Lamia walked down the street, thinking deeply. Her nightmares the night before had been more vivid then usual. She kept seeing pictures in her head; a deserted mideval city, with the dead lying in the streets, a woman in a room, with a baby lying past the reach of her lifeless hands, a group of girls, who were close as sisters.

     She shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had been wandering the twon for quite a while now and, looking up, she realized she had made it to the bad side of town. She cringed and turned around to leave, but was stopped by three tall young men. They leared at her and she spun, prepared to flee, but whirled again when she realized she had backed herself into a blocked alley. Lamia dropped into a defensive position, hoping that the things she had learned in self-defense really worked. 

     Suddenly, her eyesight went dark and she saw herself as in a vision. She was dressed in some form of... bodysuit? and was grinning as she faced down three soldiers dressed in red armor. She snapped back into awareness at the sound of massive, deep barking. She looked up to see a massive black dog charging through the intruders. It snapped its huge jaws right and left and pounced onto the leader of the gang, growling deep in its chest.  Lamia watched in amazment as the thugs turned and ran. As the dog approached her, she shrank back against the wall and closed her eyes, sure she was about to be dog food.

     She was suprised when she felt the dog nuzzle her hand. Opening her eyes, she saw the dog looking at her with a goofy look on its face and her heart melted. "Thank you, boy," she cooed as she dropped to her knees to hug him. That's when she realized how thin he was. His ribs pressed her arms where she hugged him. "Come on, boy. I guess you're coming home with me. I've been planning on looking for a dog anyway. Our first stop? The butcher. You deserve a steak." She turned to walk away, the dog bumping her in the side as it walked. "Onyx. Your name is Onyx," she told him as they began their treck to the bucher.

Standing patiently by the counter of the butcher shop, Holly smiled at the new customer and her canine companion. She stopped by here every night to pick up a fresh cut for her dinner, and knew the workers better than she knew the people she actually worked with. This was a very pet-friendly establishment. With a small wave she smiled, a gently warm ex
pression.

"You have a lovely dog. I don't know if you'd think me rude for asking, but can I pet him?"

Her demeanor shrinks a little, becoming timid and uncertain.

Haruki's bright and wide violet eyes beamed as he sauntered down the sidewalk of a barren city street.  It didn't seem to bother him, the fact that where he stood was deserted.  It was certaintly the less safe side of the town, where crime and such was common.  Thankfully, he had his newfound friend.

Galaxy, a gorgeous and one- of- a- kind raven, had gotten her foot trapped under a fallen telephone pole.  Haru, who'd just so happened to be in the area, had freed her.  Your average bird would've flown off in a heartbeat, but this one seemed to have a desire to stick by his side.  He'd offered the name Galaxy for the silver twinkles in her solid black feathers which reminded him of a clear midnight sky.  The bird happily accepted.  And the pair were instant friends, the happy little- err... big- bird now encircled the rather petite boy, at the same time emitting a proud screech.

 But then, the boy experienced something completely new.  He began to waver, unable to maintain balance.  And next, a flash of bright light blinded him for a second.  Another flash followed, and before he knew it, he'd collapsed right there on the sidewalk.

In a hazy aura, he could see the ruins of a city.  There was suffering everywhere.  And then, in a hopeful glow, he caught a glimpse of several heroes.  One of them was....  Himself?!  He looked more like a warrior, though, dressed in a stunning black cloak with bandages covering much of the exsposed skin on his arms and face.  His eyes looked more serious, illuminated in a red tone and narrowed with focus.

In reality, the boy was squirming on the cement, his birdy friend squaking madly with concern.

Holly giggles, opening up a bit at she reaches out to scratch the big dog behind his ear. "He's very pretty, and amazingly calm for you having just found him. Sweet as honey, this one." At the outstretched hand she straightens up, shaking it briefly, her friendly essence practically glowing off her.

"Oh, I don't mind. It's lovely to meet you, Lamia. I'm Holly." She goes back to petting Onyx, her eyes bright. "You're really lucky. I'd love a dog, but my building doesn't allow anything bigger than a chihuaha, and those don't really count." Her face scrunches into a momentary grimace before returning with a smile.

 An image flashes in front of Holly's eyes. She's... not really herself, prettier and more... unEarthly. In the vision she's looking down at Lamia and two other women, neither of which she can recognize, all three on one knee and dressed in the strangest suits. And she's in... The most beautiful dress she's ever seen.

 Just as quickly as it came the image is gone, and Holly is back in the butcher's shop petting Lamia's big black dog.

For a moment Holly was completely stunned, her ex
pression shocked, though not unpleasantly. Then the beaming grin took its proper place on her elegant, vaguely auristocratic features and the small space seemed to light up.

"I'm sure you aren't, and I think I would be honored. I'll finally get to have a dog and get out of that stuffy apartment. Too much snobbery there, anyway." She rises, standing quite a bit taller than the other girl, yet managing to appear to be looking up at her, somehow. "Thank you. It's a very kind offer, and I'm glad to accept."

The vision...  It faded away in a sepia tone, blurring into nothingness.  Haruki's eyelids flickered open, but he remained in his same position, the mild sun pleasently warming his skin.  Galaxy released a lighthearted coo of relief.  The boy, without a word, patted the bird on her head.  The two of them, through an exchanged glare, seemed to get that same vibe of peace and tranquility.  

Haru sighed.  No home, just the streets.  Always had been that way.  Kinda nice though, sleeping under the stars everynight.  His eyelashes batted lazily as he yawned, the raven siddling up close to him.  How strange they must have looked.  An adult male with the stature of a child cuddling with a large black bird with what looked like silver glitter on it's feathers.  But maybe that was just their style.

"Oh."  Haruki shifted calmly, looking as if he were enlightened.  Someone had actually come to his aid.  A little tardy, but still appreciated.  Perhaps this wasn't the worst part of town after all.  "Hello."  His voice drifted smoothly through the atmosphere.

Feeling strange still lying on the ground, Haru stood himself up, dusting his clothes off.  "I'm alright.  Just a strange....  Dream?"  He wondered if that was even the word for it.  The boy beamed a kind grin, politely offering his hand to her so she could rise from her knees.

((Gotta sleep.  Just past midnight and I have school in the morning D;)) 

After paying for her chicken breasts, Holly rushes out to see what the trouble is. She drops onto a knee beside the boy, concern filling her face. Quickly Holly assessed the situation, and judged the man to not be injured. This relieved some of the worry, though seeing a man lying in the grass this late into the evening just wasn't normal. When he speaks, then stands, the last shred of panic washes away. She shoots Lamia a curious glance, a wry smirk finding its way onto her lips.

  Lamia took the proffered hand, then turned to extend her own to her new roommate. "I'm Lamia," she said to the young man. "And this is Holly. Are you ok? I've never seen anyone pass out from a dream before..."

OOC: Everyone roommates? Would sure make things easy.