Wounded Hope

Wounded Hope
Date of Scene:	23 January 2013
Location:	Traverse Town - VALKYRI HQ
Synopsis:	Skoll, wounded and bandaged up in VALKYRI HQ, awakens to Zia watching over him.
Cast of Characters:	Skoll Ulfang, Zia

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Zia has posed:
While The Shard Seeker HQ had come to be a sort of 'home' for the misplaced gargress, VALKYRI Headquarters felt like being in an alien world. Every time she went from one world to another, there was always that strange feeling as her body tried to adjust to it. Without the sunlight that normally triggers the change to stone sleep, though, it's just an odd feeling rather than a pressing one. She'd need to sleep soon enough, but there are more worrying matters.

When they'd first brought Skoll in, the primary concern had been tending to his wounds, which had left Zia at a bit of a loss. She had no skill in healing magic, and the extent of her medical knowledge comes from watching a couple of late night reruns of medical dramas on television. Somehow, trying to treat him like a patient of Dr. House M.D. would probably not be a good idea. So, rather than torturing herself with any of the werewolf's cries as the healers set to him, Zia had escaped to gather up some of her books, wanting to see if anything in them mentioned any sort of magic like this.

By the time she had returned, the wolf had probably been settled, and sedated, and otherwise out for the count. Perhaps if he had been awake, she would have set to those books right away, but... sometimes things are easier when a person isn't awake to respond to what you do. He hadn't yet returned to human form. Zia had sat with him for a time, quiet, having drawn his head up into her lap. There isn't much to say over it. The image of that moment when he had tried to leave is burned into her mind's eye. If she and Avira hadn't reached him... then maybe he really would have been gone. "Ye cannae do tha te me again..." She whispers, then strokes a hand over the wolf's head.

The moment couldn't last, though. By the time he actually rouses, well... Zia has her nose shoved into a book. This is probably the first time the werewolf has ever actually seen her use the dusty old volumes, and perhaps there is one reason why. The girl has a pair of those librarian glasses pushed up on her nose as she pages through one. Her brows are drawn down, eyes focused in concentration, surrounded by a stack of similar leather-bound texts.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The healers would have noticed that this werewolf, is for all sakes, not a normal werewolf. He was healing before their own eyes, and the bones had begun to move on their own in order to locate properly. The 'cracking' of bones being reset was a uncomfortable sound for certain, and the healers certainly helped in getting the werewolf's body healing faster. But the roars of pain were no less present.

Things had indeed quieted down a while ago now. His breathing is slow and languid, and he's wrapped in multiple bandages. It seems the werewolf slept a dreamless night for once. Something that happened so rarely for him these days. No motions other than breathing, laying quietly with his head on Zia's lap. It's when the girl speaks that the beast begins to rouse from his sleep, his ears twitching to the sound and a little 'ruff' sounds from deep within his chest that seems to appreciate something. It may the be petting. His tail even moved a little.

When he awakens properly, all he sees is the book at first - a littlebit away from him. There's this 'faint' awareness that something had been underneath his head a little while ago. The just grunts in order to show that he's awake, taking a while to let his eyes get used to the light of this strange place. He can barely remember coming here.

Zia has posed:
The gargress looks up at the sound of that grunt, peeking over the edge of one of the books. It's one of those big sorts, looking as if it is probably written in a language other than English. "Good mornin' sleepin beauty." Zia offers with a wry tone to her voice. Likelier than not, it isn't morning. Then again, in Traverse Town, it's hard to tell at times. Maybe, if the girl hadn't been so worried about the whole situation, she might have added on some sort of humorous quip, but instead she just looks over at him. "How're ye feelin?"

She draws a bit of cloth between the pages, folding the heavy volume closed. It hadn't been particularly helpful, and didn't seem to be going anywhere that would be useful. Strangely enough, few dark mages think to actually add indexes or tables of contents to their books of spells and rituals, and even fewer others think it's a particularly good idea to include ways of 'removing' said dark magic.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll's ears perk a little at the soft sound of that Scottish sounding gargess. As soft as Scottish can be, that is. "Good mornin'." He mutters in reply, lazily staring her way as his eyes focus further on the girl. That wryness in her voice is taken note of, but he doesn't react particularly to it.

On the question on how he is feeling, he takes a moment to raise his big fuzzy hand to his forehead and slowly rubs the place while groaning and grumping. "Like I got hit by a Behemoth." He answers, suggesting that he at least has a huge headache, if nothing else. His hand then slowly moves down towards his chest, but his fingers stop at the cold feel of metal at his neck. His ears fold down, and she can probably see his expression becoming startled... and then dim. As if he didn't want to show his fear to the girl.

"How about you? You and 'vira kicked that plant-lady's arse last day."

Zia has posed:
"Nae last Ah checked, lad. Although tha would be a fight worth sellin tickets te." At least her sense of humor hasn't been lost from the whole escapade, or perhaps she's just using it as a way of making things seem less... dire. Everyone has their self-defense mechanisms, even creatures that turn to stone. "At least ye heal like nobody's business, otherwise Ah'm sure Ah woulda spent far more time worryin over yer fuzzy self." Even though she hadn't really ever seen him as a wolf before the fight, the gargress doesn't seem to mind it too much. Great 'bloody' beasts come with the territory, perhaps.

She does catch that startled look, but doesn't react to it other than a quick flick of her eyes. Better not to draw attention to it, especially as it's clear that he doesn't want to. "Oh, Ah wouldnae say that. T'was mostly ye and the VALKYRI lass who did most'a the damage. Ah was too preoccupied tryin te get ye loose, 'n then later tryin te keep ye from runnin off te the bad guys." Yep, she has no problem whatsoever with calling the Gaudium Lords 'bad guys' after what they had done to him.

She shrugs then, looking down at the book rather than over at him. "Ah'm alright, though. Nothin a day of sleep didnae heal well enough." If you looked closely, there is just the faintest sort of pock-mark texture to her wings - lighter patches where a single night's rest hasn't fully healed the damage. It does tell a bit as to how long he's been out, though. "Avira's alright, too. There isnae anythin te worry aboot wi' her. Tough as nails, tha one."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Yes... yes that would. I would have been able to fight back properly." Skoll answers the girl. How this werewolf had lost against this woman might be a bit of a mystery, until one notes the trouble he had to go trough to actually attack her. How hard it'd been for him. "Still, as you said, I'm glad for what I am sometimes." Although more often than not, it is a curse. "Glad I didn't worry you too much." His ears perk just mildly.

"It was both of you. I saw. The lightning combined with her sword-skills took her down. I merely finished her off when she was already down." He notes... before adding, "And ended up hurting the both of you with that attack." His tail slaps against the ground in an annoyed manner. He doesn't comment on him wanting to run off to 'the bad guys'. He didn't know what he'd wanted to do at the time. He'd just wanted to 'run away'.

The werewolf then nods. "I'm glad you two are fine. What... about her burns though?"

Zia has posed:
There is no need to wonder how he lost against the plant woman, because it had been plain as day when they'd experienced it for themselves. Whatever power that collar held, along with whatever power /they/ held over him. It's a powerful combination. "Oh, trust me, lad, Ah worried plenty. So dinne ye go thinkin anythin in that wolf brain'a yers tha everythin was hunky dorey while ye were laid up like some stray hit by a car." She reaches out a finger and pokes him right in the nose. "Ah dinnae really wante test tha whole 'ye cannae die thing, we clear?" She looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

The gargress just blows a few strands of white hair out of her eyes, dismissing how much she really had to do with the fight. "'N if it werenae fer Avira holdin her off while Ah got ye un hog-tied, we both woulda been in more trouble." She doesn't really want to get into an argument over who helped more or not, it just felt like... she didn't do nearly as much of the actual fighting. It's one of the side-effects of being a mage, sometimes what you do isn't as visual as punching someone in the face. "Honestly, lad, do ye really think either of us wouldnae have told ye te blast that (lady) back te hell, even knowin wha would have happened? Ah've seen people get blasted by worse 'n still be friends."

She offers him a small smile, not about to let him get away with taking all the blame there, again. "Ah didnae get a good look at them, but Ah suspect it wasnae anythin tha a few potions and some healers couldnae fix. Ah wasnae lettin any of 'em near m'wings, though. Screw tha. They can take their bloody magic 'n go (shag) themselves before they go anywhere near those when they're hurt." Still, the girl seems more amused than anything else, even if her smile doesn't linger.

It turns into a concerned tilt of her head as she takes off the pair of glasses, folding them up and then setting them atop the pile of books.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The werewolf moves his head back mildly upon the finger touching his nose, wrinkling it and then blows a small bit of air out of his nose. This is followed by him moving the back of his hand to that point to get rid of an invisible itch. All the meanwhile, with those big doggy eyes of his, he looks up at Zia, showing that he understands what she is saying. "That bad huh?" He mumbles in regards to the 'stray' comment. "I've never fancied 'testing' that out either." Skoll then adds, "But I've healed from some severe wounds." Some of those 'holes' in his body had closed up at least partially, for instance.

The werewolf then leans back down, letting out a long sigh followed by a wince when the back of his head hits the floor. "True. It was an amazing group effort." He admits. With a nod of his head, he shows that he understands not to continue talking about getting the two hurt. At the time, it'd severely scared him, feeling like he might have started to execute the command after all. That he'd not held back enough.

"Good..." he utters in regards to Avira being 'fine', followed by an amused and somewhat loud laughter as Zia goes on to point out just how sensitive her wings are. Quite the pottymouth she can be at times. "I'll keep that in mind. Don't touch Zia's wings when she's hurt." He makes a vocal mental note. An eyebrow-raise later, he adds; "Since when do you wear glasses?"

Zia has posed:
The little wolfish reaction to her touching his nose draws a ghost of a true smile to the gargoyle's lips, one that comes from a natural reaction rather than her attempts to just look light on things. Of course, then he has to give her the puppy dog eyes. With a sigh, the girl looks at him again, nodding a bit. "Pretty bad. Jus glad yer awake. Ah didnae know how much longer Ah could stay around. Few hours, maybe." It was bad enough having to leave to get her things and face the day not knowing if he'd be alright, but having to do so twice...

"Aye, he best keep it in mind." Then again, Skoll isn't a healer. He isn't the sort that's likely to go poking fingers through wing-sails and causing more harm than good. Gargoyle wings heal best when left to their own devices - stone sleep 'n all that. Sometimes medicines meant for good can retard the process of healing more than they help. At least, that's been her experience. "Luckily, they heal pretty well. 'N as much as they hurt like hell, it's a bit be'ta then takin a magic-blast te the body."

She had some thought behind her defense, knowing how she heals. Skoll probably does similar things, knowing what places heal the fastest, or easiest. The question about the glasses though, brings a sheepish little look. "Suppose maybe it's tha gargoyles were always meante be far-sighted. See great things in the distance. It's a little fuzzy closeup. Only really need 'em fer readin, though. Yer clear as a bell." That seems to remind her, "Ye should try changin yerself back te human. See if all m'hours toilin at research were a waste'a time."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Are they just sensitive when burnt, or are they sensitive in general? On the inside, or...?" Skoll tries to figure out how her wings work, looking fairly curious for a moment, before trying to sit up a little. It takes a little wincing and pains, before he finally is /sitting/ up. The youth then lets out a long sigh. "I've not been this badly beaten up in a long time." He mutters. "I'm glad Hati doesn't have to see me like this." He pauses for a moment, before adding; "My sister." Just in case the Gargess didn't know or remember. He personally can't remember if he'd ever told her about the other werewolf.

Putting his hands to either side of himself, he then scootches himself back to the wall he's near, so he might remain seated up. "I can try turning back. But it would really help if you'd give me a mirror to stare at. To... help the process. I'm still quite hurt, so it's a bit hard to concentrate." For as 'little' as he is wincing, he's actually quite in a lot of pain. He's just so used to not showing this.

Zia has posed:
"Only when they're damaged." Zia explains, lifting her wings from her shoulders slightly. The long, webbed appendanges hang down, pooled beneath her like folded cloth. "When we fly, they need te be sensitive enough to adjust te winds around us, but... it makes them a wee bit painful when they're cut, or burned, or shot." All of which she's experienced in various forms lately. None of which were particularly pleasant experiences. She's ticking the events off on her fingers, but then shrugs off the worry over it. As much as her wings might look a little strange with the faint signs of those burns, they would heal fully in another day or so.

"Why would ye nae have wanted yer sister te see?" She asks, her head cocking to the side. "Ah think Avira was gointe let her know tha we found ye. Dinnae know why the lass isnae here by now." Just what people need, another missing werewolf. Luckily, Hati isn't missing, just crashing out somewhere after searching for days straight for her wayward brother. "Ah doubt she would have made fun of ye or anythin." The gargress, of course, doesn't know his sister, so she has no idea why it is that he wouldn't want her to see him hurt.

As for a mirror... this time Zia can oblige. "Picked it up in the markets. Found a vendor who seemed keen enough te be sellin, especially wi' all the attacks in Fluorgis lately. Probably wasnae havin much luck peddlin his wears." She takes out a little wrapped mirror with a silver inlay, a pretty sort of thing that might be better suited for a person of nobility than a battle-beaten werewolf, but the price ahd been right. "Will this work?" She asks, offering it out.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
There's a faint nod as Zia explains the more integral details about those webbed appendages of hers. "Makes sense." He answers, while laying his head back and looking up at the ceiling for a bit. Apparently it's a mightily interesting ceiling. Really, he'd seen the insides of this HQ /once/, and that'd just been a quick in-and-out thing - when he'd delivered Avira her Christmas Gift.

"Ah..." He lowers his head when his sister gets commented on. "I am not sure she'll show up. She's..." He doesn't want to say 'odd', or anything derogatory. But she is... "... we've grown apart over years of not seeing one-another. But I don't want to worry her. So please don't tell her just how badly I got beaten up. Not to mention... the darkness..." His ears fold down. He's not sure what she'd think about the darkness getting closer to taking him. Even now, he felt... wrong. Embarassed about what lays within. Embarassed about that neckband.

The werewolf then reaches out with a hand as Zia offers the mirror. He actually inspects the mirror first, appreciating it apparently; "This is a really nice mirror... nice and clean, beautiful frame. Where'd you get this?" He asks, before looking into it with all of his concentration. It doesn't take long for his body to shine in a brilliant white light and shifts into his human form as he'd sat there - as a werewolf.

The metal band however - the werewolf already is touching it with one finger - has just shrunk along with him. His human-werewolf ears fold down flat.

Zia has posed:
Likely, Zia has had much more time than the werewolf to examine things like the walls and ceiling. Then again, if the stack of books is any measure of how long she's been sitting there, she might have simply had her nose shoved in one of them the entire time. "From wha Ah know, lad, she came te the Shard Seekers lookin fer ye, and if she hadnae told people ye were missin, then Ah doubt we woulda made it there in time." She had seen just how close matters were, and if it had taken a few more hours, certainly things would have gone very, very different. "Ah wouldnae go dismissing family so easily."

While the gargoyle has no real reason to like or dislike the wolf's sister, she certainly owed the girl for noticing him being gone. Both Zia and Avira would likely have just assumed he'd gone somewhere, but since Hati had a regular meeting scheduled, she'd been the first to realize he was gone. "Shop owner in Fluorgis. Hasnae been able te sell much stock since the attacks started. People are worried tha wha happened in Manhattan will happen there."

The moment he begins to focus on the mirror, though, Zia looks away. He's probably got a blanket, and enough badnages to cover anything, but it's a matter of politeness either way. She glances back once it seems like the coast is clear, her own ears slicking back slightly, "Kinda figured it wouldnae be tha easy." She sighs, looking at the stacks of books. "Tha's why Ah've been goin through all these. O'course, Valen didnae know jack aboot this sorta magic, 'n if he did, it's probably in the last place Ah'd look."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll's ears perk up a little when she speaks of Hati, explaining that it had been through her that Avira and Zia had actually noticed he'd gone missing. Had it not been for her...

Indeed, he should not so easily discount his sister, it would seem. It's just that his last interactions with her had been... iffy at best. Not that he minded, he had a decent amount of patience when it comes to his sister after all. She is blood. "Hrrm, understandable. Although... something going on in Fluorgis? I've been gone for a while - have things really started to get that bad there?" He asks.

The werewolf puts down the mirror onto his lap and places it with the mirror side down. He lets out a sigh. "I appreciate it though. Your help - and the time you are putting into this." He doesn't know how to remove this thing, honestly.

Zia has posed:
"It seems te have been gettin worse lately. Heartless attacks. Strange happenin's. Ah wouldnae know how te exlain it, really. Part of me wantste say tha it's like wha went in on Manhattan, but... Ah havenae seen hide nor hair of a a Shadow Lord yet. Like somethin else is a'foot." The white gargress raises her shoulders in another of those shrugs. "Guess it's bad enough te get attention from outsiders, though. Those detectives sent a gargoyle from m'world te track me down. Apparently they got some fool idea tha Ah'm somethin called a 'Princess of the Heart' 'n tha the reason Fluorgis is gettin attacked is tha the Heartless followed me there."

Her eyes look over towards him, that more serious expression lingering there. While she didn't have the 'heart' to break it to Percival that she just couldn't be the princess he's looking for, Skoll had seen her use dark magic before. With the way people tend to react to it, it's no small guess why she wouldn't want it public knowledge. "If there is such a lass out there, then they're wastin their time worryin over me."

Shaking her head, Zia watches the expression, listening to those sighs. "Skoll." It isn't often that she uses names, but more often now, she uses it for emphasis. "Ye are my friend. Yer someone Ah care about." Even if he isn't in wolf form, she still reaches out and tries to nudge at his chin to get him to look at her. "Ah'll search every book Ah can find till all m'talons have papercuts if tha's what it takes te figure this out." Then, dropping her hand with a sigh, the gargoyle leans her head back against the wall. "Jus wish Ah had some idea of where te start lookin."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll can't help but smirk a little. "Princess of Heart?" He sadly, isn't that familiar with the term at all. But he feels he understands that this at least would require Zia to be some kind of princess. And 'of heart'? Skoll shakes his head a little. "Heartless follow these 'Princesses of Heart' around a lot?" He asks, figuring he may as well learn something. "Still, I don't think you attract heartless any more than your regular ol' person." He admits.

The werewolf then lets out a sigh, "Still, I would never discount anything from being true. I've seen stranger things in these worlds." He admits, and is about to say more when the girl suddenly calls his name. Indeed, it is rare for her to speak his name. It's why she manages to shut him up with it. His ears perk a little as she says he is her friend, and even someone she cares about. It's when her fingers touch his chin however, that the werewolf's head raises and his tail starts wagging excitedly, like a dog expecting to receive a treat.

Yet, all he does is smile to her warmly, and reaches his hand out to hers, in order to touch it as it lays on her lap. "Thank you Zia. That means a lot to me. I'll tell you if I can think of anything. But right now, my mind is... kind of clouded."

Zia has posed:
"Ah dinnae know much aboot it m'self. This young knight came te the Shard Seekers, claimin tha ye wanted te see me fer 'imself, 'n offer me his sword and his services." The gargress rolls her eyes in that bemused sort of way. Since when did a girl who still has a tendency to steal scraps off of other people's plates get knights bowing at her feet? It's like someone's idea of a great cosmic joke. "From wha he told me, there's a wizard named Merlin, dinnae know if he's the one from our legends back on Earth but..." The girl waves her hand, getting offtopic. "Anyways, he claimed tha a Princess of the Heart would draw in Heartless, 'n tha so long as she's protected, a world couldae truly fall."

Her own expression as she says these words is a bit haunted. "We were both there tha day. There wasnae anything Ah could have done te save our world, though Ah cannae help wondering if..." It's the bane of being a survivor, always wondering if you could have tried just a little harder, been a little better, taken the threat more seriously. "Anyways, he started sayin somethin about pure hearted lasses, and tha's the part where Ah definitely knew he had the wrong person." With a quirk of her lips, and a hint of a saddened expression, "Do ye think Ah should've thrown some dark magic across the gardens? Might've convinced him."

She may not have the most pure of hearts, but Zia did have good intentions, and a strong heart at that. When he reaches for her hand, she squeezes it once, offering a small smile and a nod. "There isnae anythin te go thankin me over. Ye were the one who dragged one sorry, shut-in girl out inte the world. Now Ah just havete repay the favor." She reaches out to tap a finger on the collar gently, trying not to shock him in the process. "But until we figure out how te get ye out of this, ye have te promise to stay where either VALKYRI or the Shard Seekers can protect ye. Yer too powerful to let fall into their hands."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Offered you his sword, did he?" Skoll sounds surprised, looking up at the girl. "A young knight, in armor and with a sword and everything? Maybe you /are/ a princess." Skoll finds this most amusing indeed. He continues to listen to her about a man named Merlin, a name he'd heard drop in Traverse Town before - but a man did not know personally. "Makes sense I guess. Heartless do seem to... go after hearts. So if there were some Royalty of Hearts, then I guess it makes sense they draw heartless."

The werewolf then smirks, "But you are not a Princess of Hearts. You're a Princess of Trouble." He muses, grinning even more widely when he finishes that sentence. He then goes on to nod, that smirk quickly fading again as she mentions the battle for Manhattan. "I remember. I remember that battle all too well. I think it would have taken more than that. Not all of them were involved in the fight. There was that big oaf at the edge just watching. Who knows... he's probably the most powerful of them all!" That's right! Pete, the SUPER Shadow Lord!

"Maybe you should have." He points out. "But on the other hand, it's better not to. Darkness, especially now, is so badly looked upon. I'm..." He raises his hand to his bandaged chest: although they didn't resize with him and thus are on him rather loosely. "... a good person at heart, I'd like to think. But even I..." He figures she knows what he means to say, so he doesn't finish that sentence.

The werewolf leaves his hand on her lap, and looks back up at her. "I can promise that. Though for dragging you out of your world, I won't take credit."

Zia has posed:
"Oh lovely, now Ah'm bein mocked by a wolf mascaradin as a mummy." Zia releases his hand, reaching out for one of the dangling bandages, then flips it over his head. "The irony of havin young knights comein te me 'n seekin m'favor isnae lost on me." With a roll of those expressive blue eyes, the gargress's tail twitches, a sign that there's a hint of irritation behind her amusement. The worst part about it is the fact that she'd only just made the first few steps in her training, trying to make herself more useful, not only to the Shard Seekers, but to the cause of fighting the Heartless. The last things she needed right now is a bunch of people thinking she needed protecting.

"Aye, Princess of Trouble is a title Ah'd be glad te accept. Jus' keep in mind lad, Ah didnae seem te run inte much trouble until ye came along. Maybe it's yer wolfy self with the seven years bad luck. Betcha ye broke a mirror at some point when ye turned inte a walkin carpet." She'd accept that, though. Trouble did seem to follow her, but it wasn't always from the Heartless. Lately, it seemed to be in the form of the Gaudium Lords, and the horizon looked quite full of trouble from them, and everything else going on lately.

She's not going to throw out theories on who is the most powerful among the Shadow Lords that she has seen, although part of her wants a second chance at facing off against that maniac duck, if only to prove to herself that she's gotten better somehow. Her eyes look back at Skoll when he starts talking about darkness, "Ah know yer a good person. Tha's never really been the problem. Ah just never could figure out how ye served people who called themselves Dark Lords." With the motion at the collar, "Ah think tha Ah understand it now."

With a sigh, Zia pulls one leg up towards her chest, resting her arms over it. "Ah understand all too well how bad the darkness can be. Ah've seen wha it can do. Ah try not te use it when Ah can help it, but... it's kinda just a part of me." She shrugs. Unlike others, she might not have it quite so deeply set, but it's there none the less. With that said,t hough, she smirks, "Aye, It took me takin tha first step, 'n then tha fool boy's map gettin me turned around. Still, t'was the noble werewolf tha kept me from hi-tailin it back te my world first chance Ah got. Ye werenae afraid, and ye didnae wante kill me. It'was a rare thing fer me, up 'til then."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
The werewolf's ears twitch and perk up when that piece of bandage gets tossed over his head. The youth pouts, then sticks his tongue out. It seems that while he's wounded like this, and barely awake, he's a mild bit sillier than normal. His ears twitch a little, the bandage is stuck on the edge of one of them. Seems it won't come off with just his ear's twitching though. Those yellow eyes of his stare back at the girl, before he raises both his hands up and makes a faint moaning sound, followed by a wince and a cough that has him momentarily doubling over. Seems his impression of a mummy will have to wait until he's a bit more healed.

"I don't think it's that. I just think that your bad luck started the moment heartless ventured..." Into her world, doubling up on the whole 'maybe she's a Princess of Heart' thing. Skoll just doesn't finish that sentence, not wanting to sound foolish, and just shakes his head. "I must have broken a large amount of mirrors in my past. Especially as a youngster." He explains. "Maybe it's catching up on me."

As he speaks, his hand gently rubs over the mirror's back. "I'll try to keep this one whole though." The werewolf then sighs as the girl motions at the collar, and just silently nods. "I didn't notice at first. But after meeting you and Avira, a while after that, I started to have nightmares... nightmares that clued me in on what was going on."

The werewolf then turns his gaze away. "Well... I am glad I could be that noble werewolf for you."

Zia has posed:
Normally, the sight of him trying to ear-twitch a bit of anything off of his head would be enough to bring a smile, but these have been a trying few days. Her eyes flick to him when he tries to make that 'mummy' sound, but she winces the same time he does. "Ah dinnae think yer healed up enough yet fer method acting, sweet wolf, so how about ye rest a bit more." Concern finds a way into her voice, but she still stays seated where she is. She's not about to baby him, or fidget over his injuries. He's got too much pride to tolerate that, at least that's what she believes.

"Ye probably should get those re-wrapped, though." She notes, watching the way the bandages hang off his human form. There are no healers here at the moment. There might be a member of VALKYRI or two, sleeping in the beds across the way, but she seems to be the only person up and about at the moment.

"Oh dinnae ye be startin tha." It's easy to tell where his sentence was going, "M'bad luck goes back way further than tha." A shadow of something darker shows within those eyes, carrying memories of other times. "Probably wi' the day tha old priest came te the village with his preachin aboot demons. He knew aboot m'kind, 'n he was the worst sort of zealot. Tha's where it all started." He'd killed her father, perhaps her mother as well... indirectly, and then he'd tried to use her as a tool to discover a weakness in the 'devil'. The thoughs send a shiver thorugh her, and Zia rubs at one of her arms absently.

It's just about the same time that he looks away, seeming to speak so somberly about being a noble wolf. The girl just tilts her head, "Is somethin wrong?"

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Aww, and here I thought I was doing such a good job." Skoll mutters in mock-upset tone, as if he were suprised Zia didn't appreciate his 'fantastic' act. "Still, I'll rest more." He adds, and leans his head back against the wall behind him. "I'll get them rewrapped later. Although they'll probably not be needed again soon. So unless you want to..." The werewolf shrugs a little, while looking out at the sleeping folk in front.

The werewolf then glances towards the girls and nods somberly. Honestly, he's more 'somber' about the girl's past than his own situation. As if this all was somehow his fault. It's not that he truly thinks like this, but he's having a hard time not thinking negatively with all this darkness roaring about within his heart. Of course, his heart is strong. But his desire to run away is weakening this greatly.

He ends up sighing again. "Nothing. Just... was wondering if I am actually a noble werewolf still." He admits, before smiling. "Still, if someone is calling me a 'sweet wolf' and 'noble', it's hard to think otherwise." He directs that smile towards the gargoyle; one that could easily melt any heart. "Thank you, Zia... my... sweet Gargess." he tries, blushing slightly.

Zia has posed:
"Well, ye got the bandages right at least. Maybe a little more dust. 'N ye'd need te try te look more sallow. Maybe some gray or somethin." There are times when the gargress certainly finds some amusement in taking a joke a bit too far. Then again, there isn't much harm in it. "A mummy werewolf. Now there's a thing tha'll give the wee ones nightmares." She extends her own arms out, letting her eyes go unfocused, then gives a groan that sounds suspiciously like someone was saying 'baaaacccoonn' in a zombie voice. Yeah, it's just not possible to be serious right now.

Even her own brief bit of memory of the past is pushed aside, offering him a wry sort of smile as she stops, chuckling to herself. Of course, then he goes sighing again, and the girl lets out a breath. "Oh fer the love of..." She shifts herself, turning to sit towards him. "Ah know who ye are, Skoll Ulfang. Yer a wolf, a darn strong one at tha, noble 'n true. So trust me when Ah say this: there isnae anything anyone can do te change tha except you." She reaches out a hand, laying it gently to his shoulder. "Ah know who ye are, so why is it ye cannae see it?" She looks at him more curiously then.

Of course, then he has to go using her phrase back at her again. The wolf did have this habit of picking up her way of talking. "Oh, dinnae ye be talkin like tha now. If ye take issue with the way Ah talk, Ah can just nae say nice things aboot ye 'n then ye'll be sorry." Yep, she honestly seems to think he's just using the word 'sweet' back at her because she's used it. People did seem to misconstrue her use of that word now and again, as if it meant more than just a term of friendly endearment.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Aye, some gray on my muzzle and the lot of that." Skoll indeed picks up a little on her way of talking now and again, and can't help but go into a momentary fit of laughter as she moans out 'bacoooon'. The coughs end up in only the mildest of pain, before he objects. "I don't always talk about Bacon." He gives her a bit of a mock-wry look, before nodding his head and leaning a bit away to make room for her to sit with him.

When she's finally seated next to her, he lets out an appreciating rumble, even as that hand comes down on his shoulder. His shoulders were mostly fine at least. He looks her in the eyes and nods his head quietly. "I... think I can see it. I always saw it. It's just hard not to doubt myself, with parts of my memories missing." He explains. "They'll come back... I am sure. But I hope they won't come back /to haunt me/." He raises his hand to hers and touches it once more. "Thank you." He whispers again, before he blushes at her taking offense to him repeating a word of hers.

"I... I wasn't..." he mutters, looking away with the mildest blush on his face. "Sorry, I must have misunderstood." He then whispers. His ears fold down expressively, like a dog who just found out they did something bad. It ends up looking more cute than anything, with that blush to his cheeks.

Zia has posed:
The laugh that she manages to get is appreciated, but not so much the pain afterwards. She really did need to learn to hold off on the jokes while he's injured, but... it seems easier to make light of things than it is to face them down and risk being crushed under all of the seriousness of the moment. There is so much evil going on in the world, one brief bit of light, even if it's just a hint of laughter, can make it seem a bit less heavy for a time.

"Nae, ye dinnae /always/ talk aboot bacon, but Ah'm surprised we hadnae realized ye were missin just by the fact the place didn't smell of the stuff every morning." In truth, she feels a bit guilty about not noticing that he'd been gone in the first place. Then again, he made that habit of being mysterious. With a clearing of her throat, Zia tries to speak more seriously, though. "Even if they do come back te haunt ye, lad. Ye cannae be blamed fer what ye do when they've got foul magic bewitchin ye." It's hard to learn to forgive yourself, but she had, given time. Sure, some parts of her still felt the sting of Valen's death, but it /had/ been an accident.

Blinking with a bit of confusion, the gargress sits back, drawing her leg up again and just runs a hand through her hair. "Dinnae worry aboot it. Ah still speak sometimes 'n older ways, 'n people take it te mean all sortsa things. It's hard te tell them tha m'parents were alive hundreds'a years ago. 'N ye pick up more on their ways o'speakin then ye do modern tongue." She glances over at him, ears tucking slightly at the color on his face. "Are ye sure ye feel alright? Ye seem a bit flushed. Maybe some water 'n some food would do ye good." Yep, clueless.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"I'm not always making bacon you know... I make beef sometimes." Skoll objects, pouting with that flush on his face still. "And I'm feeling fine... just... feeling embarassed for... stuff." Oh, how descriptive. The werewolf decides to just go with it a little, looking up at her from the corner of his eyes and raising only one of his ears. That kind of adorable puppy look. "Just... I was using it in the modern way." He explains, before looking away. "I think you're sweet."

He then looks away again, nodding silently. She's right, he can't be blamed for something done under someone else's control. "I just want to get rid of this collar." He then mutters, raising his hand to it and grabbing onto it, before suddenly /pulling/ on it hard. It sparks, rather violently at that, and his hair seems to raise up. Yet he just keeps pulling for a little while longer, baring his teeth and growling before finally giving up a little moment later and hanging his head again.

"I understand now what she was saying. She'd planned to do this to Avira as well... her sister..." The Gaudium Lord's sister.

Zia has posed:
The prospect of food makes her stomach rumble just at the thought of it. She hadn't managed to really grab a good meal in a while, but the girl isn't about to advertise that fact. "Fine, bacon-wrapped beef, then." She teases, although the idea is mouthwatering. For a girl who'd lived off of cold half-eaten restaurant throw-aways, the idea of actual real food still tends to win her attention pretty easily.

But then he stops her as he mentions how he had meant the words. This time, it's her turn to flush slightly, her expression shifting shyly. "Well..." She tries to think of something to say, but then just fails and manages a somewhat unsure, "Yer welcome." Yeah, the girl hadn't known what to do when Faruja gave her that tail-ribbon either, and it seems like she doesn't do much better with direct compliments.

Right, something else, the collar! Yeah, it's easier to focus on that then to worry about the weird feeling in her stomach. "Careful." She warns as he grabs onto it, wincing as he strains against it. There is a part of her that secretly wishes that he had the strength alone to break it, but it comes as no surprise that it resists his power. "We'll figure something out, even if Ah havete track down this Merlin 'n bang on his door m'self."

The idea of the plant-woman having used this on others draws a small growl from the gargress, but it's nothing like Skoll's werewolf irritation. "They're the worst kinda dark magic, these ones. Ah wish Ah woulda known somethin was wrong, then maybe we coulda stopped this before it happened." But she knows it was impossible. He'd been obfusgating the presence and power of his 'Lords' for a while now, and even when she asked, he avoided the questions. It had taken Avira coming to her for the girl to know just how dangerous things had become. "But there just has te be a way te figure this out."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"Hrrm... bacon-wrapped beef." She can probably see his eyes 'light up' a little at the thought of having just that. "I'll cook you that tomorrow." He then promises. "Assuming that you're sticking around." He adds onto that. "I know you've not always had that good of a luck with food in your past. I remember you talking about how you lived..."

The werewolf speaks up; "In fact, I'll cook you two a feast. Avira, and you." The werewolf smiles gently at the girl flushing, but just ends up blushing himself a little and looks away. It was easier when he was healthier. He wasn't so... 'vulnerable' feeling. He didn't tend to feel shy. What's worse though is that if the darkness shifted the wrong way... he might very well turn to a far stronger way of approaching her.

The werewolf then taps the collar twice with his claw and leans his head back from his former looking away from Zia. "We'll figure it out somehow." He adds, showing that he's not letting this keep him down. "Until then, I'll have to live with this."

Zia has posed:
"Ah suppose Ah could stick around a wee bit, although m'coin pouch is gettin a bit light." She had paid for a round of drinks to get information, and cozied up to pirates, and had probably not been doing her usual delivery quests for the Shard Seekers to get munny since he disappeared. "Ye know Ah'm nae one te impose too much on hospitality. Got te earn m'keep." Then again, maybe she could manage to earn some of hers by finding that Merlin guy. Or at least figuring out someone who might have a lead on what to do.

Without really explaining her line of thought, the girl plucks up her phone, and then snaps a picture of the collar. Of course, she's probably getting an eye-glowing, surprised Skoll in the image as well. At least she's figured out how to use the thing. "This'll help, I suspect." She tucks it away without really thinking too long about it, then looks over at him. "Jus... dinnae go doin anythin stupid, okay?" This time, she seems more serious. His disappearance had scared her, and it shows in the look of her eyes.

With at least some plan in mind, Zia starts to pack away the books one by one into that oversized dufflebag of hers. For all that she might be clueless as to the advances fo certain men in her life, it isn't too likely that she'd take well to a 'stronger hand' in the matter. It's the sort of thing that comes with time. "Fer right now, Ah think m'job is goin te be playin detective. Now Ah just need a funny hat 'n a pipe that blows bubbles." She nods sagely, as if this were a perfectly normal idea.

Crazy girl. "Ye keep yer furry butt here 'n rest fer a while. Any commotion, you give a shout 'n Ah'm sure the lassies here will lend a hand. Ah'll be back b'fore dawn." Whenever 'dawn' happens to be for her in this world.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Indeed, just like with dogs and cats, it would appear that Skoll's eyes have that same reflective quality to them. So when she takes that picture, there is indeed Skoll there, giving her a curious look for the phone's photograph. It's not like he's never taken a picture with his own phone though. "I won't." He answers her in regard to doing anything stupid, while grinning stupidly. After all... he's sure to get into trouble again.

That smile disappears just a little when she shows that she's about to head out. "Maybe check with the Detective Agency." He hasn't a clue that it's /them/ who somehow think that she's the Princess of Heart. "I'm sure they'll help you. They're situated in Traverse Town I overheard someone say." Oh yes, sure, they'll love to help their imaginary Princess of Heart.

The werewolf then nods his head. "I'll try to keep my furry butt here, but I'd like some clothing at some point." He points out. "Maybe I'll ask Avira to get me some, or maybe I can steal some from 'The Man Cave'." He says this latter part with a roll of his eyes.