Howling at Midnight Moon

[Alison Yates]

Alison was determined to go through with it. Neil had to know tonight so he could understand at least a little bit of what he will be dealing with if he chose to date her. There would always be a part of her that was secret from him, but when it came to disfiguring scars, not everyone was ok with that.

Still wearing her short skirt and blouse from earlier Alison walked up the stairs leading to her apartment. She glanced back at Neil and spoke as she unlocked the front door. Holding the door open she spoke.

"My roommate Kari should be gone tonight. She's been busy lately with some stuff, so we'll have the place to ourselves."

The first thing that is noticed about the apartment is that it is clean and neat. There is a couch, several matching chairs, and a coffee table immediately visible. The apartment is decorated with wildlife scenes, wolves, USMC memorabilia, and various photos.

The photos look to be mostly of Alison and friends doing active things like climbing or sitting on their motorcycles. There is even a couple of pictures of Alison in some of her military uniforms, and a picture with her unit at a dog kennel with each of people in the picture posing with a working dog.

"Go ahead, have a seat. Did you want something to drink? I've got pop, bottled water, whisky, and I think some vodka."

[Nightfall]

Surprisingly, he's not looking up her skirt when she turns to look at him on the stairs. Just looking around, taking things in; perhaps glad they'd come here instead of his spartan apartment above Glissade, furnished with second-hand items one step above milk-crate furniture.

He nods at the comment, and enters, taking a few minutes to look around. Fingers touch everything: furninture, walls, pictures, and he looks a few times between the pictures of Alison in uniform and her now. To some, it might seem an act of disbelief or surprise -- it's not. Instead, Winter's Fairest compares then and now, telltale lines, or a cast of the mouth, or deepness of a gaze.

When she spoke, he sat, hoping he hadn't been nosy. Maybe she was just looking for a quickie with a pretty face and didn't want him 'up in her business'.

"Vodka? That'd be great -- I practically grew up on it," he answered with a smile. He still had a light buzz from the shot he'd done with Barkley and subsequent drink -- it'd be nice to maintain.

Question

Was James in any of the photos?

[banner]nf[/banner]

[Alison Yates]

Alison smiled as she noticed Neil checking out the place and her pictures. She left him to nose around while she headed to the kitchen. After a few minutes she came back with two identical drinks.

"Here ya go," she said while handing one glass to Neil and then took a seat on the couch beside him. After taking a sip of her drink she turned toward him.

"If you couldn't already tell I love pictures and natural settings. I can't believe I forgot my camera for the jump. Guess I was too busy trying to be responsible. Your friend, she looked a little shaken up, she's going to be alright isn't she?"

She paused for a moment before continuing, "This is going to seem rather silly asking this now, but you're not seeing anyone are you?"

Answer

Nope James wasn't in any of the photos

[Nightfall]

"Oh, I took pictures," Nightfall replies, pulling his phone out. He fiddles a bit to bring up the camera's gallery and passes it over. Taking a drink, he considers the question about Asia.

"I'm not sure what's up with Asia," he finally answered truthfully. "I get the feeling... she's... a planner, she likes things planned out." Anal retentive as all fuck is what he wanted to say, but that just sounded dirty. At least she didn't ask about the Prince fleeing the Soldiers.

Then comes The Question. The one they all eventually ask -- the one that you can't ever lie about, because that pause before you answer screams 'LIAR'. He paused. He really wasn't sure what he was doing with Myah, or if you could count hooking up every few months 'seeing' someone. And, sure, there were plenty of students that got extra flexibility training, but, again, what was that? Really?

Which didn't even go into why someone who threw themselves off of tall things was all that curious about commitment. Unless she was just asking him if he was clean. Which might be even worse, because she might use it as a segue into telling him she had herpes or something.

He sloshed the few drops of alcohol around in his glass, wondering when it'd gotten empty.

There'd been a pause, hadn't there?

"There's a dancer from Ballo Della Notte I see a couple of times a year," Nightfall said. He added a shrug to indicate it wasn't serious. Despite the magnificent throwing knives she'd given him, and the wonderful way they connected, he didn't think it was. Besides, she didn't really expect him to be some sort of abstinence poster boy, did she?

"And you? Anyone special?"

[Alison Yates]

Alison took the device and smiled as she looked at the pictures, remembering their day together. When she was done she set down the phone in front of him on the coffee table.

Then she noticed how fast he went through his drink, Alison wondered if she had made him uncomfortable. Which, was a little odd since it wasn't an unusual question. Maybe he thought she was getting too serious.

'Me? There was someone, but...something came up and things didn't work out," she placed her free hand on his knee as she looked at him.

"I don't want you to get the wrong impression of me, but Kari, my roommate, and me were involved for a very short time. I only mention it cause I don't want it to come as a surprise later if you two meet and things get awkward."

She quickly added reassuringly, "we've both moved on so it shouldn't."

"Now I don't want you to think I'm demanding any type of commitment or that you stop seeing anyone. I just wanted to know what I was getting into so there isn't any surprises later. We'll just have to play things by ear and see where they go. You know, enjoy the ride," she said with a grin as she took a long drink and rubbed his knee affectionately.

[Nightfall]

The eyebrows go up... and keep going up as Alison speaks. Since it'd been half a century sine any guys were named Carey, that meant...

...another pause, except with more pleasant musings.

"Fair enough," he affirmed, taking her hand and pulling her close. There were those hands again.

"So," kiss, "James wasn't anyone I should be jealous of, or worry about what happened?"

[Alison Yates]

She chuckled at Neil's surprise to her admission concerning Kari. Bet its cause Kari is another woman. Men...how typical.

Letting Neil pull her close Alison enjoyed his touch and then the kiss. Then she burst into laughing as he asked her about James. "Jealous of James? Oh god no. I'm more worried about me there. I'm pretty sure he likes me and I am so not interested that way in him. He is a good guy at heart, but he tries too hard, and doesn't make the best decisions. I kind of look out for him like an older sister when I can. But, enough about James..."

Alison moved in for another long kiss and when she was finished pulled back to speak, "Before things go further one last thing. I've got some scars from accidents and they are pretty prominent. Along my spine from my lower back to my collarbone and between my breasts."

[Nightfall]

Nightfall nodded and enjoyed the kiss, and warm weight of her, letting his hands wander under the hem of her skirt again... and then she was talking again.

"Scars?"

He had scars.

He could still trace some of them, hazy, half-remembered pain in dreams. Fingers touching smooth skin in the waking hours, nothing to show for what his dreams told him had happened. He didn't question why they weren't there; he knew. She didn't like anything marring her perfect performer. A scar meant that he'd made a mistake, and perfection made no mistakes. Whether they came from the arena, or a 'lesson', they were gone the next time he was displayed.

They were still there, though.

"From... the military?"

He wondered if she'd been shot, or burned.

[Alison Yates]

Alison shook her head no at the question. "Car accident. I got cut up by a broken glass after being thrown."

The funny thing is I was cut by glass, only it wasn't a car accident, but a Glass spirit claimed. So it's not a lie exactly, she thought to herself.

She removed her shirt while looking at Neil to see if there would be any objections. After she had unbuttoned the shirt she pulled it off and sat there on the couch in her bra and her skirt. There was and old ten inch scar across her sternum. On her back there were two scars running parallel to her spine, starting at her lower back and running strait up all the way to her collarbone. They looked like they had cut into her flesh and healed over.

She paused for a bit to see if there would be an immediate objections or rejections and then after letting him get a good look moved in to kiss him if he would let her. She had hoped there wouldn't be any further complications, but that wasn't up to her at this point.

[Nightfall]

"Wow," Nightfall said softly, tracing the hard, white scar tissue with a long finger. Something inside of him whispered for a moment, wondering, if that's what it would take to get the Will 'o the Wisp inside of him out.

The finger continued downward to the smooth skin of her abdomen, then circled around to find the zipper. He smiled and leaned forward to kiss the ridged line of the scar to let her know he didn't mind.

Strangely...

...it was nice to see something that wasn't perfect.