[Nicolay]

By the time he got to the part where the kumo had lunged at him, Nicolay woke up.

In the thick silence within the walls of his home, he could hear the thumping of his heart at the back of his ears and he sighed through his nostrils as he roused himself awake and hooked an arm around a folded knee. The place was dim save for a few crystals but the shadows had only reminded him of the shifting trees that opened his dream and the longer he stayed within the darkness, the sharper the images came of himself in his cheetah form, the kumo's flashing eyes and the white moon overhead.

He looked up to his window from where he sat to check on the moon but could not find any evidence of it so instead, thought of what he might do to forget the nightmare. Normally, back in Earth, he would go down to have a can of beer to drink and maybe read a few pages off his mother's old magazines then go back to his room to sleep. But in his house, the bed space was literally just a gaze away from the kitchen and dining hall. It would not provide for him much relief, he knew. Nicolay understood that if he wanted to sleep, he had to get away from his bed for a while -- and not just stand up walk, stand up and leave he knew.

He made no form of ceremony when he got up and began to prepare. He put on a simple gray top, his pair of worn out jeans and the cap Lazuli gave him as his Xanthmas present, one of the rare hats he'd ever agreed to have. He tried it on once and it didn't look so bad on him, so the Therian thought he might give it a try.

Nicolay left the house with his keys, his COM, and his bed undone, locked up and left the fence to walk. New Alexandria at the hour of mercy was a particularly spooky place, he thought, as he broke out of the neighborhood and explored the inner city with his eyes. Absolutely no one but drunken individuals or the members of the security force could be seen trolling about the streets and he suddenly felt so odd, the last one out. He'd known of this, though, since his first midnight walk. The whole place looked absolutely quiet, dreary and lonely.

To solve this problem, he released his communication device from his pocket and began to type a message -- but as he was about to send it, he hesitated and wondered who to send it to. Back in Earth, this was not a dilemma and no matter the time of day, someone somehow always ended up responding to his messages but such was not the case in Elysia -- and he found that he missed the sleepless nights in Edinburgh very much.

A sigh escaped his lips as he shoved his hands and things inside his pocket and contented himself with just concentrating on walking. This was going to be a long night, he knew, and he looped the thought and the memories in his mind until he managed to reach Quadrangle which had about four people alive still, him exclusive.

Nicolay claimed one of the benches as he pulled out his COM, again, and scrolled through his list of contacts. Somehow, someone out there ought to be awake at this hour still, right? But five entries in, he let out a groan, tilted his head back to the arched top of the bench's support and closed his eyes.

Before he knew it, he was about ready to snore mildly, as though he was at the comforts of his own couch.

[Kaizel]

Inventory was unbearable.

Kaizel had been up for several hours, counting and recounting and (surprise) counting again. Seriously, just how many flowers had her mother ordered?! There were too many to fit in the small shop that was for sure. But Marinelle had insisted on a large quantity "just in case".

Whatever that meant.

If Kaizel had worn a watch, or had bothered to check the small clock on the back wall of the flower shop as she left, she would've realized the time. And what a bad idea it was to walk home. However, she hadn't, so she walked down the quiet sidewalk with D’Miri trailing cautiously behind her. Her home wasn't too far away after all, and she walked almost every night anyway.

But "night" usually wasn't 3:00 am.

D'Miri sped up his lounging pace to walk beside Kaizel, scanning the eerily empty street suspiciously. She felt him tense beside her, a low guttural growl coming from his throat. Kaizel turned the direction he was facing, squinting to look past the darkness.

There was a man sitting on the bench.

For a few moments, Kaizel contemplated changing her route home. After all, with her last encounter with an empty street and a stranger had NOT gone as well as she'd expected (though the creepy flower shop stalker was more to blame for that). However, as she drew closer, seeing no choice but to pass the man sitting on the bench, she recognized Nicolay immediately.

Which, truthfully, wasn't much better than thinking him a stranger, as much as she felt terrible thinking it. It was the truth though. She hadn't really had the best first meeting with the Therian, and he wasn't fond of her companion either (or her, for all she knew).

Still, she decided to make sure he was alright, since he appeared half awake and it was quite dangerous to be out at such a late hour (though she probably should've taken her own advice). Quickly, she grabbed D'Miri's collar, sat him down next to her, far enough away from Nicolay so as to not startle him with the sight of it again, and tapped the Therian lightly on the shoulder.

Excuse me, are you alright?”, she said quietly

Keeping a tight hold on D'Miri's collar, she prayed to Xanth that she and Nicolay weren't going to have a repeat performance of their first encounter

((Jenn, on the other hand, finds they’re chaotic meetings amusing ))

[Nicolay]

If Nicolay had been more conscious than his given state, he would have delighted upon the workings of his instincts as a Therian (as it was supposedly better than a human's...for various reasons). But as he was not, there was no time to congratulate himself and pat himself at the back. By the time the deep growl trickled into his area of hearing, Nicolay tore himself away from the bench with a gasp and a vision so bright, everything turned to a monochromatic blue shade in a single heartbeat.

A sigh escaped him after as he hunched forward to rest his elbows on his thighs and hold his hand over his eyes, as though to roof them although they were closed. He groaned. Sleepless he might be but his mind and body seemed tired enough to lull him back to slumber and back to the forest where it all began. The memory, the images, were still fresh in his mind and the Therian wasn't sure he wanted to go back just yet with the budding nightmare intact.

The hair at the back of his neck stood as he anticipated the finger on his shoulder and he heard it talk: “Excuse me, are you alright?”

Another gasp -- a softer one from his nostrils -- escaped him again as he trapped his air inside his lungs and stood and spun in one movement. No sooner was he holding his hands out to the figure behind his bench, his left palm open, his right one enclosed around the waist of his COM. “Yes, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sleep here. I, I was just taking a nap, I don't have any intentions of sleeping here, I promise.” Oh how embarrassing, to be mistaken as a hobo...

If the nymph should feel offended by his lack of recognition, she shouldn't be. Drowsiness, after all, never came with the sharpest mind. And it was dark.

[Aiden]

The wooden shingle gave way beneath the Aiden's foot as he hastily stepped backward. Holding his breath with worry, he watched as the wooden board rattled down the slope of the roof...and skidded to a halt before reaching the edge. With a relieved sigh, Aiden turned his cat eyes toward his feet and continued shakily across the curved tiles. The buildings staggered in height, and while the roofs were mostly flat, some still had a steeper slope. He edged across a few more buildings before setting foot on the flat rooftop of a business building.

Inhaling deeply, Aiden let out a long sigh before slowly bending his knees. Achy joints protested as muscles warped and twisted together. His bones shifted sluggishly, and he heard a succession of pops as his spine curved and he hunched forward. The cat blinked sleepily, and with a yawn, walked across the rooftops at a faster pace than the humanoid had.

After a certain rooftop journey, Aiden had taken to the habit of occasionally walking home via rooftops. It was dangerous, but he knew that it was possible, and he always practiced with the aid of cat vision. Anyway, if he fell, he could always turn into an angel snake--hopefully before he reached the floor. Tail waving languidly, the cat came across a gap between buildings, and after a moment of measurement, leapt to the other side. Its pupils contracted as it caught the light from a street-lamp, and it shied away toward the shadows. There were voices below, and curiously, the cat crawled forward and found, to Aiden's surprise, that there were still a few people in the quadrangle.

But that's stupid. Thieves and muggers might be afraid of Xanth's presence, even if it's just her statue, but they'd just follow people out of the vicinity. Which meant more trouble, chases, and paperwork for the guard to deal with. Testing the tiles, the cat crawled closer to the edge of the roof to see the people more clearly. As it scanned the area below, it saw two people sitting on the bench directly below him. A guy and a girl, and a panther. Hm.

((I hope it's okay to join. ))

[Hyacinthe]

Hyacinthe was up early, as usual. After a nice, fulfilling breakfast (including her usual intake of blood), Hyacinthe had caught a wealthy catch of fish. Of course, her waterfox, Moërta, had helped catch a few dozen, and Hya was grateful for the help. Hya had planned to sell her tons of fish in New Alexandria, when the catch was still fresh. To Hya's great dismay, Moërta had followed her.
"Oh, come on Moërta, you do know you could scare a few people away." Hya teased Moërta, who had snorted in response. It was true--Moërta could scare away some people with her piercing stare. But hey--she deserved some credit. After all, the waterfox had helped Hya with that day's catch, which was a rare blessing (being that the waterfox was usually in the water scaring away the fish or lazing around the shoreline).
As Hya neared the Quadrangle, her hopes of selling quite a wealth had been easily dashed. There were barely any people there, and from the corner of her eye, Hya could see a cat right on the edge of the roof. And, as Hya soon noticed after Moërta had let out a soft, rumbling growl, a panther.
Nevertheless, Hya clutched her sack, which was filled to the opening with fish, tighter. She was going to sell something that morning, even if it meant confronting Moërta with a panther, which she was sure would not go well.
"Moërta, behave." Hya said sternly, and the waterfox seemed to understand her stressed words. Moërta snorted and quietly obeyed; she had wandered off to hunt for some spare small animals.
Hya slowly walked towards the two people at the bench, where the panther was.




((I hope it's okay to join too ))

[Nicolay]

The unmistakable sound of footsteps approaching from the side was enough to draw Nicolay's attention away from the invisible person and towards the incoming newcomer who he noted was a nymph by the form of her waist, the only thing he could recognize from the lonely light from a lamp post that cast down its bleary glare on her close by. "Great, just great," he wanted to mutter but didn't. Seriously, why were there suddenly so many people up and about at the odd hour of three o'clock in the morning?

Nicolay didn't want to deal with them. He wanted to get out of his room, his nightmare, sure, but dealing with strangers were not exactly his idea of resolving that so he started backing out, hands still out. “I, I'll just go now, then. Have a good night,” he said carelessly, turned, and began to walk away, unknowingly about to cross the spot of yet another onlooker although he couldn't really see him, not when said onlooker was up on the roof, being all-seeing.

[Aiden]

By now, the cat was resting its spotted belly upon the rooftops and peering curiously at the collection of people in the quadrangle. Save for the acolyte cleaning Xanth's offering bowl, Aiden hadn't expected that there would be any Xanth-worshippers outside at this time of the night. The cat had been staring at the figures on the bench when it noticed a new figure appear under the soft lights.

She was holding a sack filled with lumpy things, and the cat tilted his ears with surprise when he saw a waterfox walking beside the stranger. Then the woman tilted her head in his direction, and the cat leaned forward, wondering if he had truly been noticed. Very soon, however, the woman had turned her attention toward the people on the bench, Aiden settled on his paws as he watched the people talk...

...Or not. After not much time, the man on the bench stood with his hands held out, as if he were apologizing or trying to make distance. Something like that. It was quiet enough for Aiden to hear the man excuse himself, and the cat leaned forward in surprise when he recognized the other therian. The guy from the monkey attack! Aiden had felt sorry when he saw the other therian trapped in between forms, but at least the man seemed to be doing well.

It was very late in the night, and Aiden wanted nothing more than to go home and go to sleep. Surely these people could take care of themselves. Still, the cat could not resist shuffling part of his body into the shadows and constructing a voice in his throat. It was just a tiny whisper. Almost a breeze: “Hey, therian.”

((Sorry Aiden didn't notice Hya much in this post, but I'm sure they'll interact more later! Especially b/c of fish! ))

[Official NPC]

The Quadrangle was one of the few areas in Alexandria that was patrolled regularly through the night. It was a prominent landmark so used often as a meeting place, and its importance to the city -- and Elysia as a whole -- was as cultural and historical as it was religious so the city council insisted that it be protected. And so, several times as they walked their route, Senior Guardsman Shawn London and his junior partner, Jorie Sharalyn, passed the enormous statue.

It wasn't entirely uncommon for there to be people out and about at night. Most Elysians were up with the dawn so turned in early, but there were vampires (who had always been watched closely, but even more so since that fiasco with Layla Oisin) and certain occupations that demanded a night life. Shawn didn't trust any of them, but he was even more wary when they grouped up. Loitering was one thing, but groups could be dangerous.

So when they passed Xanth's statue at 3.07am and saw three figures there -- nay, four with the feline -- Shawn and Jorie exchanged suspicious looks and set forth to investigate.

[Hyacinthe]

Hya watched as one of the people, recognizably a therian, backed up with his hands out. Was it really that obvious she was a vampire? Hya attempted day and night to try and make herself look not so pale with gallons and gallons of bronzer. Hya sighed as the therian turned and walked away. Obviously, she really needed to work on her appearance. This could really hurt her sales.
Well, at least I have one customer. Hya thought, glancing at the person who was still left on the bench.
"Fish?" Hya cleared her throat and held out the bulging sack towards the potential customer. "It's cheap.. probably the lowest prices on high quality fish from the River Cora that you can find!" Hya nervously chuckled, trying to imitate one merchant she had seen before who acted quite the salesman.
Suddenly, Hya sniffed a foreign presence... two foreign presences, actually.
Hya turned around. Two figures in the distance were walking towards her. Hya blinked. There was something familiar about them, as if she had seen the likes of them before.
Of course, Hya, they're Guardsmen! Hya thought to herself. She backed away from the streetlight and into the shadows, where Moerta was nosing around for a tiny animal. She knew without a doubt the Guardsmen had seen her, but hopefully they wouldn't notice her... in whatever they were about to do. Hya (hopefully) didn't do anything wrong, but she would not like an encounter (which would be likely to go wrong) with Guardsmen.

Piper's Boutique + Swear to Shake it Up + CAUTION 2.0 + The Butterfly

[Nicolay]

Such a breeze could not have been more distinct in the solid silence of New Alexandria that even with ears as untrained as Nicolay's, he'd easily picked it up.

He withheld a hiss from within his throat, spinning sharply to his right so that his golden, slit eyes found themselves looking up to the roof that was coated in the hue of the sea. It was a second before the real colors of the world returned to his sight and something was stuck halfway into his mouth so that he choked and coughed, freeing the passage of whatever it was that itched it.

But the effort had distracted him from the source of the voice and he held his breath as he looked up again and sought for possibly anything that could speak. Had he been imagining it? Was it sleep or a trailing dream?

He repeated the voice to himself as he swept his gaze around him and then looked up again, to what he thought was a sudden cat's shadow lingering to trick his eyes.

[Aiden]

He almost felt bad for startling the other therian, as he watched Nicolay whirl around and look for the source of sound. Tail curling lazily around him, Aiden waited to be noticed, and tilted his head when he realized that he still had not been seen. Scooting forward and out of the shadows, he braced his cat paws against the incline of the roof.

A sudden word of 'fish' drew Aiden's gaze toward the benches, where a woman was offering a bag to the woman with the panther. Little cat eyes glinted in the dark at the word, and Aiden mewed as he considered having a very late midnight snack. But his gaze travelled past the benches and toward two other figures who were walking into the quadrangle with suspicion.

He recognized one of the guards, but even then, he didn't know Shawn that well to want to drop by and chat with him. With a sniff, Aiden sat forward to settle his nose against his paws, and watched at the group by the bench.

((Such a stalker, our Aiden.
I'm so so sorry for the wait! >__<))