Closed A Nuit Hidden a Nuit Found[Maya Frostfawn]

[Morose]

1 Fall 523 Morsare opened the door leading into Maya's home, quietly walking inside. Behind her there was a click as someone relocked the door, likely the same person who had unlocked it. Rather than ransacking the place or stealing anything Morsare just looked around, slowly moving about and inspecting the place. Scoffing the Nuit spoke to herself out loud. “Young Nuits. Its almost like they want someone to realize they are one. I mean look at this place... Clearly no one alive lives here.” The more aged Nuit who had been in Sunberth for some time quietly moved about, checking one thing after another but leaving everything as they found it. While the commented on how badly discguised the place was, seeing as she was there before seeing the contents of the place meant that was not how she learned of Maya... At least so it seemed. At the moment she was in a female body, a somewhat androgynous one that was slim and stood just under six feet tall. Short ear length brown hair poked out from below a simple black leather hat with a small rim around the base. She was dressed causally enough in a put together suit, that looked a bit out of place in Sunberth in how nice it was. Black top and bottoms tailored to her current form, with shiny brass buttons up the front, and a black shirt underneath. The Nuit made no attempt to hide herself, and at the moment there was no one to hide from. But she also showed no interest in robbing the place. From the outside there was no signs of a break in, and only once going inside would a normal person notice her. After considering her options among the various ramshackle furniture the Nuit finally let out an almost human sigh before standing off to the side near a wall, and waiting for the person who owned the place to return. Maya, the homeowner, was the one she wanted to talk to and was waiting on. Once they eventually did return Morsare would wait until the other Nuit noticed her before cheerily waving and greeting them with a grin. “Well hello. I was beginning to wonder if you were ever coming home... Almost like you don't have much use for a proper living space. Cannot imagine why... Anyways, I figured we should have a little talk Maya, one of the newest Nuit residents of Sunberth. Why don't you come on over, and we can have a nice long chat about you and your future.” This would be said quietly but clearly, without much ado, and leaving quite a few questions for the Nuit to ask. Such as who this person was, why she was there, or other such queries a person might have to find a person in their home and questioning them. Visually the woman was quite well disguised, and did not outwardly appear like a Nuit by her dress or motions, and would take a keen observant eye to notice what she was.

[Maya Frostfawn]

Maya's fingers were pressed into either side of her patient's neck. Her nails tickling his sweaty skin, picking up dirt as much as the salty tears as they worked their way into his pale flesh, searching for something she could not name and the good doctor was struggling to describe. "What do you feel?" he asked. "He's sweaty," she replied, simply. "A little warm." The patient swallowed, deeply. She could feel the saliva making its way down the length of his throat. The doctor rolled his eyes, seemed like he was fighting the urge to groan. "And what about beneath the surface? Under the skin?" Maya frowned, kept prodding the man's skin with her icy fingers. "I think he feels a tad tight. As though he's tense or something." The doctor stepped forward, motioning for his apprentice to back away so he could survey the patient himself, check her work. His fingers slid along the man's neck, feeling for things he had felt hundreds of times before. After a moment, he motioned for Maya to come closer. When she was within a few feet of him, the doctor reached for her hand and pressed it firmly into the side of the man's neck. "Do you feel that?" he asked. Maya nodded. "It feels like there's a bump beneath the surface. Something small--perhaps the size of a pea." The doctor nodded. "That shouldn't be the case. The man is ill." Maya nodded as the doctor released her hands. They already knew that--he had come in with an obvious fever, (he was sweating and pale), and continued to cough periodically. It was a dry-sounding cough, which he didn't so much as try to cover with his hands or his shoulder or a cloth. When he had come in for an examination, he had also said that his throat had felt rather scratchy for over a week, which was no surprise either, given the cough. As the doctor moved away from their patient to study him with his eyes, Maya did the same--drinking in his pale, sweaty skin. His simple attire, sandy blonde hair. Tired-looking brown eyes. "Maya, what do you think is wrong with him?" Maya blinked, turned the doctor. She had been caught off guard--she hadn't expected him to address her. "I'd say he had caught a cold," she replied. "Entirely possible, and the most likely." A pause. "What should we suggest as treatment?" the doctor inquired. "Rest," Maya began. The doctor nodded. "He should drink a lot of fluids too. Water... peppermint tea with a little honey would coat and soothe his throat. It should be hot, if not piping, at least on the hotter side of warm." A pause. "Although, the cooler it gets, the less effective it will be," she added. "The doctor nodded. "Anything else?" Maya thought about it for a moment. "A blander diet than his usual?" The doctor sighed. "No, that won't have much effect and what you suggested should do for now. Now, on your way, both of you. I have work to attend to." "Yes, doctor," Maya replied as she showed the patient out and then followed them out of the Clinic, closing the door softly behind her, before making her way back home. When she arrived there, she was surprised to find that someone had already beaten her there. A person she did not recognize. A woman. Maya blinked. She hadn't been expecting any guests. Nor had she given anyone the keys to her flat and the authority to enter when she was not around... but this was Sunberth, so she wasn't entirely surprised that someone had taken the time to break in. "People do have to work you know," she replied calmly, as the stranger continued to speak. Had she a functioning heart, it might have skipped a beat as the stranger continued speaking. How had they known? Was it that obvious? She'd thought she'd done a fair job in disguising herself... but then again... one look at her flat and one might assume no one lived there... or she was really, really freakin' poor. But she no longer had a heart that beat and hadn't in awhile. And she had long forgotten the meaning of fear. The meaning of unease. Slowly, she approached the table, and took a seat, never peeling her eyes off the stranger as she settled herself into her chair and tucked her attire neatly beneath her. "It appears you already know my name, or I would have introduced myself." Her eyes passed over the entirety of the woman that stood before her--from head to toe, trying to drink in every little detail in case it was important for her to recall later. "Which just leaves you. Whom might I have the pleasure of addressing now that you've come, uninvited into my home?" There would be no true inflection to her voice, other than in that single word, but it would betray nothing of what she might be feeling. For... she felt nothing. Just blank. Although, a sense of confusion was beginning to prod at the corners of her mind. Curiosity. For she had no idea what had brought this lady into her home.

[Morose]

Morsare simply watched with a smile as Maya entered her home. Her face stayed the same, the same small smile, as she listened to the Nuit unlocked the door, entered, and then went inside to find Morsare there. It was the details, the elder Nuit decided, that really made things come together. Things easily missed that others might overlook. But if Maya had come home to find the door unlocked she would have known right away something was wrong and been on guard. By having it locked back behind her, and not breaking in but entering by skill - not hers but another's- the Nuit had managed to keep her off her guard and unaware anything was wrong until the last moment. While the younger Nuit was not entirely expressive, she did come across as a bit surprised or maybe even stunned to find her there. But perhaps because Morsare was doing nothing outwardly threatening the younger Nuit did not run away or do anything else right away to indicate that she was alarmed by the unknown woman's presence. "Yes, people do work. But based on your normal schedule, I figured you would have been home at least five chimes ago. Busy day at... Well what would you call that place, not exactly a hospital... Clinic maybe... Doesn't really fit it either. Not quite a butcher shop either, they're more consistent at hacking things up to see their insides." If Maya did in fact have a regular schedule she normally kept this might be a bit alarming, finding out the woman knew such things about her and her comings and goings... Of course since Morsare was simply making this up and did not really know her schedule that well there was also a chance Maya would find her words to be incongruent. Or perhaps she would not even notice the small stretching of the truth, or perhaps not even care about it one way or the other. "I get it, your still new to hiding your nature. Back on Sahova, there was no need, and I don't believe they give lessons on hiding your nature from humans 101 or something to those who depart. They don't do they? I'd be surprised if they did. Maybe if you survive for a few more decades in hiding your work things out properly on how to act and such. Maybe even sooner if your a decent study. I'll give you a bit of advice, just to ingratiate yourself to me and to start things off on a good note. With anything, the details are whats important. The small little things. Notice those small details that living people leave behind, learn to copy those, and then maybe you'll be able to hide yourself half decently. Here is a test. What does a living humans garbage receptacle look like? Whats in it? I know the answer, but seems like you don't." When the Nuit proceeded to take a seat at the nearby table Morsare continued her place perched against the wall, watching the young Nuit just as the young Nuit watched her in turn. Letting another grin stretch across her lips Morsare shook her head, eyeing the young Nuit before her. "Uninvited. That has such... Negative, connotations. I was certainly invited. By you in fact. Or more to the point, your actions. The things you did, or did not do. All of those things invited me here. Maybe you did not formally invite me, send me a long written note welcoming me and asking me inside. But you invited me all the same. And trust me, if not me, many others you would be much less happy to meet would have been invited. Like those who would rather smash open a Nuits head than talk to them. So be happy you only invited little old me with your actions. Or at least, only invited me for now... Who is to say what your future actions will lead to." Once more the elder Nuit smiled and watched Maya as she responded, able to notice reactions even with an undead that would pass unnoticed by others with less skill than her. "As for my name, well that would be Morsare. And what brings me here, is you. Namely, I'd like to blackmail you. Not entirely onesidedly mind you. If you do well, it might even be to your own advantage. And don't worry. I don't want you to kill anyone by way of combat, lets face it most anyone could easily kill you in a fight. No, I just want something you can easily get and give to me. Information. That's all. And in turn, I won't go about spreading your secrets all willy nilly. Doesn't sound so bad, does it?"

[Maya Frostfawn]

Maya's right brow quirked up in what might have been surprise at the stranger's words, although the movement would be shrouded by the shadow cast by her hood. "There aren't many of us who work at the Clinic," she replied, "and the doctor is the only one who possesses any skill with the bonesaw." She paused. Listened. Waited for the stranger's flow of words to cease and provide her with an opening with which to respond while her mind played at the words that had already been spoken. So, the stranger knew where she worked and that under normal circumstances, she might have been back hours ago, but how often did those occur in a position such as the one she held working at the good doctor's side? And still, she knew nothing about the stranger who sat before her, not even a name. Just how long had this woman been keeping her eyes upon her from a shadowed alcove? Or... several sets of eyes if she had friends? It was impossible to tell in a city such as this. Maya shook her head. "I imagine that was a rhetorical question," she replied simply, waving the question away, although not physically. After all, she had been human... once, and it hadn't been so long ago that her chest rose and fell with her breathing, that her heart beat, and her emotions weren't quite such distant things, always, just barely out of reach. Maya frowned. She certainly hadn't bothered to invite this stranger, no matter what she said. She didn't even know who they were. So for her, the stranger's reasoning, their logic, was less than sound. "Or yours," Maya replied ominously, although her tone was level, devoid of emotion, as per usual now that she straddled the realms of both life and death. Then she heard it, the name, but whether it was real or simply pretend, she could not know, but at least it was something to cling to. A shred of the stranger's identity. "Morsare," she whispered, testing the syllables on her lips; it tasted distant, cold. Like the desolate, frozen wastes of the homeland she had left behind ages ago. "It is strange, is it not, for someone to enter another's home and then announce their intentions? Isn't the art of blackmail usually dealt with in the dark? From the shadows? Why reveal yourself and come to me directly?" A pause to give Morsare time to respond, to consider her words and what she might know. What she might be able to tell others... where she worked. Some aspects of her daily schedule. Where she lived. Her lack of fighting ability. The nature she tried to keep hidden from prying and unwanted eyes... "In any case, what is it you wish to know?" Maya asked at last, ignoring the remainder of the woman's line of questioning. OOC: Just wanted to give you the head's up that I'm heading out on vacation starting on Saturday and won't be able to get to this until next Wednesday at the earliest, so please don't feel rushed to respond. ^^

[Morose]

When Maya assumed Morsare's question was rhetorical and tried to move on past it the Nuit frowned, shaking their head. "Rhetorical? Why would I ask a rhetorical question while saying here is a test to help you and here is the question... I feel that was pretty clearly an actual question expecting an actual answer. You know its no fun if you don't play along with my test, I mean I even made it clear I was only asking it to help you out, and here you go trouncing all over it. Quite rude. And I should know rude, after all I just barged in here unaccounted before you got home and rifled through your things before waiting on you. Not as rude as say someone barging into your house and killing you when you arrive, or booby trapping the place so it collapses when you step in the front door..." Here Morsare paused a bit dramatically, eyeing the Nuit and putting on a indignant front, even though in truth they were just as placid and unaffected as this other Nuit whose home they were in. "But still rude to just ignore my question. I asked it because I'm certain you don't quite know the proper answer, but think you do. Or have not thought about it in so long its not in your active awareness. Which was kind of the point of the question. Its all too easy for a Nuit to forget such things, even after a short time of being one and not alive and particularly while living among other undead you don't have to hide your nature around. You either don't know the answer, or have been wantonly ignoring it in your attempt at hiding your nature. Which is a rather foolish and possibly fatal mistake to ignore such details.." Tsking at the Nuit and waving a finger about on an extended hand, Morsare outwardly seemed to be enjoying herself even if it was all just a act she was putting on, one of playing at being human and living. Shaking her head once more Morsare met Maya's eyes, as she spoke. "What? Whatever gave you that idea? How do you think blackmail works, if you never act on it. Gathering blackmail material, intelligence, secrets, those are best done in the shadows. But once you have them and the other person is well and truly where you want them, there is no harm in walking right up to them and explaining what situation they are in. I find any other method just causes more problems than its worth, generally with them trying to ignore the blackmail or pretending they still have a handle on things, or not taking the threat seriously. Which just slows down me getting what I want. Of course, if I'm dealing with a dullard or a lunkhead who goes around hitting anything they don't like I'll send someone else to deal with it, but with people with at least some sense about them there is no harm in dealing with it myself and directly. After all I've clearly made plans and precautions, and you surely realize that even if you could kill me now it would not settle anything. In fact it would just make things worse." With a grin the Nuit in a woman's body made another odd gesture of her hands, waving them about in a dismissive gesture that showed how well adapted she was to her body and moving it. Almost as fluid and clean a motion as a living person, and quite good for a Nuit. When Maya finally gave the real question Morsare simply smiled again, before slowing beginning to speak. "What do I want to know. That is the question. Well, for starters, nothing too hard to get. I want information on any living patients you treat, and information on any patients who die. On the living ones, I want basic information. Height. Weight. Distinguishing features. Any scars or other such damage or maladies that might affect the body itself and its operation. Most importantly I need to know about any head wounds or injuries, and any damage thereabout. For the dead, I want to know similar things, but also need more details on how they passed, how long ago, and anything that might affect its brain." Pausing once more for dramatic effect Morsare continued on, inspecting Maya as she spoke to her. "I'm sure you can work out a few ways that information would be useful to me. Just collect that information while you work, that is all I ask for. For the living, I would expect details.... Maybe twice a fortnight or so. More often if you can, and if you do it much less often we might need to have words. That should be often enough though. I'll have people around for you to pas off the info to, either here or while traveling from your work to here. As for any newly dead, I would need info on those as soon as it happens, and as soon as possible. Now doesn't that seem perfectly feasible?"

[Maya Frostfawn]

"But ultimately, still rude," Maya said simply, her tone betraying nothing. It was as level as ever. As monotone as ever. She seemed as bloody disinterested and unamused by the conversation as any other she might have had with anyone else she encountered during the course of her day. Maya listened but didn't reply. Boy, this woman enjoyed talking. Had she been human, had she been still alive and connected to her emotions, Maya might have found it irritating. But now, as with anything else, she simply found it uninteresting. Boring. Maya blinked. She was beginning to wonder how dangerous this woman truly was. Especially given their surroundings. Sunberth wasn't exactly known for being the friendliest of cities. Just stepping outside your door put you in danger, so did this woman knowing the nature of her very being really put her in all that much more danger than usual? She was still a nuit, still physically frail, still at risk for simply existing in Sunberth no matter what people knew. It was only a thread, only a thought, but she kept this as the back of her mind as she continued to listen to the woman drone on and on about this and that and the next thing and plans. Bloody heck she could talk. "You're looking for bodies. It's not difficult to discern." They were always looking for bodies, her kind. A new skin to wear before shedding it for another. The next place to hide themselves from prying eyes. From death... the inevitable. "It's not hard to gather that sort of information. We have long memories and treat so few..." At least, it didn't feel like they treated many, considering how few willingly passed through their doors and how many of those the doctor wound up taking as pets or simply killing for one reason or another. He was a man of many strange moods... and interests. After a moment, another snapped mental thread, the nuit would ask, "is that all?"

[Morose]

As it seemed like the young Nuit Maya did not have much interest in playing along with the elder Nuits banter, she let out a sigh. In truth she was not so different from the other Nuit, but understanding how to properly live among humans and the living she knew that putting on an act was key to being believable. If she did not do it now, when it did not matter, then she would not be able to do it later when it did. Everything she did was a free lesson to the young Nuit, but from what she could see the youth was not appreciating it or paying much attention, let alone putting in any effort to act alive. A sad sign of how many Nuit became shortly after turning, but also a deadly way to be when living among non Nuit. “You know, if I felt things, I imagine I would be saddened to see your sorry way of being. If you cannot care, you need to at least pretend like you do. How do you expect anyone to think your alive when you show no interest or caring. I went through all this trouble to be a good display of just that, even if I exaggerated it a bit for emphasis, but you don't seem to care. I swear you young ones have no care for the effort people put in...” Shaking her head the elder Nuit glared at the youth, and her uncaring nature. She went through the extra effort as she did not want the youth dying right after going through the effort of blackmailing her. Admittedly her lesson had been self interested to a degree, but it had also been meant to help this youth. But only if she put in some effort in response. “Yes, I am looking for bodies. Not exactly difficult to figure that one out, I did not expect it to be. And with that in mind, you should have a good idea of what exactly to look for. It should be easy, just do this along with your normal work, and get me the info you collect later. And if someone dies, let me know right away with that info I would need. I will make sure there is someone close by on the lookout for possible soon to be dead entering, and someone or other around to collect a notice from you to go and fetch others.” With a fake smile on her lips the elder Nuit looked at the youth and shrugged seemingly happily. “Yes, that is all. Like I said, I am not asking anything too difficult. Right? So, go ahead and get started on that from now on, and if anything changes I will contact you again. Otherwise you can just pass off your notes and messages to the little birds fluttering around the city. I'll send one here every so often for the longer info, and be ready to pass it on should someone die as soon as you can. All agreed, right?”

[Maya Frostfawn]

"Sorry to disappoint you," Maya responded, blinking at the woman's lengthy display of words. For a moment, a part of her wished she had still been alive. Had a beating heart brimming with emotion, simply so she could place them behind those particular words, the ones that had just left her lips. They deserved anger, frustration, vitriol as opposed to the emptiness that surrounded each syllable. For this woman had barged into her home, uninvited and proceeded to waste her time, (although she had all of it in the world), peering down her hideous little nose at her and lecturing her about one topic after the other and blackmailing her of all bloody things about one of the stupidest things Maya could possibly think of. Yes, Maya knew she would have been enraged by the words had she still been alive, especially given her friendlier and bubblier personality as a Vantha. And she knew that despite her personality, she would have killed the nuit by now, and questioned the extent of her connections more openly. For, if she had so many eyes peering around the city, around corners and from the shadows, why did she need Maya? Why did she need another pair that peered into the Clinic's affairs? Unless she really wasn't as powerful, influential, and all-knowing as she seemed. But these thoughts, and the anger she knew would have been there had she been alive, were things she kept to herself. For all thing, kept close to the vest, were those she could use to her advantage if only she waited until the time was right to reveal them. Maya nodded once, curtly, along with this particular set of words. "You're right, it won't be," she said without feeling. Although this was not an act she had had to carry out on her own for very long, since Sahova had always kept the worthy readily available for the undead's use, she had picked up enough while she was there and in her medical studies to determine which bodies were suitable and which were not on her own. If the body was that of a babe, it probably wouldn't be too helpful, even if it was in good shape, simply because of the weak and limited nature of their forms. And a being who had had their brain smashed in for example, would prove utterly worthless being that the nuit needed that brain to function, to sustain their way of life into the future. Maya mirrored the fake nature of the elder nuit's smile as the next series of words left the elder's lips. "We have already established that you weren't asking anything particularly difficult of me. There's no need to repeat yourself. Redundancy is such a bore," Maya commented as she set her hands on her knees, eased her chair back, and rose from the table so that she could finally peer down the length of her nose at the elder nuit. Had she been alive, she imagined it would have evoked a strangely satisfying feeling from within the depths of her still beating heart. "Yes. And now that that has been settled, you may see yourself out," Maya replied. Clearly, the woman knew where the door was, seeing as she had already let herself in. Even if she hadn't, it was easy enough to spot since the flat she lived in was so bloody small, and the woman seemed smart enough. But in her heart she knew that nothing was settled, there were so many things that simply weren't adding up about this encounter. So many things that didn't make sense and brought an endless line of questions with them. Questions she wondered if she would ever be able to answer. And whose answers could very well change the nature of her budding relationship with the older nuit, permanently. Word Count: 642

[Morose]

Listening to the young Nuits words, Morsare almost seemed to smile. Almost. But in truth she was just as dead inside as Maya. However if nothing else she had a much better ability to pretend that this was not so. However, even if only for a moment, she thought she saw a twitch of emotion from Maya. Perhaps it was something a non-Nuit would never notice, but her keen eye caught. The subtle tell that indicated she had gotten under the woman's skin, from the way she moved or spoke or acted, perhaps not even something the Nuit in question would notice themselves as those bland and unemotional words left her lips. And that in truth had been a part of the intent behind her words before. A small game of sorts she played against herself, to see if the Nuit would rise to her words. While perhaps it was not the best emotion to start their exchange with, it was still something she found a valid thing to seek out. Having found her spot Morsare let out another fake sigh, and let her facade drop once more to show no traces of her earlier more lively words and expressions. It was almost as if she had dropped a veil covering her face, and was only now showing her true visage. “Well, that seemed a good enough test. Its one I only use with Nuits. One must check for a Nuits stability before getting into things. I have made dealings with them before. Some go mad with the unending ennui. Some just go sedate. Some are somehow still emotional and prone to moods even in their dead body. One must always do their due diligence in checking which sort you fall under. Luckily you seem pretty stable, if a bit bored. Its the real reason I did this in person, to do this test.” Having said that there was a knock from outside of Maya's door, a heavy fist banging on it several times before going silent. “Well, it appears I must be elsewhere. I will have my people get in touch. And if you do well, perhaps we can improve our arrangement. But that will depend on how you do. I expect we will not see each other again unless we must change our arrangement, or end it.” Heading over to the door Morsare knocked once, so that the person on the other side would open it. At her knock the door swung open, revealing a large muscled man who looked like he could snap Maya's neck with a casual squeeze of one hand. It was not the same person who had unlocked and locked the door before, who had managed to stay oddly out of sight to anyone passing by. This man on the other hand was very visible, and clearly meant to be so. However at the same time he was oddly nondescript, having no noticeable features other than his muscles. This in and of itself was odd for Sunberth though, seeing as it was clear he was properly fed and maintained. His short cropped brown hair was almost not there, but was there as being absent would also be noticeable. “Who knows, maybe if you do really well, you'll even get someone like him to keep you company, and to open doors and things.” With that the Nuit turned and walked out the door, her lunky helper closing it behind her. Soon enough both were gone, Morsare having made her terms quite clear.

[Maya Frostfawn]

"It is only as you say," Maya said, the edge of her words were cut off by the heavy banging at the door. It was as though they were trying to break it down, and Maya doubt that it would take much effort for them to do so, given the state it and the rest of her flat were in. "I can't say that I mind," Maya commented as the older nuit signaled to her man, who had been waiting outside, it would seem, and he opened the door. Her eyes danced over his skin as a cool air rushed into the flat, flushing out the tension that had become nearly suffocating only moments prior. (Or would have, should she still have a need to breathe). The man, she realized, was rather well-muscled, his hair shorn so short that the nuit couldn't help but wonder if he aspired to join the ranks of bald men that lingered within the city's depths. Or perhaps, if it was entirely for show, since his flesh seemed to glisten whenever the light touched it just so, highlighting the contours of his body, his muscles, adding to his intimidating air, although Maya felt nothing stir inside her heart. "I do not want for company," Maya commented. Only entertainment. A pause. And answers, she thought as she watched the older nuit and her buff, male companion walk out the door and close the door behind them, leaving her alone in the stuffy flat. Even though she had clearly processed everything that had just happened, a small part of her felt as though she had not. As though she were missing something, if not everything that truly mattered about her interaction with her unwanted guest. But no matter how many times she played their conversation over and over in her head, she could think of what she might be missing. And could only think that something wasn't quite right, as she had before when the woman was still there. That something, didn't add up. And whatever was making her mental math ring false was something she aspired to get to the bottom of. Something she wanted to figure out so she could balance the equation and safely extract herself from the situation, even if it meant she had to leave the city earlier than she had originally intended. I will get to the bottom of this, eventually, she vowed as she set about deciding how she was going to occupy herself for the rest of the day, for even though the hour was beginning to grow late, she had no need for sleep and an endless stream of open, waking hours ahead of her. Word Count: 450 Words