Belle had no interest in the doings of the others there but since she was sharing a table and some trail-mix bars with the man across from her, she figured she might as well strike up a conversation. "Hey, Louie, was it? A penny for your thoughts." She flashed him what she hoped to be an encouraging and friendly smile; she had finished her trail-mix bar by this point and was just sipping water out of her canteen idly.

Sarah

”It‘ alright not to know your age, sometimes I wonder if I know mine… Do you know what you are? I‘m curious” She responded with a chuckle. She lost track of her age now and then so could never be sure. She shrugged softly, looking at the food she was preparing but not really seeing it. She was seeing years stretch out before her, years that were good and bad. Once the food was completed she’d begin sitting it before Rasah, none for herself being she could not eat solid food.

Krinn jumped only slightly. Clearly startled when that hand was placed on his shoulder. Startled because he hadn't really been paying attention to anything around him. Such a thing, it should not have startled him at all. Slowly, he tore his gaze from the apparition, his hand dropping to hang at his side. Krinn's shoulder's slumped, Krinn now looked like one who had been beaten down often, and that this. This was just added to that list of beatings. He was used to defeat. But not like this. His gaze landed on the one trying to comfort him. "...I..I understand..." He mumbled the words softly. He did understand, but honestly, it didn't really make this any better for him.

The tears were still flowing. Still falling. Would they ever stop? Perhaps not. Krinn looked fromt he one trying to comfort him and back to the apparition. "...I should savor this...not be saddened or hurt by it. I should savor it, because I've known for a very long time that I would never see him again....but there he is...Not really him...but his appearance." His voice was still breaking a bit, and only a whisper. As if he were trying to really convince himself that he should savor the sight of his missing lover. Mostly Krinn just sounded slightly confused. He was a little confused, but mostly he was feeling very overwhelmed.

Enyali

Out of instinct she touched his face, a habit from child hood when she thought her father was crying. A familiar moisture answered her touch and she suppressed a sigh. She dropped her hand, her pale blind eyes dropping in thought. She wished she could do more and for a moment she hesitated. She could hear the pain, could hear there was no savoring. She wanted to do something…

”You should feel what you feel… the heart is not meant to be forced into what we think it should be. I‘m sorry.” She said quietly, shaking her head. She dropped her hands to her sides, shrugging helplessly. She was unsure what to do. She finally hugged him in the way a child might, being naïve and not really knowing how strange it looked or that he might feel she was not the man that she seemed to be. She then let go, stepping back.

When that hand went to touch his face, he closed his eyes. He didn't move, he let the person touch him. He was quiet though, not saying anything at all now, when that person hugged him, Krinn let himself be hugged. He put his arms around the woman. For that's what this person was, despite the manly clothing and callused hands. It was undeniable after being hugged. Though still, he should have known just from her scent. But Krinn hadn't been paying attention to anything. When she hugged him, a soft whimper escaped his throat. A whimper that could be described as more canine than human.

When she stepped back, Krinn almost didn't let her. His arms around her and holding her close to him for a moment. The comfort, no one had comforted him for a long time, for a long time he had bore his pain all on his own. To be comforted, it felt good. Like the weight was being partially lifted from him. He did let her go though, and that weight came crashing back down upon him. He shook his head and put his hands to his face. Wiping at the tears, trying to stop them. Trying to get rid of them. "...I don't like feeling what I feel...especially right now.." His voice remained a broken whisper.

Enyali

As she felt him cling to her she was surprised, and like a child she reached forward to hug him again. It was all she could do so it is what she would do. She patted his back like her father had hers when she was a little girl, frowning to the floor. She knew what it was like to have feelings you didn’t want, haunted by her own history.

”I’m sorry…” She said quietly, simply holding him. She was to innocent to think anything of holding a stranger, man or woman. She thought only of comforting him. That whimper… it reminded her of the animals she’d always been able to be close to and trust. That same raw emotion…. It made her heart ache.

When she hugged him again, he clung to her. Hiding his face against her shoulder. It felt so good, to be held. Another whimper left his throat. One day, he wouldn't be able to hug someone like this. One day his human body would be out of his reach and he would be trapped in that of a wolf. Krinn knew he would never find his lost mate, but he would never stop searching. If he kept looking then maybe one day. Somehow he really would find him.

His face hidden against this woman, Krinn clung to her. He sniffed her neck once, nuzzling it though in a way that seemed more like a canine seeking more attention instead of in a way someone might nuzzle seeking something else. Krinn sought only the comfort. It was nice of this woman to hug him. Krinn clung to her for a few moments longer, his tears finally stopping. When they did, he pulled back slowly. Trying hard to not look at the apparition.

Rasah brightened as the smell of the food filled the room. "I'm a dragon! Can't you tell?" she said happily. "I was born in a great big desert, with lots of cliffs and mountains around it. it was more pebbly than sandy in places, and there was a great big road that went through! People sometimes came on the road, and they had great big carts of stuff! My family never let me get close, though. They said it was too dangerous." The entire time Rasah explained where she lived, she was waving her arms about and trying to emphasize just how big everything was.
'Quite a place to have grown up. Do you remember where this was?' Sunspot asked, curled comfortably in the corner, no longer worrying about Sarah hurting his charge.
"I don't really, sorry, Sunspot," she replied, forgetting that most people can't hear the wolf-speak.

Enyali

Perhaps any other woman would have taken it personally, found the nuzzling flirtatious but En didn’t have the experience too. She thought of it like you would a wolf nuzzling you, having really only spent time with her father and animals. She continued to stroke his back, simply frowning at the ground. He said nothing so didn’t either. She simply was relieved as he ceased his tears and letting him go as he pulled away. She gave him one more pat of his shoulder then moved to lean against the wall with her hands in the pocket of her coat once more.

Sarah

She nodded absently as she listened, though it surprised her. The few dragons she’d met had always chosen to stay in dragon form, wanting to impress her with their sheer size. She looked so small, so frail, she did not seem like a true warrior and even dragons who should know better often seemed to think her easy to scare. She had not been sure if their ability to turn into a human like form had been sheer myth or not, know she knew…

”So you can speak with him… It does sound like you grew in a pleasant place though I doubt I would like the sun.. Why did you leave?” She chuckled softly, touching her own skin in thought. She was a day walker, yes, and had always been but that did not mean the sun did not bother her. She was still sickened and weakened by it, simply not burned. She accordingly stayed near forests where she could count on the sun to be low.

"Well, after a while, all the old ones said that we had to go to sleep," the girl said, lowering her arms and swinging her long legs. "So we all went to sleep, for a long time, I think, because everything was so different when I woke up. No one else woke up, though... at least not that I know. But there was something that said I had to go, so I did. Then I met my Mommy, she's not the same kind of dragon as me, and she took care of me. The wolves were hers, kinda, and Sunspot decided to protect me when Mommy couldn't. Then Mommy had kids of her own, and we talked, and Sunspot and I left. We've been wandering together for a while, now." It was clear that she had no real sense of time.
'It's really been that long? I must be truly old, but don't feel as if I am...' Sunspot set his head on his paws, contemplating the amount of time the young one had been young.

Sarah

”That must be very lonely… a child should not be without their mother…” Sarah said quietly, the ancient vampiress’ mask slipping to be replaced with simple concern. Also in her eyes was the tiniest glint of grief, memories long past floating into her head. She unconsciously touched her stomach but quickly pushed it away, forcing her mask back into place. She gave Rasah a smile and reached out to touch her hand and then motion at the food.

”Is it alright? I could not taste it to make sure…” She said quietly, tilting her head to the side. As a vampire she could never make sure the spices were just so and that always bothered her. True she was still a wonderful cook but she knew she was not as good as she would have been if she could taste it like she had as a human.

Haven balked at the man's show of emotion, able to do nothing but look apologetic. It really had no idea what to do, on one had ever reacted this badly before. It said nothing, turning away from the man as he was comforted by another guest, feeling overwhelmed by it all. Haven itself had no true emotion, it could only mimic what it saw through the years, and sometimes it did not know what emotion is best when, and now was one of those times. It stepped back from the two, head down as it contemplated no longer showing itself to the grieving man.

------------------------------------

Haven smiled at the dragoness "Haven is my name, and I assure you both, no one will hurt you here." it said, a strange, but still warm smile on it's face. Yes, Haven was quite sure that no one would fall to any harm by another's hand. It had unique ways of making sure of that.

Barely after those words had left haven's mouth, the wolf turned and began to growl at the vampress that approached. Haven narrowed it's eyes, but said nothing as the little girl corrected her companion., the two of them following the woman to the kitchen.


Louie blinked and looked up at Belle as she spoke, her voice breaking him from his thoughts. "Oh, sorry... I was just thinking on Haven and the Fae. It's all quite baffling.... and concerning, really." he said, looking to the distraught man and the one comforting him.

((Sorry for my lack of posting and the bad quality, I'm having trouble writing tonight. :/ ))

Rasah smiled taking a big bite of the dish in front of her. "Oh, it's great! And I'm not lonely, Sunspot takes care of me, he's even teaching me how to hunt!" she said enthusiastically, getting another big fork-full.
'Don't talk with your mouth full, you'll spray food everywhere,' the wolf said, sniffing the air. 'That smells much too hot for me, I don't know how you can stand it.'

Sarah

”How.. Nice. You shall not have to hunt here though.. I will cook for you” She said quietly, managing a smile at Rasah and trying to ignore the thought that a kid shouldn’t have to hunt. She was not her mother, she was no one’s mother and she was being a fool. She couldn’t help but stay attached to children all while trying to keep her distance. It was a strange balance, a pointless dance as emotion fought logic.

"Thank you!" Rasah exclaimed, finishing off the last of the food on the plate. "It was really really tasty, you're a good cook!"
'You have bits of food all down your dress, clean up some before going back into the other room,' Sunspot said, sniffing disdainfully from his corner before standing. He trotted up to the pair, pretty much ignoring the vampress. 'Have her help, I don't have hands.'

Sarah

”I‘m glad you liked it…perhaps I should help you..” She laughed slightly as she glanced at the girls dress. She too ignored Sunspot, having no use for the creature. You were either a child, a blood donor, or nothing at all as far as Sarah was concerned. It was not that she was cruel, merely that it was easier to think that way for her. It kept her sane..

She stepped forward, taking up a napkin and beginning to clean Rasah’s dress absently. She didn’t really look at anyone, simply in her own thoughts. She was being too motherly she knew, she needed to step back… but she couldn’t stop herself.

Krinn gave the woman a brief, appreciative look before he turned towards the apparition. The thing had turned from him. Out of shame or just a desire to hurt him less? Krinn wasn't sure, nor did he care. The pain was still there, of course. It would always be there, but perhaps. Just for a little while, he could pretend. Krinn surged forward quickly, gently he caught the apparition from behind, his arms slipping around it's waist, and his chin resting on it's shoulder so they were cheek to cheek. He inhaled deeply.

Krinn had closed his eyes, now they opened. The scent wasn't right. He had expected that though, but still, he had hoped that maybe this really could be his lost love. "...Is it alright...if I hold you a while and pretend?" Krinn's voice a whisper, his words barely held together by a shaking voice. No doubt this apparition would think him crazy. It probably wasn't a good idea, but right now Krinn really didn't care.

Belle followed his gaze and then nodded. "Yeah, I think I know what you mean." There wasn't a whole lot left in her canteen by now; she took one last sip from it before tightening the lid down and putting it away, back into her pack that rest against the table they sat at. "So you believe in the Fae?" Belle looked a little uncomfortable as she asked this. "I'm not hearing things - she really did say 'fae,' right?"

Claire clutched her pack warily as she trudged trough the forest. The young woman's green eyes searched for a place to stay, and escape, in order to evade the night. Branches rustled in the breeze, making the inadequately clothed woman shiver. She hadn't bothered changing from her nightgown, hadn't even been given the chance as a Seeker had come to hunt her down. Her magic wasn't yet strong enough to kill one of those abominable things, and so she had been forced to run away.

Crossing worlds from time to time, knowing that one was always chased... Claire let out a long sigh. Suddenly a loud gasp left her as she stumbled to the ground. Things flew from her pack. "Of course!" The loud exclamation was cut short as a howl, like that of someone dying, ripped trough the night. The Seekers were on the prowl. Struggling to stand in unshod feet, the brunette stumbled forward towards a light seen from the corner of her eye.

Before long she had reached a comforting path, nothing like the forest she'd been traveling before. Shoulders sagging in relief, the young woman smiled for the first time in a while. A warm feeling pervaded the air, and joyous laughter could barely be heard. Without hesitation or knocking, she opened the door of the Inn which had materialized just when it was needed. Stepping inside Claire finally allowed herself to relax, if only a little.

((Konban wa, Pap ^^ ))

Haven let out a gasp as it was grabbed by Krinn, stiffening for a moment as it was hugged. It quickly relaxed though, eyes softening and almost seeming wet as he spoke softly. Haven hesitantly wrapped it's arms around the man in response, gently holding him. "Yes.... Yes, as long as you need to. It is the least I can do." it said, voice barely a whisper. It knew it had no heart to give the man, but it felt shame for what it had caused, regardless of whether or not it could control it. No, it had no heart to give, but it could comfort Krinn as long as he was here.

---------------------------------------------------

As Claire stepped into the inn, Haven stepped forward to greet her warmly. "Hello and welcome, I am Gaia's Haven." It said as it looked her up and down, it's smile becoming a look of concern as it saw her dirtied and under-dressed state. "Dear, are you alright? Please, come sit down." It said, gesturing towards one of the chairs nearby.


Louie couldn't help but smile at Belle, his eyes shining with a bit of laughter. "Yes, yes he did and I do believe in them, they are all around us, after all. They live in every puff of wind, each lake and pond, all the fields and forests. They have been here long before humans built their cities and streets." he said, actually looking over to an elemental that had made itself quite comfortable on the table next to him. Despite his heritage, he had a close connection with the fae and had always been able to see them. They were often his only playmates as a child.

She stiffened in her seat and started to frown; she couldn't yet decide if Louie was laughing at her or not but it was obvious that he was amused with her question. Hrmph, well then. It seemed like she was the only "normal" person present - the others who weren't obviously non-human seemed to have accepted this place and its odd guests without any qualms. Why then was she having such a difficult time with it? Because it just wasn't.. right. Somehow.

"You act as if it's so matter of fact - that it couldn't possibly be doubted. Why is that?" Her curiosity won out over her momentary anger and Belle leaned forward to put her elbows on the table with her head resting on top of her hands. It seemed that Louie had her rapt attention.

Krinn clung to the apparition. He held tightly as he hugged it, hiding his face in the crook of the apparition's neck for a few moments. It wasn't the same. It was so very different, even if it did look exactly like Vega. For the moment that was alright, then slowly Krinn had pulled away. "...I'm sorry. You caught me by such surprise. Usually I am much more composed." He whispered lightly, his voice still sounding rather low and broken. He sounded almost, defeated. "It hurts, but it's still nice to look upon his face." Krinn reached out and gently brushed his fingers against the apparition's cheek before he pulled his hand away and turned, his appetite for food was gone, but he was thirsty. Krinn gently made his way to an unoccupied table and sat down. He put his arms on the table and his head on his arms.

Louie's face fell a bit as he saw the the anger cross Belle's face. He was very suddenly unsure of himself again, dropping his eyes to the table, looking up only when she spoke. He blinked a few times and fidgeted with his hands before he answered. "I, er... well, you see I...." he stumbled over his words, his face flushing slightly as he tried to explain himself. Finally he took a deep breath to calm himself, thinking before he spoke. "You may think of me as odd for saying this but, I have always seen them... I-I can also see other energies, like auras and spirits." he said, voice even, though a bit soft.



Haven smiled apologetically. "You do not have to apologize, I do not blame you for acting as you have...." it said as he walked off. It was tempted to follow him, and aid him in anything he needed, but it hesitated, unsure of whether doing so would help or harm the man more.

Krinn had half expected the apparition to follow him, but he wasn't surprised when it left him alone. He didn't blame it either. He didn't blame it for looking like his lost love and he didn't blame it for not acting like the man it looked like. It wasn't the apparition's fault. Perhaps if he concentrated on something else, the apparition would change? Somehow, that thought frightened Krinn. His lover was lost, most likely dead, but he didn't want to give up. Frowning, he sat up and turned slightly to watch the apparition. Part of him wanted to pick the apparition up and carry him off to a bed room. Part of him wanted to get lost in despair, he was fighting that part and felt himself slowly losing. A gentle sigh escaped his lips. What was he supposed to do in a situation like this? He could leave. Of course. Somehow, he really didn't want to. His heart ached. "..I don't..know what to do.." He whispered those words to no one really. His eyes watching the apparition's every move.

Haven stood uncertain, still torn between going to Krinn and just simply vanishing from his sight. When it heard the whisper, however, it turned and slowly walked to him. "If there is anything I can do for you, anything you need... I wish to help if you will allow. It hurts me to see you like this... this is a place of peace and contentment and I must work my hardest to make it so." it said, gently placing a hand on his shoulder.


(( Sorry Staria, I lied XD I just can't think of who else I can bring in properly.))

A dark form moved from it's place at the top if the stairs, stretching to stand at a height that towers over most. He had been sitting silently there for some time, watching and listening to the movement below, dark eyes making sure to remember each face. He let out a sigh and leaned on the wall, crossing his arms over his chest. He hated the prospect of going down there, especially since he could sense there was a half and a full vampire, but his stomach felt like it had started to eat his other organs. He frowned again as it gurgled, and almost glared at it as he muttered under his breath. Maybe he should just go out hunting....