Post by Admin on Sept 23, 2009 21:41:32 GMT -5
Ember:
The blankets flew, the beaten pillow slumped resignedly in the corner, and the girl still tossed and turned...
"AAAH!" She jerked awake, electric energy shooting through her spine until her head ached with it. Her nails bit deeply into the remaining sheets causing her knuckles to go white in fear and anger. Ember had lasted three hours this time, the digital clock glowing red in the dark basement room, telling her it was almost three in the morning. The sweat made her skin feel clammy... making her shiver in the warm air. She paused before moving, making sure her shouts hadn't woken Matt or the kid up. She didn't want them to know... 18 and still having nightmares, what would they think? All her life she'd dealt with boys who wanted to rescue her, not thinking her capable on her own. Just like her parents, she thought ruefully. The anger made her feel better, more in control.
She didn't hear anything for several minutes. Safe to move, Ember padded her way to the door and slipped back upstairs, out into the night air on the front porch. It was a little cold in her boxer shorts and night shirt but it gave her a reason to shiver other than her own stupid subconscious. And the stars... they were too beautiful to miss.
Rian:
Rian flapped his very tired wings. He had used his duck morph to get back but once he had reached city limits he had switch to kestrel. His hope had been that the kestrel would be able to spot the Haunt easier but the truth was his eyes weren't that much better than a human's in the dark. Worse the kestrel was a falcon and it couldn't flap and flap and flap forever. It was meant to soar, hopefully with the help of thermals but there were none of those at night. The only thing he had going for him was the constant breeze off the ocean but even that wasn't completely working for him because he had to tack against it.
In short, at the end of three days of flying Rian was beat. He would have shouted in relief when he finally spotted the Haunt below but his falcon vocal cords couldn't make such a sound. Instead he made a sort of chitter sound and immediately went into a dive to get to the ground as fast as possible.
He was going so fast that he almost missed the seeing the girl who was standing there. Who? YEERKS! Rian had been going to land in the grass that was just down the beach from the Haunt but now he retargeted for the girl and especially her eyes.
He knew he shouldn't have screamed the hunting call lest he alert the controller but it came out of his throat naturally as his mind mixed with the falcon's.
KILLY, KILLY, KILLY!
((That is a kestrel hunting call. I'm not saying kill kill kill wrong.))
Ember:
Ember stared up at the sky, still unable to connect such beauty to the aliens that had invaded her world and wrecked havoc on everything she'd held dear. Surely what she saw now could not hold those malicious creatures in its depths... Her poetic thoughts suddenly stopped when a bezerk bird came rushing at her with a killing cry.
"What the hell?!!" Her shout came a bit too late, the tiny fierce looking thing dove at her eyes! Ember threw herself to the ground, her jaw hitting the edge of the porch so sharply she cut her lip on her teeth. "OW!" without stopping she rolled off the edge onto the grass, not able to concentrate enough to morph. But she could run. It came so naturally to her that she didn't even wait for the bird to swoop back around. It less than a heart beat she'd picked herself and ducked around the corner of the Haunt.
Rian:
Oh no you don't yeerk! Rian pulled out of his dive, narrowly missing hitting the wall of the side of the Haunt. He managed to change direction but he was still going extremely fast and unfortunately he was flying extremely close to the wall that he had almost hit. He was flying in diagonal to the ground, he was going up but he was also going in the direction of the escaping controller.
Rian was surprised at the strength of his reaction. He had lost one family to a coward attacking in the night. He wouldn't lose another. Please don't let Matt and Jullian be dead already.
He shot around the side of the building and spotted the girl ahead of him. She was running and she was going pretty fast but nothing compared to the speed he was going. He lined up behind her but he realized he was too high to hit her and there was no time to dip lower.
He shot over her with a frustrated Killy and swept up into the air, angling his wings and straining to turn around for another pass. You're mine this time Yeerk.
Ember:
Ember ducked even though the thing flew over her, missing by several feet. Desperately she looked around, unable to run in the same direction. Maybe a rake or a big stick? Nothing. Who had owned this place anyway?! Left , right, no options. She had to morph, even if it took too long maybe the thing would be scared off by the half human bizarro creature. The cut on her lip spread farther as she grinned, cat like. Her teeth sharpened first, followed by her nails. A clear sign of her growing aggression that suited the ginger cat well.
Her hair shortened into thick orange fur that covered her arms and legs little by little, her ears shifting and growing cup like on top of her head. The tail that shot out of the bottom of her spine slowly grew its own vertebrae until it appeared out of the left leg opening. Suddenly she realized that she was going to be stark naked if she continued and hesitated as the bird came swooping back. But the cat brain wanted a meal, hissing out its demands from her half-human mouth and swiping at the air with one hand.
Her spine arched <<C'mon you stupid bird! See how you like me now!>> She thought towards it, not thinking that it could understand her, but she felt something had to be said and since her mouth was full of garbled teeth, thinking the threat would have to do.
Rian:
Rian turned and zeroed in on the- What? Is she-she's morphing He wasn't exactly sure what she was morphing into but she was definitely morphing.
He flew over her, this time on purpose but he still came close enough that she- it- whatever took a swipe at him. As he went over her he heard a voice in his head. An angry female voice.
<<C'mon you stupid bird! See how you like me now!>> Well that did it. This girl was definitely a morph capable human and, unless they had lost a serious battle while he had been gone, on his side. Wow, that was quick. Where did Matt find a new recruit so soon?
He swooped back around and landed on the roof of the Haunt. He looked down at the half morphed girl. <<Who are you?>> He asked. It wasn't likely that the LA faction had been wiped out and the escafil device stolen and a morph-capable controller left here to trap him. It wasn't likely but it was possible and he was suspicious so he wanted some answers before he demorphed and gave up his wings.
Ember:
"Ah.." ember stopped morphing, loosing her concentration entirely as the kestrel starting talking in her head. Wait.. she'd never asked but she didn't think other animals could talk back to her. So what did that mean? The voice wasn't Matt's or the Kid's and she knew they were both asleep inside, unable to help her if she ran into trouble. Caution, that's what she needed to stick to. If he was an Animorph from another faction then he would be safe, she assumed, but she didnt know enough to be sure. Dangit! She couldn't trust him, it wasn't in her to take that leap of faith, not when the boy's lives could be at stake.
So she winged it. <<Oh Yeah? Well Who are YOU?>> her thought hurled back at him, her clawed hands on her hips. It was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable to be in half a morph, but she was stuck and couldn't think of what to do next, so she held firm and acted like she knew exactly what she was doing.
Rian:
Rian stared at the girl with the intensity of a falcon. But she stared right back at him with the eyes of a cat, which can be pretty intense too. Stalemate.
His talons bit into the wood of the roof in frustration. He tried to think of a way out of the situation. What would a new member know that a yeerk wouldn't? Except there was no answer. If the yeerks had taken Matt and Jullian and made them controllers then they would know everything.
Wait. Why wouldn't they leave Matt to get me? He had no doubt that if the yeerks had captured the LA faction that they would try to set up an ambush for him. After all he was another morph capable body. But if they really wanted to catch him they would have left Matt. They would have left someone he knew and trusted not this girl that he would be sure to attack just as he had.
He relaxed. There was no way this could be a yeerk trap. <<I guess you must be new then. Didn't Matt or Jullian mention that there was another member to this faction? I'm Rian btw.>>
Ember:
Ember almost felt insulted at how quickly he changed his tone. Just like that the fight was over and she had a suspicion that she wasn't the winner. <<ah.. oh, yes, I am.>> inwardly she groaned. Of course! The third member Matt had told her about. <<Nice to meet you Rian... or at least it will be once I stop trying to eat you.>> The last bit was said mostly for herself but she hadn't gotten the whole thought speak thing down yet. Her hands kept clenching involuntarily and her muscles were wound so tight she felt ready to jump onto the roof after him. <<you.. em, might want to change out of that form. It would help me... y'know...>> she sighed in frustration, hating that she couldn't get a grip on herself.
Concentrating did little to speed the unmorphing process, in fact it seemed to make it harder. And she wasn't sure if she had to morph to unmorph or if she could just pull it back and save herself the embarrassment of having to hide in a tall patch of grass. <<I..>> She tried to get a grip, or at least seem like she had one. <<I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was out. My name is Ember, formerly of Beverly Hills.>> normally at this point in her introduction she would have held out her hand and smiled, but she could do neither for fear of losing control.
Stupid Cat. Stupid bird. Stupid morph!
Rian:
<<Nice to meet you Ember. Well it would be nice if you hadn't scared me half to death. I'm sorry I attacked you.>> He fluttered down to the ground. The kestrel had the ability to hover in the air for long periods of time, unique to their species, but Rian was too tired to do it.
He hit the ground and wondered if maybe he should go find a place to demorph away from the girl's sight but he finally decided against it. He was done hiding that part of his life. If she didn't like it then he would politely stuff her opinions back down her throat. Maybe not the best way to handle the situation but hopefully it wouldn't come up.
He demorphed to his naturally female body and immediately began remorphing to the body he had come to think of as his own. He didn't have to think about starting the morph, by now it came naturally.
When he was done he walked over to her and held out his hand. "Rian Blige. Formerly of Chicago, formerly of Raleigh, North Carolina. Nice to meet you Ember formerly of Beverly Hills."
He wondered if she always introduced herself like that. In a world like this what did it matter where you were from? Everyone was pretty much equal, equally screwed.
Ember:
She held up a finger with a long fingernail claw <<Hold that thought>> she thought to him, still too busy thinking through reversing her half morph. But watching him do it so smoothly made her envious of the knack, soon enough her desire to morph like that fueled the process and her hair, fingers, spine, and ears went back to normal. The last thing to go were her teeth, which stubbornly remained canine until she thought about how she would ever eat vegetables again, at which point they shrunk back with her jaw. It took considerably less time once she didn't have the bird as a distraction... and the shock of seeing him turn into a her and back to a him convinced her cat brain to go on vacation.
However when she turned back to Rian she accepted his hand and shook it gracefully. "Pleasure to meet you, Rian Blige." Her smile never betrayed her confusion, after all she'd seen far stranger people in her life and was not about to mess up the third introduction by blathering like an idiot. Although she couldn't help but catch the sarcasm in his introduction. Whatever, she liked where she was from, even if there wasn't much left of it.
"I..." she couldn't think of anything witty to say, the hour had gotten to her brain. "um... so..." Exasperated she gave in. It wasn;t going to happen, she wasn't going to make a good impression, and damned if she cared at three in the morning. "You look tired. Want to go inside? I'm a bit of an insomniac so I could make eggs or something" With a roll of her shoulder in a half hearted shrug of explanation, she started back around the house to clamber back on the porch.
Rian:
"Eggs. We have eggs now. In my day all we had was beans." He was making a joke since his day had been about a week ago. He tended to try to do that around girls whenever he met them. For some reason he was much more uncomfortable around girls than he was around guys and he always tried to fall back on humor, which was bad because he wasn't that funny.
He hoped he didn't sound as dumb to her as he sounded to himself. "You're right. I'm done. I've been flying for almost six days straight, three days up and three days down, with a brief one day rest up in Vancouver. I could use some food. Thanks." And a bed for that matter. He was extremely tempted to just fall in the hammock and sleep there but he finally decided against it.
He followed her up the stairs and into the Haunt. They walked back to the kitchen and Rian pretty much collapsed on a stool next to the counter. "So what's your story? How did you get to join the wonderful world of morphing?"
Ember:
Ember's mind flashed back to her nightmare, but she didn't mention it. "Ha ha, oh me?" with the dial twisted on high, she placed the pan on the friar and took a seat opposite him, equally as tired. "It was mostly an accident. But I guess Yeerks don't ride bicycles as much as i thought they would." She smiled, realizing that he would have no idea what she was talking about. "Ahh, well, I kind of just kept to myself. I didn't know what was going on, but my theory of government take overs and human zombies was enough to get me to stay by myself. Glad i did now... though it was..." stopping she realized that she was speaking to a complete stranger. One that she'd wanted to eat barely five minutes ago, and now she was giving away things about herself that she would never say to anyone.
Coughing to cover the silence, she only smiled again and continued, "It was alright. Not great. But eventually I wanted to see if things had improved, you know, so I came back home. I drove a car for awhile but i stopped outside the city. Found a bike and used that to be faster than any of those things that were out walking, although i guess i must've stuck out like a sore thumb because Matt and Jullian found me that way. And i would have been fine" she pointed out to him firmly, "But the kid came after me and I thought he was one of them, so i..." the words mumbled under her breath, "dissuaded him. Used a self defense move and ran for it. That got the attention of the nearby controllers and I had to join up or die, as it were." The explanation of the events of only a few days ago seemed now to be a lifetime... everything was so simple, clear cut, if incredibly hazardous.
"I..." She felt herself spilling dangerous emotions again, "I didn't want to at first, but..." another flash of smile as she turned back to the stove and picked out some eggs "So how do you like 'em? Bare in mind that if I cant make what you want, it'll turn out scrambled."
Rian:
"Mmm," was Rian's only response to Ember's story. He hadn't really been interested in what happened. Not because he didn't like the new recruit but because he'd heard the story before. All the stories seemed to be of two types these days, bad and worse.
He didn't miss how she changed the subject but he didn't push her to continue. Rian didn't like talking about his own past so he could hardly expect people to talk about their's. Besides, if she honestly felt the need to confide in someone Matt was a much better choice than him.
All in all the most interesting part of the conversation to Rian was the mention of food. "Scrambled's the easiest right? If you know how to make that I'll eat it. But if you don't mind can you teach me how to do it instead of doing it yourself?" I really have to learn how to cook. He had left Chicago before Raven could pass on her cooking skills. And now look where he was, having someone else cooking for him again since all he knew how to do was boil water which was good for making oatmeal and tea, both of which got tiring after a while. No, this could not continue.
Ember:
Ember raised an eyebrow at him, "Really? I mean... really? You want me to teach you? Ha ha, okay but i'm not the best at this sort of thing either." Laughing, she pulled some oil from the fridge, "I like my cooking, but i've never taught anyone else so you can watch if you like... just be warned."
There wasn't much left in the bottle, but she only needed a bit to add. "Always remember to put in butter or oil or something slippery so that you can pry the egg off at the end. I never did the first couple of times and all my pans had to be scrubbed twice to get it all clean." It was normal, cooking. Felt easy and safe, even with some guy she didn't know who happened to show up in the middle of the night. She felt in control. Her shaking subsided and even in just her night clothes she felt more comfortable than she had in years. It occurred to her that she'd never taught anyone anything, always just doing everything for herself and pushing people aside when they were in her way.
Frowning, she cracked the egg when the pan got hot enough, realizing that she'd been quiet for a little too long. "Um, yeah, so then you make sure it's fairly hot and add however many eggs you want, or..." the egg case lay open on the counter with barely two left "In this case, we'll stick to what we have." She didn't really notice how stand-offish Rian was. She liked the space. But the second egg was still on the counter between them.
"Ah... so..." taking a few steps out of the way she waved for him to take over. "Go ahead, give it a crack"
Rian:
Rian watched her closely. When she motioned for him to add the second egg to the mix he got up and went around the counter. He picked the eggs up and tapped it against the side of the counter. A large chunk of shell broke off and some of the egg spilled on the floor but he managed to get the broken egg over the pan quick enough that most of the egg landed where it was supposed to be. Guess I'll have to work on that.
He turned towards Ember with a now what look on his face. He wondered if she would take over from here or if he would have to cook the rest. Instead of leaving the question up to chance, which might end in both of them having no food, he said, "maybe you should take over and I'll watch."
He stepped back from the stove. "On a more Animorph note, what were you morphing to out there?"
Ember:
Ember soured at the question, her eyes giving him a flat look that would make most people back away immediately for their lives. Instead she changed the subject back to the lesson. "No way, you're not getting out of it that easily. You wanted to learn, so saddle up and take a fork!" She reached across and pulled open the silverware drawer, taking one for herself. "Usually its bad for the pan, but these are so old anyway it doesnt matter. And I'm too tired to look for anything better."
Viciously, she poked and shredded the eggs, placing her new found energy and frustration on them instead of Rian. "Cut 'em up however small you like. Then let them sit until they get cooked all the way through, unless you like them runny." Turning away and dropping her fork in the sink, she sat back down and let him figure it out for himself. "And you can probably turn off the heat now."
She turned away, placing her chin in her hand to look out the window at the stars. Way down deep in her gut something churned, forcing her to feel a pang of regret. What for, she couldn't figure out...
Rian:
Rian was surprised when the girl seemed to get upset about, what to Rian, was an innocent question. They were Animorphs after all. Their morphs were their weapons and he wanted and needed to know what his factionmates could do.
But he didn't express any of that to her. Instead he took the fork she thrust at him finished the eggs. The gi-Ember, he mentally corrected himself, was sitting by the window and looking at the stars. He brought a bowl over with the cooked, and slightly burnt, eggs.
He began to eat his own portion as he joined her by the window. "I wish we had some ketchup," was his only comment on his cooking skills or lack there of.
Ember:
"That's disgusting." She replied, but just as a mildly interested observation. The eggs got colder but she didn't have the strength to eat them, and they had mostly been for Rian anyway. After awhile she glanced down, "Not bad for a new chef" her mouth gave a half hearted smile that didn't reach her eyes as she spoke, "I wish i could teach you more, but that's basically the extent of my culinary skills..."
She bit at her lip, her open eyes never looking away from the sky. For so long now she'd tried to shrug it all off... but the truth is easier to tell in the dark. "Hey.. Rian," The words appeared before she knew it, hanging on the air and waiting for the next shoe to drop. "You said you were from North Carolina, right? Then..." A quick glance over, then back, giving nothing away. "How is it you ended up... here?" The question held more weight than she intended, but was phrased so that he could give as much of an answer as he wanted. But she was tired of sneaking around it. Who were these people? What made them this way? She'd heard the whole history of the fight... but never the history of the fighters. Matt had an iron rod up his spine, despite her constant efforts, and Jullian seemed to be happy so easily.. she didn't want to take that from him. Rian, though, seemed stable and easy enough to talk to.
Rian:
Rian's whole body stiffened up when he heard Ember's question. Suddenly he was back there, back to that night. Bryan was standing over him, Teri was crying, his mother- he cut the vision off. It was always like that. Whenever someone mentioned his past it was always so vivid. He was always right back there, he could swear he could even smell the smells. Rian didn't know what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was, if he had he might have recognized the symptoms. Instead he tried to push the horrifying thoughts away in the same way he always did, by trying not think about them.
"What's it matter how I got here, I'm here," he barked at Ember. He realized the moment it was out of his mouth that it was unwarranted. He thought about how to fix it but he couldn't come up with anything.
"I'm sorry. I just...I don't want to talk about it. I used to live in North Carolina, then my fam-then I was in Chicago and now I'm here. No more to it than that." He was quiet after that. He was glad it was dark or she might have been able to see him shaking. He couldn't stop though he tried. But the worst part of it was how he felt. He felt...nothing. He didn't feel sad or angry or anything. He just felt empty.
He hoped Ember would change the subject. He could use some distraction from his own thoughts.
Ember:
Ember couldn't see him, but she could feel his voice as clearly as though it had come from her own throat. The anger, desperation, gut clenching reaction to lock it all away before it destroyed you and everything around. Then the silence, the smothering, the cold heartless dampening as you finally clamp it all back into the dark pit it sprung from. That's when you stop trying to find a name for it.. and just accept the void of it's release as eagerly as a lost lover's touch. Her own spine felt the clammy grip as his memories sparked hers... the sounds and smells and... they couldn't be repressed for long.
"Thank you."
Though murmured so quietly she thought he'd never hear, the words seemed much louder once they were gone. She flushed red, thankful of the pitch black room. "I- I meant..." Turning quickly, she busied herself with throwing away their used paper plates and empty egg carton. "That is, you know, I get it. Right. No use dwelling on spilled milk -" She stopped herself short. That was the dumbest, most insensitive thing she possibly could have said. No, no, he probably didn't even hear her, it was fine. Just keep going, change the topic.
The thing she wanted most in the world was to know she wasn't alone. Before... she'd thought she was brave, capable... untouchable. And then fear had taught her a very hard lesson of how she was very wrong. She kept fighting and pretending she was stronger than she was, but every night she'd woken in a cold sweat, reminding her of how much weaker she'd become to herself. Ember didn't know Rian... she only knew the signs. They each had a story, and they probably each had a nightmare. To know that someone could somehow survive past that... into the long term, and not be broken. That alone was enough, and she wished that she could tell him.
"So!" Her hand ran through her hair subconsciously, buying her time. "You just got back from a mission, right? How was that?" Keep him talking, they were both tired but unable to sleep, and she didn't want to be back in her room just yet. If they could somehow brooch a subject that they could find better ground on...
Rian:
He heard the thank you. He wasn't sure what it meant. He hadn't done anything to be thanked for. He tried to keep listening to her but he couldn't. He was still trying to push the memories away. Funny how trying very hard not to concentrate on something took so much concentration.
I thought I was past this. When he had arrived in L.A. he had seen it as a new beginning, a new him. But now he knew that you couldn't just run away from your problems, they were still strong as ever. He felt like he was just barely holding on. As long as he kept moving, kept fighting the pain wouldn't catch up with him but could he fight forever? He didn't want to think about it.
He heard her last question and was glad to change to a less sensitive subject.
"Tiring but informative. I went to find Jullian's sister in Vancouver. She was glad to know he was alive, angry to know he had followed her. I'm not sure if she'll come down here to join him or stay up there. They are spread pretty thin in Vancouver and she might be needed. We're spread pretty thin here too so I rushed back and left her to make her choice. She'll either show or she won't." He shrugged.
"What about you? How long have you been here?"
Ember:
"Oh, I heard about her. Seems nice." Ember pitched in. This trail of conversation was drying up quickly, and she leaped on the next question. "Two or three days. I'm not really sure, I've kind of lost track and... my internal clock broke a long time ago. Ha! I assume, that is!" Wow that was awkward. Why couldn't she keep her head on straight? First she tries to eat the guy, then cooks him midnight breakfast, and then asks personal questions to which she replies 'thank you'?! Rian probably thought she was nuts or drunk. Since there wasn't any alcohol (She'd checked) and he knew that, it meant the possibilities were limited.
Letting out a long, silent sigh, she buried her head in one hand with her back turned. Maybe she was up this late, but that didn't mean her brain was. Up and down the emotional roller coaster ran, dragging her with it. But then again she could be making too much out of this since he didn't really seem to notice as she kept messing up.
"To be honest I don't really pay attention anymore. It just reminds me how slow the clock is going. I just keep hoping I can duck and weather the storm, so to speak." She thought out loud, assuming by now that he didn't care. "The morphs were interesting though, once Matt talked me into them. I'm not much of a scifi fan so... it was a whole new level of weird." Scowling she finally answered his question from before, "It was a cat, you know. I like cats, but they don't seem to want to cooperate with me. I have trouble changing... every time." Picking at her nails agitatedly she continued on. "My cardinal is better though. Seems we both want the same thing, when i'm not fighting myself in the mirror." Ember smiled, "Basically we both want to get as far away from here as possible."
That's when she realized she was still talking. "Ah... so what about you? Which morphs do you have? Beside the bird, i mean. Although that's pretty interesting... seems people's personalities connect with the morphs they're given. Or at least I think Matt's and Jule's do."
Rian:
"It wasn't a bird. It was a falcon, a male American Kestrel to be specific. I say that because I actually have three bird morphs. One for spying, one for flying and one for fighting. Guess which one the kestrel's for." He said with a smile. "I use the blue jay to spy since some Controllers still keep them as pets and I have a duck morph that got me from here to Vancouver. I also have a stag morph I've used in battle once and my signature morph is my red fox."
"Trouble with your morph uh," he said already thinking ahead, "well I'm sure we could help you with that."
He noticed she seemed to be tired and he wasn't exactly fresh either. "I think we both need some sleep. What do you say we call it a night?"
Ember:
There was a conundrum. Ember wanted very badly to go to sleep, and therein lay the problem. Every time she tried to sleep, she couldn't stay that way. But... She supposed it wasn't fair to keep him up too. Talking was both distracting and refreshing, still the general feeling was wearing off. If she woke up again.. she knew she'd be alone. It was one of the troubles of living in a house full of guys, the only place to be alone was in the basement or outside. Last time she'd gone outside she'd been attacked, but gained a friend regardless, so that at least was still open to her. Her own room... the walk back always seemed like the green mile. If she couldn't stay there to sleep she'd rather not be there at all.
Glancing over at Rian she managed her signature smile "Of course! All of my talk of ignoring the clock was more true than i'd guessed. It's gotten pretty late, huh?" She grabbed his hand in a quick shake, "Well it was nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll officially meet in the morning, but it's always interesting when you get in a midnight chat." Quickly snatching back her hand and turning her back on him, with a hurried wave over her shoulder, "Right then. I'm going back to sleep" She lied easily, "Bet you can find yourself a good bed, so i'll just take my leave." There it was again, the old familiar humor covering her scars. Nice to be back in control.
Rian:
Rian shook the new recruit's hand and then headed towards his own room. Ember ducked into her own room and hopefully got some rest. Tomorrow he would meet her officially and he would have to talk to Jullian about his sister. And hopefully he would get a chance to talk to Matt about what they should do next.
But that was all going to happen tomorrow. Tonight he would sleep and rest and hopefully not dream.
The blankets flew, the beaten pillow slumped resignedly in the corner, and the girl still tossed and turned...
"AAAH!" She jerked awake, electric energy shooting through her spine until her head ached with it. Her nails bit deeply into the remaining sheets causing her knuckles to go white in fear and anger. Ember had lasted three hours this time, the digital clock glowing red in the dark basement room, telling her it was almost three in the morning. The sweat made her skin feel clammy... making her shiver in the warm air. She paused before moving, making sure her shouts hadn't woken Matt or the kid up. She didn't want them to know... 18 and still having nightmares, what would they think? All her life she'd dealt with boys who wanted to rescue her, not thinking her capable on her own. Just like her parents, she thought ruefully. The anger made her feel better, more in control.
She didn't hear anything for several minutes. Safe to move, Ember padded her way to the door and slipped back upstairs, out into the night air on the front porch. It was a little cold in her boxer shorts and night shirt but it gave her a reason to shiver other than her own stupid subconscious. And the stars... they were too beautiful to miss.
Rian:
Rian flapped his very tired wings. He had used his duck morph to get back but once he had reached city limits he had switch to kestrel. His hope had been that the kestrel would be able to spot the Haunt easier but the truth was his eyes weren't that much better than a human's in the dark. Worse the kestrel was a falcon and it couldn't flap and flap and flap forever. It was meant to soar, hopefully with the help of thermals but there were none of those at night. The only thing he had going for him was the constant breeze off the ocean but even that wasn't completely working for him because he had to tack against it.
In short, at the end of three days of flying Rian was beat. He would have shouted in relief when he finally spotted the Haunt below but his falcon vocal cords couldn't make such a sound. Instead he made a sort of chitter sound and immediately went into a dive to get to the ground as fast as possible.
He was going so fast that he almost missed the seeing the girl who was standing there. Who? YEERKS! Rian had been going to land in the grass that was just down the beach from the Haunt but now he retargeted for the girl and especially her eyes.
He knew he shouldn't have screamed the hunting call lest he alert the controller but it came out of his throat naturally as his mind mixed with the falcon's.
KILLY, KILLY, KILLY!
((That is a kestrel hunting call. I'm not saying kill kill kill wrong.))
Ember:
Ember stared up at the sky, still unable to connect such beauty to the aliens that had invaded her world and wrecked havoc on everything she'd held dear. Surely what she saw now could not hold those malicious creatures in its depths... Her poetic thoughts suddenly stopped when a bezerk bird came rushing at her with a killing cry.
"What the hell?!!" Her shout came a bit too late, the tiny fierce looking thing dove at her eyes! Ember threw herself to the ground, her jaw hitting the edge of the porch so sharply she cut her lip on her teeth. "OW!" without stopping she rolled off the edge onto the grass, not able to concentrate enough to morph. But she could run. It came so naturally to her that she didn't even wait for the bird to swoop back around. It less than a heart beat she'd picked herself and ducked around the corner of the Haunt.
Rian:
Oh no you don't yeerk! Rian pulled out of his dive, narrowly missing hitting the wall of the side of the Haunt. He managed to change direction but he was still going extremely fast and unfortunately he was flying extremely close to the wall that he had almost hit. He was flying in diagonal to the ground, he was going up but he was also going in the direction of the escaping controller.
Rian was surprised at the strength of his reaction. He had lost one family to a coward attacking in the night. He wouldn't lose another. Please don't let Matt and Jullian be dead already.
He shot around the side of the building and spotted the girl ahead of him. She was running and she was going pretty fast but nothing compared to the speed he was going. He lined up behind her but he realized he was too high to hit her and there was no time to dip lower.
He shot over her with a frustrated Killy and swept up into the air, angling his wings and straining to turn around for another pass. You're mine this time Yeerk.
Ember:
Ember ducked even though the thing flew over her, missing by several feet. Desperately she looked around, unable to run in the same direction. Maybe a rake or a big stick? Nothing. Who had owned this place anyway?! Left , right, no options. She had to morph, even if it took too long maybe the thing would be scared off by the half human bizarro creature. The cut on her lip spread farther as she grinned, cat like. Her teeth sharpened first, followed by her nails. A clear sign of her growing aggression that suited the ginger cat well.
Her hair shortened into thick orange fur that covered her arms and legs little by little, her ears shifting and growing cup like on top of her head. The tail that shot out of the bottom of her spine slowly grew its own vertebrae until it appeared out of the left leg opening. Suddenly she realized that she was going to be stark naked if she continued and hesitated as the bird came swooping back. But the cat brain wanted a meal, hissing out its demands from her half-human mouth and swiping at the air with one hand.
Her spine arched <<C'mon you stupid bird! See how you like me now!>> She thought towards it, not thinking that it could understand her, but she felt something had to be said and since her mouth was full of garbled teeth, thinking the threat would have to do.
Rian:
Rian turned and zeroed in on the- What? Is she-she's morphing He wasn't exactly sure what she was morphing into but she was definitely morphing.
He flew over her, this time on purpose but he still came close enough that she- it- whatever took a swipe at him. As he went over her he heard a voice in his head. An angry female voice.
<<C'mon you stupid bird! See how you like me now!>> Well that did it. This girl was definitely a morph capable human and, unless they had lost a serious battle while he had been gone, on his side. Wow, that was quick. Where did Matt find a new recruit so soon?
He swooped back around and landed on the roof of the Haunt. He looked down at the half morphed girl. <<Who are you?>> He asked. It wasn't likely that the LA faction had been wiped out and the escafil device stolen and a morph-capable controller left here to trap him. It wasn't likely but it was possible and he was suspicious so he wanted some answers before he demorphed and gave up his wings.
Ember:
"Ah.." ember stopped morphing, loosing her concentration entirely as the kestrel starting talking in her head. Wait.. she'd never asked but she didn't think other animals could talk back to her. So what did that mean? The voice wasn't Matt's or the Kid's and she knew they were both asleep inside, unable to help her if she ran into trouble. Caution, that's what she needed to stick to. If he was an Animorph from another faction then he would be safe, she assumed, but she didnt know enough to be sure. Dangit! She couldn't trust him, it wasn't in her to take that leap of faith, not when the boy's lives could be at stake.
So she winged it. <<Oh Yeah? Well Who are YOU?>> her thought hurled back at him, her clawed hands on her hips. It was incredibly awkward and uncomfortable to be in half a morph, but she was stuck and couldn't think of what to do next, so she held firm and acted like she knew exactly what she was doing.
Rian:
Rian stared at the girl with the intensity of a falcon. But she stared right back at him with the eyes of a cat, which can be pretty intense too. Stalemate.
His talons bit into the wood of the roof in frustration. He tried to think of a way out of the situation. What would a new member know that a yeerk wouldn't? Except there was no answer. If the yeerks had taken Matt and Jullian and made them controllers then they would know everything.
Wait. Why wouldn't they leave Matt to get me? He had no doubt that if the yeerks had captured the LA faction that they would try to set up an ambush for him. After all he was another morph capable body. But if they really wanted to catch him they would have left Matt. They would have left someone he knew and trusted not this girl that he would be sure to attack just as he had.
He relaxed. There was no way this could be a yeerk trap. <<I guess you must be new then. Didn't Matt or Jullian mention that there was another member to this faction? I'm Rian btw.>>
Ember:
Ember almost felt insulted at how quickly he changed his tone. Just like that the fight was over and she had a suspicion that she wasn't the winner. <<ah.. oh, yes, I am.>> inwardly she groaned. Of course! The third member Matt had told her about. <<Nice to meet you Rian... or at least it will be once I stop trying to eat you.>> The last bit was said mostly for herself but she hadn't gotten the whole thought speak thing down yet. Her hands kept clenching involuntarily and her muscles were wound so tight she felt ready to jump onto the roof after him. <<you.. em, might want to change out of that form. It would help me... y'know...>> she sighed in frustration, hating that she couldn't get a grip on herself.
Concentrating did little to speed the unmorphing process, in fact it seemed to make it harder. And she wasn't sure if she had to morph to unmorph or if she could just pull it back and save herself the embarrassment of having to hide in a tall patch of grass. <<I..>> She tried to get a grip, or at least seem like she had one. <<I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was out. My name is Ember, formerly of Beverly Hills.>> normally at this point in her introduction she would have held out her hand and smiled, but she could do neither for fear of losing control.
Stupid Cat. Stupid bird. Stupid morph!
Rian:
<<Nice to meet you Ember. Well it would be nice if you hadn't scared me half to death. I'm sorry I attacked you.>> He fluttered down to the ground. The kestrel had the ability to hover in the air for long periods of time, unique to their species, but Rian was too tired to do it.
He hit the ground and wondered if maybe he should go find a place to demorph away from the girl's sight but he finally decided against it. He was done hiding that part of his life. If she didn't like it then he would politely stuff her opinions back down her throat. Maybe not the best way to handle the situation but hopefully it wouldn't come up.
He demorphed to his naturally female body and immediately began remorphing to the body he had come to think of as his own. He didn't have to think about starting the morph, by now it came naturally.
When he was done he walked over to her and held out his hand. "Rian Blige. Formerly of Chicago, formerly of Raleigh, North Carolina. Nice to meet you Ember formerly of Beverly Hills."
He wondered if she always introduced herself like that. In a world like this what did it matter where you were from? Everyone was pretty much equal, equally screwed.
Ember:
She held up a finger with a long fingernail claw <<Hold that thought>> she thought to him, still too busy thinking through reversing her half morph. But watching him do it so smoothly made her envious of the knack, soon enough her desire to morph like that fueled the process and her hair, fingers, spine, and ears went back to normal. The last thing to go were her teeth, which stubbornly remained canine until she thought about how she would ever eat vegetables again, at which point they shrunk back with her jaw. It took considerably less time once she didn't have the bird as a distraction... and the shock of seeing him turn into a her and back to a him convinced her cat brain to go on vacation.
However when she turned back to Rian she accepted his hand and shook it gracefully. "Pleasure to meet you, Rian Blige." Her smile never betrayed her confusion, after all she'd seen far stranger people in her life and was not about to mess up the third introduction by blathering like an idiot. Although she couldn't help but catch the sarcasm in his introduction. Whatever, she liked where she was from, even if there wasn't much left of it.
"I..." she couldn't think of anything witty to say, the hour had gotten to her brain. "um... so..." Exasperated she gave in. It wasn;t going to happen, she wasn't going to make a good impression, and damned if she cared at three in the morning. "You look tired. Want to go inside? I'm a bit of an insomniac so I could make eggs or something" With a roll of her shoulder in a half hearted shrug of explanation, she started back around the house to clamber back on the porch.
Rian:
"Eggs. We have eggs now. In my day all we had was beans." He was making a joke since his day had been about a week ago. He tended to try to do that around girls whenever he met them. For some reason he was much more uncomfortable around girls than he was around guys and he always tried to fall back on humor, which was bad because he wasn't that funny.
He hoped he didn't sound as dumb to her as he sounded to himself. "You're right. I'm done. I've been flying for almost six days straight, three days up and three days down, with a brief one day rest up in Vancouver. I could use some food. Thanks." And a bed for that matter. He was extremely tempted to just fall in the hammock and sleep there but he finally decided against it.
He followed her up the stairs and into the Haunt. They walked back to the kitchen and Rian pretty much collapsed on a stool next to the counter. "So what's your story? How did you get to join the wonderful world of morphing?"
Ember:
Ember's mind flashed back to her nightmare, but she didn't mention it. "Ha ha, oh me?" with the dial twisted on high, she placed the pan on the friar and took a seat opposite him, equally as tired. "It was mostly an accident. But I guess Yeerks don't ride bicycles as much as i thought they would." She smiled, realizing that he would have no idea what she was talking about. "Ahh, well, I kind of just kept to myself. I didn't know what was going on, but my theory of government take overs and human zombies was enough to get me to stay by myself. Glad i did now... though it was..." stopping she realized that she was speaking to a complete stranger. One that she'd wanted to eat barely five minutes ago, and now she was giving away things about herself that she would never say to anyone.
Coughing to cover the silence, she only smiled again and continued, "It was alright. Not great. But eventually I wanted to see if things had improved, you know, so I came back home. I drove a car for awhile but i stopped outside the city. Found a bike and used that to be faster than any of those things that were out walking, although i guess i must've stuck out like a sore thumb because Matt and Jullian found me that way. And i would have been fine" she pointed out to him firmly, "But the kid came after me and I thought he was one of them, so i..." the words mumbled under her breath, "dissuaded him. Used a self defense move and ran for it. That got the attention of the nearby controllers and I had to join up or die, as it were." The explanation of the events of only a few days ago seemed now to be a lifetime... everything was so simple, clear cut, if incredibly hazardous.
"I..." She felt herself spilling dangerous emotions again, "I didn't want to at first, but..." another flash of smile as she turned back to the stove and picked out some eggs "So how do you like 'em? Bare in mind that if I cant make what you want, it'll turn out scrambled."
Rian:
"Mmm," was Rian's only response to Ember's story. He hadn't really been interested in what happened. Not because he didn't like the new recruit but because he'd heard the story before. All the stories seemed to be of two types these days, bad and worse.
He didn't miss how she changed the subject but he didn't push her to continue. Rian didn't like talking about his own past so he could hardly expect people to talk about their's. Besides, if she honestly felt the need to confide in someone Matt was a much better choice than him.
All in all the most interesting part of the conversation to Rian was the mention of food. "Scrambled's the easiest right? If you know how to make that I'll eat it. But if you don't mind can you teach me how to do it instead of doing it yourself?" I really have to learn how to cook. He had left Chicago before Raven could pass on her cooking skills. And now look where he was, having someone else cooking for him again since all he knew how to do was boil water which was good for making oatmeal and tea, both of which got tiring after a while. No, this could not continue.
Ember:
Ember raised an eyebrow at him, "Really? I mean... really? You want me to teach you? Ha ha, okay but i'm not the best at this sort of thing either." Laughing, she pulled some oil from the fridge, "I like my cooking, but i've never taught anyone else so you can watch if you like... just be warned."
There wasn't much left in the bottle, but she only needed a bit to add. "Always remember to put in butter or oil or something slippery so that you can pry the egg off at the end. I never did the first couple of times and all my pans had to be scrubbed twice to get it all clean." It was normal, cooking. Felt easy and safe, even with some guy she didn't know who happened to show up in the middle of the night. She felt in control. Her shaking subsided and even in just her night clothes she felt more comfortable than she had in years. It occurred to her that she'd never taught anyone anything, always just doing everything for herself and pushing people aside when they were in her way.
Frowning, she cracked the egg when the pan got hot enough, realizing that she'd been quiet for a little too long. "Um, yeah, so then you make sure it's fairly hot and add however many eggs you want, or..." the egg case lay open on the counter with barely two left "In this case, we'll stick to what we have." She didn't really notice how stand-offish Rian was. She liked the space. But the second egg was still on the counter between them.
"Ah... so..." taking a few steps out of the way she waved for him to take over. "Go ahead, give it a crack"
Rian:
Rian watched her closely. When she motioned for him to add the second egg to the mix he got up and went around the counter. He picked the eggs up and tapped it against the side of the counter. A large chunk of shell broke off and some of the egg spilled on the floor but he managed to get the broken egg over the pan quick enough that most of the egg landed where it was supposed to be. Guess I'll have to work on that.
He turned towards Ember with a now what look on his face. He wondered if she would take over from here or if he would have to cook the rest. Instead of leaving the question up to chance, which might end in both of them having no food, he said, "maybe you should take over and I'll watch."
He stepped back from the stove. "On a more Animorph note, what were you morphing to out there?"
Ember:
Ember soured at the question, her eyes giving him a flat look that would make most people back away immediately for their lives. Instead she changed the subject back to the lesson. "No way, you're not getting out of it that easily. You wanted to learn, so saddle up and take a fork!" She reached across and pulled open the silverware drawer, taking one for herself. "Usually its bad for the pan, but these are so old anyway it doesnt matter. And I'm too tired to look for anything better."
Viciously, she poked and shredded the eggs, placing her new found energy and frustration on them instead of Rian. "Cut 'em up however small you like. Then let them sit until they get cooked all the way through, unless you like them runny." Turning away and dropping her fork in the sink, she sat back down and let him figure it out for himself. "And you can probably turn off the heat now."
She turned away, placing her chin in her hand to look out the window at the stars. Way down deep in her gut something churned, forcing her to feel a pang of regret. What for, she couldn't figure out...
Rian:
Rian was surprised when the girl seemed to get upset about, what to Rian, was an innocent question. They were Animorphs after all. Their morphs were their weapons and he wanted and needed to know what his factionmates could do.
But he didn't express any of that to her. Instead he took the fork she thrust at him finished the eggs. The gi-Ember, he mentally corrected himself, was sitting by the window and looking at the stars. He brought a bowl over with the cooked, and slightly burnt, eggs.
He began to eat his own portion as he joined her by the window. "I wish we had some ketchup," was his only comment on his cooking skills or lack there of.
Ember:
"That's disgusting." She replied, but just as a mildly interested observation. The eggs got colder but she didn't have the strength to eat them, and they had mostly been for Rian anyway. After awhile she glanced down, "Not bad for a new chef" her mouth gave a half hearted smile that didn't reach her eyes as she spoke, "I wish i could teach you more, but that's basically the extent of my culinary skills..."
She bit at her lip, her open eyes never looking away from the sky. For so long now she'd tried to shrug it all off... but the truth is easier to tell in the dark. "Hey.. Rian," The words appeared before she knew it, hanging on the air and waiting for the next shoe to drop. "You said you were from North Carolina, right? Then..." A quick glance over, then back, giving nothing away. "How is it you ended up... here?" The question held more weight than she intended, but was phrased so that he could give as much of an answer as he wanted. But she was tired of sneaking around it. Who were these people? What made them this way? She'd heard the whole history of the fight... but never the history of the fighters. Matt had an iron rod up his spine, despite her constant efforts, and Jullian seemed to be happy so easily.. she didn't want to take that from him. Rian, though, seemed stable and easy enough to talk to.
Rian:
Rian's whole body stiffened up when he heard Ember's question. Suddenly he was back there, back to that night. Bryan was standing over him, Teri was crying, his mother- he cut the vision off. It was always like that. Whenever someone mentioned his past it was always so vivid. He was always right back there, he could swear he could even smell the smells. Rian didn't know what Post Traumatic Stress Disorder was, if he had he might have recognized the symptoms. Instead he tried to push the horrifying thoughts away in the same way he always did, by trying not think about them.
"What's it matter how I got here, I'm here," he barked at Ember. He realized the moment it was out of his mouth that it was unwarranted. He thought about how to fix it but he couldn't come up with anything.
"I'm sorry. I just...I don't want to talk about it. I used to live in North Carolina, then my fam-then I was in Chicago and now I'm here. No more to it than that." He was quiet after that. He was glad it was dark or she might have been able to see him shaking. He couldn't stop though he tried. But the worst part of it was how he felt. He felt...nothing. He didn't feel sad or angry or anything. He just felt empty.
He hoped Ember would change the subject. He could use some distraction from his own thoughts.
Ember:
Ember couldn't see him, but she could feel his voice as clearly as though it had come from her own throat. The anger, desperation, gut clenching reaction to lock it all away before it destroyed you and everything around. Then the silence, the smothering, the cold heartless dampening as you finally clamp it all back into the dark pit it sprung from. That's when you stop trying to find a name for it.. and just accept the void of it's release as eagerly as a lost lover's touch. Her own spine felt the clammy grip as his memories sparked hers... the sounds and smells and... they couldn't be repressed for long.
"Thank you."
Though murmured so quietly she thought he'd never hear, the words seemed much louder once they were gone. She flushed red, thankful of the pitch black room. "I- I meant..." Turning quickly, she busied herself with throwing away their used paper plates and empty egg carton. "That is, you know, I get it. Right. No use dwelling on spilled milk -" She stopped herself short. That was the dumbest, most insensitive thing she possibly could have said. No, no, he probably didn't even hear her, it was fine. Just keep going, change the topic.
The thing she wanted most in the world was to know she wasn't alone. Before... she'd thought she was brave, capable... untouchable. And then fear had taught her a very hard lesson of how she was very wrong. She kept fighting and pretending she was stronger than she was, but every night she'd woken in a cold sweat, reminding her of how much weaker she'd become to herself. Ember didn't know Rian... she only knew the signs. They each had a story, and they probably each had a nightmare. To know that someone could somehow survive past that... into the long term, and not be broken. That alone was enough, and she wished that she could tell him.
"So!" Her hand ran through her hair subconsciously, buying her time. "You just got back from a mission, right? How was that?" Keep him talking, they were both tired but unable to sleep, and she didn't want to be back in her room just yet. If they could somehow brooch a subject that they could find better ground on...
Rian:
He heard the thank you. He wasn't sure what it meant. He hadn't done anything to be thanked for. He tried to keep listening to her but he couldn't. He was still trying to push the memories away. Funny how trying very hard not to concentrate on something took so much concentration.
I thought I was past this. When he had arrived in L.A. he had seen it as a new beginning, a new him. But now he knew that you couldn't just run away from your problems, they were still strong as ever. He felt like he was just barely holding on. As long as he kept moving, kept fighting the pain wouldn't catch up with him but could he fight forever? He didn't want to think about it.
He heard her last question and was glad to change to a less sensitive subject.
"Tiring but informative. I went to find Jullian's sister in Vancouver. She was glad to know he was alive, angry to know he had followed her. I'm not sure if she'll come down here to join him or stay up there. They are spread pretty thin in Vancouver and she might be needed. We're spread pretty thin here too so I rushed back and left her to make her choice. She'll either show or she won't." He shrugged.
"What about you? How long have you been here?"
Ember:
"Oh, I heard about her. Seems nice." Ember pitched in. This trail of conversation was drying up quickly, and she leaped on the next question. "Two or three days. I'm not really sure, I've kind of lost track and... my internal clock broke a long time ago. Ha! I assume, that is!" Wow that was awkward. Why couldn't she keep her head on straight? First she tries to eat the guy, then cooks him midnight breakfast, and then asks personal questions to which she replies 'thank you'?! Rian probably thought she was nuts or drunk. Since there wasn't any alcohol (She'd checked) and he knew that, it meant the possibilities were limited.
Letting out a long, silent sigh, she buried her head in one hand with her back turned. Maybe she was up this late, but that didn't mean her brain was. Up and down the emotional roller coaster ran, dragging her with it. But then again she could be making too much out of this since he didn't really seem to notice as she kept messing up.
"To be honest I don't really pay attention anymore. It just reminds me how slow the clock is going. I just keep hoping I can duck and weather the storm, so to speak." She thought out loud, assuming by now that he didn't care. "The morphs were interesting though, once Matt talked me into them. I'm not much of a scifi fan so... it was a whole new level of weird." Scowling she finally answered his question from before, "It was a cat, you know. I like cats, but they don't seem to want to cooperate with me. I have trouble changing... every time." Picking at her nails agitatedly she continued on. "My cardinal is better though. Seems we both want the same thing, when i'm not fighting myself in the mirror." Ember smiled, "Basically we both want to get as far away from here as possible."
That's when she realized she was still talking. "Ah... so what about you? Which morphs do you have? Beside the bird, i mean. Although that's pretty interesting... seems people's personalities connect with the morphs they're given. Or at least I think Matt's and Jule's do."
Rian:
"It wasn't a bird. It was a falcon, a male American Kestrel to be specific. I say that because I actually have three bird morphs. One for spying, one for flying and one for fighting. Guess which one the kestrel's for." He said with a smile. "I use the blue jay to spy since some Controllers still keep them as pets and I have a duck morph that got me from here to Vancouver. I also have a stag morph I've used in battle once and my signature morph is my red fox."
"Trouble with your morph uh," he said already thinking ahead, "well I'm sure we could help you with that."
He noticed she seemed to be tired and he wasn't exactly fresh either. "I think we both need some sleep. What do you say we call it a night?"
Ember:
There was a conundrum. Ember wanted very badly to go to sleep, and therein lay the problem. Every time she tried to sleep, she couldn't stay that way. But... She supposed it wasn't fair to keep him up too. Talking was both distracting and refreshing, still the general feeling was wearing off. If she woke up again.. she knew she'd be alone. It was one of the troubles of living in a house full of guys, the only place to be alone was in the basement or outside. Last time she'd gone outside she'd been attacked, but gained a friend regardless, so that at least was still open to her. Her own room... the walk back always seemed like the green mile. If she couldn't stay there to sleep she'd rather not be there at all.
Glancing over at Rian she managed her signature smile "Of course! All of my talk of ignoring the clock was more true than i'd guessed. It's gotten pretty late, huh?" She grabbed his hand in a quick shake, "Well it was nice meeting you. I'm sure we'll officially meet in the morning, but it's always interesting when you get in a midnight chat." Quickly snatching back her hand and turning her back on him, with a hurried wave over her shoulder, "Right then. I'm going back to sleep" She lied easily, "Bet you can find yourself a good bed, so i'll just take my leave." There it was again, the old familiar humor covering her scars. Nice to be back in control.
Rian:
Rian shook the new recruit's hand and then headed towards his own room. Ember ducked into her own room and hopefully got some rest. Tomorrow he would meet her officially and he would have to talk to Jullian about his sister. And hopefully he would get a chance to talk to Matt about what they should do next.
But that was all going to happen tomorrow. Tonight he would sleep and rest and hopefully not dream.