Dreamy Memories at 3AM (Open)

[Deleted]

The sky was dark, the full moon and stars obstructed by large clouds. Only filtered light seeped through, just enough to light someone's way. The world was quiet in a way it only could be at three am. Everyone was asleep in their beds, safe from the outside world. It was almost a magical time, as if the world was holding it's breath. A few street lamps dotted the park, casting a glow paler than the moon on the land. It was there she lay, the trunk of a fallen tree her bed. Her eyes were closed, face serene. Blond hair lay under her like a pillow. The soft colors seemed to almost glow in the weak moonlight, offset by her darker clothing. Her cloak lay at her side, her arms bare with the long-sleeved shirt abandoned—her black tunic remaining. Her only piece of jewelry, a silver owl pendent with sapphire eyes, lay between her breasts. Her hand rested on the pendent with her thumb gently rubbing over the face. Her lips moved soundlessly. She wasn't sure if her Goddess could hear her here, but she felt better whispering the prayers. A wet nose nudged her hand and her sapphire and gold eyes opened. Zara sat by the fallen tree, panting happily. Sage smiled, sitting up.

"Ready for another?" she asked. Zara gave one of her high-pitched barks, spinning in place a few times. Sage let out a small laugh and raised her left hand. A ball of ice formed in it. Seeing the ball, Zara started barking more, hopping on her nimble legs. With a small grunt, Sage threw the ball of ice hard. Her dog raced after it. She jumped a good three feet in the air, twisting and catching it. Instead of bringing it back, she lay down and started chomping and snapping at the ball, chipping away the ice. It was one of her favorite games. Sage chuckled before looking up at the sky. The clouds moved slowly across, revealing the moon in it's glowing fullness. It's silvery rays briefly lit up the park. It was a shadowy, silvery dream here. Earth was beautiful, she admitted. From the snow-covered forests she had first found herself in, to the dreamy park and quiet city.

"Though, it's a lot nicer without all those people," she said softly. Pulling one of her legs to her chest, she hugged it and rested her chin upon her knee. A chilly night-wind stirred the dead leaves on the ground. The wind felt nice, a cool brush of air on her bare arms and face. She sighed, staring out at the dreamy world.

"Zara....do you remember that time we snuck out?" she said. The dog stopped gnawing at the dwindling ball of ice, ears twitching. Sage smiled, thoughts drifting back. "I got in a fight with Uncle and threatened to run away. He told me to go... Goddess, I must have been only twelve back then." She squeezed the pendant with her free hand, the edged pressing into her skin grounding her. "We walked for miles in the middle of the night. I was so angry. I hated him so much right then. It was just like this when I collapsed. The world still, the moon weak over head." The memory made her stomach clench. They had wandered for hours. Sage had been unwilling to admit that she was lost, that the stars she knew so well were covered by clouds. The cold had finally gotten to her, her little body falling to the ground. Nothing but hard ice and snow greeted her fall and only her cloak and Zara's little body kept her from fully passing out. But, from out of the mist, a floating ball of blue flame bobbed toward her. Her eyes had gone wide as the willow-wisp had crept closer. No real warmth radiated from the tiny thing, though it did cast it's light through the mists. It bobbed, seeming to wait for something. Sage had summoned the last of her strength, standing and following the wisp, Zara helping her stay upright. The wisp had led her silently and before she knew it winked out completely. The girl had collapsed to her knees, convinced that it was over. They were even more lost than when they first started. The wisp probably wasn't even real, but some illusion of her desperate mind. It wasn't until she heard the shouting as her Uncle and the other hunters  came through the mists that she understood. The wisp hadn't led her home, it had led her to her family. 

She sighed, turning her face to the clouded sky, the moon covered once again. That wasn't going to happen, not this time. Her family was dead, just like before. Her Goddess wasn't here. She was alone, Zara her only comfort and hope. It was up to her to find her way home. And to take the revenge that was so rightfully her's.

[Hector]

Three in the morning was not generally a good time for him to be waking up, there wasn't much to do about it and instead he would use the early hours to his advantage instead by going out for a walk. After that he would get some breakfast, but for now he would jog for a bit. Passing by the park he caught a scent on the wind that seemed unusual, at least for a human scent and he tilted his head slightly at it, and curiosity piqued his interest over any other notion his mind tried to come up with. Turning on heel he walked into the park trying to get a better trail on the scent that brought him here, his nose to the air taking sniffs every so often to make sure he was in the right area to begin with. It would turn out that he didn't need to rely on his sense of smell for this as the sudden sounds of a barking dog reached his ears and he decided to just head in the direction of the sound.

Arriving he was greeted with the sight of a strikingly beautiful woman with an equally beautiful canine keeping her company and he tilted his head for a moment wondering if he should approach or just carry on with his day. Shrugging slightly he figured he'd at least greet them and so as not to exclude either, "Morning ladies." He took a few steps closer, but stopped with enough distance to show that he meant no harm to either of them and would wait until they were alright with him moving any closer. Studying her a bit more his mind took better notice of her features, the paleness of her skin for one thing and how accentuated her features were, even her clothes were different from the normal he had seen here. There was speculation on his part as to who she might be, but he had no solid evidence to support it.

He had an idea about how to find out, but he didn't want to ask right away in that it might seem too forward, perhaps there would be a way to bring it up at some point later. For now, he would make sure to keep his tail hidden like he normally did, if simply to prevent people from staring at it in a rather unsettling manner something that tended to happen a lot when he first arrived on the planet. Looking up to the sky he noticed the moon being covered by the clouds, shame, he often enjoyed looking at the moon whenever he was up. It offered him a bit of peaceful respite from the days he had to spend on his own, he could feel the tension of the last few weeks melt away a bit more than it had and a small sigh of relief escaped his lips.

He wondered if the woman would be open for some conversation, though he supposed that a topic of conversation would be needed first and unfortunately for him he had inherited some of his father's social awkwardness part of which was small talk. "Nice night, huh? Or rather morning?" not much, and he knew it, but maybe it would open things up a bit for more conversation especially since it would be worse if there was just silence from that.

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"Seriously. Why the hell... are we doing this... in the fu-cking park?" she asked.

"Hide it in plain sight? Best plan." He said.

Patting the dirt down, the two wiped sweat from their brows. Jaxine handed the shovel to Kazu, her blonde-haired bartender buddy from way back. He patted a bit of dirt off of his suit and sighed. "I really wish people would stop trying to kill me to get out of paying what they owe." he said. "A dead man don't pay." he muttered as Jaxine looked up at the moon with sunglasses on. "Just get it out of the family." she suggested. Kazu shook his head. "I'm not taking food from his child-support kids and their dog." he stated. Jaxine chuckled. "Oh god! Please, be considerate of the fucking dog!" she said with a laugh. Kazu sighed, turning to his bright red sports car and tossed the shovel into the trunk before he closed it.

He turned to Jaxine. "Best we leave in different directions. Just in-case." He told her. Jaxine nodded, looking at the moon again and jiggling the sunglasses. "Be a good night for a rampage, eh Kazu?" She asked. If she dropped the shades right now, she could wipe out the entire waste of tax-payer money they called a park and get away with it. Probly. Kazu skooh his hands. "No! No god-damn way, that could come back on me! Do NOT make me glue those shades to your face!" he urged to her. She looked at him and scowled. "Try it and you'll be in the next hole." She threatened.

Kazu paused. He chuckled. "Nice phrasing."

He took of pretty quick, but was careful not to draw any attention. The two were far enough away from anyone else to be noticed. They made sure using their ability to sense energy. However Jaxine wasn't paying much attention when she went on her way, walking for quite a while across the park humming the song 'I wear my sunglasses at night' as she happened by the man, woman, and the dog. She tensed up. Ok, just act cool and pass on by... nothing odd about someone dressed like me with sunglasses on in the dark humming loudly to herself in the park...

[Deleted]

She smiled softly at the dog who had returned to the ball of ice. Grabbing it she brought it back to Sage and plopped down at her feet before chomping and nipping at it again. Sage couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. Here, Nor, anywhere, Zara was still Zara. She wouldn't changed. The dog was her anchor and kept her grounded. Without Zara, Sage honestly thought she would just float away in this world. She was enjoying the silence when the sound of feet upon pavement reached her. Sage looked up, seeing a man approaching them and then slowing to a stop. In the dimmer light, it would be hard for a human to pick out features. But for Noran? There was no trouble. His red hair stood out bright in the silver moonlight, the red furred belt he wore adding to it. Aside from that, he seemed dressed in muted colors and looked a good bit older than her. He was handsome too, chiseled and very much a warrior. With the wind blowing away from her and towards him, she couldn't get his scent and had no idea telling if he was just a human, or something else. It seemed that this planet was full of surprises. Zara stopped clacking at the ball—now no smaller than a golf ball—to stare at him. She tilted her head slight, hand dropping to the tree. Her pink brushed the bone-handle of her sword, the blade currently off her belt and laying beside her.

"Hello there," she responded, inclining her head slightly in greeting. He was a good couple yards away from her. Why was he speaking to her from all the way over there? Earth's people usually strode right up to someone to talk, all notion of personal space and acceptance gone. At least, that's what she had perceived in the past couple days of her being here. Maybe he was the acceptation? Or, maybe he was the norm and they were the acceptations. She pushed those thoughts away as he spoke again. She tilted her head slightly at his words.

"Is it morning already?" she asked softly. Turning her gaze from him to glance at the moon, a small smile came to her lips. "Yes, I suppose it is. And it is nice." Sage turned back to him. She was about to make another comment when a loud whistling broke through the silence. It was an...odd melody to say the least. Not exactly happy, not exactly sad. A bit sharp actually. Moments later, the sound gave way to it's creator. A woman strolled through the park. She seemed as sharp as the song was. Her hair was black as night and spiky, through pulled back into a very long ponytail. Her sunglasses covered her eyes and not much covered her body. Even though Sage didn't feel the cold like others, she knew it was a colder night. Like her, this woman didn't seem affected. Her red shirt stopped under her breasts and her shorts seemed to be more of an afterthought than an actual article of clothing. Gloves, boots and material from her knees down covered the rest of her. Sage felt her cheeks heat slightly at the scene. Was such things normal? Was this Earthen culture? While not a shy thing in the least, and hardly inexperienced and naive, Sage wasn't used to the lack of clothing. She came from a land of snow and ice where showing that much skin outside was accompanied by freezing to death. Maybe that's why she got the weird stares from people. She was wearing to much clothing here. To blend in, she might have to shed some articles or pick up some new ones. After a moment, she mentally shook her head. No way. Not happening. Just the thought was almost enough to make her pull her cloak back on. She blinked at the woman—now tense and staring at the three of them—and turned back to the man.

"Um, so what brought you out here so early?" shed asked, keeping tabs on the odd woman. Who, now that sage moved past the lack of clothing, seemed to have a tail!

[Hector]

They both turned to face him when he approached, another reason for his stopping so far was to make sure they didn't see him as hostile plus it would just be rude to get into their personal bubble just to talk to the woman. She seemed to take to his words in a good way rather than immediately being put off by his presence, something he was incredibly thankful for given that how unsure he was of the reaction to his presence. With the wind blowing in his direction he was finally able to get a scent off the woman that was much clearer and he didn't want to jump to conclusions, but it seemed that she might have been from Nor, was that possible? There were a number of smells mixed in with it which was to be expected on this planet, but it seemed that the smell of Nor was on her as well. Still, this might be one of the few times he gets to interact with someone from his home planet. How did he go about finding out for sure though, it seemed rude to just come out and ask her, would that be the case? He never knew what to do in situations like these, if he had more skill in talking with others he might be able to figure out the answer a lot better.

When she smiled though he could feel his awkwardness lighten more, maybe it wouldn't be so bad actually trying to talk to someone for a bit, but he still wasn't very good at conversation options which could prove problematic. Though both their attentions were drawn to the whistling tune of a rather scantily clad woman wearing sunglasses in the middle of the night. Low light wasn't a problem for tactically gauging the woman, especially when he saw the tail which brought up more calculated thoughts and when he finished with his tactical analysis he turned his attention back towards the woman that he had engaged in conversation. She asked him what brought him out, "Exercise, but then I heard barking from the park. Was curious as to who else would be out this early. How about you?" Not the most eloquent use of words, but they got the message across, so he was happy with them for the time being. Maybe he could use this encounter as a learning experience.

"May I approach?" his words were a bit more fluid, but the phrasing was a bit more inline with his military training than that of a more normal conversation, it was a start for him to get more comfortable with speaking. His question was directed towards the white-blonde haired woman as well as her companion, he could tell that the canine was much more than a pet and that part of it was a guardian. The way it became alert at his approach signaled as much to him, so he wanted to make sure it was alright with both parties that he be allowed to move closer.

His senses were still trained on the other woman, he wasn't going to go out of his way to focus on her as he was unaware of customs on this planet, but he wouldn't outright ignore her either. Too much training for him to allow that to happen and the fact that something didn't sit right about her, it was something that he also disliked about himself which reinforced his need to be cautious and aware.

[Deleted]

Whistling!? Why the crap am I whistling!? I'm going to attract... She heard the voices. People. Shit. she thought. Before her were two people and a dog. The man stood away from the woman, having red hair and a warrior-like appearance. He had some shiny bling on that was shining in the moonlight. Naturally, Jaxine wanted to kick his ass, but she had other places to be. The other one had long white hair and alot of clothes on. It wasn't freaking winter for god's sake and it kind-of annoyed Jaxine. She did notice a distinctive shape next to her... it wasn't clear from where she was standing for sure, but it almost looked like a sword.

Jaxine could spot a sword a mile away. She could tell what it was made of, have an idea who may have crafted it, and they say she could tell you how many people were cut with it. That last one was not exactly true, but sounded cool. She wanted to see that blade. Standing there like an idiot with sunglasses on and thinking about swords made the white haired woman question her. "Um, so what brought you out here so early?" She asked. The redhead seemed to have no words for her. Awesome. "I like to take enthusiastic walks through the park. Why, you a cop?" she asked, a little defensive. goddamnit don't ask them if their cops... shit, the redhead probly IS a damn cop... she thought.

Time to change the subject before they think she was suspicious. "What I beautiful full moon! I can see my house from here..." she said. Yep, that's what she said. One, telling the cop where she lived, or two, was acting like she just huffed eighteen pounds of Dragon Dust and went for a hyped-up stroll. She got a little nervous when she was in walking distance of a dead body, even if it had once been a prick who deserved it. The redhead seemed defensive, he may not feel having Jaxine around was good for him. As for the other woman, she seemed a bit odd as well. Maybe she would think this was normal, tell her friend (jaxine having no idea they just met) to ignore her, and she could be on her merry way.

Oh shit, there was a dog. Damn things knew too much. Good thing Kazu had sprayed the body down with a powerful scent repellent. It was to hide it, but it would also remove their scents completely from it if it had been found. Kazu had been doing this stuff for years and insisted he do things his way every time. Extra-strength repellent? What kind of dogs do the cops use now, goddamn cyborg robot sniffing dogs?

[Deleted]

The night had taken an interesting turn. What started out as something quiet and tranquil was disturbed as not one, but two others came to the park. Two ripples in the calm, two new stories. Sage watched them both carefully. She was ready to defend herself at a moment's notice, but tried not to let it show. She didn't want to seem threatening after all. She listened as the man before her told her of his reason for being out here. Exercise followed by curiosity. Nothing sinister there it seemed. She contemplated answering his question when he asked another. She glanced down, sapphire and gold eyes turning to her dog beside her. Zara was still, eyes on the newcomers, ball of ice forgotten. She nodded at the man, letting him know it was okay. As he did, Zara started to rise.

"Lehni," she said softly. Immediately, Zara returned to lying on the ground. She was no where near fully relaxed though. But she was always like this around strangers. It often took her a bit to warm up to most. Of course, that wasn't the same for everyone. She had liked that boy in the park earlier—Ethan. And she had liked Him too. A lance of pain went through her heart. She reached up, grasping the pendant hanging around her neck. Sage squeezed hard, feeling the edges of the mental bite into her skin, sending sharp stings through her palm. She welcomed it though, needed it. Anything to offer a distraction. She schooled her face, leaving her soft smile upon her lips. Her eyes flicked to the woman as she spoke, her face turning to a look of confusion. What in the world was a cop?From the way the woman all but spat it out, it didn't sound like a good thing to be. And why would she think that Sage was one. Goddess this planet was confusing. She let her mind briefly wander back to those she had met so far during her time here. Ethar, the half-Noran who allowed her shelter from the storm. The blue-haired boy with the wild look in his eyes that left as quickly—and oddly—as he appeared. The Ethan, the boy with the kind smile and bright eyes that Zara had immediately warmed to. And now these two, the careful man and the....eccentric...woman.

Sage glanced around as the woman said she could see her house from here. Sage saw nothing but the park. The wall of trees to the left of her, the playground and lake to the right, the clearing they were in, and the winding paths all around them. It was true that the full moon gave ample light to the park, but it was still dark out. Even with Sage's Noran eyesight, she couldn't see past the darkness not far from them. Maybe the woman had even better sight? Was she human then? The few humans Sage had observed in the night seemed to have trouble seeing in the darkness. Once again, she was curious if this woman was the norm, or the exception.

Uncomfortable sitting how she was, Sage stood off the large fallen tree, brushing off some dirt on her dark pants. She left her cloak and sword atop the tree for right now. She had no need for them at the moment. And once again, she didn't want to seem threatening. Slightly nervous, she gestured to Zara.

"This is Zara. My name is Sage, what's your's?" she asked at least the man who approached. She directed it to the woman too, but had no idea if she would actually answer or not. The girl seemed to be a mystery.