[Baconwizard]

The forest was silent, just barely lit by the stars gleaming overhead like soft glitter. The moon was hidden tonight, and it was the perfect time to see the meteor shower. It was cold, and Freylan gathered her cloak around herself, trying to keep the little warmth she had trapped close to her. Her breath puffed out in the air, and she watched the steam dissipate as her feet carried her along the path that she knew so well. Tonight was the meteor shower, and Freylan wanted to get to her special viewing spot. It was tucked away in the mountains, far away from any of the villages, but it had the best view of the stars.

Freylan slowed as she neared the clearing, carefully pushing her way through the thick trees, moving so that her cape and skirts wouldn't catch on the branches.

[zapdragon555]

It would likely surprise her that someone had already taken up temporary residence in her special clearing. Clivius sat on what looked like a wooden box, his eye pressed close to the end of a telescope pointed at the glittering sky. A book sat precariously perched open on one of his legs, the other books set neatly on the grass. Occasionally, his eye would leave the telescope to look at the book, as his hand would scribble down a few things in pencil on the old paper, before quickly turning his gaze back to the sky. He didn't seem to notice Freylan right away as she neared the clearing, for he was far too engrossed in his work, but as he heard a faint rustling in the woods behind him, he tensed, jumping slightly.

He'd been told that there could be beasts in the mountains, yes, that's what his father had told him. Mostly deer and rabbits, but there had been word that a fearsome wolf could be lurking in the shadows, or perhaps a mountain lion. Quaking at the thought, Clivius shifted to turn around a bit better to face the woods, then gasped audibly as the book fell through his lap and he scrambled to catch it.

[Baconwizard]

There was... there was a person! In her secret stargazing spot! Freylan's breath caught in her throat, and she quickly ducked behind a tree, her slender body allowing her to hide in the tree's shadow. Her mind spun, and for a moment all she was able to hear was her thumping heartbeat. Why was there a person there? A human person! Freylan's grandmother had always told her scary stories about humans, and how they would turn on vampires and kill them. Freylan shuddered, clutching at the tree. She hadn't expected a human to appear this high up in the mountains. What was he even doing?

Carefully, the vampire girl peeked out from behind the tree, and she stared at the human for a while. He was a male, or at least Freylan thought he was. He was staring up at the stars... and then writing stuff in a book. Freylan had a lot of books about stars, but they were all very old, and Freylan was afraid of turning the pages sometimes, for fear that they would crumble. That book looked new. A little curious now, Freylan inched forward, trying to see better.

[zapdragon555]

Clivius had by now recovered himself and deemed the woods quiet enough to not worry too much about what could be lurking in the shadows. Not too much. He turned back to the telescope, rolling a pencil between his fingers, his shoulders barely slackening as he relaxed again. Of course, he knew he wasn't supposed to be out here, so he couldn't fully relax at all. But his spine didn't look so tense, his knuckles not so white with tension...

Until he heard a twig snap in the woods and his heart leapt into his throat. "What in God's name," he breathed out quickly, whirling around to stare at the woods, squinting without his glasses. After a moment he fumbled for his glasses and slipped them on his face, his hands shaking as he got to his feet off the box, and stared at the woods. "H-hello?" he called, wondering if perhaps it could be another person. That would certainly be favorable to some terrifying beast.

[Baconwizard]

Oh no. Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! He had heard her! He was going to come after her! Fear swelled up inside of Freylan's chest, making it hard to breathe; meteor shower or not, Freylan couldn't stay here. She had to run, and run fast, if she wanted to return to her secluded cabin without the human man following her. Choking down a little cry, Freylan spun around to flee into the trees. The fleeing didn't happen as planned, for Freylan tripped on the long hem of her dress and fell face-first onto the leaf covered ground with a startled cry.

[zapdragon555]

Clivius jumped as he heard the sound of a startled exclamation and a thump, and he blinked rapidly. That definitely sounded like a human. "H-hey! Wait, I'm not going to hurt you!" he called, keeping his voice soft as to not startle the person further. He made his way towards the woods, picking over the tall grass with some difficulty. He paused for a moment, realizing he really couldn't be sure this person was safe to be around, anyway. Sure, they sounded like they'd just fallen and possibly hurt themselves, but... Clivius frowned, suddenly a bit wary, and he clutched the cross around his neck as he hurried towards the woods. "Hello?" he called, much softer, unable to see much in the dark of the trees.

[Baconwizard]

Freylan gasped as she heard the voice right behind her, and she struggled to get back up on her feet. In her haste, her feet caught on her hem again, and Freylan tumbled back to the ground. Giving up, Freylan crawled on her hands and knees, ducking behind a thick trunk of trees. "P-please go away!" She squeaked, her voice raising high with alarm.

Freylan ducked back behind the safety of the tree, hoping that the darkness would give her a little camouflage. She had read that human's couldn't see as well in the dark, and she hoped that it was true. Her heart pounded with the shaking rush of adrenaline coursing through her veins. Freylan hadn't ever been so close to a human before, not for a long, long time. He was so tall, and his eyes were hidden behind two frames. Weren't they called eyeglasses? Freylan caught herself, and she shook her head, forcing herself to focus on the immediate danger in front of her.

[zapdragon555]

Clivius froze and straightened up at the person's words--he could tell it was a girl, now, that or a child, which was also possible, but it sounded like a young woman. Go away? Well... he could certainly do that, but... Clivius squinted in the dark, hoping to at least catch a glimpse of whoever was speaking to him, to see if she was alright. "A-are you certain you're alright?" he called, nervously tugging at his necklace, and he finally let it go, clasping his hands together at his front instead. "I-it sounded like you fell... Miss...?"

[Baconwizard]

Freylan shuddered as she heard the human speak, and she huddled against the trunk of the tree. It was so... different than she imagined a human voice to be like. It wasn't growling or scary at all. It actually kind of sounded worried. Freylan blinked, then shifted, trying to hide better. Even if this weird human was worried for some reason, she still was terrified! "I-I'm fine!" She squeaked, peeking out from behind the tree to see if the human was still there. She gasped, and ducked back, realizing he was still looking at her. "Y-you're––you're in m-my... my, um, stargazing spot..." Freylan's voice ducked into a mumble, and she flushed, a little embarrassed.

[zapdragon555]

"Your..." Clivius began to echo her, and he stopped short, blinking rapidly. "Y-your stargazing spot? Me?" He paused, dithering for a moment, then crept a tiny bit closer to the tree and squatted down on the other side of it from her, staring at the bark as if he were facing her. "Um... well, I didn't know that at all. I'm very sorry; I just assumed it was just a nice clearing on the mountaintop. Do you live nearby?" he asked, then cut off, realizing he was asking far too many questions to a poor, frankly quite frightened, stranger. "Um, sorry, y-you don't have to answer that..." He thought for a long moment, then sat down in the leaves with his back to the tree, deciding such a thing would be safe. "A-anyway, I'm Clivius. Clivius Amentia... ah, I can leave very soon, if you like, I just need to finish mapping out a few things."

[Baconwizard]

Freylan shuffled back as she heard the human come closer, but her instinct to run had faded, just slightly. She clutched at her chest, her heart fluttering underneath the folds of her dress like a frightened bird. Eyes wide, she looked at the tree with a startled expression, her mouth parted slightly as if she was trying to find the words to respond to the human. "Um..." A little overwhelmed by Clivius Amentia's questions, and his stumbling apologies, Freylan looked down at the ground to figure out what to say. There was a pause, where the nightly sounds of the forest began to trickle back into Freylan's awareness, and she took a deep breath, glancing back at the tree. "Wh-what... are you mapping?"

[zapdragon555]

Clivius listened to the girl move around, and he settled back against the tree, feeling the rough, uneven bark through his cloak. He blinked at her question, then smiled, a little spark of interest flashing into his eyes. "Oh, I've been mapping the movement of the stars over the year!" he exclaimed, keeping his voice soft regardless; in the quiet forest, he felt the need to be softspoken, and Freylan's quiet voice was no exception. "See, I-I know that's already been done, but... I just, sort of wanted to do it for myself. I-it seemed like it would be a fun thing to do. And plus I get my exercise coming up here from the town, and..." he trailed off, realizing he was rambling and chattering on, and he cleared his throat, his cheeks coloring as he fell into silence. "Ah... yes. I-I suppose it's a bit strange."

[Baconwizard]

Freylan listened to Clivius talk, the tension slowly releasing from her shoulders as she leaned against the thick tree trunk. She looked down at the leaves, which were cloaked with shadows, and Freylan shook her head. Realizing that Clivius couldn't see her in her hiding spot, Freylan straightened, a little embarrassed at herself. "N-no, um... I don't... think it's all that strange." Freylan breathed deeply, trying to keep her thoughts from spinning out of control, and she closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them, she glanced at the tree trunk, wondering what Clivius's expression was like. Freylan hadn't gotten a good glimpse of his face from before; she had been too caught up in the moment to really look. "I-I... have books w-with maps of the stars, b-but I've never done it myself..."

[zapdragon555]

Clivius relaxed slightly at her first words, bringing a hand up to touch his cheek as he leaned his head against the tree bark with a quiet thump. His eyes widened at her next words, and he sat up straighter, glancing over his shoulder. "R-really?" he gasped, then blinked, realizing he didn't want to scare her by looking, and quickly faced forward again. "Ah, but that's wonderful... how old are they? Do you know the author?" he asked, a smile spreading over his face in carefully controlled excitement. To meet someone else who owned books like that... Clivius' heart was beating fast, half from happiness and half from the feeling of getting away with something. Oh, he really wasn't supposed to be out here, but he was very glad he came this night.

[Baconwizard]

Freylan tensed as Clivius grew a little louder, and she shrunk back against the tree. "N-no, I-I don't think I've met them!" She squeaked, her voice growing a little thin. Freylan took a deep breath, trying to calm the flutter of her heart within her chest. The vampire girl was silent, and she looked down at her hands, then at the tree, where Clivius was sitting. There was a slight stirring within her, and she opened her mouth, taking the initiative to continue the conversation. "The––the books I have are r-really old... One is falling apart, actually..." Freylan let out a breath, then continued, speaking a little faster so that she wouldn't run out of courage. "So... so the stars have changed a bit, b-but it's interesting to look back and see what people used to see..."