Cloaked Mystery [O]

[arukarane]

The inn at Veifa, her precious hometown, woke Aruka up with sunshine piercing through her window. She opened her groggy eyelids and stretched with a yawn. A couple of days ago she had arrived here to reconnect with the townspeople she held so dear to her and gather some supplies for her next trip. Her eyes caught the beam of light and she sat up suddenly. What time was it? She wondered and got out of bed. It took her only a few moments to decide what to wear and slip into her white dress that went down to her ankles with a black sash around her waist. Today was a day to relax from the hard journeys she usually was on, so a nice outfit was pleasant once in awhile. Lastly she threw her velvet, purple cloak and left the room.

The sun was deceiving for outside a gust of cold wind hit her face. She pulled her hood up and walked down the pebbled road, careful to stay out of people's way. True she had grown to like others similar to herself and learn their ways, but her first instinct was to run away, like the wild animals of the forest. Soon her cheeks had turned red and she took seat upon a small, but sturdy barrel outside an Inn. She didn't quite feel like entering it at the moment so she decided to face the cold for now.

[Matthew Jameson]

He was late, so very late. The keeper would have him sacked for sure. Sighing, Matthew turned the corner, keeping his running pace steady as the Inn came into view. He sped up, coming to a halt in front of the Inn. The sign hanging above the door was rocking loudly, the chipped paint none too appealing. He was about to enter when he noticed a lone figure sitting beside the door.

At first, he decided to think nothing of it, and opened the door, preparing to enter. Before he could step through the door, however, he turned, frowning. "Are you alright?" He asked, stepping over to her slightly. He kept his distance well, however, in an attempt not to frighten her. Behind her hood he saw her cheeks, which were extremely red. "You'll freeze to death out here!" He said, motioning to the door. "You should come in, I'll fix you something up. I work here." He said, pointing to the sign, which was now looking as though it would flip.

"Please ma'am. I'm running late." He said, stepping to the door. He held it open, fearing more for his job than the safety of this young woman.

[arukarane]

The voice behind her startled her so she jumped slightly. When she realized he was not of threat, she relaxed and looked up at him. She had not witnessed his presence here before, although it had been a few years since she last visited Veifa. When he spoke again, more hurried and concerned than before, she cleared her throat and began to speak. "That's very kind of you, thank you." Her tone was polite and sincere and she entered the inn quickly as to not make him later than she thought he might be to his job.

Instead of the cold gust of the wind that had hit her face earlier, this one was toasty and welcoming. She lowered her hood slowly, revealing the points of her ears and took a seat at a table separated from the others. She didn't want to get in the way of the boy's work so she waited patiently for him to get to her when it was most convenient for him. Growing up in this town, she had learn the ways of the people and acknowledged and used good manners. It also helped her side step out of sticky situations. Her gaze shifted from table to table, studying some familiar and some unknown faces.

[Matthew Jameson]

"I'll be only a moment." He told her, stepping away with a bounce in his foot. Matthew walked over to the counter and stepped behind it. He spoke with the innkeeper for a few moments, making up a lie to go along with his lateness, a was immediately ushered to wait the tables, a punishment for his lateness. Smirking a little, Matthew walked over to the young woman again. "Sorry about that. You want anything?" He asked, donning an apron he had grabbed off of the counter. He stepped towards the table she sat at, taking away the dirty dishes that lay unpleasantly before her.

"I could get you a menu if you want." He said, raising his hand to the counter several feet away. Out of nowhere, a menu floated into the air, landing before her. He winked, smiling. "I always do that to the newcomers. Scares 'em a little, y'know, shakes 'em up." He said, not taking his eyes off of her. "Where are you from, anyway?" He asked. For a moment he didn't realize that he was being extremely rude. It wasn't until that moment that he turned back to the menu, his pale skin glowing pink.

[Hyacinth Erasmus]

Hyacinth stumbled into town early one chilly morning, knowing that here lived many High Elves. She had seen only a few of her 'cousins' in her days, and she was a bit wary of them. Cin had it in her head that they felt they were smarter than Dark Elves, something Cin dreadfully hated. In her eyes, they were all cocky, and she didn't treat them with much respect. She felt exposed entering the town of Viefa, like she was putting herself at risk. She paused on the outskirts of the town, and cast her eyes about, looking for any obvious sign of trouble.

She had made a decent way of living for herself on the road, hunting and catching what food she ate and selling the extras. Her biggest trouble was finding water, and she spent most of her money on such. She carried a small doe over her shoulders, looking to make a profit by selling the meat, and had her hood up over her face. She was always cautious of drawing attention, and she always feared her looks would. Not finding a likely spot to sell, she drew herself closer to the inn she saw, the doe barely hindering her. She had spent years building up her endurance and her strength with activities such as this, and now she hardly felt the skinny doe.

Without pausing, for she desperately wanted to get out of the chill, she opened the inn door and immediately felt the atmospheric difference. She smiled to herself at the sudden comfort, and looked around. There were a few people here, and one waiter that she could see. She walked over to an empty table that was close to the door, and sat, watching the waiter and his customer interact. It was only a few moments before she noticed the woman's pointed ears, and she had the look of a High Elf. Cin put up her guard, preparing for anything, and pulled her hood a little farther over her face, casting it into shadows, leaving only her soft lips to be seen.

{{The title said open, so I hope you don't mind that I joined....}}

[Alissa Lennox]

Alissa felt the breeze hit her square in the face. That poor child she thought to herself. She had came to Veifa to treat a young boy with one of the most horrible head-colds she had ever seen. She yawned. She had been up for nights treating the child. Now she was exhausted not mention starving. She spotted an inn a bit ahead. Alissa bit her lip. She was about to pass by and keep continuing but the cold drove her inside. The smell of food caught her attention. She checked her bag. Arrows, medicines, aha! Finally she spotted some gold and took a seat near the back of the restaurant. Not too many people were here. She peered out a window to her right and guessed about 10 am and in about two hours she would have to bail before the lunch rush came. A girl was near the door with her hood all the way up was the only one not in a conversation. Building up all the nerve inside her she walked toward the girl tapped her shoulder asked " Excuse me do you have the time?" Alissa wanted to run. She was pretty sure she had sounded very nervous. To contain her shrieks inside her she continued to remind herself the is nothing to fear and without waiting for a reply hurried back to her seat and stared out the window holding back tears and the thought of how stupid she must really seem.

[Hyacinth Erasmus]

Hyacinth never moved her eyes away from the two as they carried on their conversation. She could hear most of it from where she sat, but she was also trying to learn a new skill. Lipreading. She was still amateur at it, but she was getting better. With their voices set in the background, still slightly audible, and her view of the way they moved their lips, she could make it out. They weren't talking about anything secret, or really anything of interest. Mainly he was just taking the High Elf's order and making small talk as he did so. She wondered at what race the waiter was. He had dark hair, and very pale skin, which could be a sign of an elf like herself, or possibly even a demon. Yet, for all she knew, he could be just a frail human with no real talent in his class.

The door was opened, and a gust of cold air reached her, sending a chill up her spine. She flicked her eyes to the door and saw a figure who was... very angelic. She was obvious to spot as an angel, though Hyacinth should no more than anyone that pale hair, skin, and eyes does not automatically mean it. It goes to show for how much she still needs to mature. But she respected angels, as she did demons but for different reasons, for their apparent purity and goodness, and their beauty stunned her. This girl was no less entrancing as the next, and Hyacinth had to force her eyes away for fear of being caught staring.

Though her eyes could not gaze upon the face, it still buzzed in Cin's mind. She had always been the most fascinated with angels and demons for their magical powers. They seemed to her to be set off from the rest of the races. Vampires are next in line of which race she was most intrigued by, simply because they were so elusive. She knew practically nothing about them, and she'd give anything to learn. She looks down on werewolves, just because she thinks they are generally dirty and shabby creatures. They are wild, and have the ability to morph into a wolf! It just freaked her out to no end.

Her musings were interrupted when she felt a tap at her shoulder. Instantly, her head snapped up to glare at whoever it was, and realized it was the pretty angel. She had a soft spot for her already, which wasn't a good thing for her if she wanted to be a tough nomad like she dreamed. She voiced a question, the sound like melody to Cinth, and she was taken aback by the obvious shyness about her. It made her smirk to herself. But before she even had the chance to guess at the time, the angel swiftly retreated. Puzzled, Hyacinth looked out the window and read the sun. It was roughly 10 in the morning, if she was correct.

Retrieving her doe from the floor, for she had let it drop when she first sat down, she crossed the room a little hesitantly, sending a wary glance to the High Elf. She paused by the angel's table, wondering at herself for coming over there, and cleared her throat. "I judge it to be about ten, ten-thirty in the morning, Miss." she said, as polite as she could. She would never want to cross such a being. She shrugged her hood a little back, letting her see more of Cin's face, and gave her a courteous smile. It was then that she recognized the angel's face to be one of... sadness? As if she was about to cry... "Please, Miss, don't weap..."

[Alissa Lennox]

Alissa continued to look out down at her hands and the table. The shuffle of feet surprised her. 'It must be the sever' she thought. She glanced up a bit and was taken by surprise to see the girl she had asked what time it was time. "I judge it to be about ten, ten-thirty in the morning, Miss."

The girl had pulled her hood back more to reveal more of her face. "Please, Miss, don't weap." Great. Alissa thought. She coughed a bit and peered past the girl as the door opened. A demon with curly black hair and a large brown coat and glistening badge came in. He glanced around the restaurant. Alissa felt her spine stiffen. Her father had once told a story about a demon like such.

Quickly she jumped on the girl."Please ma'am take a seat. Where are you from? And may I ask your name?"