[MillietheWarrior]

(New Human form Ref)

Sevella had to admit, this plan wasn’t all that well thought-through.

The clothing she was wearing felt itchy and uncomfortable; she wasn’t used to being confined like this, and she had to stop to pluck at the blue striped t-shirt and dark brown shorts she’d manage to snag from a nearby human’s clothing line. The shorts were too big, and they kept slipping down her hips, and they made walking awkward. The shirt was a size too small, and felt constraining and confining. She let out a low growl as she plucked again at the shirt that rode up her stomach, not realizing she’d picked out a teen shirt and a pair of men’s shorts (But how exactly could she have known? She’d never been to the human’s city or village before). The scent of the city were all intermingled and confusing, and the sights and sounds were overwhelming. More than once she’d had to clap her hands over her sensitive ears to keep out the noise around her.

She’d received no small amount of odd looks from passerby (not to mention the unnoticed leers of the men who found the teen shirt she wore highly appealing), but she didn’t dare ask them for directions. She doubted they’d know where Sage and Cye lived anyway. Growling to herself, Sevella lifted her head and scented the air, sifting through the various city smells and searching for the ones she wanted. Silently, Sevella reflected that maybe keeping Sage and Cye in the dark about a visit from her wasn’t the best idea; if they’d known, they could’ve given her directions. Or warned her about the strange things she’d encounter in their village. She couldn’t imagine anyone living in such huge huts, or the way the metal contraptions that appeared to have swallowed whole families zoomed about on something that vaguely resembled crushed rocks.

The sidewalk was hot on her bare feet, but she was used to things like that, so she didn’t pay it much mind. When she passed a hot dog vendor, she stopped to sniff the meat, lips curling in distaste when she realized that it wasn’t anything resembling the meat she was used to. It was some sort of weird human food, and she turned up her nose at it as she continued on her way, catching the faint, familiar scent of Sage nearby. He smelled like the forest, and flowers and so distinctly familiar that it wasn’t hard for her to zone in on him. She bypassed a gawking, whispering group of teenagers, who pointed at her tattoos and then at her shirt as if it was the oddest thing they’d ever seen, and continued down the street until she came to a large building. It looked like all the others; cold, lifeless, and empty. But upon closer inspection, she found that there were little platforms, much like the ones in the trees at home, settled on the sides of the building, and on those platforms, various people, and items sat or went about their business, oblivious to their surroundings.

And upon one of those platforms, Sevella could distinctly see the back of a familiar blonde head. She gave another sniff to assure herself that it was, indeed Sage, before she looked around for something to get his attention. Spying a bit of gravel near the stoop of the apartments, Sevella gathered them into her hand, and proceeded to climb up on top of the bolted down, city garbage can, standing on her tiptoes and reeling back with her arm, before hurling one of the rocks towards the platform. With a loud ‘clunk’ it hit the wood of the balcony and bounced off. “Sage!” she cried exuberantly, earning a few stares and curious looks, as well as leers and lecherous smiles, from the passerby as she bounced and waved and threw another rock. This one was aimed perfectly, and not only bounced off of Sage’s head, but bounced along the balcony and made quite a bit of racket. “Sage, Sage! It’s me! I came to see you! How do I get up there?” She giggled to herself, suppressing a bark of excitement; he would be so happy to see her, she was sure of it. She was happy to see him and Cye, but mostly Sage. She couldn’t wait to see his face!

[Jessari]

It had been a slow Sunday. A steady breeze kept the worst of the heat at bay, keeping the temperature at cozy, dozy level that had cats happily sunning themselves all over the city.

The cats weren't the only ones feeling carefree and lazy. Sage stretched, rolling onto his back to allow the sun to reach his bare chest and face. This was his favorite kind of day, when nature worked in harmony to clear the city haze and brush everything with shades of gold. Although he would have preferred to experience such a day in the midst of a forest rather than on a small balcony with a single potted palm, Sage still enjoyed the peaceful, energizing feeling the sunlight sent humming through his veins.

There were matching chairs on either side of him. One was empty; Cye had gone for takeout a few minutes ago. The other was filled with the lanky form of Rowen Hashiba. Although his face was turned away from Sage, Sage could hear the soft, even breathing that told him the other man had fallen asleep. Sage wasn't surprised. With the reopening of the Netherworld, they'd all found themselves with more work than they could handle. Juggling their civilian jobs while acting as the city's 'supernatural police' was beginning to wear them down.

He eyed Rowen, wondering how the blue-haired man was coping; Cye was fairly easy to read, but Rowen tended to hide his emotions behind a curtain of sarcasm and wit. As he pondered, the other man twitched restlessly in his sleep.

"Applejack took my muffins! Give em...ngh..."

Well, that's what he got for watching endless My Little Pony reruns with the toddlers at the daycare center. Sage snorted back a laugh, then leaned back and closed his eyes. he wasn't supposed to be worrying today. Today was supposed to be a day for resting, relaxing, and recharging. The sun was shining, and he was going to take advantage of every second of it. He'd just begun to doze off himself when a rock clattered across the balcony.

"Sage!"

He knew that voice, although this was the last place he'd expected to hear it. He sat up just in time to give the second thrown rock a place to land. "Ow, hey!" he protested, rising to lean over the balcony. There was no mistaking that blue hair, those eyes. It was the healer wolf-woman, looking as out of place in the middle of his city as a snowball in July. He grinned back at her, but the smile faded as his sharp eyes lit upon the other people in the street. They were probably harmless; this wasn't a bad part of town, per se, but he still didn't like the looks they were giving her.

"Hang on. I'll be right down."

"Eh, whut's going on?" Despite the disturbance, Rowen hadn't moved but to throw an arm across his eyes. With his low blood sugar, along with the long hours they were all keeping, Rowen was harder to wake up than a bear in midwinter.

"It's Sevella." At the lack of response, Sage continued, "Remember? The demon Cye and I chased into the forest?"

"She's a demon?"

Sage rolled his eyes. "No, she's the lady who healed me, idiot."

That, apparently, was enough to spark Rowen's interest. As the blue-haired man began to crawl into a sitting position, Sage ducked back into the apartment. He tossed on a Hawaiian shirt, not bothering to button it before taking the steps down to the apartment's front door three at a time. He told himself he was only rushing to get her inside so the men on the corner could stop undressing her with their eyes, but he couldn't keep the smile from his face as he opened the door and waved her in.

"I didn't think you meant it when you said you might stop by for a visit."

[MillietheWarrior]

Sevella clambered (Gracefully clambered, of course) down from her trash can, hiking her shorts back up when they began to dip a little low. She clenched her fingers in the fabric as she bounced on the balls of her very bare feet, ignoring the somewhat weirded out look of a woman who hustled by as quickly as she could. She was glad Sage remembered her; she’d been a bit worried he might be displeased to see her, or have forgotten her altogether (She wasn’t sure how often they met wolf shifters or women with blue hair, but she couldn’t be too sure). Sevella couldn’t quite figure out where Sage had gone as she was climbing down from the trash can; one minute he’d been on the balcony, telling her he’d be right down, and the next, all she saw was dark blue hair and a sleepy expression on an unfamiliar face.

Why didn’t he just jump down? That would’ve been faster. She was still gazing up at the balcony curiously when a door opened to the hut, and Sevella jumped back a little in surprise. Her eyes shifted suspiciously to the balcony, before going back to the door, and then landing on Sage. “Wouldn’t it have been quicker to jump down?” she inquired curiously, padding silently across the hot cement and bouncing up the steps. She stepped passed him, looking around curiously. “Your huts are as plain on the inside as the outside,” she commented, eyeing the plain colored walls. There were no furs or feathers or crafted decorations made by hand. Just potted plants (which reached out to her with a limited consciousness to assure that they liked their pots) and strange pictures and plain colors.

Curiosity forgotten, Sevella turned to glance over her shoulder, smiling brightly. “Oh yes! I’ve always wanted to see how humans live. I have to admit, this place is like nothing I ever dreamed it would be. Did you know there are giant monsters rolling around outside? They seemed to have swallowed whole families of humans!” But she didn’t seem all that concerned about the ‘swallowed humans’ as she reached out and tugged on his (oddly patterned) shirt. “How have you been? Have you been faring well? How is Cye? And Rowen and Akira/ I have not met them yet, but I am curious to know if they are doing well. I have been very eager to come visit you. I’m so sorry I couldn’t come sooner, but I was only recently relieved of my duty as healer.” Her face fell slightly, but her smile returned almost immediately, if a little less brightly.

“Anyway…It was a bit difficult finding you. And I had to…procure human clothes when I reached the city. There are so many smells here, it was hard sifting through them to find yours. But you are unique, and it didn’t take me all that long to locate you.” She tugged on her pants, looking displeased. “But I have to say, your human clothes are very uncomfortable. I prefer to wear what I had on before.” Which was basically nothing, but it was probably better not to mention that. “I saw another person on your platform outside. Is that Rowen? Is Cye up there as well?” She sniffed the air, as if it would tell her exactly what she needed to know.

“His scent is stale. Is he gone?” Sevella tugged lightly on his shirt, her eyes glowing with excitement. She couldn’t quite believe she’d finally managed to infiltrate and explore the human world successfully, and she’d also successfully found Sage and would be able to spend more time with him. She couldn’t help but be excited. “So is this where you live? It is very…different.”

[Jessari]

"It would've been faster, sure," he answered with a faintly amused smile on his lips, "but the majority of humankind can't make a jump like that without injuries. If I did so, it might attract unwanted attention. Living in the city isn't quite as simple as living in the forest."

As he led her up the steps, he looked briefly over her ensemble. Speaking of unwanted attention... In the forest, he'd only been a little unsettled by her lack of clothing. It was something he'd never say out loud for fear of being mocked, but as a creature of the forest, it had seemed a natural thing. Here in the city, however, Sage was painfully aware of what people might think of a woman dressed as she was.

Sevella's questions interrupted his ponderings. "Those were cars," he said, a smile in his voice. "They are, uh, machines we use for transportation. And this is an apartment, not a hut." Man, having her here was like Akira all over again. He wondered briefly how the two women would get along, and if Sevella would even be capable of seeing Akira. His own armor, so attuned to the supernatural, allowed him to see the Dreamwalker, but would a Healer have the same capability?

"Rowen and Akira are fine, as well as Cye and myself. I think Akira's busy working today, and Cye is out getting food. He'll be back soon, and I know he'll be excited to see you. We've missed you. Rowen's upstairs, by the way, so you'll be meeting him soon. "

Sage reached out and squeezed her arm, offering her a sympathetic smile. "I know how much being a healer meant to you. I'm sorry you had to give it up." It was hard seeing the melancholy expression on her face, and even though it vanished almost immediately, he knew the thought still lurked in her mind. "So now you're free to explore the world, right?" A sudden thought crossed his mind, along with a slight furrowing of his brow. "Unless you've found someone to settle down with since we met."

"If you'd like," he offered, "I think we might be able to find some clothes that fit you a little better. Something that fits would be more comfortable, I bet." In a house full of guys, there wasn't going to be anything stylish and feminine to choose from, but he was sure Sevella wouldn't notice. As for underclothes, that tiny shirt could double as a bra, and...no, he wasn't even going to think about underwear right now. That issue she could sort out on her own, if she felt the need.

"Welcome to our humble home." Sage opened the door, stepping aside to let her access their apartment. Considering three men lived there, it wasn't as cluttered as it could've been. Cye was a habitual cleaner, so the worst she would see would be randomly discarded socks and shoes, along with a tangle of cords and game controllers sticking out from beneath the tv. A sofa sat in the middle of the room, a crumpled throw blanket half-stuffed in the cushions, and the end table was piled with magazines and overdue library books.

Rowen had turned the radio to his favorite oldies' station, where Kansas was singing 'Carry On, My Wayward Son'. The bathroom door was closed, but didn't quite block out the sound of Rowen singing along as he conducted his business.

[MillietheWarrior]

“That makes sense,” Sevella quipped. “And you’re telling me. Nothing about this place seems as simple as I’m used to. It’s all…complicated.” She made a vague hand gesture, her face shifting into a scowl for a brief moment as she fluttered her fingers. She followed his gesture as he opened the door, peering around him curiously before stepping inside. “Cars? Ah, I see. Like horses but…large, and see through and hungry for people.” She nodded to herself, content with her own explanation. She still didn’t quite understand why the humans would allow themselves to be swallowed up in such a manner. And how did they get out? It didn’t sound pretty. She didn’t think asking Sage about it would yield an explanation she could comprehend right now and she didn’t want to bother him with unnecessary questions.

“I missed both of you as well; that was the most excitement I’ve had in ages. As harrowing as the experience was, I can’t deny that I had fun. And of course, something good came out of something bad, didn’t it?” She slanted him a smile, her magenta eyes flashing with amusement. “I met the two of you.” She wouldn’t have ever dared or dreamed of going into the mortal world on her own, without even a reference point to jump off of. Being a part of a secluded and uninformed tribe didn’t exactly prepare one for such a sensory overload. Sevella’s face fell briefly when he mentioned her former position among her tribe.

“It’s all right. I’ve always known it would happen sooner or later. I had just hoped it would be later rather than sooner. But it has allowed me more freedom than I’ve ever been used to. And I’m not so tired anymore; when I was a healer, I had a constant demand and drain on my energy, but now…it’s not there, so I don’t have problems with my health waxing an waning like it used to.” Her dark expression lifted, and a smile curved along her lips. “As free as a bird. And no,” she added, her eyes glinting with mischief. “I haven’t yet found anyone to ‘settle down with.’ I’m still looking though.” She shot him a relatively coy smile over the curve of her shoulder as she moved into the apartment, her eyes taking in the strange sights before her.

It wasn’t like anything she’d ever seen before; there was some sort of large, elevated cushion (the couch) and some weird, stringy black vines, and a large square metal thing, and a variety of other odds and ends (including something she recognized as a sock) scattered around the apartment, as Sage called it. She couldn’t help the urge to press her fingers into the cushions of the couch. It was as soft as some of the stuffed furs she had in her own hut, and she plopped down on it with a sigh. “I wouldn’t mind some clothes that fit a little better. These are…well…I hate to admit it, but I took them from the home of some human woman who was hanging them out to dry. Maybe if I get new clothes, I can return these to her. I am certain she is probably missing them terribly.”

She laughed lightly, pressing her fingers into the sofa again and ten patting the armrest. “This is very comfortable,” she commented offhandedly, before her eyes darted up to Sage, and then to the little radio that was emitting a strange noise that sounded like singing, and then the door of the bathroom, where an answering voice mimicked the song. “It’s hardly humble, Sage,” Sevella commented sliding from the couch with lupine grace and stalking towards the door of the bathroom. Her ears twitched, and she narrowed her eyes slightly. “That is not a voice I know.” She glanced at Sage over her shoulder. “Is he an intruder? Shall I chase him from your apartment? His singing is horrible.” She winced at the sound of Rowen’s voice, flexing her hands and the clawed tips of her sharpening nails as if she dearly wanted to scratch through the door and strangle the bad singer on the other side. “Maybe I can give him some singing lessons. If he‘s going to howl in such a manner, he should at least try to keep a proper pitch.”

[Jessari]

"And no, I haven’t yet found anyone to ‘settle down with.’ I’m still looking though.”

Although a tilt of his head and a quiet 'hmph' was his only acknowledgment of her answer, there was a small, pleased curve to his lips as he led her into the apartment. Sage closed the door and leaned against it, crossing his arms and watching as she explored. He'd thought of her often since they'd parted ways, although he didn't care to admit it. There had been so many questions he hadn't had a chance to ask, questions about her village, her culture. However, it hadn't merely been their cultural differences that had her visiting his thoughts on an almost daily basis.

"There hasn't been any more attacks on the forest, have there? I'm guessing you would have mentioned it by now if there had, but..." He shifted, blond hair falling to cover one of his eyes as an unsettled expression crossed his face. "There's been more activity in the city recently than there has been in years. We've seen it worse, but," he paused, blew out a breath, "we'd thought that was all over with." It didn't seem quite fair, after all the work they'd done to stop Talpa.

Sage stretched, giving a little huff of a laugh as he moved toward one of the bedrooms. "That's just Rowen. And to be completely fair, I don't know too many people who can hit those high notes. I'll be back in a sec."

Within the bathroom, the sound of the faucet running cut off, and a second later the door opened to reveal Rowen, clad only in a pair of boxer shorts. His blue eyes widened as he took in the sight before him, but he recovered quickly. With a smile eerily similar to some of the ones Sevella had received on the streets, he greeted her with a "Hellooo gorgeous!"

[MillietheWarrior]

Sevella straightened, ears still twitching with displeasure until Rowen’s voice finally cut itself off. “No, there haven’t been any attacks. I’ve told the warriors in my village about them, and about how to kill them. They shouldn’t have too much trouble if they work together. And the new healer is very competent; he will be able to sense any of the creatures if they pass through the borders of our forest. I have left my tribe in very capable hands.” She smiled wistfully, her lashes lower as she stared at her hand, and the tattoos there that had faded considerably since her descent from the rank of healer.

She still retained her powers, and her strength, but nature no longer spoke to her as prevalently as before, and she felt somewhat empty without the constant feel of so much of the world around her. She moved away from the door, watching Sage curiously as he walked off and disappeared into one of the other rooms, presumably to get some new clothes for her. Sevella wasn’t complaining; anything would be better than these ridiculous scraps of cloth she’d stolen for herself. She still felt unaccountably bad about stealing them; maybe she could talk Sage into going with her to return them. Shrugging to herself, she perused the strange things on the wall, looking over the various pictures that sat about here and there, until the sound of the door opening caught her attention.

Sage had said the one who was singing was Rowen, so the man with the blue hair and scant clothing was most likely one and the same. Sevella looked him up and down, raising one pale blue eyebrow. He reminded her a lot of the warriors in her tribe; most of them wore similar clothing, or lack thereof, on an everyday basis. His statement startled her somewhat, but she blinked and took it in stride. “Hello.” She bowed her head, smiling widely. “And, eh, thank you for the compliment. Although I consider myself to be average for a female of the Makai tribe. You must be Rowen. Sage told me about you and Akira. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I do like your hut-er, apartment. It is very lovely. As is your choice of clothing. But I am afraid I must be honest; your howling is absolutely terrible. I would be quite happy to give you lessons, if you’d like.”

[Jessari]

Sage's brow furrowed as he picked through Cye's clothing, It was good to have Sevella here, but he found her melancholy oddly contagious. As much as he wished the Netherworld and its demons had been sealed up forever, leaving the human world with only its own problems to deal with, he'd never regretted his armor or the great responsibility that came with it. How would he feel if someone stepped up and relieved him of his armor, told him he didn't have to worry anymore, that everything would be taken care of? There would be so much about being a Ronin that he'd miss, and to have those abilities taken from him... He'd feel lost. Was that how Sevella felt right now?

Selecting a shirt and a pair of jeans from the closet, Sage held them up for inspection. Cye was skinny, an odd thing for someone who liked to cook so much, so the pants should fit Sevella reasonably well around the middle. They might be a little long on her, but the cuffs could always be rolled up for a better fit. He smiled a little, shaking his head at thought of the ensemble she'd scrounged up on her own. The woman she'd spoken of probably wouldn't know what to make of the two random items that had gone missing; who else would have snatched a young girl's tank top and a man's shorts? One thing was for sure: if Sevella was going to be walking around in the human world, he'd have to give her a crash course in dress sense.

At the sound of conversation, he folded the clothes over his arm and emerged from the bedroom behind Sevella. His eyes narrowed at the look on Rowen's face as his friend eyed the shifter up and down. "I'll, um, pass on the howling lessons, thanks?" he was saying, a slightly confused expression passing over his face before the smile came back. "And as for average, I don't see how that could be possible. Although I think the clothing choices could've used a bit more thought-"

The rest of Rowen's words were cut off as a balled-up shirt smacked him in the face. "You're one to talk about clothing," Sage muttered, then said aloud, "Put something on, Rowen. We have a lady present." Stepping up beside Akira as Rowen sputtered a protest, he handed her the clothing he'd selected. "All we have are guys' clothes, unfortunately, but these should fit you a little better at least." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "If you want to try them on, you can use any of these bedrooms or the bathroom.

"Are you hungry? Cye should be back soon with some grub."

[MillietheWarrior]

Sevella jumped a little when a shirt went sailing over her shoulder and smacked Rowen in the face. She was a bit mystified as to how an article of clothing could fly until Sage’s voice sounded behind her, and she mentally slapped herself for being so stupid. “If you change your mind, Rowen,” she commented breezily, turning to face Sage. “Then the offer always stands.” She reached out to gently take the clothing Sage had selected for her from his hands. The shirt was made of a soft enough material, and appeared to be black in color. She ran her fingers long the material, eyeing it curiously and holding it up. It was much larger than the shirt she’d pilfered, and looked as though it might be comfortable.

The pants, on the other hand, were made of a strange material she’d never seen before. They felt stiff and scratchy, and when she ran her fingers along one of the legs, she was a bit dismayed to find that they weren’t all that comfortable feeling. But she was never one to turn down such hospitality, and it would be rude of her to tell Sage that they felt like they would be rather itchy. “They are wonderful,” she replied with a genuine smile, hugging the clothing close to her. “And I am sure they will be very comfortable. Thank you.” She tilted her head quizzically, however, when he mentioned the ‘bathroom,’ and the ‘bedroom.’ What on earth were those? Obviously they were rooms. She knew what rooms were.

So then, the bedroom must have a bed in it, and the bathroom must be where one went to bathe. But why would she go into those rooms to change? It seemed silly. She was in a perfectly good room now, so why bother? She debated on it silently, wondering if there was a reason Sage had pointed those out. Did one always have to change their attire in one of those rooms? Was it a custom of theirs? Maybe she would try changing here, and see what Sage said. If he didn’t have a problem with it, then she wouldn’t have to bother him with silly, awkward questions. She already felt like she had asked him one too many and showed her ignorance one too many times since she’d arrived.

Mind made up, Sevella nodded and held her clothes out, inspecting them critically, before nodding at Sage. “Oh yes. I am very hungry. But I don’t think eating grubs is going to be…um, satiating. You don’t…normally eat them, do you?” She winced at the thought; she was determined to partake in as many human customs and rituals as she could, but the idea of eating grubs, wiggling in her mouth and disgusting, made her a little sick to her stomach. She dearly hoped it was some kind of strange welcoming food used when people came over, much like the liver and eyes of a kill were given to visitors and high ranking members of her tribe back at home. If Sage could stomach it, then so could she. Once more turning her attention back to the clothes, she set them neatly on the floor, and reached up to hook her hands under the top of her shirt, beginning to wiggle out of it to change into the other, completely unaware that this was probably the worst idea she’d ever had.

[Jessari]

A smile twitched at the corner of Sage's lips. "I didn't mean real grubs," he said, turning to shoot a quick glance at Rowen. The blue-haired Ronin shot an answering grin back at him and opened his mouth, undoubtedly to fire off a snarky response. But then he stopped, his eyes locked onto the shifter like a mouse who had just come around a corner and found itself nose-to-nose with a cobra. Sage tilted his head in momentary confusion, and he turned back toward Sevella to see what it was he'd missed. It was just in time to see the hem of the shirt travel past her navel.

Before his mind had a chance to process what was happening, Sage's instincts took over. His feet shifted into a widened, grounded stance as his hand shot straight out to his side. His open-palmed strike caught Rowen squarely in the chest, enough strength wound into the blow to send the unprepared Ronin stumbling back into the bathroom with a cry.

Then he reached for Sevella.

in the split-second it had taken for Sage to remove Rowen and his prying eyes from the equation, the shirt had traveled even further up Sevella's torso, revealing the strange markings that had once marked her as a Healer of her tribe. Although Sage had most certainly seen more bare skin and tattoos on his bar's female clientele, the designs that wound about her ribcage drew his eye. But he didn't have time to gawk - an innocent, naive, backwoods shifter was about to get naked in his living room, and he couldn't have that. Sage stepped in close, reaching up and winding his fingers in the fabric of the shirt just as she began to pull it over her head. In desperation, he tried to pull it back down, but the too-small shirt refused to cooperate. As he struggled to stretch it back down to give Sevella some form of decency, his legs caught in hers and they went down together in a tangle of limbs.

The green-eyed warrior caught himself on his elbows to prevent his full weight from falling onto the slender woman. The shirt had somehow trapped her arms above her head, leaving her stretched out beneath him, and he found himself nose-to-nose with her. Not many things gave the stoic man pause, but all thought rushed out of him at her nearness, like chaff in the wind. She smelled like summer, and not the sad 'scorched blacktop, rush-hour traffic, window box flowers' version of summer he got here in the city. No, this was the wildness of the deep forest, river moss and unfiltered sunlight, untamed grass pressed and broken during the hunt for prey. She was beautiful, but it was her scent that now snared his thoughts.

Sage drew in a breath, released it, tried to find his center. But being this close to her? He was lost. His green eyes traveled the path of the exotic markings that graced her dark cheeks, following them to her magenta gaze. His lips parted slightly, and he leaned even closer-

"I'm back, fellas!"

Sage drew in a sharp breath as the door clicked open, blinked like a man waking from a dream. Cye pushed into the apartment, a stack of boxes in his arms. "I hope pizza's okay? I tried the Thai place first, but they've got that weird 'middle-of-the-day' break, and I'd have had to wait another hour until they-"

His voice choked off mid-sentence as he took in the scene - Sage straddling a half-naked Sevella in the middle of the floor. His face went white, then red, and then he seemed to realize his body needed air because he sucked in a huge breath as he stumbled backwards. He stuttered, began babbling, but Sage couldn't make heads or tails of it as the distraught Cye backed out of the room. A moment later there was a sharp cry and a crash that sounded just like someone tumbling down a flight of stairs.

"There goes the pizza," came a slightly-dazed voice from the bathroom.

[MillietheWarrior]

Many things happened all at once.

Sevella was stuck in her shirt, so the sound of Rowen’s strangled cry as he was shoved into the bathroom made her freeze, her body tensing like a trapped animal as if preparing for some kind of strike. She wriggled desperately, trying to get the shirt back down or off or something when she felt hands fist into the fabric, dragging it down enough for her to peek out over the edge of it, her arms trapped above her head. She managed to catch sight of Sage’s head of unruly blonde hair before she felt his legs (or what she assumed were his legs and not someone else's) tangle with hers, and then felt her center of gravity shift radically. She landed on the carpet with a loud ‘whumph!’ and gasped, the air driven from her and her arms still caught above her head. Sage landed just above her, his elbows slamming into the carpeted floor on either side of her body. Sevella, too stunned and still wheezing slightly from the fall, could only gaze up at the blonde warrior with wide, confused eyes.

Then, with a well placed shimmy, and a lot of wriggling, she managed to free herself from the shirt’s constrictive confines, pulling it back down her body so that her arms were once more able to move about freely. She was disinclined to move much further, however, as she gazed silently up into the green eyes of the ronin. He was as enchanting a human up close as he was from afar, she decided, with his pale skin unmarred by scars, and his blonde hair (practically unheard of where she was from!). His green eyes were wide, and he looked surprised, though didn’t seem to be making any effort to get up. Sevella decided she rather enjoyed this moment of closeness, and reached up with her hands to run her fingers lightly through the strands of hair at his temples, pushing her energy into his body to check and make sure he hadn’t injured himself in the fall.

The effort of making sure he was all right left her breathing slightly ragged and made her head spin slightly, but she didn’t mind all that much. Lying on the carpeted floor (A novel experience; her hut didn’t have anything as soft as this strange carpet-pelt) made her feel better, and she was rather interested in the captivated expression on Sage’s face as he drew closer, his scent - like the forest and plants and fresh, fresh air, so much like home - permeated her senses and she leaned forward as well, pressing her body close to his-

The sound of the front door opening and another new arrival (Maybe the Cye they spoke of?) made Sevella gasp, and then growl slightly, though the sound was cut off by a choked laugh as she watched Cye’s face turn a myriad of different colors. My, but humans were so interesting! Sevella leaned up on her elbow, unconcerned with the fact that there was less than an inch of space between herself and Sage, and watched, amused, as Cye began babbling and then backed out the door, followed by a rather loud crash and a bemoaning voice from Rowen, who was back in the bathing room for some unknown reason.

“Oh my,” Sevella muttered, her giggling sounding like the soft yipping of a puppy as she struggled against her mirth. “Your home is so very…interesting, Sage!” She turned her head, nose inches from his, and suddenly leaned forward to give the tip of his nose a quick nip before she quite easily, and gracefully, shimmied her way out from under him, sitting back on her heels beside him and reaching down to wind her arms around his and help him to his knees.

“If you don’t mind me asking, what just happened? Why is Rowen in the bathing room? And was that Cye? Why did he change colors? And why did he leave? And what is pizza? Oh, and is he coming back? I‘d like to introduce myself.” She wrinkled her nose, looking confused and slightly concerned for Cye’s safety. She turned back to Sage, pushing her face close to his so she could catch his gaze and hold it. “Why did you tackle me? If you wanted to play, you need only ask. I am very good at tug-o-war, you know. But I also like to play chase. And sometimes hide-and-go-find. But I’ve never played the tackle game before.” As if to emphasize, she finished helping him to his knees, and promptly tackled him again quite easily, using her full weight to slam him back into the carpet, straddling his stomach triumphantly.  She pressed her hands against his shoulders and leaned over him, a smug smile on her face. “I believe I win this time. I think the key to this game is the element of surprise.”