The Stumble Inn

Melanie quickly handed Doc the bandages, squeezing Molodi's hand back. "It's alright, Molodi. He knows what he is doing." She hummed a lullaby to herself.

Doc removed his hand from the wound to apply the bandages, wrapping them tightly on her. "It's alright, Miss, almost over." He kept wrapping, before finishing after what seemed an eternity, and clipped the bandages together. "Alright. The wound isn't that deep, but it's still dangerously close to a vein, so I don't want her moving until that has healed up a little better... What the Hell happened, Mel?"

Molodi panted, biting down on her lip as tears streamed down her face. She didn't seem quite so rock hard at the moment.

Melanie shook her head. "I. . . honestly don't know. I think I shot her? I was holding a gun. But neither I nor Molodi remember it."

Doc sighed, looking almost disappointed in Mel. "Right... Well, I'm prescribing her some heavy duty painkillers... She's going to be a little dopey. I'll be back on Christmas day to check up on her. Until then, keep her company and make sure she doesn't do anything stupid. Twice a day, once when she wakes up and one at dinner time." He handed Melanie the bottle, and packed up his stuff, before heading for the door. "Oh, and Mel, get rid of the gun. You know you're safe here." He shook his head, and sighed as he walked out the door, hoping to get back to his books.

Molodi was whimpering and whining, before looking up at Mel. "...If you're feelign guilty, don't... But you aren't, huh?"

Quin rushed into the room. "Hey! I foun-- Oh... You've already done it."

"I don't know what I feel, Molodi. But I'll take care of you, don't worry about it." Melanie looked at the bottle of pills and sighed. She felt again that nagging sense of purpose, but she couldn't figure out just what it was that she was supposed to be doing.

Molodi tried to sit up from the bar, but lied back down and whimpered. "Ow... Fuck... Ow..." She looked at Melanie pathetically "Melly..." She blushed at how tiny her voice was "...I need you to help me get up and to my room."

Quin rubbed the back of his head. "...Can I help?"

Melanie looked him up and down. "You any good at lifting?"

Quin nodded, and walked over. "Sure, I suppose I could... Just, uh... Tell me how to lift her... Don't wanna hurt her anymore than I already have."

Molodi smiled a sincere smile, probably the first one she had in a while "...Thanks for the help, you two..."

"I'd say cradle her, laying her on her unhurt shoulder. . . "

Quin nodded, and lifted her up, his arms beneath her chest and legs. "Well, there we go! Upstairs, here we come." He walked slowly to the bedrooms, whistling to himself as he kept biting on his pipe.

Molodi sighed. "This makes me feel like a little girl... Heh... Say, Mel... Can you grab my record player? I'd like to listen to some music, with you." She smiled at her, genuinely feeling cared about.

When the blue light, flashed Kiya saw Hawk reaching toward her. She shot out of the chair and started to quickly back up. Here was her biggest fear staring her in the face: a man wanting her for nothing more than her body.

"Kiya? What's wrong?" Hawk asked her with a confused look on his face. When the light flashed he saw Kiya's face go from happy and grinning to complete and total fright. He reached toward her trying to comfort her but she just backed away faster. He was always scared he might hurt anyone that got close to him. And therefore he was scared that he had said something to offend Kiya. He could never know that what she saw was him coming after her to use her and ultimately hurt her by leaving.

Kiya did not see a look of concern on Hawk's face but a look of pure lust. She bolted toward the corner where she cowered with her arms over her head and her face and body pressed into the rough boards of the wall. Mordor, who had been lying at Kiya's feet while she was seated now curled around her and glared at the room.

When Kiya bolted, Hawk gave up trying to comfort her and thought it best to leave her alone. He looked around the inn to see if anyone had seen Kiya's reaction but it appeared no one had noticed. He glanced over at Kiya and then not seeing Elena anywhere he decided to leave the Inn and go search for her.

Kiya heard the door close and looked around. Because of the blue light it appeared to her as if the men were staring at her with certain thoughts even if they weren't. To keep from seeing them she turned back around and cowered, shaking in the corner.

Mordor sent a thought to her asking if she was okay but she was so upset all she could do was lay a hand on his back.

"Um, I. . . okay." Melanie shrugged and watched the newcomer wander off with Molodi. She sighed and went to fetch the strange music player. She was pretty sure that the things playing music in her country had been more advanced. . . but then she had never actually seen or held one herself, so what did she know? She gingerly picked the thing up and carefully carried it back up the stairs.

Quin layed Molodi down in her bed, and smiled. "Well, I did my duty! Um... Off to do something else! Wonder if there are any single ladies around here... This place just might be different enough for that to work." He walked out into the hall, whistling to himself.

Molodi rolled her eyes at Quin, and smiled as Melanie stepped in. "Thanks, Melanie... I appreciate that. We could continue listening to the record I showed you, if you like..."

Melanie sighed, her eyes lingering on Quin's back. "Why is everyone looking for love? Love is a terrible, bitter thing. Not the sweet ambrosia that so many imagine. . . "

"I know, right? All it does is get you hurt and smacked around. Let's face it, people are selfish and hateful no matter which side you want to fuck with." She looked down at her bullet wound. "Gaaaah..."

Kiyanna had fallen asleep with her arms around Mordor and when she woke up, he stood up and looked around the room. "All clear."

"Alright." She looked around. "Where did Elena go?"

"She left."

Kiya stood up and walked with Mordor out the door and up the street in search of Elena.

Sighing as she returned from the school, Kasei-La was dejected. "...No one is even there... I really am the only kid around here." Sighing, she kicked up some dirt with her heel, and noticed Taban still where he was. "You're STILL up there? Alright, I guess I can't tell you not to be."

Nabat jumped down from the roof, grinning viciously at the child, her fangs displayed. "Still up there, still up there!" She mocked, her voice grating and loud. "Who's this? Little Taban's friend? A wittle baby friend for the wittle baby?"

Kasei-La just stared at her blankly for a few moments, before looking behind her to see if this was some sort of prank. "...Are you like, five, or something? Because, uh... Those taunts were... Uh... Well... They were flat. I've seriously heard better from Hal, and I've had suspicions he's functionally retarded..."

Nabat just shrugged, stretching her arms in front of her and cracking her knuckles. "What, you gotta problem with it, toddler? You wanna fight about it? Because I ain't been out in a really long time and boy, am I ACHING to fight."

"Again, you're needlessly insulting how old I am when a lot of other things would make me upset a lot more easily?" She sighed, and shrugged. "Anyways, I'm Kasei-La. Who are you? I'm assuming by the hairy legs you're either those femi-nissers that Hal talks about in his sleep, or you're one of Wesa's people." She really didn't seem to care she was being threatened at all.

Nabat growled a bit in frustration and started pacing. She couldn't seem to upset this girl at all! How infuriating! How rude! "Wesa? Haha! That nansy-pansy Queen of the sky? Now, Asew, there's a real man, a real leader. Dark as the night and twice as brutal."

Kasei-La shrugged. "Sounds like he's interesting. But you still haven't answered my question about who you are... Wait a minute... Asew? Wesa? ...Oh, Lord. Please, please, please don't tell me he's some kind of sissy doppelganger with a goatee or something..."

"A goat-ee? What's that? Tell me, huh? Tell me now!" Nabat stomped her foot and flicked her wrists, pulling her double grass-blade daggers from her arms. "Not fair, you knowing things and me not! Not fair at all, not right! Tell me!"

"Alright, alright! It's something humans get on their face... Like fur, only on their chins and stuff. Some women get it too, but it's not as cool. There was this one guy, Number Eight... He had one! He was cooool! Hal doesn't like me thinking he was cool, but he WAS! ...Sorry. But hey, do you wanna be friends? I mean, if you're new, you must be lonely, and no one should have to be lonely. I don't mind if you get angry easy, or anything. I can take noogies and that kinda stuff... Just don't try to slice me with those thingers, alright?"