Your Time's Up Now [Open]

[Saephara]

"I see," Saephara said, taking her hand back and resting it on her lap. She looked to the ceiling for a minute before speaking again. He had smiled for the first time since she had seen him. It brightened his face a bit and she could tell it was a rare occurrence for him. "It must have been a difficult life. In that sense, I know all too well how hard it can be..." Her voice trailed off as she stood gingerly. Her wound still ached as she moved but she couldn't stay still for too long. She stepped towards the window, feeling his eyes on her as she moved. Cloud, he said his name was. It fit him well. She gently grasped the dark colored curtain as she continued on.

"You should not have taken this darkness in me...it will come back and I do not wish to burden you any more than I already have." She took a deep breath and let it go slowly. "My darkness comes from my past. As I have already stated, I was raised here in Hallowton. I was born into a higher class family. I had both my mother and father with me as I grew through the years. I attended private school with the other children and played as all children do." As she spoke, those horrid memories came forth before her eyes but she simply tightened her grip on the fabric in her hand. "I once had a younger brother as well. His name was Alexandros. He was only two years of age..." Her breath hitched as tears gathered in her sapphire eyes. Sae turned towards Cloud and released the curtain, grabbing hold of the I.V. pole once more. "Without going into too much detail...my family was murdered when I was the age of 17. They were butchered...for what reason, I do not know. I was attacked as well and have some defining characteristics for the person that did the deed...."

She paced the room slowly, thoughts running through her mind in circles. "Nonetheless, I escaped from the hospital here and ran with the books outlining my family heritage and the bow that was given to me by her. I went to Moon Valley to live for a few years before everything went to hell. Now I am back here where it all began..." Sae turned to face Cloud once more. "That is basically the majority of my younger life in a nutshell, for lack of better terminology." She walked back to his bed and sat back on the edge of it. She underestimated how much her moving around would take a toll on her body and was now a bit tired. "I wonder now why you would be willing to take my darkness into yourself when I can tell you have so much within yourself." She placed a hand on his chest over his heart, feeling the steady beat of it. She could feel that whatever had caused him to land in this bed next to hers had nothing to do with his heart. It was strong and she closed her eyes, focusing on the soothing rhythm of it.

[Cloud]

Cloud chuckled slightly as he could tell she was trying to feel his heart beating. "In the world I stayed in after mine was destroyed... everything had a theoretical heart or.... soul here. The heart can be tainted with darkness... and the darkness can control the heart. Mine is too strong for the darkness to control. I took in your darkness because your heart seemed delicate.. and I didnt want it destroyed." Cloud looked sadly to the ground away from her. He didnt know what to do or say now. His mind was blank.

[Saephara]

At his words, Saephara was stunned. His life experiences were so much more than what she had experienced and she could tell that she could learn much from him. As she looked on, his face fell into a saddened expression and she felt as though she had touched on a fragile subject. He no longer wished to speak of this and she would not force him. The hand on his chest moved to gently grasp his chin and she moved to look at him. "Do not be saddened. Sadness only makes things worse. Try to smile more. It will help keep that darkness inside somewhat quiet." She winked and let him go, standing once more. "Now, how in the world do we get out of this room? It is quite stuffy in here. Where is that medic from before..."

Sae moved to the door and opened it to see two armed guards on either side of it. At once, both looked towards her. They were ready to act if she made a wrong move. Sae chuckled slightly and said, "I don't have anything on me...just, can you grab that medic from before, please?"

[Cloud]

Cloud's spine chilled at her touch. Few could move him like she had today. Today he felt as if his shell he kept around him to keep others safe from his darkness was smashed. He got up, brushed himself off and grabbed his sword that lay leaned against the wall and putting it upon his back.

He stood waiting for her and then the medic, who came much later, to come back in the room. Until then he smiled slightly due to her advice. Few cared about him, but it seems more than he thought. "After the medic here clears you.... I have orders to question you about the incident tonight. It should be quick. I dont think you had anything to do it but... it's a part of my duties to the Queen. Afterwards you will be allowed to leave." Cloud said with a smile. His eyes however expressed a happiness, and a sadness. He was happy that she was alright, but hated to see that she could go so easily. His darkness gave him fears of never seeing her again or worse, her forgetting him. He shook these from his mind for he knew they were simple tricks trying to make him fall.

However despite them only knowing each other for perhaps a few hours... it felt like a lifetime. They knew secrets of each other, and understood each other's pain. He knew once she left he would see her again... this alone fueled his smile.

[Saephara]

Sae looked at Cloud at the mention of his working for the Queen. It was the first thing that she heard from him that had made her think twice about him. How long has he worked for her? She shook her head ever so slightly and nodded towards him. The female medic entered the room and wordlessly waited for Saephara to sit back on the bed. Sae gripped the door and said, "Very well, Cloud. I'm sure they will escort me to whichever room it is that they need to. I do hope it is comfortable." She closed the door and stepped back to the bed, allowing the woman to perform her examination. Sae's mind wandered off into nothing as the woman's hands wandered her skin, stethoscope crawling across her chest and abdomen.

Some time had passed before a slight pressure brought her back to her senses. The medic had pulled out the catheter in her hand and doing so had brought a wince to Sae's face. "All finished now, Ms. Crosswell," said the medic. She took a bow and quickly exited the room. Upon further inspection of the room, she saw that at some point while she was sleeping someone had placed a simple white gown with matching heels at the foot of the bed on the trunk. Among them as well lay a white choker and satin blue ribbon. Swiftly she removed her patient gown and slipped the gown over her head and pulled it down to rest on her skin. It was light upon her flesh. She loved it. She then pulled the heels on and placed the choker upon her neck. Grabbing the ribbon, she walked over to the door with the clicks from the heels and opened it, walking out into the hallway. She turned to face the bewildered guards and said, "Let us hurry on now. I have questions to answer and I do not wish to be here any longer than necessary." She started forward in one direction while loosely grabbing her hair and tying it with the ribbon in her hand. She must have been heading in the right direction because the guards walked alongside her. On the three walked throughout the never-ending corridors. Sae let the guards take the lead to direct her where they may.

As they passed the many doors and hallways, there were those that turned to stare as she walked through. The very gown she wore hit just above her knees and it flowed with the air. However, she paid no mind to them. With every step, she found herself looking forward to these questions that would be asked of her.

[Cloud]

The interrogation room was a simple room with no windows but with a table and two chairs on either side. On the table were a few papers concerning Saephera. He went ahead, sitting in a chair by the table while gesturing her to have a seat. He took out a pen, signed all the proper blanks and looked up at her when he was done.

"This wont take long... Me and Sparda both know that you have nothing to do with the murder today, this is just to reassure the higher ups. First off, why were you in the area to begin with?"

[Saephara]

At the first sight of the room, she sighed. She had hoped greatly for a more informal room, however they were 'interrogating' her. 'Tis a room befitting the soon to be act of questioning, 'she thought. Sae waved off the guards who closed the door behind her. Presumably they took up post outside of the room by the door. 'Just in case I run rampant, eh? Hmph. If I wanted to do anything, I would have already. Silly guards.' Visibly she shrugged and strode over to the empty chair the Cloud had gestured to, her heels clicking and sending the sound throughout the bare room. Out of old habit she folded the gown smoothly under her as she seated herself. Her ankles crossed themselves and her delicate hands lay folded in her lap. Her back was completely straight as she steadied her gaze upon Cloud.

He was shuffling paperwork around, signing various documents as he went. On one page, she saw her name and a hint of a frown appeared on the corner of her lips. What were they doing investigating her? He looked up and that slight frown disappeared, replaced by a small smile. And it began.

"This wont take long... Me and Sparda both know that you have nothing to do with the murder today, this is just to reassure the higher ups. First off, why were you in the area to begin with?" he asked.

Saephara took a gentle breath and gave her answer. "For the past 4 years I have lived in Moon Valley. Because of the past events that have taken place there, I was sent here to Hallowton as a refugee. I was roaming the area when I felt a presence that I was curious about so I followed." She grasped her hands tightly, keeping her face straight. "Trust me, I did not even expect to ever have come back here to this town." With the last of her statement her voice cracked as a brief flashback came across her vision. She pushed it back with an inner curse and cleared her throat, smiling apologetically. "Next question?"

[Cloud]

" I do trust you. Now.. the next question: What were you doing tonight? Before you stabbed yourself that is." Cloud asked, writing rapidly, page after page detailing his account of the events tonight up to the point of the questioning, and then her information. If she was a citizen of Hollowton, then most of her info could be retrieved easily, which made the questioning much much shorter.

[Saephara]

Her posture remained as a lady's should through this question and answer game. It was a game that she was growing bored of quickly, but only tolerated because it was Cloud questioning her. "I was walking along minding my business when there was a great flash in front of me. I sensed a dark aura so I followed it. It so happened that it was that other man that I had followed. I couldn't tell what the woman was and I had no idea of her transgressions. I was unaware, believing that she was being persecuted for no reason." She raised a hand to her chest where her seal lay quiet for once. "I am a person of good, Cloud. From the knowledge I had, I couldn't just let him kill her in front of me. For that I have my own reasons." She cleared her throat and asked, "Might I ask what you are writing exactly? Where are my clothes and my bow? And would it be possible to acquire a glass of water?"