Lost

[Emora Deen]

Stephan’s eyes snapped open, and the feeling that he had slept far too long come over him. However, as he looked to the open window he realized it was still very, very early. He rolled lazily out of bed, stretching his arms above his head and yawning. He still wanted sleep, but knew he needed to continue on his journey.

Stephan dipped his hands in the cold water in the wash bowl and splashed water onto his face, then ran his hands through his hair. He turned, eyeing the floor for a moment before he dropped down and started doing push ups.

[Soran Nightblade]

Caleb paused on the top stair, a strange pulse running through him. He paled, knowing that dawn was coming. He hid his reaction as he climbed the final step and looked back at the strange girl behind him. His eyes focused on the long white wings that seemed to glow in the soft indoor light. No, he thought, it wouldn't do to stare at her. He would have offered her some words of comfort about what had just happened downstairs, but he had no explanation to offer her on why people were the way they were. He just sighed and held his plate next to hers as he pushed the oats off his plate and stole her eggs. "Don't like oats anyway," he said, pulling his plate back.

Another shudder went through his body. His hand twitched, and he dropped the fork he'd been holding. Caleb cursed under his breath and glanced out the window. He was running out of time. So much for breakfast. He began turning back to his room without a word.

[Celeste]

Celeste twitched "are you okay?" she asked.

[Soran Nightblade]

Caleb winced as he turned the knob to his room. It looked like he wouldn't get the chance to figure out...whatever she was. Now it was time to get the heck away from her. He looked back at her with a detached frown. "Don't get the wrong idea. We aren't friends. I was just annoyed by all the noise," he asserted coldly. He pushed the door open and slammed it behind him, leaving his abandoned fork in the middle of the hallway.

Inside, he locked the door, leaning against it as his breath grew heavier. He walked unsteadily across the room, dropping the untouched plate of food on the bed, and went to the window. He shakily pushed it open a few inches, monitoring the sun that was budding on the horizon. Satisfied that his escape route was ready, he collapsed to his knees and curled over. He gasped thickly, and a dark energy surrounded his form, crushing and warping. A few moments later, he lay curled up in a tight ball amid the folds of the clothes he'd been wearing.

[Celeste]

Celeste looked off, but sat down and closed her eyes. Strange that she kept getting left alone, she could deal with it, it just felt odd and depressing now. Celeste sighed and thought some more.

[Soran Nightblade]

Caleb slowly uncurled, his tail twitching up to balance him as he pushed himself upright. He jumped to the base of the curtain and scurried nimbly up to the windowsill, then looked down at the quiet street outside. He hadn't decided exactly what his next destination would be, but there was no way this town had a library, let alone one large enough to possibly contain the answers he needed to break his curse. He jumped down onto the roof that overhung the door of the inn and sat there, observing his surroundings while he waited for a traveler to pass by with a cart he could use to hitchhike to a different town.

[Celeste]

Celeste finished and returned the plate downstairs going back to her room she packed her armor and took a light cloak out of her bag and put it on before putting the pack on. She wished she could stay and tell both the man who'd helped her and Stephan thanks, but she didn't know if they would take it well.

[Emora Deen]

He stood up after doing as many push-ups as his arms would allow, which turned out to be a little over a hundred. He thought he could do more if he wasn’t so sleepy. Pushing back the hair from his face he grabbed his coat and pulled it on, wrapping the cloth that he used to cover his face around his neck, and he left the hood down. He took the two short swords in the crossed sheath and slipped his arms through. When he was finished he opened the door and stepped out into the hall, glancing up and down to see if anyone was there. Yet again, another paranoid tendency.

[Celeste]

Celeste had just gone down the stairs, the hood of her greenish cloak up, she sat the key on the bar before walking outside. It was still cold but it didn't bother her much.

[Soran Nightblade]

The sugar glider watched from the rooftop as the girl he'd met earlier stepped out of the inn. She looked bizarrely forlorn. Was she actually here alone? She acted like she wasn't even sure why she was there. Then again, who was he to criticize? He studied her downcast posture and felt another pang of guilt for casting her off so abruptly...not that he'd had a choice. What was she doing here?

[Emora Deen]

Stephan walked down stairs his yellow eyes searching the room over. He wondered idly what he was going to do. Where he was going to go. So he passed the person in the hood and clock, not recognizing it as Celeste since he did not see her face. He leaned against the counter, smiling charmingly at the woman. “I’ve never slept on a softer bed. You’ve really got a nice place here,” he told inn keepers wife. “Its kind of you to open it to strangers. I was wondering if you could help me? I need to get to South Hepian…. I know its south, but I don’t know if it’s on a certain road or not.”

[Celeste]

Celeste looked to the sky and quickly determined her direction, she was going to head south away from the cold and snow. She paused before going to walk off. She glanced back and sighed, she still had not found any leads on her lost siblings, and she couldn't return home, not yet. "I'll bring back that wonderful, peaceful Faralon . . .told to me in stories" she murmured to herself.

[Soran Nightblade]

"There's not much left of Hepian," the woman said, taking note of Stephan's yellow eyes warily. "Most people around here would have heard that by now. Where exactly are you from?" she asked, actually seeming a little nervous of him. Something was off about his appearance, like her body instinctively knew to fear him, but she didn't know why, so she was still holding her ground.

* * * *

Caleb picked out a cart that was rolling down the street, drawn by one horse. That was as good a lead as any. He braced himself and leaped off the roof, spreading out and gliding through the air toward the cart.

He'd made it about half way when a dark shadow fell over him. He felt the hawk's talons close on his hind leg before he was able to really get a look at the creature. The strong talons dug into his fur and yanked him painfully sideways off his course for the cart. Caleb forced out a pained bark as the ground dropped further and further away below him. He curled up on himself and tried to bite the bird's toe, but the creature's opposite foot batted him off. Stunned, he hung dizzily by his caged leg and tried to think of a plan. Who knew where the bird was taking him, but fighting back in this form was going to be an issue.

[Celeste]

Celeste turned her head and saw the hawk and it's poor victim. She felt something tug at her, and she spread her wings and took of after the hawk.

[Emora Deen]

Stephan smiled out of habit, his instincts lit up at her fear. He had to force his smile to fade to a dark smirk. “North,” he replied, but he knew what she’d figure from that comment. They were too close to the border. “So, can you help me figure out where South Hepian is?” he asked as he put both hands on the counter facing her, tilting his head, his yellow eyes flickering to her. He felt a bit bad for being intimidating, but he needed to Xheira.