Toxic Past: 2

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---

"I'm so sorry you have lost your friends, and your homes..." Peregrine told them sincerely, his face sad. He had a bad feeling what he had done was the cause of their brief amnesia. Of course, that had been a mere side effect, but probably his fault nonetheless. "If you like, I could help you find them again.. Or what is left of them... I am sad to say the creatures I meet... are not all as fortunate as you three have been. Many that I meet these days are corpses... or worse. Husks." He lowered his eyes, thoughtful for a moment, thinking of all the carnage he had witnessed. While many of the creatures had been run out and left with lost memories, he himself had actually had to fight back during the war. It was not a pretty sight and he still wept at night sometimes over the mere memories. He closed his eyes, sipping his tea and tried again to forget.

It got a whole lot easier a moment later. "You didn't say we had guests," said a small, childish voice in a very deadpan tone.

"No, but I did tell you it was best to stay in your room," Peregrine replied without looking up from his tea cup, taking another sip.

Aurum, in her white frilly dress stood at the ends of the two couches, looking at the three women with eerily knowing honey colored eyes, but it was ruined by the fact she was pouting so hard her top lip was in danger of disappearing altogether. Her mood did not improve when her brother finally looked up from his tea cup and did nothing but smirk at her. She put tiny hands on her hips. "And what is that??" she snapped at him indignantly, but of course, her small size and white-blond hair, and girlish voice ruined any effect her demanding attitude might have had. Sticking her nose up at him with a hmf sound, ignoring his crestfallen face, she turned to the women and smiled and it was like she glowed, the sun came out from the clouds, and you could almost hear childish laughter, though she wasn't herself making the noise. "I think you all seem perfectly nice."

Even if she was no longer a dream god, Pax recognized the scent of the girl's powers immediately. A smile formed on her eerie white lips and she inclined her head in a small bow. "Greetings, little dreamer," she said quietly. The child brought back vague memories of young Oneiroi playing together in dreamscapes with nothing but their imaginations. A reminiscent look came into her dark eyes as she smiled at the girl.

Terre smiled at the child and watched her curiously. She had never seen a child before since she was the youngest in her family. This little girl was so adorable she made Terre feel like hugging her. But she thought that may be a little much for there first meeting. So instead she just sat back calmly and watched the girl. As Terre thought about it, she had experienced more new things in the span of a few hours, than she has her entire life in the forest. It was quite unsettling knowing how sheltered she had been living.

Lavinia raised an eyebrow at the child as she slowly sipped from her teacup. She usually didn't like children, seeing them as better snacks than anything else. But as she watched the tiny girl she knew there was something different about her and so decided that she would never harm her willingly. "Nice is not a word that is usually associated with me..." she hissed then chuckled slightly as she returned her teacup to the table.

"Lavinia... There are far worse things than yourself," Peregrine told the gorgon gently, his eyes soft. He could never stand to hear creatures talk down about themselves, or others say bad things about them. He almost said he was one of those things but was distracted by his little sister crawling onto his lap. Once she had turned around and was settled on his thigh, the whiteness of her dress a stark contrast to his all black clothing, he continued. "Don't let anyone say that you are not wonderful the way you are."

Aurum nodded once, her little face set in an expression of firmness, but really it was terribly hard to ignore her cuteness. She herself was more distracted by the white woman who had also responded to her. "You are a big dreamer then." She looked at her brother. "One of mine?" she asked with wide eyes. At her brother's supportive nod, she looked at Pax again and nodded, a sort of small bow. "It is a wonder to find one of you again."

"Very good," Peregrine praised softly, rubbing his little sister's back. She had not finished her proper training after all. Not by a century, at least, and he had taken it on himself to help her until they had their kingdom back again.

Knowing proper etiquette required it, Pax slid off the seat and went over to greet the ruler of dreams. She knelt in front of Aurum, bringing herself to eye levels and practically ignoring the rest. "Princess," she said, bowing her head once more. Settling back so she was sitting on her feet, Pax smiled at the girl. "I am uncertain of how many of us remain as unscathed as I seem to be." Even if she had almost turned to the world of nightmares, she was still a creature of dreams and as such would defer to the young princess.

Terre watched the exchange between the group before listening to Pax. Once again she heard the woman say, prince. She wasn't stupid, mind you, but living in a forest with just her family for her entire life she was quite out of the loop in...well, everything. "Peregrine, why does she keep calling you prince?" Her voice was soft, as if she was afraid to be laughed at. Her cousins would have laughed at her stupidity, they weren't very nice Nymphs. Chewing on her bottom lip she looked back and forth between Pax and Peregrine, waiting for one of them to gawk or laughed at her.

Peregrine opened his mouth to answer, seemed to think better of it, and shut it again. He looked at his little sister. "Aurum, go play in your room for a bit, ok?"

His sister made a face but nodded, sliding down from his lap. She looked at Pax and placed a hand gently on top of the white creature's head. "Do not worry. We will find them," Aurum assured her, and for once her voice was solid, warm, and comforting, somehow lacking childishness. She gave one last smile, lowered her hand, curtsied to everyone in the room at once, then walked back to her room, closing the door behind her.

Only then did Peregrine answer, Terre. "I am Prince Peregrine of the Nightmare Lands," he said steadily. He hadn't needed to say the full title in so long, it almost felt foreign. That wasn't good. "My sister is Princess Aurum, of the Day Dreams. We are the crown children of the royal family... the rulers of most creatures, at least those having to do with the unconscious mind. That status had not been pertinent to our introduction, forgive me for omitting it." He frowned, honestly apologizing. "I do not think, other than a treaty or two, my family had anything to do with your kind- Or yours, Lavinia." He looked at the gorgon with a similar frown as he tried to remember all his political training. He turned his attention back to explaining to Terre. "That is most likely why you are unfamiliar with us."

"You still should have told us your were a Prince..." Lavinia replied as she settled back in her seat. "And even though you say you had nothing to do with our my kind it is still good to know that the royalty of our world survived. It gives me better hope that one day we can reclaim what is rightfully ours." The many serpents of her head hissed as if in agreement as Lavinia smiled at Peregrine.

Watching the girl go with a sense of longing, Pax slowly pulled herself up and off the floor, taking the nearest seat to the hall so she could gaze at the door her ruler had just disappeared behind. That this gesture might be misconstrued was missed. The Oneiroi was still in wonder that such a creature had survived. She slowly came back to the conversation.

"As I said, I did not think it was relevant," Peregrine reiterated, frowning still apologetically. "I thought just knowing I was one of you was enough." He glanced at Pax with just his eyes, then did a double take. His frown became a little disapproving. "She's not going to disappear into thin air just because she is thin air," he pointed out.

"I didnt mean to sound resentful. I just didnt understand, and your very correct. It wasnt needed for our introduction. But thank your for being honest. I appreciate it greatly." Terre smiled softly before chewing on her bottom lip. "I was thinking. Since I plan on staying here, would it be possible for you to help me find a job."

"I..." Pax looked over at Peregrine, her eyes sad. He had misinterpreted her gaze and she let her eyes fall to the floor. She wanted nothing more than to go back and play in dreams. Her kind had complete control in the dream realms, and she was still young enough to enjoy that realm, enjoy the freedom it represented. A jet black tear worked its way down her white face as she remembered why she missed home so much. Aurum's presence had forced her to remember.

"You wish to find a job here?!" Lavinia hissed with wide eyes as she watched Terre. "Do you mean amongst the humans? I do not understand..." She glanced at Peregrine hoping he would voice the same concerns then at Pax where she paused to watch the black tear spill down her cheek. "What is wrong? Why do you cry?"

"I believe Pax, like so many of us, is home-sick," Peregrine answered. "You may play with my sister another time, Pax, but I would rather make preparations. For now, please try not to think on it too much." His frown was once again apologetic before he looked at Terre. "I could help you, though I would hope you had some idea of what you would want to do... Otherwise, I'm going to have to cast my net much wider-" He looked at Lavinia, sharing her concerns, before he focused on Terre again. "Lavinia is right to protest, however. Humans do not take kindly to us being around. Or worse, they very much do enjoy it, too much, and you find yourself on the end of a taking, not a giving, syringe. If you work with them, you will need to be able to blend well with their society. You will need to play as one of them, because if they catch the slightest glimpse of you as what you are..." He shook his head. It was too sad to say aloud.

Pax wiped the tear away and looked towards Terre. She had never had a job for more time than it took to save money for food. Pax found humans troublesome and annoying. But others might find working at a human job worth while. Pushing her previous thoughts aside, she focused on listening to the conversation instead.

"My mother always said, I be nothing other than a pretty face because I was never allowed out of the forest, so I dont know how to do anything or...be anything but Mother Earth." Frowning slightly, Terre all of a sudden felt very overwhelmed. She never realized until now how very sheltered her life had been. Granted she led a very simple life up until this time, but simple didnt mean full...it meant boring.

Lavinia couldn't help but shudder slightly at the mention of the syringes and she looked at Terre, an expression of concern on her face. She knows nothing of this world and that puts her at greater risk... she thought then cleared her throat to speak. "If she is determined to find work then I will go with her..." she hissed. "I will watch over and make sure she is safe."

Peregrine nodded to Lavinia before addressing all of them. "Then I suppose that is settled. I would suggest starting with some flower shops or the like. You would do well there, as long as you remember to keep your abilities toned down. You can try anything else you pass on the way that strikes your interest." That was the first time in so long he had given an order. It was a kind, semi-suggestive one, but it was taking charge nonetheless. He frowned at the two women who would be job searching. "All I ask is that you two be very careful. We can't afford to keep losing people."

"I refuse to step into place like that. Its terrible, criminal...keeping plants and flowers housed like that." Crossing her arms over her chest Terre realized she probably sounded stupid. Flower shops were an every day thing to these people but they were her beliefs. You'll never be anything but a pretty face! The words went through her mind several times. Shaking her head she looked over at Lavinia and smiled. "Thank you, should we start our search tomorrow then?"

"There is a store not far from here that sells all natural clothes and plant dyes," Pax suggested. Terre might appreciate such a place. "It is called Green....something. I forget. But they have a big sign out front." She looked at the earth mother, as if judging her response. Pax wasn't much help with the job thing, but she could make suggestions.

"Yes tomorrow will be a good day to start out search." Lavinia replied as she watched Terre feeling somwhat protective of this innocent creature. She couldn't help but scrunch her nose up slightly in disgust at the talk of flower and nature shops as possible places for them to work but knew the places she'd prefer did not exist in this world. You are only doing this to watch over Terre she reminded herself.

"Well.. just walk around, keep your eyes open for- Oh!" Peregrine stopped in his final statements to look at Terre with wide eyes. "You still don't have shoes. Or... clothes really. Do you want to go look for some? You'll need them to be hired. Actually." He shifted in his seat, reaching into his pocket to pull out his wallet. "Take some money, go with Lavinia and Pax, if she wants to go. Get something to wear, if that's alright with you?" He looked at Lavinia. "I can't go with you. I have some business I really need to get to."

Terre reached over and kissed Peregrine's cheek as she took the money. "Thank you, I'll pay you back." Smiling softly, she hugged him for a moment before placing the cash into the small leather pouch she wore around her waist. Looking back at the two girls, her enthusiasm was practically oozing off of her. "Pax, you coming?"

It would take more energy than Pax had to shift back to her human disguise. She shook her head at Terre. "Next time maybe. Would you like to borrow my shoes?" They were leather, and Pax wasn't sure how the earth woman would feel about it. Pax slipped her boots off and set them aside for Terre. She would offer her clothes, but she was sure Peregrine might not approve of that.

Whilst the others were talking, Lavinia had set to work on making herself resemble a human once more. Her long silky sleek black hair had returned and her skin was back to the pale tone that seemed untouched by sunlight. Reaching for her handbag she pulled out a small compact mirror and a new set of contacts which she carefully inserted to cover her green snake eyes before slipping her large sunglasses back on. "All set..." she hissed as she returned her things to her bag then waited for Terre to move.

Terre came over to inspect the boots for a moment and nodded her head. "These will be great! Thank you so much!" Hugging Pax unexpectedly and giggled. "I don't need natural clothing. Us Mother Earths believe all living creatures were put on this Earth for there own purposes. So we use them as such. Where do you want to go, Lavinia?"

Peregrine stood from the couch, smiling at Terre's enthusiasm before looking at Pax. "You may stay here and keep Aurum company then. I ask that you do not enter her room but she'll probably wander out in a bit. She'll probably want sweets..." He trailed off, seeming thoughtful. "I should pick up more cookies then... Ah, yes." He came back to the present, smiling at the group. "Well I'll get that while I'm out. Off we go then. Watch after my sister please Pax." He ushered the other two to the door. "I'll be back in a bit. Let no one else in and all that. If you must leave, see to it the door is locked..."

Pax had stiffened at Terre's hug, but gave the earth mother a small smile as she hurried off. Peregrine's voice broke her momentary shock, and she nodded. "Your sister will be safe with me." The real question she had was whether she would be safe with Aurum. A dream god could be pulled easily into the dream realm, not that Pax would complain, but Aurum had enough sway over Pax to make her a bit nervous.

"This is your shopping trip, so it matters not where I wish to go." Lavinia replied as she walked beside Terre after being ushered from the apartment by Peregrine. "We shall search for suitable clothing and shoes for you and then maybe if there is some money left I can get some big comfy cushions to sleep on." she smiled happily at the thought of the cozy nest she was going to make.

---

"C'mon, man! That's not cool! I'm just tryin' to make a livin' here!" shouted a thin, pale girl with bright red hair, by the name of Terra Kali. She growled as her suitcase was tossed after her and she picked it up off the ground, glaring at the doorway she'd just been flung from. She leaned down and dusted off the scuffed toes of her bright red Converse Allstars, and adjusted her knee-high, green and orange starred socks before tugging her tight tank tops down a little. She huffed at the man again and grabbed up her case, turning and heading on down the street. "Fuck me sideways, you'd think it would cost a person money to get a job!" she grumbled with a slight pout, kicking at the street. She looked up and noticed an "OPEN" sign of a nearby bar and she sighed. "Why not?" She stepped inside and smiled at the bartender with a wave, moving to sit on a stool. "Water please!" she beamed. She loved water. Always free.

The bartender frowned at her a little and tilted his head, leaning across the bar at her. In a gruff voice, he mumbled, "You gotta order alcohol if you're gonna be in here, little lady. Rules is rules. And unless my clicker is off... you look underage, girlie." he grumbled.

Terra Kali gaped at the man with a perplexed blink, then shook her head, slapping her hands on the bar. "You can't do that!" she yelped, standing up from her stool. "Water is free! You have to serve me water if I request it, underage or not! That's the law!" she said with a pout, frowning at him in a playful sort of way. "C'mon... I've had a rough day and I could sure use the drink.. just one glass and I'm outta your hai--" she stopped, noticing the guy was bald and how he'd quirked his eyebrow at her oncoming comment and she continued with a nervous, "--uh... way. I'll be outta your way." she smiled sweetly. He gave another gruff, but turned and grabbed a semi-clean cup, filling it with tap water and giving it to her. She gave him a small salute and smiled in thanks, drinking deeply of the glass until it was only half full, then slowly looked around the pub at the other patrons. She didn't drink--couldn't legally, even if she wanted to--but sometimes she liked the atmosphere of bars and pubs on a calm afternoon.

Dolor turned in his seat as he heard the sound of a woman he had met before. The red of his hair and black of his clothes caused him to stand out a bit in this bar, and he was surprised she hadn't seen him. "Terra Kali, as I live and breath." He stood, abandoning his drink and moved over to where she was. "Never expected to see you in a place like this." But Dolor would fit in perfectly if he didn't try so hard to stand out. Right to the markings on his face and his spiked red hair.

Terra Kali sipped at her water slightly and turned to look at Dolor, blinking as he said her name and she smiled once her mouth was empty again. "Well, shit! If it ain't my Do-do bird!" she yelped, leaping off her chair and jumping on him in a hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. She stepped back though and shook his hand instead, giving him a wink. She had never understood why she had started calling him "Do-do bird" in the first place, but it seemed to fit him. His hair was always so vibrant and feathery. So he looked like a bird of sorts. "What's up, bud? Haven't seen you since we worked together in that shit hole... please don't tell me you're still stuck there..?" she asked with a whimper and a tilt of her head. "That subway smelled about as bad as the bums who shat on it's tracks."

At the sound of her pet name for him, Dolor smiled again and hugged her back. It was such a strange human gesture that he still wasn't accustomed to, even if he was practically one of them. "Nah. I got a gig as a receptionist at a tattoo parlor a while back. Seems they liked how I looked." The way he looked was what made it so hard to find a job anyway, something little Kali could attest to. "What about you? Still job hunting?" The city wasn't exactly a kind place to those without means to support themselves and Dolor was more than ready to help her out.

"Unfortunately." Terra Kali sighed, rolling her eyes and giving him a tired smile. "Tried to apply at this pretty okay restuarant place just a few minutes ago... as it turns out, they don't offer free samples of their lunch menu." she nodded with a smirk up at him and laughed, shrugging as she took another sip of her water. She glanced towards the bartender, who was watching her closely with a rather angry expression plastered on his fat face and she gave him another salute and motioned to the glass of water before giving him a thumbs up. He turned around and she made a face at his back. She then turned back to Dolor and sighed. "Stuck up people in this city, I swear... One of these days, Do-do bird.. I'm gonna leave. I'm just gonna... disappear!" She smiled and leaned on the bar, finishing her water quickly then and grabbing for her suitcase, standing up slowly. "Welp... I should probably return to job hunting... Gotta sniff out a rich businessman with a stick up his fat ass somehow, right?" she chuckled. "Are you going to accompany me?"

Dolor was tempted to punch the bartender for his nasty attitude. It was something he had seen before and had no wish to see again. But he shook off the need to protect his friends. It was something that always got him into trouble, and something he couldn't explain. "I know a few places you can try," he said casually as he stood, holding out his arm as if to escort her. "And Kal, you know it's not the people, it's the city. Something about living here makes people feel...entitled."

"Ah, well I'll be more than happy to entitle them to my size ten boot up their arses! Not my converse though... those are too special. And beautiful. And something tells me snob-people-goop would ruin their value." Terra Kali chuckled, wriggling her toes inside of her shoes as she admired them. She looped her arm through Dolor's though, hefting up her suitcase in her free hand and leading him out of the pub. "Buh-bye, darling!" she peeped to the bartender, who just scoffed. She wiggled her fingers in a peppy wave at a few surrounding people, then flipped her hair like some rich priss, before giving a chuckle. "Aaaaanyways, what kinda places you got in mind for me, Do-Do?"

"The only place who would accept a person of your high caliber," Dolor said with a laugh. He knew she was too young and inexperienced to do much, but one of the guys who was a regular at the parlor owned a record shop not far from them. "I know you have impeccable taste, so I'll take you to a place where they'll appreciate it." He paused a bit down the street and opened a door for her, gesturing her into a store called City Beats.

Terra Kali studied the sign above the door and what it said and she turned to Dolor with a comical grin, waggling her eyebrows at him and gasping. "Oooh, I LIKE where this is going!" she said excitedly, skipping up the steps happily with her long legs and running inside, looking around. She loved music. She even sang a little, but so far no one had found her "talented" enough to take her into a recording studio. Now she only sang in the shower--if she ever got lucky enough to get a shower. After her parents were killed, she hadn't liked the thought of going back to that house she'd grown up in all her life (she couldn't even really call it a home), so she had packed her clothes, stolen whatever money her parents had left lying around the house, and left. She had used that money a little too quickly trying to feed herself and survive over the last few months, no matter how careful she'd been with it, and now she was down to her last twenty bucks. Which, in this day and age, barely even got her fast food. She lived wherever someone kind would take her in, which often included the homeless shelter, and worked odd-jobs for under-the-counter pay or tips. But as it turned out, not a lot of places would hire her, simply for the fact that she didn't have a bank account, nor a mailing address. "Ooh, nice shindigs!" she yelped, exploring the store.

The man behind the counter had more tattoos than any one person needed, and he waved at Dolor as he entered the store. "What kind of riffraff you bringing to my store, Dor?" Dolor smiled and walked over. "The kind that needs a job," he said, grasping the man's hand in a friendly manner. "Terra Kali, meet Jesse Fend. Kal here needs work in the worst way." Jesse grinned at Dolor. "You cashing in that favor then, Dor?" Dolor only nodded. "Yes, I am."

"Fend as in Fender? The guitar brand?" Terra Kali smiled widely, moving to Jesse and instantly shaking his hand, giving it a firm grip. "Nice to meet you! I might just call you Fender, if that's cool. Or boss. Or whatever." she chuckled, looking at Dolor and elbowing his ribs lightly. "So now you got me a job, can you work your genie magic and find me a place to stay? Eh?" she laughed, then shook her head. "Just joshin' ya. Forget this! You're too nice!" She hugged him then, tightly squeezing his ribs before letting him go, smiling at Jesse then. "So when can I start?!"

Jesse smiled at her. "Tomorrow morning, as soon as you get here. Now, Dor, can you get her out of here before she pisses on my rugs in her excitement?" Dolor nodded his thanks to Jesse and led the way out. "You do know how to make a first impression," he said with a laugh as he led the way through the streets and to a small building a couple of blocks away. It was overlooked by an apartment complex, dwarfed by the size. Dolor's eyes traveled to the top floor of the building, as always, drawn by something he couldn't see. He shook it off and opened the door to his own building, taking the stairs up to his small one room apartment. "You can stay with me if you like. It's not much, but it's warm. He unlocked the door to the efficiency apartment. A bed was visible against the far wall, the kitchen to the immediate left of the door. Another door, open and showing a shower, was situated on the right wall. There was a couch pushed up against the third wall, a tiny radio sitting on a crate in front of it. Dolor wasn't exactly poor, but one would never guess by his apartment.

Looking around slowly at the shab little place, Terra Kali nodded in approval. "Not bad digs, Do-do..." she said and moved into the apartment, dropping her suitcase by the couch and turning to further examine the kitchen. She smiled at him over her shoulder and winked. "Cookin' for one ain't fun, huh?" she teased, then turned back towards the bathroom, peering inside. It was a tight, small bathroom, but it was clean and had a functional shower and toilet. Oh, how she had missed functional toilets! "Hey... Do you mind if I borrow your shower for a while? Haven't had one in a couple... da--weeks..." she mumbled the last part, rubbing the back of her neck and looking away bashfully, her eyes elsewhere.

"Go ahead," Dolor said automatically. Though his place was small, everything was tidy and clean. He actually went over and picked up an offending article of clothing, dropping it into his hamper as he went. "When you get out we can talk. Catch up." Dolor actually had other reasons to need to speak to her. After all, if she was to live with him for any length of time, certain steps needed to be taken to protect himself from discovery. He always wore a high collar jacket to cover his spine feathers, but it would look odd in his own apartment.

"Awesome! Sounds great!" Terra Kali beamed at him, turning and running to her suitcase. She laid it down on the floor and opened it up, digging through the messily organized clothes inside. She didn't have a lot left, and a good majority of it all was dirty. She finally seemed to locate some clean underwear and a new bra, along with a loose v-neck t-shirt that was bright yellow in colour and a pair of tight, slim straight jeans. She got up and ran into the bathroom then, after also grabbing her toothbrush, closing the door and starting up the shower. She let out a yelp of relief once she was under the water, laughing and letting out a happy "WHOOP!" up at the ceiling, starting to happily wash her hair and singing loudly as she did. She even borrowed one of his disposable razors to shave her legs and underarms, which was a HUGE relief. She finished up quickly, not wanting to waste his water, and got dressed. She brushed her teeth very thoroughly and combed her bright red, black and blonde hair with her fingers before stepping out of the bathroom again a half an hour later. She smiled widely at Dolor, looking and feeling twenty times better, her skin giving a healthy pale sheen now that it wasn't covered in dirt and grime. "Oh my gods, thank. YOU!" she laughed. She moved to her suitcase and lazily dropped her dirty clothes into it, then flopped to sit on the couch, lounging back on it with a happy sigh. "That was a dream come true!"

"I much prefer clean and happy guests," Dolor said as he picked up the suitcase and carried it into the bathroom, dumping the contents into his small washer and loading it with soap before starting it. He also rinsed out the shower and sink, making sure everything was spotless. It was a habit that he had no idea where it came from, but keeping things clean kept him comfortable. "So, what do you think of all these supposed creatures living among us?" he asked as casually as he could, just another topic of conversation.

Terra Kali smiled as she watched Dolor carry her things into the bathroom and put her dirty clothes into the washer, giving a small chuckle. She had always remembered him as a neat freak. She shrugged at his question though and poked her toe against a spot on the rug. "I dunno... politics aren't my thing, ya know? But... I haven't had any trouble with any of them, so I guess they're okay in my book. I walk the streets every day and night and sleep under bridges and shit and I haven't ever been attacked by one or anything..." She shrugged again and looked up at Dolor with a soft smile.

"Ever actually talked to one?" Dolor asked, an eyebrow raised. He moved to sit down on the other side of the couch, glancing at her as he unzipped his jacket but didn't yet remove it. It would reveal the crimson feathers on his back, and he wasn't quite ready for that yet.

"Not that I recall, but ya know... some of them have very impressive disguises. I wouldn't be surprised in the least if I had a lengthy conversation with one and never knew it." Terra Kali shrugged noncholantly. Apparently, even if she had come full-circle with one, it didn't seem that the idea of that bothered her too much. She was a very laid-back, live-and-let-live-type of person. Except for when it came to people who truly did deserve a beating, one which she was all too happy to give if the situation called for it. She tilted her head at him and smiled slightly. "Why do you ask?"

"Just...don't freak out too much," Dolor said as he stood. "But if you're going to sleep here you're going to see this one way or the other." He took off his jacket, revealing his tank top, which also came off. In all the time he had worked with her, no one had ever seen him out of a turtleneck or jacket. After a moment of concentration, his wings emerged as well as fire red feathers on his arms. Dolor held up both hands. "Now, please don't freak out. It's still me under this."

Looking at her wide-eyed gape of absolute shock at this confession, one would think that "freaking out" would be exactly the response Terra Kali was about to give. But instead, she blinked, took in a breath, and screamed out, "ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!" She stood up in a flash and moved to him, turning him this way and that, bending him over at the waist forcefully and standing behind and beside him, studying the feathers closely, pulling on them gently, rubbing her fingers over them, giving excited peeps and squeals when they snapped back from under the pressure of her touch. She let out a loud shriek of joy and stood him upright again, taking him by the shoulders and smiling widely at his face. "DUDE, YOU LOOK AMAZING! Is this real?! Like, for fucking real?!" she yelped, shaking him a little. "THIS IS AWESOME!"

He actually took a step away from her when she shook him, running a hand over the feathers she had ruffled. "They are attached," Dolor said with a frown. "And as real as it gets." His wings pulled in close to his body, nervous that she would try to pull his wings next. There were some things that were painful for him, and fingers pulling at him topped that list. Once she stopped shaking him, he knew the next thing she would see were the marks on his arms where he had been bled for the drugs in his blood. "And as you can tell, I'm not one of the ones who hate humans."

Terra Kali seemed to realize her tugging and brushing of his feathers had hurt him, and she instantly forced herself to calm, watching him as he spoke to her and she relaxed a little. She looked down at the marks on his arms, the thick, long scars from the monstrous syringes that not only diverted the bloodflow from it's natural course in the veins... but sucked it dry from it altogether, leaving horrible bruising and oftentimes scars. She gulped and reached out again, this time with only one hand, and very nimble, gentle fingertips, touching the marks on the insides of his arms in a way that very much resembled feathers of her own. She frowned at the marks, then felt an invisible itch on her ribs and she pulled her hand back to rub at the spots on her ribs that ached at her own memories, in a seemingly nervous tick. "I'm surprised you don't. You have every right to." she whispered softly.

He looked down at the marks on his arms. They were still horrific even after months of healing. Dolor shrugged. "There are evil humans just as there are evil creatures. I can't remember much of what happened before I died." He stopped. The death part had slipped out and he looked at her. "Uh...that's sort of what I do. I come back from the dead. My blood can elongate lives for humans. That is why they drained me."

When Terra Kali looked at him next, she looked both confused and slightly sad. He had died? And she hadn't known about it? She felt awful. But she shook it off. It wasn't like her to be sad. She gave him a tilt of her head and put her hands on her hips, smiling at him a little with a slight furrow of her brow. "So you're like.... What's that one bird...?" she mumbled in thought, then it seemed to click in her head and she snapped her fingers at him in an excited point, "A phoenix! Right?"

"Yes, as far as I can tell." In all honesty, what Dolor knew of himself was extremely limited. There were large chunks of his life missing and he felt the pieces pulling at him. Reaching behind him, he carefully pulled out a red feather from his wings and handed it to her. "I know many were under the impression that I drugged myself because of my eyes, but that is not true. My eyes, my hair, the markings, they're all natural."

"Wow, and here I was, thinking you were just an everyday badass." Terra Kali laughed with a wink, gently taking the feather from him and brushing her fingertips over the tip of it. She studied his markings again, then his hair and she smiled. Turning and heading into the bathroom, she used a small rubber band she usually kept around her finger like a ring, to pull a small piece of hair back from her face and then slid the feather's stem upwards into it. She smiled and emerged from the bathroom a couple minutes later, the feather hanging down by her ear, significantly longer than her hair, but blending in almost beautifully because of her own hair shades. "Well shit! My Do-do bird is actually a bird. Now I feel like a douche." she laughed.

"Do not feel bad," Dolor said. "I liked the idea of having a nickname." He perched on the end of the couch, watching her. When she came out of the bathroom with the feather in her hair, he smiled. "That will offer you a form of protection from nightmare creatures. It is a gift freely given and they will see it as such. And they will not wish to evoke the wrath of another." He had no idea how he knew this, but it was like hidden knowledge that he could only access when he needed to.

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