Peace and Quiet [Active/Open]

[guardianbynight.livejournal.com]

Character(s): Goliath, Natalia, anyone else
Content: Goliath explores the abandoned upper floors of St. Destino Hospital.
Setting: St. Destino Hospital
Time: Must be night if Goliath is awake.
Warnings: None.

When he breathed, the stagnant air of the hallway stirred to life with flickering dust motes. Surrounded by shadows and the remnants of hospital equipment, Goliath turned slightly to take in his surroundings. While he knew the lower floors of this building still held some life (he'd seen the light shimmering around the edges of drawn curtains over windows), these upper floors had clearly been abandoned for some time. As he lightly drew his massive hand over the faded wallpaper barely visible on the walls, he wondered what made the people avoid this place.

He'd been wandering in the darkness for so long since he arrived that he wondered when he'd ever see the stars or moon again. Alternating between his stone sleep in the relentless dark and blindly feeling out the city he'd somehow been moved to, Goliath was starting to feel disoriented, dizzy...almost mad. At that thought, his hand tightened on the wall, talons digging into the stone with ease. No, no...not mad. He would never give in and lose himself to his grief and loneliness. He was stronger than that.

Perhaps these forgotten rooms and halls would serve as a place of safe rest for him. He had yet to run into any of the strange shadowy creatures while inside here. Lifting his head from the unconscious bow, he straightened and headed deeper down the hall, eyes glowing faintly white in the darkness.

Comments

[starembrace.livejournal.com]

Not only was Natalia's internal clock out of whack, she got lost! And standing outside was just asking for the Heartless to go ahead and attack her. ... then again, going into an abandoned hospital was hardly any better, was it?

"Pardon me, but is anybody in here?" She called out, cautiously making her way through the hallways.

[guardianbynight.livejournal.com]

Goliath froze in his step, tilting his head very slightly. Was that a voice? He must have been found out, the denizens below sending up one or more people to see him on his way. That is, if he was lucky. They might also decide to simply dispose of him. Well, they could certainly try. Though his massive frame made the quiet halls seem small and cramped, he was sure he could maneuver well enough to rid himself of territorial humans.

He moved quickly but surprisingly stealthily in the direction of the voice, sticking to the deep shadows. Before he long, he saw her --a rather average looking human female. He stopped short, too far away for her to see the dim glow of his eyes but close enough to see her expression. This was hardly what he expected. She seemed worried, cautious.

Weighing the decision to make himself known or quietly leave her here, Goliath stayed in the dark corner as the girl crept ever closer.

[starembrace.livejournal.com]

Still, an old abandoned building, as long as it remained abandoned, seemed good enough to Natalia as opposed to getting more and more tired from fighting all of the Heartless out there. That's what Timon called them, right? That part made them similar yet dissimilar to the monsters in her own world. In any case, continuing to make her way through the halls, her concern was quite visible to anybody watching; she definitely seemed harmless, and now wasn't an opportunity for her regal bearing to make itself known.

Stepping into one of the rooms, she attempted to flip on the light switch. No go. Spotting a lantern on the desk, however, she gave a sigh of relief as she found a match and lit up the lantern. There were several texts on the desk... how interesting. She was a seventh fonist, but there was only so much healing artes could accomplish. It might serve her well to brush up on her medical knowledge as well. Not knowing where to start, though, she picked up a random book and attempted to read it under the light to pass the time.

[guardianbynight.livejournal.com]

Just as it seemed his decision would made for him, the girl turned and stepped into a room instead. Quietly, Goliath followed her, sticking close to the walls, the only hint of his presence being the muted hiss of his tail dragging on the floor behind him. By the time he could look through the doorway without immediately being seen, she was reading a book. This was no aggressor, that much was obvious to him now. He sighed, a little less cautious now, and turned away from the doorway, his large taloned feet making a muffled thump as he headed further into the hall.

[starembrace.livejournal.com]

While Natalia wasn't known for a sharp sense of hearing, in the dead silence of the abandoned hospital Goliath's muffled footsteps were quite clear to her, causing her heart rate to increase as she nervously looked in that direction, only to see darkness. Getting up, she held the lantern as she approached the hallway to take a look. "Pardon me, is anybody there?" She called out, hoping that it would be a friendly incident.

[guardianbynight.livejournal.com]

He froze as the light from the lantern spilled into the hallway, hitting his back and casting sinister shadows in sharp relief. The light seemed more an intruder than the girl, who even now must see him. There was no hiding it now. Sighing, Goliath slowly turned, letting the light reveal the features of his face, so terrible to some but beautiful to others.

"I am merely passing through," he said softly, the rumble of his deep voice little more than a growl.

[starembrace.livejournal.com]

Taken a bit aback by Goliath's appearance, Natalia meant no disrespect. "Oh, my..." A small gasp was let out, but in order to rectify the situation, she gave a bow with a soft smile. "My apologies, sir; I was not aware that you were already residing in these quarters. If you'd like, I can be on my way. I didn't mean to disturb you." His appearance, on second glance, was quite intimidating, yes, but there was also a sense of majesty emanating from it that Natalia couldn't quite put into words. Putting down the light, she had hoped that she did not incur his wrath; to him, she must have been an intruder, she thought.

[guardianbynight.livejournal.com]

"I do not reside here," his commanding voice cut through the air quickly, sharply, lest she further misunderstand his being here. Goliath held out a taloned hand in a dismissive gesture at the thought. "I am exploring. Seeking refuge from the darkness outside." He paused, turning all the way to fully face the girl, arching one ridged brow. "How is it that you came to be here? Do you reside here?"

[starembrace.livejournal.com]

Natalia shook her head. "I have an apartment at Irelia Apartments, but I'm new here in Paixao and I thought I'd walk around despite the darkness. These medical texts interested me, so I thought I'd take a look at them." She tried to explain. Introducing herself, her face was held up to face Goliath. "I am Natalia; it's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, sir." Holding her hands together, she hoped this next inquiry wouldn't be a sore spot. "If I may ask, what... are you? I've yet to see a being such as you during my travels; it's quite remarkable, really."

[guardianbynight.livejournal.com]

"Medical texts?" he repeated, turning his head to take a second look at the debris around him. "What do you mean by 'medical?' Is this a..." He paused, clearly deliberating on the right word. "...an apothecary, perhaps? I see no mortar or pestle." He had yet to answer her question, instead focused anew on his surroundings. Walking towards her, Goliath picked up a discarded book, lying open on the dusty floor.

[starembrace.livejournal.com]

"This is a hospital... or, at least I think it is. It resembles such a facility from the world I'm from." Natalia explained. She thought this was a hospital from the signs on the outside, though decrepit. Was this man from a world where hospitals did not exist? "I suppose it's a type of apothecary. My world typically depended on fonic artes, which included healing artes which I'm proficient in, but ever since a certain event we've had to depend less and less on fonic artes and more on other means to treat the injured." She tried to explain. He seemed a lot less intimidating then he did a few moments ago, with the curious quality to him.

"I'm assuming in those drawers are syringes which are used to inject medications and other such things, though judging from the state of things around here I doubt they're very sanitary or even well within their expiration dates. This sort of medication seems new to me as well, which is why I was reading up on it."

[guardianbynight.livejournal.com]

Though she used many words he'd never heard of, the gist of it all was obvious. This was a center of healing, apparently...or it had been. For whatever reason, it was now neglected, cast off and forgotten. At her mention of drawers, he wordlessly moved to the nearest one and opened it. Carefully, he took out what seemed to be a glass tube with a needle attached. He turned around, holding it out. "This is a...syringe?" he asked, carefully speaking the word as to not mispronounce.

[starembrace.livejournal.com]

The princess simply nodded. "Yes." She recognized it from the facility Tear was taken care of back at Auldrant. She by no means trusted herself to handle such a thing, and she knew that giving people the wrong medicines could very well result in casualties. Probably why people spent several years studying medicine before they were allowed to legally practice it. Plus, although the gargoyle opted not to address her inquiry as to the true nature of his being, Natalia could tell that he didn't seem human; there was no telling what human medication could do to him. "I'm sure I don't have to say this, but please be careful. We don't yet know what effect these things would have on either of us if we're accidentally exposed to them."

[guardianbynight.livejournal.com]

Goliath's chiseled features cracked enough to reveal the barest smirk. He couldn't help it -- the girl seemed so innocent and kind. She was right, of course; there was no telling what this strange world used for medicine or how it would react to his body. He placed it aside carefully, expression once more grim and emotionless.

"It is dangerous here, Natalia," he rumbled, her name rolling off his tongue with much more ease. "You should go and find a safer, more occupied place, intellectual curiosity aside."

[starembrace.livejournal.com]

Taken a bit aback at Goliath's sudden change in topic, Natalia nodded after a few moments. It made sense; this wasn't a safe place. Taking a polite bow, she gave him a smile. "Regardless, I hope to meet with you again sometime, sir." With that, she headed toward the door, turning around once again. he wasn't a bad guy, she thought.