Every Breath You Take [M] [DracAttack]

[GoblinFae]

An incessant beeping and red flashing light drew Odetta from their distant thoughts. Long limbs unfurled from their curled and upright position in bed to shut off the alarm and roll out. It was 19:00 but they had already been awake or several hours. Working night shifts on a bustling space station tended to do that to you, not that Odetta really minded. They were indifferent to this current way of life they were living. It was livable, survivable even. Every day and night blended into the next as a dull blur of routine.

Get up. Get ready. Contemplate breakfast. Resolve there's nothing worth eating at home and shuffle outside. Check the locks three times. Pull the hood up higher and weave through the evening's corridor stragglers. Pass the little cafe at the corner of Corridors 3B and 4B and savor the aroma of coffee for a moment. If there's plain cheesecake then go in and quietly buy a pastry. If they do not then trudge onward. Breakfast really wasn't that important anyway.

Check the time. Check the chat if there were minutes to spare. There usually were. Keep a weather eye on the shadows. Don't stay put too long. Keep moving. Keep calm. Check the time and weave into work. Greet the receptionist. Change into work clothes. Grab the cleaning supplies and start scrubbing. Keep out of sight and be left out of mind. Work until break. Skip lunch and take a nap for an hour in the staff locker room.

Back to work. Scrub until quitting. Return the supplies. Change clothes. Wave farewell to the receptionist. Take a different route home. Unbolt the door and slip inside quickly. Check the locks three times. Check them once more for good measure. Check the fridge for food. Determine there might be something vaguely edible and nibble a few bites of it. Crawl into bed and check the chat again. Try to sleep. Wake before the alarm and zone out until it goes off. Rinse. Repeat.

Today the cafe had one last slice of cheesecake left and so they shuffled into line to wait patiently. Their stomach burbled quietly in excitement. Odetta couldn't even remember the last time they had actually actively eaten. It was not something they really wanted to think deeply on. Such thoughts always made it more disheartening.

Their turn came in line at last and without lifting their head, Odetta placed their order. "A slice of cheesecake please," they murmured softly.

"We're all out. Can I get you something else?" the cashier commented, popping his gum in boredom as he waited for the surprised customer to make a decision. Odetta's head snapped up and their eyes darted back and forth across the glass display. Sure enough the cheesecake was gone, having been claimed by someone else ahead of them in line. Everything else was carb heavy and would require effort to chew. They wondered if it was even worth it and nearly retreated when their stomach made it's presence known again. It would be hard to tamp down the hunger again now that it had been given attention.

"Lemon tart, then."
"4.95"

They paid for their food quickly, claiming it before striding out the door. Normally they would have stayed but the change of routine left them feeling flustered and uncomfortable. They could just eat their tart elsewhere. If worst came to worst they could just choke it down at work before their shift began. Odetta checked their watch. There was no time for the chat today. Instead with their head down and hands jammed into their pockets, they they hustled towards their final destination. Traditional caution was out the window with the concern over being late. People tended to remember you if you gave them a reason to and being late to work was a break to routine that would surely bring them unwanted attention.

Odetta's stomach squeezed and growled loudly moments before they smacked headlong into a tall and broad figure. "My apologies!" they cried softly, tensing as the stranger's hands cupped their biceps and tried to steady them. "I didn't see you."

"It was no trouble at all, my Snow White Queen." Ice flooded Odetta's veins as oily knots formed in their stomach. Their chest seized tightly and their hearts pounded a frantic tattoo against their ribs as they lifted their pale gaze to the one villain of all their nightmares. They knew this voice,. There was only one that had ever called them such a thing.

They needed to run. They needed to flee and disappear. Their feet were helpless to move as they were completely trapped in this monster's grip. "Now, now my little love. Not planning on going so soon, were you? We only just reunited! And oh how I have missed you my pet."

Like a shot from a gun, Odetta's adrenaline-fueled instincts finally kicked in. They howled sharply while trying to kick out at their captor. Their fight was short-lived though as they were quickly dragged into an alley. Odetta saw stars as they were slammed forcibly against the metal wall, the breath knocked right out of them as they were held clean off their feet. It was a struggle to breathe but that didn't stop them from trying to claw and kick their way free. Their windpipe was being steadily crushed in the creature's grip to the point that black was forming at the edges of their vision and and try as they might they could not scream. Pained, high-pitched whistling sounds asked them but no human would be able to catch the silent pleas for help.

The man slammed them against the wall once more before letting them fall limply to the floor. "Oh my Snow White Queen, I'm sorry to do this to you beautiful. But how else will you learn? You belong to me," the broad-shouldered figure growled as he kicked Odetta in the stomach. "We'll get you sorted out again in no time, my precious one," he continued in a deceptively soft and soothing tone before moving to kneel over the prone body before him.

"We'll make such beautiful babies again, little bibi. I'll make sure of that."

[Draconian]

Normally Julian didn't pay much attention to people.

At least, not when he wasn't at work. Today though, was different. It was rare that he stopped anywhere when he was going from A to B. There was a gnawing at his stomach though from skipped meals and he felt drawn to this particular place. He'd been past it enough times - glanced in and contemplated maybe going in someday. Today was that someday though, it seemed and he waited patiently in line for his turn. A cup of coffee that he was going to turn and doctor and some weird flakey breakfast pastry with 'cherry and cheese' whatever.

Julian had never been much of a connoisseur of baked goods. He glanced back to what it was called so he didnt just call it the 'cherry and cheese bullshit' and glanced at the person directly in front of him in the line. A small pale thing. Well, hardly small. Julian pushed his thick red braid over his shoulder and eavesdropped on the person ahead of him. Cheese cake. Lemon tart. Julian chewed on his lower lip for a moment, glancing at the person drift away. There was a bone deep concern and he watched the pale person leave, frowning gently before he got an impatient "Can I help you? " from the cashier.

Clearing his throat, he turned back to the worker and ordered his danish and coffee, adding cream and sugar messily, leaving a small puddle of coffee on the counter before he tucked the danish in it's little paper bag in his pocket and rushed from the cafe. The feeling in his gut wasn't hunger now. That person seemed... Off. Listless. Julian was hardly an open fuzzy person but being around them... He sighed and glanced up, bringing his coffee to his mouth and taking a drink, frowning that he'd missed the waify little thing.

Of course, the shrill cry just made Julian jolt. Instinctively his fist clenched, crushing the paper cup in a second and making the lid fall down. He didn't care though. Didn't care that he had coffee all down his front because that was not a 'hurray surprise' scream or a 'you spooked me' scream. That was deep rooted terror and Julian had heard enough of them over the years of service to know that if he left it for a few seconds there would potentially be something much worse than potential kidnapping at hand.

Julian ran. Ran to where he'd heard the scream, almost running past the alley. There was a strange sound he'd never heard before that led him exactly to where he needed to go and while it made his ears itchy, he followed it. Ignored the itch. He caught the tail end of whatever the brute was saying. Snow White Queen. Julian wasn't quite fast enough to keep further physical harm from happening but he'd brought his com to his ear and swiftly called for back up, voice low before he finally stepped foot into the alley.

He was weaponless. Sort of. A few steps and it felt like ice had entered his veins. Beautiful babies again. Julian sucked in a breath, tilting his head and listening for the sounds of rushing footsteps. The potential of being stabbed or shot was high but...Julian ran in, stopping short before kicking the man in the side of the head with the flat of his boot. Enough to hopefully daze or dizzy. Just as quickly, he curled his arms around Bibi's? Was that their name? Upper arm and dragged him just a bit farther away. "You're interfering with a Libran citizen," Julian said, flushed and near trembling with anger. He wasn't entirely unimposing. Tall and slim, long dark red hair to his elbows and a scar decorated his face and made him an effective cyclops.

"You're safe. Back up is on the way, I need you to cooperate with me and remain behind me, okay?" Julian kneeled while Bibi(?) was on the ground recovering, an arm out protectively glancing behind himself at the small blue-ish elf-thing. "If you feel someone grab you from behind, don't panic. I'll keep you safe."

[GoblinFae]

Twin hearts were beating wildly out of control as pain repeatedly exploded and radiated from various points on their body. They had forgotten how real and present pain could feel. They had been living in a numb existence for too long, had become too complacent and settled into routine and now they were paying the price for it. Odetta whimpered softly as they lay stunned on the ground. Grey eyes looked past his dark figure and spied the crushed and forgotten pastry bag.

That stupid lemon tart. If only Odetta hadn't fallen into such a routine. If only there hadn't been one last slice of cheesecake. If only they hadn't fled without paying attention to their surroundings. Perhaps then he wouldn't have found them so easily. They had gotten too confident, too comfortable and secure. Odetta should have left Libra Station when they had the chance and now they were going to pay the price.

Everything hurt too much to fight back and yet all they could think of was that wasted tart. Someone else could have had and enjoyed it and now no one would. They wished for death if only so that they did not have to be this monster's pet once more. Their hands balled up into small fists as the shock started to wear off and the adrenaline surged.

They didn't know what they were going to do but their mind was in overdrive to fight, to flee, to end this. Odetta took one pained breath, teeth bared in a furious snarl. But, when they moved to strike, their captor was suddenly reeling back and away from them. Their brow knit in confusion but it was short-lived as they were suddenly being dragged away. The Starstrider's head snapped up to look at their new attacker, their face still screwed up in a warning scowl and unknowingly still sending off the higher pitched trill of fear. They would not be made easy prey twice in one night.

Odetta reached up to claw at the assailant's hands when his words broke through their haze of fear and fury. They froze and then very slowly nodded affirmatively. The Starstrider had other plans though. While the redheaded elf turned back to face the monster who was already recovered and threatening to strike back, Odetta scooted themselves further back along the cool wall. If they could run, they could hide from them both. They just needed to get up and go. They would have to find a way out. The storage locker with extra money and a change of close wasn't close but it wasn't the other end of the station either. They could do this. They could make it to run and hide for another day. They just needed the opportunity.

The sounds of flesh making heavy contact with flesh caused Odetta to wince and flinch as if the next blow was intended for them. When no pain blossomed anew though they peeked weary eyes open to see the pair still grappling. The fire burning in their one-time master's eyes was enough to turn their stomach. This was far from over. Odetta moved to make a break for it only to smash the top of their head into someone's chin. There an audible click of teeth clashing followed by a pained grunt before Odetta's momentum sent them both tumbling to the ground.

"You're completely surrounded. Step back slowly with your hands in the air," another voice called out from the entrance of the alleyway. Odetta cowered and froze as the soldier beneath them wrapped his arms around them and moved them both backwards further.

Meanwhile the monster of the shadows offered a sheepish smirk while slowly backing away and raising his hands above his head, fingers still curled into loose fists. "Oops," he laughed darkly before suddenly opening his hands, causing a vial to drop and shatter on the ground. A vile stench filled the area as the spilled liquid began to smoke creating a thick, purple miasma that rapidly hid the figure from view. While it cleared quickly and the soldiers advanced forward, Odetta knew without looking that he was long gone.

He would be back though. It was his way after all and Odetta would never be rid of him. The soldier they had fallen on helped the Starstrider up though and was attempting words of comfort that Odetta had no ears for. They glanced first towards the first man that had tried to help them and then off towards the exit that led to the rest of the station.

"I'm late for work," they breathed, their voice sounding weak and shaky even to their own ears. "I-I need to go. I can't be late. Thank you. I need to go," they repeated, feeling the adrenaline still coursing through them and demanding a rapid retreat. Odetta's entire being shook with it, completely overwhelmed now that the group's attention was turning more towards them and less on the now absent aggressor.