Don't scare me like that!

[Brandon Blackwing]

Day 55 of Summer 515AV
Brandon's Room

The bat was sound asleep. Well, as sound as he could after what he'd been through. So he was actually slumbering very lightly, his mind staying close to the edge of the waking and dream worlds. But, he was asleep. His body needed rest, and so did his mind; the latter probably even more than the former. Twenty days he had spent trapped in the Inclement Weather. Twenty days of distrust, of being on guard both awake and asleep. Sure, he hadn't doubted he'd survive for even a chime, but that did not mean he had been able to just lay back, relax and wait to be rescued. No, he'd somehow managed to piss people off right of the bat, and well, he hadn't felt safe ever since.

During those long, hot and exhausting days, Brandon had slept only in brief periods of about fifteen chimes, twenty at most, spread throughout the day or night. He hadn't slept well though, even though he probably slept just as much as he'd have in a more usual situation. While Brandon had always been a relatively light sleeper; the days spent down in the Inclement had raised it to a whole new level. If not he'd probably have been stabbed in the back while sleeping, so it was a good thing. But, it had also cost him; his body had felt rested, but his mind hadn't. Paranoia had kicked in, and still was not letting go. Trust had been thrown out of the window; he'd have barricaded his door if he'd had the materials to do so, but moving a whole closet was too much for him, and the table was too low and not heavy enough.

In the end, Brandon had taken to sleeping on the ceiling. One of the good things about that miserable period in the Inclement was that he had had enough time to think, and his fears had been confronted and dealt with. The nightmares had stopped, and once more Brandon could enjoy shifting to his other form. He'd even been planning to go on a flight within a couple days, when he'd caught up with his lack of good sleep. That too had been decided down in the Inclement. However, it wasn't going to happen just yet, so for now, he would hole up in his room and rest as much as possible. On the ceiling, in bat form, just above the door. With a roll of blankets lying in his bed, covered by another blanket, to give the illusion someone was asleep there. Like heck he'd sleep in an obvious spot like that in a room with no lock on the door, and no way to barricade it!

His rest however, was soon disturbed by noises coming from below; footsteps, the quiet creaking of the door's hinges, the knob turning,... His mind brought him back to the world of the waking immediately, though Brandon still wasn't entirely awake just yet. His body acted though, more on instinct than anything else. His claws relinquished their grip on the ceiling, sending him to fall down, though he shifted his position in mid air, to land with his feet down, much like a cat. He shifted too, instantly, touching down on the floor in a flash of light as bright as Syna herself. Brandon landed just behind the intruder, blocking the path to the door. The dagger hanging from a nail on the wall was reached for as the bat pulled the person who'd just stepped through the door into a choke hold, elbow around neck. The blade was placed on the throat of the intruder then, his arm pushing their chin up, exposing the soft flesh of the throat below.

“You messed with the wrong-”, it was then that something clicked in his head, and Brandon finally snapped wholly awake, recognizing the scent that'd been concealed by the veil of his half-awakened mind. Quickly he released her from his hold, lowering his blade and turning around to sheathe it again. “Damn it Dru! Don't scare me like that, I could have killed you! At least knock when you know I just got back from a place where people try to murder you in your sleep.” He sighed, still blocking the doorway, checking if the door was closed, then turned around. “So, what did you want?”

Credit goes to Nyxie Nadira Draer

[Drusilla]

The day she had toppled the cage it happened. Maybe some god had been giving her a foreshadow that something would happen to Brandon. Or maybe this feeling of, 'I should have seen this coming' came from the way Turrin had causally almost playfully told her not to die that day. Although the morning sickness had been bad... She hadn't really put much thought into those words until thing went wrong. Or at least until she found out things had gone wrong. The Endal was absent from his aeries for a few days before Drusilla had put any real concern to his well being. Turrin did as he pleased, disappearing for long periods of time and then showing up like nothing happened. The lack of communication with her Kelvic friend was also not odd to the Symenestra. There had been a fight between them and obviously neither were the bigger person to go and say sorry. So the silent days went on without end until the announcement was made. People were trapped, some injured and some well... had been unlucky... Suddenly a whole new set of fears and worries took over the Symenestra mind. The death or injury of those close to her, it made her stomach hurt in ways she never knew it could. While most trapped were Endals... Brandon wasn't.... And despite him being a devious little petcher (not to mention his ability to rub people the wrong way) he was an underdog in this situation. There would be ego flexing among the Endals, and all Drusilla could hope was that the bat used his head. He had to make it. Or so she had decided, even telling Dira in prayer that he would. Drusilla had to figure out a way to end this fight and find the right words to say to him. She had to tell him things and learn things from the Kelvic before Dira could even start to think of owning the bat. Twenty days... They had been trapped for twenty days, and of course upon rescue only Avora and higher were held in the Infirmary, which was in chaos as the Symenestra made one of her final stops on the list. The medics reminded her of what was said to happen if a chicken was beheaded, while she had never seen a headless chicken giving that birds were sacred... She could picture it though. Fine. If they were too busy she'd just help herself, like all the other Avora and Endal did taking the rugberry tea leaves and leaving a pinion in it's place before sneaking out so that no Endal would see her. The warrens, it felt like ages ago that this had been home. She missed it, the busyness of everything, people coming and going. With a little help from the deks she found the door she'd been looking for. She'd just sneak in and leave everything she had collected for him, maybe mend his clothes... After all he had to be fast asleep after all he had been through. It was best to just leave everything while he slept, no confrontation. No need to see me- us. Drusilla had donned one of her new dresses a pale powder blue one along with a half apron. He had gotten mad about her pregnancy right? Best he be asleep. She quietly opened the door ajar a slipped through as stealthily as she could. The room gave off a smell that simply was Brandon and strangely enough the spider found it comforting in a way. There was someone in the bed, good he was getting some rest- An arm wrapped itself around her neck and she soon felt the cold of a blade poking at her throat. Acceptance. Much like when Azira had gone to hit her, the Symenestra accepted her fate quickly and silently. She closed her eyes. The irony that would be her death... Bringing aid to and injured friend just to be killed by them. Brandon hissed at her in common and then, let her go. He hadn't known it was her? Who had he been expecting? Or did he greet everyone this way? She slid down onto her knees, holding her throat. He had spoken in common and still in shock the Symenestra responded in said tongue, even if her accent and word usage were horrendous. "To not be killed is something I would like, yes. It seems I did not knock so not to wake you, as you must be much exhausted. Sneak in and leave behind many things. Food, water, medicine, clothes, yes? It also seems that I was worried and wanted to see..." Her hormones were telling her to cry. "Not be seen like this by you, we seem to be in a fight. Upset that I am carrying your baby, yes? And not by another woman... I am not good enough."

[Brandon Blackwing]

The symenestra had sunken down on her knees as Brandon turned back. Obviously, Dru was shocked; all strength seemed to have left her as she just sat there. Well, no surprise; anyone would if they were in the same situation… She spoke then, with a horrible accent that made Brandon wonder why she wasn’t using Symenos to communicate. That was what they usually did, right? Maybe she’d thought it best to speak in Common? Perhaps because Brandon himself had used the language as well. Oh, he had? The Kelvic hadn’t really realized; speaking a different tongue when in a state of upheaval did not come naturally.

Brandon sighed upon hearing her words, understanding just barely what she was trying to say, both because of her accent, and the fumbling for words. Slowly he made his way towards the small table, thinking he’d find a candle there he could light, but he did not find it. He did not bother to search for one though, as his own eyes were naturally dark-attuned, and Dru could, being one of the usually cave-dwelling Symenestra race, see pretty well without much light. Brandon pushed his clothes of the table and sat down on it, rubbing his face with a hand.

“We were in a fight.” It was a skeptical statement, just him repeating the words Dru had uttered, but with a different intonation. “You’re still going on about that?” A sigh, a deep one. True, Dru had said some things that Brandon hadn’t found… pleasant to hear, but down in the Inclement the bat had had an eternity of time to think. And he had thought, thought about recent events, about things that had happened before Sping, during Spring, and after Spring. Being stuck down there with no friends or people he really cared about –or cared about at all, in most cases- really had put things in perspective.

“Listen, I have been stuck in a hot, stinking room for twenty days. I have seen people be killed, I have killed people, I have eaten people, I have seen people turn on people. I have seen people lose hope, I’ve seen them go mad. And I’ve seen Turrin’s ugly face up close for way too long. Those were not pleasant days. But, I had other things to do than dwell on that, than to fall into despair. I knew I was going to survive, so there was no need to busy myself with questioning my fate. However, I did do other things. I had time to think, to reflect. And to forgive.” Another sigh, and Brandon scratched his head. “So, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, that ‘fight’ you are blabbering about is waaaaayyyy behind me. I don’t care about it anymore.”

He shrugged. “What I do care about though, is clearing up misunderstandings that seem to be happening. And that is that I never was angry with you for being pregnant. How could I?” What kind of stupid ass jerkface would get mad at a woman he slept with for getting pregnant? Besides, it was Brandon’s offspring. One could call it a present. A blessing. Something to be happy about indeed, especially since it was Dru who was carrying it. “So grow some self-esteem and pull yourself together.” The bat fixed his gaze on the woman, managing a grin.

“Now, you said something about food?” The Kelvic wasn’t exactly hungry, but the prospect of eating something else than human flesh was appealing to him. Very much so, and even more when he realized it was Avora food Dru would have brought, something better than his chiet-grade meals.

Credit goes to Nyxie Nadira Draer

[Drusilla]

Drusilla fumbled with her bag. "I... have been thinking too. Over twenty days... I've made revelations." From her bag she pulled some sort of stew... The Symenestra had asked for something filling, whatever it was it was not edible to her. She handed the container to Brandon. After that came amphora after amphora of water. Opening one of them, she funneled in the tea leaves and let it sit. Handing the bat a water container she looked at him, "Drink, but just sip it. As thirsty as you are... Don't guzzle the water. I took some rugberry tea leaves from the infirmary, I didn't know what sort of shape you'd be in so I took a guess. You'll need to drink that too." Standing up Drusilla pushed the blankets off the bed, "Lay down, just relax okay?" She sat at the foot of the bed. "No one is going to attack you, okay?" Reaching in her bag more surprises were pulled out a set of clothes, a small bag of candies, and an almost full bag of almonds. Drusilla had gotten hungry and nibbled on a few. Finally a candle emerged one of the scented candles she had bought that night.. She held the candles in her hand for a while quietly looking at it before using a claw to carve something in Nari on it and a set of dates. "I bought this candle and a few others the night I found you as a bat..." She lit the candle. "It feels so long ago, yet almost like it happened yesterday..." She forced a smile. "Your room is a mess... I think I'll do a bit of cleaning while I'm here, before I give you a bath and check your wounds..." Getting to her feet the Symenestra began folding blankets and stacking them on top of each other in a corner. Moving to pick up clothes, she found herself sitting and mending them until she pulled something from a pocket. "Hmm? Are these lockpicks? Someone is not getting these back for a while.." She looked at the bat. The longer she looked at him the more a smile began to form. How could she.... No she very well couldn't tell him. Or maybe... Hey Bran, I believe I am in love with you, okay?" Nari, he couldn't understand her. "Now let me wash your wounds."

[Brandon Blackwing]

The stew was good, very much so in fact, and Brandon scooped up and ate the food as quickly as he could, wolfing it down in less than a chime. Okay, maybe he had been hungry after all, or maybe it just tasted way too good after twenty days of uncooked human flesh. He sighed when it was gone, licking his lips and staring at the container disappointedly, wishing it could hold more. Next came a vial of water, one which he should absolutely not guzzle down, so Dru said. Just because she was sitting close by, Brandon decided to comply, drinking the liquid slowly. There was tea too, it seemed, but if Bran had any say in it he wouldn’t drink it anytime soon.

Dru wanted him to lie down too, but he just shook his head and stayed where he was. She could say whatever she liked. Of course it wasn’t very likely he’d be attacked in his own room, Brandon knew that, but that did not mean he shouldn’t be careful. You never knew. It wasn’t like he had expected someone to come into his room uninvited either, but he’d decided it was wisest to prepare for it anyway, and see what had happened. Small odds were odds nonetheless. As long as the probability of something happening wasn’t zero, it was foolish not to be prepared for it.

“My room is just fine,” Brandon responded, snatching a couple sweets, putting one in his mouth, chewing slowly. “It’s an organized mess, so don’t try to …,” he frowned, searching for the word, “… make it better.” Did she listen though? Nope. Not at all. Brandon suspected she was trying to cope with her emotions in that way. Or something like that. He sighed, placed himself down on his bed, leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment, then snapping back upright, eyes fixed on the door. There should be a way to lock it… His eyes searched, and they darted to a shiny object that was visible in the light of the freshly-lit candle. His nostrils twitched slightly, and Brandon stared at the burning stave of wax intensely, hoping it’d stop burning that way. It spread a scent that was way too strong; one of the reason why the bat disliked scented candles. Perfume too, actually.

He wanted to put out the flame, but it seemed those candles held a special meaning to Dru, so he didn’t. Even Brandon could be considerate if he wanted; or maybe he was just too tired to argue with the Sym about it. Who would say? He sighed once more, then fixed his gaze back on the item that had reflected the light, a nail poking out of the wood of his closet. The Kelvic pulled his second dagger from underneath his pillow and stuck the blade under the head of the nail. He then used it as a lever to pull it out further, up to the point he could garb it with his fingers and twist it out of the wood. Great. Next, Brandon walked over to the door and pushed the object into the tight space between floor and the underside of the door. He then tested whether it could still be opened or not. It was the latter, and Brandon was pleased.

Meanwhile, Dru kept going through his stuff, now fixing his bryda. Soon enough the Symenestra had found the makeshift lockpick and tension wrench he’d made back in spring, and she gazed at him with a slight frown. “No, it’s a spoon and a needle,” but his reply did not change anything, as Dru confiscated them anyway. What was he? Some sort of child? Though it wasn’t much of a problem; his eyes had seen where she’d put them anyway, he could just take them back whenever he wanted. Dru continued to stare though, which confused Bran a bit, especially so when she spoke Nari for a bit. Brandon frowned, then shrugged. “Whatever you say Dru, whatever you say.”

“Which reminds me, can you teach me some Nari while you’re busy looking at the scratches I’ve … sustained? I think it might be a good idea to know at least a thing or two. Like Hello. Or bye. Thank you. Sorry. Shykehead. Petcher. Those kind of things?”

Credit goes to Nyxie Nadira Draer

[Drusilla]

Drusilla smiled at the bat, "Was the food any good? I wasn't sure what foods you liked..." She paused for a moment trying to think of how to ask or if to ask at all. "Umm... W-what are your favorite foods? I-I'm just curious, is all... As I can't eat most human foods so I have no idea how most things taste." Good! Good! That made it sound more like pure curiosity than actual interest of knowing his likes. Whatever it was he enjoyed, she'd learn to cook it. No matter the level of difficulty or how many times she failed. She'd learn. Keeping a close eye on the amount of water Brandon was drinking and how fast she handed him the jug containing the medicinal tea. "Try and get some of this down too. No doubt your body is sore and achy, this should help. Now let me check something. May I borrow your arm? I can really check using any part of you but this is the easiest way." She took his arm and pinched his skin with her fingers; which was harder than it looked with her claws in the way. Watching how his skin reacted she pinched him again, "Look, see how slowly your skin returns to normal after I pinch it? That's not good. Watch when I do it to myself." The Symenestra held out her own arm and gave it a pinch. Her skin quickly bounced back from being pulled away. "See? Your body is lacking a large amount of fluids. But replenishing them by guzzling water can have negative effects too. So steadily sipping water, juice, and tea is the safest route to go. Plus I kinda stole that tea... By kinda I mean I was going to take it but felt bad so I left some money. I guess...I used my Avora discount." "Y-you should of known I'd come an check on you, y'know? I mean how could I not... Twenty days... I was so worried. But I kept stubbornly telling Lady Dira she couldn't have you... Because the last time I saw you we fought, plus I told her I had to tell him something important... And she didn't take you, whether my stubbornness had anything to do with it is yet to be seen." She wiped her eyes as if nothing had happened. "Look I just folded the blankets to make more room, if it bugs you that much when I leave just toss them about your room." Resuming her sewing she sat on the pile of blankets, she began to hum several times only to catch herself and stop. "I apologize, I normally sing when I mend clothes outside the gallery, but I know you aren't fond of my singing." Looking up Drusilla caught Brandon giving the lit candle nothing short of death glares. It took a tick to know why, "Oh, sorry I didn't think you'd find the scent that strong. Sorry." With that the Symenestra licked her thumb and snuffed the candle out with her fingers. Silence followed the dark that came after the candle was extinguished and Drusilla continued to mend the bat's clothes. Looking up from a finish item she found Brandon trying to wedge a nail under his door. "Brandon, what are you doing?" She watched him and once finished with his work Drusilla nodded to herself, "See now I'm going to need a lockpick or something to get in here..... More reason for me to keep yours. Besides, you made this one too well. Meaning you've done this before. I'm sure you can make another one. Now, where do you want me to put your clothes when they're done and do you want me to put the set I brought you there along with the others?" A slight chuckle came from Drusilla, "You have no idea what I just said. But you're fine with it." She shook her head with a smile and got to her feet and sat next to Brandon on the bed. Dipping a cloth in the water, she slowly began to wash the bat's cuts and bruises gently as possible. "Alright let's start simple with greetings, okay? 'Hello' or a shortened 'hi' works for lower castes and for those you don't need to be formal with. If you were to address an Endal or a highly respected Avora a much more formal, 'Greetings' or 'Good Day' is best. Understand so far?"

[Brandon Blackwing]

The bat just sat quietly as Dru started to clean his ‘wounds’ with some sort of damp rag. They were but minor; some small cuts, some scraped off skin, some bruises, but nothing serious. Why she was worried about them was a mystery, but well, Bran had to admit his knowledge of medicine was limited. For a bit he just let what the Symenestra said before sink in, only picking up half of what she said later; the chirps in Nari still reaching him however. Though; while he had asked to be taught, he did not emerge himself in the lesson just yet, instead choosing to respond to her earlier statements.

“I don’t think Dira listened to you though. She doesn’t really care about who you are. She does what she has to do, no compromises, no negotiations. I mean, everyone dies. Whether you are dek or endal.” Brandon thought it better to put in in Wind Reach terms for the Sym, seeing as she’d lived here a huge part of her life. “But, no-one dies at the same moment. You die when your time has come, if not, you’ll survive. I don’t know when my time is, but I knew it wasn’t just yet.” The Kelvic stared at the ceiling for a couple ticks in silence.

“Dira told me there was someone I would meet again, and I don’t doubt her words. I haven’t met him yet, so that means I won’t die. Maybe I’ll be killed when I meet him, but…” Dira had said something that like “do you think you know your time better than me?” Which would imply he wouldn’t die then either, would he survive? Maybe. One thing was certain; as soon as he met Biran again, there would be no certainty about his survival anymore. Brandon wasn’t sure whether that was a good thing or not. He sighed. Things never were simple.

Brandon stared at Dru for a tick, remembering she’d started to tutor him, and he did his best to recall the sounds she’d made, though they hadn’t stuck around in his brain. “Heelou?” It sounded really, really bad, so that probably wasn’t it. But well, if his attention wasn’t there, it was hard to learn things. “Can you repeat it? Ah, but first I’ll tell you about food. I pondered on it for a bit,” Brandon said, pinching his skill absentmindedly, watching it slowly return to its usual state. Dehydration eh? Well, there had been only so much to drink. Blood, urine. The former was much more pleasant to swallow than the latter. All in all though, Brandon believed things could have been worse; he could have exited the Inclement in a much worse state.

“I don’t have a favorite dish. I’ll eat just about anything. I do have a least favorite dish though. But no, there’s isn’t really anything I prefer to eat above everything else. Depends on the situation, I guess.” He fell silent again, this time intent on listening to whatever Nari words she was going to teach him. Brandon’s problems with languages wasn’t pronunciation though –at least not usually- but more the usage and meaning of the words. Mimicking the sounds was easy, knowing what they meant was not. In the meantime, Brandon waited for an opportunity; for the moment Dru would turn away to dip the cloth she was using to wash his wounds back in the bowl of water.

When it came, he seized the moment; his skin might be not as supple as it should be, but his fingers hadn’t lost their nimbleness and light touch at all. His hand slipped into the pocket where she’d put the tools Brandon wanted returned, fishing them out of it swiftly and lightly. She’d never notice. His hand withdrew immediately after his success, hiding the makeshift tools under the sheet of his mattress. It only took a tick or two at most. No, Brandon still hadn’t lost his edge.

Credit goes to Nyxie Nadira Draer

[Drusilla]

"There must be something you enjoy eating more than anything else.." A last ditch effort to find out what the bat enjoyed. "I don't really know much about you. At least that's how I feel..." She dipped the cloth in the warm water once again and began washing off Brandon's back. She paused a ran a hand over the large scar that took up the Kelvic's back. Maybe... if she had known more or found him sooner.... This scar wouldn't exist. It was her fault. "This... It doesn't ever still hurt, does it? I'm sorry... Had I gotten the medicine sooner, perhaps it would of healed better." Gingerly Drusilla began to scrub Brandon's back. "I had to bring this water from the aeries, the baths are closed. So I've been letting people take cooled water from the aeries. And being filthy when you have injuries can lead to infections, which is why you are getting bathed." Drusilla was a little saddened by the bat's reaction. The Symenestra had begged the goddess to spare the bat, to hear him dismiss her attempts to sway the goddess. She sighed, "Yeah... I guess Dira wouldn't care about a mortal's feelings for someone else. I'm sure love means nothing to her." Drusilla didn't care care, the bat was thickheaded. She was almost certain she could outright say 'I love you' to the bat and he'd still not get it. Maybe she should just out and say it. Why not? It wasn't like things would change. "Hello, hello, hell-o," She repeated for the bat half heartedly. Dipping the cloth in the water again, she turned away. Then she felt something brush against her causing the Symenestra to jump and make a noise in surprise and fear. The bowl of watered spilling all over her dress, while she had wanted a bath this was not what she had in mind. Drusilla immediately got up from the bed as to not get it wet and second something had brushed by her, it had been slight but she had felt it. "S-something is on your bed! It brushed past me!" She fumbled with the hem of her dress nervously as she looked around. "What was it?! Where did it go?!?" She put a hand to her heart and then to her belly in concern. Once she had calmed down slightly her focus shifted to her now wet dress. A sigh escaped her, "Well I can at least take the apron off... Not that it helps much, as most of it got on the top half of my dress." It was her luck, spilling the water all over herself. But what had it been? The thing she felt? It was gone apparently or she had dreamed it up and now she was wet. Attempting to wring out her dress, she apologized. "I-I'm so sorry. I. I don't know why you put up with me." She gave a nervous laughed, "People ask me that of you. But I always have a clear reason. I'll tell you why, but first I need to know... Why me? All those time you came to the Aeries and everywhere else... Sure you were drunk sometimes, but not all the time. So. I have to ask, out of all the women you could of so easily had... Why choose to sleep with the Symenestra? I'm curious. I know how you see me... A friend with benefits...But...What I said in Nari is still true. And I might as well say it so you can understand, even if nothing changes you should know. I believe, no I know I'm in love with you, Brandon. I begged Dira for you to live just so I could tell you that." She hung her head expecting nothing in return, "If you want... I'll leave now. Just keep sipping the water, okay?" Her head still down she packed her damp apron in her bag.

[Brandon Blackwing]

Okay, maybe his edge had dulled a little bit. Whether it was because he was dehydrated, mentally exhausted or something else, he screwed up. Not in the way he was actually caught, but that Dru did feel him brush against her. To a thief of Brandon’s caliber, that was messing up. The Symenestra’s shriek startled the bat as well, though he only froze on the spot, not jumping like Dru did. He sighed deeply as he took in her words, calming his own racing heart. “It’s probably a rat or something,” the bat spoke in an attempt to calm Dru and cover up his own mistake. “There are a couple of them in here… Can’t you hear them?”

He cocked his head slightly, listening. There actually were rats inhabiting his room somewhere, and while he did find their squeaks and scattering about annoying from time to time, he had become used to it. After a while he just stopped hearing them; and sometimes he even forgot they were there. They never clambered into his bed though; but Dru did not need to know that. He shrugged and patted the spot next to him, to get her to sit down again.

“Heh,” the bat grinned at the Sym’s words, somehow having expected someone would ask her something like that. It probably was Turrin. Or Zhol maybe. Perhaps even the huntress. Her question was unexpected though, and tough to answer too. Why her? Why her indeed. He could indeed pick just about every willing girl he wanted, heck, some women at the Inclement threw themselves on top of him. Granted, those had been taking some drug, but still. He could bed just about anyone he wanted, and he actually did. Dru did not know though. Apparently she thought she was the only one. The truth was not as pretty as that. Yes, she was the only one of them he cared about, but she was not the only one he’d chosen. “I have no idea. Perhaps I just like that my life’s on the line. That one mistake could possibly end me? Maybe I just like that a kiss with you hurts. That it’s… bittersweet.”

It reminded him of Dira herself too. Maybe that was one of the reasons. But honestly, the bat did not know. He hadn’t ever asked himself that question, he just did what he did, end of story. “You are wrong though.” The statement was out before he realized it. “About how I see you.” He crossed his arms, looking the spider in the eye. “You’re a sister to me, not a friend. Well, that’s maybe worded wrong. I see you not as just a friend, but like a sister.” Yes, that was it. An older, motherly kind of sister. One that worried and meddled, but it wasn’t necessarily bad. It was annoying sometimes, yes, but it wasn’t bad. It was better than one who did not care at all.

See, she truly did love him. She even said so clearly. It wasn’t surprising though; Brandon was not stupid. His observational skills were beyond that of a humanoid race. He had seen the glances she’d shot at him. He had heard and seen her worry about him more than he liked. Of course he’d known she’d liked him, he’d had his suspicions too, that it might be more. However, Bran wasn’t able to answer those feelings. He loved her, yes, but like a sibling would. Not like a man. Or a bat. Whatever. “I knew that already Dru,” the bat smiled, “how else would you put up with me? I mean, even I wouldn’t put up with me if I didn’t love –or at least like- myself.” He grinned; it was a joke.

Nevertheless, Dru seemed a little down, and she seemed to think he’d rather be left alone. Brandon sighed. Alright then. It was obvious what she wanted to hear, her head drooping down like that. “I love you too Dru. I truly do. Just not…” he waved a hand, “…that way.” Another sigh. “Are you done cleaning my wounds already? I’ll try and give you a massage if you are?” Anything to cheer her up; a sad Dru was just painful too see. It didn’t suit her, sadness. Besides, Bran needed some practice anyway. If he ever wanted to be able to manage what he had in mind anyway. "And I need some more Nari lessons," he grinned, “I won't be able to converse with just hello.”

Credit goes to Nyxie Nadira Draer

[Drusilla]

"Rats? You seem awfully calm about them. You do know they chew holes in fabrics." Drusilla's interest was caught however. Rats meant an easy snack to her, "This might sound really strange and....gross. But. I gave you my dinner and I'm hungry myself and the little one too. The morning sickness has gone away, but I feel like my stomach is a endless pit. Umm. Would you mind... If I caught the rats, or at least one? You grew up in Kalinor around...Us. I feel comfortable eating around you... Unless you rather I didn't. I understand, it's not pleasant to see." The Symenestra was indeed hungry, even more so with the growing child inside of her. She felt she could never satisfy the child's hunger. She shook her head, "No, I don't want to get your bed wet with my dress... As I spilled that whole bowl on me! I'm soaked. As humid as it can get down here, your bed could get moldy or something." She shifted how she stood. Despite the water being warm in the bowl it had with cooled off leaving Drusilla's dress heavy and cold. She shivered slightly, and prayed Brandon hadn't noticed she was cold. Finally somehow she was coaxed back onto the bed where she sat very carefully as to not get it wet. "Yeah, you laugh over it. But I get tired of being asked how I stand your company. You have no idea how many 'He's dangerous Dru,' speeches Turrin has given me. 'Brandon did this. Brandon did that. Brandon threw a fit at the market. Brandon's trying to make me look bad.' So for the sake of my ears and sanity... Please, don't throw a fit at the market again." She rubbed her temples and groaned at the thought of the lectures. "He wouldn't let me see that crazy head he brought home from the market either!" Drusilla made a face, she tried to control her venom with Brandon. "You should know better! I'd never hurt you...I'd never forgive myself." She made a sad face,"I... my fangs... I wish I didn't have them. Because I do hurt you, even with all my willpower and thought focused on control... Maybe you shouldn't kiss me anymore, no matter how hard I try it's always going to end up like that... And, I know there must be other women. But, you still come back..." She looked away and sighed. "A sister once again..." Drusilla mumbled to herself. Maybe she should of just gotten used to the loneliness of the Aeries. That was the smart choice, the stable one. But, being alone in the Aeries was... Unbearable. Better to follow one's heart, right? Even if your heart made bad decisions. "You don't need to say that. It's fine. Like I said, it wouldn't change anything. I just needed to say it. I guess that's why I was so upset, that one day. The day I told you about..." She cradled her stomach. "I guess I just wanted you to be excited or have some reaction other than a simple 'oh'." She kept her eyes on the small pudge of her stomach. "My dress doesn't fit anymore and I don't like wearing my Inarta clothes. So maternity dresses. I worry showing that much skin might chill the baby or something weird like that." She looked at Brandon, "Your mother's name is Lethia, right? I'd like to use it in it's name if it's a girl." The Symenestra was slighty confused, "A-a massage? I just said my dress is wet... Plus the only massages I've ever had I've been naked at the Lady... I.. Well you have seen me naked plenty of times. I'm just... a bit nervous.. My body is changing." She forced a smile. "I guess it's your fault anyway... So... Okay?"