((I should probably get into that practice too...))


It was a man - or, the remains of what used to be a man. He seemed decimated, the years not kind. One eye was dead and glassy, and his clothes hung off of him like he was made of nothing but brittle and thin bones. He was tall - taller than Lex was expecting - but terrified beyond compare. Human, one who had seen too much of the war to come through it whole.

Was this the one who made the silent watchmen? He resisted the urge to turn his gaze and glance at the closest mannequin. That was something he could deal with later if it came down to it. Right now it seemed as if the other wanted nothing more to do than to run away, and Lex silently cursed his height. While it did make him imposing, it was in situations like this - with other survivors - which made it a curse, not a blessing.

The other made a sound, high, like a wounded animal. Legs twitched with minute tremors - he wanted to run. But this mall was dangerous, no matter if one had been living in it for years. The situation had changed and this man seemed to have no way to defend himself, nothing but nails and teeth. However, those could be surprisingly effective.

Keeping his sluggish pace, his arms still raised, Lex slowly sank to his knees with most of his weight resting on the balls of his feet. This would, if it came down to it, would help him get up quickly.

"It's okay, it's okay. I'm not going to hurt you - you're not going to hurt me, are you?"

Try to connect with him. It stalls their course of action most of the time, making them hesitate. This allows him to check their eyes, see what they plan to do, and act accordingly.

But, he wondered, would he be able to tell with a madman?

Levi twitched when the other turned around, taking another fraction of a step backward. His gaze was on the other's face, watching as it looked him over, the little twists here and there. Then the other was moving and Levi tensed visibly. But the other was simply moving downward, getting at a lower level. Trying not to appear threatening.

When the other spoke again Levi blinked rapidly. Not....going to hurt him? Was he lying? Was this a trick? He couldn't tell. He began to chew on his lip, eyes darting about, unsure. His friends were silent, no longer whispering or encouraging him to one thing or another. He cast a glance backwards, eyeing one a bit down the hall. But nothing. It was saying nothing to him. He turned back to look at the man, his breath picking up slightly. Finally, with a long croaking breath, he opened his mouth. "N-no...." he croaked, voice cracked and unstable, hitching slightly. "N-not...not gonna hu--rt you..." In all honesty he doubted he even could.

((It might help you not lose well-written posts. I know it's helped me on multiple occasions.))

((Thank you for the tip! I don't want that to happen again :o ))


Shoulders shrunk down with his gaze - he needed to make himself feel as nonthreatening as he could. This man was a flight risk - and in his current state could be killed almost easily. Almost because a cornered animal did whatever they could to escape, and the other was definitely animalistic, a primal way of acting. Fight or flight always turned on, likely never letting him rest for more than a short while.

This was someone he should be helping, protecting, not trying to kill.

When the man spoke his voice was hoarse and cracked like his own. He probably didn't speak all that much either, at least physically. Who knew what went on in that head of his. But the words were reassuring. Lex wasn't answered with running feet and the sight of a back turned towards him - no, instead he was told he wasn't going to be hurt. This was good, this was good.

"My name is Alexander - call me Lex."

Exchange names, make them see you as more than just an anonymous face, someone to kill without remorse.

"Will you tell me yours?"

He kept his tone light and gentle, soothing, as much as he could with his rough and disused vocal cords. This had been the most he had spoken in the past year or so and it just about pained him to speak. But hopefully the other would realize that he wasn't a threat - that in fact he was an ally.

Levi kept his eyes on the other, on Lex. His...name was Lex. He blinked rapidly for a moment, licking his lips and taking another quick glance around. Lex...wanted to know his name. His. Name. He opened his mouth before closing it again, looking away. Was it....smart to give the other his name? Could he even remember his name? No he could remember. His name was Levi. Levi...he couldn't remember the last part. But he supposed that wasn't really important.

With another quick swallow and returned his attention squarely to Lex, chewing on his lip before opening his mouth again. "L-Levi..." he said, glancing quickly behind him at his friend. They were still quiet. "M....M' name i-is Levi..." He eyed the other man's face warily, unsure if this was a trick he was bumbling into. He....he hoped it wasn't. The other had done nothing to him and his friends were not warning him or telling him to flee. Maybe...maybe this was a good thing?

"Levi... It's nice to meet you, Levi."

Good, good. This was going better than expected actually - he'd managed to get the guys name out of him. He was speaking less - well, a little less - hesitantly than before, and he didn't look as if he were going to flee at the drop of a pin anymore. In fact, it appeared as if Lex had Levi's full attention, or almost at least. The other man still glanced around and behind his shoulder, but whether he was looking for danger or support was unclear to him.

"I'm going to stand up now, Levi. That's all I'm going to do."

Lex rose slowly, legs burning with the pace. When he was finally upright he kept his shoulders hunched, trying to make him look smaller than he really was. He made sure that his hands were away from his sword while at the same time still in available reach. Just because the other knew his name didn't mean that he wouldn't attack Lex out of desperation.

"There's food in my pack - not much, some dried berries and strips of meat."

This came as a surprise to himself - but looking at the man he knew why he offered in the end. The other was starving, that was obvious. But he was wary - this offer would probably come with much suspicion. A stranger giving away food, especially in a place where it was so scarce?

That was probably a bad move.

He sighed mentally.

But this definitely is.

Lex unhooked his sword from his belt and laid it on the ground between the two of them.

"I will be back."

And with no hesitation he turned, walking into the bridal store. His back was wide open, vulnerable, exposed like this. This was a deciding moment. Lex's steps were slow and steady. He was prepared for an attack, for following footsteps, for nothing at all. If Levi took his sword he'd track him down across the continent and beyond to get it back. If he attacked he'd defend himself fully. If he followed - well then. He'd give him food.

Levi blinked, tilting his head lightly as Lex continued to speak, still rather tense despite the fact it seemed as if the other wasn't going to attack him. When the man said something about standing and slowly stood straighter Levi slid back only a little ways. But Lex didn't lunge for him or even reach for his blade. Then there was that word, the one word that caused him to perk up, look to the other with obvious desire and a small bit of hope; food. Lex was offering him food. That was what he was out her for he remembered that much now. He had run out and....the smell hit his nose again and he swallowed, drool starting to pool in his mouth.

His shoulders tensed though when that one hand glided to the sheathed blade, eyes widening. But there was no sound of metal sliding free, was no dull flash. Just a soft clank as it was unhooked and placed on the ground. And Levi eyed it, barely even registering as the other spoke and walked off. He jolted out of his dumbfounded state when there was a slight hum behind him, turning to take a look at his friend. But it remained silent and the emaciated teenager turned to look back at the blade and then into the shop where the other had walked off. With a few shaky and slow steps he finally moved his legs, stepping over the blade as though it were a sleeping and dangerous animal and finally moving into the bridal shop. His exit. He eyed the door across the storefront before shuffling inside. If this turned sour, he at least knew of two exits. But considering how dark it was out there he doubted that outside was a very good idea at all.

The silence had drawn on for so long that Lex thought that Levi was going to wait until he was inside the shop before running off, or running off after taking his sword - but if he stopped walking now and turned around there would be no if and's or but's about it. So he kept on his course.

It wasn't until he was a few feet within the store that he heard tentative steps, slow, unsteady. The sword hadn't been picked up off the ground - there was no slide of the sheath against the ground, no soft shifting to suggest that it was with another person. Levi had accepted.

Now this is a surprise.

Lex didn't once glance behind him as he walked all the way to the desk and, keeping his moves measured and languid, ducked down and reached for his bag, shoving the boxes aside quietly. He placed the pack on the desk first before slowly standing, showing Levi what it was he had gotten. Didn't want the other to spook and think that he had lured him in here just to get him with a hidden weapon.

The buckles were easy enough to undo and within seconds Lex had pulled out a small, wrapped package of dried meat. There were dried berries still in the bag but he had the suspicion that fruit wasn't what Levi was craving. So he opened up the package, and with a sleight of hand nabbed one piece of food for himself - while he was being generous, he wasn't going to be completely stupid. He needed to eat as well.

"Here."

He stepped back from the counter, forcing himself to sit down on one of the crates. His skin itched and he refrained from clenching his fist.

He wanted his sword back at his side. It had been a gift and was his most precious possession - he would gladly give a limb in order to protect it. In fact, he already had given an extremity for his blade, and it was at this thought that pain sparked up from where his right hand should have been. Trying to contain his grimace he gripped his wrist, squeezing it, trying to distract him from the phantom agony.

The next possible moment, he would return his sword at his side. But first he had to make sure Levi would be alright. Humans were few and far between nowadays. They had to look out for each other.

Levi kept his distance, watching the other cautiously. He didn't venture too close to the other and kept glancing backward, eyeing the blade lain with so much care with caution, as if by some strange magic it would come to life and cut out his spine. He winced at the mental image of such a thing, a memory of pain on his back causing a gurgling noise in the back of his throat. He returned his attention to Lex, watching as he lifted a bag above the back of the desk, placing it on the surface gently.

The meat that materialized from the pack caused the teen's eyes to widen, glancing between the food and the other. When the package was opened and held out to him it was in his hand almost a moment after, his hunger driving him to forego any caution or gratitude and just feed. He tore into the meat, swallowing large chunks with his back turned to the other, an instinctive attempt to protect what was his from any competitors. He finished a good chunk of what he was given, but finally stopped when his stomach felt about to burst. He could not eat much nowadays.

He turned back to Lex, blinking at him with large eyes. A smile finally split his face, genuine gratitude glittering in his one good orb. "Th....thank you," he croaked out, placing what remained back on the counter. The smell in his nose, while having faded due to the wind and the time it had been permeating, no longer called to him, tantalized him. He blinked as the other gripped the wrist of his missing hand and he tilted his head, a questioning look in his eye. But he did not ask. He could not recall teh words to.

((Note: Teeny bit of swearing. He was gonna swear a bit more but I didn't know if that was appropriate here so there's only one swear in this one ))


Lex wasn't expecting Levi to smile at him - it made him look his true age, and it was younger than he was expecting. His heart clenched. The other man was really just a boy, likely still in his teens.

Shit. This is an unexpected development.

"Don't worry about it."

The kid barely ate half of what was given to him - but that was likely because his stomach was so shrivelled that it couldn't hold a lot of food. Lex remembered reading somewhere that sometimes eating too much when one had been starving was dangerous - something called refeeding syndrome or along those lines anyway. But the kid probably knew when enough was enough - he didn't force himself to eat the rest of the food anyway.

Lex rose, making sure that his shoulders were hunched and bent so that he didn't look as intimidating, and reached for the remaining food. While the other was eating he managed to down the thin strip he grabbed for himself, and though it wasn't enough to feed his belly, he knew it was enough for him to make it at least another two days. He wrapped it back up but didn't place it back in the bag, instead leaving it out on the counter. So that if Levi wanted he could grab some more.

It was probable that Levi was going to run - smile or not, he had gotten food and in the end it was likely that was all he was after. To be honest, it was all anyone was after nowadays, be it werewolf, mutant, vampire, or human. Everyone was looking for food - even though some of them happened to be on the menu.

Lex blanked his mind.

Not right now. Pay attention to the matter at hand, Lex. You need to get her back, she needs to be back at her place on your hip. Your right-hip gal.

Go get your sword, Lex.

"Levi, I need you to trust me for a minute."

He made sure the boy was looking at him before he continued.

"I'm going to get my sword from outside - I don't want someone dangerous to come along and pick it up. Okay? Is that okay?"

Levi hummed contentedly in response, smile still on his face as he swirled his tongue in his mouth, running it across the remainder of his teeth and his gums for any crumbs or remnants of the meat's flavor. That had been much nicer than his own jerky. Of course he had sliced that jerky off some dried husk before he had found this place. He absently wondered what had become of his knife...it was probably in his pile. It had been while since he had gone through it.

When Lex spoke to him a second time he turned to him, sucking on one of his fingers in order to rob it of whatever flavor had rubbed off onto it. He blinked up at him, smile fading slightly at the mention of the sword. He cast a quick glance in its direction, his finger slipping out of his lips as he swallowed. He looked back to the larger man before nodding. "Y-yeah....s'okay..." he murmured, chewing on the inside of his lip absently. He cast a quick look around, searching for any of his friends. He didn't see any, but they could yell and he heard no screaming. Besides....Lex had fed him, has been kind, has been calm...he couldn't be bad....right?

((Oh it's ok. To be honest Dahlia was supposed to curse like a sailor 24/7 butI wasn't sure how well such language would come off.))

((Ahhh, okay. I wasn't sure :o Also, this is my last post for the night! See you tomorrow :P ))


Dear lord - the kid was sucking on his fingers like a toddler. This wasn't good - his conscience was screaming at him now to not abandon him, to take Levi with him in the morning, or to stay with him if he didn't want to go out. To make sure he was safe, and fed, that he never got hurt again. Shit.

This, this is why I shouldn't involve myself with other people.

Lex waited for the okay before he moved, making sure that Levi had an - well, his only - eye on him at all times. His hands found themselves residing once more in the air and it took more willpower than he would have liked to admit to restrain himself from sprinting the few yards it was to get to his blade.

But he kept his steps steady and unhurried, kept the tension as much as he could out of the lines of his muscles.

His sword was still on the ground where he left it, undisturbed, not even having moved a centimetre from where it was placed. Lex sighed in relief and picked her up, resting her against his bent knees. Fingers danced along the sheath and a soft smile creeped across his face, though one couldn't really call it a smile. More of a slight upwards turn of the corners of his mouth.

With little difficulty he slid it through his belt-loop, the familiar weight on the right side of his body seeming to complete him. When he walked back to Levi his relaxed posture was not forced.

Lex stopped a few feet away from the boy, his gaze shifting constantly from over one of the other's shoulder to the opposite side and back again. He resisted the urge to scuff his feet against the floor. Clearing his throat, he spoke sincerely.

"Thank you - you have no idea... Just - thank you."

When the human moved, shifting so that she was closer to him, Aris looked at her. Turning his head a bit to watch her. He would have liked to tell her his name, there many things he would have liked to have told anyone, really. Just to be able to speak again. His grip on his sword hilt tightened for a moment then relaxed, that single wing twitching slightly. When she mentioned sign language and reading lips, he just shook his head slightly. Who could he even learn sign language from? Reading lips also took practice, he wasn't sure she could do something like that just on a whim. Some lip movements for some words looked very similar to each other.

He let go of his sword hilt, that hand moving up to rub at his throat lightly. It didn't hurt, it never hurt. Well not physically. More of an emotional kind of pain. There was no scar, no evidence of a wound to give an idea of exactly how he had lost his voice. Even if it had been cut out of his throat he doubted it would have left a scar. Aris didn't scar easily, the scar on his back was there because the wound had been to great to heal as completely as any other wound. By all rights, he should have died from that.

A shiver passed down his spine and he shuddered a bit. He didn't want to think about that, about the pain, the helplessness and the feeling of dying. Right there on the edge, slipping over the brink between life and death. It had been so cold. Vampires were the ones responsible. Vampires, creatures that took such pleasure in causing great pain. Aris lips parted slightly and his tongue flicked out to lick them lightly. That hand lowered from his throat, returning to gripping his sword.

No, he didn't want to think about that night. Or his voice being stolen from him. Magic. It had to have been magic...or maybe not magic..some kind of strange vampire ability then? It didn't matter, the vampire priestess had stolen his voice, pulled it right out of him, past his lips and into something. Something that kept it contained. All because she was tired of hearing his pained screams. He supposed even creatures who took pleasure in making others writhe and scream in pain could only take so much of that screaming.

Aris shook his head again, forcing away the distant look in his dark eyes and shrugging slightly. Perhaps he could find some paper and something to write with later. Though, right now, shouldn't they return to the others? At the very least show the way to the beds. He looked off in the direction where the rest of the flock was, or were he assumed they still were, then he glanced at the human. He blinked at her.

Realizing something, she wanted to know his name, but she hadn't even told him her own yet. The thought amused him slightly, and slowly he stood, sheathing his weapon. He held his hand out to her, she was probably tired, she probably wanted to sleep but the others. They should all stay together, and what of the rider outside with the vampire?

She'd been watching the winged man. He seemed, pained, by her question or statements. He remained silent, of course. And he didn't try to say anything. She sighed. Were the others even still here? They were spread around the mall, two outside, two here, two there. It didn't seem that the winged man was going to try an communicate much at all. The others were terrifying. That was fine. She didn't need to make friends anyway. Friends died and disappeared.

The winged man had stood, offering her his hand. She was still laying on her belly and she waved him off. "Go on," she said. "I'd rather be alone." Her walls were back up. She'd have offered her name, but it really didn't matter did it? She pushed herself up and moved away, back to the part of the bed by the window. She glanced up at the moon, peeking through scattered clouds. The fog was gone.

She tried to squint down the small distance where the ripper and the stranger had been. But her human eyes failed her, as always. Being a human sucked. She'd heard stories, of humans who'd found scientists, surgeons, who could help them not be so, human. Humans who'd found werewolves and vampires willing to turn them.

Jules sighed again and pulled a knee up, proceeding to untie her boot. She'd repeat the process with her other boot and kick them off before climbing into the bed and under the sheets. She'd sleep in her clothes, as always. If the others wanted to sleep here, she'd told them where the room was. Though, she almost felt safer alone. She always felt safer alone. Though so terribly lonely. It didn't matter. She'd come to terms with this life, constantly on the move, always alone, unless you wanted to group up and then be hurt when everyone was gone.

Her boots were laying on the floor now at the foot of the bed. But she remained there, resting her cheek on a jean covered knee as she stared out the window. She always found sleeping a terribly hard thing to do. Exhaustion would have to take over, as always. Oh the 'routines' a human in these times had to develop. Sleeping in their clothes, constantly on the move, always in danger, never sleeping, hardly eating, always at a disadvantage to everyone around you, always alone. When would it end? In death?

A tear slipped out of one light blue eye. Though she quickly wiped it away. She only cried when she was alone, and she'd wait and be sure she was alone in the room to cry herself to sleep. That was the quickest way to bring on an exhausted sleep state, she knew.

((Sorry this took so long! Hubby was sick so I couldn’t use the main computers in the bedroom while he was sleeping. I did get the backup computer setup last night, but I was too tired to post anything by then.))

Christopher watched the strange couple retreat into a building. Cowards. The human wouldn’t be easy to lure away with such a determined protector. Christopher's stomach growled in protest.

Something more interesting came out of the building. A woman in need of anger management, some sort of creature he hadn’t met before. She was shouting at him for playing the violin.

“That isn’t normally the response people greet me with after I play them a song.” He smiled, flashing his fangs. Interested in what she was despite his instincts telling him that she was dangerous.

Grabbing the violin case he stepped off the roof, landing lightly in a crouch. There was a healthy distance of street between them, and he did not intend to let her closer until he knew her game.

Standing he gave her the slightest bow. A mocking homage to his ancient vampire ancestors that still did “chivalrous” things like that. Christopher was a young vampire, only undead for 10 years. He wouldn’t know about such things.

“Christopher Adams at your service madam. I’m looking for a boy. Someone special to me. Have you seen any human children around?”

Aris sighed silently when she refused his hand and told him to go on without her. That single wing twitched, and his shoulders slumped slightly. He had done something to upset her, clearly. Perhaps his lack of even trying to communicate more? It didn't matter, she would just have to get over it, she would also just have to get over him not leaving her alone. He watched her remove her boots, and then he unsheathed his sword again and sat back down with that sword laying across his lap.

He was not going to leave her alone. Especially with a vampire lurking around and with no way of knowing if the rider had killed the creature or let it live. Vampires were tricky things, not to mention there were two unknown persons flitting about in the mall there could possibly be more. Aris was not leaving her alone, unprotected. She was human, she was a member of his flock. The others he was sure would be alright..maybe. Even the human male would be fine in the care of the shifter. Probably.

((Shame you can't use any more females.))

After a moment, Jules looked over her shoulder. The silent one was still there. She frowned. Wasn't he trying to go somewhere? He was a strange one. Then, monsters always were. She wanted to ask him why he was staying here, why he wasn't trying to kill her or any of the others. What made him different from other monsters. The more he stuck around, the more questions she had for him. But he didn't want to talk to her anyway, even if he could. She could tell.

"You're strange," she said finally. Maybe the reason she'd said that was because she felt she was the strange one. But that didn't cross her mind. Instead, she just kept attacking him. Maybe he would leave then. "You walk around acting like it's up to you to save the day. You can't though. No one can really. Especially since you've only got one wing. You can't even talk. What are you going to do to make anything any better? You should quit interfering and just let everyone die. We're all going to die miserably sooner or later anyway."

She was side eyeing him again. "And those horns. What are they for? Protection? Don't seem to help from my point of view. And what's with all that metal you wear on the other arm? Some kind of monster voodoo device? You can stop pretending you're all good. It doesn't matter anyway. Why don't you go and play the hero with the others. I won't be here in the morning anyway."

Jules had had to turn her back on him again to keep him from seeing tears that were threatening to spill at any time. She was never mean like that. And it wasn't a good feeling. But how else was she going to make him go away? She didn't need him, or any of them. That was a lie. But she'd lie to herself as much as she had to to protect herself from any more loss. The loss wasn't worth the love of friendship and companionship. "Go on," she said once again. "Go away."

If he left, Jules would climb under the sheets and sleep. It would take a few minutes, but like on many nights before, Jules would think and/or cry herself into exhaustion. Wasn't there any escape from this world? For now, she kept her back to him, demanding her tears to stay put until he was gone and willing him out of the room with her mind. Not that is was working, she was just a dumb human. No special abilities, she didn't even know how to punch properly. She stifled a laugh at the though. It was all just so pathetic.

((Velvet, we do have an abundance of characters, male and female. If you want to make a female who is an antagonist for our story, which is all I will accept now, feel free to PM me about it!))

As she spoke to him, Aris turned his head to look at her. His lips almost quirked up into a slight smile when she called him strange, but she continued to talk. It seemed more like she had been trying to insult him by calling him strange. An insult like that didn't do much damage though. It was the other things that she said that hurt. His body tensed, those lips parting, and those sad eyes lowering. His shoulders slumped and he bowed his head slightly. Was he really so useless because he couldn't talk and only had one wing? That wing twitched.

Still, he had saved her from the wild dogs, hadn't he? He had brought her to whatever safety this building offered. He had taken her from the roof of the other building, when such a jump or fall might have caused injury to her. Did she really think so little of him after that? He had only a little while ago, pulled her from the danger of a vampire. She was right though. He couldn't save everyone, but Aris didn't want to save everyone, he only wanted to save the humans. The humans that were worth saving. A hand reached up to run along one of his horns, what were they for? Well, headbutting things of course..maybe. They had always been there, and he had never actually headbutted anything before.

That hand dropped down to run along the metal gauntlet on his left arm. It was a shield. Such a strong metal, it could deflect most things easily. It was hard, so could sometimes be used as a weapon, if he hit someone with that arm. It was a useful piece of equipment. His wing twitched again and he pressed his lips tightly together. His heart ached, but it didn't matter what she thought of him he would do what he intended regardless. He wasn't pretending to be good. He had always fought for the humans, and it wasn't in his nature to be inherently evil.

Aris remained sitting there, his demeanor clearly changed though, his dark eyes were less intense, more sorrowful and a bit cloudy with emotion but he only stared down at his lap and the sword laying across it. She told him to go away again, but he didn't move. He wouldn't move, he couldn't bring himself to willingly abandon her. Not when he had already accepted her as a member of his flock, the others as well. She could say what she wanted to him, he could endure the verbal abuse. She was probably afraid, and just lashing out at the closest thing to her from that fear. Knowing that didn't make the sting of her words hurt any less, but still, such pain didn't matter.

((Real life always comes first Fishey! Don't apologize, I understand!))

Dahlia snorted at the others words, her ears ringing loud and buzzing. Ugh her head was killing her. "Yeah whatever....probably playing it wrong," she hissed, shifting slightly on her feet and lifting her Steed up and resting it on her shoulder. It never left her side. No one was even allowed to touch it. Her Steed was hers and hers alone. Hands down.

She tilted her head when he asked about a child and she turned, glancing down the street in the direction of the inn. A smile spread over her lips. "Dahlia O'Connor....A kid? Oh I saw one. Back in the bar back there, ya know, the one that just burned down," she said, returning her eyes to him. "Poor little thing....had to blow his head off." She had no idea, really, if any of the young in that slave pen had been his kid. None of them had looked over the age of 12 to be honest. Well...who really knew with how skinny and beaten they were.

~~~*~*~*~~~

Levi watched Lex as he moved, the other still going slow. He only looked away when he returned with the blade, the older man visibly relaxed with it returned to him. He cast a quick glance toward the storefront, eyeing the door for a split second before his gaze snapped back to his companion. Thank...you? Why....was Lex thanking him? He hadn't done anything. If anything Levi owed Lex gratitude. The man had fed him, hadn't slit his throat. Things you wouldn't expect of a stranger.

His face was spread over with his confusion at the others words, a rather comical sight in all honesty. His head was tilted with his bad eye scrunched slightly, his lip pulled up in a quizzical curve.

Why Aris was still there was beyond Jules. She hadn't even thanked him for saving her. Not once, for any of the multiple times he had and had protected her. She had intended too, initially. But that was when she had dropped her guard and lowered her walls. Why was he still there? Why would he want to save anyone who was so cold hearted?

"Why are you still here?" she snapped? "Are you stupid or something?" The tears finally flowed. "Don't you know I don't need you? I hate you." She buried her face in her hands and cried. Why wouldn't he just leave her alone?! He was making her do this, and she hated it, and she hated him for making her do it. All the while she was hating herself and hating the world. It wasn't his fault, and it wasn't her fault either. But she needed someone to blame, and she was the closest thing to her.

Later, after many, many hours of much needed sleep that had escaped her the last few days, she would realize that this verbal lashing, unleashed on the winged man, would be from the great lack of sleep and the onset of hysteria. Her body was trembling. Couldn't he just leave her to wallow in self pity? He was the mean one, and his silence was mocking.

((You should make a vampire Velvet! We could do vampy things to cause trouble for the others together ))

Christopher’s only weapon was a bow that he kept on his back. He never had been much of a hand to hand fighter, but he was a good marksman. He remained comfortably calm, on the outside at least, and didn’t draw his weapon. Speed would be more important if he had to escape. There were too many unknown variables if he got into a fight. Including the Angel and his human, and whoever else the girl had mentioned inside the mall.

“The pleasure is all mine Miss Dahlia.” He shimmied his body farther away from the creature and towards what cover could could gained from the house behind him. If she shot that weapon, whatever it was, he didn’t want to be an easy target waiting to be turned into fried chicken.

“Awwww shoot. Really?! Really… Blew off his head? Did you have to do that? This makes things so much more complicated for me.” He was to the edge of the house. If he needed to he could book it out of there.

“Are you always this, ahem, aggressive towards strangers or am I special?” He winked at her. “You aren’t exactly the type I like to have for dinner so I have no quarrel with you.”

Great, their outdated lingo was starting to rub off on him. Did he actually just say “quarrel” like some medieval vampire? He needed to get out more.

Aris remained motionless as the human spoke again. Asking him if was stupid or something still didn't get a response from him. She was still just lashing out. His wing twitched and his head remained lowered, his eyes staring at his lap and the sword laying across it. It was a fine blade, but slightly worn with use, a few nicks here and there but overall it was still very useable and more than capable of cutting down his enemies. He was only half listening to her, occupying his mind with other things. Perhaps his sword would be his only friend, the only thing he could ever truly rely on.

Something caught his attention, and he lifted his head, turning slightly to look at her. She was crying. Aris hesitated but finally stood. Slipping that sword gently into it's sheath. She would probably hate him more for this, but he didn't care. He removed that metal gauntlet from his left hand and laid it on the floor where he had been sitting. That arm was now just covered in soft fabric, a sleeve that ended under the odd piece of metal strapped around his shoulder. It was a soft but durable cloth, the same kind his pants were made from.

Aris slipped carefully onto the bed, and wrapped his arms around her. His human. He pulled her gently against his chest, his single wing coming around to also enfold her. Soft feathers brushing against her as he held to her gently. He wouldn't let her go if she tried to break away from him. She needed to cry, and it was better to cry in a gentle but protective embrace. Also, if the others came upon them, that wing effectively hid her crying form from view. Aris knew, most people didn't like being seen crying. One of his hands was running through her hair, in what he hoped to be a calming, reassuring manner.

The kids face scrunched up, head tilting in almost a parody of a confused expression. Lex's heart clenched.

Aaron...

Now it was no wonder why Lex had been so generous - Levi was the spitting image of someone he knew back at the library, before his life went to hell. He knew, though, that it couldn't be him. Everyone had died when the library was raided, burned to the ground, and he only survived because he had been outside feeding the generator when he got distracted by a vampire's attack.

There was no way anyone could've survived that - which is why his heart ached. Figures he finds the doppelganger of Aaron out here in the middle of nowhere. He held in a sigh.

The silence grew in length between Lex and Levi, the awkward tension - at least on his own side - rising. He refrained from fidgeting and instead shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"I need to find supplies. Will you come with me, or will you stay here?"

Or will you run away.

But that was left unspoken.

It wasn't until she felt the extra weight on the bed beside her that Jules realized the winged man still hadn't left. He was crazy to put up with that kind of verbal attack, and not just off her or leave her to die. She felt his gentle touch as he pulled her into his bare chest. It only made her cry harder. Salty tears ran over her soft cheeks and into her hands.

Why was he still here, why was he doing this? Because he was good. Because he cared. "Don't you know caring gets you killed?" She whispered and choked between sobs. She wouldn't pull away from him, no. She'd been about to, when she realized how comforted she was by the action. She felt his fingers in her hair. It was something her mother used to do for her, at night. They would snuggle close and she'd run her fingers through young Jules' hair. It was a comforting, caring gesture. One that said he wasn't going anywhere. She'd lost.

It was only minutes later that her sobs faded and Jules fell asleep. The exhaustion brought on by crying, by being mentally at war with herself, had finally taken her. She'd fallen asleep so soundly in the cocoon of the warm chest and soft feathers. She wouldn't dream though. She never dreamed anymore, though she didn't know why. She'd been holding herself with one arm and wiping at her tears with the other. Now they fell heavily into their laps.

It had been more than two days since Jules last slept. It had been two months since she'd had a full meal. Three weeks since the last time she'd slept in a real bed. More than a month and a half since she'd seen another human. It had been eight years since she'd last seen her mother. Nine since she'd seen her father, and little sister. All she had now was her lucky pack. The lucky pack that had been with her through everything, saved her from many things, kept her warm on cold nights and protected from rain. It was all she had left. That and a name. Neither of those things meant anything in this world.

If allowed it, Jules would sleep well into the next day, maybe even the evening. If she awoke before the others, if the monsters slept, she wouldn't leave. Probably not. Though, if she was still bent out of shape at herself, she just might. It was easier to be alone, so she told herself anyway. For all she knew, she'd wake and the others would have traveled on by then. She wouldn't blame the winged man for running far far away from her. The others didn't know her. Besides, she was a human. Completely useless.

Where would Jules travel then? When people asked, she lied. 'There are safe places, islands, pockets of humans. They're safe, protected by something, it's said. I'm going to find one.' It wasn't true. She didn't believe it. Even if one of those places existed, how many humans could really be there? They were on the verge of extinction. And what was protecting them? The monsters that killed them? It was a joke.

Jules was really looking for an escape. Something, anything to get her out of this life. Out of this constant traveling, constant loneliness. Maybe she was looking for one of those surgeons, or a monster who could change her. No, she wouldn't admit those things though. She wasn't sure they were true anyway. None of them were they?

"Yep," Dahlia chirped, lifting her free hand and placing one finger against her temple, shaped in the mockery of a gun, jerking her wrist slightly to make it appear as if she had fired. "Right off. Had to. Poor little guy was starving." Her voice was almost sad, almost mockingly so. She watched him, lowering her arm, her eye twitching. Her ears were still ringing and his voice wasn't helping. Pup was a vampire. She could tell by his mannerisms let alone his pronounced canines.

She snorted at his question, licking her lips. "I try not to be. But you know how it is....head starts hurting, ears start ringing because some disgusting little welp decided to play his violin at some ungodly hour....enough to drive anyone crazy, really. Just thought I'd come out here and yell at the whippersnapper who decided to blast his music while this old bag was trying to sleep. Besides boy....you wouldn't be able to handle my blood if you even tried."

~~~*~*~*~~~

Levi blinked at Lex, face going from confusion to concern. His face at twisted, shifting into an expression he didn't recognize. All he knew was that it wasn't good. Almost....sad. They stood for a few moments, the boy glancing about periodically between the door and the older man. The door concerned him. As far as he knew it was still unlocked. Unless Lex had found a way to latch it. In all his time here he had never found a way to get the lock to latch. One of the reasons he slept somewhere else.

His full attention went back to Lex, the man talking about needing to get supplies. He thought back to his little hole, perking up slightly. "I...I'll go. Kn-know this place," he said, smiling lightly. He really did know this place. In and out, every nook and cranny. He had some things hidden everywhere. Things he could share. It was the least he could do.