Rude Awakening

[Dolvgoc]

Dolvgoc woke up slowly, blinking in the harsh light of the morning. He glanced around the dirty alley he was in. He could have sworn that he heard a voice, yet no one was there.

"Oi, half-beast! I'm behind you."

Dolvgoc craned his neck backwards, and looked up into the eyes of a very angry man. Without bothering to get up, the Fur-Kin yawned and spoke.

"Good morning. What can I do for you?"

Those words, while friendly in tone, seemed only to enrage the man more.

"What can you do for me? Well for starters you can pay me ten gold for trespassing on my property and then take your flea ridden hide away from here!"

Dolvgoc looked around in confusion before spotting the door in the side of the wall.

"Shit"

"How about five instead? I'll give you the gold, and then leave."

Dolvgoc went to stand up, but the man placed his foot on his chest, pinning the Fur-Kin to the ground.

"You're not going anywhere until you pay me the full ten pieces, you mangy piece of fur."

Dolvgoc's green eyes flashed with anger. He shoved the man's leg aside and clambered to his feet. As the blanket fell away and Dolvgoc rose to his full height, the man shrank backwards. Dolvgoc wasn't just a bum. He was wearing chainmail covered by the pelt of an elk and carried a mace and bow. Clearly, he wasn't one to be trifled with over a simple bit of trespassing.

The tall Fur-Kin looked down on the man, glaring.

"I'm leaving now. You'd best stay here."

As the man mutely nodded, Dolvgoc rolled up his blanket and walked off, trailed by his dog.

[Rayleigh]

Radasanth was not her favorite place in Althanas. In truth, it was not her second or third favorite either. Yet she still found some excitement in the fast-pace of the large city, and the maze of streets that criss-crossed it. Besides, it was like Rayleigh to find at least one good thing about every place she visited. She was a nomad at heart, and without a family and business to keep her tethered, she aspired to see as much of Althanas as possible. Her room in the Tarot's House of Cards was vacant more often than it was occupied. There were perks, she supposed, to having a best friend who could teleport you anywhere with a flashy snap of his fingers.

This morning, the location had been Radasanth. It was meant to be a quick trip, in and out, to retrieve some information from a broker. Vincent was on the trail of a magical ring, and though it existed only in rumors (as far as she knew), he was hopeful. When he had mentioned visiting the city, she had offered, eager to escape the confines of the underground bunker. A moment and flash of blue light later, she was emerging from a dark alley. This one, fortunately, was empty. Some were not, and when she "poofed" in, she created quite the commotion. If the destination was less than accepting of magic-folk, she was likely to just "poof" right back out again.

But Corone, and by extension, Radasanth, took all sorts. She was fortunate for that, as she adjusted her blouse and slipped into the river of people. It carried her along like the current, never allowing her to pause in one place for too long. People bumped gently, with occasional mumbles of apology. One man, however, walked into her with enough force to send her teetering.

"Gods," the girl barked as she fought to right herself. She drew in deep breath, and whirled on the stranger who had barreled into her, but his expression stopped her cold.

He looked as if he had seen a ghost, and his skin was pale enough that he might himself be mistaken for one.

"Are you alright?" the mechanic asked.

In response, his lips moved soundlessly, as if he were struggling to muster up any sound at all. Then, finally, he found his voice. "A monster," he stated.

Rayleigh's jade eyes widened, excitement lighting her freckled cheeks. "Where?" she demanded. When the man pointed a single, shaking finger, she scampered off in the direction the supposed monster had just gone. All thoughts of rumors, magic rings, and information brokers were forgotten.

[Dolvgoc]

Dolvgoc walked quickly, scowling at the man's treatment of him. What gave him the right to treat others so poorly? However, the scowl quickly became a slight grin. Off course the man had been angry. He discovered an overgrown fur rug sleeping on his doorstep. People didn't take to kindly vagrants. And the expression on his face was amazing to see when he saw how much he underestimated Dolvgoc.

Dolvgoc stopped walking and turned toward his dog.

"You could have helped back there. How about a warning next time?"

The dog simply wagged its tail and barked.

"A place where I can sleep undisturbed is one where you can sleep undisturbed. Remember that."

With that, Dolvgoc continued onward before nearly careening into a young woman.

"Sorry about that. I should look where I'm going more."

[Rayleigh]

For the second time in just as many minutes, the small girl felt another figure run into her. This time, however, she was sent sprawling. Her palms skidded across the rough ground as she attempted to cushion her fall, but her rear end still took the brunt of it. Groaning, she shook her head, dazed by the impact. "Really?" Rayleigh muttered, "again?" But as she gazed up at her assailant (way, way up at him), all color drained from her face. "Oh," she managed after a moment. "Hi."

She scrambled now to right herself, climbing to her feet. Her first instinct was to take hurried steps backward, but even her panicked mind recognized how insulting that would be. The stranger was polite enough, having apologized for the collision. He also had a dog, she noted upon further inspection, and what monster would wander around with his pet dog?

Monster. The thought came to her only then, and she remembered the words of the first man to run into her. It had to be the monster he spoke of.

"No," she assured him, shaking her head in violent negation. "You're fine. I wasn't paying attention either."

[Dolvgoc]

Dolvgoc swore mentally. He had to be careful when walking. Most of the people he came in contact with were a lot smaller than him, and it was easy to send them tumbling if he wasn't looking. He held out a clawed hand and smiled widely. He quickly closed his mouth, hiding his sharp teeth. He didn't need to look anymore fearsome than he already did.

"My name is Dolvgoc Rathor, but please, call me Rathor."

The dog following Dolvgoc decided to take an interest in the girl, bounding forward and placing his front paws on the girl's shoulders. Dolvgoc gave an exasperated sigh and snapped his fingers.

"Azval! Down!"

The dog panted as if he was pouting and dropped to the ground. Dolvgoc gave an apologetic shrug.

"Sorry about that. He gets excited around new people."

[Rayleigh]

The brunette pressed her palm to his, and the small noise she made was caught somewhere between a laugh and a gasp when she realized the significant size difference. His clawed hand was massive, while hers was small even by human standards. He was enormous, but he had given no indication of being dangerous. As such, she would remain as civil as possible. She knew how it felt to be an outcast, and she would be wrong to make the individual feel at all uncomfortable simply due to his outward appearance.

"My name is Rayleigh," she told him, "but you're welcome to call me Ray. Most do." She smiled up at him, and looked as though she meant to say something else. But a great form suddenly rose before her, a weight pressing down on her shoulders. A very hairy, very slobbery weight.

"Why, hello there," she cooed, her fingers immediately weaving themselves into the dog's fur. She barely stifled her disappointed huff when the dog was ordered back to the ground. "Azval, huh?" she asked him. Then, glancing back to Rathor, she said, "No need to apologize. I love dogs."