One of Those Nights (Cont'd) [Finished]

[Luther Verhulst]

The never-ending fighting and pains.

When Luther shut his eyes he invited those things to wander the corridors of his mind freely. The ghoulish Things would never pass up such an invitation, even if Their target was not fully asleep. They had been able to see him for a very long time. They could feel him even when he put miles of distance between Their position and his. And when he shut his eyes they could touch him. Proximity to the warm body tucked under his arm meant nothing to Them. They would come and nothing would stop Them.

Luther did not reach the true slumber, but was caught someplace between being unable to open his eyes and being unable to sleep. In this place he still had defenses against Them. In this place They could not harm him, but They could suggest and tempt. These were both things that They were very good at and They would not hesitate to use these weapons.

The howls and screams from the outside distorted. Luther had been hearing them for so long he could no longer tell whether or not they existed only for him. To ask anyone else if they could hear it, even if there were someone around to ask, would be to admit defeat in some small way. Luther would not admit defeat in such a manner. He would face the howling on his own.

Slowly the howls turned to the sound of children running about and playing. Luther felt a sigh escape from his lips as the familiar memory began to surface. This always seemed to be a favorite of Theirs. A bunch of children playing together with wary adults glancing over in the direction of the children. There was something making them nervous. All of this was peripheral--Luther's vision was fixed on a larger child with gray skin and white hair staring at the children from his hiding place under an old house. The boy was there because his father had kicked him out of the house again.

Everything began spinning rapidly and Luther found he could find nothing distinct to focus on in the blur of colors. When it finally settled the sky had grown dark and had begun to spit sharp needles of ice cold water. It was a nasty storm with lightning bolts splitting the sky and a deafening sound of thunder. The rain was only very slight and in between blasts of thunder the sound of feet approaching grew steadily louder. They were coming for him and he had to run.

No place was ever safe in that gray world. There was the howling of the wind, the howling of dogs, and the howling of a mob. All of them wanted his blood. Luther watched as a terrified child fled when he should have made a stand. The child should have fought, if only to justify their fears and to make real the imaginary threat. No matter how many times he watched it, the scene would not change. The child would not turn back and face the mob. It was a coward that fled to the gates that led to madness.

And beyond those gates was a world that accepted him for what he would become. It rejected what he was and changed him. The process warped his mind and body in ways that would kill most beings. He was lost in a maze that was constantly changing. There was no way out. Sometimes he doubted that there was ever a way in. He witnessed the death of gods and the birth of demons. He learned that once They could see you that you would never be free from Them again.

Join us in our eternal slumber
Join us in our everlasting life
Drink of the blood of nightmares
Never again suffer wakefulness
Never again fear the embrace of death
Sweet dreams call you to forgotten peaks
Four infants bathe with Them in this place
Drowned by nine hands reaching for their eyes
Black holes staring from empty sockets

Join the dance
Step in trance
Join the song
Sing along
Join the death
Hold your breath

Now you forsake
A world awake

Their cold hands ran across his body violating him in ways that went beyond the flesh and bone. They beckoned the madmen to sleep, a sleep from which they never would wake up. Those who did awake from that enchanted slumber stared at the world with empty eyes and an empty body. There was nothing left. There was no need to eat, breathe or sleep. Nothing could kill you. You were already dead. One of the eyeless abominations hovered just a moment before his face and positioned its clammy hand to grip the back of his head. He could not turn away as it slowly brought its cracked and withered lips to his. No breath left the gaping opening. Staring into its empty sockets was like staring into eternity. He felt a numbing sensation as its mouth wrapped around his lips.

With a start Luther opened his eyes up wide. There was nothing, save for the howling and pounding of the outdoors. That, and the little woman he had tucked under his arm was clinging tightly to his shirt. Luther looked about uncomfortably as he tried to straighten himself up and escape from the sleeping woman's grasp. He was terribly unsettled and did not much appreciate the proximity at this time.

He nearly shut his eyes, but kept them just a sliver open now. Several hours had passed already, but he was not terribly certain what the precise number would have been. There were no clocks in his shed since time held little meaning for one such as he.

Absentmindedly he resumed scratching lightly at the girl's head for a moment longer before letting it be for a long while. Eventually, she began to stir and he could feel it. She was wakeful now, but not entirely ready to rise. He could feel her eyes trying to discern as much as they could from their current perch. Luther would be shocked at the amount of information that could be gleaned from that position using the eyes alone. It seemed that he had grown dependent on other senses for identification after learning how easily the eyes were deceived by what they wished to see.

In the instant she recoiled Luther might have been able to glean some degree of satisfaction. There was a rush of cold air now over an area that had been significantly warmer and slightly sweaty moments before. It was both chilling and refreshing and Luther could not determine if he should feel positively or negatively about it. Instead of concerning himself with it, he took the opportunity to finally stand up.

And how his joints thanked him for the opportunity to stretch. He was not accustomed to setting in one place for such a prolonged period of time with nothing to occupy his hands or teeth. A couple of his joints cracked and popped as he set them back into appropriate position. He ignored her question for the moment. In some senses he had the right to offer her no answers at all. For now she was his prisoner and nothing could change that fact.

Silently he walked over to the table and picked up the head of an axe and some steel wool. He began to polish the accumulation of dirt and rust off of the tool using a circular motion. The tarnish rubbed away to reveal a silvery sheen to the metallic surface. Now that he was not wasting time he might be able to bother her with a few words.

"That is not a proper question," he said in a clear and concise fashion. Luther was not the type of person to make assumptions or to pretend to understand vaguely worded inquiries in order to seem more intelligent. Those were the domain of so-called 'civilized people'. Sometimes he wondered if they really thought they knew as much as they pretended to know.

"If you are interested in answers I would suggest you orient your questions in a more specific manner." There was an old story relating to that moral, but Luther could not recall the specifics nor did he care to recall them. Stories and myths had been the domain of his father--a silver-tongued liar if there ever was one.

Luther added something as an afterthought. "You are now subject to my very limited sense of hospitality, so I suggest that you choose your words carefully." Naelona seemed the type who would need such a reminder, otherwise she would say something that was liable to delay her return home indefinitely.

[Naelona Ezel]

Naelona could nearly choke on the irony of the present situation. Here she was alone with one of the most antisocial boogies in Wonderland, in a glorified shed, under dressed with pitiful recollection of a hazy mind.. and to the first coherent word she could speak he promptly corrected her by telling her that it was 'not a proper question'. Pot calling the kettle black. That was typically a line she would say to another, not one that was said to her.

Grimacing she pinched the bridge of her nose, wishing the rest of her mind would wake up a bit quicker. Her ears picked up the scraping noise from across the small shed, and despite her hazy state it took a measure of restraint not to twitch in irritation. As if she needed another reminder. "As I'm quite aware.." Even the words came across with a bit of a grimace. The concept she was but a ward in the current moment was an unsettling one.

What an irony, that she - as an Ezel - would be subject to another for any great measure of time. Least of all, to this boogie in particular. It was a difficult happenstance of circumstance to swallow.. to consider that in the present moment for a time she had next to no right nor claim to any authority she kept back in the Palace.

Thoughts drifting back to the haze of the recent past, her mind pressed trying to recollect any events she knew of leading up to this strange sort of situation. The fireplace.. a fire.. a stove fire. The kitchen. She'd been butchering.. cleaning..? preparing something.. or a great many things. Naelona couldn't quite recall but the sense she had been weary and busy at once lingered with the thought. And the hallucinations. The Groundskeeper had been there, however briefly. She watched his back with a scrutinizing eye. At then a recollection of him being unusually close flashed to mind and Nae looked the other way, brushing a bit of hair behind her ear when she froze. Her hair.

Reaching behind to briefly feel her back, the loose ends were still there unbound. Braids and buns were such a habit to her when it came to the wintertime.. The dark locks were still kinked from some now nonexistent braid. Smears and stains of blood and kitchen work still left tinted streaks across her pale hands and arms. With each bit, the scene refreshed itself to her fatigued mind. He'd used those chains against her, and she'd fought against them. What a foolish move.. ..and now she was here.

Luther had a very peculiar role in Wonderland. One few witnessed, and fewer yet returned to share word of it. He made other boogies of note and cause disappear, and not all of them came back. She wasn't the Naelona Ezel of note and title that the others knew here, here he outranked her.. and her future was very much at his whim. Folding her arms to her body, Naelona rested a chin upon one of her knees, a solid frown as she sorted through her thoughts in silence while muffling the twisting spike it drove into her sense of pride. Of all the aches, it was the one that resounded the strongest.

Naelona shook her head marginally. Why wasn't important. She could figure out the 'why' behind the present situation. "How long have I been here for?" Naelona asked quietly, yet clearly. It felt strange to consider she didn't have final say of the situation, that someone else did who normally didn't. Clenching her jaw, the sound of the wind outside alone made it feel colder than it actually was. "..and how long do you intend to keep me here?"

[Luther Verhulst]

Luther remained fairly silent and positioned himself in such a way that he did not have to stare directly at Naelona. She remained always at the periphery of his vision, though he might turn his head slightly to keep her there. He had no desire to stare directly at the woman at this time. His eyes had seen plenty earlier in the evening. Or had it been morning? Time really had very little bearing to one who did not sleep.

One who should not sleep, he was forced to remind himself harshly.

His hand set down the steel wool and replaced it with a cloth dampened with some oil. He began to wipe the now clean axe head to prepare it for sharpening. It was a tool for splitting wood or skulls, whichever the situation required. Luther would not stand for any of his tools to be dull or improperly tended.

"How long is a better question," Luther admitted quietly. The answer did not come immediately as he considered the answer by his best reckoning. The passage of time was a tricky thing, and it sometimes seemed warped in this place to close to the unnatural Labyrinth. "As best as I can tell you have been asleep for six hours now." Luther turned his head and let Naelona out of his view for a moment. He set the rag down, but he held the axe firmly in his grip as he approached the door and grabbed a flat stone.

"As for how long I shall keep you here... that is not entirely up to me." Of course, it was not up to Naelona either. Luther turned his back on the door and began to run the axe head across the stone in a quiet and rhythmic fashion. This was the lengthy part of his tool upkeep and he had learned to enjoy it over the years.

"It is a good thing for you that your mind seems to have cleared some. It would have been an ugly alternative." That was nothing more than a statement of fact. Naelona had already expressed doubts at least one time before about what Luther's tasks involved doing, but the horror stories says he made Boogies vanish. Usually they were dangerous or troublesome.

[Naelona Ezel]

As much as he didn't care to see the smaller woman, the preference was quite mutual as she found the floorboards more of a welcoming sight than her unexpected host.. if he could be considered one. Her skin was already crawling at the notion of having been in such close proximity to him. Naelona wasn't the sort of cozy herself up to anyone, let alone fall asleep and stay there.. least of all to the likes of Luther. As if she needed another reason to despise him. In hindsight it could have been worse. There was worse company to be had than this brute. A distant howl only punctuated that fact.

Naelona looked up in alarm once he told her how long she'd been sleep. Now granted - six hours was quite a welcome feat given recent events. It was probably more sleep than she'd had in the past week altogether, let alone in one setting. Naelona still felt fatigued, and her eyelids still felt heavy, but not near to the extent they had before. Not to the extent of outright hallucinations. But there was only one way she could've possibly rested for six hours without waking in heart-pounding fear. Eyes drifting across the room, Nae looked over at his back as he briefly turned from her. With a shudder she pulled the coat a bit closer about her shoulders. That was an encounter she didn't was to consider any time soon.

Not before a scalding hot bath and something strong to drink at first.

"Rest does clear the mind.. you saw me to a point of exhaustion, if my memory is not mistaken." One might say there was no other option, but to rest.. and rest she could have.. but not for such a duration. The pang to her pride twisted a bit more. Were she a kinder individual she might have been grateful, or even thanked him, but she wasn't. Ugly alternatives were very ugly indeed. Naelona didn't know much of Luther himself, but she was well acquainted with the rumors associated with him. Facts and myths tended to blur, and all the wrong myths were proving to be fact.

At then her stomach grumbled. With a scowl Naelona glared at a mop board along the floor, but said nothing. She'd been ignoring that void of a feeling in her gut since she'd woken. It was a similar pain that'd driven her to the kitchens in the first place, wasn't it? Between hunger and discontent, she needed a distraction. Pulling her hair over one shoulder she brushed her fingers through the tangled locks a few moments, before separating it into three sections and quickly twisting them into a solid braid. She had nothing to tie it with, but perhaps it would hold the unruly hair, at least for a short while.

"A storm is brewing.. or are my ears mistaken?" If the drifting chill from the walls and windows were any indication.. it was driving the chill in every nook and cranny too. Pulling the large coat over her shoulders instead of covering the front of her light dress, Naelona moved to sit in front of the fire, legs tucked neatly beside her. The shadow-created high-necked collar flickered between variations of transparency in it's own struggle with the firelight. Off the coat drifted smoke-like tendrils of shade, though it was anyone's guess if it was Naelona's doing or the material's own nature.

[Luther Verhulst]

Steel grazing over a stone brought a new edge and sharpness to the blade. Yet Luther would not budge from the task set before him until the edge was sharp enough to cut cleanly once more, but not so sharp that it would lose its edge almost immediately. There was something of an art to getting an edge to the point of perfection. Steel was a bad material for the finest edges, but it lasted longer when prepared and treated for correctly. Durability was far more important to the efficiency of his tasks than initial cutting ability.

His ears twitched upon hearing Naelona's stomach grumble. Knowledge that his own stomach also hungered set at the back of his mind, but there was nothing unusual about that predicament. Luther was always hungry and no amount of food nor drink would satisfy that gaping void in his stomach. He ate enough to survive, but was of the habit of munching periodically rather than eating full meals. The decision to ignore Naelona's hunger for the moment was an easy one.

"You trust the memories of a mind destroyed by exhaustion?" he finally managed to respond. It seemed odd to trust memories that could hold faulty, but faulty memories was all the girl had of those moments in the kitchen. "I watched and I waited. You likely thought me just another one of the apparitions. When that became apparent I struck, as is my duty." Certainly she would have respect for that sentiment?

He continued sharpening the blade for a few minutes longer without any speech whatsoever. It might have been that he could go on forever without talking at all, but his pattern of speaking must have become evident to the woman in front of him. She would wait for him to finish answering her questions before she said anything more.

He set the stone down and pressed his thumb against the blade of the head before hanging it quietly from the wall. "Not just any storm, but the Ya'o'gah." It was a strange being, one that most Boogies would not be familiar with, along with the Wendigo. However, Luther knew them both well enough and knew that their powers were strongest during the harsh climate of winter.

He wiped his hands on a clean rag as he rummaged about for food for his 'guest'. He had very little that she could consume, but he had some things which were normally kept for beasts he brought back. He gathered a jar of honey, a frozen loaf of coarse bread, a plentiful collection of dried meat and a bottle of scotch which he traditionally used as a cleaning tool. "Help yourself to what little I have to offer for now while I tend the fire." He grasped a clean knife and thrust it directly into the frozen loaf of bread before stepping towards the nearly dead embers in the fireplace.

[Naelona Ezel]

Once the braid was finished, thin pale fingers held the unbound ends together for a moment before letting go in hopes they'd stay that way. For a second or two they did, before unraveling by several twists before the curls of her hair caught themselves and held the braid loosely. It wasn't a perfect solution, and it would require redoing every now and again, but it worked as a temporary fix for one who wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. She was sure she still seemed an unruly mess.

"Unless you're offering to share me yours, yes I am.. They are all I have to call on for the moment." Her memory was the only hints and clues to the very recent past. Without them the signs and stains of long-dried blood were meaningless mysteries, just blemishes and stains. Memories existed like reasons. Without them, many things were useless. Naelona nodded silently to Luther's explanation. A thought wondered how long he had been watching her for, how many days? Probably not even that - he showed up at random. What an unfortunate happenstance.

Luther's explanation for the foul weather was lost upon the woman. The name was foreign, and the pronunciation held no meaning. From the sounds of the wind however.. It was a classic Wonderland storm. If it existed as it sounded, she could already imagine the overcast sky and the swirling bits of snow that sought to drive themselves into every fold and bite across every speck of exposed flesh. The nights were the worst in her opinion. Even the North Wing drew a chill in the midst of it. Naelona didn't want to consider how chill it might become here.

"What does that name belong to..?" A frank request for a meaning. Glancing over her shoulder, Naelona got to her feet and out of his way, effectively switching places in the small shed. Oooh.. food. Little woke up the appetite than work or a decent rest. The circumstances were.. unfavorable.. but little else could be done about that for the time being.

Pulling the knife free of the bread, Nae weighed it in her hand briefly before turning the loaf about to best suit her hands, cutting into the bread to free the heel, and a second time for an actual slice. The honey was an unexpected yet pleasant surprise, and little time was wasted spreading a thin layer of the sweet treat upon the bread - save for a brief pause to pop a piece of dried meat into her mouth. Dried meat was always difficult to eat, especially when one was considerably hungry, but it was worse to prepare food without something to chew on at all. The scotch would've been a nice touch, save there were no glasses and she wasn't about to drink from the container. An old hellion thought considered sneaking one later, but knowing what she did of Luther - he'd probably smell it on the container.

A frozen slice or so in hand, and a couple pieces of dried meat in the other Naelona returned to sit near the hearth, just out of his way. While it was tempting, she wouldn't ask what the meat was. For now food was food. "Thank you.." Naelona murmured quietly, setting the slices so they could thaw soon. It felt odd to be saying such a thing. It wasn't in her typical nature to thank anyone for anything, no matter how slight or kind, but this wasn't a typical situation. Quite the opposite. "..the food is appreciated." The challenge now would be not eating more than a reasonable share. At least now she could quiet the void of a pain in her stomach for it.

[Luther Verhulst]

Thick and calloused fingers wrapped around dry bundles of wood. It might occur to the keen observer that Luther had no poker to stir the coals for his fire. The purpose of an elongated piece of metal that did nothing save move logs and stir coals seemed a waste of space. Instead, Luther utilized a piece of charred wood or his fingers to perform the necessary arrangements. The coals were still kicking off heat, but he needed flames if he were to keep the shed warm during this storm.

His hands worked quickly with the motions being so certain of themselves. His right hand stacked logs and lesser pieces of wood in the pit while his left hand reached into a box near the fire with tinder to encourage the flames to take to the wood. He delivered powerful breaths to the structure and before long there was the sound of wood cracking as the fire took. He stood up and clasped his hands together for a moment.

He slowly turned so that Naelona could rest in his peripheral vision once again. There was a sense of astonishment that she did not take the opportunity to try and escape. Her faculties must have returned to some semblance of function. In some ways, it was tragic because it meant that Luther should return her to the Palace after the storm.

"The Ya'ogah?" he asked. There was some confusion as to why she would care to have it explained to her at all. "It is a bear." There was a tone of finality carried in his voice, as though she would not need to hear anything more about it to understand what the monster wandering the storms was. His hand nabbed a piece of dried meat and he set it between his teeth. His jaws made a grinding motion and tore the tough strip of meat apart with about as much ease as if it had been butter.

"The Ya'o'gah stands about this high on at the shoulder." Luther held his hand flat a couple inches below his shoulder. Apparently, on all fours the beast dwarfed Naelona. "Upright it would stand nearly as tall as this building. It has a short snout and a robust build with thick brown fur capable of turning arrows and axes. There are five claws each the size of a knife extending from its paws. The harshest winds of winter are at its beck and call. When it is allowed to roam free the worst storms of winter ravage the area until it is forced back to its lair."

Luther said everything in a matter-of-fact tone and did not bother fluffing up the creature more than was necessary for basic understanding.

Words of thanks for his limited hospitality were unusual. None ever thanked their captor before her, and he doubted that any would ever thank him again. Thanks did not improve his mood, nor did it fill the void in his stomach any more than the solitary piece of meat had. "You are welcome to help yourself to whatever is handy." In one sense, Luther suspected his definition of ownership was entirely different from Naelona's and that such a thing would be necessary to state.

Thanks were not a necessary thing because he did not own any of what he was giving her.

[Naelona Ezel]

Naelona might have been out of it when he had first found her, but the boogie hadn't completely lost all sensibility. Back in the mindset she had in the kitchen, making a run for it wouldn't have sounded like such a bad idea. Given the current circumstances, it probably would have been a fatal move from the sounds out there. Well.. fatal at least by one means or another.

The short rest had done wonders for her, at least when it came to thinking within the realm of reality again. As much as she detested Luther's presence and would rather spend the afternoon with Garland instead... well.. maybe not quite that bad.. ..but it was still a far cry from more favorable ways to spend an afternoon. Or evening. Or whatever time of day it was now. The concept of walking back wasn't an appealing one, even without the weather outside. For one, bare feet and snow never played well together for long periods of time, and secondly her attire was more suited for a spring weather - not frigid winter storms. Looking back, Naelona suspected she'd dressed in such a way for the simplicity of it. If acting in haste was bad, delusional haste was certainly worse.

Her thoughts drifted to the Palace. The kitchens would certainly need to be checked up on (any scorched mess she'd inadvertently ought to have been cleaned up by now), a few hours later a slave check within the South Wing wouldn't be a bad idea. There were also inventories to be checked, and Kazn to meet with at some time. She had matters to discuss with him. Elric ought to be tested upon his symbols again, and another marked segment of her father's records read. And if time allowed - some studying should be done of the old tongue.. would that woman, Ms. Krisp still be up at that hour? She'd certainly have to meet with her at some point.. she seemed she might be considerably more helpful and gentler upon the nerves than Kazn or - shudder - Garland.

A bear? That was all the explanation he had, that it was simply a bear? Looking up over her shoulder at Luther, Naelona frowned a bit at his description. As he went on her brows crept a bit higher. Apparently sleep had revived the skeptic as well, if it had ever been truly gone. "That's sounds like quite the animal." It sounded like those tall tales told at the Nightmare Pub.. with just about the same amount of believability. It reminded her of some other particular tales.. and their.. questionable credibility and dubious validity. Luther didn't seem the type to mislead with false stories, but one could be mistaken.

"Well then.. I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Poor fool, he most likely didn't even realize that those were probably the last words he should ever have said to Naelona. He was probably only referring to the food, however he lacked to specify with his words.. and in Naelona's mind.. that left a whole host of options open to her. She could be very good about not disturbing another's things, but she could be equally effective in rummaging through and digging about in hunts for an item for a particular purpose or two. Having to sort through and take care of what Tristan had left behind had been enough of a task. She was sure she could find whatever she suspected she could seek out here, even with the shed's so-called.. 'organization'.

If she had to wager anything, Naelona would have to bet it was afternoon, nearing evening. Already her thoughts were clicking ahead to the next twenty-four hours. If all went well, the storm would blow over by morning or at least settle to a nice snowfall. The way home was still elusive.. but a solution to that would come in time. It was evident he had carried her here without any notable incident to her well being. It was doubtful he'd want to return the favor. If the storm wasn't gone by morning.. Naelona's fingers drummed against her knee in thought while working away on a piece of dried meat. It would be considerably unpleasant if she had to stay here long. Not having a role to pursue, a job to get done was bothering her. She was a busy body, and stilling still doing nothing was it's own brand or torment. Especially now she was more awake.

Hopefully one variety she wouldn't have to deal with for long.

What would there be to do, but talk or sleep? Sleep was out of the question for multiple reasons both physical and mental, and talking.. ..Luther wasn't her first pick to converse with nor did he seem partial to verbal communication to any degree. Well.. but the shed itself.. vast improvements could be made as things shouted like vibrant eyesores to Naelona's sense of order, organization and priority. A tempting concept, but an equally grim outcome. The boogie moved the bread slices so the other side would thoroughly thaw as well. She would find something to occupy the time, for however brief or long it may be. Now that hunger's edge would be wearing off, she already knew the anxious energy would begin to sink in.

[Luther Verhulst]

Luther gazed quietly at the walls of his shed. It really was a poor shelter against the ravages of winter weather such as this, but it was sturdy enough to always hold. The period of silence was broken by the sound of a heavy load of snow sliding free from the roof and down the sides. With any luck they would not be snowed into the building with naught but each other for company. Such was an adventure in which he did not care to participate.

He cracked the door open slightly and stepped out to fill several buckets with freshly fallen snow. His large and unprotected hands patted down the white fluff into a compact solid form not entirely different from ice at the bottom of the buckets. He continued to fill and pack it down until the four buckets were filled to the brim. Opening the door and slipping back in once again he made certain that the door was firmly shut.

He placed the buckets near the fire to melt the snow before staring directly at Naelona for the first time in a long while. She was still clinging on to his coat like it was the only source of comfort she could find. "You can find soap and washcloths in the chest in the corner." His finger pointed directly at an aged chest, likely an antique. Considering the wear on everything else in the shed it was reasonably well kept.

Oh, he imagined she'd be thrilled at the idea that he suggested she take such a primitive bath. Probably even more so that the implication was that she do so in front of him. Luther did not wish to deal with the protests and complaints. He had brought down enough headaches on his head without opting for this one as well. He slid the warm boots onto his feet and the black gloves on his hand before looking back directly at Naelona once again. "I will be outside taking care of my own affairs." Without much of a warning he closed the distance between he and Naelona and plucked the coat right off of her pretty shoulders before donning it for his own.

"Enjoy what little privacy you can get." Luther opened the door once again and a cold breeze blew through. Also, a huge black beast covered in snow came bounding in through the door in an attempt to get out of the storm. At first it seemed like the night itself was intruding into the shed, but then the darkness seemed to give way to a form that was almost defined at the edges. And there were the bright red eyes. Luther's hand gently grazed the top of the beast's head as he stepped outside without another word. The door shut with the latch catching loudly.

Naelona was alone with the black dog.

[Naelona Ezel]

Of all the things Naelona considered and expected of Luther, a measure of half decent hospitality wasn't one of them. It wasn't quite up to her own standards of proper social conduct, but it was a becoming a far cry from what she initially anticipated and becoming further by the minute. While it surprised the Ezel, it confused her all the same. It was good to find he had at least one decent fiber within his being, just that one apparently had friends. They were weak and difficult to find, but it seemed they did exist.. if in the least marginally.

The meat went over well and was quickly devoured, but a gust of cold air from Luther's sudden departure interrupted her bite of the honey covered slices. It seemed it was colder out there than she thought it was. Peering over her shoulder just to catch sight of the door swinging shut, Naelona raised an eyebrow and took a bite of the bread. She still had his coat. A few moments went by and Luther didn't come back in. Naelona shrugged and turned back to the fire. If he wanted to run off and freeze himself out there so be it, she sure wasn't going to stop him.

With a sigh of relief Naelona closed her eyes briefly while taking a breath, trying to relax at least a little. Sleeping propped up like she had had resulted in a cramped hand and a tense neck. Even the muscles of her back had protested to the unusual treatment. Hopefully Luther would be out and stay out for a while. Maybe then the Ezel could finally relax and be able to collect her thoughts sans keeping a note of attention upon him and his actions at all times. Back at the Palace, Naelona had the final say in a majority of matters, but here it was quite the opposite. As if she needed yet another factor to put her at unease.

The empty time he was gone wasn't nearly long enough as the large brute returned all too soon. Mutely noting the chest when Luther pointed it out, the Ezel said nothing, finishing her bread instead while eying the buckets of snow sitting upon the fire near her. He should have hooks for such items, she decided. Was there even a place to hang a kettle over such a fire?

Nothing answered Luther's words but silence, or perhaps a turn of her head as any sign of response. She saw the chest, and heard his advice, but aside from tensing when he reached for his coat little else was said or done. There was little else to say or do. In a strange twist of events she was a veritable prisoner. There was nothing dignifying to be said here. It tempted her ire to be in such a position, but divulging into an emotion - even an acknowledged one - wouldn't improve anything. For once the best she could do was to keep her own mouth shut and mind her own business. A bit of a paradox, considering in ways she was his business.

"I will." She said quietly when he finally left for whatever other 'affairs' he may have going on outside in such weather. For several moments Naelona remained sitting there in front of the fire, watching the fire and feeling the heat the ran from it, listening to the crackling sounds that snapped and popped. Oddly this time her nerves would not settle. That's when she felt it. That old chill that stole up the spine and chilled the skin. It was an old sensation Naelona wouldn't forget for her entire life. Silently she mumbled a curse. She should've known there would have to have been a catch somewhere.

Little privacy indeed.

A glance over her shoulder confirmed the fears and she avoided looking at Gwyllgi's red eyes. Light colored eyes sparked fear in her easily enough, the boogie didn't need to see the eyes that started it. Panicking in front of such a creature would be one of the worst things a boogie (or human) could do. Even if the black dog was a familiar, it was still a Labyrinth beast. The ones in her memory were probably smaller than this one, even if her small perspective at the time would've insisted differently.

"A-ah-w..." Naelona just pressed her lips together instead. Past experience said she could expect Gwyllgi to not do anything against her.. for the creature it was it'd proven to be a very obedient one in the past. The question was - did it have any commands to follow? What a convenient way to dispose of a boogie.. lock her in a shed with a black dog and say the beasts got her. Taking a breath to settle her nerves - what little good it did - Naelona got to her feet and went over to the chest, opening it and searching for the aforementioned items.

While she found the soap and washclothes (they weren't complete rags either!) Naelona couldn't resist digging about the chest a little more to see what else was in there. 'Organized' and 'Luther' generally wasn't two concepts she put together. True, the lay out of tools upon the tables spoke otherwise - but it was easy to organize things one actually used on a frequent basis. During all this that chill was still there. Gwyllgi's mere presence threatened to further aggravate her already-existing unease.

It was difficult, but Naelona forced herself to ignore it. Ignore the fear yet keep note of where the beast was. It was how she got through dreams and she could use the same principle here. Besides - if for some reason Gwyllgi was supposed to be the end of her, she was a dead boogie anyway. There were knives and things she could use in there to defend herself.. but she was no match for such a creature let alone one of such size. A set of scars and a bruise upon her infuriated pride had proven that before.

Ignoring the creature best she could, Naelona found it more of a task to struggle with than a choice. Once the snow melted and became warm enough to be of some use Naelona wasted little time washing her face and arms, rinsing out the cloth as needed. Casting a side-glance towards the dog, Nae cast her eyes to the door and hesitated before hiking up her skirts and washing off one leg and her dirtied feet. He would be out there for a while, right? Considering it was only Naelona and Gwyllgi.. the boogie wasn't entirely sure it was good thing or not.

[Luther Verhulst]

Luther's responses to Naelona were minimal as he prepared to leave. Her words crossed his ears and warranted a peculiar glance back at her for a second before the door shut. The old tongue was a peculiar thing, indeed. One might wonder if Luther could speak it at all. Give the circumstances of his position it might seem miraculous that he could speak any language at all.

Speaking in your own language was just one more way the monsters could get under your skin.

Speaking of monsters, he had let Gwyllgi back inside to watch Naelona. Luther could fully understand Naelona's terror in regards to the dogs. They were not pleasant, nor kind and were almost always monstrous in some way or another. Gwyllgi was monstrous in size and form, but was well disciplined. He would do as instructed by Luther when instructed, and when left with no instructions would not displease his master.

Gwyllgi stared at the woman for a brief moment before attempting to shake off the rest of the snow. The beast noted the fire and moved closer to the source of warmth. The light seemed to play tricks against the creature's coat and reflected strangely from the back of its eyes. It would seem like the fires of Hell itself burned across those irises if the beast turned its head just right.

It watched the Boogie clean herself as best as she could manage with half-interest. There was a brief moment when it turned its head quickly and gave a rough growl at some menace that could not be seen. What little snow that had clung to its fur now was reduced to beads of water that ran slowly to the floor. While staring at Naelona the beast started to lick its chops. For what reason, only a beast could imagine.

[Naelona Ezel]

While she washed the water of a bucket steadily grew more opaque as her skin became more pale. The air felt cool and chill upon her damp skin. For Luther to open the door now would be akin to plunging into a freezing river. Wringing out the cloth once more Naelona pulled aside her collar to wash across her shoulders and just beneath her collarbones and neck. It felt like her skin could finally breathe again. Gwyllgi remained mostly forgotten for the moment while her worry seeped away with the drops.

Until the creature growled.

Freezing Naelona glanced warily in the dog's direction, that old terror threatening to rise up again and the Ezel had half the mind to let it. No, no.. she'd fight it back down. That would just be a sure way to ensure she remained out here. Permanently. "Something attract your senses..?" There were probably several factors, but only one of note truly came to mind. Her fingers held a slight tremor but she tugged at strings anyway. Once it was loose, Naelona pulled her dress off over her head, giving it a shake before dropping it into a heap upon the floor. "That is probably what you smell.."

Hopefully that was the whole issue in a nutshell.. for the moment that seemed to be it until Naelona looked down upon her underclothes and made that peculiar 'tsk' and brushing off a speck or two. At least - fortunately - dresses were thick and what blood she'd gotten on hers hadn't soaked through to any of her other garments. Still - a bath wasn't a bath and with a bit more unlacing they were hung by the fire. With a shiver against the cool air upon her Nae took care of wiping down the rest of her body, wasting little time as what air leaked in was cold. "Not a word." The sound of her own voice was more for her own comfort than anything.

"I know you're an intelligent creature. Most familiars are.." Switching which bucket was where, Naelona moved a bucket of mostly dirty water away from the fire and selected a suitably warm one from the hearth. "That jerky upon the table.. I'll fetch you a piece if you want it." She had every right and reason to assume Gwyllgi could understand her. Familiars were often quite different from their look-a-like counterparts. How different varied from one to another and hopefully Gwyllgi wasn't an exception. She suspected the beast was, considering she was still alive and upon her own two feet.

Wringing the moisture from the cloth Naelona dried off her skin, letting the heat and dry air take care of the rest before pulling the chemise back over her head with a shiver and tying up the bodice for warmth. It wasn't much, but it was warmer than nothing at all. Tugging at her braid absently Nae got another piece to chew on, offering one to Gwyllgi and tossing one to the creature if it seemed interested in it. If not, she'd eat that piece too.

Naelona went back to the fire and knelt by the bucket, dipping her hair in the water and scooping water up with her hand to pour over her head. It was tricky and a little tedious to keep from merely pouring water upon the floor - never mind the floor probably needed a good mopping anyway. "He'll be out there for a bit yet, right?'" Naelona asked no-one in particular, fanning the collar of her chemise a moment to get rid of some damp air from her drying skin. At a second thought, Naelona pulled the discarded dress closer to her. That would need to be washed and hung to dry next.

Scrubbing her head a bit of extra attention was spent scrubbing clean the spot Luther had rubbed on the side of her head, alone with the rest of her scalp and anything else on her head he might have molested. "Gah! Creeper.." A persistent thought of how something this obscure never happened back in the palace came to mind. Quickly rinsing off her hair the boogie warily watched the door a few moments, glancing to Gwyllgi before wringing out her hair. The little prickle of her nerves.. a sense that time was drawing short all too quickly was rapidly sneaking upon her senses. She was half expecting Luther to come back in at any moment, and she wasn't nearly finished with everything she wanted to be.

Wasting little time Naelona picked up her discarded dress from the floor, going over the trouble spots.. the knees of the skirt, the elbows, wrists and hems.. the neckline amidst several other seems and patches of cloth that might have caught blood or flesh upon them. For several minutes she sat there in silence, listening to the wind howl outside while scrubbing at the cloth. Once briefly she took a break for another piece of meat, offering another piece if it was taken the first time. Humming lowly Naelona finally got the nerve to take a look at Gwyllgi, looking over the creatures side at it's fur and how it shifted strangely in the firelight. It sent chills up her spine, but she forced her gray eyes to observed at least a few moments longer before turning her attentions back to her washing. There - she was about finished. Now if only luck would hold out long enough for it to dry before he returned.. or before Gwyllgi decided to eat her.

[Luther Verhulst]

Gwyllgi stared at Naelona in relative silence, though he barked responses when Naelona tried talking to her. They were resolute barks that echoed far more than should be natural within this enlarged shed. One might wonder if the chill in the air was from cracks in the door and walls, or from the mere presence of the dog itself. His tail moved one way and then the other, much like a slow moving metronome.

The beast stood up in silence as Naelona tossed him a bit of jerky. Gwyllgi understood that food tossed on the floor was intended for him, but also did not care much for jerky. And yet he wolfed it up whole. It didn't even look like the dog bothered to chew that small strip. What he really wanted right now were some bones. Bones were hard and crunchy on the outside, but underneath the tough exterior (which was also pleasurable to chew on for just a little while) there was a delicious and rich interior. Gwyllgi drooled a little bit as he stared quietly at Nae.

He saw Naelona as meat piled on top of a bunch of bones. However, part of him was much more interested in the simple fact that she smelled of a freshly butchered body. She was washing that scent off, but it did not change Gwyllgi's knowledge of the simple fact. Where were the bones? He simply had to know.

He stepped closer to the woman and barked his unintelligible question. With the bark it seemed like the shadows themselves jumped to life while the fire seemed to fade. It all lasted for a brief moment before things returned to whatever could be considered normal here.

His head turned again rapidly as he heard something outside through the wind and the storm. This time he responded with a bittersweet howl that trailed off after a little over a minute. It was a sound that froze the lifeblood and chilled the spirit itself. Normal animals ran in fear of the baying of black dogs, and for good reason. Black dogs were omens of death, and it was said that they called out to the souls of the recently departed.

Gwyllgi crept back towards the fire and set himself to rest, but at times it seemed like he wasn't there at all. Occasionally, his eyes appeared to be staring at Naelona from one corner or the other. And yet, if Naelona bothered to check, he would always be sitting there by the fire. Watching and waiting patiently. A monstrous-sized beast.

He took the second piece of jerky just as he did the first. Little tidbits of jerky would not stem the tides of his hunger, however. She was greatly mistaken if she thought little bribes such as this were going to save her.

[Naelona Ezel]

Ah, familiars. Bright but not all that bright. Granted, what worked on Mar might not work on another but it was worth a shot. If it didn't work.. well then it didn't work and she was no worse off than she already was. At Gwyllgi's bark Naelona froze and shuddered. It wasn't intentional and happened much sooner than she was able to realize. Had the room just grown dark a moment? Not everyone might pick up on such a change of lighting other than attributing it to the flickering flames of the fire, but Naelona knew better. As one who toyed with shadows daily, she knew all too well when it was natural and when it was not. And many, many times in Wonderland it was not natural at all.

If that wasn't enough to set her nerves on edge, the howl.. that deathly soul-beckoning howl did. Gasping to the sound her dress was dropped and Naelona covered her ears, clenching her eyes shut at the inside of the shed turned black. It was habit, her first reaction to anything was to disappear, to vanish away in the darkness while she still could. Panic fluttered her heart like a small drum and it took a few breaths to try to calm herself.

If their howls called out souls, it certainly felt as though it was calling hers.. or what was left of it. Despite trying to ignore it and maintain her resolve, in ways the damage was already done and she could feel her arms shake and her eyes opened again to see nothing but night. She could still feel the heat of the fire, but only a faint glow of it met her vision. A thought suddenly froze her heart and a silent realization cursed her very being. Black dogs were horribly difficult to see, let alone in dim light.. even for her and her shade trickery. She'd just created a perfect environment for a creature that - by nature - probably wanted little more than to tear out her soul and devour her on the spot. Naelona bit her lip until the pain actually registered.

Suddenly releasing the shadows to return to their proper places might trigger the creature, but keeping the room intensely dark wasn't going to help her either. This was too far out from the Palace and civilization.. too close to the Labyrinth for trickery like that. Slowly the darkness relented to the firelight. Her fearful mind considered creating false shadows of herself.. but this was an enclosed area.. even if she could fool the beast it could easily tear through each one and find the right one before she even made it to the door.

As light gradually seeped back into the room Naelona first glanced about to see where Gwyllgi was and if he had moved, and secondly to see if anything else had appeared during the brief intermission. Naelona wasn't completely aware of why they howled or what it meant, save for where there was sound of one - more came. Not this again.. It really was a sort of event Naelona didn't care to repeat.

[Luther Verhulst]

Darkness was the absence of light. Or was light the absence of darkness? It all depended on your perception of the universe. For a creature that was born in darkness and lived in darkness it would seem that light was a very strange thing. Given a choice between the two, Gwyllgi would prefer darkness.

Shadows, by nature, were composed of how the light interacted with physical objects. This knowledge was second-nature to the creature sitting before the fire. Another tidbit of knowledge was that darkness and shadow were not the same thing, but a subtle difference separated the two. The difference was as simple as the difference between an umbra and a penumbra, though the beast did not know such words for it.

Naelona was a creature of shadows, while Gwyllgi was a creature of darkness. And yet she was able to enshroud the area in such a way that it was not much different from total darkness. Gwyllgi understood this one simple truth between shadow and darkness: other creatures cannot see in true darkness.

And knowledgeable creatures understood this fact as well, and might even be able to explain why it was so. Gwyllgi could not--it was not useful for him to know the why, only the what. In this near-darkness it was an environment where true nightmares could roam free. Red eyes pierced the darkness with bright white fangs just barely underneath them. There were several sets of them prowling in the shade. A low rumbling that might have been the growling from mouths or stomachs broke the stillness of the darkened area. There was moist breath bearing down on the back of the woman's neck. And when she might finally expect the feeling of teeth sinking down into her flesh and meeting only the feeble resistance her muscles could muster she felt a tongue on her fingers.

The beast had stood up and walked over silently to Naelona and started to lick her hand. Gwyllgi lifted up a paw and pressed hard against Naelona's mid-section, either trying to push her over or trying to use her as support for his great weight. It was hard to tell which.

The sound of a door creaking open soon followed as Luther stepped into the shack to fumble around for something.