Tales from the Tavern...

             Ryu was thrown into her cell and he staggered into her arms where he fell to his knees. She could feel him shaking in her arms.

            “Ryu, what happened?” she cried, “Are you alright?”

            “Rosette, I….I…” he stammered.

            “What?”

            “He’s just awful.” He said, “I don’t like this place!” she could tell that he was beginning to panic.

            “What’s wrong? You’re safe now.” She said, but his shaking got worse.

            “I hate metal bars!” he said, trying to move away from them.

            “You have a phobia?”

            “Bad childhood experience.” He said, “I was captured once and tortured. My sisters saved me.”

            “How awful.” She said, “But you’re safe here.”

            “I want to get out!” he screamed. His shaking got worse and she saw his body begin to get bigger as he started to transform.

            “No! Stay like this! You’ll only make things worse of you do that!” she said. His body shrank back to normal size, but if anything, his shaking got worse. She tried to calm him down. “I’m here. You’re safe.”

            “I r-really hate b-bars, Rosette.” He stammered.

            “I know, but let’s talk about something to get your mind off of it.” She said, “What was the interview like?”

            “It was horrible! He kept calling me a liar and that my story didn’t match yours at all!”

            “What did you say?”

            “He asked me how we got home and I told him we got a cab.” He said.

            “That’s the same thing I said.”

            “But he said there were no cabs showing up at all that night.” He said, “He showed me the tape.”

            “And?”

            “He asked me where I went when the odd creature showed up and I panicked.” He said.

            “What did you do?” Rosette became very worried.

            “I told him I was still there.” He said, “And he accused me of being the creature!”

            “Why?”

            “Because he checked into my background and found that I don’t have one.” He said, “He’s onto me!” Rosette put her hand over his mouth and leaned in to whisper.

            “Watch what you say, these cells are probably bugged.” She said.

            “I can’t smell any bugs.” He said.

            “I mean they could have listening devices in here and are listening to us.” She whispered. Ryu took the hint. She removed her hand when the door opened once more, and Detective Gantz stepped inside.

            “We meet again, Ryu.” He said with a smile, “What did you do this time?”

            “I didn’t do anything!” he said, his attention went back to the bars and he began shaking again in Rosette’s arms.

            “You were just careless, that’s all.” He said, “You’re lucky you have me on the inside to help you out.”

            “What do you mean?” Rosette asked. Gantz smiled again.

            “I had an analyst look at the tape and she confirmed the odd shape to be just a drift cloud that reflected the light from the streetlights and had cast a weird shadow on the ground. She assumed that Ryu here was simply standing in the blast.”

            “What about the charges?” she asked.

            “Charges?” he asked, “There’s no charges. That cop was out to make a name for himself. He’s into the Yeti and the Loch Ness Monster and such. This case caught his eye and he wanted to run with it”

            “So why are we being detained.” She asked. With a loud click the lock turned and the door swung open.

            “I’ve never heard of a charge such as an accessory to a dangerous person.” He said, “Besides, you need to prove that he was dangerous in the first place, and then the worst he would get would be correctional therapy, unless he had already done something wrong.”

            “So we can go?” she asked, helping Ryu to his feet.

            “Sure. He’s getting a lecture by the chief right now and he sends his apologies.” He said, “That warrant was signed by an overworked officer that was half asleep when it came across his desk anyway.”

            “Thanks a lot!” Rosette said, pushing past him. He led her out to the front lobby to where both of his sisters were waiting for him.

            “We were so worried!” Crystal sighed in relief. One of the first things she noticed was that he was still clung to Rosette. Even Rosette hadn’t noticed before now, but Ryu was in his smaller form, much the same as he was when they had first met.

            “What happened?” Sparcy asked.

            “He was put in a cell. He said he doesn’t like metal bars.” Rosette explained. The sisters just looked at each other.

            “Oh, right. That.” Crystal said, “Might take him a bit to snap out of it.”

            “What happened?” She asked, but Crystal waved her off.

            “Later.” She said, “Let’s go home.”

            “I took your notes for you in art class this week.” Sparcy said from the front seat.

            “Thanks.” She said. Still Ryu was clung to her jacket as he stared off into space next to her in the back seat.

            “That’s cute.” Crystal smiled in the rear view mirror.

            “Hey, don’t get any ideas!” she retorted.

            “I’m just happy he’s dealing with it like this.” She said, “You’re being very supportive just being there for him. It’s better than before.”

            “Why?”

            “Whenever he went like this, he was usually around or being held in a cage of some sort.” She said, “Ever since he was captured as a baby.”

            “What happened?”

            “Some Dragons slayer caught him and tried to use him as bait for our mother.” She said.

            “We showed up instead, but we found him to be heavily wounded.” Sparcy said, “He was poking him with a spear for a long while. We almost lost him.”

            “What happened then?” Rosette asked.

            “After we got him out, Mother came along and took care of the situation, but the damage was done.” Crystal said, “Now whenever he’s around metal bars like that he starts shaking in fear, which eventually leads to hysteria. He basically freaks out and goes on a violent rampage. He once took out a whole village when he got caught in a trap near the place.”

            “He killed the people in the village?” Rosette gasped.

            “No. luckily, the place was deserted because the king had summoned them all to some sort of meeting, and he ended up just leveling the houses.” She said, “Not quite sure what he would have done if they were there, but he went off on his own that day and we only found him after we followed the smoke.”

            “Not a pretty picture.” Sparcy said, “That was only a small trap too. He easily broke out of it, so I’m surprised that he’s like this after being in that huge jail cell.”

            “Honestly, I think its Rosette.” Crystal said.

            “What do you mean?” she asked.

            “You’re a good influence on him. You didn’t know what he was like before.” Crystal said.

            “He was actually pretty violent back in the days.” Sparcy said, “We had our hands full trying to hold him back and prevent him from killing anyone.”

            “Are you serious?” She gasped, “He was that bad?”

            “You have to understand that it was a different time as well. Your average school kid translated to a person of that time would probably be a young warrior or a mercenary.”

            “It’s been such a shock to him to be suddenly thrown into this time. He needed someone like you to be there for him, and that’s why he has changed.” Crystal said. She pulled into her parking spot across the road from Rosette’s apartment building and turned off the car. Ryu blinked a few times and stared around the car full of worried faces, and turned red when he realized what he was still grabbing on to.

            “S-sorry.” He stammered as he let her go. Rosette just smiled.

            “It’s alright. You were scared.” She said.

            “I wasn’t scared.” He said, “It’s just a problem I have.”

            “I understand.” She said. She opened the door and held out her hand, “Let’s go.”

            The next morning, they arrived at school a bit early. As they stood by the coffee stand, they caught the first signs that this wasn’t going to be a good day. Already the rumors were flying, and the word wasn’t good.

            “That’s him, isn’t it?”

            “Yea it is.”

            “I heard he was involved in that wild beast business a few days ago.”

            “I heard he was sent to jail and took her with him.”

            “I heard he went to jail because he did something awful to her.”

            “That’s not right. Why would she still be with him now?”

            “Well why do you think he dresses that way?”

            Ryu was looking the part. He was again dressed in his robe, which was let out to fit his taller, more mature form. Again he kept the hood over his face and drifted behind Rosette like a weird grim reaper after her soul. People stared as they walked and some even changed seats when they sat in the lobby to drink their coffee. Ryu wasn’t oblivious to their behavior, but tried to ignore it for Rosette’s sake.

            “How are you doing today?” she asked out of the blue. Ryu seemed surprised.

            “I’m f-fine.” He said, “Why do you ask?”

            “It’s just that, well…” she paused trying to find the words.

            “Is it about what everyone is saying about me?” he asked. Rosette nodded.

            “Do you know what they mean when they say those things?”

            “Yes, Rosette. They did have rapists in my time.” He muttered, taking a sip.

            “Doesn’t it bother you?”

            “Of course it does. What would you think if they were saying it about you?” he asked, “They’re accusations are unjustified, brought upon by their own fear and misunderstanding.”

            “But it bothers me too.” She said, “And you’re making it worse hiding under that hood.”

            “I hide for a reason, Rosette. I told you already that I’m still learning this human stuff.”

            “You’re spots are that bad today?”

            “Not just spots.” He said, “Can’t get rid of the fangs today for some reason, and my eyes aren’t quite right.” He saw Rosette lean down and peer under his hood. Her smile made him feel easier even if she did see him looking like an odd, yellow eyed vampire.

            “It’s not that bad. You just need practice.” She said. Ryu’s head lifted as he saw three girls walk up to him. Two looked rather nervous as they hid behind the first, but this one seemed demanding.

            “What are you doing here?” she asked, “You aren’t enrolled here!”

            “And you are?”

            “It doesn’t matter! We don’t want your kind here!” she said.

            “My kind?”

            “Molesters, perverts, and the like. These hallways would be a lot safer if you just leave!” she said loudly. Several people became interested in their conversation.

            “Is that what you think I am?” he asked.

            “You hide you’re face so no one will notice you.” She said, “You’re the most suspicious person on the campus!”

            “Can’t I dress as I please?” he asked, “No one assumes that you kill helpless animals just because you wear that fur.” he motioned towards her jacket.

            “This fur is fake.” She said, “You, on the other hand, went to jail for what you have done.”

            “I didn’t do anything.” He said.

            “No he didn’t!” Rosette interrupted.

            “Then what was it that was so big to make it onto the news and get you thrown in jail?” she asked, crossing her arms.

            “Are you talking about the beast?” he asked, looking to Rosette. She didn’t know what to say.

            “The what?”

            “You haven’t heard that?” he asked, “There was a huge animal that appeared that night.”

            “That’s ridiculous!” she said, “There were no tracks afterwards! And if that was true, then why do you still hide your face?”

            “Maybe the snow covered them up afterwards, and maybe I got hurt trying to fight the thing.”

            “That’s a lie! No way could that be true!” she said.

            “So why is it you call this a lie and not what you believe? You have no proof either way.” He asked, “Is the rapist story just that more convenient?”

            “If you want people to believe you, then take off that hood!” she said, grabbing for it. In a flash, Ryu grabbed her wrist just before she caught the ragged fabric and Rosette gave a sigh of relief.

            “That’s not a good idea.” He said. With the other hand he tossed the empty coffee cup over his head in a wide arc, which landed cleanly in the garbage can on the other side of the room, all while keeping his eyes fixed on the girl in front of him. He released her hand and stood up, heading towards Rosette’s first class, and Rosette chased after him, leaving the girl holding her wrist.

            “What’s wrong?” one of the shy girls asked from behind her. The first stared at her wrist.

            “He’s so cold.” She stammered.

            “Are you sure you’re ok?” Rosette whispered during class. Her sketch in front of her began to take on a rather depressing tone, but it was too late to change it now.

            “I’m fine.” Ryu said. He was quiet most of the class and had barely moved an inch, as if he was concentrating on something, or simply staring off into space. Either way, his mind was elsewhere, and Rosette hoped that these rumors weren’t getting to him. By the end of class, he barely noticed everyone getting up to leave, and Rosette had to yell at him to get him to move.

            “Where do you want to go for lunch?” she asked. Ryu didn’t look interested. She still couldn’t see his face, but she could tell that he wasn’t paying attention.

            “Want some deer? I heard there’s a herd up north that look pretty tasty.” She said.

            “Sure.” He muttered.

            “Did you even hear what I said?”

            “What?” he asked, finally snapping out of his trance.

            “Lunch. Where do you want to go?”

            “Where ever you want to go.” He said, “I’m no good at choosing things like that.”

            “What about Chinese?” she asked. Ryu just shrugged his shoulders, and Rosette sighed.

            “It is bothering you!” she said, “Listen. Don’t listen to those people, Ryu! They don’t know the truth about that night.”

            “It’s not bothering me, Rosette. But I am distracted, I admit.” He said.

            “Why?”

            “Not sure.” He said, “I feel as if I’m being watched and followed.”

            Like a wave from the swarming crowd of students behind him, the three girls from before came out of nowhere, and pinned him to the wall. In one sweeping motion, Rosette gasped as the girl in front pulled the hood of his cloak down over his head.

            “What are you doing?” Ryu yelled. The girls let him go and backed away in shock.

            “I’m s-sorry.” The lead said, “We just had to know.”

            “So you ambush me in the hallway?” he asked, brushing himself off. Rosette’s heart was beating rapidly, but she calmed when she saw his face somewhat back to normal. No fangs and no yellow eyes. Now she understood what he was doing all this time under his hood. He wasn’t just staring off into space, but rather concentrating on his human form. Although he wasn’t finished, the few red scales on his face could easily be mistaken as a rash. It would be, but the girls were staring at them too intently.

            “What do you want?” he asked.

            “It’s just, well….” She trailed off.

            “If it’s nothing then we’ll be going.” He said. Once again he pulled his hood over his head.

            “I was just wondering,” she asked, “If you were sick.”

            “Sick? What gave you that idea?”

            “Well, you’re spots.” She whispered, “And I couldn’t help but notice that you’re cold.”

            “And from that you think I’m sick?” he asked. The girl looked worried, “Who are you anyway?”

            “My name is June Tanger. I’m sorry about before.” She said, rather shyly.

            “You called him a rapist to his face, and in front of everyone else!” Rosette yelled, “And now you’re apologizing?”

            “Yes. It’s a condition I have.” She said, “I get really moody sometimes and go off like that.”

            “We tried to stop her,” one of the other girls said, “But sometimes you just can’t”

            “You have a mental condition where you get moody?” Rosette asked.

            “It was because of the news report last night.” She said, “I was thinking about it a lot this morning and when I recognized you two from the footage that was released to the press, I went off.”

            “I see.” Ryu said, “And the attacking me in the hallway was because of this ‘condition’ as well?”

            “No, I just wanted to prove a point.” She said.

            “And what was that?”

            “That you are cold.” She said. The other two girls nodded. They must have felt it when they held him against the wall earlier, “Are you sure you’re not sick?”

            “I’m not sick, that’s just how I am.” He said.

            “What are you?” she whispered. Ryu smiled.

            “What do you mean?” he asked. She covered her mouth.

            “Did I say that out loud?” she asked, “I’m sorry.” Ryu looked at her suspiciously.

            “Are you related to Rebecca Tanger by any chance?” he asked.

            “She’s my sister.” She said.

            “Any more siblings to look out for?”

            “My brother, Jake.” She muttered, “But he doesn’t talk very much.”

            “I see,” Ryu mumbled, “Well you’re not the first Tanger to be curious about what’s under my hood, but you are the first to actually look.”

            “I’m sorry, I really am.” She said.

            “A simple sorry seems insufficient, but that is all you have.” He said, and then turned, pulling Rosette down the hall behind him. She thought it best not to pry, because he looked annoyed as it is.

            By the end of the day, Rosette thought that Ryu was going to pop. Everywhere they went they were met with accusing stares and whispering behind their backs. She could tell that he looked to be ignoring it on the outside, but it really got to him inside. She couldn’t tell how she knew exactly. It could be the effects of the bond they had made official, but she believed it to be more than that. Even with his hood up, she could tell he was angry when a group of guys stopped them in the parking lot.

            “Hey! You in the cloak!” one guy yelled. Ryu pretended not to notice as he hurried with Rosette to get to her car. He had to answer, however, when the guy grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him back into a nearby snow bank.

            “Leave him alone!” Rosette yelled, “He didn’t do anything to you!”

            “Shut up, bitch!” he yelled, “This kid is a nuisance to everyone here and we’re going to make sure he never comes back!”

            The five guys advanced on Ryu, who was trying to get up, but was knocked down again when one kicked him in the stomach. Rosette winced herself when she realized that it was the same place as his gunshot wound. They watched him struggle to his feet and stagger into a nearby wall as they laughed at him. His vision blurred as he tried to ignore the pain, and Rosette’s pleading could barely be heard.

            When his legs felt as if they would give out, he saw the leader pull a steel rod from under his jacket. Rosette started crying and pleading with him to stop, but Ryu didn’t notice. His eyes were fixed on the piece of metal in the guy’s hands, and it reminded him of a cage. Being trapped in the corner with the cold metal bar being waved in his face, something snapped inside him, and everything went silent.

            It seemed to happen very slowly for him. As the guy swung the metal bar high for his head, Ryu could easily duck out of the way, and as the bar flew past his head, he caught it and directed his follow thorough into the wall. The others joined in as the first dropped the bar, but still they moved in slow motion through his eyes. As he ducked and dodged their punches, everything began to take on a red hue, and soon all he could see was blood red everywhere. Being blinded by red and deaf to any sounds, he began to panic, feeling trapped in his own world. He moved on instinct, not knowing what he was doing, and not knowing when to stop. The last sense he had left told him when to stop, however, and it was when all he could smell was blood.

            He dropped to his knees and felt the cold snow soak through his cloak. It was then finally that he felt cold. Not because of the temperature, but because of the smell, and because he felt so alone. He couldn’t stop from shaking, even when he felt something grab hold of him. As the wall of red began to fade from his eyes and he could make out the faint outline of trees, it was like someone had turned up the volume and he could finally hear someone crying. He finally realized that it was Rosette who was holding onto him and crying.

            “R-Rosette..” He muttered.

            “It’s alright, I’m here.” She sniffed. He could hear sirens in the distance that just kept getting louder.

            “What did I do?” he asked, trying to look around, but he felt the pain in his stomach, as if for the first time.

            “I don’t know. You moved so fast!” she sniffed, wiping her eyes, “It was some kind of martial arts, but most of it was too fast to see.”

            “Why do I smell blood?” he asked, “What did I do?” He finally spotted all five guys sprawled in the snow, with their leader lying against the wall. For some reason there was blood all over the snow.

            “He hit his head against the brick wall when he swung that bar at you.” She said, “I think the rest is yours.”

            “That’s all my blood?” he asked, half asleep. Rosette became worried.

            “The ambulance is almost here.” She said, “What do I do?”

            “Are they going to be okay?” he muttered.

            “There are other people looking after them. I’m worried about you!” she cried, “We can’t take you to a hospital!”

            “Don’t worry, Rosette. I’ll be fine.” He said.

            “I’ve already called your sisters.” She said, “They’re going straight to the hospital. I guess we’ll meet them there.”

            “I guess.”

            The ambulance showed up moments later, but only Ryu was loaded into the back. Rosette jumped up in the back with him, and soon they arrived at the hospital, where they rushed him inside. To her surprise, there was a doctor waiting for them, with Crystal and Sparcy standing beside him. The paramedics handed him over and the doctor wheeled him into an examining room while Rosette stayed out in the hall with his sisters.

            “What are we going to do?” She asked, “What if he finds out?”

            “Don’t worry about it.” Crystal said, “He already knows.”

            “What?”

            “Oh yeah. He already knows about us.” Sparcy said, “He’s like our family doctor. You should have seen him the first time he found out!”

            “What happened?”

            “Sparcy broke her arm playing volleyball in high school, and the doctor tried to get an x-ray of her arm. Didn’t work too well.” Crystal said.

            “Why?”

            “When he got it back, all he saw was dragon scales.” Sparcy chuckled, “Scales are like bone in a way. The x-ray couldn’t go through it and all he got was a picture of a dragon’s arm. He was pretty freaked out by it. Tried to take it five times because he thought it was the machine.”

            “Yea, on the sixth time, she fried the machine because she got annoyed.” Crystal added.

            “So now what is he like?” Rosette asked, still worried.

            “He agreed to be our doctor.” Crystal said, “He just wants to help and he figures it would be better on us if he kept it to himself and for us to see only him.”

            “What’s his name?” Rosette asked.

            “Doctor Lanse.” She said, “He’s French.”

            “I see.” Rosette said, “So why didn’t we just take him here in the first place?”

            “Because you were taking such good care of him!” Sparcy chirped, “Plus, he said to come in just for emergencies because he’s busy.”

            “Never too busy for you two, Madame.” He said, coming from the examining room, “Ees going to be fine.”

            “What’s the diagnosis, doctor?” Sparcy asked.

            “Your friend has lost a lot of blood.” He said, “Since there is none of your blood in storage, we cannot give him any. He needs to rest to regain it on his own.”

            “What if you two give him some?” Rosette asked, “You are family, so you should be compatible!”

            “We’ve tried that before, Rosette.” Crystal said, “Our blood is too thick to go through their needles.”

            “Ooo is this young Madame?” he asked, “My name is Dr. Lanse.”

            “Rosette.” She said, “Nice to meet you.” The doctor turned to Crystal.

            “Is she one of you as well?” he asked. Crystal smiled.

            “No she’s human.” She said.

            “Ah, she is with this one then, eh?” he asked, gesturing into the room. Crystal nodded, and Rosette blushed.

            “It’s not like that.” She muttered. The doctor smiled.

            “Ah, l’amour! To be young again!” he said, “You’re only young once, Madame, don’t waste it. Feel what you feel! Don’t hide it!”

            “That’s my own business.” She said.

            “True, true.” He muttered, “But even though ee may have eternity, you certainly do not.”

            “Anyway, are you holding him for observation?”

            “Normally, I would, but I think you should take him.” He said, “I can patch him up and give you more dressings. I found a great disinfectant for you guys too. It’s just as good as peroxide, but it doesn’t catch fire with your blood.”

            “Thanks, doctor.” Rosette said.

            “I should be paid extra for dis’ kind of stuff, but I guess dat’s what a secret is.” He sighed.

            “We’re sorry for the trouble.” Crystal said, putting on a sad face. Rosette found this hilarious because she had never seen her so expressive, being the serious one all the time. Now she saw how they got along all these years, being able to push the right buttons.

            “It’s no problem, Madame.” He said with a smile, “No problem at all!”

            “You’re sure you don’t need any help with him?” Crystal asked. They had gone back to the school so that Rosette could pick up her car, and now Ryu was sleeping in the passenger seat as Crystal leaned on the door and peered into the car.

            “We’ll be fine. Thanks for everything.” She said.

            “If you need us, give us a call, okay?”

            “Sure.” She said, Rosette began to roll up the window but Crystal stuck her head in once more.

            “I forgot to tell you.” She said, “You should let him change back to his normal form for a while.”

            “How long?”

            “A couple of days.” She said, “Can your place handle that?”

            “I guess so. As long as he doesn’t move too much.”

            “And you need to feed him.” She said, “A lot.”

            “What should I give him?”

            “He used to just eat meat, but just make sure he gets lots of protein and sugars.”

            “Alright, I will.” She said, and closed the window. She put the car in gear and headed for home.

            Once home, she laid him on the couch until she cleared his room of anything breakable, and laid the mattresses out on the floor for him. After she brought him inside, it wasn’t long before she could hear his hollow breathing, echo through the door. She had just sat down and turned on the television, when there was a knock on the door.