The Festive Beginnings
Continued here after page two


Connor:
Connor allowed her to pull him farther away from the party, feeling no fear or worry. He knew her strength and the world about them. She wouldn't do anything to hurt the stranger that he was to her, nor could anything that came across them do much harm.

When they finally stopped, he turned to her again. Though his face was mostly hidden, his gold eyes shown with concern as they returned to her face. He wouldn't ask the question again, he would simply wait for her to answer it.

Melantha:
Melantha was surprised at first, he had followed her so easily, so trustingly. Then she felt sick, she shouldn't have been surprised, if she had been normal it wouldn't have even registered that a male wouldn't follow her. Except she wasn't normal she was...dangerous, maybe not to this male, but she had hurt others before. She looked up at him finally and for a moment was struck by how golden his eyes were in the dark, she just stared. Then she blushed and turned her face down with a sigh.

"I'm sorry...your eyes just...reminded me of...a friend." A friend who would be very disappointed in her if she lost it and hurt someone. Except she didn't feel dangerous at the moment, she didn't want to hurt anyone, she wasn't even thirsty. She just felt safe, sane, normal even, but he had asked her a question so she sighed and broke the silence.

"I just felt like I didn't really belong there, I know it must seem silly now but..." Slowly she turned away her voice dropping a bit lower as she closed her eyes. "but sometimes I just don't feel like I'm safe, like I shouldn't be around normal otters."

Connor:
Connor almost flinched when she mentioned his eyes and how they reminded her of a friend. What would she do if she knew it was him? It didn't matter though, she didn't make the connection and continued on, explaining what was troubling her.

It was almost laughable. As himself, he gave her some sort of comfort by protecting her from hurting those she fed on. And as this dark persona he had taken on, he was protecting her from her inner pain.
"What makes you any less normal than the rest of us? I've seen the tiniest of otters change into raving beasts on a bad moon, otters who float, bobcats who disappear, wolves who raise the dead and change an otter's coat." He reached out and placed one paw on the tip of her shoulder, the other moved to press lightly against her cheek. His heart swelled at the ability to touch her, innocent touches as they were. He doubted he would have been able to do so without his disguise.

"All I've seen tonight is a lovely firebird queen, with a pretty laugh and the most concern for others that I've ever encountered." Which was almost true. He didn't know who was worse in that aspect, Melantha or Di.

Melantha:
She slowly moved closer and then pressed against him to rest her head against his shoulder. It was new, a new feeling to get so close, she wasn't even this snuggly with her family. How could she be always afraid that her father would smell Angelus, that her mother would somehow see wickedness in her eyes? Even with Will she had to be careful, he was a protector and she...well she was trying. She didn't dare get near her sister and her pups, what if something happened? No...no it was best to try and handle everything...alone. Except right now she wasn't alone, and for the first time it felt really really good. She softly nuzzled the males neck and even dared to breathe in. It wasn't bad, she didn't feel a sudden urge to tear into him, instead she felt calm.

Finally she blushed and laughed slowly edging back and pushing her wild hair back as well as making sure her mask wasn't slipping.
"I'm sorry...you've just been so understanding, and nice." She smiled and tilted her head.
"Thank you, for everything." He was like a real hero, like some fairytale prince who had appeared to soothe her. Okay maybe he wasn't a white knight, but a shadow prince was good too right? She held back a soft laugh, she didn't want him to think she was laughing at him. Then she bit her lip a bit thinking of Connor. Poor Connor he was probably alone up in some tree, maybe she ought to visit him and show him her dress...and...and what? What did Connor care about a party? As long as she wasn't ripping the throats out of minis she wasn't really his concern. She sighed a bit and then forced her thoughts back on the male infront of her, someone who was here and now and did care.

Connor:
Connor's wings tensed when she hugged him, placing her face into the crook of his neck and breathed in. For a moment, the too rational part of his mind told him to pull away, to get his vulnerable neck as far away from her fangs as possible.
But when it came down to it, he trusted her, and he simply held her, waiting to see what she would do.

And nothing happened. She just laughed and backed away from him again, all too soon in his mind. She patted at her hair and checked her mask, so very feminine and contradictory to the Melantha he was normally exposed to. And seeing it now just made him ache to see her like this more often. He didn't want her troubled or afraid. He wanted to see her relaxed, happy, even flustered. He couldn't deny that her blush was endearing.

His smile faltered a bit. What was he thinking? He didn't deserve this. She was a creature born and raised on love. All he had in the world was his hate. And once his task was complete, once his father was finally purged from the world, he would fade into nothingness, if he didn't die in the process. He would have nothing left once Angelus was gone. Upon his mother's death, his sister had been touched by goodness, by fate, to protect the oasis from evil. And he... He had been touched by evil. Given knowledge he never should have had, knowledge that would fuel the hatred within him. Melantha was a bystander dragged into his feud.

He held out his paw again, his smile returning to as it had been.
"Dance with me again, Firebird?" Unspoken, he asked her to let him be her true hero, if just for tonight.

This night was all he would have.

Melantha:
Melantha knew better, she knew she wasn't the princess in this story. She was just a bystander, or maybe even part villain. She was a mixture of vampiric darkness and caring loyalty and she would never really belong on either side. Instead she had to constantly balance herself on the line and try not to falter too horribly. Except this might be her only chance to ever feel like this again, like a firebird, like something that could smolder and flash as bright as a star and then go dark...and someday be born again. She moved easily against him with a soft nod.

"Of course..." It was as easy as that to take up the dance where they had left it . Maybe just for tonight it was okay to believe she was the princess.