Nothing Else Matters (Shifter)

[Dusk]

Dusk lay in his bed, sleeping, though not very peacefully. Honestly, he couldn't remember even going to bed. Lynn was running late; and he was waiting up for her. But after a while, he just got so tired...he couldn't keep his eyes open. A part of him worried. After all, she was the only friend he had in the world. Literally...

But he'd told himself not to worry. He knew that the next morning, when he walked outside, she'd be curled up on the swing, sleeping like a baby.

[Shifter]

At about midnight, Aislynn arrived at the house. She was worn out, beat up, and just pretty much torn apart - but at least she was home. She padded up the walkway in cheetah form, but then shifted to human when she got to the door, though it was only long enough to open the door, shut it, then morph back kitten. She knew she needed clothes - and for some odd reason didn't want to head home - so she headed to his room.

To her surprise, Dusk was in his room, lying on his bed. Thankfully, he was asleep, and Aislynn managed to sneak into his closet. Though there weren't many shirts, she managed to find one that had "sleeves," and quickly tugged it on. It fell to just above her knees.

Heaving a breath of relief, the young woman, now actually a woman again, tip-toed from his room. In his living room, she paused, glancing at the door to the outside, and then to his couch. She knew she was going to have to sleep - her body was screaming at her to stop moving and let it heal - but she really didn't want to go outside.

So she ended up flopping down on his couch, curling up in a corner. Aislynn promised herself to wake up before he did, but ended up drifting off in a deep, deep sleep.

[Dusk]

Dusk relaxed when he heard the door open and close. She was home, and she was all ri--wait a minute....she came inside? He groaned, it not really registering yet. He sat up, and went to go see, then figured that since it was so late, maybe his mind was playing tricks on him. So, he lay back down, eyes open, trying to get his mind out of that groggy state.

[Shifter]

Aislynn slept for a long, long time.

Despite the horrors she had just experienced, the young woman managed to sleep quite well, and quite peacefully. Perhaps it was the fact that even her subconscious knew where she was, and that she was safe here, and that was all that mattered. So she slept until about ten in the morning.

Around that time, she rolled off of the couch, hitting the ground rather ungracefully. She bounced once, then looked around. The shirt-dress caught her attention, and she glanced down at it. Then she tensed.

Well, she had pretty much just abused all the rules of hospitality.

[Dusk]

His alarm didn't go off like it usually did. He woke up when he heard a thud. He barged into the living room, shirtless, and wearing a pair of black shorts. "What the fu--Lynn??" His face went from harsh to soft, and he looked at her. He walked over, noting the fact she was wearing his old undershirt from the Antidote days, and how her expression was. And she'd slept on his couch...

He sat down, concerned. "Lynn? You alright? Something happen?"

[Shifter]

"What the fu--Lynn??"

Aislynn cringed from the voice, her entire body tensing immediately. It took a moment for her to register whose voice was speaking, and then another for her body to take the hint and relax, but then the young woman looked up at him. Her eyes roamed over his form, taking in the fact he was shirtless, and she felt the cat growl. But then it remembered what the fuck had just happened, and ending up whining softly.

She reached down to the edge of the shirt, tugging it slightly, "I... I'm alright," she murmured, knowing full well that it was a flat-out lie. But even in her tattered condition, Aislynn still refused to share her problems with Dusk. She didn't want to bother him, after all.

[Dusk]

He shook his head slowly. "No Lynn...you're not," he said gently. "Sit down." He patted the couch next to him. "Now, I'm not going to grill you for information. But if you need to talk, I'm here. You won't be a burden. I want to help..."

[Shifter]

Aislynn eyed the spot on the couch, but then slowly began to climb up. She sat next to him, relaxing almost instantly at the feel of his aura. Tucking her legs under her, she glanced up at him, "I'm... I'm alright. No, I..." The silver-haired woman hesitated, then closed her eyes. She pressed against him slightly.

[Dusk]

He wrapped an arm around her, his aura sort of extending to her, almost like a blanket of sorts. Though this wasn't at his command; it just happened.

He held her close. "Okay..." He knew she wasn 't, but she didn't seem to want to talk. It kind of hurt; he saw her as a friend, but she was still keeping secrets. Though it never crossed his mind exactly what kind... "Well, I'm here for you. No matter what."

[Shifter]

His arm wrapped around her, even as his aura draped over her. She felt warm; she felt safe. For the first time in a long time, she knew that no one was going to snatch her up and thrust her back into hell. It was enough to cause her to reach up and, ever so gently, touch her lips to his jaw.

"Thank you," she murmured, placing her hand on his chest, over his heart.

A part of her was terrified at whatever-it-was she was feeling. She had felt this before, and had ended up being betrayed. And even though she had escaped before anything could happen, she was still afraid. Well, more like terrified.

And yet, another part of her was enjoying the odd emotion.

[Dusk]

He smiled; surprised, but it made him happy. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this way; if ever. "It's no problem, really. Helping you never would be," he murmured. He meant every word. He would fight for her, kill for her. Maybe even die for her.

He let his hand rest on her shoulder as the aura wrapped around her; almost as if it had a mind of its own. A will to keep her safe...

[Shifter]

She relaxed against him, letting her eyes roam over his face.

She knew she was going to have to tell him. She couldn't keep secrets from him - never from him. But she didn't know how to broach that particular topic. Not to mention she was absolutely terrified of his reaction, and the aftermath to follow.

Her father had always been terribly upset when she had done something wrong, even when it really wasn't her fault. He had always berated her - first verbally, and then with some sort of experiment. She was terrified that history would repeat itself, that he would become upset with her - hate her - for what had happened.

And Aislynn wasn't sure she could handle that.

But, even as she thought about it, she began to shift her position. She let her legs stretch out, so she was sitting normally, and placed her hand on the bottom of the shirt-dress. Carefully, hesitantly, she drew it up, until the fleur de lis was in full display, carved forever into her pale flesh.

"I'm sorry."

[Dusk]

He looked at the cut. A fluer-de-lis. He could tell it was fresh...from the night before. Which explained everything. That was all he needed to see. His expression turned into a mix of anger and pain. Shadows started to dance violently, one coming at Lynn, but only to be slapped away by his aura.

"Who did this to you?" he asked, the caring tone still in his voice.

[Shifter]

The shadows began to dance, and Aislynn tensed immediately. She eyed them, her body automatically pressing into his for protection. She had upset him, but that much was obvious - especially when one of the shadows darted towards her.

Fear clogged her throat; her heart began to pound. All she could think was Oh, God, no... But then his aura reached out, slapping it away, and she closed her eyes. Even when he was angry, he still refused to lay a hand - or a shadow - on her.

She licked her lips at the question, "I... I don't know. I didn't quite..." Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked up at him. Her eyes were wide, filled with fear, "Dark hair, dark eyes... Knife fingers. That's all I saw. I don't..."

[Dusk]

"That's all I need," he said, forming a mental picture of the guy in his mind just from that bit already. For once he was thankful for his background. The aura unwrapped itself from her as he got up and walked into his bedroom and grabbed a gray muscle-shirt. He put it on and grabbed a shotgun and put on a pair of jeans and his boots, along with a couple rounds of ammo.

Once he was fully dressed, the shadows calmed down a little, except his own, which was dancing madly.

He looked her in the eye. "Shut all the windows. Close the curtains. Lock the doors behind me and stay inside while I'm gone. I have a key, so open the door for no one. I'll be back soon. Understand?"