A few moments passed before she got her answers. Moments during which she listened to the gentle music. It didn’t quite fit her tastes, but she figured that it was alright for background noise. At being addressed, she turned her head to look at the young woman, the rest of her body following soon. 

“That must be a record,” she said with a fair amount of humour in her voice. “Only about ten seconds after we’ve met and you already ask if I want to kill you.” She paused, a small smile spreading across her lips, the jazz momentarily filling the silence between them. “Let me answer that with another question: I’m a woman, and—” she reached up to her goggles, taking them off in a fluid motion and putting them in the bag she carried with her, revealing eyes of solid green, interrupted only by a slitted pupils “—this. Which do you think it is?” 

“Well…” Lucania’s eyes, almost matching the woman’s, became green with surprise. She hadn’t spent much time around those suffering from the same affliction as she, and while her actions today had certainly been driven by a personal revenge, she couldn’t deny that she had hoped it would serve as something of a calling to those like her… Those few who had survived the Sickness.

“I should hope you’ll let me take care of that empty glass.” Her eyes met with the bartender’s, and she didn’t even need to speak to alert him of the need for refills. As he moved to fill their glasses with more bootlegged alcohol, Lucania’s gaze met again with the beastial eyes of the red-haired woman, “Lucania.” She said, as if her name carried enough weight without including the last, “I don’t recall ever actually meeting anyone else with… what is it? The immortal affliction?”

“Evelina. Evelina Quinn, actually.” Her eyes darted to the bartender briefly, noting that he seemed well at ease with two Immortals sitting in front of him. The only reason she’d even revealed herself was because no one else here seemed to care that Lucania was “afflicted.” 

“I don’t really know what they call it,” she said at length. “Only that we’re called Immortals and have survived The Sickness.” Perhaps it was subconsciously, but she couldn’t help but notice how she lowered her voice as she spoke. Consciously raising her voice to a normal level, she continued. “But to answer your question—properly, this time—I guess it is neither. You were brutal, that much is obvious, but I also think you were fair.” Sighing, she grabbed her now re-filled glass and sipped from it. It still tasted foul, but it was easier to deal with when she wasn’t gulping it down. “The things you said made me… curious, perhaps. I wanted to both meet you, and see if there was anything I could do.” A sidelong smirk lit up on her face. “I am a medic, after all. Or doctor, or healer. Whichever you call it.”

“Hmm…” Lucania found herself looking down, in the glass of golden firewater, she could see her face, the slight gleam in her eyes, and the physical changes that occurred when her mind those still tender memories. “Healer?” She was aware the sadness was literally painted across her expression, in more ways than just deep blue eyes. She wasn’t going to cry, but she did need to acknowledge the pain, lest she’d suffer a fate of reliving it. 

Perhaps it was the alcohol loosening her tongue, perhaps the Healer Evelina, with her cat-like eyes had a calming aura, whatever it was, in that moment, she felt relaxed. “You’re perceptive.” Further inhibiting her anxieties with more alcohol, “There aren’t enough perceptive healers in the world…” Lucania’s voice drifted off.

A moment later, she rested her cheek on her hand as she began to speak, “I… wanted him to feel the pain he had caused me-- I told myself it would be for everyone he had ever hurt, but, when it came down to it…” She lost herself staring into the glass again, her tone contemplative, “I simply didn’t care. I wanted him to hurt because he wronged [i]me[/i]. I still do.” As she looked back up at Evelina, she laughed, “I’ve probably already made that much obvious, haven’t I?”

“Perhaps a little,” Evelina conceded with a gentle smile. “My life as an Immortal hasn’t been easy; I lost my home because of it. I’d be lying if I said that I hadn’t tried to look for scapegoats before, but… there simply aren’t any. We humans are egocentric, and we think of ourselves above all else, with very few exceptions.” 

A few moments of silence passed with Evelina silently studying Lucania’s face. The beauty of the other was forgotten in those moments, as she simply looked to learn how to read her. At one point which could have been several minutes later, she chanced lifting a hand to her shoulder, placing it gently on a silent show of support. “I don’t think it was wrong of you to want to hurt him. I would do the same.” A pause. “Who was it?” 

The question hit Lucania hard—harder than she would have liked, harder than she would have thought—her body tensed, all the frustrations of the last 8 years came to her, and she couldn’t do anything to hide it, or run away from it, as she registered the question she had no choice but to feel its full brunt. “You are…” she forced herself to take another sip of the booze, softening her expression, “...an [i]extremely[/i] perceptive healer, Miss Quinn…”

“Hmmm… She was…” Unconsciously, she studied the room as she searched for the appropriate word; she observed it’s smoking patrons, all facing some kind of loss, all dealing with it in some unhealthy. Even Evelina had lost something, her home, apparently. Everyone dealt with it, this place, this city, almost seemed to be where it came to fester. Yet, for Lucania, a pretty stranger had just come up to her and lent an ear. The word escaped her lips without the intervention of thought, “Odd.”

She let the word linger and dissipate in the smoky air, before giving a genuine, if melancholic, giggle. “She was odd,” She continued, not quite smiling, but with a slight upward curve in her lips, “She was my heart… my innamorata…” The laugh gave rise to a smirk, “I loved her, and she was a fucking weirdo!”

Lucania took in a deep breath of the stale air, releasing a relieved exhaling, “Have you ever read The Iliad? I suppose, in a way, that she’s like my own Helen of Troy… Right down to the useless war I may have just started because of her.”

Evelina was afraid that her question had angered Lucania for a moment. Heaven’s knew that she did not have any intentions of starting a fight or causing any anger, yet she had asked. It had been a gamble, one that—judging by the softening of Lucania’s expression—seemed to have gone off in her favour. She kept her own expression a gentle one, using every trick in the doctor’s book to how to make the patient feel at ease with her mere presence. 

She was elated, then, when she started speaking, slowly at first and then a bit quicker. She nodded every once in a while, smiling genuinely once or twice, especially at the mention of how she “loved her.” 

[i]A girlfriend, then?[/i] Her smile widened imperceptibly.

At the end of her small speech she found herself at a loss for words. Not so much because of any major revelations, but because of the question. “I can’t say that I have. Not sure if I’ve heard of it either. What’s it about?” [i]Useless war? I’m curious, but… I don’t think I should pry. It’s probably that guy from before. Adam, was it?[/i] Her eyes became hard and searching for a moment, the look disappearing almost immediately afterwards. [i]She’s not a normal girl, that much is for certain. Neither is this bar; no sane bar owner would allow two Immortals to just sit and chat away. There’s something more about her.[/i]

Lucania’s smile went from gentle to cocky in an instant, “What is it?” She repeated, mostly to herself, as if to feign deep thought, she rested her chin on her hand, “It’s book about the [i]Old World’s[/i] Old World! Two of these tribes begin to fight each other over the love of Helen of Troy—” Her smile widens as she recalls the story, “Helen was particularly beautiful because her father was a God— Zeus— but he mated with an earthly woman from a place much more pure than Dust by becoming a swan…” She looked over to Evelina, as if anticipating the odd looks, “I know, the Old World Gods were very… odd, as well. Anyway, these two tribes ended up fighting over her BECAUSE of that beauty, not despite it. Helen was viewed, by many, as a trophy of conquest.”

Lucania stopped for a moment to breath, her eyes were like honey as she continued, “Personally, I prefered The Odyssey, but I never get to talk to ANYONE about this stuff, so really if you wanted to know more about The Iliad, I wouldn’t mind explaining it.” She thought for a moment, before touching her hand to her head in frustration, “[i]Cazzo…[/i]” She muttered before continuing, “I know I’ve got a copy of it somewhere, but it’s probably in my… place of residence… in Serenity…” She sighed, “Oh well… That’ll be a good reminder to have my books brought up sometime…”

The gods of the old world did indeed sound odd, Evelina agreed, though she did not speak it out loud. She simply nodded and kept silent as Lucania continued her small speech. It was rather entertaining despite how alien the topic was. She knew very little of the old world, having read almost nothing but medical books in her years of growing up, except for a small number of fairy tales as a child, most of which her mother had regaled to her as bedtime stories. She kept her focus mostly on the younger woman as she spoke, only looking away once to grab her glass and sip from it. 

“An interesting tale,” she said after Lucania had finished. “It’s—” she stopped mid-sentence suddenly, staring at the brunette’s shoulder, eyes widening ever so slightly and cheeks turning rose. “Sorry,” she continued after a short while, “I should probably remove my hand.” She chuckled awkwardly and, removing her hand from Lucania’s shoulder, placed it back in her own lap. She hadn’t even realised that she was still holding it there. 

Lucania chuckled, “It’s quite alright.” She found herself amused at the woman’s slight blush. Probably due to equal parts emotion and influence of alcohol, her eyes shifted from an amused yellow to a slight plum color during the interaction. She took another sip of her seemingly bottomless drink.

“As I was saying, It’s a little familiar, some of it at least. You mentioned the Odyssey? Isn’t that the godly mountain or something? Or was that Olympan?” She scratched her head idly, racking her brain for the information, as her eyes drifted to the ceiling in thought. Bringing her gaze back to the plum coloured eyes. [i]Wait…[/i] She tilted her head, brows furrowing and nose scrunching up in thought. “I’ve noticed your eyes… They change colour fairly often. Before they were yellow, not they’re… plum… purple? Do they change systematically with a certain interval between each, or does it have to do with something else?” 

A girlish giggle escaped Lucania’s lips, “No, no,” She leaned in closer to Evelina, “[i]Olympus[/i] is the mountain where the Gods reside, [i]The Odyssey[/i] is the story of Odysseus! I prefer it over The Iliad because of it’s emphasis of intelligence over strength…” 

“As for my eyes…” Lucania smirked, her lips parted only slightly, “I’ve found they’re fairly straightforward, they become a yellowish-gold for happy, blue for sad, red for angry…” Lucania risked placing her hand over Evelina’s, “Purple can be anything from pleasure to… a more personal attraction…”

Lucania was flush with emotion, as she leaned in closer to Evelina, with her wild red hair, the pair’s lips were probably less than an inch apart as Lucania whispered, “Which do you think it is?”

Evelina listened intently as Lucania explained, near-ruby lips pursed in thought as she worked to categorize the information, a task made slightly more difficult thanks to the alcohol in her system; she was, after all, not used to drinking, and more than one glass of this drink had taken its toll on her, as evident by the pleasant buzz in her body. She was about to open her mouth to reply when she felt a hand on her own, silencing her. Her eyes flitted from those purple eyes to the small hand over her own, and back again, only to find said eyes—and face—even closer than before. She almost didn’t hear the last part. Almost. 

She parted her own lips slightly, though not quite enough to reveal her canines. “I’m not quite sure what to guess,” she said, her voice lower and more uncertain than before. Her cheeks became an even deeper red, coming closer to matching her hair than they had in more years than she cared to count. “But… I think…” She could lean forward. It’d be so easy. Just try it out. Find the answer to a question she had asked herself for so long. 

[color=0054a6][i]No. It wouldn’t be right. She’s drunk, so am I.[/i][/color]

[color=ec008c][i]Is it really wrong? The signs are there. She wants to.[/i][/color]

[color=0054a6][i]I can’t take advantage of it for my own selfish reasons![/i][/color]

[color=ec008c][i]Is it really selfish? Or are you just afraid?[/i][/color]

[color=0054a6][i]I am not afraid. I’m just… uncertain.[/i][/color]

[color=ec008c][i]If you do not want to act, then wait. Let her act.[/i][/color]

[color=0054a6][i]...Okay.[/i][/color]

With her inner dialogue done, her focus returned to the land of the living. She was still face to face with Lucania, still so close that the smell of sunflowers wafting off of her was as clear to her as the plum-coloured eyes. 

She didn’t move, didn’t say anything. She just waited, expectantly, gazes locked; eyes gentle. 

The room went completely silent, for a moment, the two Immortal strangers were the only people in the room. To Lucania, at least, they were the only two that mattered. The amusement in her eyes didn’t fade as she tilted her head, “Mmmm… You didn’t answer my question…” She could feel the nervous breath of the other spread warmly across her lips as it left her body, “Here..” Lucania’s hand left Evelina’s lap, it traced it’s way up her body, fingertips barely meeting her curves. Their cheeks only lightly brushed as she whispered into her companion’s ear, “It’s okay… I’ll answer for you.”

She let her errant hand get lost in Evelina’s hair before it found it’s way to rest on her cheek. For a moment, their eyes met again. After the heavy moment had passed; that silent wordless, heavy moment between eyes green and deep purple passed.

Lucania closed the distance.

Their lips met in a kiss. A drunken kiss. A genuine kiss. It meant both nothing and the world. Lucania pulled Evelina closer in the embrace. For that kiss, she let her worries melt away. For that kiss, the world didn’t matter; all that mattered was the warmth she felt, the softness of Evelina’s skin, the feeling of a long forgotten pleasure. 

She could not speak. Any word or phrase she might have uttered was strangled before it even had the chance to be said. But she didn’t want to say anything. Be it the alcohol or the vicinity of a woman as beautiful as Lucania, she didn’t know, but something made everything in the vicinity seem like it was slowing down to a crawl. 

A shiver went up her spine as the hand on top of her own started moving, sliding gently across her thigh, and up along her waist. The touch was light, and something she had done to her patients more times than she cared to count. It was a touch that was… seeking, like she did when looking for a fracture, yet this felt so different, so much more important. She reached out tentatively, running her own hand gently along Lucania’s curves, a faint smile spreading across her lips at the sensation of the velvety dress underneath her fingers.

She looked up again, green and purple meeting. She felt fingers running through her hair, and then lips. For the first time in her life, Evelina was kissed. Her eyes flew open, her body going rigid for just a moment before she melted, closing her eyes and pushed back, though only a little. She returned the embrace, wrapping both arms carefully around the other woman, trying her best to reciprocate. No matter how hard she tried, however, it was no doubt easy to tell that she was new at this. Very new.

Time slowed for Lucania. She could feel each beat of their fluttering hearts, each touch from Evelina felt amplified, as their bodies pressed against each other with their lips, she felt as though her entire form might spasm.

Luckily for her, moments were just that; all doomed to come to an eventual end.

For this particular moment, it occurred as Lucania broke their embrace for air. Slowly, as she opened her eyes, she immediately noticed several things; everything seemed to be brighter, nearly everyone at the bar had their eyes glued to the scene, and perhaps the most important thing, was that Evelina was still there. She had, for a moment, thought that she might have been dreaming it all.

Some would call her aggressive—Lucania would agree. As she leaned back in, planting kisses along Evelina’s cheek and exposed neck, she didn’t hesitate in asking between kisses, “First time with a woman?”


“First time ever,” she replied with a short chuckle. “I’ve never as much as embraced someone else before now, except for my parents.” And how she had missed out, she thought. Those short few moments where nothing had existed but the two of them were some of the best she had ever had. The warmth, the closeness, the security she felt, and so much more still flooded her mind and made her cheeks warm and heart beat just that much faster. Not a thought had been given to the people around them, not a one to her own doubts. Everything except Lucania had been drowned out in the instant their lips met, and she would trade it for nothing.

“I gotta say,” she continued after a while, cheeks becoming an even darker shape of scarlet, if that were at all possible, from the kisses on her cheek and neck. “I hadn’t expected this to happen.” She chuckled again. “I just hope you don’t regret it, or won’t come to.” 

“Mmm,” Lucania moaned in an immediate response, she lingered on Evelina’s neck a moment longer; she possessed the most pleasant scent of gasoline and liquor. Her skin lightly perspired, and with each soft brush against the neck, she felt Evelina shudder with each new sensation, her blood warm…

[i]Blood warm… Warmblood… Like the breed of horse![/i]

Lucania’s eyes narrowed, she stopped for a second. [i]Why am I thinking of horses right now?[/i] She continued her necking. [i]Maybe Diane really was right…[/i] For the time being, she shook the thoughts from her mind and replied to Evelina, “On the contrary, Miss Quinn, I’m honored.” Lucania’s eyes, now a richer violet, found their ways to get lost into Evelina’s feral green, “On a…” She paused, choosing her phrasing carefully, “...[i]completely[/i] unrelated note… Where were you planning on going after you left here tonight? You’re a drifter, are you not? Do you have family here?”

For the most part Evelina simply sat motionless, her hands resting on Lucania’s hips. It might be wrong to say that she was lost in the sensation of the lips against her neck, but she certainly did enjoy it, soft and warm as it was. “Heh, honoured. It’s nice knowing that I’m… appreciated like that.” Unnoticed even by herself were the slight hitch on her voice, as if the sentence was more sincere than even she realised. 

A few more moments of silence passed with only their individuals breathing making any sound. Not even the bar around them seemed to so much as breathe. But like all good things must come to an end, so did the silence between Luciana and Evelina. The question did catch her off guard, but the transparency of it elicited a loud chuckle. “I am a drifter, yes. And no, I don’t have any family here nor a place to stay. I simply came to send a letter and get some more food and water.” Her eyes twinkled as she looked down at the smaller woman. “I guess that leaves me with no choice but to stay at an inn?” 

“Ugh,” Lucania exaggerated her disgust, “I wouldn’t stay at one of those horrid excuses for a bed and bath if someone paid me! Honestly…” Lucania’s voice was smug, but self-assured, “All you have to do is ask, dear, they’d probably give you the room for free…” Her drink had been getting lonely, she sloshed around the golden liquids before taking a larger sip, “...this club is [i]basically[/i] mine, after all.”

Giggles rippled from past her lips at the sarcastic and cocky statement from Lucania. It was so over the top that she couldn’t stop laughing even if she wanted to. Even if she didn’t want to, however, the last bit of what she said did make her stop. She had been transparent before, but now she was being just blunt. 

“So what I’m hearing is that you want to spend the night with me?” She asked, a smirk pulling at her lips, which only grew at the look of surprise she received. “Yes, you’re that obvious,” she continued, chuckling. “I wouldn’t mind, but… I’d ask for it to be separate beds. I’m still new at this… whatever it is,” she waved her hand at the both of them. “I’d prefer to go slow, at least until I figure myself out. Make no mistake, I have absolutely no experience with this. At all.” She looked mildly uncomfortable for a moment, and mirrored Lucania’s action of sipping from her drink. “I hope you’re okay with this.” [i]And hope I didn’t just make a fool of myself by assuming things.[/i]

Lucania feigned a gasp, “Miss Evelina Quinn, I do declare!” She placed a hand on her own chest, pretending as if the words had physically wounded her, “I would expect nothing less than a 5 star dinner and a play before you asked me to share a bed with you! How so very scandalous!” Lucania began to fan herself with her hand, she mimicked the shaky voices of so many ‘proper’ older women, “Oh! You’ve gone and given me a case of the vapors!”

Lucania stepped off of her bar stool, she laid the back of her hand across her forehead, “Goodness! Evelina dearest… as a healer I’ll need you to escort me to my fainting chair… But nothing more tonight!” Her expression became less exaggerated, returning to the smirk she had started with, hints of her hubris painted all over it, “I am a woman of [i]high standing[/i] after all! It will require more than your pelvic sorcery to win my affections... [i]my newest suitor[/i].” Lucania gave a slight curtsy to the sitting Evelina before offering her hand.

[i]Yeah, there’s nothing to be afraid of,[/i] Evelina thought, her smirk widening into a fully fledged smile. She took the proffered hand and stood up, now seeing the true height difference between them. [i]She’s… quite a bit smaller than I expected.[/i] 

“Hubris, my dear,” she answered Lucania, her tone as refined as she could make it. “Who was it that kissed me first, hmm?” Daring a wink, she continued. “I believe, if anything, that you’re the one attempting ‘pelvic sorcery’... whatever that actually is.” 

In the silence that followed, she took her chance to glance around at the bar, and its patrons, around them. There were still those who looked at them, those who glanced, and lastly the people who had had their fill of “entertainment.” Looking around brought another thought to mind as well. She remembered how the bartender seemed completely at ease with two women who were obviously Immortals, and she hadn’t attempted to hide her eyes since she took off her goggles, so more people would know of her condition. Yet none seemed disgusted or even afraid, and just acted like she was another normal person. 

She looked back at the smaller brunette, one eyebrow rising slightly. [i]So that’s why they never said anything. Like she said, this bar is basically hers.[/i] She puffed out her cheeks, a thoughtful expression falling over her features for a short while. [i]She definitely isn’t just any normal girl,[/i] she thought as she lifted her right arm in a silent invitation. “Shall we?” She asked, smiling. “Your ‘fainting chair’ awaits.” 

It was an invitation Lucania accepted, with all of the grace instilled in her by the family. As she locked arms with Evelina, she practically tripped. Leading the pair through the crowd, she found herself stumbling more and more, and the further they went, the more she found herself leaning on Evelina—she was able to admit to herself that it wasn’t entirely for support. She found she liked being close to the woman, and their difference in size made the not-so-subtle nuzzling extremely easy. 

She led the two to a stairwell, directly behind the stage, as they passed it Lucania muttered, “I completely forgot…” 

“Forgot what?” 

The pair paused their trek while Lucania took in the sight of the stage, a band playing smooth with no singer at the microphone. “Oh, it’s nothing. I was just supposed to perform tonight is all…” She sighed, then shrugged, her gaze shifting to the crowd, “I imagine they’re all to drunk to care much, now. Still...” She began to, slowly, make her way up the stairs, “...It seems you may be more of a bad influence than I’d initially thought!”

[i]She’s more drunk than I thought,[/i] Evelina mused, noting how heavily Lucania leaned into her for support. [i]No wonder with how small she is.[/i] She kept silent for a while after the accusation of being a bad influence, her ever-present smile widening slightly. “I’m a bad influence? Since when? You’re the one who caused a scene down there!” 

“No…” She waved her hand, as if she was removing cobwebs from the air, “My whole job is to cause scenes!” She planted a wet kiss on Evelina’s cheek, “I think you’ve charmed me! Like a witch! Sent to put me under your spell!” As they reached the top of the stairs, Lucania opened the nearest door before turning to Evelina, “I’ve got to tell you; it’s working.”

Evelina sighed, shaking her head in amusement. “Your job right now, Miss Lucania, is to show me where our room is so I can take a shower, and you can get to bed.” She wrapped her arm around her to aid in supporting. “You’re just a tiny bit drunk, you know… and I’m not a witch.” She wrinkled her nose in mock disgust. “They have big noses and more years than I care to count on their butt. I have neither.”

“I’m not drunk! I’m...” The door led to another hallway, as she stumbled through it she shifted her head, as if she was searching in the dim light for a particular word, or perhaps the right door, maybe both. “I’m just tired!” Lucania was aware of her own denial, the tiny sips had added up, “But you’re right, you aren’t a witch, you’re… a nymph, like Calypso!” 

Her eyes began to droop as her own fatigue combined with the intoxication, “I’ll explain it later…” She sighed and opened another door, this one opening into a pristine looking room, designed similarly to the club’s main floor. “Here it is!” She kicked off her heels, slightly improving her balance as she walked over to the bed in the center of the room, “They designed it like my place in Serenity, but they couldn’t find a bed as big as mine, so I’m told they just pushed two together…” She dropped her purse before she began to pull at the frame of one of the beds, with minimal results.

“Tired, right. And not at all tipsy from… three of those drinks? It was powerful stuff, I’m sure of that,” she said, teasingly poking Lucania in the side. “Just admit that you’re just the tiniest bit drunk.” She winked. “I may even have a cure for the coming hangover.” 

She followed her into the room, mouth hanging slightly agape at the sight of it. Not only was it big, but it was probably the finest room she had ever laid eyes upon; her parents’ house didn’t even come close to the prestige that this room seemed to ooze from every corner. She was about to ask how Lucania had gotten access to this room, but was interrupted by the sudden revelation of just how much smaller she actually was now that her heels had been taken off. 

“You’re small,” she said bluntly, too much so. Not a second had passed before she slapped her forehead with her palm. “Sorry, that wasn’t very nice. I should know better than to point out other people’s… differences.” The sight of Lucania trying to move the two beds apart greeted her when she lowered her hand from her forehead, a slightly comical sight of she had to be honest. Silently, she walked over to her and grabbed hold of the frame of the bed and pulled. Nothing seemed to happen.

“Is this thing bolted to the floor?” She muttered, taking a step back. “Lucania, take a step back. I wanna try something.” 

With a huff, Lucania halted her efforts to separate the beds, “Why would it be bolted…” Shaking her head, she did as Evelina had ordered, before sinking to the floor, “Maybe we’re both too small…”

Evelina smirked, walking over to the foots of the beds. “What does it matter being small if you can do [i]this.[/i]” She extended both arms forward, palms of her hands facing each other. A shimmer appeared in the air between the beds, similar to the air above a fire. Slowly, and carefully, Evelina increased the distance between her palms the shimmer in between the beds dividing into two. The screeching sound of a heavy wooden object being pushed across wood filled the air as Evelina pushed the beds away from each other, stopping once there was approximately one and a half metre between them. 

She lowered her arms, her smirk still present. “There, that should do it.” She looked at Lucania. “That okay with you?” 

“Yeah that’s…” She pulled herself off the floor, only to fall on the nearest bed, she shifted on her side to face Evelina, her expression still incredulous, “Incredible… What… was it?”

She raised a closed fist to eye level, looking intently at Lucania over it. With a theatrical movement, she opened her palm, above which hovered what could only be described as a miniature sun. It was a small orb of yellow-ish white light, strong enough to illuminate Evelina’s face from where she held it, but little more. 

“Light,” she said, “I have the ability to control light, and what I just used was light solidified into a barrier of sorts. I’m a… defensive type Immortal, I guess you could say. It fits with me being a healer, doesn’t it?” She grinned, cheekily. “Any other questions? If not I’d like to take a shower. I haven’t bathed for days.” 

“That’s interesting…” However, the interest was only temporary, Lucania’s eyes went wide as she registered what she had just said fully, “[i]Days?[/i] Ugh. If you don’t go now, I’ll bathe you myself!” She touched her hand to her forehead, comprehending her unintentional innuendo, “In a non-sexual way! Just go!” 

Laughing, Evelina headed for the adjacent bathroom, only stopping in the doorway for a brief second to say, “that’s what happens when you’re a Drifter. Not many chances to bathe.” It might’ve just been her imagination, but she could’ve sworn she heard a pillow hit the door just as she closed it behind her. She chuckled to herself again, despite the show of violence earlier that day, Lucania was actually a rather kind and entertaining person.

She stripped quickly and entered the shower, warm water falling from the showerhead in liquid streams of bliss. The shower could very well be the most refreshing thing she had ever experienced: The water hitting her body and soaking her hair. Dirt and grime falling off of her body, and loosening her sore muscles. She quickly washed and simply spent the next half hour standing in the water, eyes closed in quiet bliss. 

It couldn’t last forever, of course, and after a while she turned off the water and stepped out, drying off as best she could and putting her jeans and T-shirt back on, leaving the bandages in the bathroom. She stepped out with a towel still in her heads, working to drain the last bit of moisture from her hair which, at the moment, fell over her right shoulder. “That was nice,” she said to no one in particular, throwing the towel over the back of a nearby chair. 

Lucania stirred. She hadn’t fallen into a deep sleep and woke easily, she turned under the covers to see a newly cleansed Evelina. As her senses returned, she noticed a difference between this Evelina and the Evelina that had entered the shower. Lucania’s eyes had never changed color so fast, her cheeks flushed red with the blood beneath them at the… surprise.

[i]Surprises?[/i]

“Umm…” She couldn’t formulate a response. Lucania Cleodora Melia Castalia couldn’t formulate a response. This was a first for her. She tore her eyes away from the ‘[i]surprises[/i]’ to inquire about… something, “I’d… I’d wager it was. You look nice. I mean, you looked nice before, but now you look… different?” Lucania slapped her hand to her forehead, turning in the bed to stare at the ceiling, before looking at her own chest, her voice held a tinge of jealousy, “I guess I am small…”

At first Evelina simply tilted her head in confusion, uncertain as to why Lucania acted as she did. She couldn’t help but giggle at the red cheeks and green eyes. She had a feeling that the term “green with envy” was very apt when it came to Lucania. 

“Thanks,” she said, genuinely thankful for the compliments. She stepped closer and sat on the edge of the already occupied bed. “But it’s not really you that’s small, it’s just me that’s... “ she looked down at her chest, grimacing. “It’s just me that’s huge.” She turned back to the prone woman, reaching out to brush a lock of brown hair out of Luciana’s eye with the tip of her finger. “So no need to be jealous. Heck, I should be the jealous one; you’re far more beautiful than I.” She could’ve slapped herself. The alcohol was clearly the one speaking. [i]I’m going to cringe so many times when I wake up tomorrow. So many cringeworthy comments,[/i] she thought. 

“You are a shameless flirt…” Lucania observed, “Or perhaps you’re just really good at hiding your shame… either way it’s adorable.”

“My shame.” She let the word hang in the air for a while, eyes glazing over. “I... “ She shook her head, the light returning to her eyes. “It’s not that I’m a flirt, I’m just being honest… and adorable? Perhaps. Eitherway, you’re drunk and tired, and I think you should go to sleep.” She stood up. “I will be, at least.”

“Hmm,” Lucania sighed. Evelina was right, she was practically asleep already and the sooner she got to work sleeping off whatever grog she had been served tonight, the better, “Alright,” Before succumbing to Hypnos’ tendrils, however, she did move to grab Evelina’s hand, placing a soft kiss on it’s back, she looked into Evelina’s eyes with green eyes of her own, “Goodnight, Evelina.”

A blush rose to Evelina’s cheeks, courtesy of the kiss. It was such a simple, and old, gesture. A kiss on the hand was nothing more than a greeting. Yet even thinking that did nothing to lessen the rose in her cheeks. Composing herself, she gave Lucania a wide smile before heading for her own bed, a quick “Good night,” was uttered before she lay down and pulled the covers over herself. “Sleep well.” 


[center][b]—End Day—[/b][/center]