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It was nightfall. Heavy clouds hung just above the city. Most people had already escaped under a roof, however Alaura found herself in the open of an empty street. Quickly, the girl ran trough the backroads looking for anywhere to stay. Light rain fell as Alaura ran faster. A crack of lightening could be spotted in the distance and a boom of thunder roared. 'Common.. Common... There has to be somewhere.' Alaura thought as she started to panic. Losing her footing, the girl hit her knee on the stone road. She let out a small yelp before forcing herself to continue on. 'There!' The young girl saw a sign on her left "Gray's Tavern". As fast as she could, Alaura limped her way over and entered into the unfamiliar building.

Aluara was uneasy when she saw the inside. The haunting feel of it brought a chill down her back. The worn wooden floor sat beneath beaten tables and chairs. Burning candles were held by iron hoops that were sticking from the stone walls. Dark characters sat menicingly around the tavern, some looking at her as she entered. One thing that made her feel the most uncomfortable was that everything was dark, with only the dancing fire of the candles for light.

Nerously, Alaura headed over to the bar. She had wrapped her arms around herself when she causiously sat on a stool. The man behind the bar looked at her emotionlessly.
"Whadda want?" He asked, nodding his head back.
"Some Hot Chocolate."
"Hmm..Hot Chocolate. Coming right up then." The man turned his back on her and pulled out a glass. He heated some water as he commented, "So, whadda ya doin' here?"
Alaura shook herself from her gaze, "Oh uh, just trying to keep out of the rain." Her blue eyes curiously wondered over to the rest of the room. Most of the people had forgotten she had entered and continued their activities. Though the odd one kept their eyes set on her which made Alaura even more uneasy.
"The storms get pretty bad this tima night. Funny you found this place." The man said, as he turned with the hot chocolate in hand. He placed the mug before the girl and added, "And don't worry 'bout those mates. They an't whacha hafta worry 'bout."
Alaura nodded and grabbed the hot chocolate. "If you say so."

Alaura gripped the mug tensly as the two talked. The young girl tried not to wince when she was mentioned. 'Hopefully at least till morning...' She thought, stiffly turning the cup in her hands. As suddle as she could, Al tried to get a glimps of the lady. From what she could tell, her hair was a deep blue. Afraid to get caught staring, Alaura brought her eyes back in front of her, to her steaming mug. Carefully, she picked it up and took a small sip. Trying to look calmer than she was, the girl slowly lowered the mug back onto the wooden table and smirked. Causually looking at other members in the bar.

Before finishing the drink, Alaura arose from the chair. The bartender looked to her with interest.
"So.. Whadda ya planned?" His dead grey eyes squinting at her.
Alaura froze for a moment before looking over her shoulder, "I'm gonna go... see something."
The man stared hard at her before warning, "Careful what ya see. Somethin's you'll regret."
Alaura turned turned her head to face the doorway, "We'll see." she replied coldly.

The teen marched foward, out into the brick street. When she did, she found that it had stopped rainning and the clouds had pulled back. All that was left were small puddles laying inbetween the cracks of the road and a damp smell. Alaura stood there in wonder for a moment before snapping herself out of it and passing to her left. Travelling to the side of the buliding where a small stable sat, Alaura pondered what she would find. And more than that, what it would result in. S
She stopped at the door way, and looked before her to three boys stood around. All under the age of 13. They seemed to giggle and whisper to one another, making a few guesters here and there. But then one made a false move and bumped into the hay bail hidding themselves. The others automatically turned and ran. The third just stood there in shock, like a deer caught in headlights. He tried to mutter something out, but nothing came. Only small twitches of his bottum lip.

"Well, I do love hiding behind covers." Alaura replied, jokingly, "But old men with shot guns are just as well." Her hands grabbed onto the lady's waist as she nervously got ready for the ride. She wasn't quite sure where this place was, but it had to be somewhere worth going in the middle of the night. "By the way, I'm Alaura, or Al." Her gaze stayed to ground beside the horse.

Alaura remained silent as she still graspedto the horse's hair. Her eyes poised into the unknown. Unlike her character would reveal, Alaura was excited. Not nervous excited, but genuinely excited. What lay in her way was a mystery that she ached to solve. Her fists had turned white from holding on and her arms had locked. Her light pink hair was in tangles and her face rosey. But as she looked on, a darkness forming in the distance became apparent.

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Many leagues ahead, darkness began to collect into a ball of black. Slowly, a head formed, next arms and a torso. A tail came after, as well as two pairs of wings. Alaura first thought of it as a large man in a halloween costume, with his demonic wings and the lowerbody of a merman. But once they got closer, they thing that had been created was far from a human.

"Akyaaaa" The monster howled, his head tilted straight upward. Alaura let go of the main to cover her ears. However, when she did, she lost a hold on the horse and fell onto the deep grass. Rolling for a few moments, Alaura sprawled herself out in an attempt to stop. Once the girl had managed to stop, she was a small distance from the creature. Quickly, Alaura jumped to her feet and grasped onto her blades. With a swish, she pulled them out and prepared for an attack. All the while trying to look out of the corner of her eye to see where Suigintou had gone.