A New Dawn. [Piper]

[Ryan Cardwell]

Over the far distant horizon, the morning sun dawned. It shed it's light across the vast expanses of Wonderland, surprisingly bright in the aftermath of the fearsome storm that had ravaged the land the night before. Slowly making it's way upwards into the sky, the tender rays of light snaked their way across the boogie world, heating everything they touched. Eventually they reached the point where they broke over the top of the crimson leaves of the forest, racing beyond to collide with the walls of the hospital. Most of them were absorbed into the stone of the building, gradually heating it. But a few made their way through the windows, waking the patients who lay in recovery. Inside the building it was busy as usual. Doctors and nurses ran to and fro, tending to the needs of children in most every room. However there was one room that they all avoided, most likely because of the tall figure that sat within.

Tristan carefully sipped at his coffee, groaning as every movement stretched his still far from healed wounds. Moon lay on the floor, curled around his ankles. The wolf appeared to be asleep, but then one could never tell with her. Setting the cup down on the table beside him, he leaned his head back as the past nights events passed before his eyes. That pet of Naelona's, the brunette one, had come to him and told him that Iugo had taken a girl into the trap. And so without a thought he'd gone in after them. There'd been a fight, he had been too blinded by rage for him to really remember all of it, and then he'd set her free. They'd managed to escape, but not without leaving them both scarred, her mentally and he physically.

Somehow they'd manged to make it to the hospital, where two human girls had done their best to patch him up. There wasn't much they could do, but he'd survived. Though he hadn't doubted he would, it took more than one boogie and the labyrinth to bring him down. For a moment he wondered where the girl had gone, though the thought soon passed. Now he closed his eye and dozed a bit, still a bit weak from the ordeal.

[/size]

[Piper Wren]

The nurses who had treated Piper for her physical wounds tried to make her tell them what had happened last night but she had refused to say a word, after a few hours of gentle questioning they finally realised that the girl was not going to speak on it...so they sent someone to get some clothes from her room so she could change out of her hospital gown after a finally physical checkover. There wasn't much physical damage, only on her wrists and ankles were Piper had struggled against her bonds and rubbed the skin until it was raw and bleeding. The nurse had been clever enough to bring her a long sleeved shirt to cover her bandages, a pair of jeans and ankle boots so none of the white gauze would have a chance of peeking out.

Piper was fit enough to leave the hospital and return to Boogie palace and was clear on her final physical check up. She was now standing just outside of Tristan's door, trying to pluck up the nerve to go inside. The young woman remembered how Tristan was when his fight with Iugo but oddly enough for a boogie he had been gentle with her and even taken her for medical treatement.

'It's the least I can do...'

She took a deep breath and stepped quietly inside the room and sat down beside Tristan's bed where he appeared to be currently dozing...he needed the rest, Piper felt exhausted herself but everytime she tried to sleep the night before, closing her eyes had been a terrifying experience. She didn't say anything yet and simply sat there, hands folded in her lap.

'Say something, Idiot...'

[Ryan Cardwell]

It would seem normal for him to be dreaming, yes even boogies dreamed, but he wasn't. He was far too tired for any sort of dreaming. The boogie hadn't slept more than about an hour total in the last week or so. Near every minute had been spent sitting next to Haruko's grave. He hadn't left to eat, or change, or sleep. The mornings coffee was the first thing that had gone into his stomach since he'd found her lying within the labyrinth. He had to admit that it felt good to finally feel something within him, he'd been hollow for far too long.

However despite his physical exhaustion, the very nature of the man refused to allow him to drift off completely. As such, even in sleep, his sense were piqued as the girl entered the room. His eyes started moving beneath their lids and his fingers slowly began flexing. Then when she sat next to him the switch was flipped, and he was abruptly jolted back to the waking world.

Slowly he opened his eye, squinting a bit as the bright morning light hit his face. It cast around the room, searching for whatever presence had broke him from his rest. And soon enough it landed on the girl's face, muscles relaxing as he watched her in silence. Resting himself back against the wall, he moved to scratch an itch on his bare chest. Almost immediately he flinched, the pain assaulting his brain in waves. And so he let it be, instead choosing to just smile at the girl. "Morning. How are you doing? Your not hurt badly are you?" His voice was a bit hoarse as he spoke, something which caused him to mentally frown. Great... It seemed that on top of his injuries he'd caught some sort of illness due to the freezing rain. Though ti could only be the fact that he'd just woken up. Who knew?

[/size]

[Piper Wren]

"Morning. How are you doing? Your not hurt badly are you?"

Piper was slightly startled, she had been expecting Tristan to remain asleep for a while, not suddenly wake up...well, at least he seemed alright although those wounds still looked nasty despite the cleaning and stitches he was given the night before, the hoarseness in his voice made Piper wonder if he had caught something from being out in the storm with her last night while they tried to get to the hospital. Tristan must have heard everything Iugo had said about her as well...his favourite saying was 'filthy whore', just thinking about it might her visibly flinch.

"I'm fine...nothing serious, I...I just wanted to thank you..."

She glanced down at her hands, pulling the fabric of her shirt as far down as it would go until only part of her fingers were visible, it was pretty obvious that neither of them had really slept, Piper was paler than usual and there were dark circles under her eyes, everytime she had tried to sleep last night it resulted in nightmares and paranoia that Iugo might have followed them to the hospital hung in the forefront of her mind. Piper noticed one of the nurses had left a jug of water and a cup beside Tristan's bed, to keep herself busy she poured some and held it out to him.

"That might help...with your throat I mean."

[Ryan Cardwell]

Looking the girl over, he could tell that she wasn't in the best of shape. While physically she might have been fine, it was glaringly obvious that her mind had been badly damaged by something. Whether that something had been the previous nights events was another matter.

"I'm fine...nothing serious, I...I just wanted to thank you..."

Once again he smiled at the girl, appearing far gentler than a boogie ought to. To tell the truth it hadn't been much about her, though she had been part of his reason. But mostly it was about Haruko. The bottles up rage he's felt since her death had boiled over once given a target. That was the main reason he'd gone after Iugo, vengeance. But he wasn't about to tell her that. "There's no need to thank me. I couldn't let that bastard hurt another human that....." He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. Thinking of Haruko, lying there lifeless, was still more than he could bear. A good part of him hoped she wouldn't catch on to how he'd cut the sentence short and ask about it, but then another part realized that if he continued to bottle it up then he'd never get over it, just go insane.

"That might help...with your throat I mean."

Silently he took the cup, sipping at it briefly. The cool water felt amazing sliding down his throat, even better than the coffee had. Still, he was worried about the girl. He had indeed heard everything that Iugo had said to her, and he massively disagreed on every point the bastard had made. Now he turned his single amber orb on Piper, the wound where the other had been covered with a simple cloth eyepatch. "He's wrong you know."

[Piper Wren]

"There's no need to thank me. I couldn't let that bastard hurt another human that....."

What did Tristan mean by that? Piper looked slightly bemused for a moment before averting her gaze back down to her lap, wringing her hands...and why was he smiling at her like that? She felt the gauze of her fresh bandages through the fabric of her shirt and immediately stopped fiddling, she just wanted to forget they were there.

"What do you mean by-nevermind."

This was making her pretty uncomfortable, Boogie's weren't meant to look that human or treat her like an equal. Piper had learned that pretty quickly in her time in Wonderland.

"He's wrong you know."

Piper knew straight away what Tristan was referring to and bit down on her bottom lip, letting her hair fall forward to hide her face. How could Tristan know that? He didn't know everything...neither did Iugo but that particular Boogie read her like a book and knew all her sensitive emotional wounds. Piper was silent for a moment before speaking, voice cracking slightly as she did so, it was a tough subject for her. Only one person really knew some of what had happened but that had been a guess.

"No...and he wouldn't be the first."

[Ryan Cardwell]

Watching her, he could tell that he was making her uncomfortable. Why? Because he wasn't fitting the stereotype of his race. Boogies were cruel, heartless, and pure evil. They cared for no one and existed only to torment humans. Or at least, that's what most all of the humans thought. Tristan was odd, because he was none of those things. Nevertheless, that didn't change the fact that he was always automatically branded as so. To tell the truth, it got under his skin more than a little. For someone as soft as him, it was incredibly annoying when everyone around you was scared to death of you just because they had no idea. He sighed to himself, speaking softly as that amber orb watched her. "You believe us all to be monsters, don't you?"

"No...and he wouldn't be the first."

The boogie frowned, not liking that at all. He'd risked his life to save hers, and yet she still believed everything that sick bastard had told her. His face suddenly turned to stone, matching the hardness of his voice. "Your right." Wait. He was agreeing with her? But hadn't he been the one to say that all the things that had been said about her were wrong? He had indeed, which is why he wasn't finished speaking. "Your wrong as well." His face softened considerably, once again taking on the kind features that it had held before. "YOu are more than what you think you are."

[Piper Wren]

"You believe us all to be monsters, don't you?"

Could Tristan really blame her? Piper's encounters so far with other boogies had not been pleasant ones and she still wasn't sure if she could entirely trust Tristan despite the fact that he saved her life. At first Piper had thought she was out of the frying pan and into the fire...it just hadn't occured to her that a Boogie would want to save a human. Piper hunched her shoulders and still didn't look up although she could feel Tristan's single amber orb on her.

"Your right....Your wrong as well. You are more than what you think you are."

Piper looked up at Tristan at that statement...and roughly wiped her eyes which she felt pricking with tears, those words had touched a nerve with her and having someone tell her that she was not a whore after years of having it drummed into her brought a huge sense of relief. Like finally being able to breathe after coming up from underwater. She swallowed and as she spoke her voice was low and cracked in places.

"It's just...for years I've been made to feel like a whore, back 'home' and here. Having someone let you know you're no one's victim is...well...it's a relief but hard to contemplate."

[Ryan Cardwell]

"It's just...for years I've been made to feel like a whore, back 'home' and here. Having someone let you know you're no one's victim is...well...it's a relief but hard to contemplate."

He nodded at her, even though he couldn't quite relate. His home life had been far better than most, his parents genuinely cared for him as parents should. And then once he'd set out on his own, he'd never allowed himself to come out on bottom. It had always been all or nothing, and most times he was the one who came out with the all. Nevertheless, he could feel the girl's pain, and he could do his best to try and heal it.

"Just because you are told something, that doesn't mean it's true. It's only as true as you let it be." The boogie moved to stand, groaning as every movement sent pain shooting through him like electricity. Nevertheless he made it to his feet, turning towards the window. In doing so he revealed to her the pair of dragonic, batlike wings that adorned his back. For the most part they were hidden beneath his clothing, and so few were aware he even had them. And those that did thought them to be only accessories, incapable of actual use. They, beyond the odd amber color of his eye, where the only things that made him any different appearance wise from the humans.

Placing his arms on the windowsill he rested his weight on them, staring off towards the waking world of Wonderland. "For centuries I've been branded a monster by your kind. does that mean I should behave as such?" Wonderful. Now he was beginning to get philosophical. Despite what one might think by his appearance, Tristan was a great lover of philosophy. He'd even studied the works of humans. To him, it was just one small way he could begin to understand the why things where they way they are. Turning back towards her, he winced slightly before smiling again. "You are no more a whore than I am a monster. And as long as I am alive, you won't be anyone's victim." The sap.

[Piper Wren]

"Just because you are told something, that doesn't mean it's true. It's only as true as you let it be."

Piper sighed and watched Tristan as he made his way over to the windowsill, she wanted to tell him that he shouldn't be wandering around but it was like her lips wouldn't move as she noticed the draconic wings on his back...Piper hadn't seen those before, seeing someone with wings in a drawing or a movie was nothing but having someone standing infront of you like that was a tad unnerving.

"For centuries I've been branded a monster by your kind. does that mean I should behave as such? You are no more a whore than I am a monster. And as long as I am alive, you won't be anyone's victim."

She couldn't help but be touched by that statement...the idea of a Boogie wanting to protect her was a strange idea but she tried to take Tristan's statement about being branded as a monster to heart. Maybe like people, not all Boogies were the same. Piper stood up and crossed the room to stand beside Tristan, glancing up at him.

Perhaps he just needed a chance?

"Thank you...I'm not quite sure what to say."

[Ryan Cardwell]

"Thank you...I'm not quite sure what to say."

The boogie smiled down at the girl yet again, shaking his head as he did so. "Nothing need be said." That was the long and short of it. He really didn't need for her to say anything in return, though he wouldn't try to stop her if she did. There was nothing she might say that could have a chance of changing his mind, because he knew her to be in a great deal of danger. Iugo wouldn't be forgetting what had happened anytime soon. And as long as he was loose, he'd be coming after her. This time however, Tristan really doubted torture would be a top priority. Chances were good that he'd still have it in mind, but more likely than not he would be after her very life. But he'd have to go through Tristan first.

With a sigh that was carefully used to cover up a groan, he slumped back onto the windowsill. Despite him wishing it to be otherwise, his ignoring the still unhealed wounds was taking alot out of him. Normally he could take injuries and just keep going undeterred, but then these weren't normal circumstances. He had been far from top condition, and quiet a few of the injuries had been inflicted by things far worse than any boogie. Nevertheless, he wasn't about to let himself be slowed. And so he looked back up at the girl, eye looking her over once again. "I wouldn't mind learning your name though."

[Piper Wren]

Tristan wasn’t the only one who was aware Iugo would no give up on Piper so easily, knowing that he could come after her at anytime made her feel sick to her stomach. Attempted torture had been bad enough but what if he had other things on his mind? She swallowed and fiddled awkwardly with the bandage on her left wrist. When Tristan made a sound that was a cross between a sigh and a groan, slumping against the window sill, Piper hesitated for a moment, biting down on her lower lip before putting his arm around her shoulders, despite her reflexive flinch at the contact, Piper stopped herself from pulling away from Tristan.

“Lean on me, you’re still injured.”

Technically he wasn’t meant to be moving much, let alone be out of bed…Piper remembered even before his face off with Iugo in the Widow’s Trap that Tristan had seemed to be sporting injuries. Where could he have gotten those from?

‘I don’t know what else to do…especially when Iugo comes back for me, I can’t rely on him to be there all the time.'

"I wouldn't mind learning your name though."

Piper glanced up and she realised that in all the commotion of last night that she had never given him her name…although other things had taken priority, such as treating Tristan’s injuries and getting away from Iugo for now.

“Oh, it’s Piper, Piper Wren…sorry for not mentioning it earlier...and your name?”

[Ryan Cardwell]

“Lean on me, you’re still injured.”

Well. This certainly was embarrassing. Here he was, a boogie, forced to rely on this young human girl for support. His pride as a boogie was rather indignant over the matter, not liking to rely on anyone least of all a human. But then the sensible portion of his mind realized that he had no choice in the matter. He was still far too weak to be wandering around, it would probably be days if not weeks before he would be back to even a fraction of his strength. Even so, he didn't plan to lie up in bed all that time, nor did he plan to return to the graveyard. He had things that needed attending to, and they required that he put his despair over her loss aside. He frowned, though it was soon replaced by weak smile. "I apologize for all this."

“Oh, it’s Piper, Piper Wren…sorry for not mentioning it earlier...and your name?”

"Piper Wren eh?" He mused for a moment, storing the name away in his mind. "A lovely name that. Mine is Tristan Blackthorne. And her name--" He raised his hand pointing across the room at the large wolf lying next to his bed, as he'd thought she hadn't been asleep. At this moment her ears were perked up, and she was staring at the two with those ice blue eyes of hers. "Is Moon" Piper was right, Tristan couldn't always be there for her. But whenever he wasn't watching, Moon would be. As gentle as she could be, she was more dangerous than even the black dogs of the labyrinth once crossed.

[Piper Wren]

"I apologize for all this."

Piper let Tristan lean some of his weight on her, it was obvious that he was still weak from his fight and by the looks of it, he would be recovering for a while, she then helped Tristan back to his hospital bed. She made sure that it would safe to let go of Tristan, Piper didn't want him becoming unsteady and falling, the last thing either of them needed was for Tristan to end up with another injury.

"It's fine, really...I owe you for last night."

"Piper Wren eh? A lovely name that. Mine is Tristan Blackthorne. And her name--Is Moon"

She couldn't help but be slightly startled then...how did she not notice a large wolf by the side of the bed? But she remembered that Moon had helped Tristan get her out of the Widow's Trap last night...and Agony probably wasn't going to be happy for a while, he still had a lump on his head from when Piper had thrown a metal candlestick at him.

"Well, thank you for last night, Tristan...and Moon."

Piper didn't want to leave her out...especially since she had helped...

"I take it Iugo won't give up on this so easily though..."

[Ryan Cardwell]

He did his best to take the strain off of her as they made their way back to the bed, grunting as he half collapsed onto it. Even he had to admit that he needed to sit down for a spell, though he refused to be down very long. He didn't like being cooped up and being confined to a bed was even worse. It set his nerves on end, made him feel vulnerable. If there was a fight to be had then he wanted to be the one throwing the first hit, because then he could make it the last. But if he was stuck in bed then all he could do was sit around and wait for something to happen, and that was by far the worst part for him.

"Well, thank you for last night, Tristan...and Moon."

By this time Moon had already gone back to her imitation doze, though her ears perked up again at the sound of her name. But seeing that she wasn't needed she ignored them, diverting her attention to more important matters, like making sure no one was trying to sneak up on them. With Tristan incapacitated, whether he wanted to admit it or not, it was going to be entirely up to her to protect him and his entire flock.

"I take it Iugo won't give up on this so easily though..."

Tristan frowned, no liking the thought even though he had been the one thinking it previously. He rubbed the back of his head, unsure as to just how exactly to go about answering her. In the end though, he figured he might as well just tell the truth of it. "He won't. I've dealt with his kind before, and he won't be forgetting it anytime soon. Chances are he'll keep coming after you, and he'll probably try to go after my humans in order to get to me. Hopefully he'll slip up though. All I need is one mistake and that'll be it for him." One mistake. And then Tristan would send him on a one way trip to hell where he belonged.