though the situation was far different, and not nearly as dire as the ecosystem being thrown out of alignment. One of La'marri's residents had lost track of one of their magicked sheep; 'magicked', mind you, by a passerby mage who enchanted the creature with very quickly-growing, very strong wool which the herder had been sheering with a special set of sheers. Turned out, as she learned when she'd arrived about a day ago, that not only did the sheep run off, but in the herder's attempts to catch them, he broke his sheers. Which... c'mon, man. Thankfully, having assessed the damage to the tool, Sophie was fairly sure repairing them wouldn't be too much of a problem-- and after doing so, was pleased to find she was correct in that regard.

The sheep was a bit more troublesome to catch, but with a bit of baiting and a proper-placed (and completely safe) trap, she was able to capture it without bringing any undue harm or stress to the poor animal, and returned it safely to it's owner just a while ago. There was no coin to collect; The guild had paid her an advance on the reward, with the remainder to be collected once she returned. That said, the herder, not wanting to leave the kindly mouse-girl with nothing to show his appreciation, gave her a lantern; One enchanted with magical flames which died and revived as needed with the twist of a cap on the top. It was small enough to fit on Sophie's waist, clipped onto her belt as an additional bit of utility for her, but the flames were bright enough to illuminate a small field. Very convenient!

She'd only just departed from the herder's home and taken to a clearing just outside of the village, where she'd decided to take a moment to record some of the information she'd gathered on the enchanted sheep, and how the spell worked in her personal diary. She was in a particularly green mood; Happy the quest she'd taken had gone well enough, and happy that she'd even gotten an extra reward in the form of the magical fire-lantern, which she allowed to flicker and burn for a bit even though it was noon; She'd put it out eventually, after finishing her diary entry.

The village was surrounded by heavy woods, tall and thick- ancient with age. It allowed for the perfect place for the nocturnal fae to sleep,  having flown up to the longest, thickest branch of an oak tree to cast a cocoon for the day.

He was tired- he always was, more so especially after more of the wicked blackness crept up his arm. And it had grown,  much to his chagrin, and even caused him nausea and sweats throughout his nightly travels. So he had decided to rest well before the sun had risen, and it was perhaps this reason he stirred at mid-day.

Groaning,  he peeled himself from the fine netted cocoon and shook off the crumple of sleep,  Groaning as he squinted at the midday sun pouring through the tree. He nearly hissed.

But then he felt the sudden jolt of nausea and the poor moth fae was retching over the side of the tree. He shuddered, lost more of the contents of his belly, before wiping off the growing sweat on his brow.

He needed water, and left the tree with little regard. He hated the daytime, but it wouldn't kill him. So Miersck made his way to a nearby stream that followed a dirt road to a local farming village  He intentionally kept away from the village, humans always causing trouble for his kind. But as he was drinking, scooping up handfuls of the cool running waters he spotted something,  just barely out of the corner of his eyes.

Tired as he was, he didn't fight the lure and call, small as it was, towards his curiosity of a flame, not realizing, until he was nearly upon her, that there was a person attached to that flame!

He cried out and tried to stop himself. But it was too late, and the fae crashed into her in a tangle of limbs.

"Aaah!"

Their collision took the mousy little lady by full surprise, only seeing the approaching figure when is was already too late. She felt her head bump against his chest as he all but tackled her; Her diary and quill tumbling out of her hands as he fell over her. It was all she could do to try raising a hand to attempt holding him up, preventing him from falling flat onto her— alas, he was heavier, and She couldn't support his weight with a single hand— a hand which was now trapped between his abdomen and hers, somewhat deft-yet-dainty fingers pressing against his body.

The figure invaded her space far too quickly; one of her legs had found itself wrapped around his, the other pinned down, his ankle pinning hers down. The same could be said if her right arm, trapped under the weight of his arm. She was, before she could even comprehend it, pinned down!

Sophie had closed her eyes before the impact— scared of the inevitable crash, and held them closed as they tumbled. Once the proverbial dust had settled, though, she was made accurately aware of breath— not her own— tickling her face. She slowly opened her eyes to gauge her situation... only to find herself face to face with a young man that she's never met before. A moment of silence passed, as she attempted to comprehend the situation... before slowly, yet surely, her eyes widened, and her face, filled with distraught, practically glowed red out of sheer embarrassment.

"I-I'm so sorry! I, I—" She didn't even know where to start; Her hands trapped, one of which rubbed anxiously against this guy's abdomen absentmindedly. She was neither used to causing such problems for others, not used to being THIS CLOSE to anyone— let alone a boy. "Are— are you, um, okay?" She asked not really sure of what else she could possibly say in this situation.

He was... super close. So close, in fact that she couldn't even see the majestic wings behind him.

Miersck groaned, an action in which Sophie would be able to hear and feel, as his body was more or less plastered to hers, pressing into hers even more as he used his hands to press himself up as he sat there a moment over her, dazed.

White hair clung around his face in messy layers that only accented the shadows cast over his tanned skin and jewel red eyes, he still had that dazed look of confusion before his eyes began to rove over the form below him and-

He noted, quite quickly, that beneath his entire body was a female. Miersck sat up instantly, body rigid and wings snapping out as it helped steady him as he scrambled to his feet, only to yelp as his feet tripped over her prone body and now the fae fell onto his ass, which was unfortunately ontop of her legs, which caused him to panick and nearly claw his way off of her like a spooked cat.

But as he was beginning to scrambled away, red eyes noted the light she carried and very suddenly, the moth fae froze in place. He must have looked unusual,  head titling in an uncomfortable angle as he breathed heavily,  eyes squarely upon her just.. not her face!

The flame.. the dancing.. indescrible flame of fire. His eyes seemed to widened, as if entranced and his cheeks were now turning near red as her face. But the flame...

The flame.. yes! And slowly ever so slowly he made his way towards her eyes solely upon the lantern.

"H-hiii--!!"

Sophie's face only reddened further as she felt the vibrations of the man's labored moans throughout her own body; Her legs tensing as much as they ever had and her brain temporarily shutting off from over-stimulation as the presence of someone so close to her overloaded her senses. She just... couldn't, right now, and it was only after he seemed to realize his situation and stumble to get off of her that she felt as though she could breathe once more. Goodness, what a shock! Yet even as he stumbled back onto her legs, she couldn't help but worry about him-- even through her wincing at the pain of his sudden stumbling and subsequent struggles to unentangle himself.

"W-wait, wait, let me--" She began, attempting to pacify the guy on top of her, before her eyes caught glimpse of something unique about him-- more unique than his piercing red eyes, and his sharp ears. He... had wings. Sophie couldn't help but stare at them-- They were large enough and reactive enough for her to be fairly certain they were real, and not some kind of prop. They were nothing like the wings of the Yoreiqi people she'd read about in texts over her travels, either-- they looked closer to a... moth, perhaps? She didn't really have much time to truly source them, unfortunately... As only a few moments after she noticed them did she realize that he was once again moving. Towards her. Wait. Wait wait wait wait what? What what what???

Sophie's heart nearly leapt out of her chest as she watched the boy, eyes glazed over somewhat with desire, close in on her again. Oh gods... was... was this that? Was this that thing? She'd read about it-- read about such intimacies between men and women, but, but-- here? NOW? With someone she didn't know?? Was he-- was she supposed to-- A countless number of thoughts ran through her mind as she panicked, unable to get away from her closing-in suitor. "W-wait, wait! I'm not ready! I-I should shower, w-we're supposed to be indoors, I, I..." She stammered, attempting every excuse she could to slow the momentum down; But it didn't slow down. He continued to advance on her, a fire in his eyes.

Okay... okay. This... this was... happening. Sophie couldn't will herself to push him away; She wasn't sure if she didn't have the strength to from beneath him, or if she simply didn't want to. A thousand thoughts raced through her head, and once more she could feel the headrush of her brain overloading. Unsure of what else to do in this situation, she came to an eventual conclusion; Give in. And so she did her best to silence her thoughts, closed her eyes, and prayed-- to every God she'd ever read or even heard about-- that he would be... at least somewhat gentle.

Whatever it was the girl was doing, Miersck was none the wiser, eyes solely upon his prize.  Hesitantly,  he reached a hand out towards the enclosed flame, eyes widening and reflective of the flame's fiery dance before suddenly he let out a yowl of pain as the very real heat of the flame broiled his fingers the second he opened the thing and reached for the flame.

The lantern, which had once been held in his hands, now toppled away with a clatter to the ground, the winged man now cradled his burned fingers, turning away from the source of the light in great pain.. and that's because, he was.

It wasn't just the burn or the blister, but the very raw and real touch of fire shot through his body like a deadly poison, making him near immovable as he groaned and cursed out many things themed around rotten acorns as he turned his back towards the woman and kept his wings up, much like a shield.

"Away!" He hissed, body trembling as the poison of flame took him. "Put the flame away."

Sophie lay quiet and waited with baited breath, as moments passed by... then seconds... then... nothing. What... was happening? Or rather, wasn't something-- ANYTHING-- supposed to be happening? Why was nothing happening? She couldn't help but feel the sudden awkwardness of her situation. She was debating whether or not she should've open her eyes and stop this from going any further when she heard a great yell of pain and felt the presence above her suddenly recoil and jolt away-- The sudden sunlight on her eyelids and lack of weight on her arms and legs being proof enough of her freedom. She peeked an eye open, only to find the winged boy recoiling from... her?

"Are you--" She began, before he practically shouted at her about the... flame? A lightbulb turned on in Sophie's head; She turned to look after the magicked lantern she'd been given earlier and saw that it lay toppled over, the fire inside seemingly held back from setting the grass ablaze by an unknown force. Did... Did he burn himself? She quickly crawled over to it and shut it back closed, before twisting a cap on the top of the tool; As was explained to her earlier, the flames obeyed immediately, diminishing to nothing but smoke in an instant.

The flames were out. But the one who was hurt by them... Concern plain on her face, Sophie rushed to his side, moving carefully around his majestic wings so as to not accidentally hurt him further somehow. "I'm so sorry-- are you okay? The flames are out, did you burn yourself?" The earlier embarrassment was pushed to the back of her mind; She needed to make sure the man before her was okay. Fire was fire, and a burn could be treated as easily as applying cold water, depending on the severity... but the people of Le'Raana were varied and many. What may have worked for her might not work for him, and the thought worried her. "How can I help?"

Miersck instinctively recoiled when she approached,  screaming out and holding onto his injured arm and yanking it from her sight to cling and hide it closely against his body.

"What.. what in the name of rotten acorns are you doing!? Ah! Don't touch Me!" He panicked,  half scrambling away as he turned to her and grimaced.  Then he heard she.. she .. she what? Did she honestly just ask to help!?!

"What!? Are you nuts!? Stay back!" He bristled,  still clinging onto his injured arm as he leaned away.

"Eeep!" Sophie recoiled in kind, stumbling backwards in the grass a bit-- not even beginning to expect such a reaction from the young man who'd just hurt himself. Did... did she scare him? Perhaps he thought she burned him on purpose? Rotten acorns??? So many questions ran through her head-- a staple for Sophie, really-- and as much as she wanted to ask or have an answer for them one by one, right now she was far more concerned with making sure the winged boy was okay. Thus, she raised her hands in peace, slowly attempting to approach him again.

"I-it's okay, I don't want to hurt you... I just want to help." She tried to explain, trying to get close enough to look at his hand-- if he'd stop hiding it for a moment. "I'm sorry about my lantern; I shouldn't have left it's fire going, I didn't expect it to hurt anyone..." She continued, before another idea came to mind; Introductions! Maybe he'd be less hostile if they built a rapport? "My name is Sophie-- I'm a traveling researcher, here from the adventurer's guild in Serendipity." She'd dealt with scared or cautious types before; Sometimes they needed time and space in order to open up to others. But with that injury... She couldn't bare the thought of some lingering complication as a result of it not getting treated.

Her getting closer to him was not lost on him. Miersck bristled and stepped back, still clinging to his arm near possessively as he sheltered it against himself and away from her.

"I said stay back!" He spat, recoiling further as be bared his teeth, wings snapping out as if to make him appear larger, more menacing. He was almost growling at her as she spoke, quieting only to listen to her words.

And then he heard the truth!

"Ah ha! You're a researcher," he accused, pointing a finger at her face. "I know all about your kind! Just stay back or. Or I'll.. I'll.." but as he was backing away from her, he was nonethewiser of the layer of rocks behind his foot. And the mothfae tripped, yelping as he flailing and fell, straight onto his back and his open wings as he let out a howl of surprise and pain.

"M-My kind?" Sophie responded in an almost exasperated tone, her large, soulful eyes filled with bewilderment. What in Le'Raana's greenlands did that mean? Had researchers wronged him in some way? What-- what even WAS he, in the first place!? She felt not unlike a corked bottle filled with bubbling questions and concerns for the boy, the pressure on her lid threatening to boil over sooner rather than later at this rate. Despite her best attempts to calm him, he still shirked away from her, practically lashing out at her now, and in his lashings, stumbling and seemingly hurting himself even more. That-- that right there-- was boiling point for the officially exasperated Sophie Rowe.

"Enough! Look at you-- you're hurting yourself trying to get away from me! Cut it out!" It must have been rather comical from the outside looking in-- the shorter, mousey girl pitching a fit and admonishing the winged boy, hands on her hips and cheeks reddened with adorable anger. "Stop running away and-- here!" Sophie, not really in her right state of mind at the moment, did the only thing she could think to do to keep the boy from running anymore; She capitalized on his moment of recklessness, and before he could right himself, she stepped over his legs and mounted the poor boy, sitting down atop him and locking his legs with hers. "Now-- stop being defiant and show me your arm so I can treat your burn, before it gets worse!" She practically ordered, fire and concern in her eyes.

Miersck was too slow to react when she approached., Sputtering  more heated words that made pinecones seem venomous. But then she was upon him, causing him to yelp when the weight of her thoroughly pinned him down beneath her legs, crumpling his wings further as he growled out in exasperation and pain.

"What.. what do you think you're doing?" He growled,  floundering beneath her.

"I'm helping! Now give me your arm or we can stay like this all day!" She practically shouted at the still-complaining fellow, her face still red with frustration. Why was he being so difficult? She just wanted to help him! Her heart in control of her actions, Sophie leaned down over the winged man, her face and body once more coming dangerously close to his as she tried to talk further sense into him. "Listen to me-- I'm a healer, I'm very familiar with medicines, salves-- I can help soothe your burn. But you need to trust me and let me see it! I won't hurt you anymore than I probably already have-- promise!" She tried to explain, staring into his eyes.

Which... reminded her. Red was a very uncommon color for eyes, wasn't it? And, his wings; This close, she could tell, they definitely shared similar attributes with certain species of insects-- Wait what was she thinking! She needed to help him, not study him! Chiding herself mentally, Sophie reached into one of her back pouches, from which she pulled out a small salve jar. It was polished stone-- granite, by the look of it; And beneath it's top lie a settled, green cream of some sort. "Arm, please? This will only take a few moments..." She once more pressured the white-haired man, hands ready to go to work on him.

Miersck bristled, the verbal assault second to what was actually making his face red. How .. why..why was she pressing herself so close!?

Miersxk bared his teeth are her demands, remaining stubborn as he clung to his arm.
"HOW.. your.. your salvemight not even work!" He barked. Although it was evident in his eyes he was hesitant at his own objections, he wasn't sure how he felt about a stranger forcing healing upon him. He needed to avoid her gaze. He felt awkward and heated enough.

"Be.. besides it.. it can heal on its own!" He protested, wilting at his words as if near defeat.. or embrassment.

Sophie's frown softened a little, but only a little. It was hard to tell-- especially with someone she'd just met-- but it felt like little by little, she was getting through to him. That was good! It meant her strategy was working-- did he find the close contact soothing? Or maybe her explanations? She didn't know and couldn't afford to backpedal on either when she felt so close to making a breakthrough.

Thus, Sophie took a bit more initiative, and brought her right hand to his face, and used it to gently bring his gaze back into alignment with hers; Talking with him eye-to-eye seemed to work so far, and she didn't want to give that up. "You don't have to be afraid of me." She spoke in a far more soothing, disarmed tone now; Her mentality being to wait out his resistance and put up with his anger as best she could if it meant she could help him. "You can trust me. I won't do anything to you that you don't want me to... I'll take it slow, and stop if you want me to." She near-whispered, not wanting to startle him or bring undue fear-- moreso than she had already, at least.

What.. what was she doing!? Why was she getting so close!? Talking so... Miersck's face was turning about as red as his eyes as the mousey girl showed no boundaries.

It was his attraction to the damned poisonous flame, he was countering  inside his head. For his attraction to this absolutely strange woman with.. wait.. did she have strange ears.. like he?!

He could only hear the heat inside his ears as his eyes glazed a little at her attentions.

'No. No. no. NO!"

He suddenly closes his eyes tightly as he growled. This wasn't happening. He had to get control of himself. Yeah.. so she was trying to help but he?! He wanted to flee!

"Ju.. just let me go!" He sputtered, unable to open his eyes. They were in such a position that he.. ugh!!! Now was not the time for the damn flame to still taint him now!

"I.. I won't run just... Just get the rotting acorns off of me!"

Sophie's eyes widened a bit and her frown turned to a warm and bright smile as she the winged boy finally seemed to acquiesce to her request. Finally! She had begun to worry that he'd only resist further still, and draw out his own pain. "Oh... okay! Thank goodness. I promise not to let you down!" She happily replied to his compromise, shifting her weight again to lean away from him.

She was relieved, certainly, but couldn't quite breathe yet; She still had to treat the burn. He did have a point about her salves, even though she didn't want to admit to it without trying. She couldn't be sure that he would her medicines would work-- After all, he... he had wings. Large, vibrant, and admittedly very beautiful wings. Who could say what sort of physiological differences he possessed compared to a normal, non-winged person? She'd have to take it slow, watch for any concerning reactions... but she didn't use any particularly dangerous reagents in her typical alchemy recipes. She was confident everything would be okay... somehow.

"Okay..." Sophie adjusted herself once more, lifting her weight off of the winged boy so that he could sit up and then planting herself squarely in his lap. She adjusted her legs so that she now surrounded him rather than fold underneath her and continue to entangle with his.  That had to be more comfortable, she assumed; At least now he could sit up, and she could properly tend to him while he rested. They were still very close, with the potential to be moreso now depending on how much he sat up; Sophie still having not noticed this, given her current focus. "Alright, let's see your arm. Hopefully shifting around on the ground didn't cause you to get any dirt on the burn..." She pondered, looking at Miersck with concerned eyes at the thought.

Miersck winced once she eased up.  His wings trembled,  and although durable enough- they weren't made of steel! He lay there for a second, stretching his wings as he sat up, focused only on them, moving them by stretching them out to see if they were broken and not exactly paying much attention to just how close he was getting to the mouse eared girl until his head clunked against hers.

"AH! Rotten acorns!" He cursed as he jumped in surprise and accidentally bouncing the girl on his lap which startled him so much that out of reflex he caught her and pulled her closer and just... froze. Because somehow in the middle of their chaos,  their faces were not even an inch away, so close that her breath tickled against his lips. And suddenly that fire seemed very miniscule to the heat of his entire body.

Oh... very rotten acorns.

Sophie watched her self-proclaimed white-haired patient-to-be adjusted to not having her weight holding him down. In particular, she couldn't help but be mesmerized by his wings; taking the moments that it took him to regain his posture to really study them with her eyes. The unique patterned design on them combined with their overall shape did indeed conjure the image of an insect to mind; The beautiful forest moth, one of many such species, with their natural camouflage and deterring capabilities against predators built into the very design of their bodies. Sophie had never met a human with such a unique form before; Wings aside, his eyes were a near-magical shimmering red and his hair so impossibly snowy for one his (perceivable) age... Which said nothing of his pointed ears. So immersed into his unique physiology was he that she didn't register how rapidly he was righting himself-- resulting in their inevitably bumping heads, literally.

Sophie didn't wince directly from the pain-- it was moreso the sudden shock of being bounced without realizing what was going on. "Ah--!" She couldn't form words in enough time to address it at all; Firstly because of how sudden his reaction was, and secondly because by the time she managed to form even one, it was caught in her throat. In an instant, Sophie found herself pulled taut to the winged boy's body, his arms wrapped around her-- her body responding instinctively by wrapping her legs around his own waist and her arms flinging over his shoulders for admittedly unneeded support. She was pressed to him now-- and whatever fog of concerned focus she had focused into initially was dispelled in that moment, leaving her with the very sudden realization of the position she was in. She could feel... everything. The lightly toned muscle of his forearm and bicep, the solidity of his abs beneath his shirt, his hearbeat against her chest, his breath against her lips... she could feel everything.

Her own heart began beating madly out of control; Her eyes wide, her cheeks flush red from the blood rushing to her head, overloading her common senses and leaving her in a doe-eyed, enraptured gaze into his own crimson stare. Her body couldn't help but react to the situation the way any overstimulated body would, unfortunately; the fine, near- invisible hair on her skin standing on end, and goosebumps swelling all over as her head went blank, and she managed just barely to let out a single, slow, near-silent breath, the centimeters between them not enough to convince her that their lips weren't touching anymore.

If one of them moved... if either of them moved...

Limbs entangled, (they were practically clinging to one another..) and mouths almost having touched, Miersck.. in all of his unfortunate teenage hormone glory, had absolutely no idea how to respond. On one hand,  he was already roused by the damn insatiable yearning of fire,  a slimey toad's eye of a way the world clearly wanted to mock his kind. His very real desire towards fire (a very unfortunate aphrodisiac of his kind..) was also a very real killer to them as well. But that was a side note as the flame and danger were gone.. leaving him with a lap full of a mousey girl who... bless the oak leaves.. felt good on his lap.

Part of him wanted to fall to the flame, recalling the mating rituals performed by his kind by firelight. And the journey had been so long...

Maybe the world was cruel and wanted to continue to torture him, because a bird of prey crowed somewhere near, diving after a chipmunk in some bushes only a few yards away that scared the peet moss out of the young man as he yelped and leaped over top of Sophie protectively.

The pair fell to the ground in a mess of limbs and noise, the dizzying sensation after the fact only dawning on Miersck that this position was worse.. and he really wished things were a lot more appropriate for this than with some stranger! Because rotting acorns,  this was just ridiculous and cruel!

"Are.. y-y-you okay?" He hoped he asked, body still braced far too intimately close to hers. Yet he didn't dare move. Because well... yeah..

Awkward.

Sophie, by this point, was running almost entirely on autopilot. Her brain had essentially shut down to just the barest, most autonomous of functions, and as such she couldn't so much as comprehend exactly what was happening. Her body, however, knew what it wanted-- and it wanted it bad enough to send her heart into overdrive at the thought of it happening. Sophie trembled with a barely held-back need; Her shocked, wide eyes settling into a glossed over, unsteady gaze. By nature she wasn't the aggressive type; Perhaps it was simply the floodgates of overstimulation that had flipped some switch in her. Whatever the case was, close as they were, Sophie her own body pressing closer, and closer still-- edging closer and closer to his face, when--

"Ahh!!" Once more, the jittery boy had reacted without warning; Forcing Sophie backward and down in a sudden display of strength in response to something her mouse-like ears heard, but her brain didn't comprehend; With a thud, she found herself once more awakened from her instinctual-driven stupor and once more on her back, her legs still wrapped around the boy's waist, one arm above her head-- thrown there by the falling impact-- the other firmly holding his torso for support. "I..." She attempted to form words, the scent of her own self-made honeydew hair wash filling her nose as her silver-blond hair fell over her face in a mess-- the only other scent she could smell being the man laying atop her. He... he also smelled good, though she fought desperately not to manifest that thought, the combination of their rising body temperatures bringing a light sweat to Sophie's caramel skin. She wanted to say yes, she was fine-- heck, even a nod would suffice at this point, but something had caught her attention-- no, demanded it... Something else she fought desperately not to manifest in her mind, but the physical nature of their current situation demanded it.

They were so close, and prior to now there had been at least a little bodily separation from their opposing sitting positions... but now he was flat atop her. And now she could feel his waist, against hers. "...U-um..."

All he could feel and hear was heat.  He needed to pull away, to get out if thus tangle! At her stuttering,  he jerked away, breaking the tension trance and stumbling back some as he tried to calm his heavy breathing.

He grimaced, gripping at his chest as he felt his heart hammering inside his chest. What kinda rotten luck was THAT!?

Laying awkwardly in the grass, Sophie was motionless. Her clothing had been left in disarray; Her shirt slightly unbuttoned and completely untucked from the last few minutes of shifting and jostling, her hood coming unlaced and revealing her sternum a bit. Her skin was flush; warm to the touch, though gradually cooling now that she and the winged boy had come untangled. Her hair covered her face-- particularly her eyes, though strands long enough to reach her mouth had fallen into and across her lips here and there. Her breathing was deep, and somewhat labored, but mostly stilled. She was silent, motionless, save for the rhythmic rising and falling of her chest.

And, admittedly, there was a good reason for that; One that Sophie couldn't bring herself to speak of. Or even imply. For upon closer inspection, one would find that somewhere between their most recent collision of bodies and the youth finally separating himself from her, Sophie had... well, Sophie had fainted! The stimulation proved too much for her to handle in the end-- from the closeness, to the feeling of the winged lad's body, to the rush of being pushed down by him-- She'd passed out, practically all the blood in her body have rushed to her head and forcing her unconscious.

It was only after a time did he realize she wasn't moving-... and then he felt panic grip him. What if she wasn't breathing.

"Ah, acorns!" he growled, scrambling over to her side and shaking her. "Hey.. hey girl.. wake.. wake up will ya!? Come on!" He shook her again. He wasn't exactly that gentle, but he also wasn't dramatically rough either. "You alright? Hey! Say something!"

Sophie didn't stir; At least, not at first. She was in a rather deep haze; her body still warm to the touch, though little by little it died down even now. As he took to shaking her as a strategy to rouse her, he was met with varying degrees of success, first by a docile shifting of her ankles, then a twitching of her head-- as if she were experiencing a bad dream. Before long, Sophie did stir to some degree, raising her head and barely opening her eyes.

"...I... where..." She began, the last few minutes of her life a mess of static in her mind; She struggled shake off the fog of her confusion, and the proof of this was in her eyes-- Originally clear cerulean orbs were which were now clouded over and unfocused. "My head..." She felt weak, dizzy; She needed support. And so she slowly leaned into the winged boy's grasp, trying to steady herself for a bit. She closed her eyes; the world was far too bright, and his arms felt warm. She just needed a few more minutes...

Miersck felt her lean into him as he caught her, supporting her as she ground his teeth.
"Flying acorns," he grumbled, shifting her weight more evenly against him as he looked around. He licked his lips. Well wasnt this a fantastic mess? He sighed, still looking around to see if anyone else was nearby before returning his attentions to the small mousey girl.

"Err.. I think you.. fainted," he went on, blushing at the recollection of probably how it happened. "Just.. take it easy, okay?" He really really didn't want to have to baby sit this strange girl! His wings even bristled at the idea and sensation of just holding her.

The world was still spinning; Sophie was certain that if she lifted herself off the boy, she'd fall flat again. Some part of her knew it was probably immodest or indecent to rest so openly on someone she didn't know, but that part of her was taking a very far back seat to her psychological need for stability in a moment of weakness. He spoke, and to an extent she listened to his words-- they sounded more or less like white noise as her head pounded, but it was soothing white noise. It helped that he also smelled nice; Like the forest, or the breeze of the open field. Sophie took in a long, deep breath of that smell, hoping it would relax her a bit more.

"...Pretty. Your wings..." She she murmured without really thinking; The first thing coming to her mind as she slowly opened her eyes again and spotted them fluttering just beyond her reach. In the coils of light beyond the hair covering her eyes, she could swear she saw them glitter... "...Like... a fairy."

Miersck's face skewed at her words,  his once gently moving wings stiffened.


"Your.. your head must be funny," he deduced, ignoring the blush about her compliment. He shook her , a little gentler this time. "Come on." Another shake. "You gotta get up. Really open your eyes, mousey girl." Because well, he wasn't quite sure what else to call the petite young woman in his arms.
"Raspberry bushes..what a day," he muttered. Thankfully the affects of the fire were wearing off. He never had such a terrible reaction and attraction from fire before. And to think.. the flame was small and contained! He'd have to be cautious.

He looked to where the lantern was extinguished, just to be sure. Licking his lips, he then turned back to the mouse girl.
"Come on, girl. I never even got your name! You just gonna faint away and die or something? Great rose thorn bushes, that would be pathetic ! Come on!"

The gentle jostling of her shoulder rattled Sophie's head a little, but not so much as to shock or harm her. Sophie moaned, but otherwise resisted stirring from her restive state. Yes, yes, she knew that eventually she'd have to get back to her senses... but it was a nice state of relaxation she was experiencing. She didn't really want it to end... alas, she could feel the grass beneath her legs, the light breeze on her arms; The light of the midday sun no longer a glare, instead a proper-focused glow.

"It's... Sophie. My name is Sophie." She managed, the sound of her own words no longer reverberating in her head-- yes, she was more or less back to relative normality. "Sorry... I must have, erm... 'overheated', a little." She tried to explain, shifting away from the winged boy at last, granting him his personal space. "Can I... can I ask your name, ser?" Her voice was close to normal again now, though she struggled to look him in the eyes; After the last few minutes, despite having calmed down, Sophie still couldn't beat back the redness in her cheeks at the thought of what either of them had done.

Ahh.. finally the mouse girl was coming around. He took in her name with a nod, stepping back to give her her space. He was still cautious around her, but for varying more reasons now.  At her name request, he nodded stiffly.

"My name's Miersck." He almost seemed to snarl it, but he was trying to be polite. But it was daytime and he hadjust been subjected to some flame poisoning.

He studied her a moment more before asking, "Where are we?. Does this place have any kinda name the locals call it?"

"Miersck... I see." Sophie nodded, rolling the name around in her mind, saying it a few more times in her head to ensure it stuck properly. She took very little offense to his tone-- Her former masters were far worse, as she often struggled not to recall. "Well... I do wish that we could've met under... less... problematic... circumstances," The girl's eyes shifted about, an attempt to keep her mind off of the last few minutes of her life as she carefully navigated the conversation, "But it's a pleasure to meet you all the same. I'm sorry for being... aggressive, earlier; I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Sophie leaned back and sighed; What a mess she'd made of things, just trying to do what she thought was right. In response to his question, she looked back towards the settlement; From which, surprisingly, no one had seemingly been watching them. "This place is called La'marri; It's often called the Free Lands, as it isn't governed by any of the major kingdoms. The people here live simple lives, but the land itself is particularly rich with magic-- though in-depth research into why has never been conducted on a large scale. There are theories, but-- Oh, I'm rambling... sorry." Sophie chastised herself mentally; She really did have a bad habit of talking too much about things that interested her.

"Speaking of magic... Miersck, by chance, are you...?" She began to ask, before trailing off. Was... was it considered polite to ask someone if they were a Fae? He certainly wasn't... 'normal'... but then again, neither was she.

Miersck lived a rather simple life,  away from the politics of the human kingdoms. So any names or settlements were lost upon him. Sure he may have heard about them but it was something that just existed but in his lifetime, wasn't really a tangible reality. Like the ocean. He still wasn't sure THOSE were actually real.

He was brought back from his thoughts at her question and he frowned.

"Am I.. what..?" He asked, critically skeptical as he eyed her. Was she questioning his magics? And.. why? His brows furrowed.

Sophie paused, debating going any further. At the very least, he didn't... seem, particularly adverse to questions at this point, so perhaps? It just seemed... odd, asking someone if they were, well... not human. She'd had dealings with such folk before; An undead lad, on a trek through an ancient ruin. Nice enough fellow, but he wore a mask to hide his decrepit face. He didn't seem particularly interested in talking about himself, so Sophie never pushed the subject. But this was... His beautiful wings were on full display, and his pointed ears impossibly white hair begged the question.

"Are you... actually a fairy, Miersck?" The eastern winds blew slightly as she asked, trying as best she could to hide her anticipation of his answer. She was expecting a sound 'no'; She'd never met a member of the fae in all her travels, and their penchant for glamours-- as well as La'marri itself being known for being a place that attracted... unusual characters, gave her reason enough to believe otherwise. But if he was...

Miersck blinked. Any irritation in his demeanor seemed to vanish and be replaced by confusion.

"I'm a moth fae," he told her, brows furrowed before he pointed a finger at her critically.  "Aren't you..", his eyes looked from ears to tail. "A fae too?"

Surely she didn't think she was human! Or he, for that matter!

"...Me?"

Sophie blinked. What on Earth gave him that idea? He was the one with wings here, not her! She was just a normal... oh. The mouse girl closed her eyes in realization of exactly what the confusion was. "No, no-- I'm human... sort of, although most humans don't have the ears or tail that I do." She tried to explain, suppressing bitter memories of being treated differently for looking differently. Yes, she was 'human'... though sometimes she truly wished she weren't.

The warmth of the midday sun had softened the ground and the contrast of temperatures between the heat above and the cool, light grass beneath her caused Sophie to shift her legs from underneath her and to the side, that she might bask in the sunlight a bit more. "Most humans look... more like you. Without wings, of course. And a less pleasant--" She began, before her face went slightly red and she shifted her eyes again. "Th-that's not important. I-- Oh, your injury! How is your hand? Do you... still want to try my medicine, or are you feeling better?" She asked, changing the subject to a more important, less embarrassing matter. "I've never treated a moth fae's wounds before-- or even met a fae, for that matter, but I'd be willing to try."

Miersck's face really didn't have a filter. Perhaps he didn't know how,  but so many obvious emotions were displayed on his face as the young woman spoke.

She was... human? He blinked. That was strange. And humans looked more like.. he lifted his arms to examine himself, fluttering his wings some before he raised a single, speculative brow at her.

At the mention of his hand he looked down at it and suddenly tucked it behind his back, cheeks growing hot. Oh no.. the dark mark..
He would have 'burned' that hand.

Miersck grimaced.
"It.. it'll be fine. Flame poison will eventually go away," he growled, hastily. "Oinments.. don't.. don't work on my kind that way. Not.. for burns."
Err, how was he to explain that?

Sophie raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. "Ointments... don't work? That's... well, that's certainly..." She began, trying to find the words to respond. She noted his behavior-- the way he hid his arm, his seeming desire to move past the topic-- with some concern, but didn't directly speak on it. There weren't any-- none that didn't come off as her trying to further interrogate him. That wasn't really a rabbit hole Sophie wanted to go down-- not after what happened earlier. Not... not in public, at least.

"Um... w-well, if it doesn't, and the pain gets worse, don't hesitate to tell me; I promised not to do anything that would hurt you, after all. Er... hurt you further." It was all an attempt to smooth things over following her relatively out-of-character actions earlier, for Sophie-- She had a very, very strong personal need to not be hated by others, which she really needed to work on at some point. Oh well.

Her mind drifted back to another note in his words that had concerned her, and with his reluctance to let him treat her, as well as their... well, actually being able to hold a conversation now, she figured now was as good a time as any to ask. "You mentioned 'poison'... I'm, I'm not terribly familiar with Fae terminology, but were you referring to the burn... or something worse?" She asked, watching for a reaction of some sort. Moths, by nature, were drawn to firelight; There was research that implied this was due to the fire interfering with their ability to navigate when flying... But surely a Moth Fae wasn't affected in the same way?

Miersck bristled at the subject, but it didn't deter him from answering.

"I avoid fire. It.. doesn't just burn my kind we.. er.." Oh. He wasnt sure how else to explain it as he looked away, ears red.
"Fire does.. a lot of things to my kind. It's a quick way to kill us, fire works like a poison, clogging our minds of all logical thinking. But we're... drawn to it and we.. kinda need it to.. survive.. in a way.. moth fae need it to breed." He added the last part quickly and avoided her gaze.

"So er... sorry about earlier.  I.. I'm not really in control near fire. And the bigger the fire,  the.. worse it gets."

"..."

Sophie lost her train of thought the very moment he uttered those fateful words. Her face went bright red and her heart skipped a beat as only then, with the context of his answer, did everything make sense. Everything, from their sudden collision, to his reluctance to be anywhere near her afterwards, his reactions to her... m-mounting him... Everything clicked into place in that moment. He did a far, far better job of hiding or downplaying what this meant than Sophie ever could; Slowly, she lowered her face, and covered it with her hands... The implications of exactly what just happened weighing heavily on her soul. "...I... I-I see..." She meekly replied from behind her hands, barely able to take her mind off of it now.

"S-so you... when the lantern... A-and I..." She, officially, couldn't. She had to remind herself to breathe, lest the blood rush to her head again. Slowly, she removed her hands from her face, an extremely timid look in her eyes-- though it was hard to tell as she, too, did everything she could to avoid his gaze. "Well.. um... I'll just... put the lantern away for later. F-for when I travel, not-- not for... Erm. S-so, Miersck, you're, um, you're not from these woodlands in particular? The people of La'marri tend to forage out there, but I've never heard of any of them coming across a moth fae before." With the dexterity of a drunken frog, Sophie re-routed the conversation to something that didn't make her wish it was 10 degrees cooler.

He frowned,  shifting uncomfortably. He would feel better if she just threw away the damn lantern. He looked at her grumpily when she asked her next question.

"No, there probably isn't many of my kind here. We don't live anywhere near humans." He shook himself to his wings, as if shaking off dust or something discomforting . He then eyed her again.

"Are you sure you're human?" Frankly, all he saw was fae in her. Strange.

The girl nodded, still avoiding his gaze as he answered her question. Seemed like he may have just been passing through? Trying to stick to the wilds, avoiding human contact... And it seemed as though he was alone, as well. What a lonely-sounding life he must've led thus far, if he didn't spend it with any friends, or family. Sophie couldn't imagine... or perhaps she could, and didn't want to. But his question caught her by surprise, causing her to look up at him once more with a disarmed look on her face-- as if he'd said something offensive, yet true. "Me? I..." She sat there, non-plussed for a few moments, before ultimately looking away with a rather dejected smile; a saddened look in her eyes.

"...I don't know, really. Kinda pathetic, isn't it? I don't really know what I am." She sat there in silence for a moment before continuing. "I never met my parents. Never knew my blood-related family. My earliest memories are as a slave, in one of Conn... well, a slave in a human city, kept in a dungeon, locked in a small, metal cage. Looked down at as 'vermin' because of my ears, my tail. Occasionally let out on a collar, paraded around like a pet. 'Examined' from head to toe by potential 'masters'." Her eyes grew cold, distant-- as if she'd withdrawn from the world at large, to someplace else; Someplace dark. Her sad smile remained, even still. "Purchased like a plaything because I was 'exotic'. Insulted. Tortured for fun... And sold back to that dungeon... that small, metal cage. The people... they looked at me like I'd crawled out of a sewer."

Before long, Sophie'd forgotten she was even speaking; Her hands absentmindedly balling into fists, tight enough to drain the color from her knuckles, before releasing once more. "Not good enough to serve. Not good enough to entertain. Weak, frail compared to the rest. Water in an old, rusted bowl.. a stale bit of bread. I..." She paused, her gaze clearing up, before sighing, and shaking her head. "Sorry, I... no. No, I'm not sure I'm human."

He couldn't have known what he'd trigger, the poor mouse girl now pouring out her heart. He..he couldn't even begin to imagine her plight. His own wasn't much better, his entire homeland tainted with a curse that threatened to consume it. He looked down at his hand, briefly catching the mark before turning away. He didn't want to think of it. What could he even do?

He didn't look at her as he said ,"You're probably as fae as me." His eyes were off, distant and in thought . "Better than being human," he muttered. Humans were vile things, this much he knew.

After a time he peered at her,  wings lightly flapping in thought. "Why are you out here all alone?" Was she running from something too?

Surprisingly, Sophie's smile widened a bit at Miersck's words, a bit of warmth returning to her face again at the thought of them. As fae as he, was she...? She couldn't tell if he was merely merely showing a display of kindness or if he genuinely meant it; But in either case, it did her mind a bit of good to hear it. She might never know the truth of what she was, but she'd settle for being an 'honorary fae', for now.

"I'm running away from that life, for the most part." She said, lifting her gaze from the ground and upward to the skies. Oh, how she wished she had wings of her own... To know what it felt like to live on the wind, if only for moments at a time. "I travel from place to place, studying the land, the cultures, the history of it all. It keeps me distracted from... other thoughts." She said with a smile, as a calm, balmy breeze touched the grounds they sat upon, her platinum silver hair swaying gently in the wind.

She was no fighter, no great warrior or mage; All she ever had been good at was running away from her problems, or hiding behind others, while supporting them from afar. It was likely engraved as far into her psyche as her past. "I... Don't actually like to be alone, though. I visit settlements like these," She explained, looking back at La'marri, "To do small tasks, and help people in need. I... like to be needed, I think. I like to feel like someone truly wants my company." She giggled a bit, listening to her own words. "Kind of sad, right? I... guess I'm not very good at being alone. Not like you, I'm sure."

Miersck frowned.  Sure he preferred his quiet time, but even he missed the chaos of the fae wood, where friends and family were always laughing and there was plenty of good nectar to drink until your belly plumped full. But he hadnt a choice..  and the idea irked him that he was so helpless in his choices.  He was no warrior, nor healer nor mage. He was.. just Miersck and he fluttered his wings a bit, like a nervous tick.

He thought back to her statement,  his frown deepening.

"I'm just alone for now," he snapped, bristling a bit. "Someday I'll get to go home.. but right now I.. I.." How was he to explain it? He hesitated. Rotting acorns! He scowled.

"I just have to travel. "

Sophie's eyes fluttered over from the skies to Miersck's seeming indecisive, or at least conflicted response. She didn't need to question it, even in her mind; She'd unknowingly struck a nerve, and the moth fae was rather unfortunately bad at hiding the fact. From the sudden snapping motions of his wings to the frustrated look on his face, she could tell there was more to his story than 'just having to travel'. And yet, she reaffirmed her smile, looking away from him for a bit.

"...I'm sorry. That was a bit unfair, wasn't it; I guess I'm projecting my insecurities onto you now. You... don't have to tell me, whatever it is." She noted, aware enough of her own faults to acknowledge when they reared their head... usually, at least. But slowly, she looked back to him with a deep, warm smile, a bit of blush to her face. "I hope you get to go home someday soon. And I'm not sure what I could do, but when that day comes, if you ever need help getting there, I promise to be there for you." She happily committed, a smile as bright as any firelight on her face as she did so. Perhaps there was nothing she could do for him; Perhaps she was too weak or foolish to be of any real use to real fae, like Miersck. But even if it was just cheering him on, or being a shoulder he could cry on, she felt up to the task. 'Honorary fae' as she was, after all.

Rotten raspberries! How was it that she made him feel terrible? Guilty? She had only just used words and looked at him with those big eyes.

He looked away, baring his teeth. But then he released a held breath, wings fluttering to remove their tension as he opened his eyes to examine her.

"How..well donyou know this area?" He asked, voice harsher thsn he intended. His cheeks reddened. "I mean.. maybe if you're like.. familiar with this area you could . Help me." Ugh the last part was so hard to spit out and he swore it left an after taste in his mouth.

Sophie could not have expected-- let alone hoped-- for the response that she got from Miersck. She started to turn her head away, and back to the skies as he did eventually speak up. For a moment, she thought she was hearing him incorrectly; Perhaps she was projecting again, and only hearing what she wanted to hear from him. But as he made his intentions clear-- or at least as clear as he'd been with her thus far-- Sophie's eyes widened with an unbridled joy, and her chest swelled with happiness.

"O-Of course! I'd love to!" She exclaimed, leaning in closer to him unconsciously as her mind raced at the opportunity. To work with... potentially travel with, a member of the fae! To... to potentially not be alone...! "I've traveled this area extensively, and had dealings with the nearby settlement, and most of the surrounding lands-- I'd be happy to help however I can!" She further clarified, suddenly quite proud of her extensive travels. Some of it had admittedly been with the caravan that'd rescued her from her life of servitude in Connlaoth, but experience was experience, and she was more than happy to share it with her new friend.

Miersck wanted to mutter something,  but brambles had his tongue. But not his stomach,  which suddenly grumbled quite loudly that it made Miersck's wings snap back and tense.

Sophie flinched a bit in surprise, the sudden sound of a great and dangerous beast filling her ears, as if ready to-- Oh, no, wait, it was just Miersck's stomach. The realization caused her excited, bright-eyed gaze to shift into a more mischievous, knowing grin. "Aha-- I bet I know where you'd like me to show you around first..." She quipped with a sly tone, though it was hard not to hear the sheer enjoyment in her voice as she spoke-- as if she were secretly hoping for this outcome.

La'marri was home to a number of merchant stalls-- not all of whom sold weapons and items. There were a number of delicacies as well-- Imports and recipes from across the continent-- all waiting for the right mouth to try them. Sophie rarely spared the time for it, but to eat with a friend? That made it all the more worthwhile! "Come on! I'll treat you to something special!" She said excitedly, reaching down and taking his hand into her own-- absentmindedly lacing fingers-- before realizing what she'd done. No, not the fingers part; The hand she'd taken, bandaged up as it was, was the one he'd burned earlier. "Ah-- I'm sorry, I got ahead of myself... Does... does it still hurt?" She asked, somewhat concerned eyes on Miersck, thankfully, and not on the fact that his hand seemed... a bit 'off' in terms of color, compared to the rest of his body.

There was only a subtle wince if anything as Miersck was pulled along.
"I'll live " he grumbled, his stomach, however,  was still being a lot more vocal that only grew embarrassingly louder the moment the pair were inside the city and a lot of savory smells filled the air.

"Great towering oak trees," he murmured, eyes wide at the site. ",There are so many smells. So many..." Miersck's wings began to beat, nearly carrying the pair off their feet. "Do I smell cooked gooseberries? Acorn stew? Raspberry sap balls? Sugar soaked oakleaves!? By the guardian, I could eat the whole tree!"

Sophie giggled a bit, a little confused by Miersck's... 'preferences'. She had to chalk it up to the wild life-- For a fae, those were likely delicacies of the highest order, especially if they were enough to get his wings fluttering in a way Sophie hadn't seen thus far. "I'd be surprised if they did-- raspberries aren't native to these parts, and... most humans don't eat oak leaves." She tried to explain as gently as she could, some part of her feeling bad for potentially dashing the boy's dreams. "But don't lose hope yet-- You might be suprised by some of the more creative things people eat, after all!"

Sophie kept Miersck close as they wandered further into La'marri, the two drawing a few unsolicited glances every so often; Nothing that the mouse-girl wasn't already used to, but she did her best to pretend it wasn't happening for Miersck's sake. The settlement was a melting pot of different cultures and creatures, surely a mouse and a moth wouldn't stick out too much. She led him towards the marketplace-- towards a series of stalls in particular where the scents would likely be the strongest, as some of the food vendors put on display their wares. From stuffed cabbage rolls to candied berries, there was truly no end to the unique display of foreign dishes and desert-like treats... well, outside of the ones Miersck himself had mentioned.

"Humans trade for prepared foods like these-- So today, I'll treat you to what delicacies you might like to try!" Sophie happily explained, patting one of the pouches on her waist-- said pouch making an audible and metalic jingle in response.

Miersck was too exited and hungry to care about anyone staring in their direction. Perhaps he should be wiser.. considering his kind outside of his home forest had been poached to near extention. But he didn't want to starve to death and well..

Miersck was nearly drooling. He half fluttered over to a nearby food cart, his red eyes glittering like rubies as he stared at hanging, steaming things that just smelled so delicious and had never seen before. And before he could think better of it, he asked, "That. What kind of good smelling  meal is that!?:

It did Sophie heart some good to see Miersck so mentally involved in society, regardless of what form it took. She wasn't sure how he'd take to being in public, in hindsight... Fae didn't typically blend with human society very well, on account of their more mischievous nature by documentation, and humans'... well... being human. Thankfully, neither seemed to play a factor at the moment, as the fae boy moved about in very familiar wanderlust, eyeing the different stalls. He eventually decided on one, with Sophie not too far behind, doing her best to keep up with him. "That is called a dumpling," Sophie explained as she caught up, reaching into her pouch, "And quite a plump one at that!" She'd never seen them hanging over a steamer before! The ingenuity of some people...

Sophie stepped up beside Miersck and purchased two of them; One for her and one for him. There was a proper-proud glow in her face and eyes as she removed the hanging netting from the dumplings and extended one food-filled hand to her fae companion, excited to see his reaction. "You can bite right into these! Careful though-- it's a little hot." She said with a smile, watching Miersck intently. How would he like 'human food', she wondered?

His eyes were as wide as saucers.  The dumpling looked like some form of steamed onion, and if Sophie were warning him about it, he was none the wiser, mouth salivating as he began to chew at the netting, making a most interesting face.  But then the steam part came into play and Miersck was yelping as his fingers got singed and the dumpling suddenly went sailing into the air.

If the boy's eyes went as wide as saucers, Sophie's likely matched in kind as she didn't know weather or not to worry for the fae, or the skyward dumpling that he'd just sent soaring. She was far more used to handling heat, and hot objects, as evidenced by her own nesting the heated dumpling between her lips, poised to take a bite. But when Miersck's flew into the air, she put her own hunger needs to the side in an attempt to assist with his. "Ah-- I'fe go'it!" She claimed, her mouth filled with warm dumpling, taking a balancing step towards Miersck as she positioned herself to catch the flying dumpling.

And she did, with some effort! It bounced off her fingers once, then twice, but Sophie was ultimately able to catch the dumpling in her hands, saving the day and Miersck's meal in one fell swoop! Kind of.

Miersck was too much in shock to respond, his eyes widening in true dred for the fate of his dumpling. So when Sophie launched herself he was in awe... but quickly was his elation dashed as he watched her nearly spill over after her triumphant. He gave a single heavy beat of his wings to push himself forward, arms bracing around the girl before she'd fall, as he caught her round the waist and landed in a stumble on the city street. The pair didn't fall, but Miersck did stumble a little and caught both he and SOphie against a nearby stone building.

It was a great catch, Sophie couldn't help but think to herself, as the hot dumpling slowly settled into her hands. Great catch, but unfortunately the steps she took to make said catch certainly left Sophie a bit off her own balance; Her eagerness raising her up onto the tips of her toes and causing her to sway forward a bit dangerously. She didn't have much time to physically--or mentally-- attempt to balance herself, and as she felt her body begin to tilt forward, she wanted to chastise her shocking moment of clumsiness... That was, until she was practically lifted off of her feet.

Miersck leapt into action in a way only he could; Sophie braced her core (and her dumpling-saving hand) and let momentum take them where it would-- In this case, right up against a nearby building wall. She could feel the breath catch in the back of her throat as they stopped, leaving them in a rather... unfortunately familiar situation, with Miersck having managed an arm around her waist. Be it from the awkwardness of the situation, or the heat of the dumpling she was somehow still holding onto with her lips, a flush of red slowly rose to the mouse-girl's face once more, though surprisingly she merely smiled... or attempted to, from behind her dumpling.

"...Nice catch-- oh," She replied, a bit fog-brained at the closeness of the two of them, resulting in her accidentally letting go of the dumpling in her lips and it tumbling down between their two chests. Well, that was a perfectly good dumpling... but Sophie didn't exactly hate this situation, either. While her mind was still racing a mile a minute, having acclimated a tiny bit due to their encounter earlier, she could at least admit this one thing to herself right now-- Miersck was... rather handsome, when he wasn't scowling.

The stumble into the building hurt... he'd likely have a bruise where his shoulder slammed into it, but thankfully his wings were okay. And the dumpling. And well, the mouse girl, Sophie.. but they saved the food, which was important.

"You okay?" He asked. But as she replied.. oh..
The dumpling in her mouth promptly fell out of her mouth and tumbled down between where their chests were held together as Miersck 's eyes went cross to following the falling food. He plucked the dumpling off from between their chests and offered it out to the girl.

"At least neither of them fell on the ground."
Hey he could be optimistic sometimes!

Sophie's bright smile only beamed ever brighter as she gently nodded, rather pleased with herself at Miersck showing concern. Sure, it wasn't that he hadn't before-- after all, he was probably only accompanying her because he felt sorry for her, something she'd already accepted-- but now both of them were, relatively, calmer-- clearer-headed. It made Sophie think that perhaps this was his 'real' persona-- Or at least, as close to it as she was going to get anytime soon. Thinking that he treated, or would treat, anyone else he met differently was a slight bit sad... but in some odd way, made Sophie feel surprisingly good about herself.

"I guess that makes us even, in a way." She joked, taking the dumpling he offered her, and exchanging it with the dumpling she'd caught for him. "Thank you, Miersck." She happily added, still a bit red in the face, and doing everything in her power to not draw attention to how close they still were. A futile effort, it seemed, as a passerby lady of likely some 50, 60 years saw them and let out an audible 'aww', and an amused giggle at the two of them, ruining what was otherwise a very enjoyable moment for the mousey girl with dreadful awkwardness.

Miersck didn't entirely understand how awkward their position could be until the older woman had passed , making a fuss. It took a few moments for it to click before his own cheeks heated. 

He took his dumpling as he withdrew, wings held in an awkward, almost shielding, protective manner.  And without looking, he went on to bite into the dumplings netting again to it, having never removed it and the young man presumed it was just some kind of strange skin on the fruit, and he didn't seem to notice any if it tasted strange. Atleast, not any stranger than bark or apple skin. He did this as he began to look around,  suspiciously.

As Miersck pulled away, Sophie could feel the heat slowly begin to drain from her face; She mused to herself silently that the silly boy likely wouldn't have ever moved had he not gained stock of their situation. Silly. Cute, admittedly, but very silly. Their meals secured, Sophie thought to recommend they sit somewhere and rest while they ate, but the fae had other plans-- nibbling away at... the netting on the dumpling? Oh, dear. Sophie stared blankly, a bit confused, before remembering something rather important; Her moth-friend lacked... what was the word... ah, yes-- common sense. Well, 'human' common sense.

A giggle escaped her lips as she collected herself. "Oh, you-- Not that part... here, let me help." She reached up, taking one of his dumpling-holding hand in her own, and bringing the net-coated away from his mouth. She then showed a tiny bit of dexterity-- single-handedly fiddling with a knot tied at the top of the netting, and deftly undoing it, causing the steamed treat to come properly exposed-- proper-soft exterior and all. "There-- now try it, and tell me what you think?" She directed, hiding her amusement in the back of her mind as she observed.

Miersck looked down at the dumpling, then at Sophie with the netting, then back down atcthe dumpling.
"So... is the skin.. poisonous or do you just discard it?" He asked,  seeming a bit baffled.

The mouse-girl stifled a giggle once more with all of her strength. "Th-That's no skin, silly. It's a very thin, fine... cloth of sorts, that keeps the food inside nice and clean until you want to eat it for yourself!" She explained, trying her best to hold back a smile, and failing miserably. Good grief, he was such an-- Sophie shook her head, before unwrapping her own dumpling in kind-- a sort of show of trust, to make sure he didn't think she was trying to trick him.

"Like so-- And you can use the cloth net for whatever you might prepare in the future, to keep it safe from dropping it in the dirt." Sophie punctuated her explanation by taking a bite out of her own dumpling-- and happily humming in response to the surprise of savory goodness within. It was filled with vegetables! A bit of cabbage, some sliced, steamed carrots, and-- did she detect a bit of squash? Lovely!

Miersck watched her, a little skeptically but with general interest. He then peered down at his dumpling after watching her eat it and mimicked how she did it, biting into it like it was an apple as steam and juices and sweet smells of steamed vegetables assaulted his senses. He wasn't sure how he felt about the soft, doughy dumpling itself, but the insides...
His red eyes widened and he noted itnwas.leaking its juices everywhere and tipped his head back to drink down the inside juice.

He licked at his glistening, juice coated lips as his wings moves lightly.
"Hey, thats pretty good. I like this juice."

"Isn't it? It's one of my favorite meals!" Sophie beamed as Miersck took a bite and displayed his please reaction-- happy that he found some joy in the dumpling they shared. She couldn't help but watch over him as he ate, finnicking about with the warm juices within the dumpling. Well, it WAS likely his first meal prepared by a human-- she couldn't exactly fault him for not knowing best etiquette when handling something so complex as a dumpling.

Perhaps, with time, he might grow to learn to use a spoon and a fork? Some proper knives? Maybe prepare a meal of his own? The girl couldn't help but giggle a bit; That might be pushing it too far, even for a member of the fae. But... maybe someday, he'd trust her enough to eat a meal she prepared for him? The thought, for whatever reason, caused her cheeks to tint a bit red as she took another bite of her own dumpling. Perhaps one day.

A gentle, passing wind crossed them as they ate, reminding Sophie of something she'd noticed some time ago, but hadn't brought any attention to. "Miersck," She said tilting her head a bit, "Where do you plan to spend the evening? It can get rather cool in the nearby forests at night-- do you sleep somewhere warm?"

Miersck was still messily enjoying his dumpling,  juices dribbling down his face.  At her question, he blinked and popped the last bit of food into his mouth before speaking through chews, "I just sleep in my cocoon." He went on, wiping off the juices with the back of his hand, then he processed to suck off the juice from his fingers.

Sophie's face was anywhere between amused and exasperated as she watched Miersck's near-ravenous treatment of the dumpling, her mind still somewhat struggling to process how little he knew about such meal etiquette or, well, just getting all of his food in his mouth. "Good grief-- You're getting dumpling all over yourself..." She sighed, knowing it'd just make him a bit of a sticky mess after a while if he went about cleaning himself as he was, and stepped forward towards him with the cloth netting she'd been holding onto. She bundled it a bit, and then up onto the tips of her toes she went, gently swabbing and wiping Miersck's face clean of the residual juices.

She hummed a bit as she did so-- either enjoying giving the attention or having a reason to not be idle. She wasn't entirely sure which, and was in too good of a mood to question it too much at the moment... maybe later. "There," Sophie finished, dropping back down onto the soles of her feet and putting away the cloth, "Good as new. Anyway, you said you... sleep in a cocoon? Is that... hm. Does that mean you're able to... produce some kind of webbing?" It was more than possible that the term 'cocoon' meant something different to the Fae than to Sophie-- But on the off-hand chance it didn't... How very strange indeed. The girl's tail slowly coiled behind her at the thought. She was... an oddity, yes, but there were many, many stranger things about Miersck then her. It was interesting... and somewhat disheartening, in a way.

Miersck blinked as she fussed over him, genuinely confused at what she was doing. He then tilted his head at her words.
"Well, yeah, How else would I make a cocoon?.  Though I don't sleep at night," he went on. "I prefer bein up with tge moon. I'm only awake now because I'm not exactly tired anymore. And I've been traveling an awful lot." He frowned, wings wilting just a little. "Say, what is this place, anyway?" He asked, red eyes peering around.

"I... see." Sophie nodded as Miersck explained his unique sleep schedule, abilities and so on. Her tail went somewhat limp as she listened, and mentally she felt herself take a step away from him-- or him from her-- though neither happened. It was an odd, apprehensive feeling that she struggled to qualify-- And so she pushed it down, deep into the recesses of her heart for the time being.

"The locals call this place 'La'marri', but it doesn't have an actual, official name, I think. The... the woodlands that surround us are referred to as the Niahi Woods, and they stretch from here to the sea, and the mountains." As she explained, Sophie gestured one way and the next, trying her best to explain the layout of the land. She wasn't sure how familiar Miersck was with the area, in truth-- nor was she sure how he managed to navigate, or what he was navigating to, or from. Some part of her was afraid to ask; Worried that he might take offense to it. His health and well-being was one thing, but his personal life was his alone; She didn't want to pry. "The locals here are, for the most part, magically-inclined... You might find proper mages here, or... maybe even other fae, like yourself." She trailed off a bit at the thought, having not considered it before, and somewhat troubled by the possibility. La'marri truly was a 'free village', after all; it wasn't impossible to think that more of his kin might actually be somewhere within.

Miersck thought over her description of the land and its people, wings opening and closing slowly in thought.
"Do you live here?" He found himself asking, curiously. Then... his stomach rumbled again and he blinked. It seemed he almost fought back a smile, but the action was very subtle and brief.

"And is there a way we can get more food?" Apparently one dumpling wasn't enough.

Cerulean eyes averted themselves-- once, then twice as Sophie shifted uncomfortably on the spot at Miersck's question, as if he'd pointed a glowing-hot dagger at her. "...No, I... don't really have a home." She answered truthfully, and to the best of her ability without heading down another rabbit hole of self-pity; He'd more than likely heard more than enough of her woes by now.

Instead, she focused her attentions on his second question, giving an amused smile in place of his own lack of one. Was... now the right time to ask if he... No, no, not yet, she told herself. They'd only just met, after all, and doubtless he trusted her enough for such a thing. Silly Sophie, so eager to... well, it didn't matter. "Of course! There are so many other kinds of meals we can try here-- My treat!" She said with a smile, reaching over and taking him by the hand once more as she began to lead Miersck further into the food stalls, stopping every so often to let his nose guide him once more, as well as point out the occasional favorite of her own.

This... this was fine. This was nice. It felt good to be useful.

She hadn't a home? Miersck's face twisted in confusion. But he must not have been complete obvious to her plight,  as he considered all of the why's. He also had no home,  as he stole a small glance to the mark on his hand.  Then he closed his hand into a fist.

And soon found himself guided back towards the market, where he was overwhelmed with delicious smells.
"You sure it's okay if I eat more?"

He wasn't sure about human customs,  or mouse fae's.

The girl's mouse-like ears flopped a bit as she happily nodded in response to Miersck. "Of course! I'm sure you likely don't get the chance to mingle with human society that often... if ever," She noted, turning back to look at Miersck as she did so, "So I want you to have a happy experience! Hopefully, you'll..." She began, before finding herself fiddling with her words a bit, a light bit of blush to her face. What did she really want to say there? That he'd hopefully grow accustomed to being around humans, maybe? That he'd hopefully decide to stick around for a while longer, rather than continue traveling alone? That... well, maybe he would stick around... with her?

"...Hopefully you'll remember it fondly, as you travel!" She couldn't be that selfish. It wasn't right. Right now, the only thing that mattered to Sophie was doing whatever she could to help Miersck enjoy his time here. Reaffirming her resolve on that front, she turned to look about at the different stalls-- the different styles of food gathered from all around the continent. "So-- what do you think? Does anything catch your eye-- or your nose?"

If Miersck noticed her stuttering over words, he didn't show it. Truthfully,  he was distracted by all the sites and smells again but his wings fluttered suddenly as he smelled something sweet, and approached a stall of baked goods.

He was not even an inch away as he sniffed at the sweets before the woman behind the stall suddenly smacked a wooden spoon off of Miersck's head.

"Yeeouch!" The mothe fae howled, rubbing at where the old woman whacked his noggin. "Hey!" He growled,  bristling. "You hit me!"

"And you got too close to my baked goods without paying," the old woman countered. "Payment comes first "

"Ah--!"

Sophie, who'd slowly begun to withdraw into her own head about one insecurity or another, had lost track of Miersck, if only a little. She knew he was nearby, and didn't think to keep as close an eye on him as she probably should've, given how new he was to integrating into human society. That was when she heard the boy's sudden yelp of pain, and snapped back to reality to find him being admonished by a nearby stall owner.

Of course; Sophie, who'd gotten so wrapped up in the idea of having someone she could freely spend time with, had completely forgotten the basic rule of shopping... Keep your children by your side at all times. She quickly trotted over to the stall where the interaction occurred and stepped in between Miersck and the stallkeeper, taking him by the hand and holding him behind her to prevent any unneeded backlash. She then, as deeply as she could... bowed her head in apology. "I'm so sorry, ma'am! My frie-- Um," She paused, mentally checking herself-- She wasn't entirely sure Miersck would be too happy about her taking such a liberty as calling them 'friends', "He isn't very familiar with trade as a concept, and didn't mean any harm. I should've been more attentive of him-- Please forgive me."

Admittedly, hitting him was rather unnecessary, and in her mind, Sophie knew that. But the poor girl had not a confrontational bone in her body, and would more than happily accept any punishment or reprimanding on behalf of another than to let the situation at hand worsen. "Did he touch anything? I'll happily pay for whatever he was interested in..."

"I didn't touch anything!" Miersck snapped,  growling and showing his teeth, even as Sophie stepped between them. He was about to say more before Sophie dropped her head in apology.

"Hey, hey! Don't apologize, she hit me!" he complained with a shake of her shoulder.

The old woman eyed the pair,  and noted the boy's wings with a sniff
"If your companion does not understand human customs perhaps you should not take him near human markets. Or, " She went on, eyes still callous. "Keep that thing on a leash."

She bristled before them and smoothed down her dress, contemplating the rest of Sophie's words and ignoring the dogged growls of the moth fae.

"He basically touched this entire front row,: she went on, gesturing with her armed, wooden spoon. "How do I know he doesn't carry a disease? Now I'm going to lose a day's worth of money thanks to it!"

Oh Miersck was about ready to boil over.

"What!?" He snapped. "I didn't touch even one of them!"

Sophie's ears twitched as she flinched a bit. Between the older woman's scoldings-- fully deserved in her mind-- and Miersck's indignant lashings out-- likely also fully deserved-- She wasn't sure how best to diffuse the situation at hand. On one hand, it might've been enough to simply turn tail and run away, with Miersck in hand. He was all but ready to explode, and aside from his very visible differences in physiology, Sophie didn't know enough about what he was and wasn't capable of to risk him doing something rash.

On the other hand, if they left now, would Miesck ever be allowed to return? Would rumors spread about the moth-winged boy, and tarnish his reputation for the future? Would he... be forced to continue to wander alone, not even accepted in such an open community as La'marri? The thought was too hard for Sophie to comprehend-- too painful. Even if her own reputation was marred, if she could salvage this situation for Miersck...

Slowly, Sophie raised her head a little-- Not looking into the eyes of the stallkeeper in an attempt of deference. Miersck seemed all but ready to leap into action in defense of himself, and on some level the mouse-girl completely understood... but she held firmly to his hand all the same. This... this sort of thing just happened sometimes. "I... I understand. I'll gladly pay for the losses you'd incur... Or help to make up for it, if you'd prefer, but I..." She paused, her voice cracking a bit as she worked to find the right words that would hopefully alleviate the situation, as well calm herself emotionally... as best she could, at least.

"...Please forgive him." She eventually managed, lowering her head again in apology. By now, the three had begun to draw passing gazes; Nothing to the extent of folks stopping and staring, but Miersck at the very least was beginning to find attention through his actions and loud words.

Oh, if he could give a woman a piece of his mind....

The lady looked down her nose at the little mouse girl.
"Payment for the ruined goods should suffice. After all, I'll have to now throw them all away "

Miersck's jaw dropped open.

"Throw them all away!?" Miersck bristled. She couldn't be serious!

'Well you soiled them! Once they're paid for I'm putting them in the trash. "

"What!? You'd throw them away..even after she's paid for it!?"

The mouse-girl could feel her eyes widen and her breath catch in her throat as the dour woman's words struck her somewhat deeply. Such wasteful behavior-- Surely she didn't mean it, did she? She could feel it, in the back of her mind; repressed memories slowly creeping forward, like a cold blackened, revolting mold, spreading from the base of her neck, out throughout her body. This situation, this feeling... of being looked down upon, and spoken to so callously.

"...I..." She began to speak, her head still lowered, only to stop almost immediately. She could hear them... through her. She could still hear their voices, even through this woman.

'How unsightly. Look at that tail-- you'd do best to keep that thing on a leash.'

She trembled a bit, as the older woman and Miersck continued to banter forth; An unforgiving cold washing over her entire body, alongside the disgusting feeling of her sense of security-- her sense of self-assuredness-- being rotted away by the black, creeping mold that was her past life.

'A diseased rodent, that's what it is. Matters not how 'female' it looks. Take it back to the market-- Or throw it away out back, just get it out of my sight.'

Tears formed in her eyes; All the more reason for her to not raise her head, as she simply nodded in compliance with the woman's demands. "...I understand," She responded quietly, reaching down for her purse pouch with trembling hands. It can't be helped, she told herself over and over. It can't be helped.

Miersck let out a roar of frustration, smacking the coin pouch away and snarling at Sophie.
"This woman will not get all your money, Sophie! She's a liar and is trying to cheat you out of all your money!"

The woman gasped.
"How dare you accuse me! The pair of you aren't even human."

Miersck's eyes were blazing at that last comment.
"That's it!"
His form seemed to shiver, wavering as if a mirage. But it was a brief visualization and not even a moment later, the moth fae and woman were bantering. As they did so, from Sophie's perspective, it looked like Miersck was now the one offering the woman a pouch of money, when a ghostly image passed through it, passing a baked good to the woman instead. The woman accepted without so much as noticing,  handling the biscuit as if it were a bag of money, which soon it appeared to be as two moth fae's dissolved into one.

But something was stirring and a moment later, Miersck was stepping away from the pantomime version of himself, the baker none the wiser as Miersck stood before Sophie with an arm full of baked goods.

"Come on. Before she realizes I used any trickery," and despite juggling so many baked goods, he managed to grab onto Sophie's arm to drag her away.

"Wha--" Sophie was shocked and thrown off balance by Miersck suddenly leaping into action, taking her by the hand and pulling her away. Her eyes, blinking back tears, could barely believe what they'd just seen-- and as such, weren't sure they actually had. For a moment earlier, there seemed to be... two of Miersck? And then, one of him? She struggled to comprehend what had just happened, stumbling along in a dazed state of mind.

Was that magic? Was it fae magic? Even though tears stung her eyes, Sophie was fairly certain she knew what she saw. It was as if there were two of Miersck, for a time-- and the woman didn't seem to notice the difference. Even now, as they ran, she seemed to be more concerned with the 'other Meirsck' than either herself or the one pulling her by the arm now...

"W-what was that? Miersck..." Sophie's voice, despite her attempted protests, was without any real conviction-- Some part of her knew that on some level, it was wrong of them to use trickery to get out of that situation. But that part of her brain struggled to find the line between what was right, and what she felt right now, as Miersck held her arm and led her away. Had... had he just stood up for her, in his own way?

Miersck dashed with Sophie into an alley where he suddenly pressed her up against a wall.
"Hold these!" His words were the only warning before he shoved the baked goods into her arms. Then he looked at her firmly, wings pumping frantically and creating hair tossing winds between them.
"Every fly before?"
That was her only warning as he suddenly scooped her up and took flight, grunting with exertion as he struggled to get them as high as he wanted, panting and grunting as he did so. She weighed way more than he anticipated,  but even as he struggled, up, up they went until they were above the buildings and Mierck sought out a comfortable roof where he, gently as he could, landed and set Sophie onto the roof top beside him.

Once the weight was off his arms, he immediately began to rub at their soreness before laughing and peering over the side of the roof. The illusion had faded and the woman was furious, calling for the guards.  But Miersck was all smiles. Apparently it was more difficult for him to be sour when being mischievous.

"That'll show that old toad! Look at her!" He laughed some more before plopping down onto the roof to sit. "That's what she gets for messing with a moth fae!"

And triumphantly he turned to pluck a baked good from Sophie's arms.
"Now we can feast until our bellies are full!"

Sophie barely had time to think, let alone find her bearings as Miersck pulled her along and brought her to places she'd never been before-- in more ways than one. From the alleyway, to the very skies themselves, to the rooftops above. So much happened in so little time, and the mouse-like girl was only so capable of keeping up with it all, especially given her already clouded mental state.

Miersck was, knowingly or not, doing a lot to help clear that dark fog-- from their close proximity in the alley, to the wonders of being quite literally swept off of her feet. Even now, as she stared almost dumbfounded at how they'd been put into a position to allow them to watch over the admittedly self-inflicted chaos down below, she was less concerned with the older woman, and moreso with her fae companion.

Did he just do that.. for her? The thought began to echo louder and louder in the Sophie's relatively empty head as she quietly stared at the boy, watching his smile... his bright, beautiful smile. Had... had he ever smiled before? It was as if all that was innocent in the world was manifested. Once she realized what she was doing--physically and mentally-- she turned away, heat rising to her ears and face, though she did everything she could to not draw attention to it. "Miersck, that was... I-I'm sorry that you had to experience that." She tried changing the subject as best she could-- for herself more than anything else.

Only then did Miersck notice a change in his companions disposition.  Then he realized why.
"Here, let me take some of those so you can eat, too." And he used the lower half of his shirt like a basket and scooped up an armful of sweets and dropped them into his shirt, only then did he select a second, victory sweet as he enjoyed the chocolate laced biscuit with a flap of his wings.
"Hey, this one's really good!" And he began to paw through his pile to search for another as he munched.

Sophie blinked at Miersck's notion-- almost confused as to why he suddenly began taking the baked treats he'd given her back, before she realized the answer was about as straightforward as any answer could've been. And... that was Miersck. Like a lightbulb, the very concept of the moth boy clicked in her head, as if she could see... or perhaps understand him a bit clearer now than ever before. "...Silly," She muttered, before shaking her head and taking one of the baked goods, a small muffin with chocolate chips dotted throughout, and staring at it thoughtfully.

"Most humans are... not quite so confrontational. Hopefully that lady was just, having a bad day or something. Normally I'd recommend that we go and apologize... but it'd probably just make the situation worse." Sophie tried to explain, though she wasn't sure how much of it was actually getting through to the fae's somewhat puppy-like brain as he scavenged for another chocolate treat similar to the one he'd just had. Amused yet empathetic, the mouse girl took a peak down at the few that remained in her own arms, before spotting another and offering it to Miersck. "Here," She said with a warm smile, leaning a bit closer to him inadvertently.

"Humans...not confrontational?"Miersck made a face, wings bristling. "Are you sure we're talking about the same species? And here I was giving those snakes a chance but nooooo, humans will just be what they always are."

But then his annoyance was taken over by the sudden confection and he nearly ripped it from her hand with a gimme! though the words were simply implied.

"Th-they can be... sometimes..." Sophie's meek attempts at defending her arguments fell on mostly deaf ears; Miersck was far more preoccupied with the chocolate biscuit than he was with hearing her out, anyway. She didn't hold it against him; the reclusive nature of the Fae wasn't something born of simple folly. Documentation of ages past described how man and Fae used to live in a much more symbolic relationship, before... people did what people always do.

Sophie looked up to the skies and pondered the though for a time. "There are bad people... but there are also good ones. I was... a slave, once. It was mankind that enslaved me, but it was also men that gave me freedom." She furrowed her brow as she thought back to those painful days, but continued on. "I think... I hope, one day you'll meet someone who can do for you what those people did for me, when they set me free."

Miersck had more or less stuffed the entire second pastry into his mouth and was munching on it when he realized what Sophie was saying, and he blinked and paused in mid-chew, cheeks puffy from their fill.

"You were a slave?" he asked through his food. "That's awful!" He had to swallow it all down in one big gulp. "And you still defend them!?"

Sophie flinched a bit at Miersck's exclamation— though it was difficult to tell if this was due moreso to his loud voice or the thought that he might choke on the biscuit in his mouth at the sudden revelation. In hindsight, though she mentioned a bit of her past to him earlier (somewhat uncharacteristically of her, at that), she may have neglected to mention a few... minor notes. She took a breath, knowing that what she had to say next might cast her in a sour light of her companion, but resolving to say it all the same.

"Yes... in the north, it's actually a fairly common practice. Anyone that... well, doesn't look like them, might be subject to it. In some cases, even those that do." Slowly, she lifted a pastry-less right hands, and examined it with her eyes as if it were foreign while she continued. "Mages are also not allowed relative freedom there... they're typically rounded up and sanctioned off from the rest of society. I... was raised there. You could call it my home." She explained, a somewhat hurt smile on her face. "I can't help but look back even at those harsh memories somewhat fondly. They're all I have."

Miersck's face was so skewed it began to hurt. It looked like he was building up some hot air to blow when the look in his eye changed- one to that of realization... connection, laced with fear. His eyes were so expressive, so much more so than any human's, that he couldn't have realized how openly his own internal struggle was on display.

Home... his own home was in danger, a darkness threatening to plaque it as well as...
he felt the alien itch to his arm and turned away, in case the black mark on his flesh was noticeable.

And he couldn't help himself for what he spat out next-

"Not everyone's home is a good home."

There was a rage within his eyes now, those ruby red eyes seeming to boil inwardly as he clenched his teeth. But then he spotted something and his wings tensed a little, and his expression changed to something of reluctance, or perhaps hesitation as he suddenly handed one of the biscuits filled with chocolate.

"Here. Have one. They're really good."

Miersck's sudden inner turmoil wasn't lost upon Sophie; Rather, she could very clearly see the flashes of emotions far beyond what the mouse girl had begun to perceive him as capable of as she chanced a glance at him after her recollection of past events. "...Miersck?" She wasn't sure if she should've addressed him, given the mood; Her hand hesitated as a result of her senses telling her something was off. What, she wasn't sure-- Miersck kept his cards close to his chest, so to speak, and though Sophie was more or less an open book, she could understand and respect that. But still...

"...I'm sorry. I'm sure that wasn't quite the sort of story you wanted to here." Her apology was less directed in defense of humanity, and more towards herself; an attempt at appeasing the moth-like fae after near-knowingly upsetting him. Deciding to set aside her hesitation for a time, she accepted the chocolate-filled biscuit from him, and after holding it in her hand for a moment, took a small, sampling bite of it. He was right, though Sophie didn't doubt it-- the chocolate wasn't bitter at all. Likely mixed with a bit of honey and milk, to give it a creamy, sweet flavor.

"You're right... not everyone's home is a good home. But we can always do our best to make home a little better than we leave it. That's part of what I do." She explained, finding the strength to smile, if only barely. "I document my research into this land's history-- it's magics, forgotten civilizations, even the inter-relationships between nations. I hope to spread that knowledge to the far corners of the continent-- That there might be some who learn from it, and find a sense of connection with the different peoples and places around them. Maybe... maybe even something as small as that can help make the world a better place."

Miersck looked rather drenched by her words. He shook his head and turned away.
"Let's.. just not talk about it," he went on, grimacing as he itched idly at the black mark on his arm. Not that it actually itched, but he felt the need to scratch.

He looked a little wilted, and bothered as he avoided her gaze, unsure what to say and suddenly not very hungry. Instead, he stared down at the chaos and gave a light raise of his hand and the illusion vanished, and the next bought of chaos ensued. Although, he was less enthused about it now than he had initially. As a fae, he should have been more giddy.

As the magicks faded, Sophie watched the onlookers and older woman below descend further into arguments and tribulations. There was an awkward moment of silence between them, one which the mouse-girl wasn't sure how to alleviate; Miersck had gone from mischievous and bemused trickster to looking as though he'd been scolded for his very existence, and she couldn't help but feel responsible for it. If things had gone differently at the bakery stand-- had she not been so passive, or kept a closer eye to him, or explained things better-- Would they still be in this situation?

"...It 'is' a little amusing, isn't it-- like watching a play," She spoke up, trying to lighten the mood for Miersck's sake, though it didn't seem to do much. What should she do? She'd been doing her best not to pry into him-- not to impose. Her hope had been that he'd be more willing to open up to her that way-- but was she going about it wrong? It felt now as if she were further away from him than before.

Unsure of herself and her current situation, Sophie retreated into the only thing she knew she could do right; From a pouch on her waist, she once more retrieved her small, leather-bound book, and began to write in it. Of her day thus far, of Miersck, of what she'd learned of the fae from him... Her mess of thoughts and insecurities, jotted down onto paper.

Miersck's attention drew to her journal, and he peered over top of her curiously.
"What's this?" He gave a curious poke to it with a finger.

Sophie had almost gotten herself completely absorbed in her work before Miersck's finger managed to prop her out of it. "Oh, this?" She seemed something entranced, or at least quickly awakening from one; Her concentration on the writings gone (for the time being), she turned her eyes to Miersck against.

"Well, sometimes I write about the most interesting parts of my day, and keep those bits to myself. Things like my new lantern-- and people like you." She gave the moth fae a beaming smile, a bit of blush to her face from her own honesty before continuing. "Sometimes, I find that it's nice to be able to look back and remember how meeting someone or doing something new makes you feel. Sort of like a little reminder that things aren't always bad." The leather-bound diary seemed to show it's age just from the cover it was built with, but the paper within and ink printed upon it was more than legible; It was as if the outside was meant to give the perspective that it was much older and invaluable than it seemed.

"Do Fae write, Miersck? Or read? I don't think I've ever heard of a Fae tome before... or a specific language."

Miersck looked at the writing strangely.
"You can capture memories with that thing?"
His statement easily answered her last few questions as he looked at her,confused.
"Read? Write? You mean capture memories?" He shook his head. "Not like that.  We just.. remember things with our brains."
Could she not do so?

Sophie smiled; A helpless smile, but a smile all the same. She wasn't sure what she expected out of the fae, but in hindsight, it made perfect sense that he wasn't particularly versed in scripts and ledgers. It was a very human concept, after all; And fae were uniquely gifted with magics that could tell stories that a normal... well, 'normal' person couldn't without outside help. "I see... That does go some way towards explaining why humans and fae tend not to appear in each other's historical literatures-- or why there are so few historical literatures of the fae in the first place." She put a finger to her chin as she thought through the implications of this, while also trying to keep in mind the more 'humanizing' aspects of such a revelation; Miersck was just one fae, after all. It wasn't right or fair of her to use him as a basis for all fae customs or dispositions. He had his own personal history, upbringing, and cultural nuances, as she was sure all fae tribes did.

Despite that, the turn of the conversation had gone a long way to boost Sophie's mood; It was something she could teach, or at the very least, provide insight into for the moth fae lad, and that made her feel useful... to some degree. "I'm not so sure of how reliable fae memories are-- perhaps you have perfect recollection of events that happened in the past, for example-- But most humans struggle to maintain the accuracy of information in the heads over time... So, with books like these, we 'capture memories' by recording them on paper. Things like conversations, or the weather on a certain day, or rules made by kings and queens from long ago-- We put them on paper so that even if we forget, we can learn or be re-taught that information. That," She somewhat proudly proclaimed, as she twirled her quill in her writing hand, "Is also a part of what I do."

Miersck still wore an expression that looked like he was constipated.
"And .. you.. enjoy doing this capturing?" He asked, clearly still dumb founded by the idea, but evidently curious as his eyes scanned the page.

Bemused, Sophie shifted a bit, turning towards Miersck a little and positioning herself so that the two of them could better view the pages she'd been writing in. This little booklet in particular was what she might've considered a diary; Something that contained her own personal thoughts and feelings about the days as they progressed, but for the sake of cultural exchange (and due to her own lack of self-worth) she figured it made no difference if her moth fae companion took a look. Likely he didn't understand the words either way.

"I suppose you could say 'enjoy'... I guess it's better to say it's the only thing I'm good at. Somewhat, anyway." She explained, absentmindedly putting herself down again but moving on from the topic before she could be any more of a downer. Her fingers passed over a line of written text on the open page of the book, where she read aloud for Miersck, "The magicked lantern was the source of the adverse reaction, but open flames in general are capable of causing behavioral changes in some moth fae." Her cheeks went a bit pink at the memory, but she paid it no mind-- trying to instill the idea of the value of paper knowledge to Miersck. "With that, even if I forget-- or someone were to somehow take my memories away from me-- There is an undeniable copy of the truth... or the truth as I understood it at this point in time."

Her face wasn't the only one to turn pink. He shifted awkwardly.
"That's.   Probably good to know. Fire is... " he shrugged, certain he needn't elaborate.
He blinked and looked at the writing.
"So that's what these strange things indicate? Not a drawing but..." be made a face, lips pursed. "These letters."

He supposed runes were the closest thing he was familiar with like writing, but these seemed more complex. A rune for water looked like.. well water. And typically would be blue.

"What else does it say?" He asked, pressing in close.

With a smile, a nod, and a mental note to herself of how much closer Miersck was getting, Sophie continued by placing a finger over a different bit of text. "Let's see... 'The residents of La'marri are a welcoming, yet secretive culture of fairly tight-knit families and friends who have lived outside of national governance for longer than most historical tomes recall. It is common speculation that most, if not all of the civilians are magically inclined, or of the bloodline of prior mages. Despite multiple investigations by neighboring communities, claims that the people of La'marri harbor, or aid in the practice of less commonly-accepted forms of mortal magics-- including blood magic rituals, necromancy, and demoncraft-- Have not been substantiated."

Sophie's finger tapped at the page after the passage, as if making a point of the words. "Despite these rumors--or perhaps in congruence with them, the average La'marrian civilian is still very much susceptible to magical influence-- as demonstrated when a particularly spiteful La'marrian civilian fell victim to fae illusion magic. It is also feasible that...." And she trailed off-- the words on the page ending as she did so. Right, she hadn't finished that passage; Quill at the ready, Sophie continued to speak, somewhat slower, as she wrote in the remainder of the note. "...Humans, La'marrian or otherwise, are naturally susceptible to fae magic, resulting in no mountable defense against a sudden utilization of it."

She held the fae's full attention,  and his demeanor seemed to shift a little at the comment about fae magic.
"Humans are easy prey to illusions. They don't have the brain capacity to understand the fae way of things."

Miersck realized he was quoting his father and his boasting posture wilted a little as he frowned at the memory. But he tried to act indifferent and shrugged.

"They're easy targets."

Which probably lent towards the reasoning most called the fae kind tricksters

"Haha... I suppose we are, yes." Sophie maintained a smile agreed with Miersck-- she felt as though his mood was finally starting to improve, if only a little, and wanted to do what she could within her power to avoid deflating it again. He was an impressively temperamental fae-- or perhaps, most fae were, and she simply lacked the experience to understand how best to deal with that. In the end, she had to rely on what she knew worked with just about everyone; deference and submission. After all, he had the power enough to fool that lady below into not realizing she was bartering over her own goods... And that was merely as a joke.

A thought only then occurred to the mouse girl, as she pondered what to say next. The fae way of things... "Miersck, your magic... If you don't mind my asking, is it something instinctive to you? Most human mages are taught by other human mages... prior forms of sorcery, such as spells that others have already figured out and mastered. Is it the same for fae, or are you instinctively capable of what you can do?" Once she started speaking, she realized how private that question actually could've been seen as-- but it was too late, the words and curiosity had already left her lips, and she could only hope they wouldn't trigger some sort of adverse reaction in the moth boy.

Miersck blinked quizzically at her question.
"Not all magics are the same?"
The question came out before he could think better, but he shook his head. "I was just born this way.. all moth fae are. I suppose my parents taught me how to use it but jts..it's... like blinking or breathing or flying. We just.. do it.:

"Interesting... so it's fairly safe to say that your magic is instinctive to you, if not hereditary and instinctive... that makes sense. Given the lack of written language, your most natural survival methods, your physical capabilities, your tactics..." At this point, Sophie was half-listening; His seemingly simple answer had connected a multitude of dots in her mind, and while the iron was hot, she'd taken to the pen and paper with quite the fervor; Within a few moments, one page was finished and she was sprinkling what looked like a bit of sand across the page wherever the ink was still warm and vivid, before setting to work on another page.

In the back of her mind, she was still on that rooftop with Miersck; She wasn't intentionally ignoring or putting him aside. But at the forefront of her mind, she was seated at a table in a small, secluded room, surrounded by books; Her own, as well as those of scholars and historians before her time. She was adding another page to history; Another addition to the world's vast banks of knowledge... or so she told herself. In either case, from the somewhat absorbed look on her face and the smile playing at her lips, despite how boring it may have seemed, she was clearly having a good time. "I wonder... do you suppose it's the same with all sorts of fae? Although I suppose there are always the occasional few who have ventured into human territory that would've branched out into other non-fae magics. Perhaps... P-perhaps my..." Sophie blinked once, twice; Her vision having gone glossy rather suddenly. Why... why was she about to bring that up again? Why were tears forming in her eyes? She attempted to angle her head a bit-- as if trying to hide her face from Miersck while she worked on finishing that last page.

Except as she went to lean away, the moth fae had drawn closer and followed her on with a closer step and lean.
"Is what you're doing considered magic?"
Bless his moth fae little soul, he just hadn't the best grasp on human culture in the slightest. "Or.. eerrr.. what would it be? Like.. another language Guage or something?" His wings moved a little as he thought.

"Not... not magic-- not by other humans, no. Ahem." Some tact was in order; the mouse-like girl shifted her head a bit more, as if looking away, and used the momentary faux-distraction to wipe her eyes clear of the tears that threatened to breach them. A few blinks later and she was back to her normal self-- putting on a proper smile for Miersck's sake, if nothing else. "Writing, even at this level, is considered a discipline-- er, a... skill, rather. The ability to document words for future references, and the ability to read that documentation-- is quite useful for human culture... But it's something anyone can do-- It doesn't make me special, or anything."

And she was right, for the most part; Trader's script was fairly common across the different cultures and peoples. It made long-range communication far more reliable than simple verbal messages. But it certainly wasn't anything that Sophie had invented-- or even revolutionized. She was no genius of that degree... she simply liked to write. "It helps people maintain traditions, remember history... things like that. Which..." Sophie put a finger to her chin, suddenly somewhat lost in thought. "...Are Fae nomadic, Miersck? I know you... mentioned a home, of some sort, and family... But have you always traveled? Or was there ever a centralized place that you were raised in?"

Miersck made a face at her words.
"We only traveled within our forest. We had no reason to travel outside except..." Miersck's voice trailed off at the memory. "Well, I can't go back now.." he added in a mutter,  turning away, irritable.

Sophie's eyes flashed with a curious, concerned teal shimmer in the sunlight as she took the moment to shift herself a bit now, turning her body away from the scene below, and looking to Miersck with more scrutiny— and attention overall. "Can't... go back?" She repeated, as if the moth boy had spoken impossible words into existence. She couldn't begin to understand what he meant by that... or why.

"Is... something wrong, Miersck?" She wasn't sure where to begin with her statement; she knew so precious little about him, his culture, and his his way of life besides. But she could tell more than anything else that this was a sore subject for the fae boy; one that she wasn't sure if she had earned the right to inquire upon. "I... I don't mean to pry, but if there's something I could possibly help with..."

Miersck tensed when she focused her attentions on him and he growled,  baring his teeth. He involuntarily clutched at his marked arm and turned it away from her. He shook his head.

"Nothing can be done!" He snapped. "Forget I said anything.." And he moved as if he were about to simply fly away and leave her there....

But instead, he remained tensed and crouched on the opposing side of the roof, away from the market side and crowd.

Sophie had braced herself for what she knew would be the inevitable reaction... and yet still she flinched, hard, as Miersck snapped at her. She watched as he turned and left her there, distancing himself again-- Something she was beginning to properly identify as a defense mechanism on his part-- and felt a sting in her chest. Regardless of if she knew it was coming or not, it still hurt-- especially when she could tell that this... whatever 'this' was, about Miersck's homeland and personal circumstances, pained him so as well.

She could've sulked. She could've probably cried, thinking that she'd ruined another friendship by being so impudent. But instead, she took a deep breath and steeled her body, mind and spirit for what she, in her head, was now sure she had to do. The only thing that had worked before...

Slowly, she stood and approached Miersck quietly-- not sneakily, but also careful to not break whatever train of thought he currently had. "...There is one other thing that humans are quite good at-- although it's not really a good skill... but humans are very, very good at lying." She began to explain, coming to sit down near Miersck once more, yet giving him his personal space... for now. "Humans lie... a lot. Some do it to protect themselves... because they're afraid of being taken advantage of, if they tell the truth. Others do it to take advantage of others by misleading them. When you live with humans... you have to learn to truly seek to understand other people, in order to know if they're lying to you. That's why... I'm fairly good at knowing when I'm being lied to. And..."

Sophie shifted a bit, scooting closer to Miersck and looking towards him with deep, soulful blue eyes and a defenseless, disarming smile. "...And I know you're lying to me. I can tell you don't think there's nothing that can be done for... wherever you call home. And I can tell you don't want to just forget about it. But more importantly..." She moved even closer now, her smile widening a bit, though she took no immediate measures to try to stop him from moving away, or protect herself. "...I can tell you're not dangerous. Not to me, at least-- no matter how much you snarl, or growl, or yell, or try to get me to stay away. I don't feel like I'm in any danger when I'm with you, because I'm... I'm pretty sure you're a good person. And I want to help you."

At such a long-winded reply came to an end, Miersck's face went through an incredibly elaborate series of expressions that went along with her words. In the end, he was simply staring at her, blinking as if he was just slapped by something absurd, like a fish jumping from a river.

The silence was tense and awkward before Miersck bared his teeth at her. Though he didn't growl. He didn't even know what to do or what to make of her assumptions so instead of dealing with it, he promptly turned from the mousey woman, leaped into the air and took flight,, shouting back to her in exasperation '"How could you possibly know! " Amd just like that, he was already flying atkeast two roof tops away.

"Miersck!"

And this, Sophie was alone. She sat quietly— wide eyed and in shock as the moth fae took off. Unconsciously, she'd extended a hand— either gesturing for him to take her along, or trying to grab him to prevent him from leaving, who could say. In the end, it mattered very little; Sophie was left by herself on the rooftop, a solemn silence falling over her like a wave of shame and self-deprecation.

How ironic. She was alone, again.

The mouse-eared girl slowly recovered from his departure— in so much as lowering her arm, and pulling her knees to her chest, that she might rest her head on them— blocking out the light of the world as she curled herself up into the smallest ball she could manage. She could feel dry heaves shuddering through her breathing, the blood flowing to her face, the burning in her eyes. She failed... she failed Miersck, and she didn't know why, or how. Had she gone too far with her words? Should she have apologized? Could she have? Endless possibilities of the past played through her mind, none of which even slightly attainable or actionable at this point. There was nothing she could do now; he was gone, tired of her words. Tired of her. She was alone... of no worth to anyone.

Tears began to roll down Sophie's face, hidden away from the world, as she mentally accepted that last part. Everything before it, everything she'd claimed... it was all an excuse, if a convenient one. She'd put up with so much— every twisted or outlandish personality, every odd or dangerous request, all the verbal and physical abuse... just to avoid this feeling. To avoid feeling like no one wanted her— like she had no value in anyone's eyes. She'd felt it before— she was no stranger to such rejections— but it never stopped hurting, even now.

Eventually, she gathered herself— after all, she... she did still have to report back to the adventurer's guild. She had to close out her most recent quest, right. That was worth doing. She unfurled her arms from around her legs and wiped her eyes clean— but in the process of doing so, accidentally let go of her writing quill, which began to be carried down the side of the rooftop with a small breeze. Sophie panicked and reacted far too quickly for her own good— reaching out to try and grab it, only to loose her own footing on the rooftop and slip down, plummeting to the ground of the alleyway below moments later.

"—Aaah—!!" She began to scream, but her fall was so quick that the sound barely left her mouth. A shame, too— a passing couple of men below— likely not of Le'Raanan lineage given their pale skin, roguish faces, a raven-black mop of frizzy curls on one man and a clean-shaven head on the other, and the daggers they carried at their hips— could've used that warning. Instead, before any of the three realized what had happened, Sophie collided with the two men, all three of them collapsing to the ground.

"The hell!? Damned rats fallin' out of the sky now!" She was the last of the three to get her bearings straight— still dazed in the ground on her hands and knees as the other two men had already returned to standing. She might've followed them up, had a sharp pain from a steel-toed boot to her abdomen not sent shock through her entire body, and driven the air from her abdomen. "The hell is you problem!? That hurt! Open your damn mouth when you're screwing around like that, you mouse-freak!" She didn't even have time to think on his words; another boot collided full-force with the side of her face, rattling her brain and knocking her off of her hands and feet. She still could not draw breath from the impact of that first kick; and with a trickle of red beginning to flow freely from her forehead at the point the roguish-man had kicked her from, she could barely remember why she was on the ground at all.

"Good grief, Sutton— Let her up."

Sophie's head was swimming with pain; It got worse when the bald man reached down and grabbed her by her hair, showing impressive strength by pulling her to her feet with it despite her wincing protests) before taking her by the scruff of their shirt and pinning her to the alleyway wall. Tears from the pain drained from her eyes as the ruffian gave her a firm shake, and stared her down with a deathly glare. "You're lucky we're here on business from Serendipity— I got no time to teach a brat like you a lesson. Stay out of my way from now on, you here me?" The man practically growled, while his frizzy-haired companion behind him simply shrugged.

"Would be nice to get an apology as well— you did fall on us, after all."

Fear and acceptance washed over every fiber of Sophie's being as the frizzy haired man's hand 'unconsciously' came to rest on his dagger. "I-I'm sorry... I'm sorry..." She managed through the pain, her tears unceasing as the fabric of her own shirt was practically being used to choke her by the bald rogue at this point. For a moment, the frizzy-haired man simply sighed, as if not impressed with the answer... but ultimately gestured for his friend to let go of her, which he did by throwing her back to the ground. "Shame. Ears aside, she's close to my type." He off-handed remarked, earning a very disgusted glance from 'Sutton' as the two turned to leave the alleyway.

"You'd take a gods-damned rat to bed? You're not all right in the head, Laurentus."

Before long, they were gone— somewhere further within Le'Raana, leaving Sophie to clean herself up once more— this time of both her tears and the blood dripping from her forehead. As she did so, she couldn't help but feel... nothing. She thought she should've been mad, but she wasn't. She'd had encounters like this before— it was nothing new, nothing special. And yet... in the back of her mind, as she attempted to drag herself to her feet, she couldn't help but think.

They were... they were from Serendipity as well, weren't they? If she asked them kindly enough... begged them, even... would they let her travel with her? Their anger, it was just a misunderstanding— If she could just get back to her feet and refresh herself— go catch up with them...

Miersck had gone quite a distance away before he cooled down.  It was in his nature to be all in on his emotions, as they were far more potent and dramatic than the human kind... usually.

But moth faes weren't entirely ill. They weren't so heartless and eventually other thoughts and emotions crept inside and tickled his veins. Eventually he found himself turning around, worry that the mouse girl was trapped on the roof and moving now to finally remedy the situation. Only by the time he returned back there, the roof top was empty.

Confused and a bit alarmed,  he took to flight and began to search the rooftops to see of the girl had perhaps leapt to another.  Surely she couldn't have gotten down without wings...

Could she?

It wasn't until he noticed a small, Meek figure amongst a group of humans as he began to survey around the area that he had to wonder...


Was that the mouse?

*Slap!*

It would've been the very first thing Miersck was likely to see, assuming he'd identified the right mouse. Sophie nearly stumbled to the floor; The force of the blow to her face nearly knocking all reason from her brain. She had indeed found herself amidst humans again; This time, not in a marketplace but near to the outer edges of Le'Raana nearing the Niahi. This time, however, it wasn't just two men. No, they were among friends it seemed; two women joined them, one of a darker complexion with vibrant red hair and coal black eyes, and the other with Blond hair and... wings? Of Yoreiq descent, it seemed. It was the winged woman who's hand had knocked Sophie nearly to the floor, though the group of them had all but barely contained their laughter as sh did so.

"Know your damn place. The fact that you just waltzed right up to us and expected use to let you join our caravan-- Do you have any idea who we are? Nova's Hounds doesn't take in talent-less little strays, like you." Her tone was full to the spilling point with venom; Every word meant to nick and cut away at the already downtrodden mouse-girl while she was down. The darker-skinned woman shrugged, rolling her eyes at the sight.

"Cut her some slack, Alana; She did say please, after all. We're headed back towards Serendipity after this anyway; might as well throw her in the back with the caged critters we picked up for the client." She reasoned, though her off-handed dismissal of Sophie in everything but her direct words implied no more respect than the other woman. Sophie couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not; She needed to read the woman's face to get a better idea of it, and right now her head and eyes were downcast, as if to avoid invoking any further ire. "Shut up Lyna; Even IF I thought we should let her tag along, it wouldn't be in the buggy. She's got legs; she can run. And if she can't keep up, the wolves could take her." Came the sharp reply from Alana, as her piercing blue eyes turned from Sophie to the redhead.

Laurentus and Sutton-- the two men Sophie had 'fallen afoul' of earlier, leaned quietly against the afrementioned caravan, each with a different look in their eyes as they watched the unfurling catfight; Sutton seemed less than impressed, his towering figure staring sternly pass the two women and pointedly at the mouse-girl in disdain, while Larentus showed more amusement than anything else; He slowly began to shift his weight off of the caravan as things seemed to be turning less verbal, and more physical. This didn't go unnoticed by Sutton, who frowned. "You can't seriously be considering letting that... thing, come with us." Came his ornery concern, as Laurentus began to move towards Alana, Lyna, and Sophie.

"What's your deal? She's probably just gunna follow us back anyway; If you're gunna be like that we outta just kill her now, get it over with." Lyna 'reasoned', her eyes shifting from Alana to a fancy ring on her hand out of boredom. This only seemed to frustrate the Yoreiqi woman further, but Laurentus interrupted their conversation before it could spiral further. "Ladies, ladies... I think everyone's missing the bigger picture here. The lass needs help, no? We're adventurers. We help people. They repay us. I'm sure she can repay us for helping her, somehow..." He reasoned, a kindly smile on his handsome face and a charismatic look in his eyes from beneath his frizzy black hair. Sophie tensed; Both Alana and Lyna turned to give him the same look of disgust.

"Gross, Laurentus."

"You're a creep, Laurentus."

The man could only laugh, verbally shot through the heart by both his companions, but he disputed neither claim. Instead, he stepped past both of them, and came to Sophie instead. With a single finger, he cupped her chin, lifting her face up to get her to stare into his eyes. Sophie felt shivers run down her spine at his touch; As if she were suddenly doused in slime and serpents coiled around her. "Isn't that right, miss? I'm sure we could come to a beneficial agreement of sorts, right? You certainly seem... capable enough. What do you say?" His tone was as sweet as poisoned honey; As soothing as cyanide. There was an uncomfortable superiority to the smile on his lips, and a particular possessive glint in his eyes; One that Sophie had felt before. Both of them knew exactly what it was he meant; What he wanted.

"...I understand." She steeled herself with those words; Resigning what will she had left into reserve, and shutting off her mind in the process. It was a self defense mechanism; The only way she knew how to cope with hopelessness. Laurentus's smile widened; Sutton, from his spot against the caravan, shook his head and rubbed his eyes in frustration; Alana huffed and practically stormed off, while Lyna rolled her eyes and shrugged; Yet no one stopped him or questioned him. It was clear to Sophie that the frizzy-haired man was either the leader of their group, or perhaps just the strongest... but more importantly, it was clear he was her best chance at making it home. She... needed him. No matter what that cost her.

Witnessing the slap caused him to freeze in place, the action creating an echoed impression of the raw sensations that followed. It made all the rest, the conversations,  the laughter, the snide remarks,  all fall to the background.

His kind were known for their temper, especially their youth. But the strange rage that boiled within his veins now were cold, like icy poisons rinsing through his blood.

A black fog began to rise from his body, slithering out like a serpent from the stain on his hand. The blackness lapped like pale smoke from the mark and around his body, as red eyes seemed to darken, nearly to coal.

Hideous whispers lapped within his mind courting, goading abd coaxing the young fae forward,  silent as a panther. A shrowd of darkness fell over him.. and then began to dampen the area around the group as if the day were fading swiftly to dusk.

"What the fuck. " Alanna stammered, and her and all her companions began to search around the odd darkness for whatever may have caused it.

And search they did; None was capable of locating it's source by sight alone; None that looked, anyway. Lyna and Sutton shared similar reactions; Reaching to their waists, they pulled forth their weapons. For Lyna, a simple short sword; For Sutton, an axe. Both slowly, steadily began to back away from the encroaching darkness as the world around them grew darker and darker still; looking to each other uneasily for support.

"W-who's there! Show yourself! Damnit, Laurentus-- I told you this place gave me the creeps!" Alana was quicker still to abandon her standing and retreat towards the two weapon-wielding adventurers; Meanwhile Laurentus hesitated to move, though his gentle touch on Sophie's chin had unconsciously moved to a firm grip on her shoulder as he looked around. Even he couldn't see through the shroud of black; This was magic, and not the fun kind. But why? Why now?

"It's... It's the rat, Laurentus! It's gotta be! Get away from that thing!" Alana practically screamed, now 'safely' behind Lyna and Sutton. The frizzy-haired man's eye shifted from the yelling Yoreiqi woman to the mouse, his heart racing. "Are you doing this? Is this your doing!?" His tone, originally suave and comforting, was now quite harsh and demanding; His grip on her shoulder tightening in kind. Sophie, throughout all of this, had been all but frozen in place; the sudden shift in events doing little to change the fact that she'd mentally reverted herself to her barest of instincts. He shook her by the shoulder once, twice, before wrenching her face up to his eyesight again, the looming threat clearly driving him to more drastic measures. "Answer me!" He demanded, shaking the girl from her stupor.

"N-no! I-- I wouldn't-- I can't--"

"Get in close, Laurentus! Leave the rat there! We don't know what that darkness is capable of!" Sutton yelled to the raven-haired adventurer, recapturing his attention. With a frown, and glint of frustration in his eyes, Laurentus turned to do just that; Only to find his right leg weighed down by... the girl!? She was-- she was clinging to him! "Wait! P-please, don't leave me! I'll do anything! Don't leave me alone again, please!" She practically cried, holding to the man's leg as if her life depended on it, and delaying his ability to regroup with the others, much to their disdain.

He felt it... their fear, the anger,  the uncertainty....
And relished in the sensation as it tickled him through his very blood.

Yes. They should be scared. Yes. They should run. Run.. all of them, for death will find you..consume you...

And its hungry.

From the shadows the moth fae stepped,  flicking a hand forward and speaking with a tongue not his own,but words that sounded as dark and haunting as the wicked blackness that ghosted like smoke around his body. No sooner were the words spoken that blackness sprung from his fingers and erupted into a massive black hand that extended forth, reaching and grabbing for the one's that ran.

The first one it claimed was the bitch , Alana,  as darkness wrapped around her in a fist of haunting howls and gobbled her up within the shadow before the darkness sighed away and she was nothing.

It happened fast and smooth as silk and the blackness was already reaching out for another,Miersck's hand out, stiff yet commanding as another haunting phrase was uttered and the black mass dove after Sutton, seemingly to devour him whole .

"Alanaaaa!!!"

The hand was so swift, so sudden, that none of the adventurers could've reacted fast enough to predict it, let alone avoid it. Even Alana's voice-- the beginnings of a scream of fear, was barely heard-- The arm swiftly carrying her away towards nothingness, followed by silence. Sutton's eyes widened at the potential implications; No magic expert himself, he could only assume the worst had become of Alana. That left them with three.

"Damnit, Laurentus! Get back here, now! Get away from the shadows!" He swore, his attention on his traveling companion, to the figure that had emerged from the shadows. His mind was still swimming at the suddenness of the situation-- was that boy the source of the danger? If so, what could they do against him? Was his flesh mortal? Would their weapons find purchase if they went after him? There was so little time to figure any of it out; And less time still than he could've expected, as another wave of shadow shot forth for him.

"Sutton! Watch ou--" Lyna began to yell, only for the larger man to turn with the last moments he had and push the darker-skinned woman away, knocking her out of the range of the approaching shadow. Lyna stumbled to the ground with a roll, shocked, yet as the darkness swallowed her companion, she quickly understood what had happened. "Sutton!" She screamed, knowing it was too late to save him.

It wasn't just the two that had been affected,  the grounds beneath where their bodies had once been looked charred, scorched by a rake of death and fine mists of curling darkness lifted from whatever remained, and slowly curled out like a rolling, thin lined.snake of blackness and began to creep over the earth and rocks around them, rotting them to black.

"Laurentus! The ground!"

Lyna's words only barely registered to the frizzy-haired man as he contended with a crying, begging Sophie; His eyes darted around, beginning to see the unnatural decay that had taken effect wherever the shadows touched. Not good; Illusion or true magic of some sort, it didn't matter anymore. Just being near the boy, or the shadows he cast, was far too dangerous. "What the hell is this...!? Lyna, on me!" He yelled, and having grown frustrated enough with the metaphorical ball and chain on his leg, he reached down and grabbed Sophie by her collar, pulling her up from the ground by force and hoisting her up into his grasp haphazardly as he and Lyna converged on a spot there the rot had not reached.

"What the hell is that thing? What does it want?" Lyna frantically asked, her short sword at the ready as she scanned the area around them for further threats. Laurentus, who'd broken a bit of a sweat in desperation, shook his head. "No idea. And if the ground is anything to go by, it's not taking prisoners. Damnit... Why now?" He complained, looking back at their caravan; The horses were left at La'marri's stables, so he had no idea if they were okay. Just him, Lyna, and the mouse girl...

...No... It couldn't be. Laurentus's eyes slowly turned from the caravan to the girl in his arms, tears flowing freely, her face buried in his chest.

...Could it be...?

Along with the blackness came the smell...death. It was sour, pungent yet a dry scent, one that smelled unnatural as the death that scarred the lands from his touch.

And oh how he felt the darkness relishing from it's own hunger, the blackness trembling around the moth fae's body deliciously as the moth fae stood there, the blackness binding to his hate, coaxing his arm to point right at Laurentus. A pile of blackness surged and boiled behind the moth, becoming so thick and hungered and dense that it nearly blocked all sight of his powdery white wings.


He was beginning to lose sight in the moment, the whites of his eyes completely gone and turned pitch. Miersck wasn't there. Miersck wasn't in control. And he flicked his hand to unleash another hungering darkness at the pair

It prepared to strike again! Laurentus felt a bead of sweat trail down the side of his face as his mind raced for ways out of this situation. The evil magic that the boy before them wielded had taken two of his comrades already; What could he possibly do to survive now? Lyna ran to his and the mouse girl's side as they watched another wave of darkness form behind the shadow-enveloped boy, a clear sign of another oncoming attack. "What do we do? It got Sutton!" She yelled, trembling as she looked left and right, seeking a way out-- yet the shadows surrounded the small clearing they'd been resting in now. There was no visible escape.

"I... I have an idea." Laurentus muttered, glancing down at the girl in his arms before looking back to Lyna. "If it works, you take off and call for help from some of the mages in town-- If it doesn't... well, it's been a ride." His words came out suave and cool, but the look on his face told the story. He was barely holding it together, despite how confident he sounded; His trembling just barely less visible than hers. Despite that, Lyna gravely nodded; Wise enough to realize that there wasn't time or room for debate at the moment. And as if on command, the darkness shot forth, aiming for Laurentus this time. Lyna jumped away, careful to avoid the rotted earth nearby as she did so; Laurentus, however... stood his ground. And as the darkness approached, he pulled the hair of the mouse girl to rip her from his chest, and swung her around proper in front of him, between himself and the wave of shadow, like a human shield. Sophie winced, but only had a few moment past that before her eyes were able to focus once more and properly perceive her situation... moments before the shadows reached them.

Ah... so this was how it ended. In the distance, she could just barely make out Miersck's form, the culprit of the attack, before she simply closed her eyes and accepted her oncoming fate. This... was okay. If it had to be anyone... she was okay with it being him.

The darkness moved imperceptibly quick; far swifter than any human or mortal could claim- for it was darkness, a pitiless, feeling less void of light, the opposite of the sun and heat and....

He saw it, as the tide of black washed forward like a typhoon. Laurentus moved like that of a mere mortal, confined to his shell of flesh. But the fae... he was able to perceive through the eye of darkness and sense the sudden shift, the sudden reaction and with a shriek the blackness parted ways and washed around the man and his shield as if some rock face dove up and parted the very tides. And away the blackness quivered, washing, draining away as the young man stood there, trembling and clutching at his pitch black arm as he dropped to a knee, eyes very wide and fearful,  staring at where Sophie should not have been.

But he trembled,  seeing her form hadn't been devoured and that he was able to tap into the senses of the void before the world swirled and he collapsed to the ground, straining as he breathed and groaning in pain.

All around them the world lightened,  not intensely but by a few degrees. The shadows, which ones writhed wildly, seemed Meek and tame, pulling back as if the calm waters after a storm, seeping, creeping back towards the winged one until even the blackness from his eyes absolved and the ruby red returned.

"Damn-- I knew it."

All was darkness. Or at least, all should've been darkness; and yet, in the barest of instants just prior to the wave of shadows washing over Laurentus and the human(?) shield that was Sophie, the course of the malignant flow was redirected. They... yet lived. But... why? The very thought that she hadn't died just now was enough to snap Sophie, at least somewhat, from her despair-induced stupor, as the few senses she had returned to her.

Laurentus sensed this-- or saw it, besides, and took the opportunity as he saw it. With the shadows at last subsiding, he released Sophie from his grasp, stepping back from her wearily-- still careful of his footing to not touch the ground that'd been effected by the dark magics. He needed not say a word; He could tell from the registering concern in the girl's eyes what her next move would be, and let the scene play out to his advantage as it needed to. Sophie, recklessly, ran forward to the struggling moth fae, despite the danger he presented moments prior. "Miersck!" She called out, coming to collapse to her knees next to him, eyes painted with grief and concern. "What... what's happening to you? Are you okay?" She could see plainly the discolored part of the fae's body now, no longer obscured by bandages or his secretive posturing, though she knew not what she could do to help him.

The world was fading from him; distorted. He heard voice, just not what or who. He groaned where he lay, not realizing he intensely clutched into his blackened arm, the powers still throbbing as they ebbed. He didn't realize it hurt, but his body did as he bared his teeth, staring up through bleary,  unfocused eyes at the tripling projection of a familiar face.

"Miersck! Please, say something...!"

Sophie pleading seemed to fall on deaf ears, unfortunate though it was. This close, she could properly gauge how much pain he was in; How hard he seemed to be struggling just to maintain consciousness. What had happened to him? As Sophie looked his body over, she couldn't tell from a visual examination exactly what was ailing him so. Clearly based on his posture, his arm seemed to be the root of his pain, but what had caused this? Was it an internal influence, or external? They had been separate for so little time-- Did something agitate whatever the problem with his arm may have been?

A bead of sweat slid down the side of her brow as she, after debating, reached down and carefully took his arm into her hands for closer examination. She hadn't wanted to exacerbate any pain he was feeling, but at this rate, her inaction might cause him even greater danger than at least trying to help.

Then something strange occurred, a hissing, a whisper... and a phantom shadow latched out, nearly unseen as she held onto his arm and yhe shadow felt as if it bit her; and a chill would run through her veins, a sense of foreboding heavy in her belly amd before Miersck realizing what was happening he jerked his arm back suddenly, eyes very wide, very confused before he looked at it...
A black mark on her hand, no larger than a small coin. His own stomach dropped, wings wilting as he curses.

"Sophie why did you touch me!?" He exclaimed, wings bristling and eyes wild.

She didn't respond immediately-- she couldn't. Dread overtook her; An unnatural, forced feeling unlike anything she'd ever experienced before. Sophie was oft fairly in-control of her emotions, of her rational mind, even. This sudden wave of sickening despair caught her entirely by surprise, as if her lungs had filled with water and her ears were filled with serpents. It wasn't until Miersck pulled away from her that she slowly began to return to her senses; Her eyes, initially glossed over, starting to come back into focus.

"I... what? What did I...?" She couldn't even begin to understand what she'd just experienced... Looking down at her hand, however, gave credence to it. There was a spot there... a black mark that she didn't recognize before. Black... like Miersck's arm. What just happened...?

"No!" He shook his head furiously. "No, no, no!"
He stomped his foot and gave a pull to his hair.
"Sophie! Why couldn't you just let me be!? Now..."

He stared at the mark, and shivered.


Now it was too late. And her own doom clock has begun.

Miersck's reactions were concerning, to say the least. While Sophie was a little worried about the strange mark on her hand, and what connection it could possibly have to Miersck's arm-- blackened as it was even now-- She was far more worried about him and his own mental state than anything else. "M-Miersck, calm down, please! I'm fine-- What are you saying?" She couldn't help but try to get a bit closer to him, to try to hold him. Such physical languages were all she knew instinctively, and it was only natural for her to want to comfort someone who seemed in such duress.

"Stop pulling at your hair-- I'm fine, see? But you-- are you okay?"

"What do you really have rotten acorns for brains!? You're..you're marked!" He grabbed her arm roughly, placing his own marked skin over hers.
"Plaqued! Cursed! Rotting!"
He shook his head. "Don't you get it? Now you're claimed by the darkness."

Just like me.

"...You're not making any sense, Miersck; Please, you have to calm down."

Sophie frowned, but not because of her own circumstances. In truth, she understood him perfectly well; His words, at least. She knew what they meant, and while she couldn't comprehend the innermost details of the situation, she had already worked out a basic understanding of the situation she was in. Perhaps, then, it was simply that the weight of said implications hadn't set in for her, as they had for Miersck... or she didn't want to convey further panic, and rile him up anymore than he already was.

Or perhaps... just maybe, she was (in her own way) a slight bit satisfied to now have a little more in common with the moth fae.

"Can you tell me more about this 'darkness'? Or perhaps where this curse originates from?" He was so adamant about not speaking about any of this before-- about his past, or his arm. But now it wasn't solely his problem; it was their problem.

Miersck gripped at his hair again, his entire body shaking as he trembled in frustration. He wanted it to be gone,  all gone yet...

He opened his eyes to the chaos all around them, the death..the stillness,... the marks of darkness... the scarred world...

Tears threatened his crimson eyes as he bared his teeth.

Where could he even begin?

This world... it too was now cursed.  Nothing would be safe. And it was all his fault.

It was strange; for all his frustration and anger, Miersck seemed more alone than ever before. Did he feel guilty for what he'd done to the other adventurers? Angry with her for trying to help? He was such a ball of incoherent rage and defiance that Sophie couldn't help but think back to their first meeting; awkward though it may have been.

She would probably regret what she was about to do all the same as then, and he might hate her for it, but she was out of options.

Without much in the way of warnings, Sophie reached over to Miersck, grabbing him firmly by the shoulders, and pulled his head directly into her chest, wrapping him in a firm, yet gentle hug. She held him there, and would hold him there, for as long as she needed to. "Calm down. Breathe. Listen to my heartbeat. You're okay. I'm okay. We'll figure this out together." She spoke in a warm, consoling tone, ready for Miersck to do everything in his power to get away— ready to hold him close for as long as it took.

He tensed when she reached out, bracing himself for a razor's edge rather than a comforting embrace. But then he was drawn in, his eyes widening like a trapped animals, arms moving around him,  warm and secure. He jerked once or twice,  wings twitching at her words...

That were so similar to words he heard long ago....

And for a brief moment he was back in time,his mother's gentle voice speaking...

The words she said lost to time.

And a noise bubbled up from within,  and he broke, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face as he simply sobbed out uncontrollable 'Im sorry's.

"Shhh... it's okay. Everything will be okay."

Sophie could feel a burning, aching sensation in her chest-- like daggers, striking her deep into the heart. She didn't need to question if it might be related to the mark freshly woven onto her hand-- She knew it wasn't. This pain was far deeper, far more familiar to her than some foreign magic could ever become. It was empathy.

Sophie knew so very little about Miersck; And of that little, even less of true importance. But she did know, even without his being willing to tell her, that he was hurting... Suffering internally, and alone. How could she possibly leave him be? How could anyone? She would've done anything to not see someone, anyone, suffering alone as he did-- Her less-than-meaningful life be damned. If this was what it took to find some way to comfort the poor fae, then so be it.

Thus, she reaffirmed her resolve in spite of the strange curse placed upon her-- She would find a way to help Miersck. She would banish this curse, somehow, or master it if it meant protecting him. He would survive this, she told herself as she gently pet the moth fae head, letting him rest and let out his emotions for as long as he needed.

"Everything will be okay?" He repeated, voice croaked. He pulled away, shaking his head at her. "Don't you see? Don't you get it? Youre... you're going to be sick.. cursed..."

He shivered, staring at the poor girl.

"Like me."

He lowered his head in shame.

"And it's my fault... it's all my fault. I.." he felt his arms shaking as hands clenched into fists. "I brought this here. To this world. It.. " he choked back a sob. "It's all my fault. Because I was stupid.  I was foolish."


I just wanted to run away.

Sophie couldn't help but tilt her head to the side in confusion-- Partially at the concept that her well-being meant anything at the moment (she felt... mostly fine, at least), but mostly at Miersck's self-defeating attitude. Bit by bit, the fae had begun to share more of himself-- his past-- with her; and as he did, Sophie felt more and more empowered to speak against such thoughts. It was strange-- she rarely felt so entitled, or such agency.

"Miersck, I..." The girl paused for a moment, unsure of what to say, as she looked down at her hand, as well as his own arm. "...I'm not sure I fully understand just what you've been through, or how you came across this 'curse'... But I'm sure it wasn't your fault. So... please don't be so hard on yourself." She used her hands to carefully raise his hung head a bit-- at least enough to see that in spite of being cursed, in spite of what he felt that he'd caused, in spite of... well, everything, she was smiling.

"I'm sure we can figure out how to fix this, together."

But he jerked his head away, unable to look at her,  growling,  "But it is my fault!  All of it! I shouldn't have run! I shouldn't have come here! This.. plague," he growled,  shaking angrily at the black mark against his brown skin. "I brought it with me... wishing it'd go away but.. it... hasnt. And now..."

He growled before looking up at her.

"Now you have it, too. "

"Hm..."

Sophie looked down at her hand once more; To the coin-sized mark that had etched itself onto her hand. It was strange-- it almost seemed alive... as if it were shifting, little by little. She slowly flipped her hand, from palm to back; then back to palm, as if expecting something to change, but ultimately, nothing did. And yet, the more she stared into the shadowed mark, the more she swore she could hear... perhaps, a... whisper?

"...Will you tell me, then, as much about this curse as you can?" Sophie asked, looking away from the mark and towards the moth fae once more, her eyes comparatively steeled in spite of the situation she found herself in. If this curse meant to be the end of her, and more importantly, of Miersck, then she'd just have to solve the secret behind it-- That was one area wherein she was fairly certain she had far more knowledge and experience than her new fae friend. After all, danger and mystery were part and parcel of being an adventurer.

Miersck's expression was bitter as he stared at her. He had been so reluctant to share anything about where he'd come from, what had happened...

But now...

He grimaced and looked down at his own mark, which seemed to move painfully slow, like veined, black tendrils beneath his flesh. And the whisper was there, much louder than before and he shivered.

"There's.. too much to tell. It.. I.." he bristled, digging into anything he could to save her... rather, to save him from retelling the pained story of the ruin, the darkness that consumed his home. 

Despite herself and the situation, Sophie managed a smile. It was a somewhat weak one, the events of the day beginning to wear on her proper as she worked to unpack both her own and Miersck's troubled circumstances, but she smiled all the same— not wanting to appear weak or unsure in front of her moth fae friend in this already uncertain situation. Right now what she felt like he needed most was some sense of stability... or just to know that eventually, things would be okay. She didn't know if she could provide that— but she would continue to try.

"Well... There's no need to tell everything... and certainly no need to do it right this moment. I can tell this is all wearing deeply on you. You need to rest... and I'm not going anywhere, so you can take your time with it all." Sophie nodded in agreement to her own words; she had no pressing items on her agenda, after all, and if this curse was truly as dangerous as Miersck made it out to be (let aside the destruction that wielding it had already caused), then whether she liked it or not, her fate was tied intrinsically to the fae's, for now.

Miersck couldn't look at her. It was too hard. And there was so much pressure hanging over him, now hanging over both. And the poor mouse fae hadn't a clue.

"We should leave here."
He shivered.

"I don't like how it feels here."

Sophie tilted her head in confusion in response to Miersck's strange request. Leaving was fine— she could understand that, but what did he mean by not liking how it felt? She looked down at her hand— at the mark that had settled itself into place. Perhaps his extended exposure to whatever this curse was granted him extra sensitivity to some sort of magic or another... or perhaps his fae upbringing gave him certain clarities that her own did not.

"Sure... but where to? It would probably be best not to hang out in the town for long, given... well." She trailed off, reminded of the ruckus that Miersck had caused earlier with the older woman and her baked goods stand. "I suppose we could always head back towards Serendipity... That'd mean a trip through the woods..." she mumbled to herself, taking stock of their situation.

"Wherever. Anywhere," he muttered and turned from her, eyes searching all the shadows- as if they were being watched. "Let's just go to the woods." And he motioned to her, and asked, in earnest. "Can you lead the way?"

"...Alright, then-- To the woods, I suppose." Sophie couldn't tell if the moth fae had withdrawn into himself once more or was simply emotionally drained from all that they'd experienced in the short time, but with a nod of conviction-- more to herself than anyone else-- she decided not to question or pursue the issue any further for the time being. When Miersck got like this, he simply would not be bothered. Some part of her had hoped that over time this aspect of him would either melt away or become even the slightest bit malleable... and another part of her reminded the silly girl that in fairness, despite all that had happened, only the better part of a day had passed.

Thus, Sophie took Miersck by the arm-- his less 'problematic' arm-- and began to lead him away from the town. The people of La'marri were a resilient sort, such that magical mishaps and unusual phenomena were no more or less surprising than the next, or the previous. In time, they'd forget both the mouse and moth's faces, and everything would eventually return to normal... Hopefully. Sophie rather liked the small village; it was comfy, and no one asked questions for the most part.

The two had nearly vanished into the woodlands that lead into the heart of the Niahi before Sophie, rather suddenly, stopped. "Oh-- oh, whoops," She chided herself, a dumbfounded look washing over her face as she remembered something (somewhat) vital. She'd been leading, but suddenly turned on her heels to face Miersck with an apologetic look in her eyes, and a sheepish smile. "Sorry-- I completely forgot something back near the village outskirts! I'll be right back, promise!" She hadn't even finished explaining what she'd done-- or even thought to explain what she'd forgotten-- before she'd begun a practical dash back towards La'marri, to retrieve... something.

A fleeting thought in the back of her mind warned her that there was a chance that she'd return to no one waiting for her, but she pushed it aside for the time being.

"What? Where are you going..?" He barked out the words too late, tensing in panic as he called out her name.

But she was gone.

And the moth fae was alone. He shivered, hands moving in a ghosting motion over his blackened arm. Then cringed.

Did she really expect him to just wait? Part of him wanted to chase, to prove he could not be so simply commanded...

But the other,more dominant thoughts ruled that out as he remained, still numbed from the days events and well.. scared.

But by the time Sophie might return the moth fae would be no where in sight
...


Unless she looked up into the trees where he perched, half hiding in the branches. 

She was gone for just a little while; Just long enough to, in the wake of the chaos that the two of them had caused, do a little housekeeping. Sophie was a registered adventurer, after all; There was only so much she could likely get away with without either reporting up the pipeline to the guild or making amends before she would get in some sort of guild trouble. Thus, she made a few stops on her way back in order to secure future visits without too much animosity. Even found and made peace with the two surviving members of the traveling adventurers who'd been subject to Miersck's wrath earlier. It took longer than expected-- but ultimately went over without too much of a problem. Before long, the sun had begun to set, and shadows fell over the woodlands-- or at least, more shadows than prior. All the more reason it was important for her to go and do what she did!

What did she go and do, you might ask? The answer was quite simple, given the book in her hand, and the seemingly magical glow of flame from her waist. Yes, Sophie had returned to the spot that she'd left Miersck at, equipped once more with her quill and notebook, as well as the reward from her earlier quest-- the magicked lantern, which served her well as she navigated the treeline and unbeaten woodland path out of La'marri. So much had happened today-- enough that she'd become a bit absentminded. "I hope I didn't leave him waiting too long," She mentioned to herself, wandering about the general area that she'd last seen Miersck in.

Alas, the moth boy was nowhere to be found-- and Sophie thought better of calling out recklessly into the near-evening forests like a lost lamb, pensive of the risk of attracting a predator. Did he... just get tired of waiting for her? She slowly came to a stop, the potential of this being the truth starting to set in for her. "...Of course he left-- He didn't have any real reason to wait for me," She told herself, a bit of a sad smile on her crestfallen face as she rubbed her eyes. Exhaustion-- and perhaps a bit too much emotional turmoil for one day-- had begun to take it's toll on her. "I shouldn't have... well, it's my own fault for thinking that he..." She mumbled, before sighing, and looking back toward the general direction of La'marri.

It only made sense that he'd eventually get tired of her presence and want to make a break for it, in her mind. Maybe she'd just find a room to stay the night... and figure out this curse situation by herself tomorrow.

Realizing the girl couldn't see him, he cursed about acorns and reached into the tree, plucking one such acorn and letting it drop down beside where Sophie stood.  He tensed a bit where he was perches, checking for a millionth time to ensure the area was... safe of strangers.. before he began a quick descent, landing quietly beside her.

He look irritated. Then again, he always looked that way. He looked around again, still not confident something might be prowling, before he turned to regard her.

He then impatiently asked, "Why were you gone for so long?!" 

A sudden yelp left Sophie's mouth-- rarely did her eyes turn to the skies, a learned habit (or lack of learned habit?), and as such, she never thought to listen, or look, for the moth fae above her. The acorn startled her due to the sheer accuracy, causing her to stumble backwards a bit, the lantern at her waist flickering a bit due to the jerkiness of her movements, but before long, Sophie's eyes tracked the familiar form of a winged man descending upon her, with an equally familiar look of disdain.

"Sorry! I didn't think it would take so long... Hopefully no one bothered you while you waited?" She immediately held her hands up and clasped them together in some sort of a apologetic gesture, not even knowing if fae understood what such gestures even meant-- but not thinking to ask in the moment. In her heart, though she dare not say it aloud, she was simply happy that Miersck had actually waited for her-- she was sure he could've been anywhere other than here, especially with those wings that allowed him to fly about as he wished-- it brought a bit of a warm glow to her face, thinking about the fact that cared enough to wait, at least. "Just had to settle some accounts with the adventurer's guild that I work with in Serendipity-- Very boring stuff, I didn't want to bother you with it." She explained, making a point to leave out reconciling with the folk as she did-- He probably would've been livid to hear all his chaos and shenanigans had been somewhat spoiled.

His glare was firm, but the flash of the lantern immediately caught his eye, where as he had little interest in before. He couldn't help it, and anything she said was lost as he slowly approached her, nearing the lantern and actually going so far as to reach for it.

He had gotten close enough it burned and he jerked his hand back hesitantly, only to continue to stare and reaching towards the dancing hot light again.

"Miersck? What's--"

She started to speak, only to be a little weirded out by how close he was getting. Did... didn't this happen once before? His eyes seemed glazed over, as if he wasn't even thinking-- and then Sophie realized that he was reaching for her magicked lantern, and seemingly didn't even care if it's flames lapped at his skin in doing so. "H-hey! Stop!" She quickly reprimanded, stepping back a couple feet as she collected the lantern from her waist, and held it a bit over her head-- as if to keep it out of the moth fae's reach.

Only now did she remember why this felt so familiar-- to an extent, this had happened once before. Miersck was unnaturally drawn to flames-- single-mindedly, even. In the chaos of the day, Sophie had forgotten that detail-- as well as the series of unfortunate events that transpired because of that particular month fae trait. Pushing the embarrassment out of her head for a moment, the mouse girl debated her current situation while trying to stay just out of Miersck's reach. The sun had begun to set in earnest-- and while the moth fae may have been adapted to the nightlife of the forest, Sophie couldn't see much of anything under the heavy brush of the tall trees above them. The stray ray of moonlight barely illuminated key openings in the distance, but so little light reached where they were that she could hardly tell the grass from the brush, and the brush from the roots. What could she do to either help clear Miersck's mind, or at least keep him safe from her lantern? So preoccupied with this though was she that as she continued backing away from Miersck, she failed to spot a particularly large growth of tree root behind her-- putting her in a precarious situation.

Miersck may have just as well sealed his fate the moment the fire singed him. And although it hurt, something began to burn within - a feral attraction so deep and primal it began to make him shake as he attempted to fight the urge so deep within. It's a reason his people had specially trained soldiers of their kind to combat the wanton desires cumulated by fire and flames...

But he wasn't home now... where fires were forbidden and he hardly had the practice to resist. It wasn't like it was mating season, where purposely large Pires were lit to help couples during the nights... a passion so beautiful Miersck began to remember those days.. those nights....

Her holding the lantern meant nothing. How did she think she could keep such a beautiful force from him? It drew him forward, his legs moving against his will, his body tensing in anticipation of feelings and new thoughts in bloom. Sure, he was young, but that only made him far more inexperienced than most of his kind. He had never gotten a chance to fully comprehend the powerful notion of mating beneath the great fires...

And the growing need within him could not be ignored as he lurched a hand forward, grabbing the lantern fierce before-
suddenly the pair were toppling towards the ground, and Miersck pulled the flame snug and close between their bodies as the pair smashed into the ground.

He hadn't realized his other hand pinned one of her's to the ground beneath him, while the rest of the body used its weight, and the light of the lantern perched between them- dancing with heat and beautiful light....
and a heat so powerful began to grow like the steaming, warning puffs of a volcano, as Miersck's eyes traveled up the young woman's body, his own red eyes tracing over her, drinking her in before he moved so that they were meeting- his wild eyes to hers.

He was fast-- and strong. Stronger than her, at the least. Sophie should've known better than to try outpacing him in the first place-- this wasn't the first time that he'd overpowered her. And now, she found herself pinned to the ground by the grip of his hand on her wrist, and the weight of his body on her own. And she... couldn't think. This was the second time she'd been put in this situation, by the same guy-- and despite having a better understanding of what had caused it, the result was no different-- blood rushed to her head, tinting her face a deep pink as the last breath she took before falling to the ground was caught in her throat.

Her heart beating out of his chest wasn't the only reason that she felt like her body was on fire in this moment-- Miersck, perhaps instictively, had managed to reach the lantern and pull it to him, practically sandwiching it between the two of their bodies. Sophie winced a bit at the feeling; Thankful that the lantern itself had a rounded shape that prevented too much pain, but the pressure and heat cause her head to spin all the same.

"M-Miersck--!" In the chaos of the moment, she managed to find Miersck's seemingly entranced eyes, causing her own to widen in some mixture of fear and anticipation. He had the lantern's fire, which was all that she presumed he wanted to begin with, but now that he had it, his eyes had moved from the lantern to her... and he seemed well and truly fixated on her. Shivers ran down Sophie's spine as she felt a gaze akin to a feral animal, sizing her up like idle prey. Was this the effect that the fire had on him? She could barely comprehend the situation at hand, but she knew two things-- one, that Miersck was not of his right mind, and the other, that  if she didn't stop him, he... he would... But the way he looked at her, the desire in his eyes... no one had ever looked at her like--

...No! Sophie chastised herself for letting her heart get swept up in the moment. "S-stop, Miersck! We can't-- you're not thinking straight!" She pleaded with what was left of her will to resist, trying to talk some sense into the moth fae before he got any closer to her-- even now, she could practically feel the heat of his breath on her skin, trembling at how firmly he'd planted her into the ground with just his raw strength. She could only think of one potential way to prevent things from getting worse-- to get as much distance as she could between Miersck and the lantern. It was risky, but she had to try-- for his sake.

And so, with what force she could muster, Sophie reached between their two bodies, gaining a firm grasp on the lantern's handle once more, and then, with an audible effort, pulled it free of them, flinging it as far away as she could, with hopes that it would give her time to think.

Alas, Sophie had never been the lucky sort-- and the 'furthest' she could throw it was only a couple feet to her right side, where it immediately hit a small shrub, and the lantern's door, jostled by the impact, swung open. In moments, the magic fire of the lantern leapt out, and swallowed the little fern, and after consuming it-- along with the dead brush around it-- the flame grew to the size of a small bonfire, illuminating the nearby forest considerably moreso with it's bright, lapping heat. Sophie's heart sunk into her stomach at the sight of this-- That was NOT supposed to happen. She could only be thankful that it seemed the nearby soil and earth was moist and resistant enough for the fire to not spread any further, but she still would need to deal with that all the same.

Nothing else mattered in that moment, with the heat between them, a sense of pleasure curled within him so intense he couldn't even begin to describe it. It was perhaps this fixation, this lull of his body that was so severe that he hadn't noticed her sudden harsh grip upon his beloved lantern and then- it was thrust away!

It took just a few moments for it to register, a sense of dread, panic, then he turned, eyes following the lantern to where-

To where...

His heart was racing so fast, the heat in his blood rushing and nearly exploding his brains. The flames.. the way they danced.. the heat... the fire...

He couldn't think straight, never considered to do it before but every fiber in his being was pleading go. And he dove into her in a rush, capturing her arms within his in a pure cry of passion. The very sensation of suddenly becoming possessive of the woman beneath him was not lost on him, and he was breathing heat, body moving over hers;- he not certain even what he was doing as his own pheromones' began to leak like powdery snow from his wings.

And before he knew what he was even doing, he kissed her- a fierceness like no other, and he felt the hot flames explode inside his entire being as his wings shot out, more powder glittering around them as he pressed his body against her suddenly and gasped at the sensation-
what..
how..

It felt...

The burst of pleasure made his lips groan against hers and before he even knew what was happening, his body was moving to some distinctive rhythm that felt beyond heavenly and his mind fell away into a noisy trance.

"Mier-- Mmm!"

She couldn't make out a single word-- could barely breathe. Pure lightning shot through every vein in Sophie's body as Miersck descended upon her with the voracity of an unchained beast. Shivers ran down her spine as she felt the last dredges of her strength being stolen away along with her first kiss-- Her body instinctively relinquishing what little illusion of control she may have been hanging onto. Sparks flew in her mind-- She couldn't have prepared herself for this moment no matter how hard she tried, or how much she tried not to think about it. Her mind shut off entirely-- her heart taking over for it. A soft whisper in the back of her mind coaxed her into giving in-- into submission.

The moment those words began to echo in her mind, she felt her body melt in Miersck's grasp. She wanted to fight. Oh, how she wanted to fight-- after all, this sort of thing was absolutely not something the two of them should've been doing. This was something that should only be done between two people who had genuine and unconditional love and respect for each other-- She knew that, and yet as Miersck so desperately labored above her, driving his body so adamantly into her own, she felt all reason and logic being driven out of her head.

She could see only Miersck. Could hear only Miersck. The air around her grew unnaturally thick with his scent, and before Sophie realized it, she found herself awash in the moth fae's pheromones. It was too much-- the combination of it all well and truly broke her spirit, and she could do little more than writhe in the emotional high that was her body submitting so fully to the man above her. Instinct took over her mind as her body began to burn with an unquenchable need for the moth fae, no longer able to fight off his advances. No, she didn't even want to. She wanted to be wanted. She wanted to be desired-- to be consumed, body and soul. To belong to someone.

The heat and dance of the fire swelled along with the sudden powerful beating of his wings. It wasn't a moment of thought or preparation, but pure raw instinct. He couldn't have described what he was doing if he tried. The stars aligned, the heat was intense- and their shadows writhed along with the rising of the flames.

Even as the fire spread, the moment carried on- for hours he could not contend. It was something building and burning and joining through them both, until the fire itself began to die out and turned to embers had their own dance died, and Miersck laid, body curled around the young woman in his arms, breathing heavy, but with such contentness he never knew.

Sophie was a mess. Physically, mentally, spiritually. Her mind was like shattered glass, deep within the ocean; bits and pieces of the past few hours of her life could be gleamed through the shards of her lust-fogged memories, but she had not the strength of will to even attempt piecing them together. Her silver hair, dampened with a mixture of her sweat and his, clung partially to her face, and partially to the moth fae's chest as she lay enraptured in his grasp. Her eyes were dull and unfocused-- almost as if she weren't even fully conscious. That honestly wasn't too far from the truth; Sophie had a fairly delicate physical constitution despite her adventuring career, Meirsck had brought her mind and body to the point of failure... several times. In succession.

It was all she could do to cling to him now; Her small, soft legs entwined with his, and her arms wrapped around his waist as her body slowly began to come down from the emotional high that she'd been riding all that time. She wasn't even sure where they were, or why they were there-- Her thoughts were all still of Miersck, and only Miersck. The feeling of his skin on hers, the scent of his sweat, the taste of his lips, his strength-- She'd never, ever felt so completely and hopelessly enamored with someone, or something. It was as though she'd been placed under a spell, or a curse; One which trapped her within a dream that couldn't be real, while her body merely did as it pleased.

She breathed deep of Miersck's skin, and slowly sighed in release, so thoroughly and utterly pleasured and sated that she couldn't fathom anything beyond this very moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out-- her voice hoarse from hours of use in ways that it had never been used before. She could only mouth a silent, reverent, "Gods..." with what little strength she had.

Miersck hadn't faired any better, muscles taut from exertion, bodily thoroughly slick with sweat and all of the pheromonal residue his wings could afford. He had never danced in the flame light before- for when he left home he was just a tad too young to have to worry about the fire dances of his people. It was a sacred, sweet entrancing bliss- one that he knew was an dangerous as it was wonderful.

It wasn't until she spoke did he remember they were still in this reality, and he shivered suddenly, arms still around her. Then the fog of his mind, his body began to peel back, and he began to relive, refeel, rethink the past few hours-
and he felt... numb. He wasn't sure what to feel. It had been rapturous, beautiful, amazing and he never would have traded the moment for anything in the world.

In fact, because he was still so young, so new to this, part of him, though even sheepishly inwardly admitted to himself, wished the fires would rise again. He felt his heart flutter and a heat around him pool momentarily at the memory- at the thought, but he swallowed it down, like a rough, tight knot.

What was he supposed to say after something like that? Perhaps it was just meant to be, and there wasn't anything to say. Just another day, like another sunset, another sunrise. But then why did he hesitate to look down at her, to confirm the aftermath of this glow?

Because, he knew.. deep down he was selfish. And he just wanted it to remain perfect. And he knew, the second he spoke- his words were pull them back to reality, to the darkness, to the despair of this world.


So for that, he said nothing, simply letting his red eyes stare out distantly as he let his body come down from the high- and just let it settle in like a warm summer day dream.

Sophie... yes, her name was Sophie.

She could remember now... think clearer. Without the heat of the flames so close to her, as time passed, Sophie could feel her body and mind cool. She felt the fleeting memories of her evening with Miersck properly returning to her in waves, as the haze that filled her mind slowly began to give way to the world around her. The flames... the lantern. Miersck... Yes. She could remember it all. Some parts of it were still blurry to her-- no doubt a result of her own slipping in and out of lurid consciousness-- but the majority of it made sense. Miersck had warned her of this, briefly-- that moth fae had a strong connection to fire, and that it held some sort of important role in their... 'mating practices'. She couldn't have known how exactly things would turn out, even had she managed to separate the flames away from Miersck successfully... but this was all her fault all the same.

A slow, uneasy dread filled her body-- supplanting the warm forest air with an inborn cold that chilled her to the core. Right... this was all her fault. Miersck wasn't in control of himself... he didn't mean to do any of this. If anything, given how upset he was with her when first this happened... He probably... Sophie's heart suddenly felt as though it were caught within a ice-cold, steel vice as the worst of her imaginations ran wild in her mind. What did he think of this? What did he think of her, having already warned her of this? His passions, his desire-- None of that was truly directed at Sophie. It was all a mere reaction to baser instincts...

God, what had she done? How could she have been so stupid? She couldn't even fathom the depths of the consequences of her actions-- How those actions changed everything between them-- until this moment. He... had every reason to hate her now. And having gotten what his instincts needed from her... Trembling, Sophie slowly began to rise-- lifting and pulling away from Miersck's body, until she sat just barely away from him, her back to his resting figure. She didn't meet his gaze once-- she couldn't. Tears began to pour unashamedly from her eyes as anxiety and her negative spiral of thoughts convinced her that she'd ruined everything-- that she'd destroyed what genuine connection she'd made with the man behind her, and once more had been left alone by her own weakness and foolishness. This... couldn't keep happening. She couldn't continue to live with herself like this...

But as it were, all dreams come to an end. At first he meant to protest her moving away, but he let her go. Perhaps she was too warm for an embrace.  But after a time, he realized something was off.

It was only then he spoke her name, moving to sit up as he studied her form, back to him as he frowned. Did she.. not like it? Had he...

He bristled,realizing...

What if..

What if she hadn't wanted this at all?

But she.. he.. they...

He tried to think back to how it all began, but he just couldn't remember that far back.. his mind repeating the union only that it made his cheeks heat pink.

She could hear slight shifting behind her, bringing her back to reality once more-- yet the warmth of the forest did not greet her, but the in-set cold of her own dread. It had followed her here, back from the whirlpool of transient fears and disillusionment that she'd subjected herself to. She didn't fear it, though; She didn't even try to run away from it. In fact, now that she had time enough to register what this feeling gripping her heart, her body and her mind truly was, she could properly acknowledge just how familiar with it she truly was. This dread... this sense of hopelessness, this all-consuming sense of insignificance. How long had it been?

She could remember the first time she'd been stripped and lined up with the other slaves. The disdainful words that men and women who thought themselves better than her used to devalue her. The first time she'd been looked at like old, used goods, worth less than bread. The feeling of the metal cuffs on her skin; The lashings from doing something, anything wrong. Right... it felt like that. That was the feeling of being used, and then cast aside. The feeling of having worth, but only until one's role came to an end. The dread that came from knowing she would be abandoned again.

Eventually, she could cry no more tears; Whatever well from which those self-pitying emotions sprang seemed to dry up, and her body lost even the warmth born of that internal conflict she'd been struggling with. Perhaps those fears had won-- or perhaps she'd just given up. Whichever the case may have been, she could no longer hope to reconcile these emotions. She could no longer even hope. The hollowness she felt threatened to spill beyond her skin-- beyond her lost, yet otherwise composed expression, and lifeless eyes. Before it could, she needed to leave-- to put as much space in between herself and this situation as possible.

She quietly moved about; Gathering her things. Thankfully they were not too far apart. She avoided Miersck's gaze the entire time; Unsure if she was more afraid of his wrath at this point, or disgusted with herself. She pulled her cloak over her shoulder, in an attempt to cover her body-- as though she were some kind of monster, attempting to hide in plain sight. Once she'd gathered everything, she moved to the now-dark lantern, collecting it as well-- though her hands hesitated, not out of embarrassment, but shame as the sins of her actions started to resurface in her mind. She had been so foolish--so very, very foolish, to let herself think that... no, it didn't matter. Pushing those thoughts aside, she collected the lantern, and mustered the strength to whisper a nearly inaudible "I'm sorry", before walking away from that stretch of the forest as quickly as she could, trying maintain her composure the entire way.

It was only then did he notice the scars, mind churning over all the stories they silently told. It made him realize just how small and fragile she truly was, despite her exterior that always showed smiles.

How much did he really know about his companion? Why had he never asked? He realized why and tensed at the realization that.. he had been so consumed in his own world he was becoming ignorant to the one around him.

And now.. he noted the black spot on her flesh and frowned. That was his fault. His mistake...
He.. he had given the poor mouse fae another scar. 

It was only when she spoke did he realize what she was doing and he sat up.

"Why are you apologizing?" He demanded, words coming out rougher than they ought to have.

But then she was moving, and so quickly.  He jerked to attention, scrambling to his feet and called after her.

"Sophie!?" What was going on?

Sophie flinched at Miersck's words-- but she didn't stop walking. She couldn't. She had resolved herself to being as unconfrontational about this as she possibly could-- For fear of what little resolve she had breaking into pieces at Miersck's wrath towards her. She clung desperately to memories of the day together prior to the last few hours for strength, telling herself that she could not allow herself to further ruin those memories, nor could she bear to be confronted about what she'd done. She would rather just run away, and never think about it again.

At least, that was her plan-- but it seemed Miersck had other ideas, following after her. Her brittle heart cracked as he called her name; She couldn't bare to hear it, nor think what he would say beyond it if he kept talking. "Please don't," She managed to say while coming to a stop. She didn't turn to face the man, still far too afraid of him-- and the situation as a whole-- to do so. "Please... just leave me. Leave me, like... like everyone else. I deserve it. I... I know what I did was wrong. It was wrong, and I was weak, and I... It doesn't matter. Just walk away-- I promise to stay away from you from now on. I should've never..." She began, but ultimately broke off when she realized that the more she spoke, the more those emotions that she was so sure had dried out had begun to well back up again.

Just walk away?

The very idea felt like a slap to the face. After all they'd been through... and now the darkness that connected them... not to mention, the pair had...

He grabbed her by the arm and turned her roughly towards him.

"Sophie!? What are you doing!?" He wanted to shake her. "We just saved each other's lives... my curse just turned into your curse and we..we.   Sophie!" He grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look at him, eyes wide as they peered into hers. "Sophie.. we just mated. Are you really just going to walk away from me after all of that?"

He sounded desperate,but he was bring earnest.  And the fear was there in his eyes, pleading.

The moment he touched her, Sophie could feel all the resolve she'd built up within her crumble. She felt her body shatter on a spiritual level-- the construct that was her psyche, her very ego straining against the breaking walls and pillars of her persona. She felt 'Sophie' being swept away-- The smiling, cheerful, optimistic little girl who bore the weight of the world on her shoulders where possible, the pacifist who who did all that she could to preserve life and peace, the kind-hearted and accepting young woman who opened her arms to anyone who she thought she could help-- gone, swept away in a torrent of emotions she'd been desperately holding back most, if not all of her life-- starting with fear, bleeding into despair, sadness, envy, and so many other painful feelings-- until, at the very depths of her heart, there was one.

Anger.

"STOP!!!" With more force than she'd ever displayed-- enough to hurt herself, the mouse writhed herself free of Miersck's grasp, knocking his arms away and taking another step back. Tears flowed freely down her bloodshot eyes now-- And the adrenaline that had led her to such a act inevitably translated into useless, electric pain in her body that caused her to fall to her knees, clutching at her head as if trying to prevent it from splitting open. There was... so much anger. So much hate. It wasn't even directed at Miersck-- It was directed at herself. At people who's faces had so long ago faded from her mind, yet had left their scars all the same. At the world that had shaped into what she was. She couldn't even hear her own voice-- her heartbeat drowned out all noise in her head, and her senses dulled from the sheer headrush of emotions she'd been overwhelmed by. And while she didn't see it-- couldn't see it, given her state of distress-- that small, dark marking on her hand had slowly, yet surely begun to grow.

"Don't touch me! Don't look at me! Don't pretend to care about me! Just stop!" Her screams came out in huffs, between dry heaves of tearful breaths. Her body could not decide on if it wanted to calm her for her health's sake, or empower her to push these emotions further out. "Just leave me! You'll just use me and abandon me too! Just like everyone else-- Just cast me aside like filth, like used goods-- Just get it over with!" She was barely coherent at this point-- practically screaming for the sake of screaming, as it was the only way she could release this pent-up hatred and fury within her. And yet, it wasn't enough. Even as her lungs failed, and her body weakened from a lack of oxygen, it wasn't enough. That frustration-- that unbridled madness that resulted from her own pathetic state of being-- drove her into further pain, as she clenched at handfuls of her own silver hair, nearly tearing them out in a fit of mania.

"I'm disgusting! I'm weak! I'm pathetic! Everyone hates me-- everyone leaves me! No one cares about me! I, I... I can't...!!!" She shook her head in pain, gasping for air as her body spiraled into a panic attack; The splitting headache only grew worse, and the mark on her hand had doubled in it's original size, and threatened to keep growing with every passing second. It wasn't even clear if Sophie was in control of her own facilities anymore-- if it was even Sophie talking, or just a projection of her innermost thoughts unleashed. What was seemingly clear enough, however, was that if she didn't stop soon, she would likely hurt herself-- potentially seriously.

The eruptions of her emotions left him paralyzed.  There was so much raw feeling, raw pain and although he couldn't understand it all at first.. things began to fall into place, little pieces of her , explaining the mouse behind the mask.

It was also a reminder that what all came before was real, reminding him when he had had similar episodes in the echoing memories of times that felt so long ago.  But had it truly been so long?

He didn't dare move as she went on in a fury; he of all creatures new what the internal self hating wrath was and it was like a slap to the face. Or someone holding up a mirror.. to someone suffering much like him.

But how could he relate? How could he see her full picture,  thing he had never asked about or saw or experienced himself?

No, her suffering was more cruel than his own, and that painful reality knotted like a spiked pit in his belly that he could not simply swallow away.

She was.. right, in most terms. He had presented himself and made himself unavailable to care. But in a twisted way he could not deny that he did. But what place did he have to care for another, when those he had once cared about fell so easily and he did nothing... could do nothing yet here he stood..

Somehow still alive.. still.. cursed...

And he had brought that curse onto another who suffered far worse in life than he. The pain was so real, so raw.. so palpable.

"You're right," his voice came out, croaked. "I'm no better than those who left you.  I dragged you in... cursed you.. used you.. and you.. just wanted to be my friend. I.." was the world getting blurry or was it...?

He paused to touch beside his eyes, blinking.

He was crying. Was he really crying?

Yes.. and he was crying for Sophie.

What could get say? What he did to her could not be forgiven.

"Atleast-" he went on, inspite of himself. "Atleast let me try to help, Sophie. Let me.. let me try to fix where I failed. I.. I know I'm miserable.. an awful fae, a deserter of my people but... with you.. please don't force me to be a deserter of you."

"Shut up! Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

Sophie's entire body was shivering; wracked with a foreign sense of pain that she had never known before. She'd found her voice, her only weapon against Miersck's impossible, disarming words of comfort, and she brandished it as best she could given her unstable state of being-- screaming herself hoarse with every venomous word she loosed. "Don't lie to me! How could you possibly want to help me!? You-- you're, you're... You can't...!" She curled even further down, hunched over in pain and distress, her fingernails digging so deeply into her scalp that her fingers went pale white, and the slightest sprouts of red beneath her nails began to show.

She wanted to disappear. She wanted the pain to go away. She wanted to feel better-- but she knew, in her heart, that none of these things would happen. She wanted to breathe, but he body wouldn't let her inhale of her own volition. "You can't help me! No one can! I'm broken-- I'm broken!!!" She wanted to stop screaming at Miersck, but how could she? Her heart was split clean down it's center-- one half begging someone, anyone, to stop her, and the other half demanding that she continue to suffer. Before long, she'd devolved into nothing more than a sobbing mess of a woman on the forest floor, her face a mess of tears and anguish.

She couldn't bare it much longer. She felt her grip on reality fading-- her ability to think being worn away with every passing second. Despite his standing only some distance away from her, Sophie felt Miersck's very presence begin to disappear in her eyes, in her ears, and in her heart. She felt the world itself leaving her-- Abandoning her like everyone and everything else in her life did. She felt as though she'd been clasped in chains again-- restricting her movements, blinding her eyes to darkness. It was a slow, gradual process-- one which threatened to erase even her own self-awareness.

"...Hate... me... please..." Her voice, hoarse, pleaded for something nearly inaudible, yet unthinkable. She curled up into a ball, her body's final defense mechanism, as she stared near-lifelessly at the forest floor, tears unceasing. "...Make it stop... I don't... want to do this anymore... I don't... want be alone anymore... please..." It wasn't even clear if Sophie was truly conscious at this point, or if her body was forcing out words that it couldn't have meant... could it? "...Kill... please..."

He winced at her explosion, gritting hid teeth as she went on. It was hard to endure it, hard to take in all what she said..

And then she simply lay there.. pleading for it all to end.

Memories flooded into his mind, when there was a time he too screeched out into the forests, cursing their name, cursing the void, the curse, his life and even the hope...

For what point was it when all was lost? All was taken. 

It felt too real, too raw and although he watched her, yearned to help, he feared if he dare even touch her she might simply shatter. 

But something drew him forward, past his shame, past his own self doubt. He was no hero, no savior, not even a good friend...
But he knew a true cry for help when he saw one and he knew he could not forgive himself if he simply let her be.

She was curled up.. so.pathetic in the way she lay. No creature deserved such suffering. No wonder she pleaded to end it. He peered down at his arm, the gnarling blackness a stark reminder of what was to come. And she now bore the mark as well. And one day.. the pair would become consumed by it, just like the forests had. And everything would be over.


But for now, he moved quietly, gingerly as he approached, studying her trembling form before he lowered himself down beside her, and lay near by, not daring to touch at first as he simply watched. Then realizing his eyes could do nothing to help her, and thought back to a time long past, when he'd cry and make his own fits and all he wanted...


Was the comfort of another. To be loved. And he felt that strength move him as he wrapped his arms around her and simply embraced her in silence and let her weep.

It was dark.

Ah, it was so very, very dark. The sounds of the forest had all but escaped Sophie's ears. The sensation of the grass against her skin, the light mist of the middling temperatures around them-- it was all gone. Even her headache, the pain from her fingers digging into her scalp, the constriction of her chest as she struggled to breathe-- it was all gone. She knew it was still there, waiting for her on the outside of whatever this deep pit of despair she'd fallen into was, but she couldn't feel the physical sensations of it anymore-- some soft solace in that.

Maybe this was okay. Maybe it was okay for her to drift away into nothingness. She was so very tired... so very cold. It wasn't like holding on, or even sticking around at all, was of any benefit to anyone else anymore-- She was fairly sure that she'd done all she could for anyone and everyone else in her life. Settled all her debts. Given her mind, body and soul in one way or another. Perhaps it was okay to rest now-- to just disappear.

She thought that... and truly wanted to mean it. Perhaps, given a little more time, she would've. But before she could truly lose herself in that train of thought, she felt something-- where there was nothing else, no sound, no pain, no light, she still felt something. It was... warmth. It felt like life-- like the embrace of another, unconditional and unrelenting. Sophie was... only recently familiar with such a sensation. And as that warmth washed over her, the world slowly began to come back into focus. The feeling of the blades of grass beneath her skin. The sounds of the calmed forest. The tears running down her face. Even the pain in her heart-- though slowly, yet surely, that pain began to fade.

With uncertainty in her mind, and against all of her previous experiences, she wanted so desperately to cling to this feeling... And so she did. Her movements were slow, weak, and stuttered by the occassional dry sob which wracked her very being, but they were deliberate. Slender, unsteady arms uncoiled themselves from around her own body, and before long found themselves wrapped tightly around the body of the source of that warmth she'd felt before-- the warmth that dragged her out of the darkness. It was real... It didn't pull away, or reject her at all. It was there... and it was hers, for as long as she clung to it.

"...Please don't leave me," Came her weakened voice, barely higher than a whisper, and muffled due to her pressing herself to the warmth that Miersck's body resonated. "I... I don't want to be alone anymore, please... Promise you won't leave..."

What could he do? What else could he say? He never thought of himself as a man who was a figure to look up to, one of guidance yet still...

Strange how fate threw them into one another's path.

So.. he didn't say anything, simply held her because it's what felt right, and he felt too damned emotional to fight even himself. His bristling nature absolved in the moment and he just held her, close and tight.

It wasn't until a few moments had past that he found himself finally speaking, promising , "I won't.  We'll.. figure this all out.. together."

It took time, and likely a little patience on Miersck's part, but Sophie's sobbing, breath by breath, eventually began to regress in strength. Her shivering, after a time, came to a stop-- though it only took a passing breeze to cause it to start back up again, and then slowly simmer down once more. She'd not relinquished her hold on Miersck in the least-- even as the rest of her body calmed down with time, that singular aspect remained the same. She wasn't trying to hurt him; No, her grasp was far too weak for something like that. She simply needed to hold him... to feel how close he was. To know he wasn't going to pull away, or disappear.

He was real. He was firmly in her grasp... and he wasn't going anywhere. Sophie had to continuously repeat these words in her mind, again and again, just to find some semblance of a constant in her heart. She couldn't rely on anything else to do this for her; Neither her memories, nor her morals, nor her own strength had been able to lend her any sense of stability in her life, much less in this moment. Everything she'd ever had was transient-- in her hands one moment, and gone the next. Every interaction, every relationship... it was all the same.

But Meirsck... Miersck was here. And he wasn't going anywhere. She could hold him-- feel the warmth of his body, the beating of his heart, the rise and fall of their chests, together. 'Together'... that was what he said. That he wouldn't leave... that he didn't want to leave her. And slowly, Sophie felt something in her heart-- in her very soul-- begin to change. It twisted-- almost as if the world in her mind had taken on a different hue. Things that made sense before ceased to-- and incomprehensible feelings suddenly became clearer.

Miersck. He... he was hers. He was hers, and she didn't want to-- no, she couldn't let go of him, no matter what. He'd promised to stay by her side-- to be with her. It... it was okay for her to hold him to that, wasn't it? It was okay for her to not want to let go of him-- to make sure he would never let go of her... wasn't it? The more she thought about it, the more it was all she could think about-- and the more all she could think about was him. It was... it was almost like she'd only just begun to truly 'want' something, for the first time in her life.

How long had the moments passed as they lay together? He wasn't sure but it was obvious both needed this moment. Tensions had been high for too long for the pair of them, sorrows lived and moments died. 

He had, at first, believe he wanted to be alone but... he couldn't deny the truth any longer... just how right it felt, just how much he needed her, needed this.  

After a time, he moved a hand down, over her shoulder, over her scars, over the mark on her arm to where his fingers traced over hers and moved to lace them together. Then he closed his eyes and rested his chin into her shoulder, nestling in more intimately...

She smelled nice.. like sweat and earth and... like him. He shivered at that notion.. of what they shared, feeling a heat creep over him, something stirring even without a flame.

Then he thought of that moment again.. at how raw and powerful and freeing and wonderful it felt to just be. To give and to take and to join. He closed his eyes again, trying to focus on just the moment but...

Perhaps it was because he was still young but well... being do close to the one he just mated with...

"We.. we should cool off in the river," he suggested, face flushed.... but he didn't want to traumatize her again. 

Miersck was hers. He was hers. The thought reveled over and over in Sophie's head, round and round in a dizzying way until it was all she could think of— until he was all she could think of. She bounced the thought around in her mind— the thought that someone belonged with her... and she with them. It was strange... almost like a euphoric metaphorical rush of blood to her head with every iteration of the chant. A bit of a physical rush of blood to her head as well— the newfound exhilaration almost foreign— and thus, to some extent, taboo.

She wanted to tell herself that it was okay to feel this way— and yet, she couldn't. She wasn't fully convinced, somewhere deep within her heart. She wouldn't be— not so easily, at least. She couldn't so quickly just accept these newfound feelings that welled up deep within her chest... and yet, knowing that they were there, and feeling that conflict of thoughts— The feeling that she was alone, and always would be, versus  the feeling that she had found someone that she could abandon all delusion of isolation with... and be 'normal'.

Someone that she could be... selfish, with. Someone that wanted to be selfish with her.

This was an intoxicating fantasy for a woman like Sophie, who felt her heart racing at the forbidden concept of... wanting. She wanted to explore it. She'd had just a single taste of what indulging in one's desires could feel like-- she tried to run from it then, but she didn't want to run from it anymore.

Miersck's words seemingly fell on deaf ears-- The truth, however, was that Sophie was preoccupied with other concerns. Miersck's deft hands on her body had only served to further stir up her senses, and set her heart to racing once more-- for all the right reasons this time. She in turn couldn't help but loose one of her arms to explore the width of his chest, her soft, thing fingers tracing the natural grooves of his lithe muscles along a natural path down the front of his body. To his sternum, and then the peak of his abs... and the lower her hand went, she couldn't help but notice the warmer Miersck was. Before long, her hand had reached his belly button, traced past it, and... that was when she realized it.

Her breath caught in her throat-- her heartbeat suddenly spiking. In spite of what they'd done already... In spite of the lack of fire, he was... Sophie's face burned a feverish red, stricken with voracious need. It... it was okay, wasn't it? Was she really... could she really want this? He wouldn't push her away, would he? Slowly, she raised her head to look the moth fae into his crimson eyes, a look of barely suppressed passion in her own as she at last spoke. "...I think... I want more," Her voice was so quiet, it bordered on a whisper-- yet there was unmistakable, and practically overbearing need dripping from every word. So timid... she wanted to chide herself. She didn't think she wanted more-- she knew that she needed more. She didn't want to just be satisfied... she wanted to be well and truly devoured.

Her touch was in toxicating, making him shiver. But it was when their eyes met that there was a series of explosions within.

The zings and charges she set off had turned off his brain, and for a time he simply stared at her before a cringe turned into a broad grin, something he could no longer fight. Smiling always felt wrong, inappropriate. But in that moment he couldn't erase it.

A hot hand moved to brush her hair away from her face, truly taking her in for what she was. There was no denying the sweetness she expressed was something he was attracted to. She seemed so stable, far more than he, despite her eruption earlier. She.. she always wanted  to help, even as he was stubborn and tried to turn her away. Yet, during their brief time together she began to grow on him, to somehow wriggle her way beneath his tough exterior....

More? She wanted more? He hesitated, staring into those large eyes of her before just allowing himself to fall into a need filled kiss. 

There was a sudden, gratifying jolt of electricity that shot through Sophie's body as Miersck relented and leaned into her, their lips meeting once more in passion and requited desires. She couldn't remember the last time she'd ever felt so... alive, perhaps-- or at the very least, so happy to be. This fleeting moment shared between the two, as Sophie wordlessly met the moth fae's needs, and he hers, was something that she could only pray would last an eternity-- and if it did not, may it be engraved so deeply into her soul that the warmth she felt in her hands as she ran them aimlessly through the man's snow-white hair, and the rush of emotions swirling through her heart as she pressed her body to his longingly never fade from her memories, for so long as she lived.

She only pulled away for a moment, before finding herself magnetically attracted to Miersck once again, pressing her lips to his in passionate kiss after kiss. She lost track of time in the heat of the moment; The concept itself foreign and unaccepted in her mind for the moment. Her eyes locked with Miersck's own every so often in the midsts of the throes of lust, and each time they did, shivers ran down her spine-- a psychological reaffirmation that she wasn't dreaming. This was real; the two of them, together in this moment, was real. She could cry, if all her tears hadn't already been spent... but this time, not from pain, or fear-- but happiness.

Rationality slowly returned Sophie to her senses in the midst of their embrace, but it washed over her slowly, and comfortingly-- like a blanket of warmth, reassuring all that she knew and felt. Goodness... as she pulled away from Miersck once more, her face flushed red from both the embarrassment of her own actions as well as the need for air, she couldn't help but wonder if her sudden impulsiveness, or inability to control her emotions was a result of the mysterious curse that the two now shared... or if Miersck's wilder, more unrefined nature was rubbing of on her. "...Sorry... selfish... of me." She managed in between breaths, a sheepish smile on her lips as she only now remembered that Miersck, of all people, actually tried to de-escalate this situation earlier. He was right-- they really could use a nice, relaxing dip in the water-- if only to 'cool off', in every meaning of the phrase. "...I don't regret it, though." She cheekily replied, averting her eyes in a mischievous manner as she thought on how the night began. She really, really needed to remember to collect that lantern once they'd washed off a bit.

He lay beside her in the soft dirt, catching his breath before her comment drew out a side eyed look. Regret? She better not... what they shared.. he couldn't even begin to explain how good it felt and how much he simply craved it since he now had it. 

And as the pair simply lay there in the dirt he took a moment to admire her. He had always presumed he'd never find a mate, let alone mate at all after he abandoned the forests to their doom. Yet here he was, with a fae of another kind, the pair now bound in another means- not just from a curse, but a closeness, a connection.

They had already mated a few times during their union, the first time was of raw need, a blindness that overtook his people in their desires to mate. But the second.. they created their own fires that stoked a more intimate connection where the pair was more lucid and he, much more in control. 

"By the spirits.." he finally sighed, closing his eyes as he turned to lay upon his back, seeming not to be bothered by his folded up wings.

"We just.. mated. " And he couldn't help but smile.

Sophie's face continued to burned red, now with added shades of embarrassment at Miersck's words as she was once-more reminded of the past hour-- Or, gods, had it been an hour? Longer? She'd lost track of both time and reasoning in the midst of it all, and could only imagine by how sore her body was from the... well, 'exertion', that they'd been together for quite some time. "You... sound surprised," The mouse girl managed in between breaths, rolling over onto her side, and using one of Miersck's arms as a not-so-soft pillow to rest her head for a moment while she regained her strength. It was the first time she'd had the chance to clearly look at him in the heat of all that had happened; The sheen of persperation on his skin outlined the firmness of his lithe muscles, and his white hair seemingly glowed in the soft light from above-- brighter than her own silver locks.

Embarrassed though she was was, Sophie couldn't take her eyes off of Miersck as his words echoed in her head. She knew so little of his culture; Of his past, and the world that he lived in. She knew that she didn't truly understand just what all of this had meant to him-- and to some extent, due to the differences in their pasts up until this moment, she wondered if she ever would fully understand. How strange-- even this close, and with this much contact, she still felt so distant...

"...You look... happy. Genuinely happy." She had begun to catch her breath now, and sensitive though she still was, the stillness between them in this moment was incredibly comforting. She was still very... 'new' to physical love. Miersck was the only man who'd ever even looked at her in such a way, let alone touched her in kind. Her curious and selfless nature shone through even in this intimacy, as she watched over Miersck from her side. "That makes me happy. To know that you... that I... well."

Miersck shifted uncomfortably beneath her gaze, frowning. "What.. what's wrong?"

But he blinked at her comment. Happy? Was he.. Happy? He supposed, he was in a way. He suddenly didn't feel so alone and with it, part of his burden felt lifted. But shouldn't he feel.. more threatened? More afraid? He did, after all, curses her to whatever twisted fate befell himself. 

And then just took that cursed young woman as his mate. 

He studied her own face but had to look away, eyes uncertain as they fell upon her dark mark. His own itched and he reflexively scratched at it.

"I... don't know if that's fair," he admitted.  "I.. shouldn't be smiling after I.. after I marked you. But this..." the thoughts trailed off. He was never good at expressing his emotions and the more complex it got, the more it frustrated him. He growled and pulled at his hair. 

"I.. cursed you, and now.." his throat went dry. "We're.. mates."
The words seemed to shock him as he repeated it again. He peered up at her; ashamed.

"But I'll fix this," he found himself saying. "I won't let the darkness take you."

Sophie closed her eyes for a moment, resting them a bit as she listened to Miersck speak. She could feel the inner conflict in his tone, the self-disdain in his voice as he tried to rationalize his feelings. As his tensions began to boil, and doubt seemingly filled his heart, Sophie opened her eyes once more, and reached over toward him. She took one of his hands in her own, gently moving it away from his hair-- he was so quick to be self-destructive, she'd learned. Her other hand moved to caress the side of his face; A gentle brush across his cheek, as if to get his attention.

"We'll fix this. Together. I won't... can't let the darkness take you, either." Sophie smiled softly with her words, giving Miersck a gentle squeeze of the hand. She could not begin to fathom how long he'd been alone-- perhaps as long as she had. Yet there was a stark difference that she found herself in need of constant reminding between the two of them-- She'd never had anything. Not from birth, nor from her earliest memories. Miersck, on the other hand... had something, once. Something that, from what she had been able to piece together, had been taken away from him in one way or another. That sort of loss... the girl had never experienced such a thing, nor did she wish it on anyone, but it went so far toward explaining why he tended to feel he needed to do everything himself, or fix everything by himself.

Well, no longer. If she could help lighten that burden even a little, she would.

"Don't worry about if it's fair. Just... promise that you won't try to go it alone anymore." She thought on her words a bit more, before she continued speaking. "No matter if we're together, or seas apart... I'll always be there for you. That's my promise. I won't let you carry everything on your own anymore... so promise me you won't try to."

At her words, and in spite of himself, Miersck threw his arms around her, burying his face into her shoulder and held her fierce.

Sophie was certainly caught off guard by Miersck's immediate embrace, but she didn't pull away or chastise him. Instead, slowly, she wrapped her arms around him in return, resting one of her hands on his head and petting him gently— doing all she could think of to let him know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that his heart, his fears, his frustrations— all of it was safe with her.

"It's okay... We'll be okay." She cooed soothing words into his ear as they lay together for a while longer. She could've never imagined the prickly moth fae she'd met so recently had such a side to him, which made her adore him all the more.

Part of the reason he hid his face, aside from the fact he felt like he couldn't get close enough to her in that moment, was to hide the budding tears. He was already showing too much vulnerability and even though it was long over due from month and perhaps years of repression, he was still Miersck. 

Yet it felt nice, to be so open with someone. And to have someone to share this burden. But the guilt would never go away.

Now he had to find a cure. Not for himself, or even the forest, which was lost... but for the woman that lay nestled beside him.

"We.. should go find a river. " he blushed. He'd never been fond of water, after all, it affected his ability to fly. But.. well... apparently, mating was messy.

He moved to stand, offering her his hand to help her to her feet.

Reluctant as she was to do so, Sophie allowed Miersck to pull away, satisfied that he at least seemed to have calmed his mind, if only a little. This entire experience had been a breakthrough for them both; Sophie having seen sides of Miersck that she never imagined being allowed to see, and the same of herself to him. As he stood, she accepted his help to stand; Admittedly not wholly sure of her own steadiness.

"I think I hear running waters to the south... Um." As she stood, instinctively, Sophie shifted her arms and shoulder to be less... 'apparent'. It was an odd sensation to be sure; She knew that the moth fae before her had seen very much of her in the hours past, and experienced even more... yet she couldn't help but feel exposed now that she was thinking a bit more... 'rationally'.

Miersck nodded. 
"I saw it. It's a small river, south, like you said."
He noted the way she covered herself and remembered their state of dress. 

"I.. I could pick up our clothes and fly us there. Would be quicker.." he offered, flushing slightly. 

And hopefully no one is around to see...

Sophie's heart raced at the very idea. Be it from incredulousness, exhilaration, or just the shock of the idea, she wasn't sure. After all, flying... while they were... unclothed!? What if someone saw them? Sophie's head weighed the odds, even as her face flushed red with embarrassment over the idea. It would... probably be safer, certainly, but...

Nervously, she looked to her companion for reassurance— not wanting to think about it anymore. She trusted Miersck... it would probably be fine, right? "I-it would... a-and likely safer. I... Um... I-if you don't mind..." she muttered, hot in the face as she tried to talk herself up to this. There was always the concern that she wasn't sure how much close contact with Miersck would... 'set him off', so to speak. Or, honestly, her.

He was already picking up their clothing before he looked her way. Her blush made him blush. But he tried not to think too much on it. 

Too bad his body had... other ideas.

"We won't fly for long. And would be faster," he reassured her as he approached.

Sophie was content to take Miersck's words at face value; At this point, further worrying would just delay the inevitable. "...Okay." She eventually agreed, watching him close the distance between them.

When did she become so feather-headed? She found herself averting her eyes from the moth fae's form to prevent her thoughts from wandering. She could recall the time prior that he'd taken her in his arms and flown, but she for some reason couldn't remember exactly how she positioned herself... so she made a guess of it, and before her brain could convince her heart otherwise, she met Miersck halfway and wrapped her arms somewhat loosely around his neck, pressing herself to him.

Despite the fact the pair had just mated...twice... he felt his body react to her closeness. He shifted a bit, then moved to heft her up into his arms before giving a powerful thump of his wings and they pushed off the ground and took to the air.  However, this flight was.. awfully distracting as the mouth fae nearly had their heads taken off by a low sitting branch. 

Inspite of himself, he tried to grumble it off.

"I.. didn't realize how distracting this might be," he admitted, face red. 

Sophie didn't immedaitely respond; Couldn't, rather. She was in no less a depth of embarrassment than Miersck at the moment, doing all she could to be as tiny as possible in the moment as Miersck held her close to him. She'd gone so far as to squeeze her legs together, and despite how counter-intuitive it felt, she hugged herself as close to Miersck as possible in an attempt to somehow convince herself that the two of them weren't flying through the forest, in their barest forms. Psychology had never been her strong suit... and given how her heart was racing at the moment, she began to wish it was.

"I'm sorry... about all of this," She mumbled with a flushed red face, not entirely sure of how to console Miersck in the moment, but entirely aware of the fact that she was the 'distraction' that the moth fae was experiencing was of her creation-- and found herself conflicted (both happily and mortified) at the thought.

Miersck chuffed. Not much was to be done for it and he found relief only when he spotted the waters. He landed, gently as he could, before setting Sophie down on the embankment af his side.

He didn't like water, so he hesitated before beginning to step in, but despite his aversion to waters, the coolness felt good against his skin.

Sophie, meanwhile, was so deeply grateful to meet the river's edge that it was all she could do to avoid running and jumping in like a child. She had grown uncharacteristically warm in Miersck's arms, and in many ways needed the cool current to calm both her mind and body.

She gathered handfuls of water, and let them run free down the length of her body—- relishing the feeling of relief that came with each passing moment as the River rushed against her legs, and the splash of water drained down her skin.

All while turned away from Miersck, of course; she lacked the good senses to even dare to peek at him at the moment. She was fairly sure his pheromones were still somewhat lingering on her skin... all the more reason to be thorough, for her own sake.

Despite her..  keeping away from him, the young fae kept stealing glances her way. He blushed, forcing himself to turn away.

"When I had become so obsessed with.."

He drew in a breath and closed his eyes tight before plunging under the waters and just resting beneath, the sounds of the water loud and clogging at his ears.

He stayed beneath the surface long as he could stand it before resurfacing with a gasp, wings soggy and uncomfortable behind him as his white hair remained plastered against his head. He brushed the long bangs sticking to his face when he noted the dark mark on her flesh- the one left because of him.  Then he looked down at his own mark and how it gnarled and had grown like a deep black bruise beneath his skin. And it almost appeared to be moving.. faintly.

He looked away, splashing his face with more river water in hopes to wash away the thoughts.
No.. he didn't want to think about it but...

But we'll, he was no longer alone on this and he had to figure out something.. answers atleast, before whatever it was grew and consumed them like the forests he had fled.

Blissful cold tempered Sophie's heart as she, too, sank beneath the water's surface— the slow, steady course of the running current like gentle, messaging hands on her tender skin. How long had it been since she'd "played" in the open waters, like this? She'd spent many years traveling with the merchants that raised her to be the plucky young lass that she imagined herself to be, and it was only with them that she'd been so very carefree and spontaneous before. Memories prior were so very bleak-- so deeply bound by chain upon chain of repression that such frivolous thoughts didn't even cross her mind. And she'd been much too busy attempting to find value in her own life since departing the merchant's troupe to do anything nearly as... dare she say it... 'fun', as this?

From beneath the waters, a mousey set of ears once more appeared; followed by Sophie's head full-on as she'd counted to thirty and breached the surface, almost as if it were a game. She couldn't help but smile at the free sensations that flowed through her mind and body alike right now; and to think, all of this was due to a chance encounter with a fae that had irreversibly changed her fate. Her eyes wandered to moth, something akin to longing in her gaze as she watched him from a distance. Even now, there was much that she wanted to know about him-- about who he was, and everything he'd seen and experienced before meeting her-- but she was patient, and he was nothing if not a tough nut to crack at his best moments. A warm smile crept on her lips, and a tinge of pink to her cheeks as she recalled his vow to her-- to stay by her side, to find a cure for this dark curse that ailed the two of them. No one had ever spoken to her in such a way before-- she'd been wooed by men in the past who preyed upon her loneliness and lack of self-worth, but this... this was...

...Different. She didn't yet know what to make of it, in truth, despite her passionate words and thoughts earlier while locked in embrace with him. It was easy enough to say such things while teetering on the edge of love and lust... but people didn't change so easily, and that was something she knew she needed to keep in mind-- not just in regards to who Miersck was, but also who she was.

It was a strange moment in the water. Waters were uncomfortable, making his wings sticky and heavy, as if coated with bread dough.  Even still, it was still a comfort, refreshing and cool and he sank back into the waters to just let himself float and his heat of mind to cool.

He'd never considered doing such before, an idea to relish and take relief in the waters was against every fiber of his being. But right then.. it's exactly what he needed.. a means to cool and .. relax, of all things.

It was so unlike him that he hadn't even realized he had closed his eyes. And let himself just fall to his senses- water on his ears, lapping and thr feeling of it all around him , keeping him afloat and his flesh, cooled as it was being lapped at as he bobbed.

Peace.


Strange. He had never known this since he heard about the dark plague.. and a gentle, unnerving pulse on his arms made him open his eyes again as he looked up at the sky.

The mouse-girl shifted in the river a bit— pulling her body further above water while still at rest and suddenly feeling an unfamiliar finger of exhaustion shock the muscles in her arms and core. She could only question why she felt so deeply sore for a split second— a splash of water to her slowly burning face to prevent further thoughts from breaching the back of her mind.

The mark. Yes, a much better thing to think about right now. Sophie's eyes trailed down to the black, seemingly alive shadow on the back of her hand. A curse, Miersck had stated, but most curses originated from... somewhere. Someone. As she thought on the many books she'd read in years prior, applied magic— and its subsidiary forms— was often born of volition... an active choice to make imagination manifest in some way. Sophie herself had never been particularly magically inclined, but she studied it all the same, believing the knowledge my come in handy one day.

How right she was... and yet, curses were not a forte of hers in the slightest. She knew of a man— a shopkeeper in Serendipity who'd spent much of his life studying them, but couldn't help but wonder if even he would be able to help with a curse that likely originated from a member of the Fae, rather than a human... or potentially even from nature itself.

She had much to think on, but no inherent deadline to figure any of it out. For the time being, it probably was for the best that she not think too deeply on it... which was a problem in and of itself, she realized, as her eyes kept drifting longingly toward the moth fae, despite her best efforts otherwise. When had she become so single-minded?

When the moth dae finally turned to regard Sophie he felt that familiar primal pull towards hee, like the flame. He closed his eyes, drawing in a long breath.

What was wrong with him? When had he become so single minded towards.. towards..
 Mating?

He sat up suddenly, letting the waters rush down his body as he splashed more onto his face, cooling the skin as well as hoping it would hamper some of his other more primal thoughts. It took him so off guard he didn't even pause to consider it being a nice distraction from the other wise unfair path his life had taken.

For now there were two.

Don't look.

Don't. Look.

Sophie cursed how fickle her willpower had become in the presence of the moth fae— her eyes playing a deadly game of tug of war with her head as she heard the sound of the man breaching the river's water. She wasn't a romance-sick princess, or some reckless harlot— she adamantly chastised herself for how she was acting, and made a conscious decision with all her might to put an end to it— let she lose herself in unbecoming thoughts again.

"Right! Th-there should be a path not too far from here that leads back toward the main roads. I'm not entirely familiar with the forests near here, but I'm certain the main road should lead north, toward Serendipity." She made an effort of standing from the riverbed, her back turned to Miersck as she spoke, though her tone was as cheerful and plucky as it ever was. The waters drained down the curves of her body, and the cool breeze licked at her skin, causing the slightest of goosebumps. Yes, clothes were definitely a thing that existed.

"There are tales of many fae communities previously existing in those lands— If nothing else, it could be a good place to start looking for clues, unless you can think of some better ones?" She was attempting to be as forward-thinking as possible; pragmatist that she considered herself to be, Sophie assumed Miersck was no less interested in not dwelling on the lull of the longing silence between them. She had to, since she couldn't see him— still turned away as she was.

Miersck said nothing at first, frowning as he considered their options. He'd rather just continue to run away from his problems.. but now that he was no longer alone...

"I guess that's a good a start as any."


Rusting acorns.

"I.. I'll... go get our clothes.." he half growled before stepping out of the water, and began to beat off the water from his soaking wings in attempts to get them dry.

Couldn't just go around naked.

Even if it would be a nice sight.

"You're quite the gentleman, aren't you?"

Sophie half-teased, a slight bit red in the face as she prided herself on keeping it together for all of at least one interaction with Miersck without losing her train of thought. The river did wonders to help her keep her cool— and yet, as she had been turned away from him the entire time, some tiny part of her couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

She... kind of expected him to...

Ahem. No, of course not. They were adults— he was more than capable of behaving himself, as she should've been in turn. That said, she stepped off to the side of the river, and stood along its bank— her heels still feeling the wonderful flow of the water streaming below as she ran her hands through her hair, squeezing much of it free of the excess moisture.

His wings were uncomfortably soggy, which made him realize he'd have to walk anywhere, which wasn't exactly what he had in mind. Irritated by this, he was about to just walk off to get their clothing when he found himself just watching her, completely distracted by her soggy state. Where as he likely looked like a drowned rat...
There was something that stirred within him to see her this way.

The warmth of the breeze felt like tender love on Sophie's bare skin. She flushed a bit as the wind kissed at her neck, and let out a gentle sigh as the sunlight melted away any doubts or worries she could've possibly had. She could feel the dull, tugging dread of what she presumed to be the curse's effects on the edge of her mind, but it was drowned out almost entirely by the serenity she felt in that moment. Bemused, she began to wonder-- if only jokingly-- if such simplistic happiness was the actual cure for the curse that ailed the two of them... but ultimately she put the thought out of her mind, alongside the subject that caused it.

How long had it been since she'd just taken time to bask in nature? She could've never done this during her time in Connlaoth; She was always too busy with work from her masters, too stressed by how little regard the world had for her, too bothered by how different she was from everyone else. Yet now, in this fleeting moment, it almost felt as if those memories were a distant dream-- a bad one, admittedly, but a dream all the same. If only it were so easy.

Out of simple curiosity, she turned her gaze from the river ahead of her to her back, curious about Miersck. Some part of her didn't exactly know how she felt about him collecting her clothes, but it couldn't be helped. Outside of his... 'fire habits', he didn't seem the type to be overly intrigued in anyone else. At least she thought as much, until she unwittingly made eye contact with the moth fae again, shattering her preconception that he was... er, wasn't...

An amused, yet knowing smile worked it's way onto her face as she quickly turned away again, attempting her best to pretend as if nothing had happened-- yet undeniably pleased with herself-- and Miersck, strangely-- all the same. "...Not as much of a gentleman as I thought," She teased, suppressing giggles all the while. It was nice to know that she wasn't the only one who couldn't keep her eyes off of her... 'partner', as it were.

Miersck's face went red hot to his ears as he turned away, and began to beat his wings in attempts to kick some of the water off of then.

"It.. it must be mating season or something," he muttered in his defense. How was he supposs to work against nature? Yeah, that must've been it.

He snuck in another glance, barely hiding its obviousness. 

Sophie couldn't hold back the giggle rising in her chest at Miersck's best attempt at a defense for his actions. "I see... mating season. Yes, that definitely explains your... erm... 'excitement'." In truth, she didn't mind— in fact, she couldn't help but feel validated by it, on some level. Warmth swirled in her chest, like a trapped current with no outlet— a pleasant, if not somewhat perverse sense of self-worth drawn from so small an interaction.

The truth was simple— Sophie had never before felt as though she was being viewed as a woman, before. Most humans were put off by her ears and tail— even her adventurer allies from the guild often just saw her as a useful temporary companion, nothing more. She pulled her hair to one side now, revealing the nape of her neck as she squeezed the water from her silver tresses— and debated keeping a drying towel with her from now on.

Miersxk chewed on a growl. Why did he think taking her to a more secluded place, if even to cool off, was wise? Aside from the fact he couldn't , atleast for the moment, easily fly back to get their things.. now he only had the naked woman he just mated with for the last few hours just sitting there and...

Rusted dirt and mossy rotten trees...
Did he honestly feel the need to mate... again?

His face- No... his whole body burned now as he forced himself to look away. Even the annoying sogginess of his wings wasn't enough to dampen the primal urge to just...

It was almost like there was still a flame nearby!

"I.. I'll need to.. to walk and get our things," he mumbled, turning to walk towards the direction they had come.  It probably would do him some good. Maybe get the mating itch out of his system because... rotten acorns, if he kept this up with her...

He swallowed the knot in his throat.  He didn't want to consider the consequences- considering the last thing on his mind was seeding children into another but well...

His cheeks became very, very pink. After.. After what he did.. and well.. he hadnt held back in the slightest... she could already be...

He willed his legs to keep moving. Right.. clothing. Right.. his wings needed to dry.

Sophie could hear Miersck's retreating form in the distance, and once she was fairly sure he was not near enough to hear her, she let out a deep, long sigh and relaxed her body as her feet rested barely in the waters below. She honestly had no idea that playing coy could be so intentional and tiring; The women she'd seen do it before all made it seem so easy, after all...

Whipping her hair back and forth one last time to wick what little water she could out of it, Sophie began to think in earnest over their next steps. Serendipity was a given, but where? From her previous travels and knowledge, it made the most sense to head toward Ravensway and Fallial, first and foremost. Both were said to have much more frequent sightings of fae in their borders, so if they were to gather any real understanding of what this curse was, it would be best to start there.

And if they were able to figure it out...

...Then what? Sophie frowned at the thought. She'd been swept up in the torrent of events that had led her to this point, and only now was she beginning to consider the fallout of any of it. If they cured this curse, would Miersck just return to his forests, or find another clan of fae willing to take him in? Would she just go back to being an historian? Would they... even cross paths after that? It was a scary thing to consider, after what they'd just been through-- after what they'd shared. And yet, she had to mentally prepare herself for the possibility... after all, the Fae and humans never mixed well. Their worlds were so unalike...

It took sometime for him to return, and by then his wings looked less soggy for it. They weren't entirely dry, but atleast mostly so. As he gently batted them against his back and sheepishly offered Sophie her clothes. 

He had already gotten dressed. No sense walking back, naked. 

He also had sometime to think. He realized he couldn't keep secrets from her as the pair both now suffered this curse. And they had a time limit, lest the dark curse consume them both.

After he offered her the clothing, he politely turned away to give her some privacy (although it did seem a little foolish, all things considered..) But well..  he was technically an adult now, wasn't he? He needed to stop being so.. so.. childish and brash.


As he continued to look away, he studied the mark on his arm, hesitating to cover it up as he usually did. But.. did he really have to, anymore? Shouldn't he keep an eye on it. He frowned at it, and found himself lost in thought, his wings subtly beating as they needed just a little more time to finish drying. 

Her thoughts were put on hold as Miersck returned with their gear (or hers, at least— he'd been sensible enough to put his own clothes back on beforehand), and quickly began to dry off her feet and dress. To her amusement, there was no further peeping from the moth boy— she supposed the walk to get their things had done him some good in cooling off, as she could tell that in spite of the prior hours they'd just spent together, he was still quite revved up earlier. She'd only known one other guy who was so hot-blooded before... though in his case, it was for battle more than anything else.

With his gaze averted, Miersck couldn't quite tell when Sophie finished dressing— and she used that to her advantage, to an extent. She'd always been pretty quick to get in and out of clothes— a benefit of being so scrawny, and so while his attention was elsewhere, she slowly crept up behind him and delivered a deep, yet gentle hug— careful to wrap her arms around him nearer to his waste in order to avoid squeezing his wings by accident.

"Thank you," She whispered, before letting him go and backing off with a warm smile and a flushed face. It wasn't just a 'thank you for retrieving her things— it was gratitude for just being there for her. She wasn't exactly used to showing such outright affection to others, though, so she couldn't maintain for too long, lest she make things more awkward than she intended them to be.

He hadn't expected the hug. Miersck stiffened, relaxing only when she stepped away. He hesitated before glancing towards her then fully turning around.  

"Ye.. You didn't have to thank me," he muttered, rubbing at the back of his neck awkwardly. "I.. it.. wasn't that far of a walk."

Sophie brightly beamed, innocently hiding her hands behind her back as she pivoted back and forth on her heels, content with herself. "More of a gentleman than I thought, then!" She corrected herself, before stepping ahead of Miersck. She could tell he wasn't exactly 'fond' of skinship-- well, open displays of it outside of his... 'moments'. But that was fine-- she neither expected nor wanted him to suddenly change overnight. It wouldn't be the guy she was quickly falling for, if he did.

...Falling for?

Ahem.

"Shall we, then? I'm not too familiar with this stretch of the forest, and your wings haven't fully dried yet-- I wanna find a nice-sized tree to climb, and get a better look around. We might be close to a main road-- we could follow one of those north, into Serendipity-- that's another kingdom, though from what I've been told, there might actually be fae settlements there." She explained, not really sure just how familiar Miersck truly was with the 'world'-- at least, from the human perspective. From what she'd read, the fae typically kept to themselves... so it would've been a wonder if he even knew other fae settlements existed beyond the one that he was from.

If she were to ask Miersck directly about his knowledge of the world, it would be that he knows absolutely nothing-
Well, outside of the home he had once known, the small, reclusive vale, protectively tucked away from human kind.

And now? Now it was tained.. scarred.. blackened...
Corrupted by what? He didn't even understand. He felt the barest of pulses from the darkness on his arm and closed that hand into a fist, hoping to ignore it.

"We could wait to climb... just walk a awhile." His wings would make the 'climbing' part easier. It wasn't that he couldn't climb...
Just well...
If his wings still weren't at full capacity for flight and either fell...

He'd rather be safe than an acorn pancake.

He moved closer to her side, gesturing.
"I don't know wherever this rotten acorns part of the world is either. So maybe we should.. be careful.."

But then he thought he heard something as his wings snapped to attention, his red eyes peering over his shoulder.

Sophie raised an eyebrow, quite surprised at Miersck's response. "...Caution? From you?" She asked, almost incredulous, though an obviously impressed smile lit up her face all the same. She had thus far pegged Miersck as a reckless fae if a reckless fae was such a thing; not particularly concerned with consequences where they weren't glaring him in the face, and only slightly concerned when they were. This was... honestly, a pleasant surprise.

It reminded Sophie that there was still so much she had yet to learn about the moth fae— that there was still so much more of him she wanted to know.

"And here I thought you might give me a thumbs up and a boost," She teased, though there was wisdom in his words. Sophie was a scout at body and a historian at heart; She was fairly used to climbing tall objects and spelunking ruins, but only because she had to be. Very few people sought her company for adventure in the guild, either due to her strange appearance or simply not wanting to deal with a comrade who could barely hold her own in combat.

"Fair enough— I'll have to remember to start packing a towel... Miersck?" Her train of thought was interrupted by the fact that the face's own attention was drawn elsewhere? Was something wrong? Her eyes lacked the clarity of his own— especially without her goggles which she'd left in Serendipity— so she could not see what he did... hopefully that was less a problem than Miersck was making it seem.

Miersck remained tense, eyes still searching over his shoulder as he began to realize what he grew tense over was no sound.. atleast nothing the mouse girl might be able to hear. And that made him all the more petrified as he began to realize what it could be.

"I.. I think we're being hunted," miersxk said, his tone low and hushed; fearful. He continued to glance around, trying to figure out the source and how to explain his sudden paranoia to Sophie.

"In.. in my home forests, there were strange creatures that hunted and ate only the fae..." he slowly made his way closer to Sophie 's side.
"They can cloak their movement, make the fae not realize they're present until its too late. But my kind.. the moth fae.. We've adapted.. over the years and.." 

He tensed.. 'hearing' it again.

"It's here... and it's hunting after us. "

There was a noticeable folding of Sophie's mousey ears-- as if she were suddenly trying her hardest to make herself smaller. Instinct, perhaps, at the acknowledgement of Miersck's words. "Hunted?" She parroted, a bewildered tone in her shaken voice as the man continued explaining the fiend that lurked just beyond the shadows of the forest before them.

Sophie's brow furrowed, but she stuck as close to Miersck as she could in an attempt to close any gaps in their defenses while the threat of the unseen evil loomed on. All she had on her was her hunting knife-- she wasn't often combat-prepared, and typically shored up a party's reconnaissance and support if anything. That wouldn't do in this situation... especially if this thing was after Miersck.

The thought caused her to shift her footing a bit, putting herself just slightly in between Meirsck and his line of sight, like a tiny barrier. She didn't consider herself fae-- perhaps this creature wouldn't, either. But even if it did, she would not let it have Miersck.

"What do we do?" She asked, her eyes scanning the trees before them and finding nothing. Relying on Miersck's senses was likely the only way they would survive this.

He grit his teeth, cursing inwardly for his useless wings. How could it of all creatures, survive outside the vale? The Ruh-kahlish were ruthless, three tongued and four mouthed creatures that gobbled up the fae. Their magic drew them- thar innate power. 

But why was it here? A cold sensation crept up his spine. If the Ruh-kahlish had left the safety of the vale.... it did not bode well for the fae that lived there.

He grabbed her arm suddenly and gestured for her to remain quiet.. still... and his hand moved awkwardly in the air, as he began to cast an illusion. He had to focus..hide their scents first, then their sounds.. everything down to their heart beats would need to be muted...

The Ruh-kahlish could not see, atleast not well- and he could only hope, wherever it was lurking- that Miersck was able to cloak them from its radar.

"Mier—"

She began to speak, but was cut off by the moth fae as he grasped her arm, keeping her close. A strange tingle ran across her ears and then down her spine to her tail as she watched him wave his hands about. She didn't notice it before, but it was a similar sensation to earlier, with the bread merchant— illusory magic of a kind.

Sophie was no mage; she had little talent in the way of making illusions or anything of the sort. Yet even her novice eyes knew there was something different about the fae's style of magic, compared to the more conventional works that mages of Adela or Serendipity.

"...?" Quietly, she looked from the space around her and Miersck to the moth fae himself, seeking guidance on their next steps as even now, she could not see the threat so clearly as he could. Her free hand slowly moved toward her knife— though she couldn't see a threat, that wouldn't stop her from defending Miersck at a moment's notice.

Although not seen, there was a low noise- nearly inpercivable. It sounded, and also felt like the growl of a massive cat. Miersck visibly tensed at this, red eyes widening as he noted the suddenly crumbling of large sections of grass. It was closer than he had hoped- and it was right there- before the pair. It was only as it came so close that both might be able to see how the terrible beasts" form refracted the light, causing an odd yet subtle warping of the lands where its body passed.

But one did not need to see it now to understand its nasty size, for the massive footprints of crushed grass told that story far too well.  

Miersck held his breath, a hand tensing on Sophie's arm. Because well.. the beast was now stepping straight towards them.

The beast lumbered slowly, Miersck being able to detect, though barely, the swinging of its head as it searched for its prey. These beasts were no fools, though wicked as they were- one did not simply eat and hunt the tricky fae without a terrible intelligence of their own.

It knew the pair were close, and must have followed the scent if his magics. Inwardly he cursed as each large foot step drew it closer, close enough he began to smell the very danger it exuded into the air. 

It was only a few feet away. But it still hadn't seen them. Should they attempt to run? But no . No, no- that time had passed. Their only chance now was luck- and if a rotten pile of acorns.. Miersck believed he was anything but lucky. 

He tensed as another stride brought it mere inches away, the slow steps now felt as Miersck's heart hammered inside his ears-

And then the beast suddenly launched itself towards a massive pheasant that took flight- it must have been hiding in the underbrush when the creature got too close. Now.. now the poor thing was being mangled in midair as unseen jaws snapped and was tearing it to pieces.  

Blood sprayed at their feet- pheasant feathers falling around them like snow- but in seconds there was nothing left of the bird- and the very attack itself sent the rest of the birds and animals in the area in a panick- and the Ruh-kahlish stormed away- snapping after the stampede of fleeing creatures.

*Thump. Thump. Thump.*

Sophie felt her heart sink into the pits of her stomach, and her hand instinctively clench around her knife harder and harder with each passing moment, as the unnatural beast began a menacing approach toward the duo. Her eyes narrowed, the fur on her ears bristling as every fiber of her being told her to act-- to fight, or to fly-- yet she remained rooted to the spot, battling her instincts in favor of trusting Miersck's fae magic.

But her instincts were winning. She wanted so badly to trust that they'd be okay-- that Miersck had a plan, and hadn't just frozen up with fear... But as the faintest glint of a mirage-like silhouette made itself clearer and clearer in the grassy opening, and Miersck remained equally still, she couldn't help but curse her circumstances and begin to pull the knife from it's holster.

What was she doing? She swore she'd find a way to help Miersck, not sit quietly and watch as he was eaten first. As the near-impossible outline of a monstrous mouth began to crack open with salivation, electricity pooled through Sophie like a biblical flood, shutting her mind off and spurning her into action. If it meant her death, then so be--

...It. That was was her resolve, but in the same moment that she willed her muscle into action, a wild bird met it's end at the beast's hands-- or jaws, at least. It ripped the pour pheasant to shreds-- leaving Sophie frozen with her knife half-drawn, and her heart pounding in her ears. Before long, it seemed to lose their scent completely, and with a heavy patter of footsteps, Miersck and Sophie were left alone once more. Still, she tensed; As if enemies remained about even now. Was it truly gone? Were there others? She had never seen--or experienced, at least-- such a terrifying creature before. Was it truly okay to just let it go, knowing it sought Miersck?

In the back of her mind, wheels began to turn. Plans began to form-- plans she didn't intend on voicing, lest she worry her companion. But... she had to know he would be safe from that thing.

After a long moment, Miersck wilted, almost falling ontop of Sophie. His entire body shook from the stress as he fell to his knees and just stared out in horror. 

If the Ruh-kahlish were now in the mortals world....

He cursed through a sob, not realizing his eyes teared from fear.

What should he do? What could he do? He was just one fae.

And somewhere... in the not too far off distance- an animal screeched as it was torn to ribbons . Instincts had Miersck blocking his ears, recalling when one of these things ate half a fae village. He had been so afraid then...

And not much, it seemed, had changed now.

"We.. we really need to get as much distance from that thing," he said, voice shriller than he'd like. But he was still too stunned to move. 

Before Miersck could even consider getting any distance anywhere, Sophie sprung into action. She, much like the moth fae, felt quite powerless in their situation. She could hardly see the monstrous creature that nearly ended them moments prior, let alone protect him from it. Yet in spite of that-- or perhaps even because of it-- she felt empowered to do the only thing knew that she could do in that moment-- whether Meirsck wanted it or not.

Her arms pulled in the fae's shivering body before he could protest further, and she embraced him in a gentle, warm hug. She laid his head to rest on her chest and bid him relax, if only for a moment. Her own heartbeat, in spite of the situation, was leagues slower than his own-- her nerves calmed, her mind at relative ease because it had to be-- she needed to be, for him. She could only hope that the slower rhythm of her own heartbeat would calm his. "You saved us, Miersck," She reminded him, letting one of her hands soothingly caress the fae's head, "You were... incredibly brave, just now. You did good."

She couldn't begin to imagine what horrors he had experienced before meeting her that caused his resolve to shake at the mere thought of such a beast. But she knew pain-- psychological pain-- just as much as anyone could, and she couldn't help but empathize with the moth fae's inner torment, and seek to quell it as best she could.

Miersck made a noise as she held onto him suddenly and bristled, then realizing this was what he truly needed... he held her back, fiercely and just let the pair be for that moment.

After a moment, he shivered again, and breathed a hot sigh before blinking back the tears that threatened to fall.

"We.. shouldn't linger..."

Except he made no move to stop their embrace.  Once they had begun to move, he kept close to her side as they carefully walked navigated through the forests, Miersck keeping up a scent shield as they went. It was better to be careful than dead.

"What was your life like," he found himself asking her. "Before you met me, I mean."

Miersck was slow to pull away from her, and Sophie was equally reluctant to let go-- even as they began to move, she kept equally in pace with him. She could sense in the time they stood together, embracing one another, that what he needed from her most was someone--something, even-- to tether to. A constant. She was determined to be that.

"Empty," Sophie honestly responded to his question, after having taken enough time to consider it in silence. It wasn't an over-exaggeration, nor was it outright flattery. She lowered her gaze a little as she recalled it all, somewhat bitterly. "I'm not sure if the fae have a similar concept... but for most of my life, I wasn't free to be myself. I was born and raised to be used by others, and discarded when I wasn't useful. It was scary... and painful. And sometimes I wanted to give up."

She lightly squeezed his hand before turning her gaze toward him, with a slight smile. "I'm glad I didn't. If I did... I would never have met you."

Miersck actually turned to her at that statement, blinking.

"You would say that even now?" He asked, bewildered as he brushed away the threat of tears onto his forearm. He shook his head.

"I've brought a curse upon you.... i..."

He choked up at his words and grit his teeth, looking away. He turned his red eyes towards the ground, ashamed.

Were things truly so bad she thought this was better?

Sophie's smile didn't falter, even in the face of the truth. Yes, she did now suffer the same curse that Miersck did. Perhaps for anyone else, such a thing would've been disheartening to say the least-- but for Sophie? Well...

"I'd say that, even now. Maybe... moreso, now. Because to me, there's something worse than the worst curse you could've possibly brought unto me... and that's being alone." She reminisced, briefly, on the many nights she'd spent in the corners of taverns, scrawling over notes and documentation from her myriad guild quests and tasks. The mornings she'd spent in the back of carriages on the road to new destinations, hoping to find something-- anything-- that gave her a purpose. The many times she'd been called upon, only to be used and left behind by 'fellow' adventurers.

She'd been a slave once. She was freed, but in freedom she found... nothing. Emptiness. A life devoid of meaning, with no past to look back on and no future to strive for. "It... I suppose it might be selfish of me to ask this," She began, diverting her own eyes now.

"If you truly feel that way... when this is over, and we find a means to cure this curse... Would you stay by my side?"

Miersck blinked, baffled by her question.
"If we survive... if we someway...somehow beat this thing I... wouldn't that be cause to celebrate? Why in the realms of rotting leaves would I leave you then? We'd be free."

And the very idea of it sent a burning thrill through his body. He took Sophie by the hand and looked into her eyes, his own red one's alight. 

"Fow now, let's survive this thing? Okay?"

One day at a time..


But by the old oak groves...

Was there even a way to beat the darkness?

"...Right. Let's... Survive."

Sophie lowered her gaze a bit as they walked, her silver bangs casting a gloom-like shadow over her eyes as she kept pace with Miersck. Her fingers tightened around his, and her smile didn't fade, but it was clear that there was something... off, perhaps, about her in that moment. Something even she didn't realize at the surface level of her thoughts.

What could it have been?

Deep down, She knew what.

What Miersck had just said... wasn't wrong. He had the right of it. Once they were free of this curse, they would be free to celebrate as they wished. And yet... it wasn't what Sophie wanted-- or perhaps, needed, to hear.

Regardless, she put it out of her mind as best she could-- not noticing that the shadowy mark on her hand, even if only slightly, grew just a little bit more.