Topic: Sparrow

Grave Robber

Date: 2013-07-19 22:53 EST
GraveRobber eyed the three potions distrustfully while the door clicked shut behind him, the woman who just left had said that they were a gift, right after pulling money out of?. Well, that part made his skin crawl, the crazy bitch had just stuck her hand into the middle of the air, and grabbed out money, almost like she had some invisible bag. He tried to shake the thought out of his head and took another long draw from the amber bottle he had been nursing for the past hour "what the fuck is wrong with this place?" looking at the potions again he conceded, "maybe I'll need all the help I can get'

Capping the bottle in his hand, he set it down and decided to make sure the red haired, whatever she was, was gone. Peering out into the night, he caught sight of her swaying her hips, headed off to who knows where.

Glad for that distraction to be out of his life for the moment, he allowed himself a moment to lean against the open door and enjoy the night air.

Shilo Wallace

Date: 2013-07-19 23:05 EST
She'd warred with the decision for hours. Just when she'd made up her mind and set out walking, she'd stop suddenly, sigh and turn around. It went on like this for several hours. She'd gain ground, maybe a block or two, then lose half of it when she'd turn back over and over again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

When she finally neared her destination, it was well past dark. It was scary dark. Unsavory characters and nefarious deeds dark. She could feel eyes upon her, boring holes into her frail little body. Every shadow and scramble of movement made her tremble to her very core. Somewhere in her brain, a little voice screamed for her to run and never look back. But her feet remained rooted as she stared at that door.

It had been easy enough to figure out where he'd been staying. People hardly noticed when she was around, especially if she just sat still and remained inconspicuous, and she was very good at it. It really was just as simple as eavesdropping.

Even though he'd said if she ever needed anything at all to come calling, she still found it difficult to move from that spot as a myriad of questions fluttered through her mind. What if he wasn't there" What if he was" What if he was busy' What if he had only said that to be nice and didn't really want her there" What if he was in the bathroom"!

Shaking her head, she mentally chided herself for spiraling again. She took a deep breath, strengthening her resolve, and was about to take that first step toward the door....When it opened from within. Startling a bit, she stood stock still and watched as out poured a woman with fiery red hair. What shocked her even more was that she recognized her. It was the same woman she'd seen the Graverobber speaking to that night at the inn. The night she discovered he'd somehow fallen into this crazy realm too.

Feeling like she'd walked in on something private....intimate....she turned to retrace her steps all the way back to where she started. And she would have slipped away completely unnoticed....had she not accidentally kicked an empty bottle she had failed to notice in her haste to escape....Her every intention to continue her retreat was thwarted when she heard the one word that made her stop and turn.

"Kid?"

Grave Robber

Date: 2013-07-22 01:47 EST
Standing in the doorway was peaceful, if only for a minute. A shuffle of feet and a something skittering across the alleyway broke his solitude. "What the hell was that' Sparrow" What the....why is Sparrow out here?"

A few nights ago, He had found her again, scared and in trouble. Being that they were close by his stash place that he kept all of his stolen goods from West End Memorial Hospital, he had let her spend the night there, where he knew she would be safe. Soon after he knew she was ok, and asleep for the night, That's where he left her. He had intended on going back by that basement hallow to make sure she had gotten out of there ok. Well apparently he didn't have to now"

"Kid?" Before he knew it he was walking out into the alley to retrieve her. It wasn't safe out here in this area of the West End at night, The sooner he got her off the streets the better. "Sparrow" Wha?" he stammered, giving a small growl at the surprise of finding her, out here in these dangerous alleys "Come Inside." He started leading her through the already open door of his self made condo, he was getting the impression that he wouldn't get out to the graveyard tonight after all. "What the hell are you doing stalking around these alleys at night Sparrow" You know better than that, the people out here wouldn't think twice about what to do with a girl like you, out alone in this area." Realization dawned on him, that there was no way that she would just happen to be outside his door" alone" randomly. She must have a reason for being here, for coming to him in the dead of night. He had told her that she could come calling for exactly this reason, being " well he wasn't sure exactly what the reason was" that was the problem with the Little Sparrow, when it came to her he was blind. When it came to her he couldn't think straight. Ever since that first night in the graveyard when he met her, outside her dead mother's mausoleum ?. so long ago' another world ago. He simply had to make sure that she was ok, had to make sure that nothing happened to the Little Sparrow, as he has long since fallen into calling her.

Stealing the fuel from his fire as these type of thoughts generally did to him, he shut the door. Then grabbing himself a chair, he motioned for her to take the couch. Calm now, he sat, completely deflated, waiting to hear her out.

Shilo Wallace

Date: 2013-07-22 20:43 EST
It all happened so fast. She thought she was well on her way to putting as much distance between herself and the Graverobber. And suddenly, he was there and his hands were on her shoulders and she was being shoved through that door. The door she'd been staring at for....well, she'd long since lost track.

And if that weren't enough to make her head spin, now she was perched at the edge of his couch, face to face with him. And to make matters worse, he had serious face! She nervously fidgeted with the strap of her satchel and cleared her throat a few times before finally speaking.

"Ah....I, um....I mean, I came to....uh, check on you..."

She was scrambling for something, anything! Suddenly, she remembered the other night when he'd found her wandering around. It seemed a common occurrence between the two of them. He'd given her an addition for her bug collection. A flawless latrodectus. A black widow. And it was alive. How he managed to capture it and carry it around without being bitten was a miracle. And it was an excellent excuse! At least she thought so...

"I was worried that, um....the specimen latrodectus....uh, the spider, might have bitten you and I thought..." Thought what, Shi" With your complete lack of formal medical training you'd try and treat a deadly spider bite days after it should have already killed him" Blinking rapidly, she did her best to dispel the voice in her head.

How could he sit there so calmly while she felt like her heart would leap out of her throat' No time to think about that now, she'd simply have to stammer on.

"Uh, thought that, well, I mean you look alright now, I mean you don't look sick or even dead so that was why I started to leave but then you saw me and....and..."

He was so still, she found herself wondering if he hadn't fallen asleep with his eyes open. His gaze was so steady and unfaltering, she almost withered and, before she could stop herself, she began rambling again.

"Okay! Okay, so that's not really why I came. I....came here because, um....I wanted to make sure you were....um, eating?" You don't have any groceries with you, Shi....What were you going to do' Watch him not eat" Grimacing, she hated to admit that annoying voice was right. It was a painfully transparent excuse...

He didn't say a word. He hardly even moved save to quirk a single eyebrow. She was sure all the blood in her body decided to gather in her face. Her stomach knotted, but she couldn't very well just blurt out the real reason she'd sought him out, could she" Of course not! How could she" How could she possibly tell him that as soon as she'd laid eyes on him that night at the inn, everything came flooding back.

The look on her father's face....the way Rotti Largo had used her....all the pain and fear she'd experienced the night of the opera....How could she tell him that when she saw him, her mind reeled and, even though his face was the one that brought back all those painful memories, his was also the face that brought her a sense of comfort and stability' How could she tell him she only felt truly safe when he was around" That she hadn't had a decent night's sleep until she had seen him at the inn" And most importantly, how could she tell him any of this without dying of embarrassent?

But the more she sat there and stared into his piercing green eyes, the more she realized she couldn't NOT tell him. Big, brown, doe-like eyes closed for a moment and she let out a small puff of air. When she opened them again, not much had changed. He was still sitting there, stock-still, unblinking, but something about his gaze was different. It was less penetrating and more searching. Whatever the difference, she felt a little more at ease.

She still couldn't answer him. Instead, she just stared back, hoping the look on her face would speak the volumes she simply could not put into words.

Grave Robber

Date: 2013-07-24 23:22 EST
Sparrow wasn't supposed to be here, she's not supposed to be checking on me. That's not her job, that's my job' mine to be looking after her, not the other way around. Those thoughts kept mulling around in his head while Sparrow sat on his couch and fumbled around nervously about why she was here. Babbling on and on about him eating and being worried about spider bites, she really wasn't a very good liar.

The night at the inn, he had walked her home. Something didn't seem right when he left her there sitting on the porch of her house, she seemed nervous, like she didn't belong there. He hadn't stuck around to watch her go inside, now he wished he did. She looked tired, not the I stayed up too late last night kind of tired. She looked like she had been through hell and back.

Sparrow had finished her litany and was sitting there, staring at GraveRobber, just sitting there fidgeting with her bag nervously, staring at him with those eyes. He had never realized before now how nice her eyes were". Shut up!!! Why is she here" What possibly happened that caused her to come looking for him"

You goddamn idiot, you should have watched her go inside, either that or come back to check on her. He stared searchingly into those big brown doe eyes" She almost looked like she wanted him to reach over there to her and". Shut the hell up! Don't even go there! Of course she doesn't you sick bastard!! Tired, she's just tired, that's all. Scared too, something must have happened, she just needs a place to crash.

She just looked so damn lost, almost lonely, sitting there staring at him with those big brown eyes.

Getting up from his seat next to the couch, he went over to an area he had sectioned off as his kitchen. Complete with 2 broken doors propped up on a couple of chairs to make counter tops that straddled his sink. Really, it was an old slop sink, the kind you use for filling mop buckets, but the water was wet, and the drain worked, so who cared. Grabbing some food that he had stocked up on earlier in the day, he brought it back, setting a bowl of fresh banana bread muffins, and some strawberries on the coffee table. Sitting down, he then took off his shirt and swept a hand down his bare arms and chest to show her a complete lack of festering spider bites.

"I DO know how to take care of myself Sparrow, you really don't have to worry about me". hungry?" Apparently that was a mistake, the poor girl's eyes widened, panicked in response to him, and she started fidgeting with that satchel again in earnest, like she was getting ready to bolt out the door. He really needed to be more careful around her.

So he did what he knew best, try to make the poor frightened girl laugh, set her at ease. He'd done it a million times with all different types of women when out drinking, what woman doesn't like a good joke"

Eyeing her playfully now, he threw out the best joke he could think of. "Now Sparrow, I realize that I'm irresistible. But stalking" That doesn't seem like your style!" then, too late, he wished to god that he had kept his stupid, idiotic mouth shut.

Shilo Wallace

Date: 2013-07-28 02:33 EST
Her face burned. Was he really sitting there....shirtless" Offering her muffins and fruit and teasing her?" It should have made her laugh. A normal girl would laugh. Why didn't she laugh' Oh, right....the panic setting in. She tried to look anywhere but his bare chest and naturally ended up staring directly at it.

Suddenly, she realized, it wasn't panic setting in. It was all the emotions she'd kept bottled up until now. She missed her father, as complicated as their relationship was, and she was keenly aware of just how alone she was in the last world as well as this one. Her breath quickened in pace and hitched and caught in her throat. Her lower lip trembled and huge hot tears spilled down her pale little face.

Soon she was wracked with sobs and it was getting more and more difficult to breath. Clutching at her satchel, she made as if to run. Where, she didn't know, but running seemed like a really good idea. Quickly before she passed out from lack of oxygen and couldn't excape at all. She stood and little explosions of light played just outside her line of sight as hyperventilation kicked in and the alarm on her wrist band went off.

"Blood pressure warning! Blood pressure warning! Medicate Immediately! Medicate immediately!"

She fumbled and tried to dismiss it but her eyes were blurry and she couldn't see the button. Throwing her satchel down, she tried clawing at the wristband, but she couldn't remove it either. Soon, foggy darkness clouded the edges of her sight. She anticipated the jolt from the floor as she hit it. But it never came.

Instead she felt a pair of strong hands grip her shoulders and give her a small shake.

Grave Robber

Date: 2013-07-30 21:29 EST
As quick as his surprise would allow he was up, holding Sparrow by her shoulders, keeping her steady. The poor girl was lost in panic and breathing uncontrollably, almost limp in his arms. He gave her a little shake to bring her back, which rewarded him with wide brown eyes looking up at his. "It's ok Sparrow, I've got you." He looped his arm around her back, and sat her down on the couch, Holding her to his shoulder while she sobbed.

Focused on calming her down, he strummed his fingers through her hair, content to let her cry on his shoulder for as long as she needed. Softly reminding her "One breath at a time Sparrow" just breathe"."

With one hand holding her, he used the other to silence that damn wristband, and after a bit of doing with one hand, was able to get it off of her. Holding the contraption up, thinking of the painful memories it must hold for her, he offered "Now that thing would make anyone hysterical Sparrow, maybe it's about time to put it up." Letting the wristband fall to the floor, he pushed it under the couch with his foot. He couldn't take her pain away, but he could damned sure try and make it so that she's not reminded of it constantly.

Shilo Wallace

Date: 2013-08-05 04:53 EST
His fingers were in her hair and his arm was around her and his chest....Oh, God! She was eye level with his bare chest! There was another small hitch in her breathing. It was all too much. And then it suddenly wasn't. She was still crying, but it was no longer the tight, hysterical sobs that threatened to rob her of consciousness. Now she merely wept gently, but steadily on his shoulder. All her pain, her frustrations, her fears and anxieties....all were slowly, but surely flowing out of her.

She hardly noticed when he removed her wristband. Emotionally and physically exhausted, she felt her eyelids grow heavy and, although she still had a slight hitch to her breathing, slowly began to drift to sleep. The real kind of sleep. She still had troubled dreams accompanied by soft whimpering and a few tears, but, it was the best sleep she'd had in a very long time.

Grave Robber

Date: 2013-08-05 14:20 EST
By the rise and fall of her breathing, he could tell she had worn herself down to sleep. Now how the hell do I get up without waking her" His first attempt was to simply slowly lower her down to her back on the couch' But her unconscious body held tight to him feverishly in response to that maneuver. OK, that's not going to work. He tried to sit them both back up, but the protest in his back was enough to take his breath away. Finally resigned to keep the sparrow asleep, he laid down on that couch, arms fimly around her, and settled in.

She obviously had no place to go' that much was clear to him. He sure as hell wasn't going to wake her up and throw her into the street. So he waited there, watching her dream fitfully till her sobs had stopped. A few times through the night, he tried to get up, only to end up shushing her, and running his fingers through her hair while she wept in her sleep. Until finally, content to stay there for a while before leaving her the couch, he closed his eyes" just for a moment' and was lost to his own dreams.

When he opened his eyes again, daylight streamed through a small, filthy window. He groaned in protest along with his aching back. He tried to stretch his arms and was rewarded with a shock of pain followed by the tell tale pins and needles. And was it any wonder" Shilo was fast asleep on it. With his his free, non-tingling arm, she grabbed her shoulder and gave it a light shake, thinking it best to wake her gently. After a few more shakes and she still didn't stir, he took a dry swallow and cleared his throat.

"Hey. Hey! C'mon, kid. Time to wa-"

He was cut short by a jab in the ribs and a very startled shriek. In one fell swoop, both he and Shilo went rolling off the couch and crashing onto the hard floor in a mess of limbs and hair and pointy elbows and knobby knees. He tried not to smirk at the look of pure shock on her pale little face. It was awkward work, trying to disentangle from each other and the pointed silence was not helping.

"Sleep well?" He was trying. He really was. And all it got him was a tight shake of her head. This time he did smirk.

"Well, it's no wonder, Sparrow. With all the twitching and mumbling, I'm surprised you didn't keep yourself up, too." He sighed when her response was not exactly what he was hoping for. He thought he'd get slapped or at least glared at, but he just couldn't stand that little frown.

"Nightmares?" This time his voice was filled with genuine concern. A fact that irked him to no end.

Shilo Wallace

Date: 2013-08-06 02:43 EST
"Nightmare." She corrected.

"Just the one."

He simply gazed at her, his eyebrows furrowing. She took it as a sign to continue.

"I read this book once. These two friends hadn't seen each other in a long time, but when they finally did, it was like they had never been apart."

The single nod he gave spoke volumes. It let her know he understood, he wanted her to continue, and....he knew exactly what that felt like.

"Well, my nightmare....it's kinda like catching up with an old friend. You always seem pick up right where you left off only....only this friend scares you and yells at you and has claws that rake through your hair and icy fingers to trail up and down your spine. It has broken mirrors and windows that only show you all the bad things that have ever happened to you in your life. It takes the people you love and turns them against you before killing them right in front of your eyes. It chokes you and makes fun of you and it just won't leave even though you beg and beg..."

She knew she had a bad habit of rambling. But this felt different. When she spoke, her voice grew hollow and distant and her eyes seemed to see past him. No. Through him. He didn't like it. That's not the way Sparrow was supposed to look and sound. He'd never admit it, but he was glad when she finished. Not because she was talking so much and his head was pounding, but because those too big brown eyes finally looked normal again.

A touch of color rose in those pale cheeks as Shilo finally realized their proximity. Graverobber had succeeded in unraveling them and now they both knelt in front of each other, Shilo on both knees, leaning back on her heels, Graverobber with one knee down and one foot rooted on the floor, his hands grasping her upper arms.

Grave Robber

Date: 2013-08-07 16:21 EST
He lifted a hand to scratch his head, trying to form delicate words for the poor sparrow. "People can be assholes." He grumbled, apparently failing at the maneuver "They can turn on you, hurt you, or deceive you for their own selfish reasons, most people can't be trusted farther than you can throw them' We both know that." He could have slapped himself as he watched that little mouth of hers turn downward and a rogue tear slip from her eye. "Stupid goddamn f*cking Graverobber, you're not supposed to be making sparrow cry more." When He stood up and held his hand out to help her to her feet, Shilo couldn't help but be relieved to be able to get up, and not be so uncomfortably close to the half naked Graverobber. Wiping the moisture from her eyes she slumped down to the couch, wearing a confused look on her face she mulled over his words, expecting more to come.

He was pacing now, as much to help him think as the fact that he just couldn't sit down on that couch, not with her sulking there, not after making her cry again. Those big wet brown eyes followed him as he did his circuit around the makeshift living room, filling him with the one emotion he was loath to ever deal with. Guilt

"Why the hell do you even care" It's not like you owe her anything" it's not like she couldn't have just gone home and been just fine." The only problem is he knew exactly why he cared so much, whether he was willing to admit it or not. An image of leaving her that night on some random porch crept back into his mind. "Where the hell are you staying anyway! I'm not stupid Sparrow, I know that wasn't your place that you ditched me at. Then you come to my door half dead from exhaustion, and sleep like you hadn't had a good night's rest in"." "Oh " THAT"S why". you dumb f*ck!"

Between listening to himself talk, and the horrified look on Sparrow's face he had his answer. She didn't have any place to stay, maybe never did in since arriving in this god forsaken place.

Stammering under what should have been an obvious revelation. He went to open his mouth' Then tried again. He had meant to apologize, to ask her how she had been passing the nights" To say anything but what he ended up saying. Finally he opened his mouth, and said the first thing that came to mind" Surprising them both.

"I get it, Sparrow, I really do. God knows I've been there, but it's not safe for you out there all alone. Until we get something more permanent figured out, you're going to stay here ok?"

Shilo Wallace

Date: 2013-08-08 23:57 EST
Too large eyes went impossible wide. Shilo had definitely not been expecting those words. She was certain he was going to insist she stay away. Then again, there were so many other things she had been certain about only to be proven horribly wrong. She couldn't speak. She couldn't even manage a squeak. But his eyes....those intense green eyes were still staring at her, waiting for a response. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if he somehow knew her stomach was doing little flip flops...

She blinked herself back to the present and attempted to answer, only to find she was still speechless. All she could do was nod. How could she refuse? It really was the best solution. She felt safest when he was around and, while she wasn't quite sure exactly why he kept her company, she was eternally grateful. Another small tear found its way down her pale little cheek. But this tear was different. It was accompanied by a small hint of a smile that was quickly lost in the sudden flail of limbs as she desperately tried to smooth mussed hair and slept-in-wrinkled clothing.