The sound of small footsteps against wood echoed through the tranquil night's air. Fenri's glowing crimson eyes were glued to his boots, watching them aimlessly propel his body forward, feeling detached from the entire process. Acting on their own, his legs had led him to the Jasumin Lake, almost as if they sensed that he deserved a bit of peace. Between being separated from his parents, slaughtering a family without knowledge, and learning he was now a vampire, peace was a rare commodity in his life as of late.

About halfway across the bridge his legs had decided they had enough, and he sat himself down, allowing his legs to dangle over the bridge, although they weren't quite long enough to reach water. Fen pulled the hood off of his head, freeing his snow white hair as he peered out over the lake,  staring at the reflections of the moons off of the still body of water. A fair amount of time had passed since what he was mentally named 'The Incident', yet the memory, seemingly waking up to the mangled image of a family he had never met, still stirred in his head as if it had happened only hours before. Since then he was on a quest to find his missing parents, or even the vampire that had tutored him in the ways of his new, albeit unwanted vampiric lifestyle, a quest that he had been so far extremely unsuccessful in, as people aren't exactly jumping at the chance to talk about vampires, never mind what may happen if people found out that he was one himself.

Yet, the silent nature of the lake at night allowed him some comfort, and allowed him a much needed moment to collect his thoughts. Through his time spent eavesdropping on others, fishing for any information that might aid him in his journey, he had learned about a nearby inn in which strange things were occurring. Although he doubted his vampire tutor nor his parents were responsible for the happenings, he was hoping that maybe he would find someone more willing to discuss his plight.

But before he was willing to do that, he wanted to take the opportunity to collect himself. Fenriz was close to getting back to a tranquil state, before the sound of footsteps caught his ears. He stood up, glancing around for a place to hide before realizing the bridge yielded none.

"S-stay back" he called out cautiously to the approaching presence "I'm a powerful mage and I'll… I'll light this whole bridge on fire!" 

"Is that so?"

He'd been wandering the length of the bridge, somewhat taking in the sights but for the most part ruminating over this and that - the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his presence in Parvpora in the first place for starters, as well as the events that had taken place thereafter. He often considered himself a lucky man, but there had been nothing fortunate about the portal that had rather rudely upended him from his business in Canelux and unceremoniously - not to mention painfully - deposited him a little ways south of Jasumin Lake, in the middle of godsforsaken nowhere.

But where he'd thought himself alone, he saw now this was clearly not the case.

Now that he looked closer, however, he found his surprise doubled. A boy? Appearances could be deceiving, and yet… Inhaling deeply through the nose, Frey shrugged and decided to oblige. He would keep his distance. For now. But that wouldn't stop him poking a little fun. Lifting his arms casually to the side, he smirked. "Why don't you go ahead and show me? From one mage to another, I'd absolutely love to witness such a display of raw power. In fact, your offer almost makes it tempting to not stay back."

Frey took a single step but stopped there, head tilted slightly to the side as he better observed the stranger before him. He made sure not to come off as malevolent - gentle teasing was the worst of his demeanour, by far.

For a split second, Fen believed his bluff had worked. He had made a demand that they keep their distance, and they had paused. Fen kept his hands raised, palms pointed toward the stranger, feigning as if he had sort of powerful spell, charged and ready to be unleashed, although the considerable shakiness in his arms might have been a bit of a giveaway. He took a small step toward the intruder, attempting to size them up, one of the few things he had gotten somewhat good at in his time alone. They were… considerably taller than he was. Outrunning them would've been a long shot, not that he had too many options to flee, anyway. But the most striking thing about them was their arm. There was no skin! How was that even possible…

Fen's concentration was broken, as the stranger almost immediately called his bluff.  From one mage to another… he thought to himself. Although he had yet to experience it first hand, his parents had filled his head with tales of the amazing things magic was capable of, and he knew that if this person meant him harm, he was certainly in trouble. Yet there was something… off, about the way his "opponent" talked. His young mind couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was but there was something about this individual's tone and stance that told him, he was not being taken seriously. Whether or not this was the intention, Fen definitely felt he was being mocked.

When his guest stepped forward, Fenriz quickly jumped back, in an attempt to keep his distance. Due to his frayed nerves his step backwards was taken in haste, and consequently wasn't a stable one, causing him to stumble over himself, landing flat on his behind.

"Oww…" he complained with a grimace, momentarily taking his easily distracted mind off of his predicament. Yet the moment was fleeting and as quickly as his small arms would allow him, once more with palms outstretched and face slightly red, embarrassed at having fallen over. Silently he hoped to himself that the low light shrouded that part.

"I-I'm being serious" his voice noticeably quivering due to some combination of fear and anger. Angry at the condecending tone the stranger took, or at least what he perceived as condescending. Fear out of having no real plan if this person really did turn out to be hostile. He barred his fangs, as a sort of last ditch intimidation tactic "I don't want to hurt, b-but I will! I'll take us both out!"

Things were warming up for the angel and her wolf companion. Soon, she was able to remove her warm cloak, carefully tucking it away in her pack. It was obvious she had stepped into a whole knew world. New sounds surrounded her. Chirps and tweets, feathered wings flapping. Yet, things seemed to be absent, such as the wind blowing through crystal clinks of icicles hanging off trees and the buildings of her home.

Somewhere in the distance, there was a rapid sound, so fast, not even a person's heart after a vigorous exercise could keep up. Rap-rap-rap! Squeaks and rustles of underbrush told her little creatures played along the floor. There was even the sound of dripping water here and there. "Oh, listen to those sounds, Zander!" The mentioned wolf pressed against her slightly as he began leading her forward.

It was partially a game to him, yet he knew that this was necessary. Bumping against the staff gripped tight in her hands, Zander could easily steer her any direction he required. In an emergency, the wolf would push against her legs, not to mention his barks or yips would help her access the type of situation he deemed it to be. Thus the pair of them walked long after night had fallen. Raziel had noted the quieting of nature, replaced by the gentle hum of some creature, like a little song, gentle and sweet for any to sleep by.

Lapping water was also very noticeable. Her boots went from crunching leaves to clicking against wood. Where the tip of her staff would find nothing in it's path, her hand would find a railing of sorts. Curiously, Raziel knelt down, and reached her hand as far below the structure as she could until she felt the surface of water. A bridge, then. Zander bit her clothing and pulled against her. Together they pressed on until there were words being passed between two people. Both male, one supremely young.

Even with the sound of something crashing to the bridge, the lavender haired angel felt confident that her wolf would let her know if something was wrong. As it was, he planted himself with a warning stance between her and the two males, judging and watching. "Um… I must ask, if there is to be any fighting… Could you perhaps wait until I pass, please?" she asked, in a voice only loud enough to be heard as she seemed to duck into herself, practically bowing her head to them in her shyness.

Ah. He'd overdone it. He could but blink in surprise as the other stumbled over himself. To his credit, the boy bounced back remarkably quick, but was just as hasty in picking up where he'd left off. This time around, Frey's doubt as to whether his appearance belied his age began to fade. With a pronounced sigh, he frowned and lightly pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd obviously erred and this was turning out to be more of a headache than he'd bargained for - and all that aside, it was an annoying reminder that he'd never been great with children.

Hand slumping to his side, he glanced over to the boy in question and was of half a mind to bare his own fangs - smaller though they were, but undeniably there - in return. But he'd been childish enough already. Time to clear the air.

"Look, kid," he started, but faltered upon the arrival of two more - a wolf and, more interestingly, a winged woman. Something about the wings in particular jolted him, scattering his thoughts and summoning faded memories. For now, he brushed those thoughts aside and offered a weary smile and an innocent show of hands slightly raised in surrender. "No, no," he continued, looking back and forth between Fen and Raziel, "I was just about to tell him how I didn't actually intend to bring him any harm. Just teasing, was all." That was the best apology the boy would get. 

But he wasn't quite done yet. Pinning a pointed stare on Fen, Frey shook his head. "By the way-" though he hardly considered himself to be the most apt in social situations himself "-I'm not sure threatening strangers is the best way to meet new people. It's bound to ruffle feathers, you know."

Fen was immediately distracted by the appearance of a new person. He shifted his entire body her direction, as he hastily began surveying the newcomer. The first thing that caught Fen's attention was her four-legged companion, a wolf staunchly keeping a barricade between the three of them. Fen locked eyes with the wolf, then looked back a Frey. He would rapidly shift his attention between the two "threats" several times before taking a defensive step back, one palm pointed at each of them, charging his faux spell.

The woman spoke, declaring her desire to pass by unharmed. The way she talked, and the way she carried herself almost, it almost seemed as if she was going out of her way to seem non-confrontational. This, combined with the fact that the wolf was doing no more than holding it's ground quickly convinced Fenriz that they were not a threat. Then he overheard Frey explain to her that he meant no harm. Although he wasn't as hasty to believe Frey's intentions, the raised hands were enough to bring Fen around. A brief moment would pass, before a realization clicked in his head. The only one being even remotely hostile, was himself. Embarrassed, he threw his hood back over his head, and shifted away from Frey's gaze, instead opting to stare into the water.

"Well sneaking up on people isn't a good way to make friends either" he muttered, crossing his arms with a huff. Although he would never say it aloud, even he had to admit he may have slightly overreacted this time. When he felt as though he could, he turned back toward his two new acquaintances. Feeling much less on edge, he took the time to examine the second of his guests. The first thing that caught his attention were the…wings? He went slightly wide eyed upon the realization. Between Frey's skeletal hand and her wings, Fen felt that for once, he wasn't the most unusual person in a group of people. He also noticed that she stood around his height. Perhaps he wasn't the youngest this time, either.

"Hey lady, are you a bird?" Fen asked with a tilted head, his curious side almost immediately overtaking his cautious one, as well as his tactful one, apparently "I don't think I've ever met a bird person before. Can you fly like them, too?"

Almost as if he had never been at odds with them, he started excitedly chatting away.

"What are you guys even doing here, anyway? Can't you tell how dark it is? Bad stuff tends to happen to people at night, you know. You could get attacked by bad guys, or even eaten by a wild animal. My mom once told me that the most dangerous animals come out at night"

Fen would continue to ramble, bouncing his gaze between the both of them, becoming increasingly animated as he described every situation these obviously inexperienced travelers could meet a grizzly fate, if they weren't careful like he was. After listing off a few more examples, ranging from goblins to swamp monsters, he suddenly grew quiet. Staring at the ground in a low voice, he said "Also you guys know there are vampires out there, right? You don't know anything about vampires, do you?"

The older one, and obviously the farther of the two, said he was just teasing. Raziel was having difficulties identifying whether or not it was an honest statement. Having just met them, it was hard to judge anything on character. There was too much missing information. Old scolded the young, yet it wasn't harsh like it could have been. A small smile played with the corner of her lips as she barely made out the muttered words.

"To be fair, you could startle me quite easily." It was the closest she ever got to outright pointing out her disadvantage, her deformity to strangers in the first five minutes of meeting them. Although, it was quite situational as to how successful someone was to actually sneaking up on her. This time, however, proved to be quite the exception. While she had been talking about physically startling her with a surprise attack, be it friendly or not, the young boy asked a question she had never heard before.

Blinking, even if it was a bit unnecessary, her smile spread as the single question turned into a flood. It was obvious he was quite young, and still very curious as to his world. "No, I am an angel. Well, half anyway. My wings work, but I can't fly." To demonstrate, she spread her wings, flapped them once before tucking them back behind her. It was her lack of vision which prevented proper flight. Content with the lowering of tension, Zander plopped down, lounging in a relaxed position, his tongue hanging out as he panted, tail thumping against the bridge. Raziel chuckled as he continued on about the dark and the dangers lurking within the shadows.

She lifted a hand, as if to catch his words and halt his train of thought. With his quiet voice when talking about vampires, Raziel wondered what he knew about the subject. It was obviously a sensitive topic for him. "Slow down and I'll explain. You see," 'Odd choice of words.' "I… I've never traveled from home before." Before she could allow herself to fall into another bout of uncertain doubt, the angel went to take a step. Unfortunately, Zander's paw was in the way and could not be moved in time since he was not anticipating her sudden decision to move. Once more, she face planted, her staff clanking against the bridge. She groaned as she heard a splash, her wolf bark as he picked himself up and darted after it, splashing into the lake as well.

He checked the urge to quirk a brow. The kid had a point, even if it had hardly been Frey's intention to 'sneak,' per se. A slow smile dawned across the aerkai's features as Fen turned away. Things were going to be all right, it seemed. He took a moment to himself to calm his own nerves, and then looked upon his company anew - only to find the boy was thinking much along the same lines.

Silence featured now between the three, and Frey wondered idly as to whether he ought to break it or if he were better off to be on his way. But curiosity, his ever present and staunchest of companions, stayed him. What were a boy and a tiny lady doing out at this time of night? The girl, at least, had the wolf, but the child…

And yet, he was the braver of them, launching off into conversation with a sudden confidence. It reminded him of someone…

… but who?

"Can't fly?" he echoed in quiet surprise, dragging himself from his musings. What was the point of having wings, then? Evolution gone wrong? Some other reason? Suppose it wasn't his business but he couldn't help wondering all the same. It didn't matter, in the end - Fen's flood of questions dashed that particular train of thought rather effectively.

Monsters, eh? He might've had some say in the matter, and was about to pipe up, but Raziel beat him to the punch.

And then face planted rather fabulously. Ten out of ten. Wow.

"Miss, are you all right?" he asked, having at once hurried beside her. He knelt and offered her his good, normal hand up. "Better that your staff went over than you, at least." Silver linings in everything… Glancing over at Fen, Frey grinned and shook his head whimsically. "Y'know, your mother was probably right about the dangers of creatures that go bump in the night… but if you ask me, there's a lot scarier than vampires out there, formidable though they certainly can be. But if you know there's so much out and about, what brings you out here all alone?"

(Never mind that he had yet to answer the question himself.)

With drooping shoulders, Fen's body betrayed any attempt to mask his disappointment. He sighed heavily and elected not to press the issue, despite the fact that for one brief moment, his small heart wanted nothing more than to see a person fly. Yet despite being unsatisfied with her response, the fact that she was she called herself an angel did not go over his head. Fen's parents only occasionally talked about angels, and when they did it was always brief, and rarely positive. He wasn't certain if angels were supposed to be one of the dangers they had warned him about, but if this is what all angels are like, than there's no way they could be a threat, right?

Any doubt that he may have had about the great angel threat was immediately removed the moment she stepped forward.

The moment after face met bridge, Fen tried his hardest not to laugh. This was not a battle he was destined to win, and it wasn't long before restrained snickering turned to full blown laughter, seemingly forgetting that the same thing had happened to only moments earlier. Try as he might, he couldn't convince his body to stop. This was, after all, the first reason the boy had been given reason to smile in a fairly long time, much less laugh, even if this moment had to come at someone else's expense.

The laughing fit was short-lived, and upon opening his eyes again he was immediately struck with a twinge of guilt. He noticed the staff she was carrying was nowhere to be seen, nor was the wolf. Once a quick glance around revealed that the furred creature was in the water, he had his suspicion, but Frey confirmed what Fen feared. The staff had been lost to the lake. Fen would follow Frey's lead and also kneel down beside her, dropping to both knees before placing a small but gentle hand on her shoulder like his parents had done for him in situations where he didn't feel his best. He wanted to say something comforting like they might have, but only a sheepish "I'm sorry" left his lips, any other words lost among the remorse he felt.

It was just as well, as Frey started speaking to him again. Hearing him speak about there being more frightening things than vampires brought him an odd sense of comfort to the young vampire. Whether it was intentional or not, Frey had done a great deal in setting his mind at ease, though this too was brought to an abrupt end.

What brings you out here all alone?

It wasn't as if he had a choice, after all. Traveling while it was light out was deadly to him and traveling with a companion was an equally dangerous prospect, at least in his experiences, little though they may be. Yet, how to explain that was an unknown, at least without revealing what he actually was. And although this group had been kinder than most so far, this wasn't a secret he was willing to spill yet. A brief silence proceeded Frey's question before he spoke

"Well uh…" he stammered "My brand of magic is special, and it doesn't work when the sun is out, so I have to travel by night"

Seemingly learning nothing, he returned to the mage bluff once more. And much like before, his voice wavered with uncertainty "I was uh… cursed! And if I go out during the day, I could die. I mean… lose my magic… forever!"

He took a deep breath before speaking, and when he did open his mouth again, his voice was a bit more steady "Do you guys know anything about a Silver Wheel? I was on my way to investigate some of the strange stuff that people say has been going on there. It's kind of strange that adults sleep at a wheel, now that I think about it. But I'm hoping to find someone that can tell me more about my… curse"

There was a harsh sound, of laughter being caught and sputtering against the throat as it was stifled. There was also the thudding of boots as they slapped against the wood. She could feel the vibrations of the man beneath her with each step. Eventually, the laughter won, turning into a pure sound full of joy, a bright light of happiness in the dark. Unintentionally ignoring the proffered hand, Raziel slowly pushed herself up until she was sitting upon her ankles.

Gingerly, she reached up and touched her nose. "I'll be fine. Thank you," the angel said politely, and then joked about her situation while revealing her age. "One would think after nine decades, I'd be accustomed to walking." From out of nowhere, something touched her shoulder, causing her to involuntarily jump, eyes widened with shock and fear momentarily until the boy's apology calmed her nerves. She could make out the fingers now, and it was her turn to blush deep crimson with embarrassment, and turned to appear as if she was staring away from them. It wasn't stupid to be startled when a random object injects itself into her realm of senses, yet, she knew it wasn't normal for people to be startled when people touched them.

Silently, she listened to the broken explanation. Taking his youth into account, Raziel's mind ran through several thought processes. First and foremost, children are very prone to lying, especially if they're trying to hide something. Then he started stumbling over certain words. The wolf's splashing began to fade as he swam back the way they had come. In the company of these two, she wasn't too worried, just hoped he had recovered her staff. With a sad smile, Raziel turned her head slightly toward the boy.

"If I tell you something I don't admit to others, would you answer me a question?" While she continued to ponder the correct path to go, it dawned on her that none of them knew her name, and vise versa. "I'm Raziel, by the way… And my wolf is Zander." Without waiting for his answer to her request, the angel decided to give him the information regardless. "The reason I can't fly is because…" Faltering, hesitating, Raziel swallowed, her hands fidgeting in her lap. "I can't see." There, she said it, albeit a little rushed in the end. But she finally admitted to strangers her biggest downfall.