PM to join Night Watchers ( Isolde Seibold )

[Kyra]

Timestamp: 20th of Summer 513 AV

Kyra once again found herself wandering into the Stone Gardens. It was rare that she ever visited the park, and having no real reason to, it only happened by chance. The place was always calming and peaceful, showing the respect for the dead. It was said that some even came there to meditate and push away from the noisy city around them. At night, there was a serene almost eerie silence in the garden, and with the absence of light, the place became a maze for those with human eyes.

On this night, there was a different reason for the kelvic to make an appearance inside the garden. She was being followed, but by who she didn't know. It was a dangerous job being a spy, and in a city so crowded and with so many connections, things were easily leaked and overheard. She hadn't been a spy for very long, and it possible that the fault behind her current situation lied with her lack of skill. Even so, Kyra slipped into the garden hoping to lure her stalker in with her. It was best to take care of the problem and fast. She didn't know what they were after or if they intended to harm her..or worse.

The young kelvic stepped lightly and made her way to the center of the courtyard area where the fountain stood and waited. She could hear him coming, his foot steps thumping against the gravel below his boots. She could also sense the tension in the air, and it grew more wary as he came closer. He was nervous, or possibly overly excited for the job that he was sent to do. Kyra didn't move, or even let on that she knew that he crept up behind her. The kelvic's eyes stared ahead, her body calm and relaxed.

It was a warm night in the city, relieving her of the need of a cloak. The blouse that she wore showed pale in Leth's glow, and the belt that hugged her slender hips appeared almost a part of the skirt that swayed gently across her thighs, whenever a cool wind would blow. There was also a dagger sheathed at her belt, and another tucked inside her right boot. Kyra continued to breath easily, keeping her heart beat calm, and her body loose in case something were to happen. Whatever this guy wanted..it would be an interesting night.

The man that had been following her, was actually a woman, though one couldn't tell from a quick glance. Her features were rough, muscular build, and she stood almost at six feet in length. She had been shadowing the kelvic for sometime, and had thought that she had gone unnoticed. However, once Kyra suddenly slipped into the garden, she knew that the kelvic was onto her. The woman stepped inside the garden clothed in leather armor and her own hand lightly stroking the handle of her dagger. "Are you the one called Kyra?"

[Isolde Seibold]

The Nuit had never visited the Stone Gardens before. It was the air of death and silence and... stillness that the place held that had kept her away. Of serenity and of souls gone to peace knowing that they would be rewarded in the next life for their hard work, for their sense of duty and justice and the sacrifice that they had made. It was too... quiet, too meditative of the significance of mortality for one who was supposed to be dead; for someone who was dead, indeed. Just not dead the way people were intended to be.

No, she wouldn't have considered coming here. But... there was no other place she could immediately think of that might remain safe for her at night, away from crowds and light and noise, for she desperately needed to be alone. She had already tried calming herself in that grey, dirty place that she had taken to calling "home"... to no avail. The Nuit's nerves were amped up and they wouldn't settle; they had been ever since training this morning. On top of the nerves, and the flinching at every little sound, and the increased paranoia --training really reminded her how petching fragile she was, as if she even needed more reminding-- she still felt a bit achy, here and there, which was not a good sign at all. Not for a body that would never heal. When her muscles were torn they would never re-knit and restrengthen, and her bruises would never fade from black to green to yellow and then disappear for good.

Perhaps working with the Myrian was a bit too much. Was it worth it? That was the panicky thought sprinting through her all day as she pounded through the city, being jostled aside by the crowd as usual, sticking to corners and edges of streets, unable to hold still... which had never once ever in the long length of her false-life been a problem for her. Her aching legs driving her to walk and walk and walk... and then walk some more, deep into the night. Aching mind that refused to stop going over the details of the spar, of the Myrian's expression, of her suppressed terror of him, that terror bleeding out as she considered it, staining those who had strayed too near to her during the day.

Yes, she was certainly wound right up, and she didn't know how to find peace of mind. She had already tried the Temple. The Nuit had almost ran screaming from the building the instant she had settled into a pew; she must've looked insane or drugged, stumbling in, sitting down, jumping up as if branded by her seat and power-walking to the door. Isolde didn't know what it had been about the place today that had been like snakes writhing under her skin; most likely it had been the young couple weeping under the stony stare of the grey, impassive, statue-gods, the woman clutching at her stomach as if it had recently held child, her husband's shoulders sagging under the burden of their shattered dreams--

Gods, the Nuit couldn't bear to think about it. She didn't want to even remember. She tried to drag the image, the sound of that broken place, from her eyes and her ears, as she stepped around the corner into the Garden. Her cool, small hands were pressed to her face, her head bowed, as she attempted to wring the memory from her mind. Her limbs were shaking from the stress of training earlier, and gods she wished their achy pain would just go away--

And then she smashed full-on into a tall, unexpected figure in the dark, stifling a scream, knocked off balance with no hope of recovery. By the time she stumbled to the ground she was already scurrying back and away, trying to put some open space between herself and the figure before her. The Nuit found her emotions mixed up; she was bristling with anger and harrowed by fear and pitifully upset. She had come here to be away from people, away from it all where the dead could rest easy-- and there was someone here already. Gods, damn it all! No, wait-- two people. In the dim light of Leth's gentle radiance, both looked to be female. The second, shorter one with the silver-blonde hair was far enough away that the Nuit couldn't read her; in the other, though, Isolde saw sudden, barely-contained fury, and a hand reach for some unknown object. She didn't want to guess at what it was, but her hands had already come to the conclusion that it was something dangerous that needed to be fended off; they stopped helping her scramble backwards across the ground and leapt for the dagger tied to her own waist, at the same time that her mouth was offering the usual helpless pleas, "I-I'm t-terribly sorry-- I d-didn't mean to-- to r-run into you-- I promise I-I'll go--"

[Kyra]

At the voiced question including her name, the young kelvic turned around and faced the woman. What she had thought at first to be male, had proven to be an error as the woman's scent came into her nose. The bulky female didn't wear perfume, but there was always a difference in smells between men and woman. But it mattered not, whoever this woman was..Kyra would treat her the same as she would any man. She stared curiously at the woman, noting her features and appearance. Very short and trimmed hair, tanned flesh, and a length in shoulder that could possibly be armor padded or the build of a muscular woman.

"I am Kyra. What do you want of me?"

The woman stared back, a smirk plastered across her lips and her eyes appearing as sunken orbs due to the shadows that looked to reshape her face. Her gloved fingers rested over the hilt of her dagger as she took another step forward and stopped again. "Are you really going to stand there so smug? You're playing a dangerous game little girl. There are many in this city that had a good thing going, and they'd like to keep it that way. They won't stand for nosy people sticking their noses where they don't belong."

Kyra listened to the woman speak, her eyes following her every move, and even to the subtle twitches in her facial features. The young kelvic had been warned that something like this might occur, should she continue with the jobs that she had been taking. However it wasn't enough to scare her away. In fact, this was one of the easier and safer jobs that she had ever gotten, and she was paid good coin for it as well.

"You must be mistaken. I am a delivery girl, that is my job. I do not know of what you speak?"

Kyra smiled innocently, pretending she had no idea what the woman was going on about. The mischievous kelvic knew why the woman was there, but what she didn't know was who had sent her. She couldn't ask this, given that by doing so she was admitting guilt. But she had to wonder, was the woman going to attack her? In the Knights garden of all places. She had to be very bold or incredibly stupid to think that she could pull that off. The woman frowned at her, not liking the fact that Kyra was playing games and gripped her dagger a bit tighter.

"A delivery girl? Ha! That's rich, tell me another one why don't you. You're in hot water now girly, and you're gonna have to try a lot harder than that."

Just as Kyra was about to retort with a very witty comment, she caught the whiff of another scent in the air. Something was close by, it smelled old and raw. The kelvic lifted her head a bit and sniffed the air again, there was something close by, coming closer and... "Watch where the petch you!" the woman yelled as she spun around to face the nuit. Kyra couldn't see the new comer as first, and had to stand on the tips of her toes and tilt her head to see over the woman's wide, manly shoulders.

For Kyra it was the first time that she had laid eyes on a nuit. Until about a season ago, she didn't even know that they existed. Any signs of nuit were lost on her, and she saw the woman as a human, but...that scent, was it hers? It smelled like...death. With the thug's eyes on the frightened woman, Kyra saw her chance to leave. She turned on her heels slightly and started to walk right passed them. Suddenly hands reached out, fingers wrapping tightly around her arm and shoulder as they pulled her back and into the arms of the thug woman.

"Where do you think you're going? We're not done here...not until you scream for me."

Kyra frowned, her bold eyes dancing with the darken, smothering pools dug deeply into the face of the woman that held her. Kyra grunted softly as she tried to pull herself free, but the woman held on tightly, even squeezing her arm to show her strength. "Release me!"

Kyra's arm free arm swayed away, reaching down to rip her dagger from her belt to defend herself. However, the moment that the woman saw the glint of light from the daggers sharp blade, she quickly pushed the kelvic's arm against her and spun her out. It appeared as a dance, the way she twirled her around, keeping her out of range from an attack. The thug held tightly to Kyra's arm, and the moment that she reached it's length she drew the girl back in, while freeing her own dagger from her belt and jabbing it out towards the girls body as she pulled her in.

Luckily for Kyra, she saw the dagger just in time, and quickly jerked her own out to clashed against it, before she found herself face to face with the woman again. "Not bad, I guess you have some skill." The thug growled, before shoving Kyra backwards.

[Isolde Seibold]

The Nuit was already feeling pretty terrible. But now this? She didn't know what was happening. The two women seemed to be angry at one another, and soon their irritation elevated into some sort of strange fight. With their attention focused on each other, that made Isolde's options quite clear: leave, the preferable choice by far, or stay. But... what would be the point in staying? What could she do? Scream at them to stop? She didn't even know why they were so intent on this peculiar fight, which had started more as a dance than anything. No, the Nuit did not want to get involved. That would be stupid, and she was already confused and upset, and achy. She couldn't take the risk to her mind or body. The Nuit turned to go. It would not be hard to disappear into the night, to run away, fast, and they would probably be too distracted by one another to give chase--

But Isolde found that her feet wouldn't move. She tried to shuffle away and only ended up resisting herself, the hesitation and torment clear in her eyes, the dismay apparent in her expression. Why couldn't she go? She had no business interrupting them. Whatever this was it was personal, none of her concern-- and still she stayed put. Something must be wrong with her. Perhaps it was the dagger lessons. Yes, she could blame it on those, on her teachers. On--

On Fallon.
That was the matter. Fallon was why she couldn't just turn her back and leave like she wanted. It was all because of petching guilt. Because of Fallon's smirk, and her striking words, It isn’t just about defending yourself but also about defending others when they need to be defended.

No matter the consequences?

In the moonlight there was a flash of steel, a clink! as blades met, and this was really escalating into something serious.
Isolde thought of how she regretted leaving that man at the Spinning Coin, how she should have stayed to help him.

No matter the consequences.

The Nuit was such an idiot. But gods, she was feeling particularly unstable tonight, with the lesson and the Temple and now this, and somehow it made her angry because she was hurting. Didn't these people know that the Nuit was hurting, she'd come here for some peace and quiet, and she didn't want anybody to fight. Not tonight. Not tonight.

So what would she do? Fight to end fighting. Gods, she was stupid.
But that was exactly what she was planning to do.

The Nuit turned and sprinted at them both, sucking in the largest breath of air she could manage. And then she screamed. Screamed out three words, hollering them at the top of her lungs, and for a wild moment she was reminded of a particularly nasty argument with Wynry, "STOP! STOP NOW!"

The bigger woman had just shoved the smaller, blonde one away... and so the Nuit focused on the big one, steering towards her as she let out her ear-shattering scream--

The woman wasn't expecting it. She flinched, turning instinctively towards the sudden, LOUD noise--

And was met with close to a hundred pounds of Nuit thrown into a tackle, ramming her shoulder into the woman's upper thighs, pushing and shoving her off balance--

The woman swiped out with her dagger as she tottered; the swing was panicked. If it had been aimed, the blade would have no doubt sliced through Isolde's face, perhaps plunging all the way through her skull.... As it was, the swing tore through the air immediately past the Nuit's cheek, there was the rip of fabric as it plunged through Isolde's hood, tearing through the material, cutting through a lock of dark hair which tumbled free--

And then the momentum caught up to them, the woman was forced backwards, and they both fell, the Nuit landing on top of the other, knocking both their breath
out--

But Isolde didn't need to breathe.

Before the other could recover, the Nuit was already scrambling across her, going for the other's dagger hand, purposefully smashing her knees hard into the woman's unprotected body as she did, jabbing them painfully into the stomach and then her sternum and throat.

Isolde stretched out her hands and grabbed the woman's wrist tightly, pinning the arm down with the weight of her body. But it wasn't long before the lady had started struggling and bucking. Isolde wrestled with her, knowing the bigger, stronger woman would soon break free--

And so she found herself gasping panicked words into the darkness. "Kick the blade from her hand, kick it-- Help me!" If the third woman could kick the dagger away, then maybe Isolde would be safe to let go, to untangle herself... and then what? The Nuit didn't know, but she did know that the longer she wrangled with this woman the more her chances of getting hurt multiplied. The third participant, the blonde girl, was her only chance of getting out of this relatively unharmed.

"Hurry--" The Nuit's voice was strained and she struggled to maintain her grip on the writhing form beneath her. "Hurry."

OOCHopefully this wasn't confusing to read. I tried to make it clear. ^^'

Silly Nuit, when are you going to learn that fights are for alive people?

[Kyra]

Kyra stumbled back after the hard shove, and had to catch herself by spinning around so that she could right herself and get her leg out to stop the backwards motion. There was a loud scream suddenly and the kelvic's eyes grew wide the moment she heard it. A cry so loud would surely be heard by others, and soon enough the Knights would come. That wasn't what she had wanted,what she wanted was to find out who had sent the thug after her. But now the woman would probably run away to escape the wrath of the Knights and she would never see her again. It was unfortunate, however, Kyra had her own well being to think about.

The city was fine with kelvics living within it's protected walls, as long as they didn't start any trouble. Doing so was a sure way to get exiled or even killed for anything that wasn't a normal human. Standing only a few feet away, she watched the struggle between the thug and the woman who had just appeared. It was a rash action, fueled by emotion and something more. Kyra could only guess that the thug had wronged this woman in some way, and she was looking for pay back.

The woman deserved her vengeance, Kyra though, and while she would have been happy to aid her.....the Knights were on their way. She could just feel it, and the last place she wanted to be was around any of those people when they were seeking justice. Still, she owed the thug woman a beating for touching her. But was it worth it, she had to wonder. If the Knights showed up and caught them, things could get very bad for her if they learned she was kelvic.

When the woman screamed again for help, the answer was obvious for her, Kyra dashed forward, but she didn't go for the dagger in the woman's hand. Instead she raced towards them, a hop and skip as she stepped over the woman's hand. The kelvic turned her boot inward, and in a quick and nasty strike, she punted the woman's head. There was a loud thump, the woman's head shook violently as it rocked and strained her neck.

Kyra stumbled forward a few feet, having to catch herself before she fell, after delivering the wicked kick. However, the kelvic wasn't done just yet. She dashed forward a second time, lifting herself up off the ground, as she propelled herself forward, landing with both feet together on the side of the woman's head. Another hard thud creeped into the night, and Kyra bounced off the woman's skull and stepped away.

She didn't turn around right away to check on the woman or even to see what damage had been done to the thug. Her golden eyes flicked green in Leth's glow, and she quickly looked around to see if they were still alone. Lifting her head, Kyra sniffed the air and suddenly turned back to the woman behind her. "We must leave here at once."

OOCNope, I understood

[Isolde Seibold]

The woman was going to work her way free. The Nuit had been strong enough to knock her to the ground --that had not taken really any skill at all, just the element of surprise and a bit of frenzied determination-- but keeping her there was turning out to be another story. The woman was strong. Gods, she was strong. Much, much stronger than Isolde. The Nuit's muscles were screaming with an acute sort of agony. That usually didn't happen. Normally there was just a bit of heat, as if the motion was warming her up, and perhaps a slight feeling of strain. Nothing like this pain that was coming over her. Training certainly had taken its toll on her body, and if she wanted to keep this one for any length of time she would have be be a lot more careful. She didn't know how long she could last, otherwise.

The woman was squirming to get up, pounding her free fist into Isolde's back as a way of defense, trying to get the Nuit to let go. She was in an awkward position, though, with the Nuit on top of her, and so her attacks weren't really hurting too badly... Until she landed a lucky punch, a quick, tough jab to the kidney, and the Nuit's world lit up with a burst of sensation from the area, the feeling white-hot and just as bright. Isolde's body rolled away without her command, desperate to avoid further pain... but she wasn't moving fast enough, and she could hear the woman scrambling to her hands and knees, the drag of the dagger across the ground as she prepared to bury it in Isolde's back...

And then there was the sound of running feet, a dark form with silvery hair flashed past the Nuit, and Isolde barely turned in time to glimpse the boot connect with the woman's head.

The lady dropped like a rock, body gone limp. The blonde woman was stumbling away after delivering the shot, and Isolde wanted to scream at her. She opened her mouth to ask what the fucking petch she thought she was doing, go for the knife not the petching head-- but her words wouldn't work right, and all she let out was a struggling gasp of pain, one hand clutching more tightly to her side. Groaning, the Nuit flopped over towards the woman's limp body, her back and side aflame with agony like none she had felt in a long, long time. She had forgotten how very painful real pain was. What had she been doing, complaining about fucking muscle aches? This pain dwarfed that. Gods, but it hurt.

Isolde's sudden feelings of trepidation and guilt were what hurt worse, though, the knowledge sitting heavy in her stomach that someone else might have been damaged irreparably thanks to the Nuit's meddling. It was always her fault. Didn't she know by now? No matter how she got involved, she always made the wrong choice. Gods. She should have just-- just--

She didn't know what she should have done. She knew what she should be doing now. She slid a cool hand along the woman's neck--

And then a small, lithe form came flying out from the darkness, golden-green eyes positively aglow--

And Isolde did the only thing she could, realizing what was happening. She threw herself forward, trying to tuck her body around the woman's unprotected head and neck, the soreness from her kidney igniting into sheer, white pain once more, and--

And she was not fast enough. Not quite. The heels of the girl's boots hit Isolde's shoulder --causing a crack of agony to pierce through her, and it felt like her whole body was a ablaze-- before sliding free and finding their mark against the side of the felled thug's head. The force of the blow was likely reduced thanks to the Nuit's intervention... but that was hardly a consolation.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? She was no threat! She was down! Gods, you-- you--" Isolde's breath ran out, and it was too hard to draw another to go on with her shouting. Instead she turned her attention to the person who really needed it.

One of the Nuit's hands was gripping tightly to her own shoulder, and it hurt to move, like splinters of shooting anguish from the base of her neck clear down the length of her torso. She hoped that nothing was broken... But she couldn't stop moving, because she needed that left arm to check on the woman. Her left hand was frantically running itself along the length of the unconscious woman's neck, feeling for unnatural bumps or kinks that shouldn't be there, which would indicate that it was broken. Nothing, thank the gods, but there was some swelling. Now the Nuit's hand was pressing itself to the side of the woman's neck... there was a pulse, and if she listened closely enough she could hear her drawing breath. Okay, okay, and what about her head--? The side of her face would probably be scraped from the impact with the ground, and there might be some head trauma, but at least the heels of those damned boots hadn't smushed her head flat, cut through the flesh, or caused any obvious life-threatening damage. At best, the woman would wake within a few chimes with a killer headache and perhaps a sprained neck. At worst...

Isolde didn't want to consider what the worst outcome might be.

The Nuit sagged against the unconscious woman with a low oath, giving into the pain, curling up her legs to her chest, which caused a fresh rip of agony from her kidney. She knew that she herself couldn't do anything to help her, could do nothing but wait and see how long it took for the thug to wake up. In the meantime the Nuit tried to force herself to breathe, to steady, to calm down. It was an impossible task. She was the angriest that she had been in years, in decades. Really, she was surprised at how much she wanted to take the blonde woman's head and smack it into the stones. It didn't help that her body felt as if it was going to explode. Her shoulder was radiating out waves of pain, and it still hurt like a petcher when she moved her left arm... but she took it as a good sign that she could move her arm at all. Surely nothing was broken, she hadn't heard a snap.

The Kelvic --with eyes that glowed like that, reflecting Leth's cool luminescence, the blonde woman had to be some sort of Kelvic-- was saying something, and Isolde practically growled at her in response. Leave? Leave? Now? The Nuit was hurt, thanks to the Kelvic's over-enthusiasm for violence. Sure, she had defended Isolde, possibly saving her life. But once her enemy was down... there was no point, absolutely no fucking point in going further. For a moment the Nuit's expression contorted, and she felt her chest give one agonizing heave, as if she might just burst out crying, sobbing. This was too much. She didn't like feeling like this. So confused, so upset, so angry. And the shoulder and kidney weren't helping.

But, after a long pause, the Nuit finally choked out, "O-Okay. I'm coming."

She uncurled her abused body, dragging herself to her feet, breaths laborious and halting, teeth clenched and bared. "Lead the way," the Nuit managed to gasp out, and then she focused on walking, bent over from the strain it put on her injuries, trying not to cry out like a child with every painful jostle of her arm, or from the hateful twinges that she received from her lower back and side every time she took a step.

Once more she recognized that she was fleeing and leaving another person lying unconscious behind, that it was her cowardice motivating her, driving her onward. But what could she do? She should just recognize that she was a terrible being and move on with her life. She had tried to do what was right and it had turned wrong, as usual. Now someone else was hurt, possibly terribly, and it was her fault as well as the Kelvic's... and not to mention what had happened to this poor body. If the Nuit really wanted to be a humanitarian she would just throw herself into the Suvan or let the Myrian dismember her. Then she wouldn't have to go around knowing that all she was was a walking plague. No wonder everyone hated her kind.

OOCToo bad there are no psychiatrists in Syliras...

[Kyra]

Kyra found humans to be strange at times, and even more so in others. They said things that held no true meaning, did things that worked against their goals, instead of for them. In the short time that she had been alive, the kelvic had met many people from all walks of life. She tried to understand them, and worked to mimic their ideas and life styles. Kyra thought that she was getting better at figuring them out, and had started to guess on what they might do or say. But as always, just when she thought she understood the race, someone came along and did something that stunned her.

She, and the strange screaming woman had been working together in a way. They both had the same enemy, and stepped in to aid the other to prevent bloodshed. It seemed normal and made sense, live to fight another day and survive at all cost. So it came to her as a surprise when the woman tried to shield her own attacker and end up getting stumped on along with her. Planting her feet firmly on the ground, and after searching the night, Kyra spun around and looked towards the woman in surprise. "What just happened?" she thought to herself, but didn't have time to ask as she sniffed the air.

The winds were calm, and she didn't catch any scents that weren't already in the same area. Still, the kelvic had learned to be more careful when inside the city and didn't need any trouble from the Knights. She was relieved that none of them remembered, or cared about the brawl that she and the blacksmith had with the drunks in the middle of the night a few seasons back, and she didn't plan on giving them a reminder. She looked on as the woman examined their sleeping opponent to see if she was still alive. Kyra didn't care if she was or not, but the kelvic figured that she was. The kick wasn't as strong as it may have looked, and she had seen people stand up from worse.

"Why do you hesitate? Do you want to be captured? We must go."

The kelvic repeated after she noticed the woman's slow moments, it was almost as if she didn't want to leave. What strange creatures humans were, they never made sense much and it seemed that they shared some form of emotional connection with those that abused them. Kyra wasn't like this in the least. When it came to Vincent, to Levuk, and anyone else who had harmed her, the kelvic had nothing but hate for them. There was a blood lust inside her, one that she had tried her best to bury deep down and forget that it was there. However, it was times like this that brought it out in her and her predator nature took hold.

Turning on her heels, Kyra raced out of the garden and slipped into the first dark area that she could find. From the shadows where she hid, the kelvic peeked out into the world and watched, listened to see if anyone was coming. Once she was sure that there wasn't a threat, Kyra started off again into the night. She raced on for a few chimes, wanting to put as much distance between her and the injured thug as possible.

After some time, and feeling very tired, Kyra stopped and leaned against the nearest wall to catch her breath. She closed her eyes, head tilted back against the stone as she let out a long sigh. Syliras really wasn't the best place for her, it went against everything in her nature. She needed freedom, needed to roam in the wide open world where she could feel Syna's light each day. But in the fortress city, much of it was indoors, and at times people went for days without seeing the light of day. It wasn't for her, that much was clear...but where else did she have to go.

Taking a moment to regain her strength and breath, Kyra turned to the woman who she assumed had been following her. Her gaze focused in on the Nuit, being the first time that she could clearly see her. She appeared a bit sickly, and battered and it made Kyra wonder just how much of a beating did she take from the thug. "Are you hurt? You looked banged up, I must say." She returned her dagger to her belt at that moment, then straightened out her blouse before speaking again. "Has anyone ever told you that you are weird?" she asked glaring up at the woman. "I've never seen anyone behave as you did, I don't understand it?" Kyra flashed the woman another look as she pushed herself off the wall and turned around. "I suppose it doesn't matter, but you might want to be more careful from now on."

OOCI think they really do need one with all the mages around now.

[Isolde Seibold]

"Why do you hesitate? Do you want to be captured? We must go."

The Nuit scowled at the Kelvic's words... but she tried to speed up as the girl suddenly spirited away into the night, and it would have been impossible to see her in the dark had it not been for that silvery-blonde hair. The Nuit didn't have time to focus on her own self-loathing at the moment, which was something of a mercy in itself; her time was spent instead on trying to keep up. Normally, Isolde could be quite fast when she wanted to --though she was not particularly graceful-- and it helped that she didn't usually get tired. She could keep running all day and never feel a thing... well, at least she had been able to. She was not so certain now.

At this moment, the shocks of her injuries were still burning through her, and movement made the pains flare up worse and worse with every thudding step. The Nuit suspected that she was being a wimp, unused to such pain and simply thinking it was worse than it really was... but that didn't stop it from hurting just as badly as it had before, and she had to grit her teeth to adopt a loping run, arms clenched tightly around her sides, skipping and limping in an awkward gallop as she went.

Despite her efforts, the Kelvic had flashed ahead, and the Nuit began puffing in gasps of air, trying to quell the odd feeling of panic that was rising within her at the sight of her new companion getting away. The Nuit's anger at the Kelvic had been drowned in her own desperation to keep up with the girl. Now her mind felt contrastingly tired and hysterical; she was too weary to go on, and still at the same time she didn't want to be left behind, alone and hurting in the dark.The running game seemed to go on forever, twisting through the darker parts of the city, avoiding the usual hot spots of activity where the Knights would be in force. Every time the Kelvic girl took a corner Isolde found that she had dragged even further behind, and she struggled to keep going.

And then Isolde turned a corner and went staggering to a halt, eyes searching frantically. The girl was gone. The city's great stone ceiling was looming above, and that meant that it was darker than it had been in the garden... but if the Kelvic was running ahead the Nuit thought she should have still been able to see her hair shining in the low light. There was nothing. Just the dark. The Nuit stayed where she was for a moment, holding her breath, not wanting to continue in that direction where there was barely enough light to see by... but if she did, she might catch a glimpse of the Kelvic... and so the Nuit stepped forward, holding on to herself even tighter, her shoulder pinging out soft pangs of pain with every uncertain step.

The pain from her kidney had faded into soreness with the run, and was now near non-existent. That was one of the chief differences between those alive and those dead. Only lasting injuries bothered the Nuit for longer than a few chimes; things like cuts, burns, broken bones, and muscle tears. Other injuries that could prove especially painful or dangerous to the living, injuries like organ damage and airway restrictions and internal bleeding and a whole manner of other nasty problems... they didn't really have a long-term effect on the Nuit, and so quickly faded into insignificance. Bruises were a sort of in-between, attained from trauma to the skin; the pain faded, but the mark did not. She imagined she wasn't likely to even bruise from the kidney tap. Her shoulder, though, would probably already be host to a new, purpling contusion of epic proportions, and there might be some sort of long-term complications if the pain she felt now was any indication. From the range of motion she was able to perform, the Nuit still didn't think that anything was broken. There could be pinched or ruined nerves or muscles, though, and those she would just have to learn to live with. Perhaps tonight she had sacrificed the full movement of her left arm for the life of another. Isolde only wished that she had been able to protect the woman completely. If only her reflexes were not so damned delayed. Someone truly alive might have been able to get there in time...

"Are you hurt? You looked banged up, I must say."

The Nuit flinched at the voice that came silkily from the darkness, turning towards the source of the words... but she felt something like relief when she was able to dimly make out the Kelvic girl leaning against the wall, animal eyes appearing brighter than they should. Isolde grimaced, walking carefully over to take up a place next to her, mimicking the girl's posture, grateful for the support. She felt a bit ashamed at having yelled at the girl. Kelvics were tricky creatures, after all, and the Nuit had known quite a few back when she had traveled with the Burned Man. Their minds worked differently than normal people's. They played more heavily into their instincts, and if this girl was some sort of predator Kelvic --as the Nuit suspected from the look in her golden-green eyes-- then it would be her instinct to finish her enemy, to not show mercy. Perhaps Isolde could not approve of the Kelvic's actions. But she could not blame her if she was unable to help herself. Besides. The Nuit knew truly that she herself was to blame.

"I-I'm okay. D-Don't worry about it." She shrugged, and a flare of white discomfort lit up at her shoulder. She winced, gasping again, trying to mute the pain in her words and knowing that it was likely the Kelvic would catch it. Whether or not the girl would care was an entirely different matter. "A-Actually-- I think I'll
j-just-- sit down-- f-for a bit." She settled on the ground at the Kelvic's side, curling her knees up to her chest, her left arm tucked securely in the hollow between her body and her legs. "Th-There," she breathed, leaning her own head back against the wall, closing her eyes. It didn't matter if they were open. It was so dark over here.

"Has anyone ever told you that you are weird? I've never seen anyone behave as you did, I don't understand it? I suppose it doesn't matter, but you might want to be more careful from now on."

Isolde felt an unamused smile flicker to her face before it faded away. She felt at her hood with her right hand, fingers coming across the tear there, and the chunk of chopped hair. Gods, that had been so close to her face... "People have c-called me many things. 'Weird' would b-be one of their p-paler labels." She sighed, her tone darkening, "And I d-did what I did because I thought it was r-right. But now..." Her voice trailed away rather dejectedly. She didn't how. Tackling the woman... perhaps that was where she had gone wrong. Or maybe trying to hold her down...? Gods, it was hard to think about. She was just suddenly so tired, completely and utterly exhausted. Then a spark of remembered anger lit within her memory, and she turned her head, asking the dim form, "Why d-did you go for the head? Why not the dagger, like I asked? I-- I didn't want anyone to get hurt. I was j-just-- just trying to stop you. Both of you. I-- I don't like fighting. I don't like it~" The last bit was muttered under her breath. She picked her volume up again. "So-- S-So
why--?" It was more frustration than ire or accusation that was clear in her tone. Because didn't the Nuit already suspect that the answer had to do with the Kelvic's own nature? It would be like asking why Isolde stole bodies. Just because it was what she was made to do.

So instead of dwelling on that, the Nuit moved on, asking instead, "Why were you two fighting?"

[Kyra]

Kyra looked around and examined the area. In the shadowy darkness, the girl's eyes would appear almost completely black except for a very thin golden ring trimming her pupils. Her gaze reached out into the still darkness as she tried to figure out where they were. Although she hadn't stood in the exact spot before, she would have to guess that they were somewhere close to the taverns. The young kelvic sighed softly and reached up to wrap her arms around her chest, and rub her fingers up and down her arms. There was a chill in the air now, and a sudden change as if she had been touched by icy fingers.

She glanced back to the woman who had settled on the ground beside her, and decided to do the same. Kyra moved back against the wall and slumped down to sit right next to the woman. She gave another sigh, and tried to relax herself while the other woman continued to speak. It was obvious by the sound of the woman's voice, that she wasn't happy with what had transpired, though neither was Kyra. The kelvic had only been heading home for the night when she realized that she was being followed. To her credit, she did try and leave the area even after the woman threatened her.

"I do not like fighting either. I suppose....not anymore." It seemed that the girl had been fighting for most of her short life. After the reign of chaos, and so many blood baths, she had grown tired of it all. Now she just wanted to live peacefully, and find the love that she once had so that she could feel whole again. But it was hard, so very hard for her. Kyra met so many people as the days passed, and most of them she would never see again. There were others, those who she had started to feel things for, but they disappeared as well soon enough. She was alone, and at times she was all that she had. Then there were other times, times like this night when her violent past flashed before her eyes and her viscous nature was awakened.

"Well.....I figured if she was asleep, there was no reason to struggle with her over the dagger. We could have taken it easily then, but you were so loud. I just knew that someone had heard." Kyra was still curious as to who the woman was. Who had sent her, and what was she planning to do to her? At first she was going to lure the truth from the woman, but that was before the strange woman appeared and everything changed. Still, she had left the woman alive and she couldn't help but wonder if she would continue to peruse her.

"I do not know what she wanted. She said she was going to teach me a lesson, but for what I do not know. I don't think she wanted to tell me, or at least not yet. But then you arrived and everything changed." Kyra had noticed something for the short time that she had been seated by the woman, she didn't have any heat. There was nothing, her body was as cool as the stone wall behind them. The young kelvic stared at her, her eyes widen as she once again took in her features. There was nothing, no heat to pull from, and the smell, the smell was still there. The stench of death was around her. Kyra wasn't sure at first, but now she knew it to be true, there was something off about this woman.

"So..what about you? Who are you and why were you running into the garden at night? You asked me questions and I have answered. Now it is your turn to answer, I don't think that you are normal at all."

OOCTrouble seems to follow Kyra, I wonder what will happen next

[Isolde Seibold]

The Kelvic's opening statement seemed like a flat-out lie and the Nuit opened her mouth, wanting to call the girl out on it. Yeah. Right. Of course the Kelvic didn't like fighting, yes, that explained why she'd tried to pulverize someone's head not even a bell ago-- but then, Isolde despised fighting and it seemed she herself did it more and more all the time. Really. Look at what she'd just done. Frustration oozed from the Nuit and she gripped the dulling pain located at her shoulder, muscles still aching all over, left arm hurting. The two littlest fingers on her left hand started to protest now, too, an injury sustained earlier, during the spar this morning. When you were being a real petcher, she thought, blowing out a rough sigh, and squinted through the darkness at her hand. It was clenched into a fist so tight that no wonder the fingers were complaining. She took a minute and breathed, in and out, simple... and gradually was able to relax a bit. The Nuit kept breathing like that, trying to smooth out the lines she could still feel worrying away on her face.

"I do not know what she wanted. She said she was going to teach me a lesson, but for what I do not know. I don't think she wanted to tell me, or at least not yet. But then you arrived and everything changed."

The Nuit mulled on that for a moment, digesting the words. Teach the Kelvic a lesson, and apparently the girl didn't realize that that was a commonly-used, thinly-veiled threat. Like... all part of a thug's bravado. So... perhaps the Kelvic really was telling the truth. She hadn't gone out looking for a fight. One had found her. And then it had turned sour when Isolde came stumbling into the scene.

Just so that the Kelvic would know for future reference, the Nuit said in a calmer, clearer voice, as if she had once been used to explaining things to people, "'Teach you a lesson' doesn't always mean what you might think. If someone like-- l-like that woman back there says it to you, and you feel like the person is trying to be threatening... that's because they are. H-Have you ever been disciplined for doing something wrong, perhaps a slap on the hand when you were a kid, or something similar? Some s-small pain...? Perhaps received from your parents, o-or--" The Nuit bit her tongue, thinking that a good sum of Kelvics had been slaves, or at least mistreated at one point in time during their life. Unfortunately, Kelvics seemed to garner that sort of attention, especially when they were the naturally wild types. People tended to treat them like misbehaving humans, expecting them to understand how to behave in human social interactions, even if the Kelvic didn't understand what they'd done wrong, or had missed some subtle tip in the conversation that they had yet to learn. Isolde had seen enough of it to recognize that it happened quite a bit; she'd met and traveled with her fair share of Kelvics, when she'd been with the Burned Man.

"--Or other g-guardians," she finally said quickly, having realized that her words had trailed off as her mind wandered. "That's where the phrase comes from. The person saying that to you is implying that they're going to make you stop doing something by hurting you, or doing something else unpleasant. Usually, by saying that they mean to scare you." She didn't actually know if the Kelvic needed her to explain or not, but Isolde figured that it would be best to do so. It might help the girl in the future, who knew?

"So..what about you? Who are you and why were you running into the garden at night? You asked me questions and I have answered. Now it is your turn to answer, I don't think that you are normal at all."

Now the Nuit turned wary, trying to make out the Kelvic sitting beside her, back against the wall... but all she could really see was the glow around her pupils, a phenotypically animalistic trait. She held her breath for a moment, wanting to say no... but she was too tired, too hurt to put up some sort of argument, and besides. The girl was right. Isolde had demanded answers. Exchanging some was only fair. Plus, conversation was a nice distraction from what had just went down. "M-My name's Isolde. Y-You're right. I'm... not like n-normal people." She didn't want to have to say what she was out loud. The Nuit really didn't like to have to say it. Things were safer that way. At least, she felt safer. "I o-only started running when I saw y-you and-- that other woman. Before that, I was j-just out for a walk." The last bit sounded rather flat. "I c-couldn't find anyplace to settle down. Sometimes I need to be a-alone, by myself, because of my--" Head, because of your messed-up little head. "B-Because I--" Because you've done too many bad things recently and you can't do anything to make them better~ Just today you've screwed everything up, twice~ She took a deep, shuddering breath. "J-Just because. I thought the Garden m-might be a quiet place to find p-peace. I was wrong."

OOCSomeone will come spilling out of a bar and stumble over them because they're sitting on the ground, and he'll fall and smash his face on the ground and break his nose, and then the Knights will come running and be like YOU ASSAULTED THAT MAN, NOW OFF TO THE TANK.