dreamingflowers

Nightland

Mia watched Linda exit the office of the doctor and she felt a slight sense of relief. Seeing a familiar face, one who knew and understood her, made her less afraid. She frowned when she saw the look on Linda's face and everyone else surrounding her. Linda addressed her and Mia listened feeling apprehensive. Something was very wrong and the assistant's words confirmed it. This couldn't be good, if doctor Stanton wasn't able to greet them personally, something terrible must have happened. Everyone looked utterly shocked, it made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She feared for the doctor. The police was getting involved too. Mia started to doubt the doctor was still alive. She didn't want to think those thoughts, but she had this horrible feeling she could not shake. A pit in her stomach.

"Mia... it's Stanton, he is dead, and I am pretty sure you do not want to see the body."

She gasped and her hand shot up to muffle any more sounds she might have made, her purse fell on the floor with a soft thud. The fig cookies she'd made for the doctor were probably all jumbled and broken. Mia looked at Cole in disbelief. She turned to Linda for support, only to find a nod of confirmation.
Oh.....
Mia didn't know what to say or think. She felt overwhelmed by feelings of sadness and confusion. The poor doctor....
She fixated on a flickering light bulb, unable to say or do much of anything. She breathed slowly, trying to control her feelings. How did it happen? What if he was alone when he died? How horrible, to leave this world without anyone by your side. Mia blinked a few times, these thoughts were making her feel even worse. She drew in a sharp breath and turned to the rest of the group, to see how they were doing. Mia was careful not to look into the direction of the doctor's office, scared of any glimpse she would catch through the doors. Whatever had happened to him, she preferred to keep a mental image of the doctor Stanton as he was. Sitting in his chair with an understanding smile and kind eyes.

Things happened very quickly after that and Mia witnessed it all as a silent bystander. Serena and Russell took quick action, teaming up as two trained professionals. In a matter of minutes police officers were spreading out throughout the hallway, along with several medical professionals. For some strange reason Mia held onto the unrealistic hope they could still help doctor Stanton, which she of course knew not to be true. Mia watched as everyone was questioned by the police. Meanwhile she tried to think of what she would say. When one of the officers approached her she switched on her impeccable manners, which considering the circumstances she was in, looked strange. She answered politely, with a friendly and forced smile. It was more akin to someone asking her for directions, instead of answering related to a crime.

Eventually they left her to her own devices without too much hassle. Keandre wasn't so lucky. They wanted to take him with them to the station. Mia didn't understand why they singled him out, Linda stood next to the officers, but did not try to intervene. She frowned, listening in as the conversation continued between the officer and Keandre. He didn't want to go, which she could empathise with. This wasn't easy.

She watched Linda leave down the stairs. Mia respected her, taking the responsibility of telling the doctor's wife and family. It may be easier coming from someone they knew. It left her however at a loss. Mia couldn't go home yet. Her parents didn't know where she really was. If she went home they were going to question her. Mia wasn't confident she could lie to them convincingly with the way she was feeling now. The misery of losing doctor Stanton would be all over her face. She needed to take a breather. Mia weighed out her options. She could go with Keandre to the station. They wouldn't allow her to linger around here, it was a crime scene after all. Sure she could go to a cafe somewhere, sip on a warm cup of calming tea for another hour or two. Would that really do her any good though, being alone with her thoughts? It was the easier more comfortable choice, to just pretend like it was a regular night, drink her favorite tea.

Mia approached the officer who spoke to Keandre, she touched his arm lightly to draw his attention.
"Excuse me Sir, I'd also like to visit the station with my...." She contemplated what to call Keandre, a fellow patient just didn't sit right with her. They were all here for obvious reasons, but there was no need to point that out harshly.
"Keandre, I heard you wanted him to go with you to the station, I'll join him if that's okay with you"

The sound of the elevator made her look in that direction. It was a man. He looked unkempt, like he'd spent a night out onto the streets. Mia was glad to be surrounded by police officers, especially when the man insisted he'd speak to either Serene and Russell, or anyone else of their group. Keandre was starting to walk into his direction. Mia felt the need to stop him, but only ended up getting her purse from the floor and walking closer to the officer she'd talked to earlier.

Nightland

I'm in too ^.^
Writing a post as we speak.

@Lucky
Like Prosaic said I hope everything works out for you, and you'll join back up with us whenever you can!

Nightland

I finally joined up too ^.^
Yes I agree with everyone, it feels like something great (and creepy) is starting!

Nightland

"Thanks again girl, you're a lifesaver, like literally you are"
Two women sitting just a seat away from her, smiled gratefully. Mia smiled and nodded back, trying her best not to engage in conversation again. One of the two women got unwell right after Mia got on the subway. At first she didn't intervene, only when the other woman started to panic did Mia come over. The woman said her lips were tingling, she was feeling dizzy and she started to sweat a little. Mia recognized the signs, as having low blood sugar, and said she needed something sweet to get her sugar levels back up. Her friend had a chocolate bar in her bag, and after a few bites and a couple of minutes of rest she started to feel better. At least those couple of months of nursing school had taught her something.

Mia glanced at her phone for the third time over the course of a single minute. 8:00 pm. It would take her at least five more minutes to get to the meeting place. Linda had requested the group to gather at the Soldiers and Sailors monument. The young woman felt anxious. Not only because she was late, it had come to be her default setting in a way. She regretted tormenting herself and traveling by subway. At the same time, if she always stayed with the familiar and safe, she was going to change into someone else. Mia knew she would like that person even less than the current version of her. She made a determined decision to help herself, by trusting in Dr Stanton, this was part of it. She got up from her seat and walked to the door of the subway, even though they weren't at the station yet. It would save her from having to awkwardly circle around someone, who would take the seat next to her. She looked at her reflection in the doors, making sure none of her inner demons were showing on the outside. Mia used clothes as a way to lift her mood, letting light enter from outwards. If there was any trace to be found of her damaged state, it would be in the subtle way she watched everyone around her, the protective self hugging and holding of her purse that may clue you in. Then again it wasn't extraordinary behavior for a teen girl traveling by herself relatively late at night. For all intents and purposes Mia appeared undisturbed and well put together.

The pre recorded voice of a woman sounded through her compartment. Destination reached. She exited in a slight rush, walking fast towards the stairs and out into the streets. The frigid air attacked her immediately. Despite wearing ample layers, the cold still got to her. More incentive to keep going at a faster pace. She watched the ground, mindful of stepping onto slippery patches. The black heeled boots she was wearing left a trademark trail behind her of two separate imprints. Mia squinted and looked around before crossing the street, coming up to the monument. As she'd feared there was no one there. She checked her phone again, and switched off the sound. It would be of no use to wait outside, everyone was most likely already at the office. She dreaded joining up late. It would disturb the session, and she didn't want that to happen. Mia was even more grateful for the box of homemade cucidati, at least she had something to show for herself. She had promised these to Dr Stanton all month, saying it was too early for Christmas cookies, but eventually she ignored tradition and caved in. Making them was very time consuming, and she'd confided to him often that she used mind numbing tasks like that to feel at peace. She was careful not to sway around with her bag to much, so the cookies wouldn't toss and turn inside the box.

She waited outside the door, hesitant to go in. This would the first time she was ever late. Staying outside wouldn't make it any better though. With a sigh she entered through the doors and stepped into the familiar reception area. There was no one here either..... Mia took of her light beige trench coat, untying the wrapped belt, while trying not to let this eerie feeling bother her. She unwrapped her scarf and took of hat and gloves, arranging all of her items neatly on the designer coat rack. She looked out into the empty hallway. A shiver ran down her spin, and she wasn't sure it was just the cold that caused it. The sinking feeling got worse, so she distracted herself as she usually did. A few steps away from the coat rack there stood a large antique mirror, fastened against the wall. She sat her purse on the ledge of hand painted clay pot, holding a rare type of flowering cactus, which only bloomed at night. Mia adjusted the shoulders of the cream colored knitted dress she'd put on. It had a square neckline, leaving out her collarbones and part of her shoulders. Mia hadn't forgotten she was late, but looking all frumpled would only make her more uncomfortable.

Mia got her purse and walked past the empty desk, where usually a receptionist would be seated. Her steps were light, and her heels tapped the floor gently. She pressed for the elevator to come down. She kept fighting back the eerie feeling with thoughts of making the Doctor happy with the fig cookies he looked forward to so much.
Ding
Once inside the elevator she looked at the silver buttons, which floor was it again? It would have been great if she'd paid attention for once, instead of relying on the people around her to know best. Feeling doubtful she opted for the fifth floor. Mia leaned against the sidewall of the spacious elevator, so that once the doors would open it almost looked like there wasn't anybody there.
Ding
With another sigh she pushed herself off the wall and into the doorway, but it was there that she stayed still, completely still.
What was all this......
Despite the lack of light Mia could see the unnatural state of the hallway. It..... she'd never seen anything like this. Mia felt the anxiety she tried to ignore earlier shift into a feeling of fear. The young woman tried to calm herself through her breathing, but could only manage shuddered and short breaths. Mia forced herself to step out into the hallway, even though every instinct in her body told her not to, butterflies raging through her stomach. She walked incredibly slowly and carefully. There still was no sign of anyone, but she could hear familiar voices coming from the Doctors office. She swallowed before she spoke up.
"Hello...?" Her voice was much quieter than she'd wanted.

Nightland

I will post today and have Mia arrive a little later.

Avalia

Nur and Darius

Time: Evening
Location: River Port, multiple locations
Interactions: Darius @FunnyGuy and Nur @Dreamingflowers
Ambiance: -

---

Nur waited outside the gates of the graveyard, leaning against the cool brick wall. She stared out into the distance. A cool evening breeze brushed past her shoulders. A chill ran down her spine, and she shuddered a little. It was getting kind of chilly, she missed leaning against someone warm. Her personal heat source was visiting the gravesite. She didn’t want to go with him. The dead made Nur uneasy, being immortal herself it was not something she gave much thought.

She sighed impatiently. What was taking him so long anyway? It wasn’t like they were talking back at him. Nur had turned and glanced through the iron gates a couple of times, but she didn’t see Darius anywhere. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, frowning. Out of all the places they could go in River Port, he wanted to go here.

Although what if he knew someone whose final resting place was here? That would be terribly sad, and she didn’t want to be insensitive if that was the case. Nur released the tension and her body, letting her arms fall to the side. She spotted Darius walking towards the gates and looked towards his face. It was weird to see him with a fake smile.

She joined him at his side, holding his arm like he was used to. At first, she let the silence linger a bit, to give him some time to compose himself if he needed to. The succubus leaned her head against his arm, not because she was tired, but because she wanted to make him feel better.

“I know what you need….” She smiled knowingly, leading them to the vineyard. A couple of drinks would make Darius smile way better than this miserable attempt he tried to sell her.

"And what might that be?" Darius asked as he caught a view of the vineyard and the winery on its grounds. He was sure he knew what Nur was referring to and her simple acknowledgement of the feelings he hid from her. He needed a distraction, and wine with good company seemed to be the answer.

“A distraction, and lucky for you I require your full attention” He managed a chuckle. A genuine one at that.

At the entrance of the vineyard, a centaur demihuman dressed in formal wear stood. He appeared to be some kind of guard or doorman.

"Good evening." He said with a slight nod as the pair entered the vineyard lit dimly by soft lighting set up throughout the vineyard.

"Wow… this is amazing." Darius commented in awe. The two took a moment to look upon the soft lights spread throughout the grapevines. As the sky grew darker, the vineyard imitated its starry appearance.

“It’s beautiful,” Nur exclaimed in excited agreement. They followed the designated path taking them through part of the grapevines, which were set up in a variety of ways. Some arranged in neat rows, resembling a cornfield. Others were being guided across wooden beams, creating archways and leafy roofs. Both white and purple grapes, dangled in heavy clusters above their heads. The fruity scent was pleasant, and light.

Nur inhaled the scent deeply, enjoying it.
“It smells so nice”

A neatly dressed waiter approached them, coming from the main establishment carrying a tray, with glasses of wine and some refreshments. There were a handful of other visitors, but it was relatively quiet overall. Nur left Darius’s side to get a better look at what was on offer. She eyed the waiter who gave her a friendly smile.

“Which one will make you forget being miserable the quickest?”

The waiter was taken aback by her question. He cleared his throat and lifted one of the glasses of red wine with his gloved hands.
“Well this red wine, is very ah…” He didn’t have time to finish. Nur quickly swiped the glass from him, he barely had time to blink.

“Great that will do nicely, thank you so much, Sir!” She’d already turned on her heel and made a beeline for Darius, who was still admiring the scenery. The waiter huffed and went over to the other guests.

She walked up to Darius, presenting the glass of wine like she was holding some precious treasure. It caused him to smile with amusement.
“Look what I got for you…… now don’t tell me you don’t drink red wine”
Nur smiled, waiting for his reaction. He did not hesitate from the gesture, grasping the glass from Nur's hands. As Darius motioned to take a sip, he stopped with the rim of the glass an inch from his lips.

"What about you?" He looked at Nur with a raised eyebrow but proceeded to sip anyway.

Nur watched him take a sip, feeling pleased. She started to notice something about Darius. This was the second time he thought of her needs, without needing some kind of incentive. Most people would only act like that once she had charmed them using her power. Sure he could just be playing the long game, trying to fall into her good graces, simply because of the way she looked. But Nur had the feeling that wasn’t the case with Darius, or he would have come on much stronger. It was a strange little dichotomy, it made him unpredictable, in a way which both unnerved and excited her.

Let’s test that theory, shall we?

She got closer to him and held his wrist, drawing it down to her. The glass resting in front of her face. Without breaking eye contact, Nur dipped the forked tip of her tongue into the tart, slightly sweet liquid. Darius blinked a few times and was sure he saw what he saw. So that was what I thought I saw in the alley.

“Just a taste is enough for me,” She said with a mischievous wink. Nur let go of his wrist with a smug smile. She enjoyed her flirtatious interactions with him. He smiled back, not appearing bothered by the showing of her tongue. Perhaps during his first few hours on Avalia, Darius might have given a much more lively reaction.

He brought up the glass to have another taste. This time it was more than a sip… much more.

"Just one, huh?" He stared at the contents of his glass for a second. "I'm different. If I enjoy something, I indulge… Maybe that's not a good thing, but if it doesn't hurt, why limit yourself?" His eyes directly met hers. "Cocytus? Is that how you say it? I want to go there at least once. And if I enjoy it…" He took another long sip of wine. "I'll indulge."

Nur frowned slightly, caught off guard by his mention of Cocytus. Why would he want to go there? It was not a good place to be for a light elf. The succubus voiced her confusion.
“Why do you want to go there?”

The demon city had been her home early in life, but she didn’t just leave to explore the world. There was a valid reason behind it, it wasn’t an easy city to live in, even for demons like herself.

So he was the indulgent type, wouldn’t that come in handy. Nur liked someone who enjoyed life. She indulged in the things she loved, excessive amounts of clothes, jewelry, and other beautiful things were an ever-present part of her. She wouldn’t be who she was without them.

"I just want to see it for myself… I have an open mind and I like getting to see new places. I am an explorer after all." Darius tacked on that last bit for legitimacy.

“I guess you are…” He would see for himself once he visited the demon city.

They enjoyed, or rather Darius enjoyed another glass of wine or two, pointing out the different sights at the vineyard to each other, after which they made their way back to the town square. Right outside of Sandy's souvenirs, the owner of the shop had set up a stall. The stall was decorated with colorful paper lanterns of all shapes and sizes. It didn’t take Nur long to spot the colorful stand and she dragged Darius towards it like she’d been doing all day.
“Oh look! I love lanterns, let’s get one”

Sandy greeted her first customers of the evening with a welcoming smile. It warmed her heart to see that even adults liked the magic of the wishing lanterns.
“Good evening to you two, I have a special offer today, couples only” She added with a wink and a smile. Sandy grabbed one of the larger lanterns, its shape was more traditional compared to the rest she had on offer. The paper was a bright warm red, which would grow even brighter once the light was lit.

“This one is guaranteed to make your wishes come true” She held out two slips of paper to both Darius and Nur.

“Perfect, I know what I want”
Nur looked to Darius, to see what he was going to do, and proceeded to take the paper from Sandy, writing down her wish in swirling letters, hiding the words with her other hand. She finished with a hopeful smile, crossing her fingers for luck, and handed the paper to Sandy. Darius however held his slip-on hand for a moment. A wish? His eyebrows furrowed a bit before he took an audible breath and started writing. Just two words. They wouldn't mean anything significant to anyone else, but to him, they did. He handed the paper to Sandy with a smile.

"Same, here." He said confidently.

Once the wishes were inside Sandy leaned over to hand the lantern to Nur, who was standing closest to her. She carefully took it into her hands, as to not rip the paper. This was so exciting! It had been ages since she had a lantern like this. Haldir and most men before him didn't really care much for romantic antics. Nur on the other hand loved it. It brought out the part of her that believed in the magic of fairy tales and true love.

She held it out to Darius, so he could hold it too. He placed his hands gently on the lantern, his face full of wonder.
"We have to let go at the same time, or it will spoil our wishes"
Nur explained with excitement in her voice. She looked at his face, his red eyes were even brighter in the light between them. A true smile gleamed! Exactly what she wanted to see.

"On three!"

"One… Two… Three!
"One… Two… Three!" They both shouted as they simultaneously released the lantern, their eyes watching as it rotated and floated up with its red glow.

The pair followed it with their eyes, it floated past windows, rooftops, and ultimately into the night sky. It kept going higher and higher until….

They spotted two figures darting across above the port town. Nur narrowed her eyes to make out who they were and what was going on, while Darius blinked in bewilderment. It looked like a fight between two fairies. Nur followed one of them more closely. He wasn’t a fairy. He had leathery wings, a demi-human and he was rushing after the fairy, clearly angry. They exchanged a few final blows with their swords until they each went their separate ways, disappearing into the distance.

"Whoa… Not gonna lie, that was pretty cool!" He commented excitedly. The alcohol was subtly affecting him. His eyes fell on her, his inhibition waning. "Did you wish for a fight in the sky?" He joked.

Nur could tell Darius was getting a little bit drunk, asking her a funny question. She hit his arm, to snap him out of it.
“Of course not, I wouldn’t waste my wish on some….” The remainder of her sentence was cut off by a loud bellowing sound, coming from a horn being blown somewhere close to them. It startled Nur, her heart racing in anticipation, while it simply captured Darius' attention away from her. They weren’t in any danger, however. She saw a dragon demi-human seated on top of a riding drake near the fountain, holding the culprit of the noise in his claws. Why a dragonoid would ride another dragon mystified her. He looked out of place in the seaside town. Dressed in a full set of heavy blue and gold armor, she could tell he had a few years on him already.

"I need me one of those." He commented with a smile.

Nur hoped he was here for the rebellion. She turned her attention back to Darius and nudged him.
“I’d say you’re a little drunk Darius the daring, it’s best if I take you home, or someone will surely take advantage of you like this.”

And that was her job, she thought with a smirk.

Nightland

Patient 7

Nightland

@Kino End
Thanks for the feedback! I've changed the numbers for her actions as per your advice. Let me know if there is anything else you'd like differently. As for Mia's skill at pretending, I hadn't thought about it as an actual skill, even though she could use it in that way. It was more about keeping up appearances and pretending nothing is wrong. So she dresses nicely, speaks kindly. So it would be both of those, verbal and appearance wise.

Nightland

I am completely creeped out. Amazing work you´ve done here.
Very interested to join (and scare myself in the process)
It depends if I can come up with a character I like though.

Edit: Character is ready but I'm not lol >.<

Patient 7

Avalia

Time: Afternoon
Location: Convenience store, River Port
Interactions: @Funnyguy Darius @Potter Lucia @Alivefalling Vaeril @Helo Leon
Ambiance: River port

Nur blew a kiss at the memory glass, to match the happy go lucky mood of Frodo, who was taking a picture of them both. She asked Frodo if she could see the picture, and summoned it to the surface of the memory glass after he handed it to her. Nur never made a secret of her vanity, and even though she had no doubt it was a cute picture, she just had to check. She summoned it to the surface of the memory glass, and smirked when she saw it. It was pretty funny, Frodo had this goofy smile on his face, and she had her eyes closed, blowing a kiss toward the viewer.

"It's cute, I like it" She commented, returning the memory glass to Frodo.

Darius took out his newly purchased instrument and surprisingly started to play a somewhat clumsy and unfamiliar tune. Nur had a puzzled look on her face, trying to figure out where the song was from. It did sound nice though, something to her tastes. She gave Darius a modest applause, clapping her hands together in praise. He was talented, to just be able to buy an instrument he didn't know and produce a tune from it. Impressive...

Nur walked alongside Frodo, the group making their way out of the convenience store and onto the next. In the distance something was running towards them, her emerald eyes widened when it came into view. A dog..... The revolting ball of fur, wrinkled skin and drool was making a beeline for both her and Frodo. She almost hissed in disgust when it threatened to touch her legs. Frodo let go of her arm, and Nur was more than happy to get away. When it started to spray drool everywhere Nur squealed and nearly tripped over the bottom of her dress trying to get away. A good distance away from it, she anxiously checked to see if any of the saliva had defiled her. Concluding it hadn't she let out a sigh of relief.

She shot both Frodo and the dog a disgusted look, her usual pleasant features turned into an angry frown.
"Disgusting..." Nur muttered under her breath.
If she wasn't annoyed enough, Nur's brow shot up when she heard Frodo complimenting the dog. Well....
Contrary to her Frodo had terrible taste. She was outcharmed by a dog! What was the world coming to?
She stayed several feet away from the green haired elf, only a thorough bath would fix that.

Nur huffed and pushed her hair over her shoulder impatiently, the feeling of disgust still evident on her face. If someone wanted to send a message, why could they not just use birds?

After handing a slip of paper to Frodo, the dog went on her way.
Good riddance
Wait a minute.... Didn't that happen to Darius and her too? A dog had also delivered them a paper message. Nur wondered if it said the same thing. Meeting hall tomorrow at 2. In any case she wasn't going near Frodo to try and figure that out. She hoped these messages were being sent by the rebellion. If that was the case, she would be able to find them soon. The sooner the better, because for the first time in her life, time was working against her.