Forgotten Lamentations

[Alyn]

Heavy boots clunked up the steps as she made her way towards the entrance of the abandoned inn. Is looked over her like a haunting memory, its face glaring at her reminding her why she could no longer sleep. She entered. Dust clouded up around her boots as she walked stirring up much dust. She walked over to the bar smirking, something to make her forget, an old friend-- Jack. Finding an unopened bottle she grabbed it and sat down. Dust flew up around her as she sat not caring that the chair was coated in a thick later of dust or that the chair had one leg shorter than the rest which made it rock back and forth a bit. She opened the bottle and took a few good gulps. She loved the feel of it as it burned down her throat, like swallowing fire... She licked her lips and sat the bottle down next to a full glass of beer that had been left there.

Suddenly this place seemed all too much like a place of her past. Figures started take shape and move around, voice started to ecco. She could see everything going on as clear as day, this place was no longer a deserted Inn it was a busy bar with plenty of customers. She could see the silhouette of herself skirting about the bar. The image of herself wore almost nothing, a mini shirt with the bottom shreadded, a small corset, and thigh high stripper boots. It made her want to vomit, infact she could feel the vomit rising in her throat. She swallowed hard determined not to lose what small amout of food she had consumed today. The image of herself walked over to one half drunk man and sat on his lap giggling and flirting. It the got up and walked over to another man this time whispering in his ear. This man looked aroused and kissed her the memory of her. It then moved on and went to another man, this one was a high and mighty man with a suit on. He was waiting for her though, she grabbed him by the had and dragged him off to a back room and that was the end of that. The image faded back into the deserted Inn.

Alyn took another drink trying to supress the shame she felt. Back then she seemed to careless, she even welcomed being used, at first. Then she realized what shame it brought her, it now killed her inside to remember. She hoisted the bottle in the air and took a long gulp before slamming it back down.

She was no longer a paper doll as she had been when she awoke. Her skin what very pale, almost white, but her cheeks were pink. Her eyes were a deep blue and her long blonde hair flowing like water. She had regained muscle mass and now fiht perfectly into her tight leather outfit again. It hugged her curves and yet still left things to the imagination. Her lips were a soft pink as they wrapped around the mouth of the bottle again. She took another swallow of the whiskey. Today she carried only minimal weaponry. She carried her colt, her set of throwing knives, and her dagger. Other than that she was weapon free. Her trench coat was left open to reveal the leather underneat. It draped around her form and hung from the edge of the chair. Silently she drank, watching, listening.

[Zane]

Zane stood for a moment outside an abandoned building which he quickly realized was an inn. A faded sign hung above the door in the old fashioned way. It almost made him smile, until he actually read the sign, which caused him to frown. The sign read "Neglected Baiting Bear Inn", and he mused briefly on what a strange and grim a name that was. The windows of the small inn were absolutely filthy; you could barely see the contours of the shadowed room within. With a slight shake of his head he approached the door, pushing it inward, having to use a great deal of force to get the heavy door to open at all. And when the door was half way open he realized that he was not alone in entering this inn, or pub might be the more appropriate word, and he had a feeling that the other occupant had not yet left. There was a pair of footprints in the thick coat of dust that littered the floor, and the footprints only went in, they did not come out. Zane leaned down to look at the prints hesitantly, making sure that they were of average size and that they truly were made by a pair of human shoes. He wasn't sure what else might live in this town, and honestly, he wasn't too eager to find out either.

Closing the door behind him he entered slowly, walking through a small hallway before he finally reached the main room of the establishment. He stopped suddenly upon seeing a blond woman sitting on a rickety stool, apparently finishing off an old bottle of liquor. She seemed to be lost in her own thoughts, from the misty look of her eyes it seemed that she was reliving some happening from her past, and judging from the expression on her face, it wasn't exactly a happy one. Zane moved quietly towards her, hoping not to startle her too much. He didn't know how she would react to seeing another human being, but he was prepared if she should choose to turn hostile. He cleared his throat, trying to give her a signal that she wasn't alone. As he approached the counter he tripped on something and nearly lost his balance. He looked down at the floor, puzzled, and after a second of fruitless searching, found what he had tripped over. It was the leg of a stool, old and weathered and lying on the floor. He cursed slightly under his breath, reminding himself to be more careful in the future, a mistake like that could mean serious consequences. He should have known better, should have remembered that it took a while for him to really get used to the darker light inside buildings, and that he shouldn't just go bumbling about, that was a good way to get himself killed.

Miss...miss?

[Alyn]

She had been deeply lost in her memories and had not even noticed the man enter, nor when he cleared his throat. Shen he spoke though she heard it. She snapped around to look at him deep blue eyes staring at him, her gaze was of an icy nature. She was not a big fan of men, but she knew better than to act to rash. She let her eyes float quickly across his features; he was, of course, taller than her. She only stood a grand total of 5'3" after all. Her eyes returned ot his face gazing at it unblinkingly at it for a moment. She took slow deep breathes as if trying ot supress some deep rooted fear; which she was. Her face and empty blue eyes did not give away the fact that she was afraid of men. She spoke in a strong voice, her tones neither friendly or threatening.

"Hello..."

She removed her eyes from the man and looked back to her glass. She filled it with more whiskey and took a sip. realizing that she was being rude, yes she had some manners, she looked back to him and asked in the same voice lifting the bottle.

"Want some?"

She stifled a small cough, her lungs still hadn't gotten useto this place, and bing in this bar with all the dust did not help. Her paper white skin was smooth as silk as were her slightly pink cheeks. She set the bottled down just in time before sneezing lightly. A hand brought uo to cover her mouth and nose. Another two sneezes followed. When she looked back to the man her eyes were watering slightly.

((sry my muse ran away...))

[Zane]

((That's ok))

When she finally noticed him Zane was graced with the reaction that he had been expecting. A cold gaze, eying him up as she remained unmoving on the stool, and a voice that was forcedly held neutral. This one didn’t like company then, or maybe she just didn’t like his company. He heaved a small sigh at that, the fact that so many women hated men, or rather, they feared men and therefore disliked them. He wondered why, what had happened to people to jade them so, and what did they really have to fear anyway? As far as he knew they could fight pretty well themselves, while men were headstrong and impulsive, women were cunning and plotting. So why wouldn’t they be able to best the men if they so wished?

He met her gaze, and found that it was icy blue, a sharp, almost painful colour. He tried for a weak smile, but found that he couldn’t seem to accomplish it. So instead his face was twisted into a grimace, not of pain, but maybe of sadness, a bitter reflection on what they truly had become. Skittish and flighty as animals, liking no one, and trusting even less. But he supposed that their environment had changed them, twisted their morals and principles until they were a sad excuse of what they had once been. He watched her for a moment longer in silence, taking note of her pale blond hair and milky white skin. Zane wondered if it bothered her that she couldn’t see his eyes, as he knew that his constant wearing of sunglasses definitely irritated some. But he wasn’t about to tell a stranger his life story, and he doubted that she would have cared to hear it anyway.

Hello. Sure, I’ll take some, if you’re offering.

Zane stepped up to the bar and took a seat on one of the stools, making sure to pick one that was reasonably far away from the blond girl. Two stools over, to her left, he figured that that should be enough room to keep her comfortable. Then he simply sat there, waiting for her to make the first move. Either she would try to ignore him, or she really would offer him a drink. And frankly, he didn’t much care which alternative she chose to take. Though the latter might have been a bit better than the first. He was busy examining the room and all it’s contents when he heard her sneeze softly. And then again, and again. A small smile tugged at his lips, and he nodded gently, yes, the dust had been irritating his lungs as well. When she turned back to look at him, eyes watering, he simply said.

Gesundheit.

[Alyn]

She eyed him a moment through watery eyes before they cleared up again. She took in a deep breath and heaved out a sigh before sliding the bottle down his way. She then finished the contents of her glass quickly. She spun the glass around a bit and then flipped it over. She gave a little sniff before returing her eyes to him. She didn't even try to hide it. She stared at him silently for a few moments, studying him down to every last wrinkle in his clothing. She pressed her lips tightly together as if thinking of what to say, or how to say it. Her eyes gazing upon him unblinkingly. SHe gave another soft sniff before speaking ot him. Her voice was cold and distant, like she wasn't even there. It was as if she was peering upon him from another world far away from here.

"Why do you wear sunglasses? It's not all that bright out."

She spoke quite plainly to him not gothing with formalities or politeness. She wasn't the polite type. She supressed a cough swallowing hard continuing to look upon him with her cold eyes. Deep blue in color, untrusting by nature, and merciless by expirence. She felt a shiver run down her spine and a small tremor started. She placed her hands in her lap hoping that he would notice her shaking. Unlike basically everyone who had tremors she was not born with them. They were caused by a prolonged unhealthy state. Her nerves were shot and her body never fully recovered, hence why she still shook some times. It didn't help that she hadn't slept in a long time. Her lungs felt on fire as she had been supressing a cough and finally it escaped, short but powerful enough to make her whole body move slightly.

((sory my muse is getting harder and harder to find))

[Zane]

Zane caught the bottle that she slid his way and raised it to his lips. He took one small sip, no more than that, and was instantly overwhelmed by the rank taste of the stuff. It put up resistance as he tried to swallow and it was almost bitter to the taste. In that very instant he was reminded just why he hated and loved alcohol, the latter sadly being the more prominent. And he took one more sip, just one more, because frankly he didn’t dare drink any more. This new world was strange and depressing, it could easily drive even a sensible person to drink. And he knew himself well enough to know that he was not sensible, and also that it would do him no good to get drunk, in fact, it would most probably get him killed. It seemed like every path now lead down the lane to death, and that they were all balancing on a small beam above the pit of darkness. One wrong move, just one little slip, then nothing.

When she asked her question Zane had been so deeply submerged within his own thoughts that it took him a while to react. He met her gaze almost dazedly, then a small smile flickered on his features. It was gone almost as soon as it had appeared, but it had been there, and that at least felt good. He nodded slightly, shaking his head as he thought of what to answer. The same old question, the one which everyone with any guts or curiosity always asked at one point or another. And it had grown rather boring, a tad irritating as well. But he really couldn’t blame them now could he? He would have asked the same if the tables had been turned.

I like the style

His voice was bored, almost bordering onto sarcastic when he spoke. But he thought better of it, and after a moment added.

No, but seriously, my eyes are really very sensitive to the light, even this dim light.

That was mostly the truth, mostly, but not quite. He hoped that she wouldn’t see through his small lie, as he really wasn’t in the mood to tell a person whom he’d just met everything that there was to know about him. Yes, his eyes really were sensitive to the light, very much so in fact, but he probably would have managed inside just fine without the sunglasses. The fact was that he didn’t like people looking him in the eye, as in straight in the eye, it disturbed him. They say that the eyes are the gateway to the soul, well, he felt uncomfortable revealing any part of his soul to anyone. Some people had good shields, but he wasn’t one of them. It felt like an invasion somehow, very similar to an assault, and he just couldn’t stand it.

Again he was awakened from his own thoughts to notice that she was shaking, and badly so. A short while after her tremors began she coughed loudly and he frowned, concerned. She didn’t seem at all well, and all this dust in here certainly wasn’t making anything better. Zane got up from his stool and offered her a hand which he was almost certain that she would not take. She shouldn’t have been in here, and he intended to get her outside. The air out there was at least semi fresh, and it would do her more good than ill.

Come on, you really shouldn’t be in here breathing in all this dust. Shall we go outside?

[Alyn]

She wasn't sure if she should believe him about the sunglasses. She wondered if he was covering over something or not telling her everything. Hell why should he tell her everything. It wasn't like he had any reason to trust her in the first place. She wouldn't bother questioning on what he might or night not be telling her about the sunglasses. Maybe it was nothing important. She had never liked it when she couldn't see a person's eyes. It was easy to tell when they were lying if you cold look them in the eye. Wearing the sunglasses was like a shied in her mind. Though she couldn't really frown upon it because she had put up her own shield. She left her eyes empty of most all emotions, they had been like that since she was young.

She looked down for a few moments at nothing just thinking about things. She watched her hands which were shaking pretty badly at this point. When he spoke again her eyes quickly snapped to him, looking at him while he spoke. She was not completely rude. She notided that he had stood up, shre she had heard movement from him while she looked down but she hadn't noticed that he had actually stood. She looked to his hand when he stopped speaking. She pondered a moment eyeing him again unsure. Then after a few moments of silence she stood on her own will power not taking the offered hand.

"Alright..."

Her frail body moved slowly across the dusty floor trying not to stir it up too much but failing at doing so. Most of it was thanks to her trench coat, the bottom of it brushing the air just above the floor causing it to stir. Her deep blue eyes were set on the door not looking back to see if he was comming, she would hear him. By the time she got to the door she had to cough again. Her eyes watered slightly and she coughed her whole body moving slightly as she did so. She coughed quite forcefully for her small frame. She then moved the door open and walked outside. She leaned up against the wall of the building not even sure if it could hold her weight. It looked like it could collapse at any moment. Luckly she did not feel the building shift as she put her weight against it.

Just in case she let her hands run over her guarder on her leg that held her throwing knives and then to each spot that held a weapon. Incase he trided any shit, though at the momen't he didn't seem like he would. Though the sun was out the air was still bitter. The wind bicked up howling through the cracks in the Inn wall and making the whole building creek. The wind blew the bottom of her coat to one side, her blonde hair following. Some of the lose dirt formed a dust cloud and blew through the porch of the building. She casually turned her head so as not to get a face full of dirt. When the dust cloud passed she looked straight ahead of her again silently listening to the sounds of the town, it was very empty and all the buildings sang as the wind pressed against them.

[Zane]

Zane couldn't help but smile weakly when she neglected to take his offered hand. Just as he had expected, she was the independent type. But anymore, you really had to be, the weak ones, they were already long gone. And that bitter memory instantly brought him back to reality, and caused a small frown to form on his features. He was concerned for this woman whose name he didn't even know. Yes he was concerned, because she was frail, and her health seemed to be deteriorating fast inside this musty old building. Maybe the fresh air outside would do her good, maybe, because her cough certainly didn't sound good. When she coughed her whole body shook, and he winced at the awful sound of it. For some reason he couldn�t stand hearing people cough, not that he could remember why exactly. He was certain that there must have been a reason, and an important one at that, but the memory escaped him. And so he let it go, with a shrug and a sigh, and followed her slowly out of the Inn.

As he passed through the doorway and out of the building he quickly realized that the sun was still up, and that it was in fact rather bright outside. Zane attempted to duck under the overhang, to stop in the shade before it was too late, but he did not succeed. The sunshine hit him head on, and he realized far too late just how bright it was. Pain shot through his head, striking instantly like a full strength migraine. He recoiled visibly, falling back a step or two as he felt his eyes begin to water. Stopping he hung his head low for a moment, attempting to regain his composure and calm down for a moment. But every time he breathed the pain seemed only to escalate, and eventually he gave up his attempts all together.

He cast his gaze about, looking for the woman and where she could be. In his current state he felt profoundly vulnerable, and it did not comfort him when he saw the blurry image of the girl checking over her weapons. Was she going to strike at him? Why would she do that, and what had he done? Hadn't he been friendly, truly kind in fact? And what could he do to stop her if she wished to attack him, he could barely even see her through the fuzziness that the pain caused. Zane shook his head wearily, wanting nothing more than to wipe at his eyes and try to clear the pain. He knew that it would not help however, it never did, and removing his sunglasses would be stupid, incredibly stupid. And so he simply stood there, restlessly shifting from foot to foot, and listening to the wind as it howled loudly through the eaves.

[Alyn]

We have loud guitars and big suspitions

Her ears caught the sounds of him comming to the door and then him exiting the building into her sight, though she was contend doing other things for the moment. She sensed a slight change in him, looking towards him, she raises an eyebrow in question. Deep blue eyes skimming him over a few times taking in what she saw. She didn't speak for a few moments. Slowly her voice came out is soft gentle tones.

"Whats wrong?"

Her hept her eyes unblinking on him, her gaze holding no emotion. Not the coldness of before nor any warmpth still. She brushed away a few loose strands of hair from her face and ran her fingers through her hair before letting her hands fall to her sides again, her eyes not leaving him for a moment. She breathed calmly and slowly, her chest rising and falling slightly as she did so. Again she brushed off the coughing as just a reaction to the dust and damp air in the buildings around here.

Great big guns and small ambitions

(sry crappy)

[Zane]

((That's ok, mine isn't super either.))

He was surprised when he heard her speak, not by the fact that she spoke exactly, but by the tone of her voice. It was warmer than he had expected, almost caring, and he was shocked to say the least. It took him a moment or two to decide how he should react, and even then he was unsure. After drawing a few deep breaths he stepped back into the shadows that the building's overhang created. Instant relief washed over him, and the stinging in his eyes lessened considerably. Zane heaved a small sigh of relief and finally took to words himself. His tone was friendly and rather open, but there might have been a slight defensive undertone to it as well.

It's nothing I can't handle. Just give me a moment, I'll be all right.

This time what he said was the truth, and not one of his quirky little lies. He would be all right now, in the shade, with a minute or two to recuperate, and then maybe he would be ready to meet the sunshine again. It had been foolish of him to walk straight out into the brightness without giving himself the time to adjust. That was a mistake that he wouldn't be making again in the near future, you could bet on that.

For a moment he removed his sunglasses and rubbed at his eyes absentmindedly, almost without noticing that he did it. Zane cast a quick glance at the woman, looking almost startled, then replaced the sunglasses once more. It was an old habit of his, one that he tended to avoid in the company of others because of their not so pleasant reactions. He was tired of the gasps and the whisperings, the revulsion and the shock that shadowed peoples features when they saw his eyes. He couldn't for the life of him understand why, what did eye colour really matter? But it seemed that it did, and that people never quite looked at him in the same way after they'd seen his eyes. And so now he hoped dearly that she hadn't looked, and that his sensitive little secret might still be hidden away where it was supposed to be. Because so far they were getting along just fine, and he was hoping to maybe become friends with this woman. She was cold and distant, yes, but that could change in time. And if not a friend then maybe an ally, that would always work.

How are you feeling? The fresh air helping any?

[Alyn]

She gave a shrug at his words, thats what they all said. Sure everonye would be fine in a moment, but how long was a moment? A moment could last forever if oyu're not careful. She gave an inward sigh catching his gesture out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over at him seeing his eyes. How beautiful they were, well in her mind at least. To keep from staring she quickly let her gaze fall to the floor as if she hadn't seen anything. She could feel his gaze upon her now but she didn't look up. When he spoke she felt it was probably okay to look up again and she did so. She gave a bit of a shrug at theese words too, the distance in her voice only half-heartedly returning.

"I guess it's helping, I'm fine."

She offered him a weak smile, truth be told, she didn't even believe herself. The facct was, ever since she woke up in this hellish place she had been feeling the tole of being some doctors science expiriment. Her lungs hurt, she couldn't eat much, though muscular she was still way to thin, and wounds didn't seem to want to heal propperly. She dropped her eyes to the floor again letting silence befalls them for a moment or two before taking in a deep breath as if about to speak but thinking better of it and just letting out a soft sigh. The thought of doctors poking and prodding and sticking needles in her made her shiver slightly. A few momre moments of silence ans she is no longer able to keep her mouth shut.

"I like your eyes."

She kept her eyes focused on the ground not daring to look up incase she had said something that might anger him. She did not one to prevoke his rage, she could only defend herself so well, and even just seeing him mad could scare her beyond the ability to function. Her one fear, men, was probably the worst fears a girl could have.

[Zane]

Zane looked at her curiously when she commented about her health. Something in her tone concerned him, there was something sad and melancholy about it, and he wondered just what had happened to her. What kind of torture had she been put through? Had it been something similar to his own, or was it maybe entirely different? He would have asked, but he figured that that would have been highly impolite, and so he just smiled and nodded. A neutral reply forming on his lips before he even had time to think about it. And this time he gazed at her warmly, though of course she couldn't see it, but maybe she could hear it in his voice? He enjoyed this girl's company, because she was distant but not bitter exactly, and she was incredibly intriguing as well.

Good, I'm glad.

He continued to smile until he heard her second comment; it almost came as an after thought. That was when his smile faltered and his whole being froze. She had seen his eyes then, he hadn't been quick enough after all. Zane couldn't help but let his gaze fall towards the ground, and with it went his posture as well, unnoticed to himself he slouched ever so slightly. He could feel a toxic kind of irritation buring in his chest, but he did his best to hold it back. His right hand balled into a fist but other than that he showed no signs of being even remotely angry. He had no right to be mad at her after all, what she had said hadn't been rude even in the slightest. But for some reason he still felt invaded, and that was what disturbed him the most. And had what she said even been true, or was it just a false comment meant to create small talk? Were her words just meaningless pleasantries, or had it really been true? If so than she would be the first, the first to like his eyes that is. Most people were disturbed, some people even disgusted, and so his shock over her comment was absolute. Above all else he hated liars, stupidity and brutality came in a close second, but liars he hated with a passion. And so when he spoke his tone was cool and clipped, he said no more than necessary, and certainly didn't have any friendly emotions to spare.

Do you mean that? If so then you're the first.

[Alyn]

She noticed him tensing up and knew she must have angered him. She looked to him out of the corner of her eye noting the clenched fist. She tried to restrain ehr fear but her eyes widened and she looked straight to him. She hoped that he wouldn't hurt her, she knew that others enjoyed to, everyone she met did. When he spoke again she winced slightly, not purpously, it was jsut she was expecting him to yell at her. His voice had changed though it was much colder, like her voice normally was. His question slowly registered in her mind, he was asking if she was serious? DO people really not like his eyes? She slowly looked back to him now more like a scared child than a strong young woman.

"Yeah i really do. And I think its crazy that anyone wouldn't. But maybe thats just because i'm some sort of freak that thinks anything unique is beautiful."

She tried to keep a warm friendly voice whe he spoke so coldly to her.

((oi, my brain is being drained by school... sry it sux))

[Zane]

((Sorry for the delay, and sorry if this post isn't great. I'm in pain right now, so my muse is kinda gone ))

Zane watched her for a moment, unblinking. The anger he felt faltered slightly when he saw how much fear her gaze held, and when he knew that the fear was for him. He could feel a slight stirring of shame deep within his heart; he hadn’t meant to frighten her, not really. And he hadn’t even threatened her, so why was she so worried? The faint irritation lingering beneath the surface, was that really enough to startle her so? She had changed from the cool and calmly independent figure that he had seen earlier, to something frighteningly vulnerable. Zane swallowed, with difficulty, finding that his throat had gone strangely dry. Finally he turned his gaze away from her, and allowed it to drift aimlessly, taking a moment to put his thoughts in order. When he finally spoke his tone was neutral again, not as cold as before, but not as jovial as it had been either. She didn’t deserve the cold shoulder, but he found that he could do little else right now. And anyway, he would never have claimed his social skills to be anything terribly brilliant either.

Unique? Sure, I guess you could call it that.

The wind was still howling around and through the Inn. Weaker now, but there still, and it whistled just loud enough to make itself heard. A crumpled piece of paper came rolling lazily down the street, bumping and sliding along the pavement. It was small and faded, but some of its colours could still be easily seen. Most likely it was an advertisement of some sort, and Zane almost laughed aloud at that thought. It was probably a car commercial, or a coupon to some giant mega market. A bitter reminder of what had been, of the society that now was nothing more than a sad memory. Back then everything had seemed ok. Sure, the environmental problems had been heaping up, and yeah, wars and violence had multiplied. But all in all they had been all right, and people had developed a habit of being blissfully ignorant of the big picture. The reality now thought was something entirely different, and so the inevitable question. Which was better in the end, had they really been happy back then, and could they really learn to survive in the midst of now?

You never told me your name. I’m Zane by the way.

[Alyn]

Though he had calmed down she was now tense and nervious. Her hands shook slightly and she clasped them behind her back to hide it. She tried to look calm but that didn't seem like it would work. She took her breaths in forcefully slow and let them out in a very controled manner. It was overly obvious to tell that she was frightened now, though she tired in vain to hide it. She listened as he spoke, they hadn't swaped names had they? Wow he had an interesting name, but well she had no room to talk her name was very out of the ordinary too. She didn't speak right away, afraid that her voice would be to shakey and nervious. Slowly she got of some osrt of courage to speak, her voice soft and a bit shakey.

"I'm Alyn."

After that her voice seemed to give out. She looked away from him and back down to her feet. She shifted against the wall a bit to be more comfortable but she couldn't bring herself to look back up at him. Though she hated to admit it, she was very scared. She tried to keep calm and controled and keep her breathing steady but it seemed to be getting harder and harder. She fought the fear to turn and run, she never ran and didn't want to start now. Hands became white knuckled as she squeezed them together whith a death grip.

((sorry i just cant write well today))