Foreign Territory [Aras &/or Ofelia]

[Aras|Ofelia]

Melissa took a few more moments to calm down before flatly answering, "Nothing." Her tone was brusque, almost defiant. Though he should have expected it, Aras was still slightly taken aback by her deliberate dismissal. She was undoubtedly harboring some resentment over his unceremonious exit at the conclusion of their first encounter. She wasn't to blame, he reminded himself; he had hardly been the cheerful welcome wagon that she deserved her first day in town.

"What are you doing here?" she challenged, quickly putting him on the spot instead. He had to stop himself from voicing his instinctive response--I could ask you the same--because he suspected that that would only serve to upset Melissa further. And she certainly looked as if she didn't need that right now. He could always tell her he was simply taking a walk, but she would see through that lie easily enough. Chances were, that response would make her equally, if not more upset than the former.

So he opted for the truth--or a partial one. "Going to meet a friend." The forest was certainly an odd meeting place, but Aras didn't want to mention the dock. Short of that appalling stone mansion, the boat dock was the last place he wanted to take anyone, much less Melissa. She looked like she'd found enough trouble as it was, even if she was unwilling to tell him what had happened to her since the last time they'd met.

[Melissa|Tristan]

Aras didn't seem angry with her in the least for hitting him. He did look apprehensive about something though, probably her. She didn't get why, since she wasn't going to start yelling or ranting at him. Melissa hardly ever yelled, and her rant was nonexistant at the moment. All that was there was confusion and sadness. She hated making Aras confused, so Mel came straight out with the real answer. He'd granted her the truth, so she returned the favour.

I was attacked. Twice. Once by a . . . She thought for a minute. Was monster too harsh of a word? A person . . . like us. She gestured her hand back and forth in the space between them, unwilling to call them different out loud. Her insides twisted painfully at the memories. Vicky's attack had by far been the most horrific of the two, since she'd almost died in that one. The cougars would have been just as bad had Caleb not been there to bring her back into herself after she'd attacked the male cougar.

When she'd attacked the male cougar she'd actually been more scared of herself than of anything else. Terrified of what she was capable of. The moments when she'd almost killed the male cougar that had attacked her and Caleb haunted her. She could remember the feel of his windpipe in her mouth, how delicate it was, knowing how easily she could crush it. She almost had, before realizing that killing was harder than it looked in the movies. She wasn't an animal for crying out loud. Not completely anyways.

Aras seemed to weigh each and every single word he said before speaking. "Going to meet a friend." What a coincidence, since the girl in the clearing had said she was waiting for a friend. That could only mean that they were meeting for some reason. Hoping to surprise him, Mel tossed out her not-so-wild theory. You mean that Asian girl by the warehouse and the boat dock in that clearing? Her instincts were telling her she was right on the money with this one, but maybe he'd surprise her and tell the truth again.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Aras' expression darkened when Melissa told him she'd been attacked. He wondered who had been responsible. Hunter or Innocent, it didn't matter--there were extremists on both sides who were willing to do just about anything. To what end, he didn't know, nor did he particularly care to know. He'd had more than enough of the factions' squabbles, yet he, like so many others, could not escape.

The vulture did something then that felt suspiciously like a sharp peck at his mind. He tried not to wince. Feeling sorry for himself would do no-one any good, it reminded him, then settled back down, neck tucked comfortably against its feathered shoulders.

His talisman was right, of course. As stubborn as it was sometimes, no-one could better bring him back to his senses. Still, it was difficult not to resort to brooding at times. Pay attention. It resumed its silent watching.

Melissa hadn't said anything about the second attack, but Aras didn't press her. It obviously bothered her to talk about the first, and if she wasn't yet ready to speak about the second, it wasn't his place to pry. He wished he could offer some comforting words, but he was at a loss. Whatever he would say, it would not come out as sincere as it was supposed to sound--which would merely upset her further.

At least the fact that he'd spoken the truth seemed to mollify her. However, he was caught off-guard by her reply, and it showed.

"Ah... yes." Denying it would be completely useless at this point. So much for not mentioning the boat dock. He should have figured--she'd come from the right direction, and, well, the dock was the only thing of interest around here besides the trees. "You've met, I take it?" he asked hesitantly, hoping that wasn't the case. Ofelia wasn't the sort to leave a good impression, to put it lightly.

[Melissa|Tristan]

Seeing the fury on Aras’s face when she told him about the attack didn’t frighten Melissa. It would have had it been anyone but him that was angry. As it was, she trusted Aras enough that she didn’t back away. In fact, despite strong protests from her talisman, she took two steps closer to him. Now she wasn’t close enough to be in his personal space, but she was close enough to talk more softly. Do you know someone named Vicky? There was no anger, only fear in her voice. So terrified was she that she could barely choke out the name. She locked eyes with him, her browns against his, silently pleading for him to tell the truth on this most important subject. Mel had to know if they were friends or something, because . . . well, she couldn’t run into Vicky again, especially while her injuries were still healing and expect to survive.

Whatever was going on between them was totally screwed up. He saved my life, but disappears right afterwards, without explaining anything. He seems to know everything about what's going on, and leaves me almost completely clueless. I want to tell him everything, but he tells me almost nothing. It was a little frustrating, but the harder the nut to crack the sweeter the fruit inside, supposedly. And Aras was the hardest nut she’d ever met. There was definitely more to him than met the eye; he had something, some dark secret that he kept inside. It was written obviously on a usually hard to read face. That closed look that said, ‘I’m not thinking about this right now’ when he definitely was.

Something about Aras had Mel taking deep breaths and relaxing just a little. A smile leapt across Melissa’s face, and she almost elicited a “Yes!”. Not quite, but almost. You've met, I take it? Melissa nodded, rolling her eyes. Ms. Mysterious? Yeah, we met about two minutes ago. Who is she anyways? It was easy to shrug it off now that she’d calmed down a little. Aras seemed to have that effect on her, keeping her calm that is. She told me to go away. I was just leaving when I bumped into you. Not knowing why she’d told him that, Mel took a step back and turned her body so that she was on a 45 degree angle to Aras. She’d readied herself to leave after hearing Aras’s answers, knowing that they probably wouldn’t like her tagging along with whatever they were doing. The Asian girl had already made that much clear.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Melissa had taken a couple of steps towards him, speaking in a lowered voice. "Do you know someone named Vicky?" The words stuck in her throat, and her gaze bored into his. What Victoria Edwards had done to her he didn't know, but it must have been horrific. Melissa was so clearly terrified; even the mention of the incident had her shuddering. Aras only wished she had found a better confidant than he. What reassurance could he offer her?

He bit back the sharp 'yes' he'd been about to say, but the distaste still showed plainly on his features. "I've heard of her," he said after a moment. "She's... notorious." What else could he say? 'Stay away from her'? No doubt Melissa knew that well enough already. 'She probably knows who I am, too, but don't worry'? Yes, that would be a clever thing to say indeed. He might as well tell her that he'd almost had the misfortune of working with her once if he was going that far.

There was some--but not much--relief to be found when the topic turned back to Ofelia. So that explained Melissa's earlier distress. The snake-shifter had that sort of effect on people. She probably hadn't been too courteous when she told Melissa to leave, either. He could imagine her shooing the girl off as one would an obnoxious fly.

"She's just a friend." Colleague. "Sorry if she was... well..." Rude. "She's like that sometimes." Pretty much all the time.

His eyes wandered back to the scar on Melissa's cheek. It stood out, an angry red against her soft skin. It didn't belong there--and she did not belong here. Yet how was he supposed to tell her without rousing her suspicion? She was probably withholding her questions out of politeness, and it would be unwise to give her cause to ask more. But again, he couldn't let her wander about without at least a warning.

"Did Vicky give you that?" he asked. His voice was quiet, but he had spoken without thinking. The vulture looked ready to knock its head against a brick wall. Repeatedly. Why the hell did you ask that? Would that he knew the answer, he thought sullenly. Why had he?

[Melissa|Tristan]

Aras appeared to be at a loss on how to reply to her question. Okay, so he must know her, at least her name anyways. It wasn't really a reassuring thought, but her expression remained neutral, though traces of her mind-numbing fear remained. Aras had opened his mouth to speak, then snapped it shut just as quickly. It was unusual to see him struggle this much with whether or not he was going to say something, since this battle was usually an internal one that no one saw. Melissa had only discovered this after carefully observing him right before he spoke.

Melissa relaxed at the revulsion on Aras's face. "I've heard of her. She's... notorious." Notorious wasn't the word Melissa would have used to describe her; vicious, cunning, or merciless maybe. They didn't appear to be good friends, if Aras's expression was anything to go by, and Mel was grateful for that at least. It would have been horrible to find out that they were friends, because whether she wanted to admit it or not, Aras was a friend, and she needed all the friends she could get right about now.

Aras's relief was almost palpable when she turned the conversation's direction to the woman. Even if it wasn't much more pleasant than talking about Vicky at the moment. Mel's hurt was too fresh right now, though she'd probably have forgiven the woman by tomorrow. Noting that Aras didn't give the woman's name -probably on purpose- but he did apologize for her behaviour. It's okay. A shrug was the most nonchalant behaviour she could muster right now, so that's what she did.

While Aras watched her face intently, Melissa took a quick second to look him over quickly. Hmm. She noted no injuries at all, though he looked pained at the moment, his composed facade sliding off for the moment. What a relief it was to finally see what he was feeling. "Did Vicky give you that?" There was concern there, and worry. More than a little worry on her behalf. Mel would have been touched had he not caused her to think back to the other attack. Thinking about how to put it, she slowly shook her head; it hurt less that way. No, she gave me most of them, she gestured to her shoulder, which was wrapped tighter than a drum beneath her shirt. Vicky had caused the stitches to tear, putting Mel back on square one as far as healing went, and giving her a bad infection. The only reason Mel was able to get any exercise at all was because she was on Tylenol 3's, the strong stuff. That part of her body was numb at the moment, thanks to the drug. With a nervous swallow she continued, but that one's from Caleb and the cougars. God, how she hated the mark. It marred her face, and though Mel wasn't a vain person, who would want an ugly mark like that forever. No, she would probably get it removed as soon as she was fully healed everywhere else.

It was nice to know that someone cared enough about her to get that tone of voice. It made Mel think of her mom, something she tried hard not to do, since it only seemed to encourage the nightmares. Still, it felt good; it felt safe. As usual, her talisman snapped her back abruptly to reality. Why would he be concerned about you? Her talisman raised it's head to peer at her, and as irritated as it made Mel, she knew it had a point. Point taken, she conceded. With a quick glance back the way she'd come, Mel took two steps backwards, keeping her front turned towards Aras.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Melissa seemed to accept his apology in Ofelia's stead, shrugging in a nonchalant manner. She was still upset, he thought, but either she hid it well enough or he was clueless enough when it came to reading people (probably the latter) that it was hard to tell. Perhaps he should ask Ofelia to give him a few pointers--she was unusually sharp in that respect--but the likelihood that she would agree to that was next to nil, unless she was in an atypically good mood when he asked. It wouldn't hurt to try, he supposed.

Speaking of Ofelia... Aras checked his watch, and discovered to his dismay that he was already late. But Melissa was speaking again, and as little as he liked to keep people waiting, he liked the idea of abruptly leaving her here even less.

"No, she gave me most of them--" Melissa motioned toward her injured shoulder, which probably hadn't been allowed to heal properly because of Vicky-- "but that one's from Caleb and the cougars."

The words 'Caleb' and 'cougars' fought for his attention. 'Cougars' won. "Does the local wildlife have something against you?" he asked incredulously. Melissa was a veritable trouble-magnet, it seemed; a few months in Noatak, and she had been the victim of three attacks by various parties. It was difficult to believe that she hadn't yet packed her bags and run back home; it didn't appear as if she planned to leave anytime soon, either. Aras wondered again what she was running away from that made her so reluctant to go back.

And what of Caleb? The way Melissa had phrased it, it sounded like Caleb had been one of the assailants--but that was patently ridiculous. Besides, his talisman was a deer; the cougars had probably thought they'd found a meal. "Caleb... he helped you out, then?" Hopefully, that was the case, and Melissa had found a friend in Noatak. Heavens knew she needed them.

She had backed off a couple of steps, another signal that she was ready to leave. "Wait." Aras looked in the direction of the dock uncertainly, unsure of how best to warn her away from the place. She was attracting enough trouble as it was; hanging around the dock was simply asking for more.

[Melissa|Tristan]

Now that she and Aras had cleared the air about the woman waiting for him, Mel was able to breathe easier. He seemed to like her answer, as far as she could tell, which wasn’t far at all. At least he was showing some sort of feeling on his face now, instead of the blank slate she’d come to expect. Could it be that he was starting to trust her too? Seeing him check his watch and grimace, Melissa knew that he was late for the meeting. You should get going. I have a feeling she doesn’t like it when people are late. It was probably true, and Mel didn’t want Aras to get his head chewed off because of her. It would only be another layer of guilt on her already heavy conscience.

The awareness apparent on Aras’s face told her that he knew Caleb too. For some reason the thought made her happy; probably because they were good for each other. Aras seemed closed and confident, while Caleb was open and shy, not to mention unsure of himself. If they knew each other well, perhaps they would learn how to be a little more like each other.

Aras seemed to take her information with a surprising amount of feeling. She nodded. Apparently so. Not that I’ve done anything to it. The expression on his face was disbelieving, and she realized how he had taken her words. In hindsight, she probably shouldn’t have put it how she had, but no matter, what’s done was done. As she opened her mouth to correct her mistake he spoke, so she shut it again. "Caleb... he helped you out, then?" The hopeful not in Aras’ voice made Mel smile. They must know each other somewhat for Aras to be concerned about Caleb. Yeah, I guess I should have said that differently. He helped me out. She didn’t add the part where he’d ditched her and taken off in the woods while she’d been in another world over her almost-killing of the male cougar, leaving her to fend for herself.

Now, time for the end of her ungraceful exit. She prepared to say goodbye again, since this obviously wasn’t a good time for Aras to answer her questions; as if there ever would be a good time for that. Leaving the safety of Aras’ presence was going to be hard, but she could do it. Another couple of steps back, and a breath of clean air filled Mel’s lungs, but before she choked out the goodbye, Aras had abruptly spoken. "Wait." It was a commanding voice, one that demanded she stop. As much as Mel hated being ordered around, his voice made her feel safe. Her talisman was whispering that this could be yet another trap, but Mel shoved it’s voice away abruptly. Haven’t you caused enough trouble already? With that, it turned it’s back to her, sulking for the moment.

[Aras|Ofelia]

The wry smile he gave Melissa was less of a smile and more of a grimace. Ofelia didn't like a lot of things. Tardiness was probably the least of it, but rousing her ire was nevertheless a daft thing to do. "Don't worry," he said anyway. "She owes me a little patience, I think." I think. Whether or not Ofelia felt the same way about the Oceana scenario was not clear--whatever sense of honor she possessed had not stopped her from interrogating Caleb even after he'd taken a hit for her--but she hadn't sounded as irritable today as she usually was. Hopefully, he wouldn't infringe upon her apparent good mood by being late.

As Melissa confirmed that Caleb had indeed aided her (and not, as her awkward phrasing had suggested, attacked her), Aras couldn't deny his relief. She might think him condescending for being glad she'd made a friend, but he didn't really care; so long as she had people she could depend on, she'd be somewhat safer. It would be better too if she didn't consider himself one of those dependable people, but Aras couldn't be certain without asking. Which he wouldn't.

She had taken another few steps backwards but stopped, attentive, at the sound of his voice. He struggled with his next words. No matter how he put it in his head, his advice would put him under suspicion. Warn her away from the boat dock, yet head there himself--there was absolutely no way he was going to make a clean getaway under these circumstances.

He held back a sigh of defeat. Melissa was going to find out, one way or another; better that she learn from him than from Vicky. "Melissa..." Might as well get straight to the point. "Stay away from the dock. It's Hunter territory."

He looked her straight in the eyes and waited for the inevitable question.

[Melissa|Tristan]

Aras's grimace wasn't unexpected, given what she knew of the woman, which was basically that she wasn't very friendly and liked making people feel uncomfortable on purpose. The whole cornering Mel by the water hadn't helped their friendship any, but Mel had honestly given it a good attempt, and all shed gained from her troubles was looks that clearly said, 'you're weird'.

"Don't worry, she owes me a little patience, I think." Mel half smiled, still uncomfortable with the idea that he and the woman were friends. Aras seemed so . . . nice. Which made Mel wonder what the woman's animal was. Maybe a pitbull? Or could it be a bear? Wouldn't that be ironic . . . Freaky too.

Aras seemed to be struggling with something. Was he going to say something so horrible that he could barely get it out? Mel's cheetah shook it's head, giving her a look that said, 'you're clearly overreacting'. No, she definitely wasn't. Aras started speaking, but didn't continue after her name. Yes? Trying to sound encouraging, Mel carefully prompted him. She knew that whatever he was going to say wasn't going to be good, if the look on his face was anything to go by.

"Stay away from the dock. It's Hunter territory." Melissa's eyes went wide, and her breathing slowed. Reeling with shock, Mel's mind had completely stopped functioning. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale. Her talisman reminded cautiously, as it alertly watched Aras. What? Nothing was making sense right now. Aras, her rock wasn't making sense right now. Their eyes were locked, and Mel was helplessly frozen in place for the moment. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, and neither was Aras if she could help it.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Aras couldn't help but feel guilty at the shock and confusion on Melissa's face. She'd put a lot more trust into him than he'd thought, and now she was discovering that he wasn't who she believed he was, whatever that might have been. He could fault her for being too incautious, too quick to trust, but that wouldn't make it feel any less like a betrayal. He almost wished Melissa weren't so open with her emotions; the naked helplessness on her face was like a slap across his.

"What?" she said, having not yet recovered from her bewilderment. That wasn't exactly the question he'd been expecting, but it merely meant he would have to repeat himself and wait for the unavoidable barrage of questions.

"The dock--it's not safe." It was easier to say this time. He'd stepped across the line, and there was no turning back. The thought was somehow, paradoxically, relieving. "It belongs to the Hunters."

Biting back another sigh, Aras continued. "If you don't believe me, I could have Ofelia confirm it." He could guarantee that she would be a lot less pleasant about it, too. And of course, she would have his head for bringing the girl back there after having successfully chased her off. But if there was no other way to make Melissa see the truth in his words, he'd risk it. As long as she was with a Hunter--him--no-one would bother her. Except perhaps Ofelia.

[Melissa|Tristan]

Stressful situations had drastic effects on Melissa. While she wasn't a delicate flower like some believed, she reacted strongly to stress, like a volatile chemical. Minus the hissing and spitting, unless she was in her furry form. She usually became more introverted, withdrawing into herself to try and spare the pain. It wasn't working in this case, since there was no way for her to possibly avoid this hurt.

Vicky had spoken of the Hunters, but Mel truly didn't have a clue what they actually were. Obviously they weren't just predators that hunted other animals, since Vicky herself was only a badger. When they'd first met, Aras had made a couple of cryptic comments, but Mel hadn't really thought enough to ask him more about them.

"The dock--it's not safe." Trying to recover from her confusion, Mel thought back to when she'd been on the dock. Sure it is. I was out on it, until you're friend . . . oh. Comprehension dawned on her face as she pieced his words from before with the ones he spoke now. "If you don't believe me, I could have Ofelia confirm it." Of course she believed him, since he'd never given her any reason to doubt him, until just now. Oh God. No. Tears were pricking the backs of her eyes, but she tried to keep them in check, at least for now. Shaking her head mutely, Mel swallowed them back.

She searched his dark brown eyes deeply for a clue, something that would tell her he was lying. There were none. I don't understand Aras. Her voice nearly broke on the last word, making it impossible for her to speak anything else. This was worse than the cougar attack and Vicky's attack combined, and by quite a margin too. Of all the things Mel needed, it was something solid and stable to depend on, and she thought she'd found that in Aras. Even though they'd met only once, Melissa had thought that they were friends, though he clearly didn't feel the same. Her cheetah glared at him, clearly casting the blame on him for making Mel so upset. Wrapping her arms around herself in a pathetic attempt to console herself, Mel took several deep calming breaths and waited for Aras to explain himself.

[Aras|Ofelia]

"Oh. God. No." Melissa shook her head, swallowing back tears. She looked hopeless and lost, unwilling to believe what she was hearing.

Why did she have to be so damn sensitive? Denial, or even anger, would have been easier to handle, but this... devastation... had Aras at a complete loss. The expression on her face made it seem as if her world were tumbling and crashing about her ears--and he was the cause of it.

He should have seen this coming the moment he'd saved her up in the mountains. She'd probably thought him a hero of sorts; now, he was shattering this rose-tinted illusion. Cold logic told him it was better that she find out now than later, when she would have had time to fortify that false image, but it still felt like his insides were crawling with guilt.

Melissa might be naive, but she certainly wasn't stupid. She had doubtlessly drawn the correct conclusion from his words, even if he hadn't said it outright. He knew she understood; she just didn't want to. As difficult as it was, he held her gaze. "I'm sorry."

He didn't know what else to say.


((OOC: Gah, sorry that it's short and rushed.))

[Melissa|Tristan]

((OOC:Sorry it took so long to post back.))

Now Mel truly did feel lost. Why did she even trust anyone? Good question. As confused as her cheetah was at the moment, it’s tactic was to hide hurt underneath cold indifference. Unfortunately, that’s not how Mel operated, so it was stuck with the whirlwind of emotions emanating from her at the moment. Something was hurting inside her, so Mel wrapped her arms around herself, trying to hold it together. This was pretty much the ultimate low point since she’d arrived, and that’s including the other attacks.

It was bad enough that Aras wasn’t saying anything, but his expression almost killed her. There was no dominant emotion, only flickers. First, the cold detached expression she saw so often, with a flicker of guilt and understanding. The understanding made her angry; what did he have to understand about her? Obviously he didn’t really know how much he’d hurt her, or else he wouldn’t have said . . .

He hadn’t spelled out anything really. Mel had thought she understood, had thought she’d read between the lines, but had she really? Getting control of herself was a battle, but once she’d managed it, Mel tilted her head slightly with a questioning expression. Why are you warning me? There was a second question she was tempted to ask, but she contented herself with asking this one; it would be a far more interesting answer.

As their eyes remained locked, and Aras apologized, something struck Mel. Judging by his tones, Aras sincerely meant what he was saying. His voice was soft, gentle, and liquid smooth. It made Mel want to curl up and cry. They’d only met once, but she was indebted to him for saving her life, whether he liked that or not. She wasn’t going to surrender her friendship so easily; she would fight for it, to keep him. Mel did nothing if not protect her friends, and whether Aras wanted to be one or not, he was one.

[Aras|Ofelia]

Adrift and lost, Melissa continued her battle with her emotions. She hugged her arms about herself, trying to comfort herself. A few soft words, a gentle touch might have helped, but Aras kept his distance. He wasn't sure if she wanted consolation from him.

Finally regaining control of herself, and of the tears that threatened to spill, she raised her lowered eyes and confronted him. "Why are you warning me?"

He carefully considered his response to Melissa's question. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure why he had helped her in the first place. Leaving her to fend for herself would have saved him a lot of trouble--and perhaps it would have saved her some heartache--but letting her on her own would have been... wrong. But who was he to talk about morals? As far as he was concerned, he'd lost that right years ago.

"I couldn't let you walk into all this without a clue." Not that his warnings had been of much use in the recent months. But maybe--maybe--they gave her a fighting chance when before she had none. There was no way he could know.

He was late now--more than late. But he wasn't going to leave Melissa alone with her confusion and despair.