shylarah

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

Lee accepted the hand up, though she took a moment to steady herself before letting go. The one with her said she was fine, and so she believed it. It didn't occur to her how odd it was, that they should be sure -- nor how strange that she would trust someone so entirely when they'd only just met. "I should thank you," she said. "For a moment there I was sure--" Lee stopped, not willing to voice just how sure she'd been that she was in serious trouble. Her fingers found one of the rips in her coat and picked at it fitfully. "Anyhow. Thank you."

It wasn't until she was home, dinner cooking and feline fed, that Lee realized she'd never gotten the person's name. Or maybe she had, but it was during the period of time that she couldn't quite pin down. Things didn't quite add up but there was something about it that made her not want to put all the pieces together -- like a frightening secret that she was frankly much happier not knowing.

---

Lee had a nightmare that night, something she only half remembered. In the morning, with the sunlight warm through the window and Freddie a fuzzy lump at her feet, it was easy to put aside, along with her bad experience the night before. The rest was banished by a morning visit to her grandmother, who was delighted to see her as always. The sheer normality of it turned the memories into something harmless, and by the time she arrived at the dance studio Lee had nearly convinced herself that the previous night had been part of that same dream. There was only the matter of her wrecked coat to indicate otherwise.

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

>banging on a window
Lee can't see through windows! Not really. *giggles*

Which only makes this even more amusing tbh

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

Accidental encounter works. There's windows into her dance studio, so maybe they see her there?

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

Half done with my post, and I think we're about done with this scene. The real question is where do things go from here? Like...does [][] get turned human and seek Lee out at home? at work? Do they end up cold and miserable in some alley and Lee stumbles over them? What do you think?

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

The voice wasn't the one she was expecting -- and besides, as Lee gathered her thoughts she realized that her mother couldn't possibly be there. The woman was long dead, though the memories Lee had of her were comforting. "I'm sorry, I...I thought you were someone else. My mistake."

She shuddered in a sudden gust of wind that cut through her coat, hearing the whisper of leaves dancing down the road. The person before her didn't seem affected.

Their next question was a surprise, and perhaps under different circumstances Lee wouldn't have answered. Certainly if she'd been thinking straight she'd be getting her cell phone, calling an ambulance or a friend to take her to the hospital. Instead she considered.

"I've never really tried to put it into words," she said at last. "But I guess it's like having a fresh chance each day, to do just a little more, or make a little change. To keep trying. For me, I feel most alive in the silent moment after finishing a performance, just after the music stops and before the applause starts. It's a rush." Lee paused, common sense asking why she was sharing this with a stranger. But she trusted this person, without quite knowing why. She could spare them a few minutes, surely.

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

The footsteps came closer. It was someone she knew -- the step and smell was familiar -- but Lee couldn't figure out who it was. They knelt, reached for her, and she knew that as bad as things seemed, everything would be alright.

Live.

The word resonated through her, and now instead of just peace Lee felt the pain receding. She could move her fingers, slowly lift her head. A semblance of rational thought returned. Had she not been hit as badly as she thought?

First, get out of the street.

Lee didn't trust her balance just then, so she crawled over to the curb rather than trying to stand. She seemed to be alright, though she could feel parts of her coat that seemed damaged. She was shaking rather badly but beyond that, she didn't feel hurt. She cast around with her senses for the one she thought had just been at her side. There! They were strangely hard to make out, and she still had the nagging sense of familiarity, though she couldn't place it.

"H-hello?" Lee called, her voice shaky and uneven. "Excuse me... do I know you?" They'd helped her somehow, she thought, but just how she wasn't sure. How on earth was she still in one piece? That couldn't be any one person's doing, she was sure of that, so...was she just lucky?

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

@Malice I like the name idea; it's clever. Do you want this to be an actual meeting, or should Lee be found and taken to the hospital and your reaper has to track her down again as a human?

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

@Malice that could work. So your reaper is more curious about humans than overzealous? Should be fun~

Don't Fear the Reaper (shy and Malice)

@Malice I'd figured Lee's death was the catalyst, but I'm game either way. And if she does hear him as a reaper, it's because she's on the brink of death. She's totally supposed to die.

Feel better soon!

𝓣ℎ𝑒 𝓕𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑡𝑠 𝑜𝒻 𝓐𝑙𝑦𝑠𝑠𝑎𝑛𝑎 & 𝓕𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑛, 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑡.

It took all her control not to snap at Finnegan as he used, repeatedly, the one nickname she could never stand. Christopher alone used it, and more often he used the childish form of "Lyssa". Without even thinking, she pulled her hand away. Perhaps Finnegan had truly realized his thoughtlessness, but would that even last beyond the duration of the perfume's effects?

He called their first dance a conquest, and that was the final straw. The expression in her grey eyes turned cool, her lips thinned to a flat line. "You should know better than to call me that," she said once he'd finished with more "Alyssa"s, her voice distant. She didn't say a word of forgiveness. "Walter...I need to leave. You have my apologies." She grabbed the folded metal form of her wings from where they lay near her chair and held them near her back long enough for her control of them to take over and lock them into their sockets.

Finnegan rose to stop her, but in his current state it was easy enough to dodge around him and make it to her jacket, and then the door and beyond to freedom. Outside Alyssana spread her wings and leaped skyward, and she did not look back. The hated nickname still rang in her ears, and it took some time of the cool wind rushing past before the sound faded from mind. She knew she'd responded too harshly, but she'd also done her best to stay calm. She'd apologize once Finnegan was sober.