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A whole host of different sensations clambered for the frei’s attention as she entered the shop... Musty animal smells; pee, food, fur, soiled cages all wrestled to dominate her delicate nose. A multitude of noises were present too; the clink of claws against cage bars, squawks, squeaks, yaps, yowls, the chatter of advising store attendants and the most demanding of all was the sights. Everywhere there were critters and creatures. Vibrant parrots in large cages, tiny mice skittering around in their cages, doleful eyes rabbits placidly lounging in hutches, a rainbow of fish in miniature shoals filled a wall with their tanks. It wasn’t really much of surprise that it took several prompts and a poke to draw her attention off of her surrounding and onto the bemused store clerk.

“Hello ma’am, can I help?”

The raevan started, floating back an inch or two as he gently nudged her. However, she quickly regained her composure and gestured to the assortment of dog foods that were displayed next to a family of guinea pigs who were gathering at the edge of their home almost as if they were observing the strange new customer. “I need some new food.” She stated, gently tapping a tin of wet food with a painted finger. “My dog has grown up somewhat and Ethan says he cannot have puppy food anymore so he sent me to get some new food... But which is suitable?” She inquired, trailing her hand over the wet food and onto the big bags of dry food. All of them had labels telling her that they were nutritious and voted #1 in some poll or another – but identical claims meant she had no honest idea which would be best for Thorn...

“Well ma’am... It wholly depends on your dog’s breed. Small dogs would most likely benefit from this brand of wet – it’s especially good for their coats, whilst bigger dogs like Labradors generally get on better with this dry food here.” He explained, pointing out each type as he did so.

Vyn nodded, before reaching out and picking up a can of the wet food he’d said was good for smaller dogs. Thorn was a pug and they were certainly much smaller than Labradors and having a nice glossy coat would definitely be a bonus. “I’ll have this then please...” She intoned, feeling inwardly pleased at how easy the task had been. Normally she was left blundering around in social inadequacy but all it had taken was a little bit of question asking. Ethan would be impressed.

“Are you sure that’s enough?” Queried the man, cocking a brow in slight amusement; a single can of dog food wouldn’t last long at all. But then again – the customer was always right... Perhaps he shouldn’t question her.

Looking from man to can to shelf, Vyn paused. Another tin wouldn’t be a bad idea and she felt a smug feeling creeping into her chest as a realisation dawned on her. Ethan would be impressed if she could say she’d planned ahead, even if it was only due to the man’s prompting. Thus she took another can with a slight flourish and thanked the shop assistant – naive to the fact two cans was barely enough for a few days at most... The store worker held his tongue as he led her past the mewing kittens to the cash desk. The strange floating girl would surely learn and he’d probably see her soon when her puppy was left with an empty food bowl.

Parting with her money Vyn exited the shop rather proud. However, whilst floating down the high street she found herself squinting and shading her eyes awkwardly. It had been slightly cloudy when she’d left the penthouse to do her errand, but now the autumnal winds seemed to have cleared the sky and the sun was surprisingly bright for an October day. Her dark seclera’d eyes were much better suited to darkness and she quickly found a migraine rising in her temples because of this dazzling light.

She glanced around, searching for some sort of escape from the irritating glare of the sun. However all the trees that were placed decoratively down the centre of the high street were losing their leaves in burst of fiery hues and thus the shade they would deliver were broken and none of the buildings provided more than a sliver of shadow because of where the sun was positioned. Taking a trip into another shop would relieve the glare for a short time, but there was no guarantee that the sun would dim before she grew restless in the shop. Therefore she drifted onwards, pain in her head rising as her delicate retinas took the strain.

Finally it got to the point where her head felt as though some fire was running riot within the domed cavity... A stifled moan oozed from her petite lips and she gave her surroundings a final check for shade before she resigned herself to a recuperating break in the stores. However, rather than having no luck the shadowy girl found a refuge of sorts. Between two big name stores was a small alleyway. It was certainly shady due to it being cramped between the megalith buildings and if she cut down the narrow gap, not only would she receive some blessed shelter from the light but she could also cut out a section of her journey. It was a win-win situation.

Summoning up all the speed she could Vyn swooped to her sanctuary, pausing briefly to sniff with disdain. It wasn’t the nicest smelling or looking bolt-hole: trash, thrown out from the shops littered the path, cigarette butts were in abundance too, plus there was the definite scent of urine. Vyn was almost glad that she could float above the ground and avoid any nastiness that was underfoot. However, the promise of a relief to her headache urged her on and she moved into the murkier depths of the alley, the bag containing the dog food clinking gently as she moved.

Surprisingly the shaded path was longer than the raevan first expected and after about a minute the chill bite of the shade was starting to get to her. A light shiver racked her body as she swerved around a large mound of rubbish. However, what was to greet her instantly took her mind off being cold. A man and a woman. At first she had this nasty gut feeling that she’d interrupted something dirty or intimate, he was pressing her up against a wall and only a small portion of her floral dress was visible... But after a few shocked moments of inspection more details registered in the girl’s mind. Firstly, the man was wearing a mask. A knitted black balaclava with holes for his mouth and eyes, all his other features were hidden. Secondly the woman was old, lines of age withered her frightened expression and her ruffled hair was a dirty white. Lastly, the man had a knife.

The clatter of dog food tins hitting the floor rang out in the enclosed space. If he hadn't noticed her already, he certainly knew she was there now.

“Huh?”

Both pairs of eyes fixed on the floating girl and her rune’s light pulse sped up alongside the beat of her half-formed heart. This was certainly a dangerous situation. Vyn had seen these kind of stories on the news and they normally didn’t end well – especially when a knife was involved. That was all she could focus on right now. That glinting blade clasped in the gloved hands. A slightly convulsion ran through her as he spoke.

“What do you want chick?” He pointed to her with his knife hand, flicking the blade dangerously and causing both the old lady and Vyn to flinch.

“Let her go...” She mouthed, he voice barely audible. Though as soon as she’d said it she instantly regretted it. The guy’s grip on the weapon changed and his spare hand moved from its tight grip on the lady’s arm to wrenching her hair backwards and forcing her neck to be exposed.

“Why should I do that you little b***h?”

Vyn’s headache had dulled slightly since entering, but this new stress made the head splitting pain flare up again. Why had she even said that?! Perhaps it was the sheer helplessness of the old woman. She couldn’t even begin to defend herself... Then again, Vyn couldn’t defend her either and now both of them were in danger and it appeared as though the man would go as far as killing the lady if she did something wrong... He had to be crazy! Although, what were the chances of another person walking in on the situation? He could do whatever he wanted to the pair and probably get away with it.

“Hey chick... Quit staring like that...” He grunted with unease, twitching the knife at her again.

Huh? What it possible that she was making him nervous? Vyn had that effect on some people out and around town; they saw her and shrunk away, muttering about her creepy eyes and clothing. Normally it pained her knowing that people could be like that. Could this tough guy honestly be the same as them? As much as she disliked being feared in this situation it could work very much to her advantage. “I said quit it!” He growled, lurching forward and leaving the old girl to stagger back against the wall in shock. Vyn’s rune flared with panic and the urge to snap her arms up to shield herself fell upon her. She wanted the man away from her but as much as she wanted to flinch and close her eyes, she didn’t and instead she kept staring at him.

In the pit of her existence she felt the almost familiar stirring of what could be described as magic. It was similar to what it had been like at the concert and when she’d been mourning Gage, but much more mild; like it needed prompting before anything actually lurched into action. Perhaps her powers had learned from previous experiences that it wasn’t wise to jump head-first to ‘saving’ their host. However, this time Vyn was only too willing to allow them to form protection.

“Keep away.” She hissed, amber eyes almost glowing in the shade of the alley. Inside her the feeling was swelling as the ethereal workings of her rune began to affect the surroundings. At first it was just as though the shade had thickened slightly, but swiftly and surely the shadows swayed and moved in reaction to her command. No dark fronds actually lifted into existence but what was happening was certainly enough to deter the mugger. “What the ********>” He exclaimed, staggering backwards past his original victim.

Gloom congealed at his feet, an ominous shadowy mass. Vyn’s whole attention was locked on sustaining it. Now that she was urging her powers on it was so much harder. On previous occasions instincts had been the driving force - everything had come without any thought processes. Now a bead of cold sweat rolled down her forehead as she willed the barbed tendrils that had been summoned in the past into existence: unfortunately nothing as grand as her past experiences cumulated from her efforts, but a finger of darkness did rise up from the mass and took a swipe at the thug’s ankle.

“s**t man. s**t.” Cussed the guy, staggering back again and finally breaking into a run away from the raevan and old woman. Vyn sighed as his fleeing backside darted out of sight, suddenly she felt drained and the shadowy mass gave a last convulsion before collapsing back into an ordinary state, fleeing back to areas of shade. She felt accomplished despite this exhaustion. Not only had she scared the guy off and helped the poor older woman but she had also kept some sort of control over her powers. She was so pleased that a shaky smile rose on her lips and she grinned at the woman she had helped.

The tiny sobs of panic that had been consuming the lady since the man had wrenched her head back appeared to have receded to a few hiccups. Slowly she raised her head so that Vyn could see past the heavily permed white hair and into the watery blue eyes. The raevan had become more accustomed to older humans after living with Ethan for a while, both because of his older age and more frequent outings; the folds in their skin no longer sent shudders of disgust through her and she could stomach the withered hands. Thus, when the old dear squinted across the shady alley and extended her hand for support Vyn drifted over – putting aside her qualms about physical contact to aid the woman.

“M’dear...” Her voice seemed to be choked up and Vyn rather awkwardly patted her on the back in an attempt to comfort her. “You saved me,” she cooed, chalky cheeks drawing upwards as a smile of admiration lit up her face. “How can I thank you?”

Lost for words Vyn’s mouth was in a small o for a few seconds before she hastily shut it. She didn’t want any reward. She hadn’t jumped in for any material gain... Plus, accepting anything off of the frail old lady felt morally wrong; after all, she could get just about anything she wanted off of Ethan, whilst this old lady definitely wasn’t in such a position. “Nothing.. It’s fine. I’m pleased you’re ok..” Vyn responded carefully, offering her hand so that the woman would have something to lean on as she exited the alley. Slowly and surely Vyn helped the woman towards the end of the passage; the damp floor and trash made it dangerous underfoot for the lady who’s balance seemed so frail.

When the bizarre pair reached the street there was a silence between them, neither quite knowing what to do next... Normal people would've gone to the police, reported the incident - but both the raevan and the dear knew that mugger would not be a repeat offender. Vyn had shaken him enough to ensure that...

“Well, I best be on my way...”

“Yes... Take care.”

“You too.”

Thin lips brushed the rose’s pale cheek before the woman turned and left, hobbling down the street and fading into the crowd...

Vyn felt odd. Elated almost... So peculiar was the sensation that it took her a few good minutes to realise that something was in her hand; a perfectly round white peppermint, cellophane wrapper neatly placed in her palm. A perplexed frown twitched her brow... How? The lady? She glanced up to where she’d last seen the woman but she was long gone. Yes. She must’ve slipped it into Vyn’s hand without her noticing, the smallest token of her thanks.

Vyn smiled.

The buzz of the intercom and the voice of the tower’s cleaner announcing a pair of balloons had been left at reception only slightly perked the raevan’s interest. She was floating at the large gallery window at the front of the flat, a headphone dangling from one ear casually. She was quite content; over the past few weeks since getting her resolution at the graveyard she had been in a surprisingly good mood and both she and Ethan were much better for it. Often now smiles were passed between the pair and some semblance of a normal parent and child relationship could be seen without feeling forced. One of these warming family exchanges occurred as the boyant spheres were placed next to the frei by Ethan. “They’re for you.”

“Hmm?” Vyn turned her head inquisitively; glancing between her father and the curious objects he was presenting to her. She took in the pleasant curve of his lips and ran a slender finger over the taught red surface, tracing the ‘p’ scrawled on it. “Who left them?”

Ethan shrugged the bemused smile still on his face. “I don’t know, when the cleaner brought them up and I asked him. He said that whoever dropped them up didn’t stay to leave a message – he just saw them getting back into their car.” Vyn frowned slightly at this. If that was all the cleaner had seen then how did he first know that the balloons needed to be delivered to the penthouse – there were plenty of other floors – and secondly that the balloons were intended for her. Ethan quickly answered her unspoken questions. “He said the girl was missing anything from the bust down and seemed to have cat ears.”

Dark eyes lit up as this information was registered by the rose. Lucia! Her fashionable friend had dropped off the balloons and suddenly the simple instructions written on the vibrant surfaces were urging her to obey so that she could get her message from the cat-girl. It had been a while since they had met but they had swapped the occasional text, but Vyn was thoroughly looking forward to their next meeting – at which Lucia had stated that they would mod some clothes, something that Vyn was excited to do; especially since her wardrobe had started to get more padded out. Ethan sensed this enthusiasm and with a grin trundled off to do his own thing, allowing his ward to enjoy her surprise message in private.

However, before she could read whatever was inside the frei first had to actually pop the balloons and without any sharp objects to hand she had to use her nails... Wincing she pinched the surface of the first balloon with one finger and thumb and held it steady with her spare hand. With one swift movement she twisted the plastic and yanked. The pinch and pull tore the thin material and the balloon exploded with a loud bang.

Thorn, who had been sitting content on the sofa, leapt into action at this sudden noise and let of a rally of yaps – running to his mistress’ aid, hackles firmly up.

Chuckling Vyn patted his squashed head, amused that the pug thought that she was in danger. It was sweet really and she reassured him with soft words as she extracted the paper slip from the corpse of the balloon. “It’s ok Thorn, I meant to pop it and make that nasty noise.” She paused as she read the note, brows knotting in confusion temporarily before she beamed and moved the note in front of the dog’s ugly-cute bug eyes. “It’s from Melisande. Do you remember her? She has your brother.” She cooed, planting a soft peck on his wrinkled brow to which Thorn responded to by affectionately licking her cheek.

Pleased she placed the pleasantly written message to the side and picked up the second balloon. Now that Thorn was with her she felt it would be really cruel to scare him again and thus, with a little extra effort she untied the knot in the balloon’s neck and let out the air less violently. When that was done she retrieved her second message which was most definitely from her catty companion. It wasn’t written in the same charming limerick that Meli’s had been, but the note still left a smile on her face. She was glad she hadn’t been forgotten and that the offer to do the fashion editing they had spoken about still stood strong.

In fact, she was so keen to give a reply to both of the girl’s messages that she got to it straight away, floating at full speed to the telephone, Thorn yapping at her trailing ribbon.

Morning light oozed through the penthouse’s wide windows and sluggishly illuminated the living room. The sharp edges of the modern furniture was strangely softened by the natural light and combined with the gurgling of the fishtanks a strangely peaceful atmosphere enveloped the room. There was a slightly shuffle of movement as Thorn resettled himself by his mistress’ side but otherwise the occupants of the room were fairly still. It had been a tough night for the frei. Throughout the evening her symptoms had worsened, especially the itch that plagued her skin. Ethan had fretted alongside her discomfort, even calling the LAB at one point – only to find the line engaged. Thus, when sleep had finally blessed the rose she had slumped into it gratefully and the trickle of the morning light was certainly not going to lift her out of her rest. Ethan however had a tight schedule to stick to regardless of his sickly ward.

At six o’clock sharp his alarm buzzed to rouse him. Five minutes later he was out of bed and in his en suit; toilet, followed by a brief but thorough shower, then hastily brushing his teeth and if needed he would shave. As it happened today he did require a close shave to remove the encroaching stubble and as he applied his shaving foam he mulled over Vyn’s illness. He still had no clue what nasty condition had struck her... Last night after she’d gone to sleep he’d trawled the internet but hadn’t had any luck. Not that he’d expected much, the self diagnosis websites were geared towards fully functioning humans not floating busts... If she wasn’t any better he would drive her down to the LAB directly. This was a matter that only really Dr Kyou or other members of the LAB team would be able to deal with effectively.

Happy with the conclusion he completed his routine in the bathroom and proceeded to get dressed into one of his usual designer suits; today it was an ash grey blazer and crisp white dress shirt, completed with a matching tie. He inspected himself in the mirror briefly, nodded in approval and exited his bedroom, stomach slightly quivering with nerves as he moved through the penthouse to the room where Vyn slept.

Thorn was the first to react to the older man by raising his black head and opening his mouth in a half yap, half yawn greeting. Vyn was still sleeping when the door opened and Ethan let himself in... He clicked a finger at the dog and obediently Thorn got off the sofa and trotted over to him. Smiling gently Ethan gave the pet a rub between the ears and muttered his thanks. He knew the dog’s company was priceless to Vyn. “I’ll get you some breakfast in a minute, I just need to make sure mummy is ok..” He responded as Thorn pawed his trouser cuff. Almost as if he understood the pug dropped into a sitting position, ugly eyes watching Ethan move over to Vyn.

She was still asleep and Ethan trod carefully as he moved over to her. The last thing he wanted to do was interrupt this peaceful state. However, as he got closer and got a better view of her sleeping expression his brows began to furrow. Something about her features was wrong. Yes, she looked at ease and definitely wasn’t in pain but... Ethan took a step back in horror. Her delicate cheeks were peeling? He remembered her desperate scratching the night before. Had Vyn inadvertently done this to herself as she was desperate to rid herself of the irritation within her skin? Suppressing the revolution he moved in closer again, peering nervously at the raevan. It was undeniable; A thin wafer of flesh was most definitely half removed and tinted with a light blush, however there was no blood, nothing that looked like it was sore or could be causing the girl pain.

“Vyn?” He had to wake her, even if it did mean disturbing her rest. This new development was weird enough to warrant the interruption.

Her eyelids flickered delicately at the sound of his voice and a few moments later they peeled open to reveal orbs of dusty honey surrounded by the usual pitch blackness. “Mmm?” She blinked, gradually adjusting from slumber to waking. “Is it morning?” She queried, sitting up slowly and dislodging the blanket that had been covering her. Only... alongside the blanket other unexpected things fell to the floor. A handful of petals floated serenely through the air. Each was a rich ruby colour and stood out against the clean white carpet. Both Vyn and her guardian were puzzled by them, but it was Ethan who patched together the explanation first. “Petals.”

He moved forward and picked up one of the petals. It was soft to the touch, perfectly smooth with an almost velvety texture. On closer inspection they were not as evenly coloured as he had first thought. They were definitely a poignant red on the edges, but towards the centre they were lighter and on one or two of them there was even the blush of skin tone present... His eyes turned from his handful of rose petals to the living rose in front of him, specifically the peeling flesh on her cheeks... Well, this new stage of her illness was certainly bizarre. He could deal with aching limbs and pain, they were things that were obviously worrying, but was he supposed to be cautious about Vyn producing petals? It didn’t seem to be harming her after all.

Vyn gave an agitated wing flick as Ethan muttered something about the petals and proceeded to examine the petals and her. She didn’t like the fact he wasn’t making sense and she restrained herself from snapping at him for an explanation... Her illness and relatively small amount of sleep was making her grouchy, so she wasn’t exactly in the mood for messing around. The wing flick did make her realise something rather pleasant. No longer did her joints scream with agony; if she were to have done that movement last night it would’ve brought tears to her eyes but now there was just a dull throb. Pleased at this she managed a small smile and was about to announce the good news to Ethan when something fluttered down from her cheek.

One of the peels of skin had been hanging on by just the tiniest smidgen on skin and the movement of her features into a smile had dislodged it. Curiously she caught it, held the sliver of skin between her black nailed fingers and examined it. It was an unevenly round shape and pale white, just like her own skin... Although even as she examined it the colour around its tips was changing, darkening as if red dye was seeping into it. No doubt after some time it would be identical to the other petals that must have fallen on her.

Quizzically she held it out to Ethan, “Where did this come from?” The only response she got was a finger brushing his cheek. Confused, the frei mimicked him running a nail across her own cheek but unlike Ethan’s cheek what she felt was not smooth and even; her nail caught on small strips of skin. Her confused face quickly morphed into repulsion. “What’s happened?” She moaned as her probing dislodged another bizarre petal. Was this a development of the illness that had affected her so painfully last night? Had it developed into some freakish flesh eating disease? Her mind was all of a sudden consumed with images of layer upon layer of her skin peeling away until nothing but a grotesque skeleton was left.

Before she could get too worked up Ethan placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t panic Vyn. All it takes is a quick phone call and we’ll be able to get some solid answers.” The firmness of his grip supported what he said and the rose looked up at him with solid trust.

“Ok..” And then Ethan was off, darting as quickly as his older body could to find a phone and dial someone who could provide the answers to Vyn’s peculiar moulting.

Whilst he was out of the room the rose made herself sturdier, mentally cranking up the willpower to find a reflective surface and examine what was happening to her face. Thorn wined at the base of her ribbon but she brushed him away as she drifted silently to the first makeshift mirror that she could find: the highly polished glass of one of Ethan’s fish tanks. A shoal of tiny fish, barely bigger than rice grains, moved about in agitated flurries as Vyn’s face loomed over them. But the raevan was not paying them any attention... She was absorbed by the traces of her soul on her face. Each petal was perfect in its own right; nothing about them, besides their home suggested that they weren’t from a plant. A cloud of condensation fogged up the glass as her breath lingered there... But it made no difference; Vyn was spellbound, her feelings churned up beyond normal comprehension by the odd development.

One thing was for sure, things were changing and they were changing fast.