ROLEPLAY HQ - unlikely-companions

@Cast In Stone

(OOC: Perfect, I need to get the Tupper done) (edited)

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Just north of Bellavay was this rather large range of woods known to the locale populace as Varenisle Grove. It was a popular spot among couples and romantics to just get away from the rumbling buzz of the city. A haven where the nuances of modern life had ceased and there was nothing but the off and on buzzes of nature. A river ran throughout the centermost part of this grove that would deposit itself into the estuary of Bella Vay. Despite being a coastal area, the wind wrapped around the first creating a rushing wood of cold air that swept through the grove in the morning to push out the rather humid hot air, leaving a nice almost misty quality to the woods. Had the times not been so bad for all involved, it would have been a more pleasant experience. It is here when Dane found his way into the arms of a new companion. His bow has already been slackened as the recently loosed arrow found its mark in the side of a horned animal that he assumed was the locale's version of venison. At first, as he was digging around the entrails of the animal, he thought he could see some kind of talk floating figure obscured by mist in the distance. As his eyes adjusted to the lower light conditions of the forest, he caught a glimpse of a woman who seemed to be feeling faintly back and forth with a hurried step making her way over some brambles. He thought about leaving it alone for a moment, before realizing that if she were to continue on such a path that she would run directly into his camp. Dane decided to wrap the venison chunk that he finished excising from the deer and wave to the woman, albeit still covered from elbow down in blood. To note, he had in fact put his bloody knife back into the sheath on his boot as he turned to wave her down. "Pardon, Madame. If you continue your current trajectory then you will in fact be tripping over my personal belonging! Pleasure to make your—."

“Mmmggg. Sticks with thorns, leaves with thorns… The fucking trees themselves are probably dangerous too. OH! Look. Bugs with thorns!” The forest was no place for Rowan Drake. Not anymore. She had grown too accustomed to the luxuries of town-living to be traipsing about the forest, but she was on a mission and if he was hiding anywhere, it would be in the thickets of a secluded area where no one would dare venture, let alone find him. “I swear to the divines and the unholy rulers that if I ever get my hands on you again, I will feed your insides to the rats and make you watch, you intolerable, selfish, pile of—.” She heard the footfalls before she smelled the stench, too wrapped up in her own curses to be paying the kind of attention she needed to survive. It was buried under gamely meat, but it was there. The smell of wet dog. She heard his words, but was more consumed with what he was than what he had to say. In an instant, she was directly in front of him, grabbing his throat and pinning him to the ground; she would attempt to keep any flail of the hands under control, but she only had two hands. “Are you… following me?” She didn’t want to bare her teeth at him due to his condition. If he didn’t already know what she was, there was no need to let him know he was literally the bane of his existence. Instead, she presented herself as a strong entity that could snap him in half if he was ill-prepared. @Cast In Stone

He had just enough time to smile before the blow came to his throat. His canines had been filed down to normal size, and he knew that she could see that from under her grasp. He squirmed on the ground and looked from side to side, fiddling around for his rapier. He realized for a moment that it was back as his camp then pointed at his own throat. "Ha'-hard to enun— He gasp for air out from under her grasp before his arms stopped squirmed and he collected his thoughts. Memories of his past flew through him as he shuddered under her grip. "My camp...there..." He managed to point out to a small tent and the remains of a campfire. From her perspective, he wasn't even trying to shift. In fact, he just kind of gave up on trying. From his own mind, he thought that his life was full, and if she needed to control this moment then so be it. Under her grasp, he could look past her up towards the canopy and the most descending over it. His scared breathing slowed while he closed his eyes, basking in the rhythm of the forest. He struggled for air again the choked out a pitiful, "No stalk. Just deer."

@🖤Daddy-Shay🖤

Rowan tilted her head to the side as he struggled to explain himself, feeling his pathetic attempt at fighting her in one hand. She felt safe enough to look in the general direction of his motion, seeing a small tent and confirming his statements. She had smelled what had to be a butchered deer nearby, but when she noticed the blood on his arms, she decided that he had to have been telling her the truth. In a reaction of disgust, she freed him from her grasp and took several steps back, examining her long, black cloak for blood stains. “So you say…” She flipped her cloak back and forth, revealing her skin-tight, leather trousers and a form-fitting, black, sleeved shirt to match. She was the epitome of someone who didn’t want to be seen, her black curls bunched together under her hood. “Keep your distance, mutt.” She crossed her arms and watched as he fumbled around, ready to bolt if he made any advancement towards her. “I apologize for infiltrating your… lair…” Every question she thought to ask him was answered by his putrid smell. He likely didn’t like town because he was a man of the wilderness and to see him outside of it was only logical. It did surprise her to see him alone though. “How many of you are there?” @Cast In Stone

The man before Rowan was by no means the runt of the litter. He slouched around six and quarter-ish feet against the ground. When he made it back of his feet, he was a solid six foot five. He was even taller than that other insufferable bastard. Despite his menacing stature, his appearance was quite open-minded. He wore the loose-fitting garbs of a travelling poet. They were lightly blue with buckles and clips around the waist for the various tools that he carried around with him. "No need for apologetics, madamé. I shouldn't have startled you in the first place. I just didn't want you stumbling into a campsite just to find out that you were here alone." There was a brief moment where he spent padding the dirt off of his clothing with a look of intense concern. He muttered something under his breath akin to, "I hope my studies in the arcane arts can get stains out of satin. This will be one endeavor that I'm not even looking forward to." The woman in front of the large human-formed werewolf had proposed a question that really started the cogs in his head. They ground to a halt, whenever Dane sat down and grabbed a stick from the forest floor to prod around at the dirt. "It's just me, looking for an older friend. Although I'm sure that if he wanted to be found then I would've stumbled upon him by now. He's a weaselly old devil. And I'm more than happy to invite you to my less than permanent abode. I have some coffee for you if your willing to partake with a...Oh what was the exclamatory that partook in? Mutt? That's a new one, albeit encouraging." The man looked at the venison which had been fling from his hand outwards to the woodland's floor. He licked his lips and thought about it then shook his head. If only Dane were a proper mutt, he would be stuffing his jowls with the raw meat. "Can't offer you food, who knows what lies on the ground of these wood. Unless of course, you prefer dry tack and hash beef? However, I don't think a woman of

04:31

your caliber should dine on shit-on-a-shingle."

@🖤Daddy-Shay🖤

She was unamused by his padding and kind-natured words. Her eyes practically rolled as he dusted himself off and seemed to b emote worried about his garb than his life. The stoic and bored look of her dark eyes changed drastically though when he uttered those specific words. ‘He’s a weaselly old devil.’ He had said. It sparked emotion from her cold, dead heart, causing her eyes to go a bit wide. She quickly shook it from her mind as he started on about food. Her brows furrowed in annoyance as food was now not what she wanted to discuss and even if it had been, she favored meat that was a little more… lively. “You can keep your dead flesh and your… did you say shit-on-a… Nevermind that! This friend of yours… is he… like you?” She was now intrigued, but made no movement to show it. She continued to stand in front of him as he sat on the ground. When he had stood, she had to admit he was a bit intimidating, especially to her, however, she had full confidence that she could take him or flee if that was the only option. Now, she took pride in the fact that he was below her, not wanting to strain herself to have to look a full foot above her head to chastise him. @Cast In Stone

Dane looked dumbfounded for a moment before deciding that Rowan was some kind of vegan. He had heard of those types before and that they had strange powers. Surely that'd be enough to choke slam someone of his stature to the ground. "Like me? No, no, this man is about yea tall—He used his hands to denote the height according to his chest.—with big horns and a bigger heart. He was a pleasant man..Devil? Demon? He wasn't from the heavens to say the least. And yes, shit-on-a-shingle, it's a meat using corn beef and hard tack. Mostly sailors eat it to stave off scurvy. It'll do you good it just tastes like it's previously mentioned nomenclature." The wolfman's fire had run thin, and he threw a bit of kindling to reignite the flame. And as it burned, he took out a small vile if purple powder and threw it into the flame. His eyes were glowing a familiar shade of purple, although a bit more on the lavender side. While the smoke billowed from the fire, he took out his pan flute and began to play a melody. At first the flame flickered to the music, but as the song progressed, the face of a devil danced across the blaze. "The devil brought in the dark, sworn to the light. That's who I seek."

@🖤Daddy-Shay🖤

Her eyes widened again as he describe the elusive Marglowe, the man she herself had been searching for for years. His description brought her arms away from her chest, completely missing the bit about the ‘food’. Her eyes were locked on his, even as he moved around the fire. She did not fear him in that moment, but yearned for him to tell her everything. Had he information she didn’t? When he tossed the purple powder into the fire and she saw that shade take over his eyes, her knees buckled and brought her to sit in front of the fire. It was clear they were looking for the same person and when the devil began dancing in the flames, tears began to well in her eyes. “Me too.” Her voice was meek and her eyes were captivated by the flames as she saw that vibrant purple that she had missed for nearing five years. The sound of his music only just permeated her mind when she pulled herself from her transfixion and looked back at him. “How do you know him?” She hugged her knees to her chest, ready to listen to a tale that could only be told about Marglowe and his compatriots, forgetting all the while that she had wished to fry this man only moments before. @Cast In Stone

Dane's eyes softened at Rowan's exposure of feelings towards the devil. Marglowe had an impact on people, and Dane had likewise seen it first hand. In a gesture of kindness, the wolfman stood up and sat next to the folding vampire. Dane's scarred arm stretched out around Rowan as she rocked back and forth at the knees. He knew when someone needed that extra warmth, because that's what the devil did for him. "I suppose you'd expect me to say many moons ago, but I don't want you to stop this.., this.., human behavior. It was around a hundred and twenty years ago when I was a fledgling warrior. I wore the brands of a slave as most beast men did, and to secure my liberty, I was tasked with defeating the foes of a local lord." Dame drew a long ragged breath, before shuddering. These were memories that he preferred to forget rather than explain, but it was needed to help this woman. "Women, children, other beast men, none of it matter to me, before I met Marglowe, I was a tool. Life had no flair, everything was so dim. Lacking color. Lacking kindness." His hands outstretched to poke at the fire with a stray piece of kindling to shuffle around the flames as he set the pan flute down. "A few soldiers and I had torched a small berg, no more than twenty people. They're corpses split high on these pillars of stone that we would bind souls to. We used them to contact gods, and well that demanded a sacrifice." "Our lord at time was warring with another state so he took the opportunity to have use it invade the berg." "The entity that responded was Marglowe. He didn't treat us like monster, although he did extinguish those who fought him." The man had the small piece of kindling catch fire as he drew it close to his eyes so he could see the flickering, dancing flame closer. He loved how it bobbed and weaved with the wind.

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"The lord wanted us to bind the entity. We tried to subdue him, throwing punch and rock and sword. I even was forced to shift and yet we still couldn't overpower him. My comrades were dead and I gave up." "And that's when he helped me, at the brink of my desolation. He pitied me and allowed me to bind him for service. I earned my freedom, but....but it was the first time, that I felt owned by someone else." "And he never even asked me to do anything. We tarried for years, and he enjoyed the pleasures of life next to me. He taught me color and how to speak. How to write. So here I am, ready to tell him adorations and gratitudes, my companions that I incurred after him have passed and so I shall soon."

@🖤Daddy-Shay🖤

When the wolf brought himself closer to her, she raised a brow and hesitated. It wasn’t until he sat down next to her that she had to actively refrain from spewing the contents of her stomach. How long has he been out here?! She internally cringed at how close he was and externally cringed at how potent his smell was. Neither of which stopped his story, however. She listened with a slightly scrunched nose and a tense frame until he finished. It was at that point that she jumped up and walked to the other side of the fire. “Riveting! Really!” She hadn’t taken in how sad his story had really was. All she conclusively heard was it had been over two centuries since he last saw Marglowe and would be of no help to her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked from the fire to the bard, rolling her eyes at how pitiful he looked. Almost like he had lost his master instead of a friend. “Look. I met Marglowe a few years ago in a place far from this one, hell, likely another realm over. I can tell by how you present yourself that you knew him and I can tell by how long you’ve been searching that he meant something to you.” She softened her gaze a bit as she stared at him across the fire. She knew first hand what it was like to lose him and at least now, she had met someone aside from her brother that knew of him. Taking a deep breath, she sighed loudly and glared down at him with a slight smirk. “Come on. Come with me and we’ll head into town. You need a bed that isn’t covered in ants and a goddamn shower. I’m looking for Marglowe too. Maybe we can find him together.” @Cast In Stone

"Meant something to me? Huh, I suppose you could say such a thing. To be honest, I've only started this search around twelve or so years ago when I came across this book. Principia Daevologica. It has rites and incantations to summon devil. I just have to find out the right precipice of power, and strangely enough this realm is very weak. I'm surprised that a farmer or some other sort of laborer hasn't accidentally summoned some kind of otherworldly being here." His eyes saddened at her visible cringe as he went towards the far end of his camp. It would seem as if her very being was in pain at his appearance. His steely eyes shifted down towards the campfire for a moment before strumming on a lyre that he pulled from in the corner of his small tent. "All dreams sour, in last hour Feel the rhythm, beating power Like the safest, tallest tower. Or the most beautiful, wondrous flower. We sit, we think, we love, we die Under the cerulean And Endless sky To her an endless waltz To Dane a friend lost To both hearts, darken grim N'air the presence of his fanged grin." He stops for a moment before chuckling. He saw a spark in her eyes as she half-way listened to his tale. He noticed as she ignored some parts and chuckled. "If you're looking to restore your lover. I can't tell you that my way will work. And no thank you, I'd prefer my bed of ants for my shagged horrid fur. I'm not really a towns mutt. My appear is naught for that. Even with a gentle bath, my kind isn't allowed in towns. Nor near schools, nor near women, I stretch myself alerting my presence to you." He shunts his pillow under his head for a moment as he caught a break in the canopy which revealed a slow set of stars that managed to wiggle their way against the dusk. "I can see why you'd fall for him though. I suppose given another life, I could've done the same. Of course, in an effort to save my dignity and humble myself in front of a gorgeous madame such as yourself, I am looking to mak

22:09

e amends. I had him quite riled last time we spoke. I wish to apologize before the next harvest."

@🖤Daddy-Shay🖤

The visible sadness on his features when she left him didn’t make her heart ache as much as it should’ve. Maybe if he let her groom him a bit, she would be more inclined to listen to his sadness, but until she could look at him and not smell venison entrails and wet fur, he face would constantly be contorted in less-than-hidden pain. His bardic words were beautiful though and with every strum, she felt Marglowe. He had such a great mind and it was more than evident that he had taught the wolf every thing he knew. Her eyes fell into an annoyed glare as he spoke on not coming to town. Why was he making this so difficult?! “Listen… sir. I need you to meet me halfway here. I have an excellent sense of smell and hearing and while you’re takes and words could bring tears to the eyes of most, your god awful smell is what is making me cry, friend.” She sighed deeply as she stared at the man on the forest floor. If Marglowe helped him he couldn’t have been all hatred and brimstone, but if he was looking for amends from the Devil, it all but guaranteed her safety. “I don’t deny your accusations about myself and Marglowe. It was only a handful of years, which is nothing to the two of us, but they were the happiest of my life and I will scour all the realms until I find him again; even if it means I’ll die in the process. I am going to find him. So, if you want to be apart of that, I would rather enjoy the company, HOWEVER, there are two rules you must follow.” Her tone has turned serious as she spoke to him, losing a lot of her aggression she had bestowed on him previously. “First and foremost, you cannot shift around me. Ever.” Her dark eyes were laser focused on his, deepening the severity of that specific rule. “And the other… if we’re going to do this together, I’m doing it for the company. Which means, I need you to come with me. When we are not actively working to find Marglowe, you are free to do as you wish, but when we are… I need you with m

01:10

e.” She uncrossed her arms and made her way towards him, coming to stand only a few feet away from him which was a major improvement. “Do you think you can do that?” @Cast In Stone

There were moments of general confusion that flew through Dane's mind. He hadn't want to upset Rowan, as she was his company at the moment. However, the one thing that got him more roused than anything was when she called him sir. He had forgotten to introduce himself, and that's a cardinal Marglowe sin. He saw Rowan's lips move as he was sure that she was making a fine point. By this point it went from one mutt-ish ear to the next. However, he was a good dog and waited until her spiel was over. *When she had finished, his lips widened for a moment as he spoke a slow ancient dialect as his clothes were pressed clean and the blood disappeared. His matted hair glimmered for a bit, but was otherwise untarnished. Dane sat his lyre down and gave a boyish grin, just like Marglowe. He did the familiar now to the exact degree that the devil has shown her whenever they had first met. He debated on tell her his full name, but decided against it. "Not sir, Madame. That belongs to a better man than myself. Dane shall work for now, as I am assured that you are not interested in partaking much more for my identity than that." Shifting. That word brought a cringe throughout his entire body as he looked down for the moment. As she mentioned it, his eyes departed from her and stooped to the ground. "I have no intention of shifting neither here around you or in the privacy of myself. Wouldn't do a beaten mutt like me very good to damage himself anymore than normal." He showed her the silvery palms of his bardic gauntlets which were lit with a small amount of smoke from the contact of his palms. "However age has taken its toll on me. I haven't been as... reliable as I had once been. But no, you should have no problem with me. I've had the proper precautions managed if I were to shift." "As far as accusations, I've seen those beautiful eyes in a woman. There is only truth there. Especially whenever you thought that you've heard something that might reunite the t

01:32

wo of you." He chuckled then turn to his campsite and whispered a command word which had the site promptly picking itself up. "I hope whatever company you keep thinks more highly of me then my smell and necessary survival features."

@🖤Daddy-Shay🖤

Rowan watched as the mad spoke something that she was confident were not actual words and suddenly, the rancid smell that came from his DNA had lifted. It was still there and she could still pick him out from a sea of men, but it was much more tolerable now that she felt comfortable being as close to him as she was. A faint smile graced her features, but it didn’t last long. She watched the grin that befell the wolf and then the bow. Her smile faded and her brows furrowed into a pained reaction as he introduced himself. She nodded at him as she wiped at her eyes and cleared her throat, replacing her previous expression with one of stoicism. She peered at his gauntlets and nodded again in satisfaction as he spoke on not shifting. It made her more confident in their traveling abilities to know that he wouldn’t be able to kill her in hours, at least. She would rather take the chance of him decapitating her in the night than dying from the venom of a werewolf. His next bout of gibberish made the entire camp come to life as it packed itself away, startling her a bit, but the worry swiftly changing to impressed. That small smile came again and she gave Dane a creased-eyes grin of approval. “Well, you’ve read me like a book it seems and if your tales are as entertaining as your magic, then we should get along just fine. That cleaning one. That’s a good one. Keep that one handy.” She laughed as she stepped away from his camp to allow him to gather his things uninterrupted. He seemed like a good man and as long as he didn’t give her a reason not to trust him, she would. Once the camp had been essentially disposed of, she scanned the woods around them and sighed. “You spoke of a ritual earlier. What is it you still need to do it?” @Cast In Stone

His eyes almost crossed for a moment as he thought for a second about being the maid of a crazy woman. He shook his head from that particular notion before running around the thought of the ritual around his head. It wasn't too complicated but it had some major contingencies. His hands ran over the back of his head before thinking about running by a few ground rules for her then a moment of his past flew back through his eyes. Rowan could see the slightest tinge of pain streak through the mutt's exterior. It was just that one memory that had his mind shifted. The next thing that the wolf did was chant again, a quick incantation as a small vortex open up in front of him which he placed his backpack and tent in. The smirk on his face grew to a shit-eating grin. It wasn't as chalked full of hubris as the devil, but it bore many similarities. As Dane's eyes glimpsed away from Rowan, he managed to stretch himself out. His tall figure was almost like a scarecrow out in the middle of the forest as he let out a more or less confident voice. "Now if I told you that, then you wouldn't have much of a use for it. I have everything I need except for an area where this plane is exceptionally close to the next. I take it you aren't a dabbler in magic so it's safe to assume that you wouldn't know how to find one. I have it narrowed down to three spots in this forest. So, if you so wanted to accompany me tomorrow, I'll show you the most basics that even a non-caster can determine." His hands crept over his rapier as it was unsheathed. There was a faint holy aura to it, but otherwise it was glowing faintly. He set it down on the stump nearest to the campsite with a big grin on his face. "This is an foci arcanus. It shows the levels of magic to a caster without having to attune to the plane to use it. It's not a rare artifact, but it is an interesting one. Tomorrow, I'll make one for you and we can cut our time in half searching these woods. And that cleaning spell...It

21:48

does more than just that. I can perform all kinds of useful tricks. But considering you don't eating much then it wouldn't be super useful for you. And yes, Marglowe taught me how to read books as well as people. He was an exceptional empath. I hate him for it."

@🖤Daddy-Shay🖤

It was astonishing to see the amount of similarities between the two men. Where Dane seemed to be a kind soul with a troubled past, Marglowe had used his past to pass on his kindness and reserve none for himself. It annoyed her that she was thinking so fondly of the man that left her all those years ago, but it annoyed her more that Dane made her only see the good in him. She watched him use his magic, explain his course of action and speak as if they were going to be traveling together for awhile. The way his lips curled onto smiles that seemed more than natural on his face, she practically scoffed every time he did it. He looked so much like Marglowe in those moments. When he was finished, she nodded and crossed her arms; she was battling the fact that she needed him more than he needed her. “You’re right. I don’t know how to find what you need, however, I don’t want to just take your secrets and run. It’s clear that you loved him in your own way and I would never deny you your wish to see him again. Hell, you might be his only friend left after we do find him.” She shifted the dirt under her feet as she thought of everything he had said. She didn’t need a sword like his, but she wasn’t going to tell him so. Any weapon that wouldn’t give away her true species was something that could come in handy. She finally brought her eyes back up to his as she took a deep breath. “So, tomorrow then. Are you sure I can’t offer you a place to rest in the meantime? One where… you won’t have to worry about someone like me sneaking up on you in the middle of the night?” She was aware that he had survived all this time without her help, but if they were going to find the devil together, he no longer had to. @Cast In Stone

Without anymore hesitation, the wolfman nodded his head then took a second to outstretch his back. He found himself walking through the grove with easy, since he always felt more at home in the bushes. Perhaps it was blood, but Dane seemed to think that it was because it was the only places that he could truly be himself. Even if he did despise his origin. In an effort to start up a conversation, he parted his lips and looked at Rowan. "I got into an argument with him a long time ago about choosing a lover. I didn't want to be bogged down, and he told me that I was still a foolish pup. Urgh, I spent so many years debating about this until I found my better half. I outlived her, but nonetheless it was the best of times. Figured by this point, he would have found his better half too. Poor devil dreamed of vampires, and how one would conquer his heart. Shame though, considering the vampires were wiped out centuries ago. He spent his entire life searching for a unicorn that might not even exist." As they stood at the tall protective walls of Bella-Vay, his hand tightened. It was another cage no matter how spacious it was. Dane turned to Rowan and scratched the back of his head before slowly exhaling. "You sure you want me to stay here? I will, but I'd actually prefer to keep my company with someone who would sneak up behind me in the midst of the night." It was by this point that Dane's hand had siphoned through the bag at his side. He frowned and cursed under his breath as he rifled through the bag. "Damn magical bags, one moment. I know I have some Hu-a— The colors faded around him as a shimmering light surrounded where he should have been before disappearing into the bag. A few minutes later, he returned with singed hair and thick black lines under his eyes. —Gold. Would this be enough for me to be invite to your abode? I want someone who can show me the ways of these people, I haven't been here before. Please, ma'am, I beseech thee."

As they walked from the ~~safety~~ wildness of the forest to the secure walls of BellaVay, Rowan listened intently to Dane as he spoke of Marglowe. She rolled her eyes at him dreaming of vampires; ’Of course he did. That kinky bastard probably had it all planned out too.’ Her internal thoughts were commenting on Danes speech all up until he mentioned Vampires not existing. She turned to look at him as they stopped in front of the gates of town. “You know, maybe there are some who say the same thing about werewolves.” Her dark eyes cast up at the walls and back to him when he showed his hesitations. She contemplated for a moment, wondering if it was best for him to stay outside rather than in, but it made her feel bad for the man. She knew he preferred it, but maybe it was because he knew nothing else? “Look, I just think it—“ She froze at his sudden disappearance, looking to her right, left and all around her, even up at the night sky before he reappeared. She blinked a few times, perplexed at what she had just witnessed. “I think this will be good for you and… you do not have to pay me. Finding him with be reward enough.” She licked her fingers and put out the tiniest bit of flame in his hair as she looked at him with contorted brows and a scrunched nose, waving her hand in front of her to make sure she watched him enter BellaVay. “Gods. You know what smells worse than wet dog? Cooked dog.” She would keep a close eye on him as they made their way through the town. It was a bit of a walk to her house and she was more concerned with him running off or disappearing than she was of him attacking her. There were still people loitering in the streets, but it wasn’t nearly as busy as it would’ve been during the daylight. She took as many backroads as she could and made sure to avoid the areas that were highly trafficked, like the tavern. “Stay with us for one night. If you don’t feel comfortable here in town, you can feel free to lay your head

16:40

outside the city walls.” @Cast In Stone

The perplexed look of the wolfish grin from his face seemed to only grow in stature as the woman before him illicited her own home without payment. This is the kind of generosity that the devil himself had extended to him before the argument that ended their relations. There was a small silence from Dane as his eyes flashed a tired purple, and he was back to being well kempt and fresh. He turned to the large gates and immediately remembered the portcullis from the castle that he'd been born in servitude for. "I suppose it wouldn't be any harm, and you are sure this is to come from your own pocket? I'm not adverse to paying you for...Well, I'm ashamed to put it this way, but for your services. Either way I—" There was a moment where we pondered at poking a jest at his current hostess, but that quickly turned into a redirected statement. Especially if she had already taken offense to him being cursed by the moon. "—I do have a request, just when it turns to the darkest hour of the night that we go the top of your abode to look at the stars. I wish to tell you somethings that is needed to partake in the ritual. And nothing contrives adventure more than a starlit night. Besides, I am most interested in your relationship with Marglowe. As I could ever hardly see that snake of a devil enrapturing a woman of your stature. Don't worry, I'm spending the later half of my night preparing to save your nose from my uncomely smell."