Never Trust Appearances

[Fyra]

She listened carefully to the man, frowning for the most part. I'm not really beautiful. She froze again as he said something about falling for her, and stared at him wide eyed. Shaking herself out of it, she left the bodice and breeches on the floor for now, and came over to the bed, climbing onto it and sitting on her knees, hands in her lap. Fyra blinked at him slowly, confused.

Cautiously, she reached out, pushing his hair back so that it was easier to see his face. Her voice was quiet, and she wasn't quite sure what to say, but she felt like talking would be better than not. "M'not beautiful, not like I used to be... and I wasn't always temperamental either... it all changed after I got bit, see...." She held up her hand, the faint scar from where the shifter had bitten her only barely visible. "Used to have blue eyes...bright as yours are green... n'brown hair. All brown, down past my shoulders." Her voice was quiet, unsure, and her hand raised to tug at her hair, particularly at the black streak to the right side of her face. Her arms raised to hug herself a little at the memories. "But s'all a lot different now."

[Kaleb Morrington]

Kaleb listened, quietly, leaning into her touch when she pushed his hair away; before reaching over and clasping her hand, bringing it up to kiss the scar. "You are beautiful to me." He said it as sincerely as he could, looking into her deep brown eyes. He reached over and tugged her into his lap after dragging a sheet over him first. He held her close, kissing the top of her head.

"Change isn't always so bad. Different isn't bad either, usually. I like different." Kaleb added as an after thought, craning his neck to smile at the girl. Green eyes winked at her playfully. "Besides, blue eyes are so overrated. Brown's such a lovely, rich color. And I like the hair, it's quite fetching." He admitted, playing with the strands.

[Fyra]

Rolling her dark eyes as he pulled onto his lap, she settled, wrapping an arm around his neck to help support herself. Manhandling again... I'll probably get used to it. The feeling of his lips on her skin lingered. She pursed her lips and blinked at him, the corner of her lips quirking a little at his wink, and frowning as he messed with her hair.

"Not all change is bad, no... Me meeting you wasn't bad, and you manhandling me into staying with you for warmth wasn't bad either... but if I hadn't been bit..." She swallowed, sighing at the memories and the way that she still was confused about so many things. "I don't know if I'm cursed or if my soul will be damned or not. Ma and Papa kicked me out when I came home..." Tears built in her eyes, and she hid them by ducking her head a little, letting the blond strands fall with the black to hide her face. "So many things would have been different, if I'd just left that rotten old snare alone." Her voice was hoarse, throat tight.

"I know I probably wouldn't have met you, but I wouldn't have spent a year out on the streets, running all the time, either..." She swallowed, part of her wanting to hold back her life story and part of her wanting to just let it spill all out into ears that at least seemed to listen.

[Kaleb Morrington]

So much emotion in his little pole-cat... he moved them both fairly easily so he was reclining and she was on his chest, his arms around her. He listened, remained quiet for a moment before sighing. "Your Ma and Pa should not have done that. I'm assuming you set was you thought was an animal, free. I'm also going to assume that your parents taught you that magic was evil." Kaleb pursed his lips in thought before shaking his head and kissing the top of hers. "They couldn't be more wrong."

He reached out an arm, showing a handful of scars along the inside of his fore-arm and wrist. "These are from when I tried to bleed the magic out of me." He said it bluntly. "The ones on my back and sides are from being stoned by my street-gang. Aye, it was terrible. But they were scared of the different... but I have something better than them now. I have magic." He tilted his head to eye the girl.

"If I had stayed where I was when I was a kid... been raised by my parents, I would have been a well-known aristocrat. Rubbing elbows with judges and big-wigs. Just imagine the hell it'd have rose if they had sensed my magic. Everything happens for a reason. We sure as hell may not like it. But shit happens."

[Fyra]

She squeaked a little as he shifted, blinking swiftly to empty her eyes of tears she didn't want him to see. Her head nodded in agreement with his assumptions. She swallowed back her automatic denial that yes, magic was evil, and looked at the arm that he held out. Her hand reached out gingerly, and she traced a few of the scars on his arm, feeling a bit of horror that he would have done something so self-destructive. She could recall the ones on his back and sides easily as well.

"It's hard to let go of something you've believed since childhood." She murmured, slightly distracted by his scent, her head resting somewhat on his chest. "But curiosity always drove me, and after a while, I started to figure that it was the path that Theogios had picked for me... If I was cursed, if I am cursed... then I may as well live my life..." She sighed. There was somebody that didn't care that she was now a magical being rather than a normal human.

Fyra hid against him though, trying to clamp down on the emotional confusion that was running through her. She tucked her nose into the space where his neck curved into his jaw, her eyelashes fluttering lightly against his cheek, her deep breaths calming her with the musk of his scent. "Still... didn't matter to them. They didn't even know what was different about me. They saw my hair and my eyes and being magic-touched was bad enough. Fearful folk... I won't deny that. " The rejection still hurt though. After all, they were her parents.

[Kaleb Morrington]

Kaleb turned his head slightly to gently press against her, cradling her closer. "Fearful folk, aye, but stupid if they didn't take the time to see if they could at least help their own daughter." He ran his fingers through her hair, trying to soothe and comfort. Gently he massaged her hip, where his other hand was resting, keeping his breath steady and even. Poor girl had gone through hell... brought up proper and was on her own in the streets for a year with no one to back her up. Kaleb had left that of his own will, but her parents essentially banished her.

He hadn't missed the wetness of her eyes when they pressed against his skin, he wasn't insensitive, but neither did he say anything, knowing it wouldn't help if he did. Instead he simply curled around her a little more and pulled her up and closer to him, determined to offer her support. "Either way, I'm glad you're with me. I'd still be alone if you weren't here."

[Fyra]

Even though the cloth of the shirt, his hand on her hip made her blush. Theogios... if Ma saw me.... She shoved the thought away. What did t matter what Ma would think of her anymore. She had been on the streets a year and had avoided rape and getting beaten. That was more than most girls could say. A girl on the streets was often an easy target, unless they had been there since early on.

With a deep breath, Fyra collected herself, feeling her tears dry as she shoved the memories down and tried to not focus on how his kiss had felt on her lips. Silly girl. It's not like you haven't been kissed before! But not like that, not at the peak of emotions, when everything seemed so intense. She shifted and moved to get off of his lap, managing a slight smile as she looked at his green eyes and managed to not fall under the spell that she was sure he didn't know they cast upon her. "Now there's enough of that. Never was one for self-pity, and I ain't about to start now." she stood, stepping back over to the pair of breeches and pulling them on hastily. "I'll go grab your clothes... that way I can stop blushing every time I glance your way." She was pink around her cheeks as she said it, and stepped out of the room as she tugged the bodice on over the blouse.

She found the clothing that had been soaking the night before hung out over the back of the couch, wrung out and dry, at least for the most part. His pants had some damp spaces in the pockets, but that wasn't something she would worry about. Fyra bundled it up, climbed back up the stairs, and tossed the bundle at Kaleb with only a glance to assure her that he was in that general direction.

[Kaleb Morrington]

Kaleb watched as she dressed and left, feeling a pang of sympathy for the girl as she moved away quickly, her feet padding down the hall. She played up that she was strong, fought to be strong, but Changers, he could feel her pain. She'd likely had decent parents, as she hadn't run from them. Maybe they'd even loved her up until she was bit.

Kaleb was fully stretched out on the bed when his clothes hit him smack in the face. He sat up, protesting, only to laugh when he realized she'd only hit him in the face because she refused to look at him. "Love, its fine if you look, I'm not shy by any means." And off came the sheet. He stood to begin pulling on his trousers, not bothering to look if she was watching. Up he stretched, trousers hanging off his waist and not done up, basically only his crotch holding the bloody things up, before he began to pull on his shirt and vest. Tucked in and all done up, Kaleb brushed his hair with his fingers, eyes on Fyra.

"So what now, love? Anythin' ya wanna do?"

[Fyra]

She retorted quickly as he said he wasn't shy. "Yea, you're not a bit ashamed of yourself, and that's fine. But I was brought up proper, and don't need to be gawking at you." She leaned against the doorway while he got dressed, holding back the urge to peek at his tousled hair and scarred body that was just a lift of her head away. You gotta stop that... seriously. You were brought up proper! How did you end up sleeping with a man? Even just sleeping...unclothed! She shook her head to stop herself from thinking of him kissing her again, his green eyes hooded with sleep, his hair tousled and falling into them. Instead, she took a moment, and tucked in her shirt, fixing the bodice laces to distract herself from the handsome man that was hopefully now dressed in the room.

As he spoke again, she raised her head to look at him, and her voice came out almost as a squeak. "Well.. I was kind of wondering... You said at some point something about how I'd probably be good at thieving because of my shifting... How is it that a rodent form would be helpful at all? Seems like the easiest thieving is pick pocketing, and I'm sure being a rodent wouldn't help at all with that..." She shifted nervously, scratching at her head a little.

[Kaleb Morrington]

Kaleb cocked an eyebrow as he eyed the young girl closely. She wasn't just playing head games, was she? His response was careful, slow.

"It's not just pick-pocketing love. It's an art, despite the fact it's looked down upon. A ple-cat would be able to slide into windows and grab jewels, where I would have to pick a door and sneak through a house, around dogs and people and back out. Certainly you'd likely only be able to handle the light stuff like information scrolls, but those are worth a ton anyways. You could also just let me into places." Kaleb shrugged it off before heading out and down the stairs.

"But that's against your moral code, love, so let's try to sort something else out, yeah?" Kaleb grinned up at her before skipping down the stairs, whistling a jaunty tune. "How about toast and jam for breakfast?"

[Fyra]

Safyra frowned. I don't think he was taking me seriously. But she turned and followed him into the hall and down the stairs, her eyes narrowed, frowning. Even as he asked about toast and jam for breakfast, she continued to frown. "Yea, sounds good." Her steps were slow as she followed him. I mean... you're helping me out, giving me a space to live... It's one thing to take charity for a couple days.. But not for much longer.

She followed him into the kitchen, blinking and watching his back. Things start looking different some, when you start looking at more than just short-term... Morals change... A girl will do what she's got to to survive. She wasn't sure she would be able to say any of her thinking aloud just yet, but she admitted it to herself, that it was there.

[Kaleb Morrington]

Kaleb switched to humming as he moved, warming the bread, popping open the jam, his hips wiggling in beat to his little ditty. Tossing the knives he was using from hand to hand as he waited for the bread to toast, he looked over to see his little pole cat frowning. He flipped the knife in the air, only to catch it by the handle.

"Bishan for your thoughts, love?"

[Fyra]

Despite how adorably silly he was being, she was still frowning. Yes, she disapproved of stealing, but when she looked at it as the way that would work to stay alive. If one stole because they needed to to live, and not just to steal, that was just doing what one needed to survive. It was no worse that her shifting because that was part of who she was now. Besides, she was cursed, and there was no known cure, and if there was, it'd surely be a magic of some sort. Theogios... Magic is everywhere. She sighed lightly just as Kaleb asked her what she was thinking.

Times like this, she wanted to remain a polecat. "Just about food, mostly." she lied, cringing inside as she stepped up to stand by him and look at the toast he was making, forcing a slight smile to her lips as she glanced up at him.

[Kaleb Morrington]

One of the few perks that came with living on the streets - being able to spot a liar. "Riiiight, and I'm a bunny-shifter." Kaleb smiled down at her forced smile. "Don't worry so much, you'll give yourself grey hair." Kaleb joked as he moved to the table, plates with toast in hand. "Now come sit down and tell Kaleb what's really on your mind. Or you can tell Amyrea and I can translate, just in case this is one of those moments where you need girl time." Truth was that the spirit wasn't there, not that Kaleb would admit as much, but she made for a great excuse.

[Fyra]

She stepped over to the table. There was little other choice, if she wanted the food that the man had taken with him. With a slight grumble, she sat, rolling her eyes at her supposedly talking to Amyrea instead of Kaleb. Either way, Kaleb would hear, and no doubt, Amyrea would put in what ever she felt necessary, regardless of whether she was spoken to or not. Feeling vulnerable, she pulled one of her legs up, her knee pressing against her chest, and she rested her chin upon it. Slender arms hugged her leg to her. "S'nothing really. Just, you seem to be giving an awful lot and not expecting much- anything - in return." Fyra pursed her lips and tucked her hair behind her hair.

"It's one thing to stay around for a day or two on charity... but I can't just accept you giving me all of this and not pay you back somehow." She didn't want to be in debt to anybody, especially a male. Despite his promises to not do anything she didn't want, the woman was unsure how far she could trust him, or herself. Brought up proper, and now... he could give you a single look, and you'd just fall into his arms. Now that's not right at all! Inwardly scolding herself, outwardly, she searched his green eyes. So green- No! Stop that!