Jack followed after the young woman cautiously, concerned that she was running quite far into the woods. However, given what he had seen of the man who had been chasing her, and his earlier attitude, he couldn't blame her for running off as she did. He was careful as he shadowed her movements, slinking through the shadows and near trees as quietly as possible so as not to startle her further.
A shuffling noise made him duck behind a nearby tree when he noticed she had stopped moving, his thin frame easily leaning against its trunk while still being completely concealed from view. He certainly didn't want to be seen at the moment. It would be dangerous for both himself and the human in question. Still, that didn't stop him from peering around the trunk, making him focus on the young woman.
"He can't find me; Oh, oh…please..."
He felt his heart sink as he watched the small figure lean against the tree, her sobs stifled by her tiny hands as the human held them against her mouth, his supernatural vision giving him a decent sight of her features despite the onset of night. He felt for her situation, trapped as she was with seemingly no way out, like him—unable to help her and yet wanting to—the poor woman making his chest ache at the way she softly sobbed. her face was hidden by her slim hands that clutched at papers, the light of the moon accentuating what he could make out of her features. A stirring began in his slender frame as he beheld her sorrowful figure, her petite body lain across the tree trunk as she covered her face with her hands. He felt an impulse to move towards her then, yet stopped as his excellent hearing picked out a fiercely agitated voice among the din of the forest.
"Where did you go!? I'll find you!"
The shout made a tiny gasp escape her lips, her breaths now coming out in short hiccups. Jack frowned, his sockets narrowed as he watched her shiver from fear before moving away from where he was hidden, in order to find where the voice had come from. It only took him a scant few minutes to find the cause; her damnable suitor. Of course he had followed her. Unlike before, his countenance was anything but regal, features twisted into a grimace as he trod through the woods. The skeleton looked back to where the woman was hiding, noticing she did not move from her spot, eyes now darting to and fro as she clutched the papers to her corset, still frozen in terror. He knew the empty look in her wide eyes; hopelessness, fear and pure despair.
It had haunted him for the last decade now, no matter how he had tried to distract himself from it. Losing himself in his work only seemed to have made it worse, causing him to despair over the holiday he once had loved. Now he had nothing, no reason to keep going and only saw darkness in his future. Which was why he was taking a gamble now, sneaking out into the human world, to try and find something—to give him a purpose.
A scream of terror shot him out of his reflections, the young woman having finally been found out by her pursuer. Peeking his skull from behind the tree, he watched as the man moved right into her personal space, an arm tightly gripping her shoulder. He didn't like that, being one to highly value his own personal space. For that man to invade hers without so much as a second thought annoyed him, even though he did not know her personally. He could tell from the petrified look on her face that she certainly didn't enjoy the contact.
He crouched lower in the shadows, not wanting to be seen yet but also very concerned about what was happening right in front of him. He didn't know them, wasn't sure if it was his place to interfere in human business, but he couldn't simply stay and watch...this. He was a gentleman, and what was happening right now certainly made him question the supposed noble pedigree of her suitor.
Was this man supposed to be her betrothed? Yet he was violent with her, eyes wild and voice loud as thunder as he shouted the most horrid words barely inches from her covered face. Jack felt the urge to do something. While he was thinking this, the well dressed man continued his tirade at the poor young woman, causing her to shrink even further from him. But what could he do?
"Both your parents and I wish for you to stop this foolishness. Where will this lead you? No woman can pursue a fully fledged career in the field of art! Less so one who does not act like a proper woman should!"
Her supposed suitor snatched the papers out of her hands, a startled gasp escaping her as they flew everywhere. The few he managed to hang onto crumpled in his vice like grip, before the man began to tear at them, the woman letting out an anguished scream as the pieces fluttered to the ground. A discomfort began to form near the area where Jack's stomach would be located, had he any organs as he watched the rest of the documents flutter close to where he hid. This was just too much. He couldn't stand for this...Destroying someone's dreams like that, leaving them with nothing but hopelessness and despair. How horrible.
"What need have you of those things!? Once you marry me, you will have enough to do as it is. No time for playing at pen and paper with your pathetic drawings!"
"...I…I don't love y—ooh!"
The resounding slap as the man's hand cut swiftly across her face made a yell of pain escape her, cutting off her words and making her start to cry anew, glasses falling onto the dirty ground. Tears flooded her cheeks, her face now fully in his field of view, one of which was a bright scarlet from where her suitor had struck it. The man seemed to pay her distress little mind, scowling horribly at her crying figure. He watched as the man began to grab her harshly by the wrist, his own skeletal hands unconsciously balling into tight fists as he took a single step forward, pulling her towards the man as she made a pained expression. She fought against him for a moment, attempting to grab her dropped spectacles, before he let out a growl of frustration.
"Come now, enough—of this foolishness! You are hysterical; It is late, and your parents—are surely worried—about you. Let—us—return!"
She didn't resist his pull then, head tilted downwards as she looked towards the ground. That's it! He thought, unable to watch the scene before him any longer. Rules be damned, he was going to interfere! Then again, if they couldn't see him, it wouldn't really count as interference would it? A smirk flashed across his skull then, before he began purposefully disturbing the leaves around the two, letting out a soft moan. He crept closer to the pair, using the lack of light to his advantage, making sure they barely saw him as he flit from tree to tree, making various noises.
"Ooooo…."
He could see the beginnings of more tears in her eyes, her tiny frame shaking as she was being led along, which only spurred him on further. Acting as quickly as he could, a low moan erupted out of his throat, making the pair jump slightly as it was carried by the wind. It soon joined with other calls; wolves, birds, and became a cacophony of sounds, though he made sure his wailing voice was heard out of all the others.
"Ooooooo…"
He popped out from behind the tree then, using his fire to his advantage to create the tiniest wisps of light in his empty sockets, long hands bared as if they were claws, barely visible in the darkness, though he knew they had the vague impression that something was there. He swore their eyes met for a fraction of a second, an instant in which his round skull was reflected back at him in her hazel pupils, before shock and fear made her eyes flutter shut, mouth silently opened to scream. He felt a sharp pang of guilt then, his phantom heart beating intensely inside his empty rib cage, which shocked and surprised him. She collapsed upon the spot, her hand loosening from the man's tough grip, falling to the leaf covered ground with a harsh noise. That made him wince slightly; he hoped she wasn't too hurt from the fall. She looked to be in enough pain as it was.
Her betrothed only took in her state for a moment, before looking at the spot where he supposedly was, then around the area in a panic, eyes wide with terror as sweat dripped down his face. Jack had already hid back behind a tree, wondering if he needed to jump out a second time, not wanting the humans to get a clear glimpse of him. If they simply saw him as a bump in the night, one of the many things in the forest that they needed to be wary of, that was fine with him. Thankfully, it seemed he had spooked the man well enough, as he let out a pathetic cry, voice cracking as he slowly began to backpedal.
"D-Demons!? They wish to spirit us away! Oh my heavens; I cannot stay here! Take her; take this accursed woman and leave me be!"
The man ran off into the night, back the way he had came, leaving the poor woman very much alone and unprotected, which made concern for her well being sprang up in his ribs. After all that talk, what a coward the man was! Did he not care for her, as he said he supposedly did? Then he should have stayed by her side, not run off like some scared child. The poor thing, having to suffer the 'affections' of a man like that…
Oh, how he wished he could truly intervene in their scuffle. He'd teach him what was what, the pathetic coward! His gaze softened as he laid his sockets on her prone form, fighting an internal battle within himself. She's a human...I can't get involved any further than I already have. She simply lay there on the cold, hard ground, unmoving, her chest slowly rising as she breathed. He examined the extent of the damage the man had caused, anger and worry welling up in his chest as he did so. Her eyes had become red from crying so harshly, one cheek still blooming crimson and even a tad distended. Her short locks were splayed in varying directions, leaves entangled in some of the shorter curls. He felt another small pull at his chest then, a slender hand going towards it and gripping the center of his white dress shirt as he did so. I...should leave...but I can't simply leave the poor woman like this...
Her hair was much shorter and not even close to a shining red as the woman in his dream. She wasn't as thin as the rag doll in his dream, more filled out around the waist and thighs, with a dress that barely went halfway. It was slightly tattered, as were her stockings, no doubt from running as carelessly through the woods as she had. He found that didn't matter; the skeleton till felt a rush of emotion he didn't quite understand as he regarded her. Her skin was slightly tan and not a pale blue, no stitches to be found, though he blanched as he noticed the small cuts and droplets of blood that marred her delicate body.
After waiting a few moments, making sure the vile man had completely left, Jack walked out of his hiding place. He crouched down towards her then—against his better judgment—scooping her up into his arms, one hand carefully supporting her head while the other kept her legs steady. Despite her somewhat hefty figure, he found she was quite light, and somewhat cold. She had been on the ground for a while, yet it still surprised him as his hand brushed against her arm accidentally, her skin quite cool against his hard hand. He looked around, hoping to salvage at least some of her papers, but they had fluttered to somewhere deeper in the forest. Besides, now was not the time for that; though he was curious about the work on them. Maybe he could find them later, after he had made sure she was safe and secure. It would give him something to do, he supposed.
It's not as if he could simply leave her here, having caused her to faint in the first place. His sense of chivalry simply wouldn't allow him to abandon her. Then he would be no better than her suitor, and the thought of that made his narrow boil. No, the poor woman deserved better, much better than the pompous oaf who she was chained to.
But where would he go? In the same direction her betrothed had run off to? It's not as if he could bring her home with him; her being a mortal and all, the two of their worlds never really meant to intertwine. Jack knew he couldn't leave her, not in the situation she was in now. So he simply adjusted his grip on her small body, making sure he had a good hold on it, before he stared up at the night sky, pondering what would be the best course of action for him to take.
He hated to admit it, but he was partially curious as to how this whole scenario would play out. It certainly was interesting. And he couldn't deny the odd urge he felt as he looked upon her bruised face, running a bony finger along her locks, marveling at soft it felt and shuffling a few leaves out of the tresses in the process.
After a few moments, he began walking towards the small village she called home. He didn't really approve of it, but it was the only option he could think of at the moment. Certainly her family would take care of her, wouldn't they? Part of him was uncertain, as her suitor had ran off, screaming about demons. Humans were wary when it came to things such as himself, though he meant no one any harm. If they thought something was wrong with her, if she had been 'spirited away' by something, then the poor woman would have a harsh time of it. So he would stay, Jack decided as he came upon the familiar lights that blanketed the village, and watch as things developed...
