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

[Naelona Ezel]

Coal eyes searched the shades for any sign of the creature to not only be greeted by one, two.. but several pairs of glowing eyes. The soft rumbling tempted the ears and only furthered her deepening sense of dread. She'd done it now.. she'd been right all along hadn't she? The creature had just been left to devour her so Luther didn't have to mess with her himself. What a dirty, filthy trick! To be done in by a familiar..

Naelona froze while her frightened mind went over anything she could think of to do. There were too many eyes in too many locations to spot a clear path, and even if there was such a path.. oh forget it all! She'd been over this several times already.

Tipping over backwards Nae scooted away. She wasn't too sure to a 'where' just 'away' from 'there' where it had last been seen. For several moments all she heard was her pounding heart and the low growls when she held her breath. Oh what she'd give for her pipe about now.. or that tanto.. or something. Knowing fates she'd probably only tempted the creature's appetite and now it was coming for the main course of the impromptu frightened meal.

Feeling breath upon the back of her neck, Naelona held as still as possible. If it was behind her, backing up wasn't going to help her cause. Shutting her eyes again she waited for the inevitable, for the bite that had been kept at bay for the past four hundred years. As much as she dreaded the notion, she half expected to feel the pressure of teeth. Small moments like eternities passed and she wished the creature would just make up it's mind already, when it finally did.. and licked her fingers instead.

With a shriek Naelona jerked her hand away from Gwyllgi's maw. A large and forceful paw to her body easily tumbled the boogie over backwards and sprawled her on her back upon the floor. As if the dog's weight upon her middle wasn't bad enough. The rest of the room lightened back to it's normal illumination and pressing a hand against the beast's chest she tried pushing Gwyllgi off of her and scramble away from the over-friendly creature. Even the creaking of the door went unnoticed by the boogie. There were more pertinent, life-threatening things to deal with first.

[Luther Verhulst]

After knocking the pale woman to the ground Gwyllgi stepped over her body and started licking her face. The claws at the end of each paw were dulled from walking without the ability to retract them, but they also were accustomed to supporting a great deal of weight. It was a strong creature which stood over Naelona, and feeble attempts to push the creature away would not deter him. Perhaps a smart slap across the snout would shoo him away, but it might also make him angry. Making him angry was something that most people could not afford to do--Luther being an obvious exception.

Luther was present and despised fumbling around in the dark. He was not grateful once things returned to normal in his shed, but he did prefer it this way. He risked a glance over towards the commotion on the floor. His fingers found their way to his face and he pinched the bridge of his nose to emphasize his incredulity at the situation. When he finally released the grip he did not say or do anything to interfere, but went on ahead search for his knife.

He had not brought it with him on the off chance that he would not be able to find any beasts to slay out in the storm. However, his journey had been most fortuitous and had blessed him with one opportunity. Slowly his fingers grasped the handle of his knife while he worked off a string of smaller animals that had been caught in traps from around his body. He laid them out on a clear table for later use.

With measured steps he approached the door once again, but stopped with his fingers resting on the doorknob. A shrill whistle went through his teeth as he stared directly at Gwyllgi from his placement atop his house guest. The dog looked up attentively. A look was exchanged and the beast understood. It rushed outside as soon as Luther opened the door.

"You have been afforded a few moments longer to finish washing without interruption." Luther vanished through the door like another one of the shadows.

[Naelona Ezel]

The cursed beast was just toying with her now, she was sure. Derive what terror it could before going for the kill - wasn't that how these beings worked? Even if she had possessed the proper strength a boogie of her statue should, it was still doubtful she would've been able to have made the creature budge. Another cry of objection turned into sputtering as the creature carried on licking her face instead. Splendid, now her face was going to melt away instead!

Trying to hide her face from Gwyllgi it took all too long when finally a sharp whistle broke the otherwise struggling silence. The moment Gwyllgi bounded away Naelona rolled onto her size, wiping off her face upon her short sleeve, coughing at the smell of the dog that now clung to her exposed skin. Sitting up with a grimace Naelona just caught Luther's words before he returned back outside, leaving her finally - totally - alone.

The boogie pulled her knees to herself, clinging to her own shoulders while tremors shook her body. Pressing her palms into the scars that rested beneath upon her shoulders. What a horrid reminder. She fearfully glanced about the shed, and sure enough it still looked empty. Upon that note the natural shadows were pressed back to make it a bit brighter. What had Luther come back in for? Looking towards the door nothing clicked right away in her muddled and shaken mind. It didn't matter, Gwyllgi was gone now with him. She was safe again.

Moving across the floor back to the fire Naelona furiously scrubbed her face with the washcloth until her skin was a bright, raw pink, before doing the same to every other bit of afflicted skin. Without interrruption - her ass! She'd already been interrupted.. more assaulted rather. Ah well.. a few more moments wasn't an eternity. Naelona still felt weak and jittery, but there was still a dress to finish washing.

Wait.. dress?

Glancing at herself she was still very much only in her undergarments, and her still pink face turned very crimson. Now to most this would be no big deal. She was still covered from beneath her collarbones to just above her ankles, but Naelona had a very high standard of what was 'appropriate' and 'modest' and this was nothing close to it. Never mind how much leg he might or might not have seen while she fought with Gwyllgi. Heavens - might even have been up to her knees! She couldn't just put the dress back on as it was still soaking in a bucket.

Over the next few minutes she hurried and finished scrubbing the garment, hanging it up near the fire to dry, and took care of the remaining used water. Scanning the walls her eyes settled on a particularly warm looking hide. Removing it, she wrapped it about herself and sat back down upon the bear hide from earlier. Huddled up beneath the furs nothing could be seen of the Ezel save for her head, a pair of hands peeked out working dutifully to re-braid her drying hair into something remotely sensible. Glancing to the door and then her dress, Naelona made no notion of moving from her spot. She would be perfectly fine to remain right here until this storm - no - this blasted nightmare was finally over.

[Luther Verhulst]

It was but a few moments longer when the door clicked open again. The cold breeze easily forced its way into the shack for the few seconds it remained open. Luther stepped into the cabin with a large bundle of something in his arms. There was a noisy clatter as two somethings tied to the giant rattled against one another. With a movement of his foot once his entire body was inside he shut the door and moved to the table where he had set the trapped animals and laid down his larger bundle.

It appeared to be the vast majority of a butchered animal. The two somethings tied to Luther were large antlers with a great many points. He had managed to leave the fur intact when skinning the creature and set it aside with the antlers. It would be used as necessary later. Luther already knew that he had at least one knife that could use a new handle.

The smell of blood was strong on Luther, though it was a fresh scent. There had been almost no blood up until the point where he had to start butchering the animal. It might have been ironic that he had found Naelona in the midst of similar activities earlier in the evening. The difference being that he had chosen to share some parts of the meal with Gwyllgi. The beast was outside gratefully eating what Luther could not be troubled to bring in. Then again, he would have brought the materials in if he had not needed to feed Gwyllgi. It was a peculiar conundrum.

He turned his eyes from the meat to the fireplace and saw Naelona's dress hanging up. He could determine that the material still looked wet. His attention was then turned to Naelona, huddled up in one of his furs. Was that her peculiar sense of self-decency or simply the fact that she was cold? One was a reason he could tolerate, while the other was stupid and childish. He could not abide immature and childish antics, particularly from someone who was supposed to behave in a mature manner.

He removed the dark gloves from his hands--it looked like he was peeling off a layer of skin this time. He removed the coat from his torso and hung it up on a nail near the fireplace so it would dry. However, he kept the reptilian boots on his feet. Turning back to the meat he cut a large piece from the bloody mess for himself. His teeth made something almost like a sawing motion after he placed it in his mouth. This method of mastication tore the warm and tender flesh to shreds and made it easier to swallow, though Luther might have just swallowed the morsel whole if he left himself with a smaller piece.

He cut a smaller portion from the fresh kill and jabbed the knife hard into the top of the table. The giant reached out his hand towards the woman's head and offered her the piece of meat much like you'd offer food to an wary animal. "Hiding from winter's chill, or your captor?" His eyes did not seem impressed with her current predicament, but he was not screaming at her for pulling down one of his furs yet. It would hopefully not resort to a shouting match in his own home. He had more than enough reasons to have a headache without adding her drama to the mixture.

[Naelona Ezel]

Nightmares. It was doubtful such a thing were a permissible answer. Nightmares is what she was hiding from. That and shrouding what sense of dignity and preservation she could still maintain. She had her pride, but even pride seemed reluctant to rear it's stubborn head in this situation. That was a good way to get it lopped off.. by sticking one's neck out so pridefully.

The smell of blood and followed Luther in was strong, and only stirred the feeling of hunger again. He'd been hunting in this weather? Luther was more mad than she'd taken him for. "It's pointless to hide from what already has possession. There is only the cold and nightmares to ward off now." One of them having four legs, a black hide and called 'Gwyllgi'. It wasn't the worse by far, but unpleasant just the same.

Reaching out an arm from the warm overings into the chilled air Naelona took the piece of meat much like a wary creature would. Hesitantly and carefully before retracting her arm back into the warm hides. It was still nice and tender. Such foods were better cooked with seasonings, but raw would do for now. Biting off a piece she chewed it over, settling back into her place comfortably. There was nothing to raise a fuss about concerning her use of his furs. Luther had told her to - more or less - make herself at home and use whatever she needed to. Until Naelona left or died - or both - she intended to make full use of that piece of advice.

There were reasons to be selective in picking words to use around Naelona. She would pick apart anything they said and utilize specifically what they didn't. Granted the same tactics and tricks could be used back against her as well, but few did that let alone even realized the idea in the first place.

The terror from earlier was still subsiding, and the unease still sat in her bones. Settling her thoughts upon the raw meat and chewing it up into suitable pieces was a decent focus point, though every so often Naelona would glance towards the door - just in case Gwyllgi decided to come back in. For several minutes Naelona had nothing more to say to him, content to stay where she was, as she was, nibbling away at the impromptu dinner.

"Are you going to cook the rest of it..?" Spoken language sounded strange after a time of silence. One could make an excellent soup or stew from what was there, not to mention the amount of bones would make a drool-worthy bone soup.. and the fresher the kill the better the meat was too. Odd how the best of meals was most available only to those who strove the most for them.

[Luther Verhulst]

Cold and nightmares--it was an answer that cut more to the point than it at first seemed. Luther must have found the answer satisfactory for he turned his attention elsewhere. Either that, or he could not be bothered to muster up any verbal thrashings. Regardless, she would be here for some time and there was little that could be done about it.

He licked his fingertips where he had touched the meat as he considered what tasks he needed to set himself to next. There were a great many things that always needed doing. Were it that he wasted his hours in sleep like so many others it might be that he'd perpetually be falling behind. As it was, the storm was forcing him to take care of tasks which had very little urgency to them. And Naelona.

"Cook? Cook." Luther repeated the word twice with slightly different inflections both times, like he was weighing it carefully in his throat. It gave an impression that he was, at the very least, unfamiliar with the word. "It does not need to... cook to serve its purpose." Cooking food took time, changed the texture and flavor and often removed nutrition that Luther would not get otherwise, though he was only vaguely aware of this last purpose. "Should you want to... cook, then it is your task alone."

Luther's fingers reached out and grasped at the bottle of scotch he had set out for Naelona a little earlier. His fingers worked the top out with ease. Lifting it to his lips he took a pull of the potent mixture before setting it down once more. It brought the warmth back to his body and put the fire back into his veins after the chills of the outside had stolen them both away.

He would have to take care of the meat first, he supposed quietly. Unless Naelona had wishes to spoil his kill to make it more palatable to her. He would not approach the kill until he had her answer.

[Naelona Ezel]

It was almost amusing listening to the brute toy with the word cook like a child who had just found another word with which to extend their vocabulary. He was correct, it did not require cooking.. but some things were better for the extra effort - despite the apparent frivolity. Most of Wonderland seemed to run that way - well - the civilized parts at least.

Naelona shook her head just enough to indicate her thoughts. "It isn't necessary." The slice he'd handed her alone was more raw meat than she'd had in a long time. The boogie had so accustomed to cooked meals for such a long time, raw food almost seemed.. a bit novel to her. It was certainly something she could deal with.. for a time.

"However, the bones would make a good soup, if you are interested." A good bone soup was still on the brain - even after all that had happened. It was still a lingering craving that would be satiated sooner or later. There were an awful number of bones within a skeleton and she doubted the pair would get through all of then anytime soon. On the flip side, hopefully she wouldn't be here long enough to make such an endeavor worth her time.

"I can help if you desire any assistance." Butchering anything was it's own sizable task. It was perfectly possible to do alone and if he desired such that was perfectly acceptable. The Ezel would at least put the offer out there for him. She would rather not be a complete bump on a log for long, it just wasn't within her nature nor temperament. The amount of time that had been wasted by inactivity was bad enough. Naelona was sure Wonderland was already wasting away by the minute for it.

[Luther Verhulst]

It had seemed quite a while since Luther had flashed his teeth in agitation at anyone, but such a state of things was too good to last for very long. Naelona's response triggered the instinctual tightening of his lips and his fangs were now presented for all to see once again. If she had known that such a thing was not necessary, then why had she bothered to put the question to him in the first right?

It was a bothersome child that he had brought upon himself. Perhaps he would leave her the bones, though the idea of using the richest and most rewarding part of the carcass for cooking seemed even more blasphemous than gently roasting the rest of the muscles. His hands worked quickly to pick out which portions were best suited for particular purposes. Naelona's offer of help was met with a firm and simple response. "No." He hardly wanted her help in this task.

He set aside some of the meat for drying, some of it was selected for smoking and some was selected for salting. The remainder of the meat was left for snacking and the bones were left for Naelona, should she decide to venture out from her hiding place. It seemed even more childish than the needless question from before. Wrapping one's self in a few furs would do little to keep the nightmares at bay. It worked a little better for the cold, but thick clothes would serve the purpose just as well.

Luther remained silent as he busied his hands with the meat. Naelona could sit quietly in the furs and freeze slowly to death for all he was concerned right now. If she desired action, then she should know better than to seek direction from Luther. It was far from his responsibilities to give her direction and tell her the nature of her place. The gazelle was born knowing that it must run or die.

[Naelona Ezel]

The 'No' was met with little reaction or retort. Now that she was finally sitting, reasonably warm, had a bit of food and Gwyllgi was definitely outside and away from her immediate squishy being, fatigue once more tugged at her body and her mind. Once the piece of meat he had given her was finished off, Naelona hugged her knees beneath the furs and rested her chin upon them while she watched the fire. The sound of Luther working on the carcass was mere background noise that blended in with the crackle of the fire and the howling wind outside.

Of the palace two matters were insistently pressing for precedence in her mind. One of Kristopher and one of her brother. Both were impending, but each for very different reasons. Since sending off Augusta she hadn't heard a word yet if he had found Aione, or if by it he had been able to discover Kristopher's whereabouts, condition, health.. her thoughts easily slipped to unpleasant conclusions. It was such a mess concerning that blond's disappearance. There was such a mess concerning the blond alone.. Naelona bit her lip. Maybe it was high time to consider.. if this was the impending result.. a very unpleasant consideration yet an equally unavoidable one. Something may need to be done with the boy. In addition there was also her brother, and a whole host of other formalities to consider.

Back to the matter at hand, there was the current situation to survive before any others could be pursued. Logic and reason dictated it best to pay attention to the most immediate matters first, one of which being surviving this little stint. To survive an unwanted company required a knowledge of what can and cannot be done without chance of repercussions resulting in injury and/or death. It required understanding what the subject might or might not do.. understanding anyone - save for in the barest of words - was not Naelona's forte.

Frankly, beyond rumors, Naelona knew hardly anything about Luther. For the most part, the boogie preferred it that way - infuriating, agitating, irksome, lumbering heap of flesh he was. Words were tasted at the end of her sharp tongue, but not spoken. It was difficult to keep quiet, but that wasn't her position here in this situation. This situation rendered her as just another boogie caught astray of the lines of what was proper and resolute. For one with such idea concepts of how a place should be run, the concept of being reduced to one to run within it wasn't sitting well with her, at all. It was proper and only fair, but it also provoked her already taunted pride.

Pulling the fur closer about her shoulders Naelona let it drape over her arms much like a robe would, crossing the sides over herself one over the other. Ignoring the brute with the knife Naelona got to her feet and went to the fire and her dress hanging by it. Checking the skirts she fixed some of the cloth and turned it about so the other side could start drying as well. Heavens, she didn't have to be near and her skin prickled as it was. Nearing the table the boogie watched him in silence for a few moments to see precisely what he was working on, before taking another piece for herself much like the first she'd been given. She considered the bottle of scotch briefly, but that could wait yet, at least a bit longer.

She nerves weren't all completely frayed quiet yet.

[Luther Verhulst]

The knife worked much like an extension of Luther's body as it tore meat away from the bones. An experienced butcher might recognize that there was some level of skill in Luther's hands. The knife itself was sharp and could cut through the meat and gristle with ease, but Luther did not carve through the hard parts of the carcass. With his hands and the blade he was able to cut the body in those places where the connective tissues were most weakly attached.

Luther never felt pleasure or joy at carving up an animal. It simply was an activity that was necessitated by larger kills. He might have simply cut the juiciest bits from a kill and then brought those back, but it would mean that he would have to make more kills for the same supply of food. It was a question of how much time and energy he was willing to expend on hunting. Given everything else that required his attention, he had learned that it was better to prepare a larger portion of meat when he could, rather than hunt for smaller portions more frequently.

He glanced at a small hand reaching for a morsel of meat, but he did not make any motion to stop or rebuke the attempt. What few tidbits she could steal away from him were unimportant in the larger scheme. No doubt that she would eat much of it anyways.

Without a word his hands wrapped around a large hunk of meat and he carried it over to the fireplace. The addition of a fireplace had taken him some time to consider, but Luther had learned a long time ago that his dislike of water meant that he had to learn to be friendly with fire.

His hands placed the meat into a previously unnoticed indent in the chimney and hung the hunk of meat on a hook. This secured the meat high enough above the fire that it would not cook, but it would take in the smoke. Luther meaningfully tossed in a hickory log from a separate pile of wood. It would flavor the smoke a little differently.

He turned his head and faced the wall for a moment, as though straining his ears to hear something . Luther held that position for a moment before turning his attention back to the meat. A few more preparations and he would be able to set it aside for other tasks.

[Naelona Ezel]

So it seemed the remark akin to 'make yourself at home' he'd made earlier held true thus far. There was one distinct thing Naelona detested about this change, this switch of who had the final say. For once she was the one who had to keep her mouth shut. Fortunately Luther wasn't much of a conversationalist. On the other hand perhaps that wasn't such a good thing. He might know how to at least act a bit more pleasant and sociable if he was. It was little wonder how he'd been convinced to show up to the last ball at all.

Watching him pass to the fire with one wary eye, Naelona reconsidered her earlier consideration and took a sip of the scotch after all. It was a different taste with the fresh kill, but a little liquid went a long way. Warily looking to the door, there was still no sound nor sign of Gwyllgi. Hopefully it would stay that way.

Passing Luther, Naelona returned to her spot, getting comfortable again upon the bear hide and leaning back against the wall. She hadn't even noticed the indent before. Granted as long as the brute was busy with his own tasks, it meant less time he could pester her. Nibbling away the second piece was also gone in short order and she considered thirds. Nah, not quite yet. The boogie hadn't eaten much in the days before, and returned trips for more meat until her stomach was properly full would be unwise. Uncivilized boogies aside.

Sniffing the air a little, she could smell the log burning. Now smoke was something she could appreciate, and speaking of which the Ezel wished she had her pipe along with. If anyone asked what smoldered within it she would tell them the long-lost dreams of children.. in such a place as this, one could only hope it was just a tale she told.

Naelona licked off the pads of her fingers. They had been clean in the first place from her 'bathing' and washing, and now not a trace of her snack remained on them. By now her braid had come mostly undone and her clean fingers sought out the three sections of parted hair, tugging them loose from each other. Starting from the top of her scalp, she braided the hair together down to the nape of her neck. It was on way to keep stray, shorter locks from falling in her way.

Smothering a yawn, she watched Luther work with lax attention. With silence and food came fatigue and heavy eyelids, but she wasn't going to sleep here. They sank about half-shut over her coal gray eyes as the glow of the fire blended with the walls and Luther's moving form. Once in a while she could blink a few times, maybe refocus, but then return to her wandering thoughts. She may be lacking her papers, but there were many, many matters to sort after all.

[Luther Verhulst]

The salting of the meat passed in a matter most uneventful. Luther continued to say nothing, even as he completed the task. He casually wiped his hands clean with a damp rag before setting his attention once more to his tools. Instead of lifting another tool from the table he just continued to stare at them.

His lips parted slowly and he clicked his teeth together for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. Finally he managed to speak his mind for a brief moment. It might very well be the last chance he would get to tell Naelona about such things. "You never came by to check on my progress." He did not turn to look at her, but instead debated which tool was in most dire need of his attention.

"I found it." There was a solid tone of finality in his words as he took a saw and a piece of antler into his hands. He worked through the antler and cut a straight segment from it. There was a loud crack as he then split the antler piece into two long halves.

He returned the saw to its resting place and lifted a chisel and a knife before setting himself down near the fireplace. Perhaps this was not high on his priority list, but it needed doing and if he did not do it now, then it would not be done at all.

He picked his current position so that Naelona would not have to yell in order to speak with him.

[Naelona Ezel]

Progress? What progress was this that he spoke of? Naelona hardly had anything to do with the boogie at all, save for the occasional sharp remark and scathing look. Thinking back the past few times they'd met, it wasn't many. Three..? No.. more like four unfortunate times they had had the misfortune of running into the other. It was an event that seemed to be occurring more frequently with time. How unsettling.

One eye sank shut while the other opened as a loud crack echoed in the small shed. His last words certainly weren't related to the tool he had selected, that was for sure. There were very specific reasons for her request to him to search in the first place, some more valid of late than others. Some considerably pressing.

"Is it far..?" Never mind it was a shifting, treacherous place. It hadn't been that far four-hundred years ago. Naelona doubted it could truly be that much further now. Maybe in another direction.. there were things that eluded even a boogie's understanding.. to many they 'just were'. He might have a slightly better understanding, but that didn't change the situation. Even with what little she could recall, the place still gave her the chills.

No she hadn't sought to check up on his progress.. though nor had he come by to report it. By this hour she didn't recall if their agreement had been for her to check by or not, but it hardly mattered. She was here now, and he was telling her. Issue solved, for now.

[Luther Verhulst]

Whatever her reason for forgetting their agreement, Luther had managed to hold up his end of the bargain. There had been no guarantees that he would be able to find the placement and his success was met with personal shock. Of course, it was now in a terribly dangerous part of the Labyrinth proper.

Quietly he admired the feeling of the antler in his hands. Hours could pass with him just working with the material, and they likely would. There was a certain twinge of regret in bringing the woman back to the shed, but the irony of the situation was that leaving her to her own devices would have necessitated her abduction. It was a riddle.

Luther fucking hated riddles.

"The spot is not far from the outside wall, but without fortune you would walk several miles to reach it." At worst the placement was five or six walls in. The nature of the position meant that distance was merely a factor of the whims of the Labyrinth itself.

He watched her and waited. The response she made would determine his own reaction. If her intention was to go into the Labyrinth to see the place with her own eyes, then Luther would be entitled to lock her in the maze without a way out. Such a thin line between madness and reason she had been walking. The signs had been there and Luther knew to watch for them. The condition was an evolving one and all that was left was to see if time would weather it.

[Naelona Ezel]

Little notes started, one at a time flitting through her mind. They were old and dusty, but as on trickled by then came two, three.. Beneath the fur her fingers tapped gently against her leg as though the skin were keys to sound them. What an unusual thing to recall in such a place as this. As much as she often desired to forget such a tune and the memories associated with it, it was oddly.. a small bit comforting in the current situation. If a boogie such as her self could or should even need comforting.

Naelona didn't respond immediately to Luther but kept silent. Her hazy mind was already soaking in what he'd said, securing it away repetitively in hopes she would not forget. Mentally binding it to something potent so it could be recovered later, even if she had to struggle to remember it. There wasn't a map in existence that she was aware of that outlined the Labyrinth. Never mind it would be a dangerous if not impossible task. Mapping the interior was a hopeless cause, but one could at least learn where the borders lie. Traveling miles was out of the question. Not in a ruinous land like that.

His gaze felt like a hefty weight upon her frame. After several moments she met and returned it, if only to lighten the burden from herself. It needn't be said, but his mind was saying more than his tongue ever would. It was a fool's errand to even consider venturing to such places. Even so - fools did exist.

"I have no desire to go there, if that is what you are wondering." It would be what he'd be wondering, wouldn't it? Probably wondering if it wasn't just a mad woman talking to him. Some being that had lost all sense and reason much like the one before them. One who would cast away sense and reason and do the insensible. To willingly fling themselves into harm and disgrace. To permanently take away what little they had to give.

Getting to her feet she shuffled over near the hearth and sat back down in the fresh warmth of the fire. True - this rendered Luther little more than an arm's reach away - but there was little space to be had so close to the fire and for one brief moment Naelona was not feeling so picky. "That was what you were wondering, correct?" She didn't fall that closely to the tree. Reaching up she picked at and fluffed the skirts a bit as the one side had been getting rather hot. Sometimes proximity was required to gain a solution.