Under a Full Moon [ HALAYLA ]

[Arun (DELETED 9048)]

For the first time in what seemed like weeks, the sky was clear. The moon was gluttonous, bulbous, bursting with light and life and Arun observed it, through the eye of the telescope. This was all he had dreamed about – an observatory of his own. Well, he liked to think that the place was his own, ignoring the comings and goings of the other employees. He and Vasile had finally settled, and had been in Harper Rock for a few years, now. Vasile worked as a bartender, an artist on the side like their father. He was happy, he was settled, and his life far less complicated than Arun’s.

It was through Arun that they were both able to afford the apartment that they lived in – nothing grand, but it wasn’t small either. Although their parents had money beyond measure, the boys had decided to strike out on their own and gain their independence. Besides which, Arun had never felt like he fit in to their world, logical and scientific amongst a family of passionate, artistic and creative. Not to mention the magic.

Arun was an expert at compartmentalizing, however. Although he had his issues, everything was boxes and shifted into the appropriate corner. One box contained his professional work life. Another box contained his personal life. And the third box contained the mysteries and the unknown – the manifestations that he slowly sought to explain. He was nothing if not methodical.

The telescope was larger than any Arun had used in his life before. Although he’d started at the observatory as an intern, he’d quickly worked his way up the ranks until he’d become a Director, of sorts. There was a team of astronomers who answered directly to him; he told them which galaxies to focus on, which stars to observe, and he heard all their reports at the end of the week. What had they found in the darkness of the skies, in the deep unforgiving black?

Arun was afforded the ability to mostly keep to himself, though every now and again giving speeches and seminars to visiting students of all ages. Although he wasn’t all too personable, he knew what he was talking about.

The public were locked out by now. A few of his colleagues remained behind. The telescope he used was not the main one, beneath the wide white dome, but one of the smaller ones on a nearby parapet. He worked with only a red light highlighting the maps of stars spread out at his feet, a pencil sharpened mostly to its death used to mark his observations.

Until something caught his eye, down on the ground. Movement, light. Someone was down there.

Making the last of his notes, Arun shifted the sight of the telescope, using the smaller scope on top to sweep the line of trees, looking for… and there it was, in the clearing. A girl.

But what was she doing?

WEARING

[Halayla (DELETED 9006)]

WARDROBE
+
LISTENING TO

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What was she doing?

Well, at a glance, it simply looked like she was staring up at the sky. Any passerby would've thought she was counting the stars or revelling in the way the full moon shone down from the heavens, illuminating the sleeping earth below. She was sure no one would think twice about it. That was a good hour ago though. She was waiting for the clouds to move, clear out and reveal the face of the moon so that the full beam of her lights could wash over her.

"It's cold out."

A voice echoed in her head, one she'd heard before she'd come to the university. It was a gentle, quiet reminder that the sheer tights and a skirt weren't sufficient enough for the oncoming December winds. "Shut up." she muttered under her breath to no one in particular, teeth chattering. So he was right but she wouldn't admit to it. Pants would chafe her thighs and she needed mobility on her side. She bobbed a little on the heels of her feet, arms wrapping around her torso, hands rubbing over her upper arms through the worn material of the black varsity jacket she had borrowed. The scent of Polo Black that wafted up was unfortunately distracting so she had to take it off and set it aside on a dead tree trunk.

"Okay... okayokayokay." She sniffed delicately as her nose began to protest the expulsion of the extra layer of warmth, watering slightly around the rims of her nostrils. Halayla inhaled deeply before exhaling with a sputter, rubbing her hands together before blowing into her palms. "Focus, focus." She encouraged herself as the last wisps of clouds grazed across the sky. She granted herself a second's hesitation before reaching back and grabbed the wrapped hilts that were jutting out from behind her shoulders. The size of the grips seemed almost too big for her fingers but her hands grabbed them firmly anyways and unsheathed the untarnished blades. Her wrists rolled, the handles of the swords rotating across the backs of her palms to spin the blades before she gripped them again the second they came near the centre of her hands. She waited, steadying herself with her feet parted on the dead winter earth below their soles.

From a distance, she heard the first of the shuffling and her skin prickled. This time, it wasn't the chill outside. Her attention snapped towards the noise. "Come on…" she urged impatiently, gaze narrowing as she watched the trees for any movement. She had places to be. A girl couldn't spend all night slicing up reanimated corpses, after all.

She bobbed on her feet again before she spotted it. Or rather, she smelled it first. The distinct aroma of decay and rot, particularly that of the fleshy kind. "Yasss, *****…!" she crooned quietly. The straight blades of her swords scraped across one another, the sharp noise alerting the Zombie and it turned its head towards the source of the sound before it twisted its torso and then legs, wandering over. Her pulse quickened and she could feel her heart thrumming away inside her ribcage. Her stomach was knotting in a way that made it push her insides upwards until she felt like she might throw up.

Halayla took a step back before shooting forward in a running charge. Her sneakered foot landed on the edge of the same trunk she'd left the jacket on and she pushed herself upwards towards the sky, letting the light of the moon add to the height she gained from the jump. She felt herself taking flight, or the closest she'd like come to kissing the stars. She really shouldn't have. She'd promised her mother she'd no longer hone into that part of herself but how could she not with the full moon encouraging her so boldly? How could she deny Selene when she smiled down at her like that, like Halayla had been born to please only her? The favour of the moon had been the one constant in her life, the one thing she could rely on. She owed Selene and her keeper, Artemis, her very soul.

Besides that, she needed to train. Could she do it without magic? Sure, she could. But probably not without bogies taking a chunk out of her first. She had some proficiencies on the field but nothing that was worth the sweat and blood. It would be harder and slower, more dangerous if she were to go the "clean" route. Though even if she took that path, her parents would likely still be displeased. She could heed their warnings and quit her "tomfoolery" all together but that would mean she wouldn't be strong enough.

And her girls needed her to be.

[Arun (DELETED 9048)]

To begin with, the girl was just a smudge of a shadow amongst other shadows, a wandering ghost where it should not be. She seemed out of place amongst the greenery, the Winter closing in around her. One didn’t have to be surrounded by the cold to know that she, too, was cold. She bounced around in clothing barely fit for the weather she danced within. So why was she there?

Like a voyeur on high, a God with his telescope, Arun watched. Within minutes another shambling body meandered out of the undergrowth – from afar, it just looked like another body, another human. A rendezvous, perhaps? A secret tryst between lovers, unable to meet under the eye of the city?

The astronomer sucked in a breath when the girl made a running leap for the body; once again looking through the telescope, Arun could see everything in greater detail. The shambling body looked half dead – not ignorant now to what lived in the Quarantine Zone, Arun recognised it for what it was. A zombie. But what was it doing out of its designated zone? If they got out, what would happen to the city? Would it be overrun? Was there a hoard of them down there, or just the one? Was she expecting them, or was this a random attack?

She had swords. And when she leapt into the air, when she went for that beast… well. She was either one of those vampires the media had been talking about, the ones that Arun hadn’t had the opportunity to meet yet, or…

Suffice to say, within seconds the man was packing up his things. The telescope could stay where it was for the time being – it would be safe. He could come back for it later. The belongings were tucked in underneath the scope before he was clattering down stairs and sliding out the door, headed through the buildings at the outer edge of the University, out of the perimeter and into the wilderness. It was dark, but he used his phone for a torch.

What did he hope to achieve? He had no weapons. Whatever he knew about himself, the things he might eventually be capable of, it was fleeting. He was no hero in shining armour – he was a scholar. He knew his limitations. Did she even need a hero? No, he realised he was not racing for his destination because he wanted to save anyone. He was rushing to his destination for answers. The clearing was just up ahead; he burst through the undergrowth, immediately whirling on the spot to search for more zombies.

And it was so ******* cold. Why hadn’t he brought and extra jacket?

Stupid, Rune. You should have waited for her to come back to civilization.

[Halayla (DELETED 9006)]

RP Dice Roller:
You succeeded in your endeavour.

The edge of her blade met the decaying, tattered skin, slicing over decomposing flesh, ripping through viscera. Because of course it did. Halo wouldn't have left her house without sharpening her swords first. She was able to, by now, locate and take down most of these types of sluggish creatures. One time, she'd gone into the Quarantine area and found a feral vampire even. Suffice to say, she tried her skills against it but nearly failed in escaping with her hide still in place. Zombies were simpler. Somewhat. For the most part, Halo thought she could take them but she'd long since learned to not underestimate her opponent. Even if her opponent was braindead.

"Man. Another one!?" She frowned as the corpse toppled, dropping an ear for her. She scowled at it but bent down to pick it up anyways and put it in her pocket.

Just then there was a sudden noise that startled her badly enough to shake the meagre balance she had on the tips of her toes and she toppled forward, landing face-first against the cold, hard ground. "Oof!" She nearly ate dirt as she sputtered and then pushed herself up onto her knees, head turning slowly to look over her shoulder at whatever it was that had shuffled through. She moved carefully, not about to make any sudden movements. Halo didn't think it was another critter but there was a worry in her gut that it was a wolf. Or a bear. Or her mother. She didn't know which was worse.

She pushed her hair out of her face and blinked at the sight of something she hadn't really been expecting. Not a human male. Or at least, he looked healthy and human enough. Halo squinted at him before standing up fluidly and dusting herself off. Was she angry? No. But she wasn't about to let him walk away unscathed either. He had just humiliated her in front of… well, himself. No matter, it was still humiliation and her ego was a little bruised.

"You know, it's impolite to peep on a lady from the bushes." she said before finally looking up at him. Where had this man even come from? She tried to figure it out by studying him first and then looking around only to spot the university. Duh. She tore her gaze away from the building. "If you wanted a show, you could've just asked." she folded her arms over her chest and tapped a foot like she was waiting on an explanation. He did, after all, nearly make her sink her teeth into soil.

[Arun (DELETED 9048)]

”I wasn’t peeping from the bushes. I was peeping from up there,” he said, pointing to the building and its tallest tower, its flat roof castle-like amidst its modern settings. Wherever they’d travelled, as children and as adults, Arun had always been interested in the universities. While some people sought out churches for historical architecture, Arun sought out places of learning. Universities were always a balance between old and new, the oldest buildings preserved by local historical societies and governments. And yet, the student base was growing, more classes, more books, more things to learn. The buildings had to expand, and they often did so in such unique and innovative ways. Universities were places of tradition, but also of revolution.

The astronomer knew what he had said was wrong. It was wrong in the way it sounded, as if he were a creep, a voyeur. He knew it, even before he said it. But he liked to be honest, and watching someone from a rooftop by accident was better than watching them from the bushes on purpose.

”I was searching the stars, and then you caught my attention. And, well… curiosity, I suppose, is never very polite. It’s quite invasive, really,” he said. His accent was mangled, sometimes deep with the rolling R of the Romanian romantic, and sometimes sharp like his mother’s native Hindi. But his English was good for an accent so strange – moving from country to country with English as a prime language, it was the easiest one to learn.

His gaze lingered on the corpse of what could only be a zombie, its decrepit decayed flesh a blight upon the landscape. Arun imagined that he could even smell how rotten it was. Of course he could not. It was too cold for that, his nose numb with it.

”I was curious. About what you are doing out here. You are very skilled…” he said, breath billowing from him in clouds of steam. He wasn’t complimenting her to curry favour. Though he hoped it would help her to open up and regard him with a little less wariness.

[Halayla (DELETED 9006)]

”I wasn’t peeping from the bushes. I was peeping from up there."

Halo's first expression clearly stated, "Are you serious, man?" Her brows were raised, eyes wide, before the manicured hairs pulled together, creating a few short creases between them and her lips pulled into a slight frown. "Well, at least you're honest." she sighed and let her gaze slide up to where the male had pointed. "The university?" The girl blurted out. She sounded surprised. Not because the man seemed uneducated or ignorant but she hadn't expected anyone to spot her from so far away.

Her brows quirked briefly and she looked back at the male. "Do you go there?" She'd never seen him before but she hinted a speck of an accent so maybe he was one of those new International students. Looking at him closer now, they could almost be related, with the same olive complexion and pale eyes. This man had dark hair in place of her bleached and stripped straw blonde but if she'd just left her hair alone like her father wanted her to, it was likely they'd have the same hair, too.

The sorceress blinked and followed the man's gaze to the zombie. "Ignore that." she nudged at the corpse with a shoe, her lips pouting slightly before her nose twitched. She looked back at the man and her expression lit up, no longer sour and irritable. Like a switch had been flipped. "Yeah? You really think so?" Her brows rose again and this time remained lifted. She paused like she'd caught herself doing something she shouldn't be doing, and she had. She was gushing and that was just very uncool of her. Her shoulders rolled back and her chin lifted slightly like she'd regained some confidence. "I'm training. Or I was. I suppose it would be a better idea to go to the Quarantine Zone." she admitted.

"Did you say you were searching the stars?" She didn't clue in immediately. Her initial thought was that the man was one of those crazy people with the aluminum foil hats, watching out for aliens and UFOs, with full subscriptions to the National Enquirer. Kooks, her scholarly dad called them. One time when Halayla was very young and very first heard the word, she took a liking to it immediately and had called her mother's brother a kook affectionately (and ignorantly) which left the poor man with the nickname Uncle Kook and left the family with a funny story to tell strangers, much to the growing Halo's embarrassment. She credited it to Karma.

The curried cloud made her blink and she had to pause. "Would you like some gum?" she tried as politely and inconspicuously as possible.

[Arun (DELETED 9048)]

Honesty and compliments, Arun suddenly learned, will get a person anywhere. Well, maybe not anywhere, but it at least got him in the good graces of this… well, what was she? She said she was training. Training for what? Why? How? The questions came thick and fast but Arun had learned from a young age that people generally didn’t like being questioned. Not all at once, without reprieve. He had to spread them out.

Though, that did not seem to concern the girl he had suddenly become acquainted with. Questions were asked and then dismissed, and then replaced by one that was completely out of context. Gum? The girl must have ADD, or some such similar ailment. Arun had turned toward the University, lips poised to answer the first and second questions, which he now continued with after the slight shake of his head to decline the offered gum.

”Ah… the University, yes. I work there. At the Observatory,” he said, pronouncing the word with its capital letter, the weight of importance enunciated with its syllables. Ah, his student days. He remembered them, but they were long gone. Thank the Gods.

”Mmm… I was curious because…” how to start? This woman was a complete stranger and nothing she had done so far could prove that she would have any answers. But it wasn’t answers that Arun was after, more information. Whatever scraps she could give him could prove useful, like crumbs down a garden path. He sucked in a breath and bounced on the balls of his feet. It was ******* cold. Coming out without the proper garments had been a mistake. A few more minutes couldn’t hurt, though. He reasoned with himself – he could spring back to the university. The heat required to burn that much energy would help to keep him from freezing to death.

”I do not study at the university but I do study other things. In my own time. Things that… well, I have never seen one of those in the flesh before and I – I…” he stopped. Blurting out to some stranger that he could do magic was just plain wrong. And he couldn’t focus. ”Can we go back? Somewhere warmer?” he asked. He shook his hands as if he could shake the numb out of them. But the truth was, he couldn’t feel his fingertips.