Give You What I Have [ulrica]

[ulrica]

_{Assyrian chuckled at her question. "No, dove. There's no need for hunting today." He motioned in the direction they had been traveling the previous night. "I know a man not too far away who will cook you the best breakfast you've ever tasted, guaranteed." He gave a wry smirk, winking in a sly manner. "You know for one in such a bad mood you sure are acting pleased with yourself..."}[/i][/color] Della grumbled, yawning and leaning against her soulmate's leg lazily. Assyrian was sorry to make her run and she knew it, but with Misty around they really had no other choice. "We did have a choice, but you ignored what was right in front of your face. This was a bad idea and you knew it then and if you didn't you do now."[/color] The man looked down at the creature then, feeling her weight leave his leg as she rose to trot off into the forest. No destination in mind, simply getting away. A troubled look might have come across his face then, but if Misty saw it then it would only be a brief glimpse of his inner turmoil. Assyrian was nothing if not a born liar.

"Um... Like I said, there's a place a few miles away... We should get there in a couple hours or so.." He was withdrawn suddenly, pulling all emotion and smiles within himself. His hand dropped, and he moved to check Shadow's girt strap, pulling it a couple notches tighter. "You know, Misty..." Assyrians voice was soft, troubled. What she had said earlier, though he hadn't commented on it then had bothered him. Had he done something to scare her? To make her question her safety with him? Usually he would brush this off as nonsense, but without Della to tell him to do so... "You're uh... You're safe with me." He turned to face her, an almost apologetic look to his eyes. "I'm not going to let anything hurt you out here, I promise." He grinned, the wryness from before forced but done so in a way it could be mistaken as true mirth. "Stick with me, kid, and we'll go far." Snorting and running a palm down his face, Assyrian held out a hand for Misty once again. "Come on, you can ride. I feel like walking for a little while."[/sub][/color]

[Felypsa]

He knew someone. That surprised Misty and yet did not at the same time. If anyone would just…know a person like that, it would be Assyrian. “He’ll have to be good, to beat my father,” she remarked with a smile. Regardless, she was sure anything would be fine, with how her stomach was growling. Hopefully Assyrian couldn’t hear it; that was rather embarrassing.

That was when his words, normally so smooth and charming, faltered. Misty turned to look at him in slight surprise. When he finally got it out, her cheeks flared up in a blush. “Oh…I know. It was just that first night…I didn’t know what I was really getting myself into.” But the fact that she was still alive and with him now proved a lot. “I mean, I guess I still don’t, but I do feel safe—as long as I’m with you,” she admitted. Without him she would be quite a lost little girl indeed.

He offered her to ride and she hesitated, but then gave him a slow smile and put her hand in his. “Thank you.” She looked at his face and then froze for a moment. In the fog, she beheld a vision—a side effect of her magic that she could not control. It was of Assyrian, his expression one of true brokenheartedness. It lingered for only an instant before disappearing, revealing the same Assyrian she had been traveling with. For a moment, Misty was not sure if she had even seen it, or imagined it.

Damn, she did hate those glimpses in the fog. She had a feeling it was her magic trying to warn her of something, but they were always so quick and so vague that she never knew what to do. She shook her head quickly, as if trying to shake it out of her memory. Oh, she hoped she never saw the real Assyrian with that look on his face. It was too terrible to look upon, one that truly tugged on her heartstrings. Misty took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her lips. “I’ll probably want to walk a bit myself later today. Um, riding horses takes getting used to.” Change the subject. Pretend like nothing happened. What else could she do, ask him? Yeah right. For all she knew, she had unwittingly spied on something deeply personal.

[ulrica]

<sub>Della had completely cut him from her mind, rendering Assyrian 'blind' in the way he couldn't see from her view as well as his own. The double vision he had grown accustomed to, the two points of view he had recieved from the small creature usually at his side. The effect was surprisingly difficult to adjust to. "Of course your're safe with me." Assyrian said with that easy grin returning to his face as she placed her hand in his. She gave a small thank you, her voice hushed for some reason. The shifter gave Misty a curious look but he didn't press the matter. Hadn't she just said moments ago how different this was from her previous world? Hadn't she just said how unsure she was? It's probably nothing. Assyrian told himself reassuringly, shoving the memories of his dream to the back of his mind. There was no reason to be weighed down by old ghosts.

“I’ll probably want to walk a bit myself later today. Um, riding horses takes getting used to.” Assyrian chuckled, helping Misty into the saddle if those were her intentions and she would allow him. "Quite true." He said with a wry grin. "But as luck seems to smile upon pretty women, you, dove, are in store for surprise. Something of the sort that I hope will make this journey a bit more comfortable for you." He would release her then if she had taken her seat upon Shadowfax's back as he intended, and was ready to move. Then the man would give the large horse a pat on the neck and glance about the forest, sharp eyes searching for Della's speckled form. But she wasn't there, not even a glimpse of her appeared in the dense foliage. He shrugged, she would come back when she was ready, and reached under his riding cloak to undo the knife vest hidden in it's shadows. He took it off and rolled it before placing it into one of the saddlebags. "No need to roll into town armed, eh?" He explained before walking past Misty and heading for the road. "Off we go then." He said, shoulders squared and hands shoved into his pockets. Already he could smell the eggs and ham, the warm biscuits still steaming from the oven, hot coffee; oh he loved breakfast.</sub>[/color]

[Felypsa]

With another compliment, Assyrian promised something enticing but mysterious. What could he possibly mean? He did not elaborate, and Misty just watched from her seat upon Shadowfax as he removed those knives and then casually began to stroll along the road. misty felt the horse began to trot lightly after him, but she frowned. Something was missing. “Where’s your dog—Della?” she asked. There was something strange about his relationship with her. She just got a weird feeling that she couldn’t quite place.

Also she couldn’t shake the very bizarre feeling that the dog had been judging her…which didn’t make sense, because Della was a dog. Misty shook her head, as if to cast out the odd thoughts. Maybe it was a side effect of seeing visions in the fog…it gave her outlandish notions that made her uneasy for no reason.

oOc| ugh, sorry it's so short and sucky x.x

[ulrica]

<sub>“Where’s your dog—Della?” Assyrian's shoulders tensed at the name, though he was easily able to disguise the reaction as a stretch of his arms above his head, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. "Ooooh... She's around.." He replied, waving a dismissive hand toward the forest. "Probably smelled a rabbit or something, I wouldn't worry she can handle herself." He glanced back with a grin and slowed to fall into step with the large charger. Walking at Shadowfax's shoulder and directly in front of Misty's leg, Assyrian shoved his hands in the pockets of his riding trousers and strode along in silence for a while.

It was a beautiful day, and the smell of salt from the nearby ocean still burned in his sharp nostrils. That was one thing he never missed about the sea, its scent. It was just too strong for his tastes. Well, and it was a temperamental creature, no amount of pleading and bribery calming its waters when it was angry. Not so different from a woman in that aspect I suppose... He mused silently to himself, glancing upward at the sky. Pale blue with white fluffy clouds drifting lazily through its wide expanses. He smiled with a sigh, eyes turning back toward the road.

Assyrian tried to hide it, the gnawing worry and growing anxiety he shoved into the back of his mind. Della would be fine, she was just angry that was all. She would return in a few minutes. He just needed to give her time to cool down. "Della...?"</sub>[/i] The tall man tried hopefully, reaching out his mind but retracting it swiftly when Shadowfax gave a start - black head jerking upward with a snort and a slight stutter in his step as if he would run. Assyrian quickly placed a reassuring hand on the horse's cheek, holding the bridle tightly in case he did decide to take a quick run. The shifter could of course catch the stallion, but definitely not in this form and the changes to his body such a feat would take... Well, the attention it would draw would be less than desirable. "Hold, boy, hold." He said with a laugh, looking up with a concerned eye at the girl astride the charger's back. "Don't worry, something in the grass is all. You alright?" The shifter asked kindly, that easy grin making his eyes sparkle mischievously in the sunlight.[/color]

((OOC: S'fine! ^_^))[/sub]

[Felypsa]

Assyrian didn’t seem to be too worried about his pet, so Misty kept quiet. Instead, she looked around, admiring this simple view of nature. Soon the discomfort of sitting on Shadowfax faded and she was lost in thought, smiling whenever she saw a chipmunk or a rabbit run by, tilting her head to listen to the carol of various birds. It was perfect tranquility.

They had been riding for a while and there was no sign of Della. Misty glanced toward Assyrian a few times, but her glances were never met. There was a storm of mystery brewing inside his head. She could not begin to fathom how much he knew, how much he experienced…what he could possibly be thinking at a time like this. Hopefully it was not too boring. She opened her mouth to say something to break the peaceful silence, but that was when Shadowfax started forward.

Misty gave a small yelp, just from the sheer unexpectedness of the motion, but Assyrian calmed him quickly. Then he addressed her, his eyes dancing, and Misty could not tell if he was trying to comfort her or make fun of her. Either way, she gave a light blush. “I’m fine. Just startled.” Something in the grass. She glanced down instinctively but was reassured when there was nothing. No snakes or anything of the like.

“I think I might want to walk now though. Not because of that,” she added, petting Shadowfax carefully to show her affection, “but I just was thinking I wanted to stretch my legs a bit.” And walking would distract from her growing hunger.

[ulrica]

<sub>Assyrian chuckled softly and nodded his head, instantly pulling Shadowfax to a halt. "Allow me to help you down milady?" He asked, reaching out a strong hand to help Misty from the back of his horse. If she accepted his help, he would hold onto her arm with one hand, the other catching her by the hip as she met the ground; otherwise he would stand back with an ammused eye and watch as she dismounted. "If you would allow me to escort you?" He asked, offering a strong arm. The man doubted she would accept, but hey, it was the chivalrous thing to do right? If she denied him, he would laugh, nod, and clasp his right wrist in his left hand behind his back; taking the pose of a soldier as they strolled along the road. 

"So, this is the first time you have traveled outside of your hometown?" He ventured, searching for information about his new traveling partner. "What do you have to say about it so far?" It wasn't all just to break the silence, and it wasn't all just that he wanted to take his mind off of Della's absence. The man was honestly curious, and after all didn't he have a right to be? A flood of questions entered his mind - where had she gotten that blanket from? Where had she gotten the ring from? It was definitely too expensive for an inn keeper's daughter. And also, why hadn't she ever been out of town before? It just was all so strange...

"She will turn on you...."</sub>[/i][/color]

"Della?!" Assyrian cried jubilantly through their link, forcing himself not to search about frantically until he found her. "Expecting someone else?"[/i][/color] The creature replied caustically, obviously still angry with him. "You should leave her at the next town, she would be safe there so it isn't as if you would be placing her in danger. Anyhow, you cannot trust someone who doesn't in turn trust you."[/i][/color] She finished with a note of finality.

"Della, we too have secrets to hide and it's hypocritical of you to judge Misty for not blurting out her entire life story to someone she just met! And stop being so paranoid she isn't going to find out about us, I'm being careful alright?"[/i] Della huffed and the link severed abruptly as she locked Assyrian from her thoughts once again. He couldn't help but feel more alone than before. However, he had Misty around, and he needed to pay attention to keep up this little charade. So, he would hopefully continue his conversation with the joyful - if not slightly timid - creature in his company, and pass the time with her until they arrived at the next town.[/sub][/color] 

[Felypsa]

He was the perfect gentleman. Never batted an eye as he demonstrated his chivalry, never thought twice about it. Misty was smiling as he helped her down, but then she had to blush and giggle slightly as he offered her his arm. Against her own better judgment, she took it, at least for a little while. It was all just a bit of fun, right? This whole thing was meant to be a brand new experience and adventure.

Assyrian asked her what her impression was, and Misty had to laugh. “Oh, fascinating, so far. I mean, I’ve seen the forest from the distance…I’ve heard the tales from travelers…but even this was better than I imagined. I mean, the way the sunlight just pours through the treetops, making the leaves look like emeralds and the shadows look alive…all the creatures that we’ve seen so far…the blossoms and mosses. It’s all so very…alive.” She tilted her head toward him so she could smile.

“My father didn’t want me ever leaving, not even when he occasionally went to the next town over,” she went on, unaware that Assyrian was also having another conversation at the same time. Unaware that such a conversation was about her, and that there were heated emotions being exchanged on her behalf. “I don’t know if he was always like that, but he’s certainly been more protective since my mother died. I was a little girl then, but it was clear how much that devastated him.”

Yes, she was opening up a little, but not too much. Her mother, Lorelei, had been a local legend, and everyone knew it when she died. Misty remembered how many people had showed up for the funeral. That had been about ten years ago. Of course Misty was still sad to think of it, but she knew she shouldn’t keep that grief to herself. Her mother was a good woman who deserved to be remembered and spoken of, not hidden like some dark secret. “I think my mother used to travel a lot…I’d like to think she’s excited for me now.”

[ulrica]

<sub>She took his arm with a shy grin and Assyrian quirked a brow in amusement and surprise. Her nearness made his imagination run wild. Scenes of bandits attacking them, coming out if nowhere from every angle. All armed to the tooth and closing in quickly. He would appear on his white, well black, steed, killthe bad guys, save the girl, and ride off into the sunset. Picture perfect ending. "...The way the sunlight just pours through the treetops, making the leaves look like emeralds and the shadows look alive…all the creatures that we’ve seen so far…the blossoms and mosses. It’s all so very…alive.” The tall man looked down at the girl's head, her enthusiasm odd to him, though he hid it well with a return grin.

He had lived in the forest, mountains, canyons, plains, every sort of terrain you could think of he had most likely been there. But over all those years, he had forgotten what it was like to be moved by something. The light cutting through the canopy of a forest was just that, light. The leaves weren't emeralds and the shadows weren't anymore alive than the pebbles in the road they currently walked along. These things he recognized as visually pleasant, but no longer to the extent that Misty was describing. But why? Why didn't he see that beauty anymore? When did it stop? His heart gave a painful lurch. The man might play dumb, but he couldn't fool himself. He knew exactly what had happened.

“My father didn’t want me ever leaving... He’s certainly been more protective since my mother died. I was a little girl then, but it was clear how much that devastated him.” And now the heavy discussions started, the diving into the past. Assyrian started planning an exit strategy for when his turn rolled around. The sound of her voice made him look back down at the girl again when she spoke next. The shadows of his hair making his eyes so dark they were almost colorless. So many emotions flooded his senses, most of them directly from Misty. She grieved for her mother and Assyrian knew the memory would forever be fresh in her mind, like a raw wound refusing to close. But for some reason, she fought that sorrow which confused the shifter. 

"Were you...close..to your mother..?" He asked gently, easing into the question as if stepping into the saddle of a green broke colt. "I... I'm sorry if the question is too personal..." He added as an afterthought, an apologetic tone creeping into his voice. He didn't want to step too far.</sub>[/color]

[Felypsa]

Misty hadn’t meant to bring the mood down or radiate her feelings. Of course she still missed her mother terribly but the grief had faded with time. She looked up at her companion as he asked the question so carefully, like he was treading on eggshells, and gave a reassuring smile. “I was. I loved her very much. She taught me many things, like how to weave. One of my passions today.” Naturally Assyrian would interpret that to mean normal weaving of fabrics, but Misty wove best with magic. That was a secret for another time.

“I wish she could see me now. Granted, I haven’t gone very far, but I can’t help but feel that this is the beginning of something truly wonderful.” She sighed happily. “My mother was a lot like you, Assyrian. She traveled a lot in her youth, saw and accomplished quite a bit, before settling with my dad in Escavas. And…I didn’t know much about her.” Another thing she had in common with Assyrian. “With all that she had seen and done, she never told me much. I don’t think my father liked to hear about her life before she met him.”

She brushed a few loose strands of hair out of her face. “Funny, I could never figure it out. She had the whole wide world to explore and in the end she chose to stay in Escavas…and I’m the exact opposite, staying in the same place for such a long time before finally getting to see the world.” Suddenly realizing she was talking a lot, Misty blushed. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to speak so much about myself. I would love to hear more about you…Assyrian.”

[ulrica]

<sub>Misty's reassuring smile sent a wave of relief through Assyrian's body. His question had been too bold after all. "You will have to show me your work sometime." He teased her with a sly grin, laughter glinting in his clear blue eyes; a color made more drastic by the cheerful morning sun. Never once did the thought cross his mind that she meant weaving objects into existence. Such things were only fairy tales and children stories.

It was new to him, the way this young woman spoke of her mother. Perhaps it was the time since her death, or his youth at the time, but he couldn't remember much of his dam, nor his sire. If they had passed him on the street that moment he wouldn't have known it. The thought was a sad one, and he immersed himself in Misty's story. Anything to take his mind off such weighty things. Assyrian's traveling partner obviously held a great amount of respect for her mother, mentioning the wish for the woman to see her, to share the joys of this new adventure. “My mother was a lot like you, Assyrian. She traveled a lot in her youth..." The shifter had to force the surprised look from his face. 'Youth'. He was young to her. Yes... He was young... Maybe compared to Misae... He thought grudgingly. But Misty was continuing and he didn't have time for idle moping.

“With all that she had seen and done, she never told me much. I don’t think my father liked to hear about her life before she met him.” Assyrian nodded his head, Escavas wasn't a very inviting place for the abnormal and its citizens were deeply anchored in the nearby sea. If Misty's father had been born and raised - which Assyrian assumed he was - then the shifter doubted the hard headed man would want to hear about anything outside of his beloved inn. No... I can't harbor any sort of ill will toward the man. He's the least of my problems. The tall man told himself sternly.

The timid creature beside him nonchalantly flipped a few stray strands of hair from her face. A completely normal, unimportant motion, but the vision it brought on was heart wrenching. Red hair, blue eyes, crooked smile, cute dimples; Rose... No, he couldn't go there, not now. It's just from the dream, I'm just a bit shaken up is all... He told himself, forcing reason to calm him down. “Forgive me, I didn’t mean to speak so much about myself. I would love to hear more about you…Assyrian.” The man in question tensed, his heart hammering madly. "Oh no, Misty, I find your conversation most intriguing. You have a way of looking and explaining things that is very unique." The shifter cast her a glance, suddenly serious. "Never lose that." His gaze turned back to the road then and the seriousness quickly vanished. "As for hearing about me, well... Heh, I'm not really that interesting." He shrugged with a rueful grin. "Just a man." Assyrian glanced down at her face, a sudden twinge striking his heart. He didn't want to disappoint her, and she had just opened up to him a bit. It was the least he could do to return the favor. "But if you really want to know, then give me a subject and I can narrate you a novel." He joked, giving her a gentle, playful nudge with his elbow.

The shifter had spoken the truth. If Misty asked, he would answer, thought how much of that answer would be truth. Still, the roiling black of fury he felt growing at the back of his mind let him know that Della didn't approve. He frowned mentally, tired of her self-pitying attitude. "Get over it."</sub>[/i] He severed the small link which tied their emotions.[/sub][/color]

[Felypsa]

Oh, she could show him some work right now, but it would not be what he expected. Misty was going to have to figure out the best way to present that part of her to him. It was unusual, but at the same time, she couldn’t help but feel that he had seen more amazing things before. Besides, she had not divulged her secret to anyone…she had no idea how someone might react to it.

When Assyrian replied, at first Misty thought he was politely refusing to talk about himself. That was disappointing, but she could not make him talk. He owed her nothing. But he pointed out truths about herself that Misty had never considered. A warm pink flush coated her face as she looked away. She would have thought her innocence would be irksome. But Assyrian was very serious about her retaining her naive imagination, and Misty had to wonder why he stressed it so much. But she just gave a small nod, agreeing without really knowing what she was agreeing to.

To her pleasant surprise, though, he agreed to answer something about himself. He was a man, that was true, but Misty would argue that she had seen plenty of men, and none like him. Instead, she happily took the opportunity. “What’s the most amazing thing you’ve seen? Or done, I suppose.” It was a pretty broad question, she realized, but no matter what he answered, she would not be disappointed.

[ulrica]

<sub>“What’s the most amazing thing you’ve seen? Or done, I suppose.” Assyrian grinned impishly. "Watching my mother chase away a group of men from a fresh batch of bread." He chuckled, running his free hand through his thick unruly hair. "There's no force on this earth like an angry woman." He teased, echoing the words his father had so often told him. "No, let me think." What had he seen or done that was amazing? Ideas flooded his mind, Shadowfax being born, seeing Misae's true form, the bond he shared with Della. Seeing Rose for the first time... No, no not that. The man needed something Misty would appreciate. A dead love was definitely not the answer, but neither was any of his other ideas. The only one which came the closest was the birth of his dear charger. So what else was there?

He couldn't tell her of riding into battle, after all wars weren't fought the same way anymore. If he told about knights in shining armor, and giant stallions decked out in their riders' colors Misty would look at him like he was crazy or worse. Besides, war wasn't something amazing. War was brutal and bloody; war was a living hell. Misae once again came to mind, but she too would be an unacceptable topic. Dragons were only fairy tales after all, the only ones who still believed in their existence only believed the last to have been killed long ago. Perhaps in some places this was true, but he had the proof which said otherwise. The sun's glare caught him in the eye then, making him squint to be able to see. But even though the intense light hurt his delicate sight, it blessed him with something to tell Misty about.

"Ok, I have something." Assyrian said a few seconds later, smiling down at the woman beside him as if about to share some great, important secret. "When I was younger-" No he couldn't say that, how old could he look to her? Twenty? Twenty-five? No, younger wouldn't work. "-Well, a few years ago anyhow." Better, he shrugged off his mistake with an easy chuckle. "I spent quite a bit of time in a very mountainous region. This was before I had come across Shadow here, so at the time it was just Della and I. Anyhow, I hadn't been sleeping very well for some reason so I was up before the sun. So instead of spending another few hours trying to make myself fall asleep, I decided I would just head on and try to make it to the next village before nightfall.

"So I have all of my things gathered and I step out of the cave I had been sleeping in, it was right by a ledge a lovely place really, and I couldn't believe my eyes. The sky looked like a painter's easel, as if someone had taken all hues of red, orange, and yellows and spread them across the horizon. But that wasn't all, it was just coming out of winter so there was still snow on the ground, but a lake not too far away and down the mountain was unfrozen. When I looked down, it seemed like the whole mountain had been set ablaze. The snow had taken on the reds and golds of the sky, and the lake - oh the lake! - the water was so clear! I could see everything even from where I stood! It was all so beautiful, it was almost overwhelming.." Assyrian finally fell silent, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "Sorry, I guess a sunrise isn't that amazing, but it was the best I could come up with."

If only he could finish the memory. Tell about the pearly white scales, veined with pale sapphire and the purest of lavenders. The violet orbs which had blazed within that massive head. The overpowering wisdom, the ancientness which had been so clear about her giant form. Misae, the dragoness he had first encountered on that day. He wondered where she was, what she was doing, if she was safe. As far back as he could remember, she had been there, watching him, protecting him. Even when he swore to be her knight. She had laughed then, laughed when he had tried to swear his sword into her service. But she had been so beautiful, he didn't see her rejection as something to be ashamed of. But Misty wouldn't be able to see her as he did. She would look at his friend and she a monster. Just like she would look at me if she knew the truth.... No, he couldn't think about that now. He was with Misty, and he needed to pay attention to her. Assyrian shook the cloud of thoughts from his mind and forced himself to concentrate on the girl beside him, waiting patiently for her response to his memory.</sub>[/color]

[Felypsa]

He replied with a joke, or what Misty took to be a joke, for she laughed heartily at that. Her father would do something just like it, but it would be less amusing, for his wrath was usually quite real. But Assyrian needed time to think, which she could respect. As they walked along, she tilted her head, feeling out the thickness in the air mentally. The morning mist had cleared, but there was still a decent amount of humidity. Enough moisture in the air to work with.

She turned her attention back on her companion when he exclaimed that he had a memory to describe. Of course Misty was all ears, her green eyes bright and excited as she listened to him tell the tale. He might have chosen to forgone those that were too much like a fairy tale, but that had actually been what she was hoping for. She hung on his every word, waiting for something magical to appear—but it was nothing more (and nothing less) than the magic in a most magnificent dawn.

Yet as he spoke, something strange was happening. The tiny droplets in the air reformed in front of Misty’s eyes. She felt her ring glow warmly, but was confused; she did not voluntarily seek to weave something. Then, like before, when she had glimpsed an illusion of Assyrian in pain, she saw something else. Something truly wondrous. While Assyrian described reds and golds, she saw pure alabaster beauty, deep blue and lilac crisscrossing on a scaly beast. Misty stood staring at the vision, now seeing the mighty reptilian head and the wise amethyst eyes—that image which lived in Assyrian’s memory.

In a daze, Misty spoke. “She’s…beautiful…who is she?” The visions were something new, or else she would have been more aware of hiding them. And just like that, she blinked, and the vision disappeared. Oh, dear. Now she was beginning to realize that she had done something unnatural. Her hand wrapped around her mother’s amulet as she looked at Assyrian, not sure what to say, how to defend herself. “I’m…sorry, I was…daydreaming.” That was a poor excuse for what happened, but she did not even know how to explain it herself.

[ulrica]

<sub>The girl's attention seemed divided, as if she too struggled with inner turmoils. “She’s…beautiful…who is she?” Her voice was dreamy, as if she had just woken up or been disturbed from a day dream. Assyrian glanced down at her, his brow furrowed curiously. "Who..is beautiful..?" He prompted, casting about his gaze and finding no creature which deserved such praise. However, he didn't receive the answer he had been anticipating for at that moment Misty seemed to snap out of her trance and realize she had said something a bit off. “I’m…sorry, I was…daydreaming.” Daydreaming? Assyrian's brow furrowed further. She was lying, but why?

Misae...

The name drifted through his mind like a ghost from his memories. For a brief moment he wondered if the goddess like creature had been projected from his own thoughts to those of the young woman beside him, but this idea was quickly rejected. The man would have known if he had been linked with Misty, and he wasn't a very strong telepath when it came to other humans anyhow. That was more Misae's strong point and even she had trouble at times. So what had she seen? "If you say so..." He said, his voice filled with unasked questions. He wouldn't press her to explain, but gods how he wanted to. "You know," The man began, a wide smirk spreading across his already devilishly mischievous appearance. "You are a strange little dove.." He finished, his voice soft with defeat and something not unlike affection.

He respected her if nothing else, and it was that respect alone which garnered the privacy of her own secrets. Granted, Assyrian wasn't a violent man when it came to women, but he had many other ways of persuasion. "You're a fool."</sub>[/b][/color] Della's voice wormed into his thoughts when he was preoccupied with Misty's odd comment. When he tried directly to lock her out, he found her claws deep within his psyche and soon gave it up. "I don't know why you insist on having this same argument over and over again. I understand your view on the situation and if you haven't noticed by now, I am doing what I think is right."[/i] He replied tiredly, annoyed at how the same topic of his stupidity seemed to keep popping up in their discussions.

"She's lying to you and you know it! Catch her! Punish her! At least make her understand that you are-"[/color]

"That I'm what Dell?!" He fumed, cutting off her argument with a painful jab. "That I am cruel and insensitive?! For heaven's sake Della! She has lost her family and her home all in one night, if she wants to keep some things private then she has every right to!!"[/i] Della was quiet for a moment, giving Assyrian a chance to continue with a softer voice. "I'm tired Della... I'm tired of being alone all the time..."

"You're not alone, I'm with you. You don't need the girl."[/b][/color]

Assyrian sighed raggedly. "It's not the same and you know it."

"Then travel with Misae! Just anyone but these humans! They will kill you Assyrian.. They will find out who and what you are and they will kill you. Why don't you understand that?"[/b][/color] She was afraid and he could see that, but his own needs over rode his sense of safety.

"Della... Give it up." She gave a cry of pain at the finality in his voice, her mind devastated. Never had she been denied, never had he told her no. Never had they been on separate sides of an argument... It was new for both of them, but where as Assyrian had Misty to lose himself in, the small creature which followed them stealthily from the forest had no one.[/sub][/color]