Darkness Ever Crawls Nearer

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

Darkness was sweeping over the mountain city of Abourno. Many were either in their beds are getting ready to get into them. The city was rather quiet at the moment. The only sounds that filled the night came from the tavern several blocks away.

The nights over the mountains had started to get a bit colder which was what Celestine had discovered. The mute half breed had just entered Abourno after a long few days of hiking over the mountains. His body was rather whipped and tired. All he wanted to do was find somewhere to stay and sleep.

Celestine was having some problems finding a place to stay for the night, though. The rooms at the inn were completely full, and the half breed could not find anywhere else to sleep. So, he drifted upon the streets of Abourno with no real purpose. He was already deciding that he was going to have to sleep in the stone street.

Nothing really seemed to be going his way as of late. He could not find a job, so he barely had enough money to even rent out a room at an inn. No one would even hire him for cheap, hard labor work.

Celestine’s head was not all there. His mind had seemed to be completely exhausted. He just wanted someone to communicate with, and he just wanted to find some sort of peace and relaxation.

The half breed stopped in the middle of a deserted street. He just stood there, his eyes drifting upward at the moon that barely lit up the city. He just wanted some sort of sign that everythin would be alright.

[Aurora]

Aurora darted down the streets, chasing the eagle that had taken off after she had completed her mission and collected her money. "Oi, Chance!" she called, her voice ringing throughout the streets of her home town. "Get back here you damned sorry excuse for a featherbrained eagle!"

Aurora was a little caught up in running after the eagle full tilt that she didn't see the kid in the streets until she was almost on top of him. "Watch out!" she yelled. She was running full tilt and had no room to stop so she threw her body to the side and went down hard on the streets while Chance landed on a roof top above her and seemed to laugh.

"Owww," she said with a pout as she rubbed her bruised hip and pouted, sticking her tongue out at the bird before remembering the kid.

"Oh shit! Hey kid are you alright?" she asked hurriedly as she stood up, wincing when she put her weight on her ankle. Seems as if she twisted it, she thought with a mild shrug as she looked down before hurrying over to where the kid had been standing.

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

Celestine had turned to the stranger who had just almost ran into him. He was rather startled. This was definitely unexpected. When he saw her fall he was quick to take a step forward to see if she was alright. The stranger appeared to be fine enough, so it seemed. She was quick to get back on her feet and make sure that he was fine.

The half breed gave a slight nod of his head to let her know that he was fine. She had not hurt him in the least bit. She had not even touched him. Celestine almost gave a sad little smile at how unfazed he was by her almost running into him.

He instantly looked away from her, already trying to figure out where he was going to lay his head down tonight. Just standing there was really not doing anything for him.

[Aurora]

Aurora frowned when she saw him, kind of guessing that he couldn't speak since he hadn't said anything at all. Judging by his looks he was also a traveler who had just come into town. She knew damn well that the Inns were full and the poor kid was out of luck.

"Hey kid," she said as she took a few steps towards him so she was standing in front of him. Even with her tall height, he was still a few inches taller than she was at 5'9". "You're from out of town, aren't you? I know all the rooms at the Inns are full, so I have a house here and you can come stay with me. Don't worry, I don't bite," she said quickly, giggling at the last part of her statement.

Grabbing his hand and giving him no chance to process, the Master Assassin started down the street and whistled at the bird to follow her or at least go ahead to her house. "I'm Aurora," she said, starting in on her usual commentary that she did, talking about almost any thought that went through her mind.

"The featherbrain up there is Chance, he's an animal shifter and my only real friend," she said with a laugh. "I'm from here, born and was taught to master just about every weapon out there here and then I got bored and left and wandered the world, picking up random trade here and there so I wouldn't be bored," she said as they walked.

Her ankle was starting to hurt and she knew that she should get off of it soon, but she also knew that the poor kid couldn't fly and she didn't want to offend him by offering to carry him, so walk it was.

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

He allowed her to drag him along. There seemed to be no other way out. This Aurora was very persistent, so it seemed, and Celestine could only guess that she got her way when she wanted it. He was grateful, though. No one else would have offered him, a complete stranger, a room in their house.

Celestine decided to start looking at the positives. He would not be spending the night upon the rough, rocky streets of Abourno. Instead, he would be in a bed, and he would possibly have some food and something to drink. Only the gods’ really knew how starved the poor boy was.

The half breed listened to Aurora go on about whatever seemed to come to her mind. He invited her words. He had none of his own, but it had been a long while since anyone just walked and talked to him as if he was talking back to them.

[Aurora]

Aurora seemed content to keep up the mindless chatter when they reached her house, built on a lower level than most of the other ones in the mountain city, but she didn't mind. Opening the door, she ushered him in after Chance had swooped in and perched above the mantle.

"So I have some food and stuff over there," she said, gesturing to another room. "Chance will show you where it is, help yourself to how ever much you want, don't worry about repaying me or any of the like, I won't stand for it," she said, giving the bird a firm look.

Chance seemed to shrug before gliding over and perching on the boy's shoulder, seeming content to sit there while Celestine took in the house.

"I've got to tend to my ankle, you damn bird, so don't give me that look when it's your fault," she said, as if the bird was answering her back. Chance just let out soft cry, as if he were laughing at the Angelic.

"But anywho," she said as she waved a hand and looked back at the boy, taking in his appearance. "Wait. You have a sword. Do you even know how to actually use that thing?" she asked, watching Celestine for an answer. She was careful to phrase her questions as 'yes' or 'no' answers.

"And by use, I mean successfully that you won't get your ass handed to you," she said as she crossed her arms.

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

Celestine thought for a long moment, his eyes looking to the bird that was now perched upon his shoulder. The half breed was not completely clueless on how to use his sword. He was self taught, though. Everything he knew about using the sword came from days of standing in a field and swinging the blade while his sister patiently sat a ways away listening to him. He could use the weapon somewhat, though.

The mute looked back over to Aurora. He held up his hand and made a gesture indicated a small amount. For the sake of his pride, he could not shake his head ‘no’.

[Aurora]

Aurora rolled her eyes letting out a sigh as she tugged her blonde hair free of its perpetual braid. "Then I'll teach you. Don't worry, I mastered the sword a long time ago. Now go eat," she said, motioning for him to go off to the kitchen.

Flopping down in one of the chairs she had, she picked up a ring with a red stone in it and slipped it onto one of her fingers. She had an assortment of rings and necklaces and other pieces of jewelry that gave her abilities she wouldn't normally have, all from her work and parts of payment. This particular one let her control fire.

Giggling, she pointed at the fireplace and a small stream of fire shot out, lighting the wood there and instantly setting a cheerful and warm fire there. Nights here were cold, especially moving away from summer, they would only get colder. She sighed and took off the hooded cloak she usually wore, letting it drape over a chair before she took off her boots, inspecting her ankle.

It was only twisted, nothing more and she deemed herself to be good as new in the morning. Or rather the next few moments since she was impatient and decided to go ahead and heal it. Leaning back in the chair, she pushed some of the long blonde hair over her shoulder as she stared at the fire and waited for the boy to come out.

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

It took Celestine quite a while to get food and finish eating. He was a lot hungrier than what he had thought he was. It had been a couple of days since he had really eaten something. The half breed tried hard to not overindulge himself, but the food was much too tempting. He ended up just sitting down in the kitchen and eating his fill of food.

He really did not want to disturb Aurora that much. He was a guest in her house, and he would try desperately to not overstay his welcome or to destroy anything that belonged to her.

After several mintues, Celestine walked back out to where Aurora was. He sat down in a chair, completely content with a full stomach. There was even a slight smile upon his lips at how happy he was to not feel starved.

[Aurora]

Aurora leaned forward and fixed him with a steady, if not a bit childish, look, placing her chin on her fist and her elbow on her knee. "So you'll probably get fed up with me calling you 'kid' all the time, so I'm going to try and figure out your name," she said, a childish glint alighting in her eyes.

Her hair had spilled around her face, highlighting how pretty she actually was when she would sit still for any length of time, and actually let someone look at her. "So I'm not exactly sure how we can do this. Can you spell your name? I mean, without writing and all that," she said with a light laugh.

"I mean, if you don't know how to write, I can teach you to do that in addition to teaching you how to use the sword," she said with a bright smile. Aurora loved teaching people things that she was good at, although she sometimes had the attention span of a fly.

One of her teachers and a student of hers had taken to keeping a small pouch of pebbles nearby and throwing them at her whenever she got distracted. It worked rather well since she was so laid-back and carefree.

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

Celestine could barely write. He really had never learned how to write and read. There was never a teacher around willing to teach the mute anything. Not to mention there seemed to be no time for such things. He had to watch over his sister and keep her safe.

A blush rose up onto his cheeks. He was rather embarrassed about his lack of education. He tried to hide it as much as possible that he could not really write or read. There were only a few words he could identify and even fewer that he could actually write. Lucky for Aurora, someone had taken the time to at least show him how to spell and write his name.

The half breed straightened up a bit, eyes on the angelic. He glanced around the room for a moment, looking for something to write with and something to write on. He found a pen and a piece of parchment. He paused for a long moment as he placed the tip of the pen upon the parchment.

He had to recall the letters and how to form them. It took him a couple of minutes before he started to write. When he was done, he handed the parchment to Aurora. His name was written very roughly on the piece.

Celestine was somewhat happy anyways, though. He even smiled a bit at his poor work. He had remembered at least one thing.

[Aurora]

Aurora arched a delicate eyebrow at his actions, taking the paper and reading it with no difficulty. "Celestine," she said, trying out the name on her tongue. It seemed to just roll off easily and she looked back at him, bright blue eyes taking in his form.

"Well, it does suit you," she said with a bright grin. "So, Celestine it is. Do you wanna go to sleep now or stay up a bit longer? It's up to you," she said with a shrug.

Her house had two levels, her room, a bath, and a guest room were upstairs and there was a guest room and a bath downstairs in addition to the main room, kitchen and library. Being a Master Assassin paid well, or at least well enough for her to have a decent sized house.

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

The half breed was slowly coming to the conclusion that it would be best for him to just go to bed. His travels had worn his body out, and he was looking for some rejuvenation. His mind needed to rest as well. So, the sooner he went to bed, the sooner he would be feeling better.

Celestine gave a slight nod, which indicated that he was tired. He gave a slight nod before standing up and waiting for Aurora to lead him off to where she wanted him to sleep for the night.

[Aurora]

Aurora nodded and rose fluidly, heading for the stairs. "You can sleep upstairs," she said as she made the short ascension. Waiting for him to follow, she grinned and motioned to a room to her right. "That one's yours for however long you wanna stay, bath is in the middle and the one on the left is my room," she said, giving him the quick tour.

"And you already know that the kitchen, sitting room and there's a library and another guest room downstairs," she said as she spun in a circle. "So don't worry about all the necessary things and such, I have spare clothes in all the rooms, so help yourself, Celestine, and when you get up, breakfast is on your own."

She finished speaking before fixing him with an easy going smile. "I'll see you in the morning, so get some good sleep because I'm going to teach how to properly use that sword of yours," she said with a bright laugh as she moved past him and back down the stairs to put the fire out.

When she came back up the stairs, Chance was perched on her shoulder and she yawned lightly, heading into her room. "Night featherbrain," she said to the bird before she went to sleep as well.



Aurora woke early the next morning, as she always did, and slipped into training pants and a training shirt, heading out of the house silently and into the small back section she had so she could practice and train, like she did every morning. First were stretches, then she moved onto light footwork and finally she began a dance with her blades, fighting against an imaginary opponent while Chance watched.

She was limber and athletic, despite her tall size and she easily did the acrobatics that a few of the movements called for. Pausing, she had a thin sheen glistening over her skin when she looked to the bird, a bit out of breath. "Oi, Chance," she called, a bit of a laugh in her voice. "Breakfast?"

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

The next morning, Celestine took his time with getting up for the day. When he did wake, his body was somewhat stiff, but his mind was rather refreshed. The half breed to his time getting out of bed and then getting dressed. He stayed in the room for a while before going downstairs.

He entered the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He ran a hand through his hair as he went through the kitchen, looking for something for breakfast. He found a bit to eat, sitting down at the kitchen table. Celestine started to eat, keeping his thoughts to a minimum.

The night before had been rather interesting. He had never expected to end up in some girl’s house who he had just met. He had not expected to get a good night’s sleep or to get fed.

[Aurora]

Aurora laughed as Chance launched himself with a fierce cry, speeding back into the house where he would flare out his wings to act as a brake before landing perfectly on the chair back across from Celestine. Chance tilted his head to the side, seeming to watch Celestine before letting out another cry as Aurora came back in the house.

"Morning Celestine," she said, a laugh in her voice, although she was a bit out of breath. "I hope you slept well and that Chance didn't bug you," she continued with a grin as she got her own food and slid into a chair at the table.

Her shirt was tied up, exposing her stomach and the one long, thin scar that bisected her torso, but she took no mind of it anymore. She pushed a few wisps of hair out of the way as she ate.

"So were you planning on moving on today?" she asked as she watched him, bright blue eyes curious.

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

Celestine looked up at Aurora. His eyes gazed over her frame for a quick moment as he decided how to answer her. The half breed really did not have anywhere else to go. He had no money. He let out a sigh, his thoughts almost turning to sadness.

He shook his head a bit in answering her question about moving on today. He would have to stay in Abourno for the time being, and if this girl, Aurora, was to allow him, he would stay at her house.

The mute really appreciated how she was treating him. Strangers usually did not treat him with such kindness.

[Aurora]

Auroa smiled at him, reaching over and ruffling his hair. "Sounds good. Do you want me to teach you how to actually use the sword?" she asked as she chewed her own food thoughtfully.

"Then you'll have some other uses, even if you can't speak. Or I can teach you to read and write then you can go be a scribe or something like that," she said with a smile. She knew the trials going through his head, they were all too evident in his eyes.

She wasn't as cold-hearted as she could be, but it was definitely not a normal personality trait, but she kinda liked the kid. He was cute, that was for sure and she didn't have many people who would tolerate her.

[Celestine the Silent One]

And when you stabbed me, I bled black.

Celestine gave a slight nod to both of the questions. He would really enjoy learning how to use his sword. He had always wanted someone who could deal with him being mute who wanted to teach him swordsmanship.

There was also that aspect of writing and reading as well. If he could read and write, then he would have a voice for everyone to hear. He would not have to rely on slight variations in his facial expressions or a nod or shake of the head. He would actually be able to say exactly what he thought.

He hoped that he would not become a burden on this Aurora, though. It never took too long for someone to tire of his inability to speak.

[Aurora]

Aurora laughed, reading his facial expressions rather well. "I'm sure you'll grow tired of my attention span before I grow tired of your inability to speak," she said. "But if at any point I start to go off on a tangent, throw something at me to bring me back. I had a teacher that would carry around a pouch full of pebbles and throw them at me every time I got side tracked," she said with a bright laugh.

"So we can start with either one whenever you're ready. Just pick one and show me what you want to start doing, and I'll teach you to the best of my ability," she said with a bright laugh as pale blue eyes took in his form.

"Although we'll be using practice swords instead of actual ones for the time being to teach you proper form and all the works."