The Snowflake Capital

[rukene]

The sound of a hollow wind gusted through the white wood. The trees are of varies of pine and hued low saturated blues and covered in snow as if frozen over in the dead of winter. Soft snowflakes lofted down from the sky, swirling down unperceivable stair cases in small torrents of wind that constantly breezed through the area. The skies held gray clouds that blocked out any visual beyond, the light, although there, seem minimal as the moon was shallowly cracked through the thick foggy clouds that loomed above. Small white hares scampered through the snow, burrowing down to find their home and vanishing. So little was the life in these woods, as if frozen in the time of winter with all but those traveling through the mountains to come across the dainty forest.

The soft sound of crunching snow under one’s feet and the hollow lonesome sound of the wind gave a solitude feeling to the area. As if no one was there. But that was very untrue. The man responsible for the sounds of rustling snow was easily spotted in the dark blues of the night forest. His hair like fire, reaching just past his chest, and eyes like that of a healthy mulberry leaf and wings the color of a crystal clear blue pond that seemed a cross over of long feathers, the form of a natural fairy and butterfly wings with a somewhat scale pattern. He wore dark formal cloths and his gaze was kind yet held a silent longing melancholy even thought he covered it with a smile. He was a mysterious sight, with glasses that would no longer be needed in this world and a sword about half as long as his body and a pouch at his side but carried nothing. Because this world needed no food, no rest, he didn’t need to carry anything other than his sword and his red rimmed glasses. Aroku was his name, a kindly man who solved the problems of others but bore ill none of his own.

He trekked through the soft lazy snow that fell upon him, the small flakes tenderly clinging to the strands of his red hair and too his cloths, softly rolling off as he walked. The snow was almost knee deep, and he struggled to walk through it as the trees were frozen and bore no limbs for him to travel upon. And he wasn't one to fly in such cold and hazardous conditions when he knew not what was out here and what could see him if if he flew into the sky. Leaving him in the snow as the cold touched his skin and stung only slightly as he inhaled the winter seasoned air. He gazed up at the sky that seemed hued in a gray navy blue as he walked on. Not a soul traveled here, not even a virus was to be seen. But beyond the horizon could be seen the shadowed village of Everai, frozen in the night as its brick and stone houses were also hues a faint thermal blue in the night. Aroku smiled upon the coming of this, finding he might be able to get out of the trenching snow for a while before he continued onwards.

But all those thoughts were wiped away when he heard a shrill scream in the distance further in the forest. It echoed through the trees and the silence given afterwards was even more hollow and silent than before. Aroku wasted no time, pulling himself from his hole and grabbing one of the trees, hoisting himself up onto the cold bark and then tried his best to use the slick and slim branches as transportation. His alignment, Gale, helped him move quicker as he was naturally agile and flexible, just as his attribute. Aroku didn’t hesitate dropping down from the slick snowy trees and drawing his sword when he saw a rather large bear. But, it radiated the energy of a beast type. A figure lay just beyond it, but he could not see who it could be. He would have to get the bear that was about to attack him or her away before he could grab the person and run. He wasn’t willing to kill unless absolutely necessary, which usually meant if someone was after his life.

Aroku kept a hand steady one the sword as he used the other to make a strange fluid motion. Winds soared in circles around the bear, picking up snow from the air and catching it from the air, creating a blizzard like funnel around the large bear. Unfortunately, there weren’t any fallen sticks or rocks to be seen, so he could only hope it’d anger the beast enough to divert it’s attention. If not that, then physical attacks were an option. The bear tore through the winds, annihilating them instantly as snow burst over the area and blanketed it anew with the cold white flakes. Aroku hated when they did that… enough trivial force to redirect the wind or a well enough used elemental force could easily disrupt his wind patterns. If only he had some rocks.

The bear grunted, turning to the red haired leech and growled. It’s fur was black and its eyes a deep brown. It stood up on it’s back legs, then charged at Aroku, who retreated a bit slowly due to the thick snow he was encased in from the knee down. He ran to the side, his sword cutting through the snow as he went. The beast only followed, rampaging after him like a freight train while the leech was having trouble with the thick snow. As the bear came up from behind, Aroku slashed his sword at it, briefly contacting with it’s leg and cutting through the bear. It roared, stomping down, trying to maul him with all it’s might in desperation for some energy to survive. The bear perhaps so close to death that it was being unreasonable. Aroku would have done better, had it not the snow weighing him down, but the bear successfully took him down. Slamming him into the snow and stepping upon him, pressing him down and keeping a firm hold. It was too bad leeches weren’t very strong, as he was stuck in a tight situation he doubted he could get out of.

But as the bear raised its claws for its attempt to kill Aroku, it’s form seemed to become unstable. As if seen through an old unclear TV set. The lines rippling through it body until it vanished and the chip in it’s body fell into the snow and broke into small pieces. The beast had lost all the energy it had, and had died. The leech had been lucky and had stalled it just long enough for its energy to deplete. But he felt a tinge of sadness for the beast, knowing that it was inevitable to attack others for energy. He stood, fixing his attire and using his fingers to comb through his hair. He turned, walking back to where he saw the figure of the person from before. Hopefully it wasn’t a virus or his uses would have been for naught. He walked over to the tree, glancing around as he stood there… had they gone or was he lost?

Unclear of this, he stood in mere silence gazing at the empty spot of the forest where he had for certain saw someone here. His form bathed in the moonlight, his crimson colored hair fluttered in the wind like the snowfall. It was not unlike cherry blossoms blooming out of season. Such a soft expression on his face, one that held slight confusion and that hint of sadness that he carried about him. “I wonder where she or he might have gone…” he whispered, slightly at a loss. His voice was carried as gentle and caring, but also had the envious strong tone like that of a level-headed knight.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

Skye walked with his head down, hardly noticing the navy sky or the snow flakes falling around him. It was hard to move quickly, with the thick snow coming almost up to his thighs. It was also freezing, but one couldn't freeze to death or become ill in this world. It was only a sensation. Nothing more. His dark hair was hanging over his downcast brown eyes, and his black, crow-like wings hung limply behind him, along with his feathered tail.

He felt weak, his mother, a Hollow, had just fed off him again after he'd gotten into a fight with her. He sighed. Getting into a fight with someone so empty had been useless, anyway, she never really heard or understood a word he'd said. He'd only given her another good opportunity to feed off his emotions and energy. She'd taken a lot this time, saying that she needed it for her latest 'masterpiece', and he didn't feel well.

He felt physically tired, but his heart felt as heavy as his legs. He was a beast. Beasts had to kill when they needed energy. He hated seeing what had become of his mother, but maybe she was lucky in some sense - at least she didn't have to end someone's life herself for the sake of her own. Sometimes he wondered if it was worth it. What would make him more deserving of life than whoever ended up being his victim? What kind of life was this, anyway? A life where he'd existed 21 years but had been trapped with the body and mind of an 11 year old ten years ago when everything had changed. A life where he couldn't grow up and where he had to kill to live. But the simple truth was that he didn't want to die. This was just the way it had to be.

He was heading towards Everai, the winter city, in hopes that he could find someone...someone to... He swallowed hard. Someone on the outskirts of the city. He didn't live far away, and there'd been a few times before when he'd hunted successfully here when he'd had to before. It wasn't something that he wanted to think about, though. He hated this, and the thought of what he'd come to do made his hands tremble.

Getting closer to the city, though, he forced himself to start keeping his eyes open, the Beast briefly stopping to search for signs of anyone else out there alone. It would be risky too get much closer to the city itself, and the longer he put this off, the weaker he became. He didn't want to reach a point of no return. All he could see was a white landscape and trees with bare branches that looked like desperate fingers reaching out towards the gray and dark blue sky. He just stood there for a while, lost in his thoughts as he distractedly watched the snowflakes fall.

But it was when he suddenly heard a loud roar behind him that he was instantly jostled out of his thoughts, the boy whirling just in time to see a large bear bursting through the woods towards him.

It looked like an animal, but from it's natural look and the lack of distortion it was obvious that it wasn't a Virus. No, it was another Beast. One that had assumed an animal form. It's aggression and the fact that it was in it's purely animal form at all marked it as desperate.

Apparently, he'd not been the only out here with the same idea.

Skye screamed, forcing his tired wings to beat in order to lift himself from the snow. He didn't have much strength, but he managed to get airborne in his fear, the crow-like Beast flying off in an attempt to get away from the angry bear behind him.

This was bad. It was a conflict between two Beasts who were almost out of energy, and a bear was far more fierce than a crow. It wouldn't do him any good to go completely into his animal form. Instead, he called the skills he had from his attribute, optic, and took control of the bear's shadow. It became a physical force under his influence, the boy internally puppeteering the shadow to attack it's owner. It did so, the shadow wrestling the real bear down.

Where's its chip? Skye thought to himself frantically. The skill was only consuming more of his energy - he had to end this soon. But before he could find the location of the tell-tale pulse, the shadow all at once slipped out of his grasp and reverted back to its normal form. He didn't have enough strength to continue the attack.

He hardly had enough left to stand, the boy giving out a shaken scream when the enraged bear Beast approached him, claws outstretched.

But a waft of wind suddenly distracted it, sending it off in the opposite direction with an angry cry moments later. Skye was left weak and trembling. ...What happened? ...Had it gone after someone else?

As tired as he was, he forced himself to follow after it from a safe distance - even if he left now, it was unlikely that he'd find someone else in time. He had to see this conflict to the end.

But by the time he caught sight of the bear again, he realized that it was indeed after someone else. A Leech, by the looks of it. The bear pinned him down, making the boy flinch, but just as it did so, it's form suddenly flickered, becoming unstable before all at once disappearing as if it'd never been there. He felt a small amount of energy pour back into him. The bear had died, and it's chip must've broken. The Beasts gained their energy from broken chips, and he was close enough to where he received some of it as the bear passed, even though he hadn't directly had to destroy it himself, this time. He'd been the Beast to survive.

He felt a slight guilt, but he sighed in relief in-spite of himself, enjoying the sensation of standing suddenly became easier.

He stayed hidden behind one of the trees, though, until he saw the Leech walk passed him, back in the direction they'd original come from. He had unusual wings, glasses, and striking red hair. He followed from a distance, unsure of whether or not to trust the stranger. He'd gotten his energy one way or another, maybe it'd just be best to leave. But had the man been trying to help him before...?

“I wonder where she or he might have gone…” Skye heard the man ask beneath his breath from where he was watching behind another of the trees. Not sensing any aggression in the Leech's voice, he decided to step out from his hiding place.

"Umm...thank you for saving me..." He stated quietly as he approached.

[rukene]

Aroku was about to give up and leave before he heard the silent whisper of a young boy. He blinked, turning to face the young beast. His eyes finding the sight of a child crow with messy black hair and goggles on his head. Small colored feathers decorated his hair. His cloths seemed a bit lacking for the cold, but then again, so was Aroku’s. He clasped his hands together and smiled warmly to see that he was unharmed. “You are well! I’m glad. I was worried you were hurt.” He adjusted his glassed with his index finger, pushing it back up on the bridge of his nose. His green eyes never leaving the boy.

However, it wasn’t as if they could stand there forever in the cold. So he motioned a hand back towards the village, “I was heading to Everai before hand. If you are traveling there as well, would you like to accompany me?” Aroku asked. He didn’t have a liking to the cold, and was only passing through here, but tonight he would take a few hours lodging out of the cold before he could continue. But he was glad to have helped someone, for the solitude and silence to be taken away along with his thoughts of sorrow. But meetings came with partings as well. It was likely the beast would move on now or later when they got to the village. It depended on where he was heading. “Ah. I apologize… I have forgotten to introduce myself.” Aroku put a tender hand to his heart and bowed ever so slightly. “I am Aroku Valainistima. Pleasure to meet you.”

[SKYE ASHEREI]

The man turned to face him, putting his hands to together and a smile coming over his face as he caught sight of him. “You are well! I’m glad. I was worried you were hurt.” He chimed, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. Skye absently wondered why he was wearing them - in this world, a need for them couldn't exist. Back before the change, he'd occasionally had to wear glasses for reading, but he hadn't had any such trouble since. The Leech was probably wearing them either for sentimental or cosmetic reasons.

"Thanks, but I'm okay." The boy assured, rather surprised that the man had been concerned. It was always that you found someone who would worry about you - he'd been quite lucky that such a person was around when he'd been attacked. The man gestured towards the village, making him blink.

Everai? Skye thought about the offer. He hadn't actually thought about where he'd be going once he felt better. He could always go back home, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to go back to his mother yet. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to head to the village for a while. "Alright, I was headed that direction, so sure, let's go together." He lied, not wanting to the man to know that he'd decided to head their basically so that he could go with him. The boy was still a bit shaken up, and he somehow felt better being with this man.

“Ah. I apologize… I have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Aroku Valainistima. Pleasure to meet you.” The Leech greeted before they left, giving a slight bow.

The Beast grinned. "I'm Skye Asherei." He chimed. "Nice to meet you, too." He smiled up at the man. He usually wasn't met with such friendly or police greetings. It felt nice, for once.

[rukene]

Aroku was happy to hear that he was going the same direction and not soon after introduced himself. Skye Asherei, his name was. The boy had a rather nice name, simple and not long and hard to pronounce. Like his own last name. But he couldn’t change it, so why fuss, he liked his name anyways. It was unique, as his last name was fixed. Unfortunately when he and his sister were abandoned, they had forgotten their last name and took forever coming up with a new one. His real last name he didn’t want, nor did he want to think of.

Aroku started walking, doing his best to travel through the thick snow. And it was probably much harder for Skye as he was shorter than he. The village was close, so they wouldn’t have to spend hours fighting to get through the snow. His eyes drifted upwards, watching the snowflakes lull from the sky and float down. The white snow catching to his eye lashes as he stared up. It was oddly peaceful, now that he had some bit of company, and didn’t feel as lonely as before. But it was somewhat silent. Aroku shifted his gaze to Skye. “I don’t feel it right to pry, but do you live in Everai? I’m curious as to why you are out here alone, it is dangerous to be traveling without at least one other.” he spoke up. His eyes watching the boy, surely they would be at the edge of town soon, but he wanted to know before there was a chance of people eaves dropping. He wasn’t so untrustworthy as to be cautious of people overhearing his conversations, he was just taking to boy’s needs into consideration. If he was out here alone, surely he had a reason for it.

“You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.” he added quickly. Making sure that Skye knew he didn’t have to speak if he was uncomfortable with it. Aroku’s eyes glanced ahead, seeing the village not far away. He would be seeking lodging once he got there so he could take a break from the constant cold. He’d only be staying an hour or so before he continued on. He couldn’t linger any longer than that, as he had somewhere to go and things to do. It was strange how Aroku was such a busy person when it seemed he did nothing other than help, yet he was swamped by it. Constantly traveling for the sake of others. It was just how he was.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

The landscape didn't seem quite so bleak with company, and with more energy, it was easier trudging through the high and thick snow - sometimes he almost had to hope or climb to get out of it. Things remained pretty quiet, the two of them simply heading to Everai without much talk. That was okay, though, he still found himself gradually beginning to calm down as time went on with company. He absently wondered what he'd do once he got to Everai, though.

As if to play off that thought, the Leech suddenly broke the silence and spoke up. He flinched at the question. What should he do? He debated internally. Should he explain the real reason he'd been out here, or should he stick with earlier fib and try to come up with another reason to be going in the direction that he now was. Unfortunately, it wasn't easy to think of anything in particular that would drive him to the small, somewhat sleepy little village, or why he'd been traveling alone.

"Ah, I'm... I have a friend...who lives in Everai..." He fabricated. Usually he was a good lier, but this time there was a sputter and slight alarm in his voice. He hoped that the man didn't notice, but he couldn't be sure. He had hardly any friends, much less any in Everai. There were a few people that he talked to, but the situation with his mother made it hard to get truly close to anyone. But he wasn't going to be with Aroku for too long, right? He hoped they'd part before the Leech realized that he'd made his story up. It'd be a rather embarrassing lie, for one thing. "Maybe it isn't the smartest, but I've made it here by myself before... Guess I wasn't as lucky, this time." He added, giving an anxious laugh. "...I'm just glad that you showed up."

[rukene]

Aroku gazed at the boy as he spoke up. His answer seemed partial, as if he were to say something else but changed it. His voice seemed anxious at the question. He decided not to point it out, noting that the boy wasn’t very fond of the particular question he’d asked. There were could be many reasons for that, but it was against his good moral to assume things against people. So he didn’t show much concern to it, pushing it aside as he looked forward again, the snow becoming thinner and easier to walk in. “You should be more careful. The reason I am out here is because I’m traveling through this mountain to get to another city beyond it. If I were not here, your luck would have been even lesser tonight.” Aroku wasn’t scolding him, but rather warning him as he didn’t wish to see the beast killed. “My presence was a slim chance as was. So please heed that you shouldn’t take caution lightly in this world.”

He stopped as his feet hit a snowed over stone walkway that led into the village. The brick and cobblestone houses darkened and the only lights coming from the ill-lighted lanterns at the entrance. Aroku turned to face the boy directly, forest green eyes staring at him. He offered a small smile, “I will be staying an hour at the least, so if you need some assistance while I am here, don’t hesitate to ask. I will be lodging at the inn in the meantime.” Aroku slipped a hand into the round pouch at his side, the old weather beaten tan pouch just above his rather large slim blade. He pulled out a tied cloth and pulled out some currency. Offering it to Skye in his palm, “Take this. Spend it on something useful to protect yourself, that dagger of yours won’t do near as much damage as a short sword or scythe.” he said, meagerly pointing at the slightly hidden dagger in the beast’s possession.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

Skye waited anxiously for a reaction, but the man just turned his gaze forward again. The boy couldn't tell whether he'd believed his story or not. The Leech did urge him to be more careful, though. Indeed, if he hadn't shown up... The Beast looked down sheepishly. "I know...I don't think I'll come here alone again, after today..." He'd need to find somewhere else to go next time he was desperate. Of course, it would never be easy or risk free. He would never be the only one desperate in this world.

The man stopped as the reached the cobblestone path of the village, turning to face him with green eyes and a slight smile on his face. He explained that he'd be staying another hour or so at the inn before moving on to the next city he'd mentioned before. Skye nodded gratefully, but blinked as the Leech pulled out some money from his bag and held it out to him. "Really?" He looked up at him, a bit of excitement in his voice. "Thank's a lot!" He beamed. It felt a bit weird accepting money from a stranger, but he really could use it. The almost embarrassingly small knife that the man had pointed to had originally been from the family kitchen. It wasn't much in the way of a real weapon.

Taking it with a last grateful nod, he left the man to go to the inn while he headed to the market. The selection of weapons in a town like Everai wasn't the greatest, but he managed to find one neat stand with a range of swords, bows, and scythes hung up and laid out. He eventually settled on a silver scythe with a regal, black wood handle. It was the largest weapon he'd been able to afford with the money the man had given him.

Smiling to himself, the boy admired the new weapon, but his thoughts began to wander as he watched his reflection on it's surface. What would he do now? Should he just go home? The Beast cast his gaze distractedly in the direction of the inn.

He was starting to feel a bit cold, too. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to stop there for a while. He wasn't quite sure what he'd say to the man about why he wasn't with his supposed friend yet, but he really had no where else that he wanted or needed to go to. There was no real reason for him to be at this village, but home didn't sound appealing, nor did another trip back through the forest.

He quickly made his way to the inn, swinging open the slightly creaky door.

[rukene]

Aroku chuckled slightly when he saw Skye practically skip off in happiness. As soon as the young beast disappeared, he also walked his own direction. Taking his pace leisurely as his soft footsteps crunched on the snow, his red hair trailing behind him in the soft wind that breezed through the village. His eyes gazed at the seemingly empty village, but it was probable that either most of the people were gone on a trip or something similar. Everai, from his knowledge, was not very busy. Even the occupants seemed to not be here during the nights. And if they were, they usually kept their lights turned off as not to attracted Viruses that tended to lurk in the forests of the mountain. He stopped and looked up when he reached the Inn, the old brick building illuminating a small warm glaze of a fire that burned inside.

He brushed off the snow from his shoulders and swept his hair from the flakes of snow gathered there. After tapping his shoes clean of access mucky snow that clung to the bottom of his boots, he walked in. The air was instantly warmer as he stepped in, his hand on the door. He closed it behind him and walked towards the counter where the old inn keeper sat behind. He had ravishing green colored hair and similar green fairy like wings. Their pattern of strange swirls that crashed into one another like waves and curled out like a lake of fireworks. They were solid, not see through like Aroku’s, and they gave off a certain sparkle that trailed from the wings. Although the shape of the wings weren’t very unique and were quite often seen, the pattern was interesting and easily said as rare. His eyes a dark bluish gray color like the night sky above Everai. His skin showed soft aging wrinkles, but looked youthful in spite of them. He wore dark robes that seemed to be loose fitting than in his earlier days. His figure fairly slim but kept in shape as he kept an axe leaning against his chair. Cautious, but that was a good thing as long as the inn keeper didn’t go swinging about with it under the circumstance of paranoia.

“Hmm?” The inn keeper looked up, his grumbled syllable questioning the occurrence of the traveler. Eye gazing at him with a slight wariness.

“Good evening.” Aroku replied, brushing off the almost accusing look. “It doesn’t look very busy since people don’t sleep.” He smiled, picking up the pen from the desk and writing his name in the book laying there. Then paid the Inn keeper.

“That it is. Very quiet. Very lonely. It’s nice to have some company once in a while.” He said, giving a soft smile up to the fellow Leech. “Bedroom are upstairs.” He said, then continued to look into space as he had been before Aroku had entered. The man slouched in his chair with his legs crossed and his hands folded in his lap, now holding the money he had been given. A very sly and silent man indeed, but he didn’t seem all that enthusiastic or energetic to say the least.

Aroku noticed that there were two areas to the main room. The right side filled with wooden tables and chairs and a roaring fire place that kept the area warm and gave a soft glow to the slightly darkened room. Beyond that near the back was a bar, but held nothing on it’s shelves but mere empty glasses since no one needed drink or food. Near the corner was the hallway that lead to the store rooms and the base platform in the wall that turned to the stairs and led upwards to another hallway that held at least five or six different bedrooms. To the left was the desk where the innkeeper sat. A wall of cubbies lay behind him and some book full of logs. The walls were covered in book cases and two couches faced the fire with an old earthy tone rug in the middle, laying under a simple wooden made coffee table. The door stood in middle, separating both the areas.

He walked over to the couches, picking the one closest to the fire as he pulled the sheath of his sword from his belt, taking it into hand as he sat down, swinging his legs on the couch and putting his head on the arm of it, letting strands of hair fall from the back of it and the side of the cushion as tresses curled over his shoulders and his chest. He placed his sword over his chest, holding it slightly parallel to his body as his took off his glasses, folding them and tucking them in his shirt. He locked his ankles together and closes his eyes, enjoying the heat of the nearby fire that warmed his body and made the air toasty. Sure, he could not sleep, but he could relax here with his eyes closed for a while before he left. A wing of his trailed off the couch almost like cloth, spilling over the side as the other facing the back of the couch gently curled over his body almost like a blanket, the tails hugging his legs like a snake tail, as if seeking something to cling too. His wings were an extension of himself, and he didn’t have to consciously think about moving them to have them do as he wanted.

He somewhat loathed times like there… where all he could do was to be trapped within his thoughts. He tried his best to pertain them to Skye, but he could not as they soon drifted towards his sister. Was she really dead? He didn’t know. Aroku only knew she was gone, probably dead or turned into another Virus. Those evil things he despised so much. They had constantly taken his few friends he’d made here and his sister. And he felt so guilty he’d never been able to save them. Aroku spilled a sorrowful slight from his lips, leaving the sound of the door unnoticed as he kept his hands clasped to his sword, fingers curled against the handle and the sheath.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

Skye looked around upon entering the inn. He instantly felt warmer, the orange warmth of a fire making the air inside the building comfortable. He sighed in relief, having not really noticed how cold he'd actually been after being out in the snow for a while. Even if the cold couldn't necessarily be harmful anymore, it certainly wasn't pleasant. There was an old innkeeper by the desk, but other than that, the inn was pretty much empty. There certainly wasn't much money in keeping an inn anymore. Since sleep wasn't no longer needed, the need for places to do so vanished, to. But the inns still served a purpose - visitors who simply needed a break from traveling or the cold sometimes paid to stay a while. And there was indeed something welcoming about the warmth and pale orange glow of the fire light.

Absently, the boy reached into his bag and counted what money he had remaining from the man's gift and his own very meager savings after buying the weapon. Eventually, he walked up to the front desk. He hadn't actually been planning on staying here for any noticeable length of time, but now that he'd stepped in he didn't think he'd want to leave anytime soon. It was comfortably here. He wanted comfort, and somewhere where he didn't feel he had to worry, after the ordeal earlier today. He figured that it probably wasn't wise to spend the last of his money here, but since he'd survived, he may as well let life be enjoyable for a while, right? What was the point, otherwise?

Making his decision and walking up to the counter, the innkeeper, a Leech with green hard and unusual green wings let out a low mumble. "Oh, another guest. How unusual, we usually don't have much business." He commented as Skye inquired about staying and handed him almost all of his remaining money.

After paying, he glanced around again to find the man from before laying on one of the couches as he entered the main resting area. He had one of his wings resting over him like a blanket, and his eyes were closed. He had his fingers curled around his sword, but if Skye hadn't known better, he'd have thought that the man was asleep.

Asleep... What was sleep like, anyway? He hardly remembered anymore, after all, almost half of his life had been spent in this world. But he recalled that, with the exception of unpleasant stories that occasionally played in your head called nightmares, it had been a very comfortable, peaceful thing. He almost wished that he could sleep now. It'd feel great to be able to close his eyes and just let everything disappear for a while. But even if he closed his eyes, his thoughts and troubles wouldn't leave his mind alone.

He looked down at the weapon he was carrying again. He'd originally wanted to show it to the man, but he was so quiet that Skye wasn't sure whether or not to disturb him. After all, now that he'd paid to stay for a while, he wasn't in any hurry. Instead, he plopped down on a padded chair placed next to the couch, wondering whether or not the Leech would notice him as he fiddled absently with his own new weapon and stared at the fire.

[rukene]

Aroku was starting to feel so terrible these last few days. Being alone really only kicked him when he was already down and weak. His heart felt heavy with such horrid guilty and sadness as he lay there in uncomfortable silence with only the crackle of the fire to accompany him in a depressive mood. What fool ever said that tomorrow came anew with peace? It certainly wasn’t true. No… this world still struggled. No matter what, the fact wouldn’t change that Aroku was responsible for his family’s death. If he hadn’t called, if he hadn’t run. If he had just stayed content and pulled his bearings together, they’d still be alive… Aroku heaved a sluggish hand to his face, covering his right eye as his fingers brushed away his bangs. This world, nor any other, was as cruel as some people thought. He knew this with all his heart. And even if he was destined to carry this guilt, he wanted to live on. He wanted to keep on, to embark on this troublesome journey he never really started. To help people when their needs went unfulfilled, when they needed someone to save them when no one else would. He wanted to live on in spite of his family’s death - no, he wanted to live for them.

But… this burden in his heart made it so much more difficult for him to do anything. It hurt so much, but as he opened his eyes, they did not water with the hint of tears his breaking heart was bathed in. But his eyes, such a sorrowful and unperceived gaze. As if staring out at something that only he could see and desperately wanted to reach out for, but his hands were still. Aroku only stared up at the ceiling for some time before uttering out simple words, “Is there something you needed?” his voice was tender and caring as usual, but also seemed tired. Tired of the casualties, tired of death and desperation. Just worn out and down as if all in the world had gone wrong. His sullen expressionless face did not turn to look at Skye, nor did he ask anything other to the boy. He had no need to. Even as he was in the face of company, his thoughts were trapped.

He wanted to do it all over again, to turn back the clock to where he could do everything over again. He wanted to fix everything that had gone wrong in his life. Maybe if he hadn’t called his parents or talked to them differently when he did. Maybe he’d done something wrong when he was a child that drove them away. If he was braver ten years ago to stay by the side of his sister long enough to drag her with him. If he’d done all this over again, would he get it right. Would everything be better? Aroku wished he could redo it all, to be able to fix his mistakes that had so drastically changed his life when he had no meaning to. But he couldn’t, and he knew that. Yet he knew this was solely his fault, every bit of it. Perhaps no one knew how he felt, so how could he voice his sorrow when not a one could understand. He couldn’t help them understand the crevasses that tore daily in his shattering heart that only tore apart more each day. But when would be the day when he had not a single piece left to save. Would he break down, give up… would he act out and hurt people? How could he know that. Aroku inhaled a long breath and let it out in a disappointed silent sigh.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

The man eventually opened his eyes, but the green gaze looked different somehow this time. It looked...empty and sad. Skye blinked, not saying anything as the man stared up at the ceiling blankly. He eventually spoke, his voice carry a tiredness now. "Oh, I went out a bought a weapon, but my friend wasn't home yet." He fabricated again, though he tried to keep his voice bright. For whatever reason, the man seemed down now. "He went on a trip with his family. They said they'd be back by today, but I guess they must be running late. Oh well, that's not too unusual for them." He forced a small chuckle, scratching the back of his head. "But I doubt they could be too far off, so I decided that I'd stay here and wait, for a while." He further added to his story.

The Leech kept his gaze at upwards and empty, taking a deep breath before heaving a long, quiet sigh. Skye frowned a bit, wondering why he seemed so sad, now. He looked lost in thoughts, whatever it was that they were. He knew from his own experience that that wasn't always a good thing. That was mostly why he missed sleep. It could be hard to rest without your mood beginning to sink, sometimes. He didn't like letting himself to too lost in his own thoughts, it was best if he had something else to hold his attention.

"Umm...is something wrong?" He eventually asked hesitantly, not sure if that was a question that the man would want to answer.

[dezzyk3]

Behind Every beautiful thing,

theres some kind of pain.

Aeli wondered around aimlessly she had nothing better to do anymore. Just like she has nothing to live for anymore, she only lived to kill. That's what she hated the most about her new living style. The coldness was weirdly easy to bear, when she was still human her body couldn't stand being in cold area's for to long. It Seemed that she was still learning new things about her new self.

Her foot step's touch was so soft it didn't push the snow down closer to the earth or whatever this place was called. There was no sign of bumps rising on her skin from the cool air, seems that temperature's didn't matter any more. Aeli could easily blend in with scenery with her pale skin and hair.

Aeli used to be filled with joy and happiness now its swapped into confusion and depression. She was in bad shape but all of that was kept hidden from everyone. They didn't need to feel anymore pain then they already had.

Her dull yellow eye's glanced at the tree's around her it was beautiful but lifeless. All made by a person that thought they was going to help the world be a better place. When they only turned it into a blood bath and a living hell.

Touching her finger's gently on the bark of the tree it was so real but then so fake. Taking her fingers off he bark she started to advance forward again not knowing where to go or where she is going. Maybe, it was somewhere she could get away from the new reality she had been living.

Staring blankly at to shape's only a far ways away now it looked like a beast and a leach. The beasts is the most feared race of the new world for her, for she feared death. But she gave everyone a chance before they are turned into enemies that should be avoided at all costs.

Dumb as it may be she advanced closer to the two, but oh so carefully. She hadn't met to many 'people' yet or was they called something else now? Now close she was close enough to them ' to her that's around six to seven feet. ' she stood and watched.

Both of them seemed nice and they even seemed peaceful, oh how badly she wanted to know how that felt like again. That was enough moping for her it was about time she did something. She took a couple of steps closer to the two it seemed they hadn't seen her, because they was still talking to each other.

It looked like she was being forced to walk closer maybe even pushed that showed clearly she didn't like meeting other 'people'. Once again from some unknown force her hand moved up and waved nervously. This was a rare sight to see indeed.

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[rukene]

Aroku turned his head, watching the boy. But after a few silent moments he shifted, pulling himself up into a sitting position as he sat with a foot hanging off the side of the couch bent under his other leg that laid lazily to the side. His wings slowly moved in and out unconsciously like a pair of butterfly wings, the soft blue glow giving a blue tint to the side of his face in the shadows as the red of the fire lighted the rest of his features that seemed sketchy in the slight bit of dark inside the inn. Aroku offered a smile, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking of my sister is all. However, she is currently deceased.” He smiled even as his heart ached, not willing to say more on the subject.

He brushed a few stray strands of long red hair from his face, pulling his sword across his lap. And only then did he notice the silent Hollow standing there, and she gave them a slight wave to catch their attention. It seemed this inn was even busier tonight than it ever had been in so many years. Aroku’s green eyes stared at her for a moment before speaking to her. “You can come sit if you want.” He said. He moved his legs from the couch, letting his boots touch the ground as he sat properly. His wings tucked behind him in a unspoken manner of offered room if she wanted to sit down next to him. His eyes wandered back to the beast, only now fully realizing he was carrying a weapon.

“I hope it suits you.” He said with a kindly, a bright smile on his face as if all his prior thoughts were gone and had never even been there. He was wondering if Sky knew how to use it at all. “If you don’t know how to fight with it, I can teach you in my spare time after I’m done with my errand to Valli.” Aroku told him. Only know giving him the exact detail as to where he was traveling. Although, with that came the knowledge there were viruses all over that town. Perhaps it was the reason he was going there, or some other reason. Maybe he didn’t even know there were viruses there to begin with. He showed no hint of what his errand was or what he knew about the town. His expression once again it’s usual soft and caring tone.

[SKYE ASHEREI]

The man finally turned to him, offering a slight smile as his blue wings fluttered gently behind him. Skye instantly tensed at his answer. His sister...? She was...? He felt bad that he'd said anything now. "Ah, I...I'm sorry..." He looked down. "I didn't..." He felt a bit awkward all of the sudden. He knew what it was like to loose someone close, though. His father, while not dead, was gone. He'd never been especially close to his father, but he'd been more trustworthy and stable than his mother. But now he was a Virus. And it was his fault. It was because of his own naivety and rashness that he was what he was now. The boy felt his fingernails dig into the knees of his pants.

But then he noticed movement out of the corner of his down-turned eyes, making him quickly lift his gaze up. There was a girl standing there who'd just given them a silent wave. She didn't have any wings or other noticeable animal features, so she wasn't a Leech or Beast, and certainly not a Virus. At first he thought that she was perhaps a Siren, not initially seeing anything that didn't look human, but then he noticed that her left ear appeared mechanical - she was a Hollow. Like his mother. He flinched inwardly at the thought, but tried not to show it. She looked a bit nervous, somehow, but the Leech offered her a chance to come over and sit. Skye just blinked at first, but eventually, nodded, trying to put the smile back on his face.

“I hope it suits you.” The Leech eventually added, Skye looking back towards him to realize that the man had referred to his new open. He grinned at the man's offer to teach him how to use it. "Thanks!" He beamed. "I've never really used anything besides the dagger." So the man was on his was to Valli, huh? Weren't there lots of Virus' around that town right now. "Valli...?" He wondered aloud. "Isn't that place dangerous?"