Beastly Beauty

M

Monochrome

Guest
Original poster
Reia sat on a wall of an abandoned house. She always came here whenever she wandered out of her house. At age 17, she still wasn't one to go hanging around her friends. She would always stay in her neighborhood. It was quiet and peaceful. Reia's dark hair was drawn back into a puff. She had come to like the style after having her hair down for so long. It became curly after a while and it stuck. She rarely, if ever, straightened it out.

Legs swinging, she stared out at the lake that lined the back of the neighborhood. She liked to swim some days and on other evenings like this one, she'd just watch the sunset while living inside her thoughts.
 
Axel looked out the window of the second story of his dilapidated abode. She came here often, that he knew. She always sat on his wall and looked over the lake. He remembered when he used to do so before. It had been centuries since. His house had been reclaimed by this new era's government but he hadn't let anyone purchase or stay in the house for long. This was his and there was no way in hell he was going to give it up.

But he couldn't do anything about its deteriorated form. Not openly, in any case. He had to live in the basement since he couldn't afford to wander around the top two floors of the house. Not that the basement was uncomfortable in any way. No one knew where it was, either so that made it much easier to stay hidden.

Axel turned green eyes toward the lake. He used to fish there as well...at least before some old hag laid this thrice damned curse on him. He was nothing more than a white albino rat left to live his life with only a limited time to be the man he once was. He could be human for three hours at a time after the clock stroke twelve. That was his time to go and do things as a human, and so he was well equipped with all of the modern gizmos and gadgets that came about as the centuries passed.

The little rodent sighed, nose twitching every so often. It was once again time to wait for the clock to strike midnight for his physical freedom.
 
[Sorry about the wait! ^^;]

Walking through the trees with a small woven basket in her hand, a young woman made her way toward the lake that she knew was here. She had been coming here as long as she could remember, just to get away from everybody else and have a relaxing moment to herself. Being the apprentice of a midwife was hard work, and it wasn't even what she had wanted as a career. Her father had forced it on her, telling her that no man wants an unskilled wife. Of course, she didn't even want to marry, but she had no say in that either. There was already a suitor picked out and courting her - though in this case 'courting' was a rather loose term that simply meant trying to spend time with her without ending up with a glass of wine dumped over his head. He had been failing miserably.


It wasn't her fault that he was a spineless bore of a man, she reasoned with herself as she walked. He was no fun to talk to and didn't want anything more than a servant. Yesterday he even had the audacity to tell her that he didn't want her to speak unless he asked a direct question because the voice of females was irritating to him. She had, of course, told him in a very sweet manner that perhaps he would be better off courting a man. He hadn't exactly appreciated that.


She sighed and made her way over to her favorite spot, a smooth part of a crumbling wall that dipped in a perfect manner for a seat. This place was considered haunted by some, but she didn't believe it. It was just an abandoned estate, nothing special. She just loved to look at the lake and watch the stars and moon reflect off the tiny waves stirred to life by the breeze. Plus, this time she had brought along something to keep her hands busy. The young daughter of one of her frequent clients was always worried about her brother, who had gone to fight in the war. Having met him a few times and knowing what he looked like, she made a doll for the girl, who was beyond delighted. The only issue was that the girl carried the doll around so much that one of the arms had gotten torn off. So the mission tonight was to fix it.


Climbing up to her spot, she sat down and unfastened the dark blue cloak from her neck. Pulling the hood down, she revealed her long brown curls and sparkling violet eyes. Some used to fear her eyes as a sign of a demon, but gradually people got used to them and barely ever commented. The dress she wore today was white, with short sleeves that hung off the shoulder. It fell to just below her knees, and the ends of her crossed legs were covered in black slippers. It was late, she didn't need to really dress up for anybody. Nobody ever came out here anyway, she reasoned. Smiling to herself, she reached in her basket and drew out the doll, then her needle and thread that would be necessary to attach the arm.
 
[tis no worry...though the place has been rather...dead today. probably because it's saturday but what do i know?]

Axel's nose stopped its incessant movement when he saw the young woman pull something out of her basket. He knew that she was good at making things; he had ventured out side to spy on her from a hole in the wall a ways away from where she usually sat. It was...oddly entertaining to watch her work or watch her watch the lake. It may have been the loneliness talking, but he enjoyed her presence. It made him feel like he hadn't been trapped within time's clutches for over a century.

Wanting to continue his almost ritual, he leaped off his perch and scurried down the four level staircase and squeezed through a hole in the wall of the living room.

Outside wasn't as cold as inside the manor, which had been odd to him from the start, but it hardly mattered to him anymore. The white rat roved through the weeds, annoyed at the prickles that dug into his fur and skin. He followed the familiar path and positioned himself inside the hole in the wall. Nose twitching, he watched the lady work.

[sorry my posts are so short. i'll fill it out within three posts xD]
 
Reia glanced to the side absently when she thought that she heard a faint rustling, but she soon brushed it off as the result of the wind or perhaps a small animal rummaging around in the dead leaves. Nothing to be worried about in either case. The light of the full moon above was providing the perfect lighting, and she easy made the small stitches necessary to fix the doll that laid across her lap. Soon the arm was attached and she tugged on it gently to be sure it wouldn't fall back off immediately. Satisfied with her work, she knotted the thread and snipped off the ends with a small pair of scissors from her basket, then set the doll inside.

Normally she would have been heading back home by now, but tonight the midwife had gone to a nearby town to deliver a set of twins. Reia would have been dragged along, except that the expectant mother had demanded that only the midwife come. She apparently didn't want 'inexperienced hands' touching her babies. Rolling her eyes at the thought, she wondered if the woman realized that the midwife was starting to go blind and had the shakes so bad that she was more apt to drop a baby than her young apprentice. Oh well, no point in arguing with a woman about to go into labor, it would have just started a hormone-driven fight.

She pulled out a small bit of corduroy that she had been working on for a few days, sneaking spare moments here and there. It was a jacket for the doll, and it was somewhat of a pain to get the tiny stitching along the cuffs and lapels perfect. She was adding tiny silver buttons now, along with a slip of silk in the pocket to look like a kerchief. The little girl would be ecstatic when she saw it, and Reia planned on using it as a birthday gift. Perhaps her brother would return from the war soon, that would be a much greater gift than a mere accessory for the doll. She sighed and shook her head at the sorrowful thoughts, humming to herself softly as she added the finishing touches to the piece in her hands.

[I'm sure it'll pick up later tonight ^^ and, don't even worry about it x3]
 
Axel edged a little closer, wanting to see what this young woman was up to. The little white mouse leapt atop the wall and scurried closer. He was careful not to squeak. He knew how many females were afraid of rodents. They weren't the most wholesome creatures around. But he wasn't as poisoned or infected as the regular ones.

Peering up and over, he saw that she was working on what seemed like a doll. How quaint. Axel's nose twitched every so often, just watching her work. It was probably the only bit of entertainment he'd have for the longest time to come.

[sorreh! hungry xD]
 
Once the jacket was finished, Reia glanced up at the stars. It had to be really close to midnight by now, maybe even later. She was awful at telling time without a clock and was constantly late. The midwife wouldn't be back until sometime tomorrow afternoon, and that was if it was an easy labor. Chances were the labor would be more difficult and Reia would have an entire day to herself. Still, she couldn't waste the time. She sighed and tucked the finished jacket for the doll into her basket, then turned as she prepared to get up and go back home to sleep.

When she turned, she saw a white rat looking at her. She blinked in surprise, then smiled and tilted her head slightly.

"Well hello there," she said calmly, then reached in her basket and pulled out a small piece of bread, which she set near it. "Have a good night," she added with a smile, then set her basket up higher on the wall and turned to get up to her feet. She had just gotten her footing when the wall crumbled slightly and she slipped. Suddenly she found herself under water, and she quickly swam to the surface, gasping as the cold night air hit her face. "Cold, cold, cold," she said to herself, teeth chattering almost immediately as she turned and looked for the closest way to get out of the lake since the wall was too high to grab back onto.
 
Axel was truly amazed at the fact that this lady would actually feed a rat. Just who was she?

He watched her as she attempted to stand and the wall gave away. Timed seemed to slow when she fell in. He peered over, hoping against hope that she'd be okay. He was immensely relieved to find her breaking the water. But there was no grip on the wall.

Dammit.

He looked up and watched the moon. Just a few more seconds...

As soon as he was able, he hung his torso over the wall and held out a hand.

"Grab on, miss," he said.
 
[I really, really thought that I attached a pic in my first post.. But I guess I didn't D: I will fix that!]

Reia had just spotted a spot on the shore that wasn't too far to swim to when she heard a voice above her. Startled, she looked up and saw a man that definitely hadn't been there a few moments ago. Had he been out for a walk or something and seen her fall in? That was the only explanation she could come up with. Reaching up, she took hold of his hand with hers and grasped his wrist with her other so that he wouldn't just be pulling on one arm to get her up. She was rather clumsy and had been pulled out of a hole that way before - it ached for days. Somehow she doubted he'd have a problem picking her up, since even soaking wet she was hardly heavy.

Once he had pulled her out, she shivered and quickly wrung out her dress, thankful that it was thick enough to not be see through even though it was white and clinging to her body now. She picked up her cloak and put it on, slowly relaxing in the warmth it provided. Once that was done, she looked up at her rescuer and smiled, brushing a dripping lock of hair from her face.

"Thank you," she said quietly, incredibly grateful.

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Axel frowned at the state she was in. He was considerably taller than her but that was all the better. His coat my dwarf her but it would keep her warm. With that, he shed the green piece of clothing and wrapped it around her shoulders. He hoped for her sake that she didn't live too far away.

"It's no trouble," he answered. Really, he should be thanking her. She actually had the kindness in her heart to consider feeding a white rat. "Please, hurry on home. It's past midnight and much too dangerous for a dame like you to be out in the open so late at night."
 
When he gave her his coat, she was surprised but immediately relaxed in the added warmth. Her body started heating back up with she put her slender arms in the sleeves, but the garment was comically large. The bottom hem even touched the ground. She couldn't even find her hands in the sleeves until she worked at it for a moment, making her feel like a small child. The thought made her laugh a bit when she looked down at herself, but then she looked up at him and shook her head with an easy smile.

"Don't worry about me. I grew up in town and have been in these woods countless times. There are no scary secrets out here that would surprise me," she said, though she knew he was right that she should be getting home. Staying out now that she was in wet clothes was inviting sickness, and that was something she really didn't need. She sighed and looked back up at the man, curious about who he was since she didn't recognize him. "Shouldn't you be getting home too? It's rather late for a stroll in the woods," she pointed out.
 
Axel didn't know what to say to that.

"Please, ma'am," he said, deciding to not completely ignore her question. "I'm fine on my own. I'm familiar with the woods as you are with the town."

He let a smirk form on his lips. He couldn't help the words that escaped him next. "Unless, of course, you'd like to walk me home?"

Oh, he'd pay for it later, but she really needed to get home within three hours or the coat would turn to nothing but white fur. He really couldn't have her out there freeing.
 
"No, no, I'm fine," she said, smiling as she admitted defeat. She slipped off his coat and handed it back to him, pulling her dark blue cloak around herself again and picking up her basket. "Thanks again for fishing me out of there," she added, giving him a sweet smile after glancing back at the lake. She shivered slightly and brushed off the cold feeling, knowing she'd be fine as soon as she got him. "Don't stay out too long, you'll freeze," she said, then turned and climbed down from the wall, starting to walk back through the woods toward town, not really paying attention which way she was going since she was thinking about the curious stranger.
 
Axel watched her as she left, concern shining brightly in his now green eyes. Well, he did, try. but he sincerely hoped she'd be alright. But for now, he'll just have o trust her word.

He looked back toward the house. The place really did need some fixing, but until then he had cleaning on the inside to do. Axel shuddered at the prospect. He may be cordial and all the world a fine gentleman but he was still something of a typical man. He hated cleaning and loathed it with a passion. But it had to be done. Because he was turned into a rat for twenty one out of twenty four hours of the day didn't mean he should live like one. What would visitors--.

Right.

Axel shook his head and proceeded to go back into the house. He had a ton of work to do.


[ok...i'm callin it a night. I have school in the morning. ZOMG college sucks X_@ (yes, that face was intentional xD)]
 
Reia wandered contentedly through the trees, her focus mostly downward as she concentrated on not tripping over any roots of anything. The occasional breeze made her feel like she was rolling around in a snowbank, her wet hair like ice. Finally she looked up to see where she was, knowing she would be on the outskirts of town now since she had been walking so long. Yet, when she looked around, all she saw were woods. None of the land markings she recognized or anything, either. She blinked and turned, looking back the way she came, and she didn't see the abandoned estate either.


"Uh oh.." she murmured to herself. Oh well. It wasn't like she hadn't gotten turned around in the woods before. She'd just have to backtrack and start over once she got back to the lake. Nodding at her plan, she started going back the way that she thought she came for about an hour before she was forced to admit she was hopelessly lost.


Instead of panicking, she just sighed and sat on a fallen log, chin in her hands as her elbows rested on her knees. When the sun came up, she'd be fine. She yawned and leaned back against a tree, making a seat that was almost comfortable. Exhausted and cold, she closed her eyes and just tried to relax.
 
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