D tugged his boots back into place as the girl stirred. It was just past midnight and the wind from the open window now carried the scent of rain.
"I was raised on stories about you." It was said as a sigh, gold eyes washed pale by starlight fixed on the heavy clouds. "Centuries older than I and you ignore the signs of overheating?" A pale brow arched as she turned to face him, shadows growing deeper as the storm approached. "Is it normal for you to push on 'til you collapse, to become vulnerable like that?"
She must have been kept by her sire, she speaks like Noble court.
He kept his face impassive as she stood, removed the towel from her shoulders and gathered the pile from the floor.
"The innkeeper", he said, "how much does she know?"
"Little. Enough to worry, she may fuss if she can build up the nerve." A shrug. "I'll leave you to dress." She glanced down and away and D realized he was still sitting on his bed shirtless.
"Thank you."
He watched as she studied him before giving a soft laugh, "Thank you Hunter, for earlier." Then she left, door clicking shut behind her.
Soft steps padded down the hall, presumably to return the towels to the proprietress.
"Weird kid."
D didn't respond, just glanced at his sword then turned to the task of redressing.
The storm had rolled in quickly, drenching dry cracked land with cold and wet. Back in her own room Wren frowned out the closed window watching the rain turn the ground to mud. Laid her own cool fingers against still colder glass.
There would be no riding in this weather. The horse could take the rain and wind and so could she, but the burden that had her heading west would not travel well even wrapped in oil cloth.
Purposely turning her thoughts from the irritation she recounted the match against D this afternoon. If she was being honest with herself, and she always tried to be, the outcome was far from what she had anticipated. Winning a sword match against one such as he was exhilarating and surprising. She didn't even try to fight her grin.
Although I wouldn't have asked, had I realized.
Grin fading back into a frown as she relived that brief burst of panic. Thankfully the woman, Rachel, had long retired when she brought the towels down.
Stepping away from the window she glanced at the wall between her room and D's before settling on the bed. When she had come back up stairs she had heard two voices. Voices that had stopped the moment she had opened her own door. Movement had been brief and then silence had settled and she had heard no more.
Perhaps he speaks to himself rather than others. Sounds like a bit of an off thing to do but I know he's lonely.
Which brought to mind that awful sense of isolation she had felt from him, desperate loneliness. She had focused on reinforcing her mental walls while he recovered to the point she could only recognized that someone was there, not what he was feeling. It did leave her muffled even further to the humans around, though. Hours still until dawn made that less of a problem but she didn't like being blind to the feel of the town. She hadn't been lying about being hung from a tree.
Lightening split the sky, casting the room in sharp relief for a moment, before thunder boomed overhead. The glass in the window shook, drawing her eye. One of the best things in the world was the feeling of being wrapped up in a storm while it raged around you.
Another grin stole across her face, dainty fangs gleaming, as she pushed open the window and stole up onto the roof.
The irritated grumblings and expected smug taunting from his left hand had ceased the moment he had heard the girl's door open. He had not heard her coming down the hall. Nor had he heard anything from her room for the past two hours.
Fruitless to continue his hunt just yet, this fierce a storm would have lightening striking his horse within the hour. Better to wait it out, even though it moved east in the same direction he was traveling. A few more hours and he could be on his way.
Little to do while he waited but sit and think, his own company a familiar and regular occurrence, quiet often his only companion.
Movement from the room next to his drew his attention: a shift of weight, soft steps, the settling of wood and mattress.
Was she watching the rain?
Thought of the girl drew memory of her.
Pale light and shadow in his window. Gold eyes closed, leading to her looking soft in sleep. He had watched her for some time after he woke. The realization that he had wanted to keep her had kept him frozen for a long moment. He had needed his all his control to simply watch her without acting on the impulse to touch.
It had been her kindness, he'd decided.
Sitting on his bed watching her rest he had studied each facet that he had come to see in such a short time. Strength at arms in the way she handled her sword. A predator's stealth and grace as she moved about the inn. Fierceness in battle, regardless of it being only a spar. Humor and pride and something quiet and sad. Beauty, both in who she seemed to be and what she was.
He had seen no evidence that she preyed on humans. She had seemed mostly nonviolent, mostly because any being with vampire in their nature was guaranteed some violent tendencies regardless of control. There had been kindness, and it had not been necessary.
Lightning and thunder as he thought, silence disturbed by shaking glass. She could have left him out cold and unable to defend himself on the common room floor, or left him after she had finished placing the towels. She did not have to shield him as she had from the woman Rachel. She could have dumped him in the tub, armor and all, and left him to soak in tepid water. He wondered if it had crossed her mind at all.
But he would not repay kindness with selfishness, no matter how long it had been since he last felt the warmth of friendship.
He heard the shift of mattress and wood again and few swift steps to cross the room, a click, and then the soft scuf-shoof of boots on siding and roof tile. Faint creaks as something ghosted away.
She is on the roof, why?
His gaze moved to his own window. Placing his hat beside him on the bed and leaving his sword propped at the end he made his way out into the driving rain and up onto the roof. The tiles were slick but the slope wasn't steep and staying crouched was easy. Clouds low and thick and no lit lamps made the night darker than black.
Ahead, three quarters of the way down the building facing the west and the force of the storm, stood Wren.
Feet braced on the spine of the building, face tilted up, she stood firm while wind and rain tried to force her from her place. Lightning flashed again overhead making silver hair blaze like white fire. Thunder broke less than a heart beat later, rolling on and on, and mixed with it was laughter. Wild and challenging, beckoning.
He was up and moving before he realized. Stopping outside of arms reach he said her name, voice low and mixing with the wind. She still heard him, of course she would, she was dhampir.
Gold eyes wide in her pale face, another flash and boom showing the shock of finding him so close. Her mouth shaped his name in surprise and he was helpless but to watch as she laughed again. Head thrown back, pale throat exposed, clothes and hair clinging, arms thrown wide as she laughed; it was one of the most enticing things he could remember seeing.
"I love storms!" Her voice was pitched to carry even with him next to her. Then she turned her face to him and smiled, bright and true. His heart stopped.
Her eyes narrowed and he wondered if she had heard it. "What are you doing?" Low voice again, making her lean in to catch the question. What am I doing?
"Have you never done this", she yelled back. "Embrace a storm! Feel it rage around and through you! Feel it challenge the world and throw everything at you! Scream and laugh and live while it wraps around you!"
He could feel the draw to pull her to him, to let that passion rage against him instead of the weather.
"No."
Another smile, softer this time, "I'm sorry." She turned to face him fully, hair and clothes soaked like his own. "You should."
She stepped around him, footing sure on the slick roof, headed back along the building and disappeared over the side.
He let her go.
And turned his face into the storm.
AN: I seem to have gotten back into the flow of this story after a very long time, and I'm loving it. Please tell me what you think, I love to hear from you all!