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Jay took the shirt with a slight nod and slipped off the backpack she had thrown on so she could tuck it away with the rest of the scraps she had.

"Waste not, want not," she muttered as she did so, letting the bag sit on the floor afterwards before bringing back another topic.

"So, how many are there out there in this clan of Kiru's? A handful? More than what's here in the town?" It seemed that she had somewhat resigned to the thought of random vampires possibly surrounding them, but her mind just wouldn't let it go unless she had something strategically to grasp.

"I would prefer if you didn't," the ranger said crossly, knowing -or more so hoping- that such a thing wouldn't happen as the tension returned from where it had begun to disappear in her body.

"A handful you say," she repeated as she followed along in the conversation. "But if numbers aren't needed - wait... our numbers? Who's included there?" That didn't sound like he was referring to just him and her.

The ranger looked at Micheal as if staring at him would possibly unravel the curl of a smile on his face and explain how the vampire had been busy. She still couldn't understand why she should feel like relaxing or anything near it right now with what she had been hearing all night.

"A half vial of holy water," she grumbled as she looked away, avoiding mentioning any price of coin as she bent over to grab the bag she had set beside her and move it back toward the table where her project had been earlier. There was an obvious sting in her words though it wasn't something directed at Micheal. The muddled emotion radiating from it reflected some sort of pained feeling from within the ranger in fact.

"No... I mean, it's neither. Don't worry about it."

Her face eased up a little at his inquiry as she shook her head, but there was still a crestfallen look to it.

"I need a new shirt...and you being the only one that is "Human", please do me this favor."

That line had only been followed by him telling her to leave the shirt back at the other inn before she went on her own path. The shirt had originally been something of a price for the damage she had done from drinking the holy water he had given her.

"Maybe I am more tired than I thought," she mentioned offhandedly looking over at the candle that seemed much shorter than she remembered it being.

"Feel free to come and go as I would during the day if you need a resting place. Honestly, if there are others prowling around the town, I will 'fess that sleep will probably be of the lesser kind tonight anyways," the ranger shrugged some as she finally slipped the quiver back off from her back. "I think I'm good on candles but if you know of a place for strikesticks, I might have to pick up a few more of those soon," she said, clueless of Micheal's thoughts.

She then rolled up her sleeves and pulled the pitcher on the table closer to her, and after dunking a small cloth into the water, began to wipe down her arms and face.



*strikesticks = equivalent of matches

Something turned in the ranger's stomach at the mention of Micheal going out for a bite.

"Nah, I'm alright. Had enough earlier," she answered, which was for the most part true. Though she could be more full than she was, she had dug into her rations instead of leaving the room during her project earlier. "I suppose I need to leave a door unlocked or the window open or something if you're coming back. Broken doors and windows never bode well," she said as she turned around to face Micheal, rubbing at her face with the wet cloth.

"Well, knock at least," she said as he left, wondering what had been ticking in Micheal's head. As she walked over to the door, putting her hand on the lock, she considered what might have made him avoidant and then quiet toward the end. When she came up with little of her own reasons, she slit the bolt on the door and walked back to the table where she finished up.

After tossing off her belt, boots, and stockings, she closed the shutters and slipped into bed, shirt untucked but still mostly clothed. With the candle already out, she pulled the blanket over her and shut her eyes.


She had been right that it would be a night of less sleep. Unlike the past few nights where it had just been an ever present light sleep that she constantly woke from, this time the dreams were present. The fire in the sky, the burning huts, the dragons closing in...

Only this time the dragons were slightly different. They were older and had pointier, sharper fangs as they circled the city. The city from her mind seemed to take on a more forbidden look as the winged beasts flew on high.

Standing upon a rooftop, she had spied one green-eyed beast in the air who was beginning to falter from those who had come to take it down.

One of her own arrows went up through the sky and met its mark.

The beast began to spiral down toward the ground, toward a hut.

A flicker of something, color at the window of the hut? A face?

The dragon crashed.

The building was reduced to rubble as she opened her mouth to shout...


It was then at the start of the yell that she looked around and saw the inn room around her, her face covered in sweat. She put up a hand to her head and groaned.

Between the fingers in front of her face, there was the slightest shift of the darkness and of noise and the ranger froze. When her vision adjusted to the point she could recognize Micheal's nondescript features, her hand slid from her face to her chest when she remembered to breath again. Having gone from pounding to standstill that quickly jilted her insides.

"By the flames," she mumbled, immediately regretting her choice of words, but continued. "What did I say about knocking, damn it," she said, obviously not enthused about the unannounced appearance, especially at that moment.

There was little from the ranger for the time other than just her breathing. Fuming she was, but what about was mixed and cloudy.

Finally, she tossed the cover aside and swung her legs over the side of the bed though she didn't move any farther than that.

"How long have you been here?"

The ranger's mouth and throat had gone dry, causing her voice to crack as she asked, her shoulders jerking inward out of discomfort as soon as the sharp shift in her voice occurred.